Here's White House spokesman Sean Spicer today when asked about how the U.S. would deal with Chinese claims in the South China Sea:
Areas in the South China Sea that are part of international waters and international territories, I think the U.S. is going to make sure we protect our interests there. So, it's a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper than yeah we're going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country.
Why this matters: New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof:
China thinks it owns the South China Sea. Everybody else disagrees. The dispute is one of the most dangerous flashpoints in Asia--Foreign Policy magazine called it "the future of conflict." China calls the extent of its claim the "nine-dash line."
Data: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Natural Earth; Map: Lazaro Gamio and Alex Duner / Axios
Withdrawal of U.S. from TPP negotiations: "Great thing for the American worker," per Trump.
Federal hiring freeze, except for the military. Instant question: What about the VA?
Reinstated the Mexico City policy, which was created under Reagan and rescinded by Obama and cuts funding for international groups that perform abortions.
And... Trump said there was "no merit" to a new lawsuit filed against him today, targeting his ownership of Trump Hotel in DC.
Marco Rubio is off the fence on Tillerson. In a lengthy Facebook message, he outlines his concerns about the secretary of state nominee, but says he'll vote yes.
[D]espite my reservations, I will support Mr. Tillerson's nomination in committee and in the full Senate.
Note: Rubio's message promises to cause trouble for deputy nominees under Tillerson.
Why it matters: Rubio was the last potential problem for Tillerson, who should cruise his way through the Senate.
It isn't Trump as a character, a human type—the real-estate type, the callow and callous killer capitalist—that outstrips the imagination. It is Trump as President of the United States.
The New Yorker has a fascinating deep dive on tech and finance billionaires stocking up for the end of the world, something the cofounder of LinkedIn believes that "fifty-plus per cent" of his peers have opted into.
The trendy destination? New Zealand — friendly, isolated and stable. Buying a house there is a "Masonic handshake" amongst ultra-wealthy survivalists.
Well, when you put it that way... From the unnamed CEO of a large tech company: "Go risk factor by risk factor by risk factor, acknowledging that there are many you don't even know about, and you ask, 'What's the chance of this breaking in the next decade?' Or invert it: 'What's the chance that nothing breaks in fifty years?'"
The president's first executive order this week will be to withdraw the U.S. from negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, per CNN and NBC sources.
Whiplash: Just this morning, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said he trusts Trump on trade, and will continue to work on the agreement.
The China angle: TPP excluded China. If the U.S. pulls out, those countries may be pulled in China's direction.
"I believe President Trump understands the importance of free and fair trade, so I'd like to pursue his understanding on the strategic and economic importance of the TPP trade pact... [W]hen we met last time, I believed him to be trustworthy, this belief has not changed today."
— Japanese PM Shinzo Abe to his Parliament's lower house
Technologies are evolving at a record pace, straining outdated policies that simply have not kept up. Congress needs to take a fresh look at how we all connect by focusing on security, opportunity and access. Here are my proposals:
You hear "populism" all the time, but that's the wrong label for President Trump's vague ideology. A better one: America-first, Trump-style nationalism.
When you parse his Inaugural address — and watch the unmistakable prominence and power of deeper-thinking nationalists like chief strategist Steve Bannon, policy guru Stephen Miller and Attorney General-in-waiting Jeff Sessions — you see a Trump form of nationalism emerging.
Breitbart's immigration reporter Julia Hahn is set to join the White House team, a source with direct knowledge tells Axios. Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon recruited her and she'll likely work under him as an adviser on policy issues like trade and immigration and on the speechwriting team. Politico first reported the news.
