President Trump announced Friday that he will be nominating Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to officially lead the agency.
Timing: The announcement comes nearly one month after Dr. Ronny Jackson announced he was withdrawing his nomination following allegations of alcohol abuse and overprescription of medication.
More than 40 prominent figures in the conservative movement plan to send an open letter to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), urging the Freedom Caucus member to declare himself a candidate for Speaker “at once” to replace Paul Ryan.
Axios has obtained a letter — circulated by Ginni Thomas, longtime leader in the conservative movement and spouse of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — stating that current House Republican leadership "has utterly failed" and "proven that it’s part of the Swamp," and that Jordan is the solution. Richard Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, and Jenny Beth Martin, Chairman of the Tea Party Patriots, are among the more th 40 people who have also signed on.
President Trump is in a tight spot as he tries to pressure Iran with revived sanctions while avoiding political blowback for Republicans, and himself, from higher energy prices that hit businesses and consumers.
The big picture: There are simply too many variables to say with any certainty where oil prices — which are at their highest levels since late 2014 — will go moving forward. But Trump’s hawkish posture could bring domestic economic ripples.
America feels closer to three different possible wars than at any point this decade.
The big picture: Possibilities include a confrontation with North Korea over nuclear weapons, a spontaneous war in the Middle East, and a trade war with China.
President Trump has grown increasingly convinced that the FBI used an informant to spy on his 2016 campaign, and has now demanded a Justice Department investigation:
The back story: There has been a growing amount of speculation by conservative writers that an FBI source spied on the Trump campaign, and might have even planted a spy inside. It's now clear from multiple news reports that the FBI had an informant who talked to two campaign advisers, but not that the informant was planted on the inside. That talk is based on suspicions — not evidence.
President Trump told reporters during a meeting with NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg he doubts trade negotiations with China will end successfully, claiming the United States lost $500 billion in trade last year to China.
"Will that be successful? I tend to doubt it... because China has become very spoiled. The European Union has become very spoiled. Other countries have become very spoiled, because they always got 100 percent of whatever they wanted from the United States."
The big picture: Members of his administration are currently meeting with a Chinese delegation to bring down tensions between the two countries and avoid a trade war.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Thursday defended President Trump's comment when he referred to MS-13 gang members as "animals," explaining it was not in reference to unauthorized immigrants.
"The president was very clearly referring to MS-13 gang members who enter the country illegally and whose deportations are hamstrung by our laws. ... If the media and liberals want to defend MS-13 they're more than welcome to. Frankly, I don't think the term the president used is strong enough."
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) announced Wednesday, after 14 months of study, its conclusion that Moscow did indeed try to boost President Trump’s 2016 campaign by hacking emails and spreading disinformation via social media, aiming to sow discord and subvert free and fair elections.
Why it matters: Unlike the report from the House Intelligence Committee's Majority, the SSCI’s finding is supported by both sides of the aisle and consistent with the judgment of the Intelligence Community (IC). It’s the first time that a group of Republicans has challenged President Trump’s narrative on Russian interference. The White House has so far not responded to the news.
Rex Tillerson, the first Secretary of State for President Trump, didn't mention Trump by name while addressing graduating cadets at Virginia Military Institute yesterday, but he didn't have to. One big quote:
"If we do not as Americans confront the crisis of ethics and integrity in our society and among our leaders in both the public and private sector — and regrettably at times even the nonprofit sector — then American democracy as we know it is entering its twilight years."
