2017 - Page 90 of 105

The Insecure Six

February 17, 2017February 23, 2017 Buck Banks

Maybe it’s because they frequent seedy discotheques,
Or maybe it’s because they prefer kinky sex.
Maybe it’s the weekend blow,
But chances are, we’ll never know
Why six White House staffers failed background checks.

Free Trade Is Suddenly Popular

February 17, 2017 Buck Banks

72%

A new Gallup poll finds a record-high 72% of Americans see foreign trade as an opportunity for economic growth. This is up sharply from 58% last year, after much debate about trade during the presidential election cycle.

Six White House Staffers Fail Background Checks

February 17, 2017 Buck Banks

6

Number of White House staffers who “were dismissed Thursday morning after failing FBI background checks, according to sources familiar with the matter,” Politico reports.

Donald Sinks to 38% Approval in Gallup Daily Tracking Poll – 30 Days into His Presidency

February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 Jon Ponder

Good news: People have caught on. Bad news: Donald will be even more determined to start a war in hope that, like Bush did in 2003, he’ll gain approval as a war-time president.

Trump’s Approval Hits Lowest Point Yet

February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 Buck Banks

56%

A new Pew Research poll finds that President Trump’s overall job approval is much lower than those of prior presidents in their first weeks in office: 39% approve of his job performance, while 56% disapprove. “The intensity of the public’s early views of Trump is striking: Fully 75% either approve or disapprove of Trump strongly, compared with just 17% who feel less strongly. Nearly half (46%) strongly disapprove of his job performance, while 29% strongly approve.”

Half of Iowans Disapprove of Trump’s Performance

February 16, 2017 Buck Banks

49%

A new Des Moines Register poll finds 42% of Iowans approve of the job President Trump is doing, while 49% disapprove. “Trump won Iowa on his way to the White House by 9 percentage points in November, his widest victory among states believed by many to be swing states.”

Animal? Mineral? Vegetable?

February 16, 2017March 17, 2017 Buck Banks

It was nominated to be Secretary of Labor,
But it had been accused of being an abuser.
But even after it withdrew,
We still wished we knew
What, for heaven’s sake, is a PUZDER?

No Zest to Investigate

February 16, 2017March 17, 2017 Buck Banks

As the White House devolves into chaos and confusion,
And Team Trump responds with rebukes and accusations,
Why hasn’t the Congress
Moved to address the mess?
And where is the Republicans’ old zeal for investigations?

Rather: Trump’s Russian Scandal Might Be as Big as Watergate

February 16, 2017 Buck Banks

Watergate is the biggest political scandal of my lifetime, until maybe now. It was the closest we came to a debilitating Constitutional crisis, until maybe now. On a 10 scale of Armageddon for our form of government, I would put Watergate at a 9. This Russia scandal is currently somewhere around a 5 or 6, in my opinion, but it is cascading in intensity seemingly by the hour. … And we may look back and see, in the end, that it is at least as big as Watergate. It may become the measure by which all future scandals are judged. It has all the necessary ingredients, and that is chilling.

— Dan Rather

Conway Retweets White Nationalist

February 16, 2017 Buck Banks

Year: 2017

The Insecure Six

Free Trade Is Suddenly Popular

72%

A new Gallup poll finds a record-high 72% of Americans see foreign trade as an opportunity for economic growth. This is up sharply from 58% last year, after much debate about trade during the presidential election cycle.

Six White House Staffers Fail Background Checks

6

Number of White House staffers who “were dismissed Thursday morning after failing FBI background checks, according to sources familiar with the matter,” Politico reports.

Donald Sinks to 38% Approval in Gallup Daily Tracking Poll – 30 Days into His Presidency

Trump’s Approval Hits Lowest Point Yet

56%

Half of Iowans Disapprove of Trump’s Performance

49%

A new Des Moines Register poll finds 42% of Iowans approve of the job President Trump is doing, while 49% disapprove. “Trump won Iowa on his way to the White House by 9 percentage points in November, his widest victory among states believed by many to be swing states.”

Animal? Mineral? Vegetable?

No Zest to Investigate

Rather: Trump’s Russian Scandal Might Be as Big as Watergate

— Dan Rather

Conway Retweets White Nationalist

I don’t know who had access to my account … I denounce whoever it is. It will be immediately deleted. Everybody makes mistakes.

— Kellyanne Conway, quoted by BuzzFeed, after she retweeted a white nationalist on Twitter.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“The man is afraid of the voice of the people and that the people understand and know what he’s doing. He’s trying to stifle the ability of journalists to let the people of America know what’s really going on with their government.”

— “Kamala Harris called President Donald Trump’s ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House ‘absolutely abhorrent,’” The Wrap reports.

“Not one of them is trained in technical skills. Not one research PhD, as opposed to China, where half the cabinet is science and technology PhDs. We’re led by grifters and fools.”

— Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs, on X, on President Trump’s 35-person cabinet.

“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far… The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”

— Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), breaking with President Trump in a direct-to-camera video.

Numerati

1,000

10%

“The unprecedented spate of mid-decade redistricting for the U.S. House has changed the congressional districts for one-tenth of Americans and significantly altered the makeup of at least one-fifth of districts, according to a new study,” the Associated Press reports.

71%

A new Fox News Poll finds 71% of voters think the Trump administration lacks a clear strategy for ending the Iran War, including 95% of Democrats, 83% of independents, and 43% of Republicans. Sixty percent say U.S. military action against Iran was the wrong decision, while just 37% say it was right.

$9.5 billion

“The Trump administration last year spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers as part of its plan to shrink the government and save taxpayers money, according to a new estimate by a congressional watchdog,” CNN reports.

470

Reuters has documented at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership – from federal employees and prosecutors to universities and media outlets. The list illuminates the sweeping effort by the president and his administration to punish dissent and reshape the government.