McCain defends a free press: 'That's how dictators get started'

 NBC News     CHUCK TODD AND MATT RIVERA   
 February  18th 2017 
Sen. John McCain is taking a veiled swipe at President Donald Trump's ongoing attack on the fourth estate, cautioning that "how dictators get started" is by shutting down the press.

The Republican Arizona senator, in an exclusive interview on Meet the Press airing Sunday, admitted that the relationship between the media and elected officials can sometimes be tense — highlighted by the Trump administration's repeated sparring with reporters and the president calling news organizations "fake news."

Watch the interview with Sen. McCain on Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press

Half-jokingly, McCain said, "a fundamental part of that new world order was a free press. I hate the press. I hate you especially. But the fact is we need you."

His defense of the media came in response to a Friday tweet from President Donald Trump in which he called certain news outlets "the enemy of the American People."

Speaking from Germany, where he was attending the Munich Security Conference, McCain said that without a free press, "I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That's how dictators get started."
McCain clarified that he wasn't referring to the president as a dictator, but that attacks on journalists who are questioning those in power are usually a hallmark of autocratic governments.

"When you look at history," McCain said, "the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I'm not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I'm just saying we need to learn the lessons of history."

Witchy sez : Listen folks , think for yourselves.. There are 3 things the United States of America does not need and should be abolished. First, there is no need for hand guns in the general public. Secondly, there is absolute no need for pit bull terriers. Thirdly. there is absolutely no need for Donald J. Trump for any reason.
Hey that's just me and the way I roll ... nuff sez.

President Trump speaks out on Melania's White House role: 'The things they say are so unfair' WTF !!

CHRISTINA GREGG, AOL.COM         February  16th 2017 
One day after an Us Weekly report claimed Melania Trump finds it "miserable" to be the first lady, President Trump spoke out on his wife's White House role.

As her first major move as first lady, Melania Trump announced earlier this week that the White House visitor's center will reopen on March 7, 2017 -- allowing for tours of the storied estate.

These oppositional stories have caused many to question Melania Trump's White House role, and how she will differ from first ladies of years past.

"She is going to be a fantastic first lady," Trump said in his lengthy Thursday press conference. "She is going to be a tremendous representative of women and of the people."

The first lady made her first White House appearance since Inauguration Day on Wednesday, when she met with the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and joined her husband in hosting Sen. Marco Rubio and his wife for dinner.

The president also noted that his daughter, Ivanka Trump, will be working closely with the first lady.

Melania also made headlines recently when model Emily Ratajkowski revealed a New York Times reporter called Mrs. Trump a "hooker" during a conversation the two had at a party. The reporter has since apologized.

"She gets so unfairly treated...I've known her for a long time," Trump said. "She was very successful, a very successful model. She would go home at night, and didn't even want to go out with people."

"She was always the highest quality that you'll ever find," the president said of his wife. "The things they say are so unfair."
The president also noted that Melania Trump feels very strongly about women's issues -- something the first lady has yet to speak publicly on since the inauguration.

Ivanka Trump, though, was present at a White House meeting this week attended by President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on women's business initiatives.

"They're not doing this for money, they're not doing this for pay," Trump said. "They're doing this because they feel this, both of them."

Trump weighs in on on America's trade relationship with Canada: 'We'll be tweaking it'

US News         ANDREW SOERGEL       February  13th 2017 

Leaving little downtime between his visit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the end of last week, President Donald Trump hosted another foreign dignitary Monday as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to the White House.

Trudeau – who was elected prime minister from Canada's Liberal Party in 2015 and who reportedly maintained a congenial relationship with President Barack Obama – became the third international leader to personally visit Trump in Washington following his inauguration, trailing Japan's Abe and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May.

Hanging over the visit were Trump's promises to renegotiate or withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement – a deal designed to foster trade relations between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Canada represented the largest buyer of American goods exports in the world last year.

Trump and Trudeau, however, said in a joint statement Monday that they have "affirmed their longstanding commitment to close cooperation in addressing both the challenges facing our two countries and problems around the world."

"No two countries share deeper or broader relations than Canada and the United States," the statement said. "We recognize our profound shared economic interests and will work tirelessly to provide growth and jobs for both countries."

The two individually made similar comments at a news conference Monday afternoon, with Trump promising that America "is going to have a great relationship with Canada" under his watch.

Trudeau, for his part, praised Monday's "very productive meeting" and indicated "maintaining strong economic ties is vital to our mutual success."

"At the end of the day, the president and I share a common goal. We both want to make sure that hardworking folks can go to work at a good job, put food on the table for their families and save up to take a vacation every once in a while," Trudeau said.
Prior to the news conference, the two leaders participated in a roundtable discussion focused on opening up more opportunities for the advancement of female business leaders. Those in attendance included Julie Sweet, who heads information technology outfit Accenture's American and Canadian operations; Carol Stephenson, who sits on General Motors' board of directors; and Tina Lee, CEO of T&T Supermarket Inc., according to White House press pool reports.

Trump's daughter, Ivanka, reportedly played a role in organizing the event. The two North American leaders also announced the formation of the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders – an initiative aimed at bolstering female workplace participation and removing barriers holding working women back.
"This initiative is more than just about dollars and cents. This is about ensuring that women have access to the same opportunities as men and prioritizing the support and empowerment of women who are senior business leaders and entrepreneurs," Trudeau said. "In doing so, we'll grow the Canadian and American economies and help our businesses prosper."

Trump and Trudeau also touched on national security and terrorism concerns during the news conference and made several passing references to trade dynamics. The new U.S. administration has made restructuring trade with Mexico a key priority, but analysts believe Trump won't be able to retool NAFTA without also impacting America's business with Canada.

The two did not appear to have reached any sort of trade finality as a result of their meeting Monday, but their joint statement acknowledged that "Canada is the most important foreign market for 35 U.S. states," that "more than $2 billion in two-way trade flows across our shared border every day" and that "millions of American and Canadian middle-class jobs, including in the manufacturing sector, depend on our partnership."

Trump said he and Trudeau discussed policies that would be "a lot better for trade and a lot better and a lot faster for trade," possibly involving new technological innovations.

Trump administration struggling to fill White House communications director role

President Trump has been gradually filling his cabinet positions, but there's one key position in his administration that's proving tough to find a candidate for: Communications director.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer has been doing double duty in the role, but it's unusual for the same person to hold both positions.

CNN has reported that a source tells them Trump has been unhappy with Spicer's performance.

Jason Miller, who managed communications for Trump's campaign, was going to fill the post but stepped down during the transition.

Politico reports that White House chief of staff Reince Priebus has been attempting to find a new candidate but has been having trouble due to the challenges of working in Trump's unusual administration.

Former John McCain campaign strategist Steve Schmidt told Politico, "[W]hen you look at the complete and total chaos emanating from the White House on a number of issues, it's clear they have no strategic planning function."

Witchy wants to Know :
 We have the most inept administration we have ever had. Trump has botched every move he has made, with the exception of signing his name to several documents. The implementation of the travel ban was as inept as you can get, and his first military mission was a complete failure. Why did The Trump team come up with year old info, that we already had, as a justification for this failed mission? Why?
Now for some laughs :
Larry, Moe and Curly are already on staff.... what about Shemp?
Now really?? 3 weeks in , get a grip!!  He has done more damage in 3 weeks than any so called president has done in 8 years!  Such a dividing figure!
Wanted: WH Communications Director: Must be able to keep a straight face in all meetings, be able to say the phrase "bad dudes" in at least 12 languages, be able to stand in front of an 8 alarm fire and claim that you do not smell smoke and be able to help other staff members find pesky light switches in dark rooms. Resume and salary requirement to: Trump House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington DC
Would  you  want to be the communications director if you worked for a president who tweeted all the time.  waste of time for any serious professional ?

Photo of Trump in a bathrobe emerges amid spat with New York Times

KELSEY WEEKMAN, AOL.COM                February 7th 2017 

The New York Times posted an article Sunday about the new Trump White House, calling the adjustments happening in the West Wing "turbulent."

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer immediately tried to brush off the story as "fake news."

What grabbed the most attention in the article, however, was a strange line about President Donald Trump watching the news in his bathrobe.

"There were just literally blatant factual errors and it's unacceptable to see that kind of reporting or so-called reporting," he said during a press meeting aboard Air Force One on Monday.

Spicer used the odd story as a telltale sign that the article includes many falsehoods.

"I don't even think the president owns a bathrobe. He definitely doesn't wear one," he said.

Twitter users quickly started sharing photos of Trump in loungewear to prove the press secretary wrong.

Though the photos are not solid proof that Trump currently wears a robe to watch TV, there's no denying he has certainly worn one in the past.

Maggie Haberman, who co-wrote the New York Times article that sparked the debate, told CNN's Anderson Cooper that the piece was meant to humanize the president and show what goes on behind the scenes.

Kellyanne Conway pushed her fake 'Bowling Green massacre' story more than once ---WTF

Business Insider           ALEX LOCKIE             February  6th 2017 
White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway cited a demonstrably false "massacre" as justification for President Donald Trump's temporary immigration ban in an interview with Cosmopolitan Magazine days before making headlines by saying the falsehood on MSNBC's "Hardball."

Conway said in a phone interview with Cosmo on January 29th that Obama had called for a temporary ban on Iraqi refugees after the nonexistent "Bowling Green massacre."

"Why did he do that? He did that for exactly the same reasons. He did that because two Iraqi nationals came to this country, joined ISIS, traveled back to the Middle East to get trained and refine their terrorism skills and come back here and were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre of taking innocent soldiers' lives away," Conway told the magazine.

The Obama administration did in fact review the refugee program from Iraq after the incident in Bowling Green, but did not outright ban refugees in the way that Trump's executive order has.

Two Iraqi refugees in Bowling Green, Kentucky were arrested in 2011 and indicted on federal terrorism charges accusing them, in part, of providing material support to Al Qaeda in Iraq, but no attack ever took place. The refugees were ensared in a FBI sting operation.
When Cosmo reached out to the FBI about Conway's account, an FBI spokesman told the magazine that their facts were "incorrect."

Cosmo didn't publish Conway's remarks initially, but on Friday, Conway told the same story on "Hardball." Immediately, she corrected herself issuing tweets saying that she misspoke, saying she meant to say "Bowling Green terrorists" and not "Bowling Green massacre."

In an interview with Fox News' Howard Kurtz on Sunday, Conway again defended the legitimacy of her story.
"I should have said plot or I should have just called them terrorists. ... I clarified immediately. I should have said terrorists and not massacre," Conway said. "I'm sure it will live on for a week."

"I misspoke one word. The corrections in the newspapers that are attacking me are three paragraphs long every day," she added.

Witchy sez:
That is all a lie. No one wants sanctuary for terrorists . BUT you people who are afraid of EVERYTHING are being played like a fiddle by tRump's regime.

You can't make this stuff up; and disagreeable news is fake news, yet Trump's trailer trash believe every word.
Everything about Kelleyanne Conway is FALSE and FAKE.  Just like her boss!
Now  folks .... a word to the wise :  Massacre and terrorists are not even close in meaning.  Words have consequences and Kellyann just found that out?  How long has she been spokesperson for Trump and prior to that Ted Cruz?  Come one GOPers stop defending incompetence.  Had Obama's spokesperson made such an egregious mistake, you would have been all over it like stink on s##t!

The more Conway  speaks, the more she lies and twists and manipulates.

This is too sweet to pass up ...Four year old ' future star' and Dad singing duo

And (below)here she is at three


How could she remember all those lyrics at three???
This one brought tears to my eyes. I can only take a certain amount of cuteness without breaking down.