President Trump’s executive order, signed hours after he was sworn in, roiled the already unstable Affordable Care Act marketplaces and could affect how many people enroll in plans and what benefits insurers must offer. One longtime critic of the health law called the order a “bomb” that signals it will be a “disorderly transition” to a replacement plan.
Sen. Marco Rubio has expressed significant reservations about Rex Tillerson, but the former presidential candidate is under intense pressure from Republican leaders to back the ExxonMobil chief executive, and backlash from the new White House would probably be intense.
The group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said that because Trump-owned buildings take in rent, room rentals and other payments from foreign governments, the president has breached the Emoluments Clause.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer. (AP)
Margaret Sullivan
Media Columnist Sean Spicer’s remarks about the audience for Trump’s inauguration were full of falsehoods, and they should inspire journalists to dig in and pay far more attention to actions than sensational tweets or briefing-room lies.
After the president’s press secretary made easily disproved claims about the size of the inauguration crowd, chief counselor Kellyanne Conway sparred on “Meet the Press” with Chuck Todd, who said, “Alternative facts are not facts.”
The president’s senior aide indicated a marked shift from Trump’s pledge during the campaign to make his returns public once an audit was complete.
The marches in cities across the nation captured an enthusiasm that Democrats failed to generate during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The president has made clear his intent to pursue a more assertive Middle East policy, but after eight years of disengagement by the previous administration, Moscow and Iran play a more decisive role.
NFL Playoffs
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. (Dale Zanine/AP)
Jerry Brewer
Columnist The Falcons are not standing in the background anymore. They’re standing alone, as the most impressive team in these NFL playoffs.
Barry Svrluga
Columnist Wide receiver Chris Hogan played a year of football at Monmouth and showed up in New England after being picked up and cut by three other teams. In other words, the kind of player Tom Brady can, for a night or a year, make a star.
The largest devastation appeared to occur in the southern Georgia town of Adel, where officials said seven people died. The state’s governor declared a state of emergency in seven counties near the Florida border.
In the Czech Republic, the tug of war for influence between Moscow and the West has lurked just below the surface since the fall of the Iron Curtain.
What 27-year-old Nicolás Jiménez lacks in experience, he makes up for in Trump-scale ambition.
Samsung finally disclosed what made its flagship smartphone explode this past fall.
