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Trump Administration Tag

The story goes a little something like this: Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway was taking a photo of Presidents of traditionally black colleges during their meeting with President Trump. To do so, she was awkwardly positioned on the couch. She leaned back to check the photos she'd taken, feet on the couch. The AFP snapped a photo. And then the internet lost its mind. The photo:

During the Obama era, many taxpayers had to trim back discretionary expenses for luxury items, like gym memberships. However, some of our government bureaucrats enjoyed those perks...using our tax dollars. A detailed audit of expenditures for 2016 revealed that the EPA's money management was polluted by improper purchases.
Environmental Protection Agency employees used their government purchase cards to spend $14,985 on fitness memberships, according to an audit by the inspector general of the agency. With the goal of assessing the risk of illegal, improper, and erroneous purchases made on the EPA's purchase card, the auditors evaluated 18 transactions totaling $48,345 and found that none of them complied with any of the internal controls that were tested.

Offering no explanation, the White House excluded CNN, Buzzfeed, the LA Times, the New York Times, and several foreign outlets from its informal press gaggle Friday. Fox and other network outlets were permitted attendance, as were larger right-learning outlets like the Washington Times and One America News Network. Naturally, excluded outlets are less than thrilled. Jake Tapper is one of the better offerings from the cable news world, but he's wrong that the White House stonewalling overtly hostile press is "Un-American."

The Trump administration has notified the Supreme Court, in a pending case, that it is withdrawing the transgender bathroom mandate ordered by the Obama administration. The notice is here. (full embed at bottom of post.) Bryan analyzed the issues in the Supreme Court case last October, On the Basis of Sex: Supreme Court should reject transgender teen’s bathroom challenge. Buzzfeed, which is in favor of the mandate, reports on the latest development:

Every year, President Obama filled out a NCAA bracket on ESPN. President Trump will not continue his predecessor's tradition.

President Trump used his press conference to skewer the national press corps Thursday. He lectured the media on their ratings -- suggesting they'd fare better with consumers if they pared back the "hatred" and just presented the news. Trump coached them on the types of questions they should ask, joked about classified information saying they all have copies, and lambasted their love of "fake news." He not so politely reminded members of the media that their national approval rating is collectively lower than Congress's.

Yesterday, President Trump signed three new executive actions: reshuffling the Principals Committee of the National Security Council (NSC), restricting administration officials from lobbying, and calling for a comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS. The first memorandum removes the Director of National Intelligence (Dan Coats has yet to be confirmed, no hearing set) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (currently Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford) from and adds Steve Bannon to the NSC Principals Committee.

Democrats are going after Trump's pick for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos because she made financial contributions to FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. FIRE is an outstanding non-partisan organization which defends free speech and due process, among other things, for college students and faculty. Democrats have picked the wrong target. In the words of Professor Jacobson, "That they would try to defame such a great organization to get at her is a sign of how pathetic and dangerous they are."

Several right-leaning non-profit organizations have come together to urge the waning Obama administration to abstain from "midnight litigation". Any litigation instigated by the outgoing administration won't be shelved simply because a new regime takes control. Congress has no authority over such litigiousness either. The Obama administration has made a habit of legislating through bureaucratic agencies, so it's not surprising that these organizations are concerned about spending the next few years pouring valuable resources into battling politically motivated legal complaints.

Trump's Campaign Manager, Kellyanne Conway will join the Trump administration in a new role -- Counselor to the President. Conway turned down an offer to function as Press Secretary but will work closely with that individual who will be announced soon. As counselor to the president, Conway will still have a hand in communications and said that while her role will be similar to that of Valerie Jarret with President Obama and Karen Hughes with President Bush (43), she will not compare herself to any other individual.

Because of course. Tuesday, Kanye West met with president-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower. Trump said there were "just friends" and that they've "known each other a long time." When asked what their meeting entailed, Trump said "life".

Mega gazillionaire, tech innovator, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates sat down for lengthy interview with CNBC Tuesday. The majority of the interview focused on Gates' latest clean energy initiatives -- all privately funded through his private investment fund, stocked with fellow gazillionaire innovators. "I think this administration likes a good deal," said Gates, who explained he and others would feel comfortable approaching the new administration on a variety of issues like energy policy and general regulatory issues.