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WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps fine-tuned machine of a presidency is already off to a better start than any other.

Reports that his campaign was in continuous contact with the foreign government that actively helped him get elected are fake news.

And any perception that things arent going swimmingly are the fault of dishonest reporters, Senate Democrats and federal judges.

Thats the world according to Trump, who staged a 77-minute news conference Thursday that was equal parts petulant, combative and downright incoherent his second chaotic question-and-answer session in as many days and his first solo news conference since taking office Jan. 20. The performance may have been enough to scare off his pick to replace Michael Flynn as national security adviser.

The press has become so dishonest that if we dont talk about it, we are doing a tremendous disservice to the American people, Trump said, reading from prepared text prior to taking questions. Tremendous disservice. We have to talk to find out whats going on, because the press honestly is out of control. The level of dishonesty is out of control.

Trump lashed out at news outlets for reporting that several of his campaign aides were contacting Russian intelligence agencies while those agencies were working to hurt Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and help Trump win but danced around direct questions about whether he knew of such contacts.

When asked for a yes or no answer, Trump answered: Russia is a ruse. Russia is a ruse. I have nothing to do with Russia. Havent made a phone call to Russia in years. Dont speak to people from Russia. Not that I wouldnt. I just have nobody to speak to.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

He blamed an increase in anti-Semitic acts since his election not on his supporters but on those on the other side who want to make his supporters look bad, and he angrily shut down a Jewish reporter for trying to follow up on that topic: Quiet. Quiet. Quiet.

He suggested to an African-American reporter that she set up a meeting between him and members of the Congressional Black Caucus. He re-litigated, for reasons that remain unclear, one of his favorite campaign points: that Clinton had received questions in advance of a debate during the Democratic primaries last year.

And, as is typical with Trump, he maintained a loose grasp on actual facts.

At one point, for example, he claimed he had won the largest Electoral College victory since Ronald Reagan. In reality, his was third smallest margin since Reagans re-election, better than only George W. Bushs two wins. Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama won a total of five elections with more electoral votes than Trump.

When this was pointed out to him, Trump claimed: Well, I dont know, I was given that information. I was given I actually, Ive seen that information around. But it was a very substantial victory, do you agree with that?

Trumps poll numbers have been sinking since taking office, with his approval number falling into the 30s in a new Pew Research survey released Thursday.

Throughout his campaign, Trump was fixated on his poll numbers, which offers a possible rationale for the hastily called news conference. It had not been on any schedule released to the press this week, and it was announced by Trump himself late Thursday morning.

Trump cited a different poll the historically Republican-friendly Rasmussen survey, which showed Trump at 55 percent approval (but among likely voters for an election 45 months away) and then went on to describe how well he has been doing.

This last month has represented an unprecedented degree of action on behalf of the great citizens of our country. Again, I say it: There has never been a presidency thats done so much in such a short period of time, Trump said.

He then blamed the chaotic implementation of his executive order banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven majority-Muslim nations which was written almost entirely within the White House with little input from the agencies that would be tasked with enforcing it on a federal judge in Washington state who blocked it and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California, which has upheld the block.

That circuit is in chaos and that circuit is frankly in turmoil, Trump said. Let me tell you about the travel ban. We had a very smooth rollout of the travel ban. But we had a bad court.

And if there were any problems in getting his own agencies up to speed, he said, that was the fault of the Democrats in the Senate, who have objected to most of his Cabinet appointments, including Andy Puzder, Trumps initial pick for labor secretary, who withdrew Wednesday. Trump nominated Alexander Acosta for the labor post on Thursday.

This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine, despite the fact that I cant get my Cabinet approved, Trump said, adding later: So, if the Democrats who have all you have to do is look at where they are right now. The only thing they can do is delay because they screwed things up royally, believe me.

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Trump Blames Media, Judges, Democrats In Chaos Theory Tour-De-Force - Huffington Post

David Hayford, For USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin 3:22 p.m. CT Feb. 16, 2017

David Hayford(Photo: file)

We are a few weeks into the Trump presidency. The president is running the country through executive orders. Sort of like he ran his businesses. Doing things he promised in his campaign. And not yet acting presidential. Can anyone be surprised?

The Senate is struggling to approve the presidents cabinet appointees. Unlike eightyears ago, the opposition party is fighting the presidents choices. The Democratic senators are generally behaving like petulant 6-year-olds (with an apology to my 6-year-old grandson who is much better behaved). They have obviously forgotten President Obamas admonition that: Elections have consequences.

The Democrats nominated an abysmal presidential candidate who ran an inept campaignand managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Deal with it.

The Supreme Court nomination process should be another battle royale. Democrats attacked Republicans last year for not giving Judge Merrick Garland a hearing. Yet now Sen.Tammy Baldwin and other Democrats have vowed to vote against Judge Neil Gorsuch before any hearing. Hypocrisy? Petulance? Just politics as usual? Or all three?

I have no idea what the House of Representatives has been doing since Jan.20. Oops, heard last night that a House committee will hold hearings to investigate Kellyanne Conways comments on television about Ivanka Trumps clothing line. Really? It was a stupid mistake on her part, and she has been counseled. What is a House investigation going to accomplish, except give bloviating congressmen air time to weigh in on the ethics violation. The House should be dealing with important issues.

The Trump travel ban is tied up in the courts. The state of Washington claims that it discriminates against Muslims. Who has been making the terrorist attacks in this county since 9/11? Radical Islamist terrorists. Makes sense to target them. If Roman Catholic immigrants from the Vatican begin making terrorist attacks in the United States, the focus can shift.

But Trump is absolutely wrong to question the integrity of the judges involved.

Women marched in D.C. and other cities last month to protest Trumps sexist views of women. The tape of Trumps comments came out before the election. How many of the marchers acted then to volunteer for Clintons campaign to help get out the vote to defeat Trump. Obviously, not enough. A march after his inauguration is too little and too late.

Also, Bill Clinton was the same immoral, sexist pig as Trump is. There were no marches in January1993. I have seen attempts by some women to rationalize that Trumps views are more egregious than Bill Clintons actions. Seems to me the big difference is that Clinton is a Democrat. Evidently, they are held to much lower moral standards.

At the recent Prayer Breakfast, Trumpominouslypromised to get rid of the Johnson Amendment. That is a provision of the tax code, dating back to 1954, that prohibits tax-exempt entities [501(c) (3)] such as churches and charitable organizations from participating in political campaigns for or against candidates. It is sound policy. Donations to such organizations are tax deductible, subsidized by the taxpayers.

Political donations to candidates campaign committees or PACs are not tax deductible. There is more than enough unaccountable money pouring into politics, especially since the Citizens United decision. We do not need more.

If the Johnson Amendment is abolished, George Soros, for example, could start his own church. Continue to spend millions to spew his liberal agenda, and get a tax deduction to boot. Then his church could funnel themoney to candidates and PACs. Pretty sweet deal.

Fortunately, Trump cannot change that through executive order.

The next four years should be exciting. Trump governing, Congress dithering, Democrats protesting and/or rioting. Elections have consequences. And so it goes.

David A. Hayford has been sharing his insights on the editorial pages of The Northwestern for more thanthree decades. He is a self-described pundit (check the definition). And,since his 70th birthday, hehas assumed the role of curmudgeon. He livesin the town of Oshkosh with wife Paula and dog Rufus.

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Columnist to Democrats on loss: Deal with it - The Oshkosh Northwestern

President Trumps nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Israel faced tough questioning from Democrats at his confirmation hearing Thursday about everything from past controversial comments to his stance on the so-called two-state solution.

The heated hearing captured an intense debate playing out over his nomination, in editorial pages and newspaper ads across the country. David Friedman is the latest Trump nominee targeted by Democrats, after they helped pressure labor secretary pick Andrew Puzder to withdraw from consideration on Wednesday.

Frankly, the language you have regularly used against those who disagree with your views has me concerned about your preparedness to enter the world of diplomacy,Ranking Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland told Friedman on Thursday.

The bankruptcy lawyer was not only grilled by Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but heckled by pro-Palestinian protesters.

He showed contrition, though, about some of his past remarks -- specifically having called supporters of the liberal Jewish lobbying firm J Street worse than "kapos,"a term typically used to describe Jews who worked with Nazis in concentration camps.

There is no excuse. If you want me to rationalize it or justify it, I cannot. These were hurtful words and I deeply regret them. They are not reflective of my nature or my character, Friedman said Thursday.

On Wednesday, J Street issued a statement asserting a possible apology will not at this stage in Mr. Friedmans career will change the fact that his views, his actions and his temperament should disqualify him.

The criticism, though, does not mean the nomination is in jeopardy.Republicans mostly asked Friedman about policy, and he was introduced by South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who said despite disagreements on some issues he never doubted the nominee's commitment to Israel.

Republicans on the panel also praised Friedmans longstanding support of Israel. Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio described Democrats relentless questions about his prior statements as unreal.

Democrats indeed directed their focus on Friedmans firebrand rhetoric, including describing Bill Clinton as more dangerous to the interests of Israel than any president since Eisenhower and arguing the Obama administration was more interested in fighting Republicans than terrorists.

Friedman said his comments were indefensible, but argued he recognizes there is an important difference between a political contest and a diplomatic mission.

The one-time lawyer to Trump was pressed about his public skepticism toward a two-state solution, in the context of remarks made by the president in his joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Breaking away from longstanding U.S. policy, Trump said he was not wedded to the idea of separate Palestinian and Israeli states.

I thought for a while the two-state looked like it may be the easier of the two. But honestly, if Bibi and if the Palestinians ... are happy, Im happy with the one they like the best, he said Wednesday.

In an interview with The New York Times, Trump declined to specifically address the issue. When pressed, Trump admitted to basically supporting the position.

Friedman has inspired an intense lobbying campaign that reflects deeper divisions within the Jewish community.

Working to support him, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nations largest pro-Israel organization, took out full-page ads in several newspapers this week backing Friedman.

"This nomination cannot get bogged down in petty bickering or sour grapes over the results of the election. Trump is the President, Friedman is the nominee, and the Senate needs to let them do their jobs, CUFI Action Fund Washington Director Gary Bauer said in a statement.

The New York Times editorial board, meanwhile, predicted the confirmation of Friedman would provoke conflict in Israel and undermine American leadership in the Middle East.

In aletter, former ambassadors Thomas Pickering, William Harrop, Edward Walker, Daniel Kurtzer and James Cunningham maintained Friedmans extreme, radical positions made him unqualified to serve as ambassador.

A confirmation vote hasyet to bescheduled.

Read more:
Trump's Israel envoy pick faces off with Democrats, protesters - Fox News

Democrats in Congresssay Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told them Thursday the agency plans to employ a broader brush in making immigration arrests, armed with a new executive order from President Trump.

"They said that we can and should expect many more arrests and removals this year,"House Democratic Caucus vice chairwoman Linda Sanchez (D-Whittier) said Thursday. "I wish I had better news for our communities in this country, but unfortunately the administration has taken a turn from where our past commitment to immigrant communities has been."

The Times reported last week that up to 8 million people could be deported under Trump's immigration orders.

Democrats and Republicans in House leadership met in a closed-door meeting with Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan to talk about last week's immigration raids in Los Angeles and other cities, which netted nearly 700 people across the country last week.

Democrats have complained about getting little or conflicting information about who was targeted in the raids that have panicked many in the immigrant community.Still unclear, they say, is exactly how the Department of Homeland Security will enforce Trump's executive order, which allows almost any immigrant living in the U.S. illegally tobe targeted for deportation. Though deportations rose under President Obama, previous administrations have focused on removing people who had committed violent crimes.

Sanchez said she left the meeting believing "they are only constrained by the resources that they have in terms of who the priority is."

The agency characterized last week's raids as routine , butimmigrant advocacy groups say they went beyond the norm byarresting people without a violent criminal history.

According to a description of the meeting provided by an ICE spokeswoman,Homan told members the agency is targetingpeoplebased on law enforcement tips.But they'll also sweep up immigrants in the country illegally if they encounter them while making the targeted arrests.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) said some of the crimesarrested immigrants had committedincluded trespassing and traffic violations,along with serious felonies. ICE also provided a list of 112 people who were arrested but had no criminal history.

House Speaker Paul Ryan's office hosted the meeting.His spokeswoman said it was "limited to members with jurisdictional interests in immigration enforcement" at the Homeland Security Department's request.

Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) was allowed to attend to represent the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which she chairs, but was told other members weren't invited. The caucus had a meeting scheduled with Homanon Tuesday that was abruptly canceled .

Several California members who could not get intoThursday's closed meeting said it was unacceptable and waited outside. California's Rep. Norma Torres (D-Pomona), who emigrated from Guatemala as a child, said she knew she wasn't invited but came anyway.She was asked to leaveby Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (D-Va.).

Homan said he would have an additional meeting with the entire caucus, Lujan Grisham said, but it hasn't been scheduled.

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After clamoring for answers from immigration officials, Democrats say they were told arrests will be broad - Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON Democratic leaders left a meeting with immigration officials Thursday convinced that recent apprehensions, detentions and deportations have greatly expanded under President Donald Trump, and said they were told to expect more arrests.

That contradicts the official Immigration and Customs Enforcement position that recent arrests around the country are no different than the routine, targeted arrests carried out by ICEs Fugitive Operations teams on a daily basis.

ICE officials would not comment beyond the agencys prepared statement and Republican House members who were at Thursdays closed-door briefing with ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan did not immediately return requests for comment. But Democrats said the message they heard was clear.

It is hard to not leave that meeting and believe that the Trump administration is going to target as many immigrants as possible, said Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas. He said that aside from not targeting deferred deportation recipients, everything is fair game for them.

Democrats said they left the meeting with a general sense that all immigrant communities are at risk, not just those immigrants illegally who have committed serious crimes.

Of course we want those who are a danger to be deported, but for over 8 million of these people its just a status violation, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said. There shouldnt be grounds to allocate resources to arrest them.

The briefing followed the arrest of more than 680 people during a series of enforcement actions by ICE across the country over the past week. They included undocumented individuals with minor offenses such as traffic violations and 176 who the Democrats said were identified as non-criminals by Homan.

Those arrests also followed Trumps Jan. 27 executive orders that called for beefed-up enforcement of immigration law, the Democrats noted.

But ICE maintained that the arrests are routine.

ICE conducts these kind of targeted enforcement operations regularly and has for many years, said Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly in a statement released Monday and cited again Thursday. The focus of these enforcement operations is consistent with the routine, targeted arrests carried out by ICEs Fugitive Operations teams on a daily basis.

The statement said the actions targeted public safety threats, such as convicted undocumented criminals and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated immigration laws, including those who illegally re-entered the country after being removed.

But Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, citing the arrest and deportation last week of Valley mother Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, said that is far from business as usual for ICE.

Theyre saying, Were only going after hardened criminals, but theres too many cases coming up like the one in Arizona with the mom, Grijalva said Wednesday. Thats not a person-smuggling, drug cartel member, and she got swept up as part of this.

De Rayos was required to regularly check in with ICE after being convicted in 2009 of using a false Social Security number, and had done so with no consequences until last week.

Her lawyer, Ray Maldonado, said he absolutely believes his client was deported because of Trumps executive order, but said the when he asked ICE directly they wouldnt give me a direct answer.

Nothing has changed about Guadalupes case except Trump, Maldonado said. Under (President Barack) Obama they let her go and under Trump they deported her. That is a direct result.

Grijalva and immigration advocates say the recent ICE actions have caused a heightened sense of uncertainty and fear in immigrant communities. Tomas Robles, executive director of Living United for Change in Arizona LUCHA said ICEs actions have changed the way some people are living their lives.

Some of our members have talked to us about whether to take their kids to school or about potentially moving to a more friendly state, Robles said Wednesday. There is definitely a fear of the fact that these raids could happen at any time and that nobodys really safe.

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Democrats leave ICE meeting convinced arrests a taste of what's to come - Arizona Daily Sun