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"Senator Mitch McConnell said I had 'excessive expectations,' but I don't think so," Trump tweeted Wednesday afternoon. "After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?"

Scavino added a link to his tweet of a video of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaking at an event in Kentucky on Tuesday -- which is what started this all up.

The simple fact is that McConnell was always skeptical that there were 50 votes for any sort of health care overhaul. It's why he tried to fast-walk the legislation before the July 4 congressional recess so he could move on to tax reform, where he's said there's more opportunity for a win.

Beyond the overreaction, what baffles me is whether Trump did this in a fit of pique or whether there was some sort of intentionality or strategy behind it.For the life of me, I can't figure that one out.

Remember that for everything that Trump wants going forward -- tax reform, funding for the border wall, maybe even another shot at health care -- he needs McConnell. Badly. And despite the health care setback, McConnell still inspires considerable loyalty among his colleagues.

Picking a fight with someone: a) you need to get things done and b) people look up to, seems to me to be the essence of playing dumb politics. Maybe Trump (and Scavino) have some sort of grand plan here I don't see. Always possible! But from where I sit, this was a needless fight to pick that could have decidedly negative consequences on the Trump's agenda in the future.

The rest is here:
Donald Trump just picked a dumb fight with Mitch McConnell - CNN

Lawyers from two prominent LGBTQ advocacy organizations have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of five transgender service members with almost 60 years of combined military service.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)filed the suit,Doe v. Trump,in response to President Donald Trumps recent tweets calling for a full ban on transgender peopleserving in the United States military. The ACLU filed a separate lawsuit on Wednesday.

Trumps directive to excludetransgenderpeople from military service has created a tidal wave of harms that have already been felt throughout our armed services, Shannon Minter, atransgenderlegal expert and NCLR Legal Director, said in a statement sent to HuffPost. Transgenderservice members have been blindsided by this shift and are scrambling to deal with what it means for their futures and their families. The Presidents mistreatment of these dedicated troops will serve only to weaken and demoralize our armed forces.

According to a press release, the five plaintiffs have served in the Air Force, the Coast Guard, and the Army.

The biggest questions to be raised from Trumps discriminatory directive stem from the thousands of openly transgender people already serving in the United States military many of them overseas. A recent study suggests that there are currently between1,320 and 6,630transgender individuals actively serving in the U.S. military.

The suit refers prominently to Defense Departments decision in 2016 to allow transgender people to serve openly.

If implemented, the suit claims Trumps ban would violate a number of constitutional protections.

The directive to reinstate a ban on open service by transgender people violates both the Equal Protection component of the Fifth Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the suit states.

The presidents ban, which has not gone into effect due to a lack of clear guidelines, has been almost universally criticized.

Fifty-six retired U.S. generals and admirals slammed the directive in a letter released last week, which argued the ban would cause significant disruptions, deprive the military of mission-critical talent, and compromise the integrity of transgender troops.

A new report released on Wednesday by The Palm Center found thatfully implementing President Trumps ban would cost $960 million in pursuit of saving $8.4 million per year.

The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday also stated its intention to file a lawsuit against the directive at some time in the near future. The ACLU did send a letter to the White House [on Tuesday] formally informing them that we intend to sue and telling them to preserve all documents related to the their planned ban on trans military members in preparation for our forthcoming lawsuit, Ryan Karerat, communications strategist for the ACLU, wrote in an email sent to HuffPost.

Read the Doe v. Trumplawsuit in its entirety below.

Go here to see the original:
Donald Trump's Transgender Military Ban Just Got Slapped With A Lawsuit - HuffPost

"The W.H. is functioning perfectly, focused on HealthCare, Tax Cuts/Reform & many other things," he tweeted last month. "I have very little time for watching T.V."

"In the wake of almost every event he holds, whether it be a rally, a bilateral press conference or a White House ceremony, Trump is presented with a packet of screenshots showing how the television networks covered the event, two senior administration officials told CNNMoney. This enables him to see the chyrons -- the headlines and captions on the lower third of the screen -- that were being broadcast during the event."

Um, what?

To be clear: This is not actual news stories that are being printed out and handed to Trump. These are screenshots of television news -- with particular emphasis on the so-called "lower thirds" where the text of what a person is saying usually appears.

That's some next-level stuff by Trump. (I work for a TV network and printing out screengrabs to see the chyrons is stunning even to me!) It shows how invested he is in his image, and how much he believes -- rightly, I think -- that his image is created and maintained by cable TV.

It's also a stark contrast with Trump's predecessor in office, Barack Obama, who proudly refused to watch cable news of any sort.

Trump, at 71 years old, isn't changing his ways. Which means the TV is always on in the White House.

Continued here:
Donald Trump is WAY more obsessed with cable TV than you even think - CNN

John Lennon famously provoked outrage across the Bible belt in 1966 when he made his widely misunderstood claim that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus."

Now Chicago's own Chance the Rapper says he has "a bigger voice than Donald Trump" and he wasn't talking about the president's singing chops.

"I just have a larger platform than all politicians," the artist born Chancelor Bennett told the NPR podcast "What's Good with Stretch & Bobbito."

"I have a bigger voice than Donald Trump, you know what I'm saying? Than literally anybody that works in politics. So yes I can connect with people on a level of appealing as a person who is a citizen, who still does, you know, what he wants."

Beloved though he may be, Chance's math is a little off, at least when it comes to online clout. The president has 35 million Twitter followers, while Chance has 5 million.

Still, Chance, whose father, Ken Bennett, once worked as a deputy chief of staff for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, sounded a little more like Trump than he may have intended, when he added, "I have ideas for how to voice opinions and make change that other people just don't have."

Trump did not respond Wednesday.

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimjnews

Continued here:
Chance the Rapper: 'I have a bigger voice than Donald Trump' - Chicago Tribune

President Donald Trumps old childhood home in Jamaica Estates, Queens is now listed on Airbnbfor a mere $725 a night. Considering Trump reportedly called the White House a real dump,maybe hed like to check it out.

The listing says the home can fit up to 20 guests, as it has five bedrooms, 3 and a half bathrooms and a whopping 17 beds.

Not much has been changed since the Trumps lived here, the kitchen is original and the opulent furnishings represent the style and affluence in which the Trumps would have lived, reads the description of the home. This is a unique and special opportunity to stay in the home of a sitting president.

Airbnb

According to The New York Times, the house was built in 1940 by Trumps father, Fred C. Trump, and the president lived there until he was 4 years old.

The Airbnb listing makes it clear the house is not affiliated with the White House, President Trump or the Trump organization, but Trump still has a big presence in the house.

There is a giant cut out of Donald in the Living Room, he is a great companion for watching Fox News late into the night, the owner noted in the listings description.There is also a print and a few framed photos of Trump scattered throughout the house.

AirBnB

Airbnb

Airbnb

Airbnb verified the listing to HuffPost.According to Newsweek, the listing was also verified by Misha Hagani, principal of Paramount Realty USA, who sold the house to an anonymous buyer for $2.14 million in March.

The operator of the Airbnb listing is someone I know and they contacted me to tell me that this is what their plan is, Hagani said.

Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

Head over to Airbnb to check out the rest of the listing.

Visit link:
Donald Trump's Childhood Home In Queens Is On Airbnb For $725 A Night - HuffPost