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Donald Trump delivered his first commencement speech as president Saturday morning at Liberty University.

Speaking at the Jerry Falwell-founded Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, Trump promised the Class of 2017 that, "As long as I am your president, no one is ever going to stop you from practicing your faith."

"America has always been the land of dreams because America is a nation of true believers," Trump said. "When the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, they prayed. When the founders wrote the Declaration of Independence, they invoked our creator four times. Because in America, we don't worship government, we worship God."

Trump also lashed out at his critics and criticized how "broken" the system is in Washington, D.C.

"The fact is, no one has achieved anything significant without a chorus of critics standing on the sidelines explaining why it can't be done," Trump said. "Nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic... The future belongs to the people who follow their heart no matter what the critics say because they truly believe in their vision."

Trump added, "A small group of failed voices who think they know everything and understand everyone want to tell everybody else how to live and what to do and how to think, but you aren't going to let other people tell you what you believe, especially when you know that you're right."

Trump's address at Liberty broke a long tradition of newly elected presidents delivering their first in-office commencement speeches at the University of Notre Dame; Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter all spoke at that Indiana school during their first year as president. This year, Vice President Mike Pence, and not Trump, will instead speak at Notre Dame's graduation.

Trump previously spoke at Liberty University while on the campaign trail in January 2016, a speech where the then-Republican frontrunner referred to the New Testament book "Two Corinthians," even though it's commonly referred to as "Second Corinthians."

Despite the gaffe, Liberty's chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. has been among Trump's most ardent allies throughout the mogul's path to the White House.

"I do believe Trump is a good father, is generous to those in need, and is an ethical and honest businessman," Falwell Jr. wrote in a Washington Post op-ed in January 2016. "I have gotten to know him well over the last few years and have come to admire him for those traits."

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Link:
Watch Donald Trump's First Commencement Speech as President - RollingStone.com

By Roberta Rampton | WASHINGTON/LYNCHBURG, Va.

WASHINGTON/LYNCHBURG, Va. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will move quickly to nominate a new FBI director, after he sparked a political firestorm by firing the man investigating possible collusion between Russia and the Trump presidential campaign.

Trump told reporters he might even be able to make his decision on who should succeed James Comey to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation before he leaves on his first foreign trip on Friday.

"Even that is possible," Trump said, speaking on Air Force One before departing for Lynchburg, Virginia, where he delivered a commencement address.

"I think the process is going to go quickly," he said, adding that the candidates under consideration were mostly well known. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially. But very well known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI."

Critics have assailed Trump for abruptly dismissing Comey, who was leading the agency's investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and possible ties between Moscow and the Trump campaign..

Russia denies the claims and the White House says there was no collusion.

Trump made the remarks to reporters prior to speaking to about 50,000 people at Liberty University in Lynchburg, where he did not mention Comey or the controversy his dismissal on Tuesday caused. It was Trump's first public event outside the White House since Comey's ouster.

A White House official had said 11 people were under consideration - including acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Republican Senator John Cornyn, New York Appeals Court Judge Michael Garcia and former Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher - to replace Comey as FBI chief.

Two new names, however, emerged on Saturday: FBI special agent Adam Lee and U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson. A source familiar with the process said Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, had interviewed Hudson, Lee and five others on Saturday.

The FBI Agents Association, which claims more than 13,000 active and retired agents as its members, on Saturday endorsed another candidate: former Representative Mike Rogers, who had also worked as an FBI agent.

At Liberty, the nation's largest Christian college, Trump peppered his remarks with the kind of anti-establishment rhetoric that fueled his maverick presidential campaign, telling graduates to challenge "entrenched interests." He thanked the crowd for their support and repeatedly invoked his own unlikely election victory.

"Relish the opportunity to be an outsider," Trump said. "The more that a broken system tells you that you're wrong, the more certain you should be that you must keep pushing ahead."

He also had strong words that seemed aimed at his critics.

"No one has ever achieved anything significant without a chorus of critics standing on the sidelines explaining why it can't be done," Trump said. "Nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic, because they're people that can't get the job done."

Liberty's president, Jerry Falwell, Jr., was a key early supporter of Trump during his campaign and helped rally support among religious conservatives.

Trump, who has been preparing for his first foreign trip - one that will take him to the Middle East and Europe - also will deliver the commencement address to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Idrees Ali and Lucia Mutikani; Writing by James Oliphant and Tim Ahmann; Editing by Alistair Bell and Mary Milliken)

WASHINGTON A unit of the U.S. Treasury Department that fights money laundering will provide financial records to an investigation by the Senate into possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump and his associates, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

WASHINGTON A review of President Donald Trump's tax returns from the past 10 years showed no income from Russian sources outside of a few exceptions, and indicated he did not owe money to Russian lenders, his lawyers said in a letter released by the White House on Friday.

WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS U.S. and European officials will discuss airline security issues at a meeting in Brussels next week, including possibly expanding the number of airports that ban passengers from carrying electronic devices bigger than cellphones aboard flights, a European Commission spokeswoman said on Friday.

Originally posted here:
Trump pledges to move quickly to name new FBI director - Reuters

May 13, 2017, 7:29 p.m.

Gov. Jerry Brown said in a national TV interview on Saturday that President Trump was able to tap populist anger on the way to victory last fall, but dismissed his ability to do anything with it after taking office.

"He didn't have the answer, and he's demonstrated he doesn't have the answer," Brown said in a CNNinterview with political analyst David Axelrod.

The governor said Hillary Clinton faceddaunting odds, as voters too easily saw her candidacy as a third term of former President Obama's policies. Andin the wide-ranging conversation, he urged the Democratic Party to embrace the needs of working-class Americans.

Brown said he would have soundeda theme much closer to the one voiced by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, even though Brown endorsed Clinton during the bitter primary contest.

"You've got tosay, look,Wall Street is ripping us off. The fact is, the growth at the top is getting more and more. The middle and the lower realms of our society are suffering more insecurity," he said. "Hard to get their kids in college, hard to buy a house, hard to keep a job."

Brown admitted that the approachis reminiscent of his failed 1992 presidential campaign, whenhe ultimately lost the Democratic nomination to former President Clinton. In thatcampaign, Brown railed against the influence of money in politics. In the CNN interview, he said theproblem is back.

"Ithinkpeople are damn tired of it," he told Axelrod in the interview taped inside the governor's mansion in Sacramento. "And whatever a politician can do, I think they have to stay away from this whole association of being under the influence of the powerful."

Brown side-stepped direct commentabout the current controversy over Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey, except to say that Comey'sactions during the campaign in regard to theClintonemail investigation were"unprofessional" and that the timing of Trump's firing "smells" of something other than what's been publicly stated.

The governor has approached Trump's presidency in a more cautious manner than many California Democrats, though he has taken the president to task on the issue of climate change. Brown suggested Trump would do well to pick his battles.

"How many fights can you have? How many enemies can you make?" Brown said when talking about the president. "And the fact is, there's a limited quotient before you run out the score."

The governor admitted he's always been both "repelled and attracted" by politics. He did say, though, that he particularly enjoys campaigns. And while Brown said that he wouldn't have wanted to challenge Clinton in the primaries, the three-time presidential candidate said a general election against Trump would have been different.

"That would have been a pleasure," he said.

The governor, fresh off theunveiling ofa revised state budget on Thursday, took time to praise his efforts in helping stabilize the state's finances. And though he's termed out of office in less than two years, he said he's not yet ready to think about his long political legacy.

"Im not in memory yet.Im in action," Brown said. "AndI like being in action."

See more here:
Jerry Brown on Donald Trump: 'He doesn't have the answer' - Los Angeles Times

Pope Francis holds his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square on May 27, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. Giulio OrigliaGetty Images

(ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE) Pope Francis says he won't try to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to soften his policies on immigration and the environment when they meet this month, but wants instead to find common ground and work for peace.

Francis said proselytizing isn't his style in politics or religion.

Speaking to reporters while traveling home Saturday from a trip to Portugal, Francis said he would say what he thinks sincerely to Trump and listen respectfully to what Trump has to say.

"I never make a judgment about a person without hearing him out," the pope said.

Speculation has swirled about what Trump and Francis will discuss during their May 24 audience, given Francis has already said anyone who wants to build walls to keep out migrants is "not Christian."

Trump, who made building a wall along the border with Mexico a signature campaign promise, responded by saying it was "disgraceful" that the pope would question his faith.

Francis said that in talks, he always tries to find "doors that are at least a little bit open" where common ground can be found, particularly in peace-building.

"Peace is artisanal. You do it every day," he said.

Asked specifically if he would try to soften Trump's policies, Francis said: "That is a political calculation that I don't allow myself to make. Also in the religious sphere: I don't proselytize."

Trump will call on Francis mid-way through his first foreign trip, after visiting Saudi Arabia and Israel and before attending a NATO summit in Brussels and a G-7 summit in Italy.

See original here:
Pope Francis Says He Will Try to Find Common Ground With Donald Trump - TIME

Portraits of Gilda Radner as Baba Wawa and John Belushi as Samurai Futaba, hand tinted by S.N.L.s longtime photographer, Edie Baskin.

By Edie Baskin/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Dan Aykroyd takes a call backstage while dressed as Beldar Conehead.

By Edie Baskin/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Chevy Chase in a wig and prosthetic nose, 1977.

By Edie Baskin/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Land Shark takes a bite out of John Belushi while Gilda Radner sits idly by.

By Edie Baskin/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Nerds Bill Murray and Gilda Radner take in the view, 1978.

By Edie Baskin/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Writer Erin Maroney, Chris Farley, Ryan Shiraki, and Billy Baldwin backstage during the 1990s.

By Edie Baskin/Courtesy of S.N.L.

The fabled van down by the river, home of iconic motivational speaker Matt Foley, played by Chris Farley.

By Edie Baskin/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Party time! Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, coming to you live from Aurora, Illinoiss community access channel.

By Edie Baskin/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Inside the writers room: Executive producer Lorne Michaels sits at the head of the table, the host to his right, and the head writer to his left.

By Edie Baskin/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Will Ferrell as Harry Hugs for the sketch Happy Smile Patrol, 1999.

By Mary Ellen Matthews/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Thank you for smoking: Tracy Morgan observing workplace smoking regulations.

By Edie Baskin/Courtesy of S.N.L.

In the makeup chair: Garrett Morris as Idi Amin, Fred Armisen as Prince, and Dana Carvey as George Michael.

From left: by Edie Baskin, Mary Ellen Matthews, and Suzy M. Drasnin. Courtesy of S.N.L.

Face off: Special-effects experts rig busts of Kenan Thompson, Nasim Pedrad, and Bobby Moynihan with explosives.

By Alison Castle/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Photographer Mary Ellen Matthews shooting Will Ferrell ahead of his second stint as host.

By Dana Edelson/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Behind the scenes of Laser Cats 7 in Lorne Michaels office, with Steven Spielberg, Bill Hader, and Andy Samberg.

By Dana Edelson/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler at the Weekend Update desk during rehearsals, 2004.

By Mary Ellen Matthews/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Bob Dole and Norm MacDonald as Bob Dole, shortly after the 1996 election.

By Mary Ellen Matthews/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Playing politics: Alec Baldwin, Sarah Palin, and Lorne Michaels backstage with Tina Fey as Palin on the monitor. Amy Poehler and Hillary Clinton, 2008.

By Dana Edelson/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Barack Obama makes a cameo at Bill and Hillary Clintons Halloween party, 2007.

By Dana Edelson/Courtesy of S.N.L.

Saturday Night Live: The Book (Taschen), out February 25.

Courtesy of S.N.L.

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S.N.L.: Watch Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump Humiliate Paul Ryan - Vanity Fair