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Maureen Groppe and Tony Cook, USA TODAY Published 12:12 p.m. ET May 9, 2017 | Updated 12:45 p.m. ET May 9, 2017

Donald Trump Jr. speaks during the Indiana Republican Party 2017 Spring Dinner Monday, May 8, 2017, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Photo: Darron Cummings/Associate Press)

When Eric Trump announced in March he was going to be a dad, the first person to call him was not his own father, but Vice President Pence.

Donald Trump Jr. revealed that detail in a speech Monday to Indiana Republicans at the party's annual dinner, IndyStar reported.

"I had this conversation with (my brother Eric Trump) about a month ago when he announced hes expecting his first child," Donald Trump Jr. said. "He said, 'Don, you know who the first call was?' I go, 'Dad?'He goes,'Nope...It was Mike Pence.'"

Trump said that shows Pences care for others.

Eric Trump, the presidents middle son, announced in March that he and wife Lara Trump are expecting their first child this fall.

Eric and Donald Trump Jr., the eldest, are running the presidents real estate and resort empire.

Trump Jr., executive vice president of development and acquisitions for the Trump Organization, is often an adviser to his father.

Monday, he was the main draw for the Indiana Republican Partys big fundraising dinner.

The sold-out crowd of about 1,000 Indiana Republicans set a fundraising record, Trump told the crowd."Im sorry Im your speaker and you didnt read the fine print that said 'Jr.' at the end of it," he joked.

Trump said he was happy to come to Indiana, which played an important role in his fathers election. Donald Trump effectively ended the GOP nominating contest through his decisive win in Indianas primary.

After the primary, Donald Trump Jr. was among the family members who met with Pence during a July meeting that played a key role in the presidents decision to tap Pence as his running mate.

"If we did happen to steal your governor," he said, "its the least I can do to say, 'Thank you.'"

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Originally posted here:
Vice President Mike Pence called Eric Trump first after baby announcement - USA TODAY

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Most present were veterans of WWII, the Korean, and Vietnam Wars, and were in Washington, D.C. on honor flight trips. Pence told the crowd that he is the proud father of a U.S. Marine and of his own father who served in the Korean War.

Thanking the group for their service to the country and noting the 72nd anniversary of V-E Day, Pence said:

The sons and daughters of America, and, indeed, all who call themselves free, will remember your names for eternity, until the world stops turning. To all of you who won a victory in World War Two, you have the undying thanks and gratitude of the American people.

He continued speaking of the Honor Flight program and how he sees those gathered. I know, in the truth of it, that you went to war as boys and you became men, and those men won freedom, and we will never, ever forget your service to this nation.God bless you all, Pence said.

The truth is, no matter where you served, every last one of you fought on the frontlines of freedom.And because of that, because of you, freedom endures to this very day, he went on, you are the best of us.And on behalf of your Commander-in-Chief, Im here to say thanks and to salute your service.

Pence spoke of President Trumps commitment to give veterans more than just thanks, mentioning the recent executive order for the VA:

Just over a week ago, President Trump signed an executive order to ensure that the Department of Veterans Affairs is as efficient, effective, and accountable as any great healthcare provider in America.Were going to give those who served most the best healthcare system in the world.

He then mentioned the signing of the Veterans Choice Act, to give our heroes the choices they deserve for world-class healthcare.

The Vice President also spoke of a $21 billion increase in defense spending included in the recently signed spending bill. He added that for the budget coming for this fall, President Trump has actually proposed one of the largest increases in defense spending since the days of President Ronald Reagan.

Pence spoke of his recent visit to the demilitarized zone of the Korean Peninsula and of looking out over the region where his father and fellow soldiers fought and for which his father received a bronze star. He spoke also of the men that didnt make it home, whomhis father considered heroes more than himself.

theres a burden that those of you that have seen combat bear that Ill never fully understand, but I respect, said Vice President Pence.

He continued:

You see the sacrifices firsthand. Its not statistics, its friends. Its not ranks, its relationships long gone, but voices and faces never forgotten. Its part of the burden that you bear, as those that have served in the uniform of the United States. And its a burden that on behalf of President Donald Trump, Im here to honor today and to pledge to each one of you that those that are wearing the uniform today will never have a better friend in the Oval Office than President Donald Trump.

The Vice President pledged that the Trump Administration would work to ensure that our military personnel have the resources they need to accomplish their mission in their time, to make sure the promises made to veterans are kept, and to never hesitate to honor those who have served in uniform.

Pence was joined by Karen Pence and VA Secretary David Shulkin.

The Vice President shared photos of the event on Twitter:

Pence also tweeted out video of the entire speech:

Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana

Original post:
Mike Pence to Honor Flight Veterans: 'You Have More Than Just Our ... - Breitbart News

Former acting US attorney general Sally Yates will be testifying today (May 8) at a Senate subcommittee hearing investigating Russias involvement in the 2016 US election. The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism hearing will be broadcast live here, and is scheduled to start at 2:30pm.

Yates appearance is highly anticipated by critics and supporters of president Donald Trump alike. (Yates was originally scheduled to appear publicly before the separate House intelligence committee in March, but that hearing was abruptly canceled by intelligence committee chairman David Nunes.) However, much of the information in her testimony is unlikely to result in a path to impeach Trump, as his fiercest critics hope, or to exonerate the administration, as his White House supporters would like.

For anyone who has been following the investigation closely in recent months, much of the information Yates is expected to provide may already have been released via anonymously sourced news reports. Today her testimony will become part of the official Congressional investigation, however.

Viewers can expect an on-the-record account of when the Trump White House was notified by the Department of Justice about the actions of former national security advisor general Michael Flynn, and specifically about his interactions with Russian and other foreign officials ahead of the presidential inauguration. There may also be more information about what was alarming to the Department of Justice about those interactions.

What exactly the White House knew about Flynn and his conversations with Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak in December remains a matter of much speculation. Crucially, what Yates says under oath may contradict some or several of the White Houses official statements regarding Flynn, who was fired after just 24 days on the job.

Here are the key White House claims that Yates may be able to provide new context for:

Jan. 15: Vice-president Mike Pence says in a televised interview with CBS that Flynns several calls with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak on Dec. 29, the day that president Obama announced new sanctions against Russia, were purely coincidental. When asked whether anyone from Trumps campaign had ever been in touch with Russia, Pence says of course not, adding I think to suggest that is to give credence to some of these bizarre rumors that have swirled around the candidacy What I can confirm having spoken to him about it is those conversations that happened to occur around the time that the United States took action to expel diplomats had nothing whatsoever to do with those sanctions.

Jan. 26: Yates notifies the White House counsel that she has concerns about Flynn, according to later White House statements.

Jan. 30: The White House fires Yates for refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States, after she says she is not convinced the so-called Muslim ban is lawful.

Feb. 13: The Washington Post reports that Yates told the White House in late January about concerns Flynn had mislead officials about his Russia conversations, and could be vulnerable to blackmail. Former national security director James Clapper (who also will testify today) shared those concerns, the report notes.

White House advisor Kellyanne Conway says in a televised interview Flynn does enjoy the full confidence of the president. Flynn offers his resignation in a letter, hours after saying he has the full confidence of the president in a public interview. I inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador, he wrote.

Feb. 14: Press secretary Sean Spicer says in his daily briefing that Flynn was fired after several weeks of review. Spicer claims the president no longer trusted Flynn, but denies that Flynn had done anything illegal:

Immediately after the Department of Justice notified the White House counsel of the situation, the White House counsel briefed the president and a small group of senior advisors, Spicer notes. When the president heard the information as presented by White House Counsel, he instinctively thought that general Flynn did not do anything wrong, and the White House counsels review corroborated that. Specifically on Yates, Spicer says:

The acting attorney general informed the White House counsel that they wanted to give a heads up to us on some comments that may have seemed in conflict with what he had sent the vice president out in particular. The White House counsel informed the president immediately. The president asked him to conduct a review of whether there was a legal situation there. That was immediately determined that there wasnt.

March 24: The White House warns Yates, through a lawyer, that her discussions with the White House counsel are likely covered by the presidential communications privilege adding the president owns those privileges and that she needs to get permission to testify.

March 28: Spicer says Yates is free to testify.

May 8: Ahead of Yatess testimony, Trump tweets that Yates should be asked if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Council. (Trump later sent out an updated tweet correcting the spelling of counsel, as in legal counsel.)

Continued here:
Sally Yates vs. the White House: What the Trump team said about Mike Flynn's Russia ties - Quartz

WASHINGTON Vice President Mike Pence plans to travel to Montana next week to campaign for a Republican congressional candidate running in a special election.

The vice president's office said Friday that Pence is expected to campaign for Greg Gianforte during the weekend of May 13. Details on the trip have not yet been finalized.

Montana is holding a May 25 special election to fill the seat vacated by Ryan Zinke, who resigned from Congress earlier this year to serve as President Donald Trump's Interior secretary.

Gianforte is competing against Democrat Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks for the state's only congressional seat.

A spokesman for Gianfortes campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.

Trump's sonDonald Trump Jr.is campaigning for Gianforte next week in Helena, Great Falls and Sidney, making his second trip on the GOP candidate's behalf.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced hell becoming to Montana in Mayto campaign for Quist, but those dates are still undetermined.

Pence's trip was first reported byThe Washington Post.

Originally posted here:
Vice President Mike Pence to campaign for Greg Gianforte in Montana - The Missoulian

PEOPLE.com

Mike Pence Uses Cinco de Mayo Party to Talk Immigration PEOPLE.com Vice President Mike Pence hosted a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Friday. The VP praised immigrants and emphasized President Donald Trump's focus on Latinos. We are, as the saying goes, with a few ... Mike Pence Uses Cinco De Mayo Party To Claim Latinos Are A 'Priority' For TrumpHuffington post (press release) (blog) Pence talks immigration at Cinco de Mayo celebrationCNN Mike Pence Reportedly Hosting White House Cinco De Mayo Party; Internet Reacts AccordinglyHuffington Post Latina -Politico -TeenVogue.com all 1,036 news articles »

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Mike Pence Uses Cinco de Mayo Party to Talk Immigration - PEOPLE.com