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Attorney General Signals Pullback From Obama Initiative on Transgender Bathrooms Wall Street Journal Newly instated U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has shown an early sign of backing away from an Obama administration initiative that directs schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of the sex with which they identify. Trump Drops Defense of Obama Guidelines on Transgender StudentsNew York Times Trump Administration Withdraws Defense of Obama's Transgender Student PolicyJezebel Feds drop request to rein in ban on Obama transgender policyPolitico (blog) The Hill all 45 news articles »

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Attorney General Signals Pullback From Obama Initiative on Transgender Bathrooms - Wall Street Journal

The Obama years sprang some unwanted surprises on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- like secret nuclear talks with Iran.

This week, in his first White House visit with President Donald Trump, Netanyahus priority will be to make sure Israel is kept in the loop and that the two countries positions are generally aligned, according to Michael Oren, Israels ambassador to the U.S. for much of Barack Obamas term.

The overriding goal will be to restore the relationship so that there are no surprises and no daylight, said Oren,now a deputy minister in the prime ministers office. Hell want to restore the alliance and make sure the U.S. is, above all, standing by Israel and working together with Israel to fight common threats.

Netanyahu is trying to recalibrate ties with Israels top ally after eight years of high-profile clashes with Obama. He sees a chance for a warmer relationship with Trump, who shares his alarm over the Iran nuclear deal and Islamist extremists. Sunday evening, after a Cabinet discussion about the trip, the prime ministers office said by text that the two leaders would discuss Iran, Syria and the Palestinians, and relations with the new administration.

All the ministers agreed on the great importance of tightening the relations with the United States, Netanyahus office said in the statement, both on the governmental level and the personal level.

Trump, in an interview published Sunday in the Israel Hayom newspaper, called the prime minister a good man and said the two have always had good chemistry.

But there could be some hiccups. The White House has sent mixed messages on Israeli settlements -- saying existing ones are not an obstacle to peace but new ones are unhelpful -- and seems in no hurry to fulfill a campaign pledge to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, a measure likely to anger Palestinians and Muslims elsewhere.

Trump himself sharpened that theme with Israel Hayom, telling the paper --bankrolled by Netanyahus billionaire supporter Sheldon Adelson -- hes not somebody that believes that going forward with these settlements is a good thing for peace. He said he was studying the proposed embassy move, and we will see what happens.

Netanyahu is facing pressure from the settlement movement and his chief political rival, Education Minister Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home party, to push for more construction, annex parts of the West Bank and disavow his commitment to Palestinian statehood. On Sunday the prime minister acknowledged the great excitement the visit had caused among settlement supporters, but also said it wasnt realistic to think Israel would be able to build without limits and that it was important not to provoke the new administration, Channel 2 television reported.

More likely,according to a senior official close to the prime minister, is that Netanyahu will outline for Trump his vision of a demilitarized Palestinian state with land swaps, and give the new president time to form a coherent policy on the issue. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations.

Netanyahu will probably try to tell Trump that Israel wont surprise him, said Joshua Teitelbaum of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies outside Tel Aviv. Its all about coordinating and reducing unnecessary surprises.

Even if Trump and Netanyahu dont agree on everything, the simple optics of improved relations can be important. By showing Israel is a valued ally, the U.S. gives the Jewish state leverage with its neighbors, said Israel Katz, who serves as intelligence minister in Netanyahus cabinet.

Countries in the region understand we are an agent that they need to be close to the U.S. Katz said in an interview in Tel Aviv. We are seeing several examples of this already happening, with Israel acting as a go-between with countries in the region and the U.S.

In December, Israel enlisted Trump to try to quash a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements. While Egypt pulled the initial draft, other countries sponsored it and it passed after the Obama administration rejected Trumps call to veto the measure.

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We do not surprise our friends, he said. We keep them updated.

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Netanyahu Heads to US Seeking to Reset Ties After Obama Years - Bloomberg

In a New Yorker Radio Hour interview with the New Yorkers editor, David Remnick, airing this weekend, Anthony Bourdain, the chef, food writer and television personality, discussed his 2016 meal in a Vietnam restaurant with thenPresident Barack Obama. He tacitly confirmed Remnicks observation that, in his own experience with the former president, Obama barely eats.

That said, though, Bourdain noted:

He allowed that the former president does have a weakness for Chicago-style caramel popcorn but is believed to have the bowl pulled away from him fairly quickly by former first lady Michelle Obama.

In Hanoi, where Bourdain was permitted to choose the restaurant (the White House, he guessed, would have preferred to have the president dine in a Hilton ballroom), locals, Bourdain told Remnick, were delighted that he and Obama had opted for relatively low-end fare a slurpablebn ch in a broadly accessible establishment. And that the beer theyd downed was a local brand.

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Bourdain says Obama really, really liked his beer in Vietnam - MarketWatch

Published February 12, 2017

By Paul Sperry, NY Post

When former President Barack Obama said he was heartened by anti-Trump protests, he was sending a message of approval to his troops. Troops? Yes, Obama has an army of agitators numbering more than 30,000 who will fight his Republican successor at every turn of his historic presidency. And Obama will command them from a bunker less than two miles from the White House.

In whats shaping up to be a highly unusual post-presidency, Obama isnt just staying behind in Washington. Hes working behind the scenes to set up what will effectively be a shadow government to not only protect his threatened legacy, but to sabotage the incoming administration and its popular America First agenda.

Hes doing it through a network of leftist nonprofits led by Organizing for Action. Normally youd expect an organization set up to support a politician and his agenda to close up shop after that candidate leaves office, but not Obamas OFA. Rather, its gearing up for battle, with a growing war chest and more than 250 offices across the country.

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How Obama Is Scheming To Sabotage Trump's Presidency - Fox News

If you've ever dreamed about one day working for the Obama family, it turns out you now officially have an opportunity to make such a dream come true.

We all have been eager to know exactly what adventuresBarackandMichelle Obamawill embark on next, now that their administration has unfortunately come to an end. As reported, the power couple not only has quite the plan in store for the next chapter of their lives, they also need a little bit of help to make it happen.

Asreported byCNBC,a company known as "The Office of Barack and Michelle Obama" has put out a job listing describing what is arguably the coolest internship in the history of internships, largely due to the fact of being able to work with the pair directly.

According toan email sent outto a database comprised of former White House interns, the Obamas are launching a 16-week internship program in D.C., with the first round of the internship running from February 27 through June 16.

While the details still remain vague at the time of this report, there was an emphasis on correspondence duties, as well as other various tasks.

"Interns will work in the D.C. office of Barack and Michelle Obama doing a variety of tasks, largely centered around correspondence," the email describing the jobreads. "The office is looking for interns who take initiative, manage their time well, have strong attention to detail, solid writing skills, and the utmost commitment to public service."

In addition to facilitating this new internship program, the former president also is working on writing a memoir and is helping the youth be active in their communities throughhis own foundation.

Unfortunately, the applications for the internship closed on February 8, but the fact that such an opportunity exists has many students eager for the next deadline to apply.

Take a look at the email calling for interns to assist Barack and Michelle Obama in fullhere.

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Want to Work for Michelle and Barack Obama? Here's Your Opportunity - BET