Congress put the US government back in business Monday by voting to end a three-day shutdown, as President Donald Trump claimed victory in his standoff with Democrats in Washington.

The House voted 266 to 150 to extend federal funding, hours after Senate Democrats dropped their opposition to the plan after winning Republican assurances of a vote on immigration in the coming weeks.

Trump signed the measure into law Monday night, and government operations would essentially return to normal on Tuesday.

&quot;I know there&#39;s great relief that this episode is coming to an end,&quot; House Speaker Paul Ryan told colleagues. &quot;But this is not a moment to pat ourselves on the back. Not even close.&quot;

The stalemate consumed Washington for the better part of a week, as lawmakers and the White House feuded over immigration policy and the nation&#39;s two main political parties exchanged bitter barbs before finally reaching a deal.

&quot;I am pleased Democrats in Congress have come to their senses,&quot; Trump said in a defiant statement, as lawmakers moved to get hundreds of thousands of federal government employees back to work.

Also read: <a href="http://Government shutdown fizzles on spending, immigration deal in US Congress" target="_blank">Government shutdown fizzles on spending, immigration deal in US Congress</a>

Democrats decided to end the three-day shutdown after making progress with ruling Republicans toward securing the fate of hundreds of thousands of so-called &quot;Dreamers&quot; brought to America as children, many of them illegally.

With Democratic support, a bill keeping the government funded until February 8 easily passed the Senate, where different versions of the funding had languished for days.

Word of the compromise deal struck in Washington sent US stocks surging to new highs.

But the White House appeared in no mood for bipartisanship or magnanimity after a shutdown that overshadowed Trump&#39;s first anniversary in office.

Trump moved to undercut Democrats, saying he would only accept a comprehensive immigration reform -- one that notably addresses his demands for a border wall with Mexico as well as the fate of the &quot;Dreamers.&quot;

&quot;We will make a long-term deal on immigration if, and only if, it is good for our country,&quot; he said.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer earlier announced his party would vote with Republicans to end the shutdown, but in a sign of the poisoned politics of Washington he pilloried Trump in the process.

&quot;The White House refused to engage in negotiations over the weekend. The great deal-making president sat on the sidelines,&quot; Schumer said.

Trump spent the weekend stewing at the White House when he had planned to be among friends and family at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida for his anniversary bash.

And with the fundamental row on immigration and funding of Trump&#39;s border wall unresolved, Republicans and Democrats may very well find themselves back in a similar stalemate come February 9.

- High-profile holdouts - 
Schumer told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that he expected Republicans to make good on a pledge to address Democrats&#39; concerns over the Deferred Action on Child Arrivals (DACA) program that shields immigrants brought to the country as children from deportation, but expires on March 5.

There are an estimated 700,000 &quot;Dreamers&quot; whose fates are up in the air.&nbsp;

&quot;If he does not, of course, and I expect he will, he will have breached the trust of not only the Democratic senators but members of his own party as well,&quot; Schumer said.

Trump has staked his political fortunes on taking a hard line on immigrants, painting them as criminals and scroungers.

Senator Tim Kaine summed up the view of the more optimistic Democrats: &quot;We got a commitment that I feel very, very good about.&quot;&nbsp;

But if no progress is made on an immigration bill, Molly Reynolds of the Brookings Institution warned, &quot;Democrats still have the ability to potentially force another shutdown over the issue.&quot;

The House is under no obligation to pass any Senate bill generated as a result of McConnell&#39;s pledge to cooperate with Democrats -- although Speaker Ryan did say his chamber needs to &quot;move forward in good faith&quot; on DACA and immigration.

Notably, many of the Senate Democrats who voted against the funding agreement included a litany of potential 2020 presidential candidates, including Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren.

- Dealmaker on sidelines - 
Ahead of the deal, Trump had goaded Democrats from the sidelines, accusing them of shutting down the government to win concessions on immigration, in service of &quot;their far left base.&quot;

There have been four government shutdowns since 1990. During the last one, in October 2013, more than 800,000 government workers were put on temporary leave.

Essential federal services and the military were operational on Monday.

The House voted 266 to 150 to extend federal funding, hours after Senate Democrats dropped their opposition to the plan after winning Republican assurances of a vote on immigration in the coming weeks

Congress put the US government back in business Monday by voting to end a three-day shutdown, as President Donald Trump claimed victory in his standoff with Democrats in Washington. The House voted 266 to 150 to extend federal funding, hours after Senate Democrats dropped their opposition to the plan after winning Republican assurances of a vote on immigration in the coming weeks. Trump signed the measure into law Monday night, and government operations would essentially return to normal on Tuesday. "I know there's great relief that this episode is coming to an end," House Speaker Paul Ryan told colleagues. "But this is not a moment to pat ourselves on the back. Not even close." The stalemate consumed Washington for the better part of a week, as lawmakers and the White House feuded over immigration policy and the nation's two main political parties exchanged bitter barbs before finally reaching a deal. "I am pleased Democrats in Congress have come to their senses," Trump said in a defiant statement, as lawmakers moved to get hundreds of thousands of federal government employees back to work. Also read: Government shutdown fizzles on spending, immigration deal in US Congress Democrats decided to end the three-day shutdown after making progress with ruling Republicans toward securing the fate of hundreds of thousands of so-called "Dreamers" brought to America as children, many of them illegally. With Democratic support, a bill keeping the government funded until February 8 easily passed the Senate, where different versions of the funding had languished for days. Word of the compromise deal struck in Washington sent US stocks surging to new highs. But the White House appeared in no mood for bipartisanship or magnanimity after a shutdown that overshadowed Trump's first anniversary in office. Trump moved to undercut Democrats, saying he would only accept a comprehensive immigration reform -- one that notably addresses his demands for a border wall with Mexico as well as the fate of the "Dreamers." "We will make a long-term deal on immigration if, and only if, it is good for our country," he said. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer earlier announced his party would vote with Republicans to end the shutdown, but in a sign of the poisoned politics of Washington he pilloried Trump in the process. "The White House refused to engage in negotiations over the weekend. The great deal-making president sat on the sidelines," Schumer said. Trump spent the weekend stewing at the White House when he had planned to be among friends and family at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida for his anniversary bash. And with the fundamental row on immigration and funding of Trump's border wall unresolved, Republicans and Democrats may very well find themselves back in a similar stalemate come February 9. - High-profile holdouts - Schumer told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that he expected Republicans to make good on a pledge to address Democrats' concerns over the Deferred Action on Child Arrivals (DACA) program that shields immigrants brought to the country as children from deportation, but expires on March 5. There are an estimated 700,000 "Dreamers" whose fates are up in the air. "If he does not, of course, and I expect he will, he will have breached the trust of not only the Democratic senators but members of his own party as well," Schumer said. Trump has staked his political fortunes on taking a hard line on immigrants, painting them as criminals and scroungers. Senator Tim Kaine summed up the view of the more optimistic Democrats: "We got a commitment that I feel very, very good about." But if no progress is made on an immigration bill, Molly Reynolds of the Brookings Institution warned, "Democrats still have the ability to potentially force another shutdown over the issue." The House is under no obligation to pass any Senate bill generated as a result of McConnell's pledge to cooperate with Democrats -- although Speaker Ryan did say his chamber needs to "move forward in good faith" on DACA and immigration. Notably, many of the Senate Democrats who voted against the funding agreement included a litany of potential 2020 presidential candidates, including Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren. - Dealmaker on sidelines - Ahead of the deal, Trump had goaded Democrats from the sidelines, accusing them of shutting down the government to win concessions on immigration, in service of "their far left base." There have been four government shutdowns since 1990. During the last one, in October 2013, more than 800,000 government workers were put on temporary leave. Essential federal services and the military were operational on Monday.

Congress votes to end US shutdown, Trump claims victory

Congress voted on Monday to end a three-day US&nbsp;government shutdown, approving another short-term funding bill as Democrats accepted promises from Republicans for a broad debate later on the future of young illegal immigrants.

The fourth temporary funding bill since October easily passed the Senate and the House of Representatives. That sent it to the White House, which said President Donald Trump was expected to sign the bill, a product chiefly of negotiations among Senate leaders.

Enactment by Trump of the bill will allow the government to reopen fully on Tuesday and keep the lights on through February 8, when Congress will have to revisit the budget and immigration policy, two disparate issues that have become closely linked.

The House approved the funding bill by a vote of 266-150 just hours after it passed the Senate by a vote of 81-18.

Trump&#39;s attempts to negotiate an end to the shutdown with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer collapsed on Friday in recriminations and fingerpointing. The Republican president took a new swipe at Democrats as he celebrated the Senate`s pact.

&quot;I am pleased that Democrats in Congress have come to their senses,&quot; Trump said in a statement. &quot;We will make a long-term deal on immigration if and only if it`s good for the country.&quot;

Immigration and the budget are entangled because of Congress&#39;&nbsp;failure last year to approve a budget on time by October 1, just weeks after Trump summarily ordered an end by March to Obama-era legal protections for young immigrants known as &quot;Dreamers.&quot;

The budget failure has necessitated passage by Congress of a series of temporary funding measures, giving Democrats leverage each step of the way since they hold votes needed to overcome a 60-vote threshold in the Senate for most legislation.

With government spending authority about to expire again at midnight on Friday, Democrats withheld support for a fourth stopgap spending bill and demanded action for the Dreamers.

Dreamers

The roughly 700,000 young people were brought to the United States illegally as children, mainly from Mexico and Central America. They mostly grew up in the United States.

Former President Barack Obama&#39;s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, programme gave the Dreamers legal protections and shielded them from deportation.

Democrats, as a condition of supporting a new spending stopgap, demanded a resolution of the uncertain future Trump created for the Dreamers with his DACA order last year.

But Democratic leaders, worried about being blamed for the disruptive shutdown that resulted, relented in the end and accepted a pledge by Republicans to hold a debate later over the fate of the Dreamers and related immigration issues.

Tens of thousands of federal workers had begun closing down operations for lack of funding on Monday, the first weekday since the shutdown, but essential services such as security and defence operations had continued.&nbsp;

The shutdown undercut Trump`s self-crafted image as a dealmaker who would repair the broken culture in Washington.&nbsp;

It forced Trump to cancel a weekend trip to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and created uncertainty around his scheduled trip this week to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.&nbsp;

The US&nbsp;government cannot fully operate without funding bills that are voted in Congress regularly. Washington has been hampered by frequent threats of a shutdown in recent years as the two parties fight over spending, immigration and other issues. The last US&nbsp;government shutdown was in 2013.&nbsp;

Both sides in Washington had tried to blame each other for the shutdown. The White House on Saturday refused to negotiate on immigration issues until the government reopened.&nbsp;

On Monday, Trump met separately at the White House with Republican senators who have taken a harder line on immigration and with moderate Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Doug Jones.

Why do we have to wait?

Some liberal groups were infuriated by the decision to reopen the government.

&quot;Today&#39;s cave by Senate Democrats - led by weak-kneed, right-of-centre Democrats - is why people don&rsquo;t believe the Democratic Party stands for anything,&quot; said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

Markets have absorbed the shutdown drama over the past week.

US&nbsp;stocks advanced on Monday as each of Wall Street&#39;s main indexes touched a record intraday level after the shutdown deal.&nbsp;

For Jovan Rodriguez of Brooklyn, New York, a Dreamer whose family came from Mexico when he was 3 years old and ultimately settled in Texas, the latest development was more of the same.

&quot;Why do we have to wait - again? It`s like our lives are suspended in limbo,&quot; he said. And they have been for months. I don&#39;t trust the Republicans and I don&#39;t trust (Senate Majority Leader Mitch) McConnell with just a promise. That&#39;s not good enough any more.&quot;

The fourth temporary funding bill since October easily passed the Senate and the House of Representatives

Congress voted on Monday to end a three-day US government shutdown, approving another short-term funding bill as Democrats accepted promises from Republicans for a broad debate later on the future of young illegal immigrants. The fourth temporary funding bill since October easily passed the Senate and the House of Representatives. That sent it to the White House, which said President Donald Trump was expected to sign the bill, a product chiefly of negotiations among Senate leaders. Enactment by Trump of the bill will allow the government to reopen fully on Tuesday and keep the lights on through February 8, when Congress will have to revisit the budget and immigration policy, two disparate issues that have become closely linked. The House approved the funding bill by a vote of 266-150 just hours after it passed the Senate by a vote of 81-18. Trump's attempts to negotiate an end to the shutdown with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer collapsed on Friday in recriminations and fingerpointing. The Republican president took a new swipe at Democrats as he celebrated the Senate`s pact. "I am pleased that Democrats in Congress have come to their senses," Trump said in a statement. "We will make a long-term deal on immigration if and only if it`s good for the country." Immigration and the budget are entangled because of Congress' failure last year to approve a budget on time by October 1, just weeks after Trump summarily ordered an end by March to Obama-era legal protections for young immigrants known as "Dreamers." The budget failure has necessitated passage by Congress of a series of temporary funding measures, giving Democrats leverage each step of the way since they hold votes needed to overcome a 60-vote threshold in the Senate for most legislation. With government spending authority about to expire again at midnight on Friday, Democrats withheld support for a fourth stopgap spending bill and demanded action for the Dreamers. Dreamers The roughly 700,000 young people were brought to the United States illegally as children, mainly from Mexico and Central America. They mostly grew up in the United States. Former President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, programme gave the Dreamers legal protections and shielded them from deportation. Democrats, as a condition of supporting a new spending stopgap, demanded a resolution of the uncertain future Trump created for the Dreamers with his DACA order last year. But Democratic leaders, worried about being blamed for the disruptive shutdown that resulted, relented in the end and accepted a pledge by Republicans to hold a debate later over the fate of the Dreamers and related immigration issues. Tens of thousands of federal workers had begun closing down operations for lack of funding on Monday, the first weekday since the shutdown, but essential services such as security and defence operations had continued. The shutdown undercut Trump`s self-crafted image as a dealmaker who would repair the broken culture in Washington. It forced Trump to cancel a weekend trip to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and created uncertainty around his scheduled trip this week to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The US government cannot fully operate without funding bills that are voted in Congress regularly. Washington has been hampered by frequent threats of a shutdown in recent years as the two parties fight over spending, immigration and other issues. The last US government shutdown was in 2013. Both sides in Washington had tried to blame each other for the shutdown. The White House on Saturday refused to negotiate on immigration issues until the government reopened. On Monday, Trump met separately at the White House with Republican senators who have taken a harder line on immigration and with moderate Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Doug Jones. Why do we have to wait? Some liberal groups were infuriated by the decision to reopen the government. "Today's cave by Senate Democrats - led by weak-kneed, right-of-centre Democrats - is why people don’t believe the Democratic Party stands for anything," said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. Markets have absorbed the shutdown drama over the past week. US stocks advanced on Monday as each of Wall Street's main indexes touched a record intraday level after the shutdown deal. For Jovan Rodriguez of Brooklyn, New York, a Dreamer whose family came from Mexico when he was 3 years old and ultimately settled in Texas, the latest development was more of the same. "Why do we have to wait - again? It`s like our lives are suspended in limbo," he said. And they have been for months. I don't trust the Republicans and I don't trust (Senate Majority Leader Mitch) McConnell with just a promise. That's not good enough any more."

Government shutdown fizzles on spending, immigration deal in US Congress

US President Donald Trump today suggested Republicans to go for the so-called &quot;nuclear-option&quot; which requires a simple majority in the 100-member Senate as against 60, as intense negotiations with the Democrats were on to end the government shutdown, the first in five years.

Rarely used in US Congressional proceedings, the nuclear or constitutional option is a parliamentary procedure that allows the US Senate to override a rule or precedent by majority vote.

However, the Republicans are unlikely to opt for this, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

Hundreds of thousands of federal government employees would not return to work tomorrow as the Senate -- the upper chamber of the United States Congress -- did not pass a legislation required to fund the expenses of the federal government beginning yesterday due to opposition from the Democratic Senators.

The last time that a government shutdown happened was in 2013 for more than a fortnight.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-tries-to-fix-government-shutdown-over-phone-30273" target="_blank">Trump tries to fix government shutdown over phone</a>

In a procedural vote to fund the government, even for a short-term four-week period till February 16, the Republican last night got 51 votes as against 60 required to move ahead with the legislation.

&quot;Great to see how hard Republicans are fighting for our military and safety at the border. The Democrats just want illegal immigrants to pour into our nation unchecked. If stalemate continues,

Republicans should go to 51 per cent (nuclear-option) and vote on real, long-term budget, no CR&#39;s!&quot; Trump said in a tweet today.

McConnell ruled out using nuclear option in budget legislations.

&quot;The Republican Conference opposes changing the rules on legislation,&quot; his spokesman said.

The issue had come up during internal party deliberations.

Both the Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate said that they were continuing with their negotiations and short out their differences so as to end the government shutdown.

But the White House alleged that the Democrats want to prolong it for days or at least till Trump delivers his State of the Union address on January 30.

&quot;It could go several days because I think there&#39;s other Democrats who want to see the president give the State of the Union during a shutdown,&quot; the Director of Office of Management of Budget Mick Mulvaney told Fox News.

&quot;That&#39;s nine or 10 days, yes,&quot; he said, adding that the ending of the government shutdown depends on Democrats.

&quot;You have to ask the Senate Democrats. They could open this today if they wanted to,&quot; Mulvaney said.

The Democrats were quick in opposing the nuclear option.

&quot;This is another example of President Trump growing a tweet in the middle of bipartisan negotiations that are making progress,&quot; Democratic Senator Chris Coons told the TV channel.

Ending the government shutdown is president&#39;s responsibility, he said.

&quot;He should, instead of throwing tweets from the White House, pull together the four leaders of the House and the Senate on a bipartisan basis today and negotiate.

&quot;I spent all day not going to the floor, not going on cable news, not denouncing Republicans, but meeting with them, listening to them, with a small group that grew and grew, and by the end of the day,

we had 20 Republican and Democratic senators listening to each other, trying to not just get out of the shutdown, but address and fix some of the underlying problems that have left us with so many of the priorities that have stacked up over the last couple of months,&quot; Coons said.

Top Democratic leader Dick Durbin refused to say when the shutdown would end.

&quot;I&#39;m not going to make that prediction,&quot; Durbin told NBC News, adding that Democrats are not willing to extend short- term funding after January.

Meanwhile the White House, on its public telephone and general email, has put an auto-responder which alleges that the Democrats have put the government to hostage.

&quot;Thank you for calling the White House. Unfortunately, we cannot answer your call today because congressional Democrats are holding government funding, including funding for our troops and other national security priorities, hostage to an unrelated immigration debate,&quot; says a woman&#39;s voice when one calls the White House general number.

&quot;Due to this obstruction, the government is shutdown. In the meantime, you can leave a comment for the President. We look forward to taking your calls as soon as the government re-opens,&quot; it said.

A similar email gives an auto reply sent to those White House staffers who are not working due to the shutdown.

&quot;Unfortunately, I am out of the office today because congressional Democrats are holding government funding -- including funding for our troops and other national security priorities -- hostage to an unrelated immigration debate,&quot; one of those emails said.&nbsp;

Rarely used in US Congressional proceedings, the nuclear or constitutional option is a parliamentary procedure that allows the US Senate to override a rule or precedent by majority vote

US President Donald Trump today suggested Republicans to go for the so-called "nuclear-option" which requires a simple majority in the 100-member Senate as against 60, as intense negotiations with the Democrats were on to end the government shutdown, the first in five years. Rarely used in US Congressional proceedings, the nuclear or constitutional option is a parliamentary procedure that allows the US Senate to override a rule or precedent by majority vote. However, the Republicans are unlikely to opt for this, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. Hundreds of thousands of federal government employees would not return to work tomorrow as the Senate -- the upper chamber of the United States Congress -- did not pass a legislation required to fund the expenses of the federal government beginning yesterday due to opposition from the Democratic Senators. The last time that a government shutdown happened was in 2013 for more than a fortnight. Also read: Trump tries to fix government shutdown over phone In a procedural vote to fund the government, even for a short-term four-week period till February 16, the Republican last night got 51 votes as against 60 required to move ahead with the legislation. "Great to see how hard Republicans are fighting for our military and safety at the border. The Democrats just want illegal immigrants to pour into our nation unchecked. If stalemate continues, Republicans should go to 51 per cent (nuclear-option) and vote on real, long-term budget, no CR's!" Trump said in a tweet today. McConnell ruled out using nuclear option in budget legislations. "The Republican Conference opposes changing the rules on legislation," his spokesman said. The issue had come up during internal party deliberations. Both the Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate said that they were continuing with their negotiations and short out their differences so as to end the government shutdown. But the White House alleged that the Democrats want to prolong it for days or at least till Trump delivers his State of the Union address on January 30. "It could go several days because I think there's other Democrats who want to see the president give the State of the Union during a shutdown," the Director of Office of Management of Budget Mick Mulvaney told Fox News. "That's nine or 10 days, yes," he said, adding that the ending of the government shutdown depends on Democrats. "You have to ask the Senate Democrats. They could open this today if they wanted to," Mulvaney said. The Democrats were quick in opposing the nuclear option. "This is another example of President Trump growing a tweet in the middle of bipartisan negotiations that are making progress," Democratic Senator Chris Coons told the TV channel. Ending the government shutdown is president's responsibility, he said. "He should, instead of throwing tweets from the White House, pull together the four leaders of the House and the Senate on a bipartisan basis today and negotiate. "I spent all day not going to the floor, not going on cable news, not denouncing Republicans, but meeting with them, listening to them, with a small group that grew and grew, and by the end of the day, we had 20 Republican and Democratic senators listening to each other, trying to not just get out of the shutdown, but address and fix some of the underlying problems that have left us with so many of the priorities that have stacked up over the last couple of months," Coons said. Top Democratic leader Dick Durbin refused to say when the shutdown would end. "I'm not going to make that prediction," Durbin told NBC News, adding that Democrats are not willing to extend short- term funding after January. Meanwhile the White House, on its public telephone and general email, has put an auto-responder which alleges that the Democrats have put the government to hostage. "Thank you for calling the White House. Unfortunately, we cannot answer your call today because congressional Democrats are holding government funding, including funding for our troops and other national security priorities, hostage to an unrelated immigration debate," says a woman's voice when one calls the White House general number. "Due to this obstruction, the government is shutdown. In the meantime, you can leave a comment for the President. We look forward to taking your calls as soon as the government re-opens," it said. A similar email gives an auto reply sent to those White House staffers who are not working due to the shutdown. "Unfortunately, I am out of the office today because congressional Democrats are holding government funding -- including funding for our troops and other national security priorities -- hostage to an unrelated immigration debate," one of those emails said.

Trump suggests 'nuclear option' to end US government shutdown

President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers were locked in a standoff with Democrats on Saturday over the U.S. government shutdown, with Republicans saying they would not negotiate on immigration until the government is reopened. Funding for federal agencies ran out at midnight with no agreement in Congress, meaning the second year of Trump&rsquo;s presidency began without a fully functioning government. Democrats stuck to demands that any short-term spending legislation must include protections for young undocumented immigrants known as &ldquo;Dreamers.&rdquo; Republicans in turn said they would not negotiate on immigration until Democrats gave them the votes needed to reopen the government. U.S. government workers were told to stay home or, in some cases, work without pay until new funding is approved in the first federal government shutdown since a 16-day funding lapse in October 2013.

The Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives held rare weekend sessions on Saturday, facing a political crisis that could affect November congressional elections. By about 7 p.m. both chambers resigned themselves to failure and agreed to resume work on Sunday. Both Republicans and Democrats had dug in during the day, each side blaming the other. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate would vote at 0100 EST (0600 GMT) Monday on a bill to fund the government through Feb. 8, unless Democrats agree to hold it sooner.

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&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be right back at this tomorrow and for as long as it takes&rdquo; for Democrats to vote for legislation that would reopen the government, McConnell said.

Outside the U.S. Capitol, parks, open-air monuments and Smithsonian museums were open as a second annual women&rsquo;s rights march took place on the National Mall. But visitors were turned away from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York Harbor. A scheduled trip by Trump and some Cabinet members to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was being assessed on a day-to-day basis, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said. Republicans said they would refuse to negotiate on immigration until Democrats provide the votes to re-open the government. Democrats insisted they have been willing to compromise but Republicans backed out of deals.

&ldquo;The president will not negotiate on immigration reform until Democrats stop playing games and reopen the government,&rdquo; said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. Marc Short, the White House&rsquo;s legislative affairs director, said Trump had been in contact with Republican leaders in Congress during the day, but had not reached out to Democrats. Short said the president likely would be most effective making the case for ending the shutdown directly to the American people, and he did not rule out Trump addressing the nation in the coming days. The tough message from the White House and Republicans in Congress led to speculation that Washington could be in for a prolonged political battle.

At the U.S. Capitol, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer delivered a stinging portrayal of Trump as an unreliable negotiating partner, saying the two sides came close to an agreement several times only to have Trump back out at the urging of anti-immigration conservatives. &ldquo;Negotiating with President Trump is like negotiating with Jell-O,&rdquo; said Schumer, who met Trump at the White House on Friday for a 90-minute meeting that had briefly raised hopes. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s impossible to negotiate with a constantly moving target.&rdquo;

&lsquo;Inches away&rsquo;

The federal government had been running on three consecutive temporary funding bills since the new fiscal year began in October. Democrats had sought to secure permanent legal protections for 700,000 young undocumented immigrants as a condition for new government funding after their attempts to push through the protections in stand-alone bills were rebuffed. Trump ordered the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program to expire in March, requiring Congress to act. Earlier, McConnell said a solution to the crisis was &ldquo;just inches away&rdquo; but he blamed Democrats for blocking legislation to pass the fourth stopgap funding measure.

One idea floated by Republicans was to renew government funding through Feb. 8 to end the shutdown, while working to resolve other issues, including immigration, military and non-military spending, disaster relief and some healthcare matters. U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly, a Democrat whose northern Virginia district has one of the highest concentrations of federal government employees, said there was no sign that serious bipartisan negotiations were taking place and he would be surprised if Congress reached a resolution before Monday. &ldquo;You can hear the crickets chirping in the hallway,&rdquo; Connolly said on Saturday evening. He said if there were negotiations, &ldquo;it would have to be really deep back channels.&rdquo; He attributed the lack of talks to &ldquo;raw feelings&rdquo; and that Trump had walked away on Friday from a deal on immigration.

A video ad released on Saturday by Trump&rsquo;s presidential campaign that says Democrats will be &ldquo;complicit&rdquo; in murders by illegal immigrants could inflame tensions. Trump had portrayed himself as the ultimate dealmaker, but his inability to cut a deal despite having a Republican majority in both houses of Congress marked arguably the most debilitating setback for his administration. &ldquo;This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present,&rdquo; he said on Twitter. The immediate impact of the government shutdown was eased somewhat by it beginning on a weekend. The Defense Department said combat operations in Afghanistan and other military activities would continue, while federal law enforcement officers also would remain on duty.

Talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement will continue, as will major cybersecurity functions, and most of the Environmental Protection Agency will remain open, budget director Mulvaney said. But without a quick deal, hundreds of thousands of government employees will be put on temporary unpaid leave. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s ironic that they get paid &ndash; meaning Congress &ndash; and the rest of the government doesn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; said Dawn Gaither, 57, a Washington teacher. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need to do, kick these guys in the tail and get them to work.&rdquo;

Republicans said they would not negotiate on immigration until the government is reopened

President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers were locked in a standoff with Democrats on Saturday over the U.S. government shutdown, with Republicans saying they would not negotiate on immigration until the government is reopened. Funding for federal agencies ran out at midnight with no agreement in Congress, meaning the second year of Trump’s presidency began without a fully functioning government. Democrats stuck to demands that any short-term spending legislation must include protections for young undocumented immigrants known as “Dreamers.” Republicans in turn said they would not negotiate on immigration until Democrats gave them the votes needed to reopen the government. U.S. government workers were told to stay home or, in some cases, work without pay until new funding is approved in the first federal government shutdown since a 16-day funding lapse in October 2013. The Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives held rare weekend sessions on Saturday, facing a political crisis that could affect November congressional elections. By about 7 p.m. both chambers resigned themselves to failure and agreed to resume work on Sunday. Both Republicans and Democrats had dug in during the day, each side blaming the other. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate would vote at 0100 EST (0600 GMT) Monday on a bill to fund the government through Feb. 8, unless Democrats agree to hold it sooner. Funding for federal agencies ran out at midnight with no agreement in Congress, meaning the second year of Trump’s presidency began without a fully functioning government × “We’ll be right back at this tomorrow and for as long as it takes” for Democrats to vote for legislation that would reopen the government, McConnell said. Outside the U.S. Capitol, parks, open-air monuments and Smithsonian museums were open as a second annual women’s rights march took place on the National Mall. But visitors were turned away from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York Harbor. A scheduled trip by Trump and some Cabinet members to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was being assessed on a day-to-day basis, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said. Republicans said they would refuse to negotiate on immigration until Democrats provide the votes to re-open the government. Democrats insisted they have been willing to compromise but Republicans backed out of deals. “The president will not negotiate on immigration reform until Democrats stop playing games and reopen the government,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. Marc Short, the White House’s legislative affairs director, said Trump had been in contact with Republican leaders in Congress during the day, but had not reached out to Democrats. Short said the president likely would be most effective making the case for ending the shutdown directly to the American people, and he did not rule out Trump addressing the nation in the coming days. The tough message from the White House and Republicans in Congress led to speculation that Washington could be in for a prolonged political battle. At the U.S. Capitol, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer delivered a stinging portrayal of Trump as an unreliable negotiating partner, saying the two sides came close to an agreement several times only to have Trump back out at the urging of anti-immigration conservatives. “Negotiating with President Trump is like negotiating with Jell-O,” said Schumer, who met Trump at the White House on Friday for a 90-minute meeting that had briefly raised hopes. “It’s impossible to negotiate with a constantly moving target.” ‘Inches away’ The federal government had been running on three consecutive temporary funding bills since the new fiscal year began in October. Democrats had sought to secure permanent legal protections for 700,000 young undocumented immigrants as a condition for new government funding after their attempts to push through the protections in stand-alone bills were rebuffed. Trump ordered the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program to expire in March, requiring Congress to act. Earlier, McConnell said a solution to the crisis was “just inches away” but he blamed Democrats for blocking legislation to pass the fourth stopgap funding measure. One idea floated by Republicans was to renew government funding through Feb. 8 to end the shutdown, while working to resolve other issues, including immigration, military and non-military spending, disaster relief and some healthcare matters. U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly, a Democrat whose northern Virginia district has one of the highest concentrations of federal government employees, said there was no sign that serious bipartisan negotiations were taking place and he would be surprised if Congress reached a resolution before Monday. “You can hear the crickets chirping in the hallway,” Connolly said on Saturday evening. He said if there were negotiations, “it would have to be really deep back channels.” He attributed the lack of talks to “raw feelings” and that Trump had walked away on Friday from a deal on immigration. A video ad released on Saturday by Trump’s presidential campaign that says Democrats will be “complicit” in murders by illegal immigrants could inflame tensions. Trump had portrayed himself as the ultimate dealmaker, but his inability to cut a deal despite having a Republican majority in both houses of Congress marked arguably the most debilitating setback for his administration. “This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present,” he said on Twitter. The immediate impact of the government shutdown was eased somewhat by it beginning on a weekend. The Defense Department said combat operations in Afghanistan and other military activities would continue, while federal law enforcement officers also would remain on duty. Talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement will continue, as will major cybersecurity functions, and most of the Environmental Protection Agency will remain open, budget director Mulvaney said. But without a quick deal, hundreds of thousands of government employees will be put on temporary unpaid leave. “It’s ironic that they get paid – meaning Congress – and the rest of the government doesn’t,” said Dawn Gaither, 57, a Washington teacher. “That’s what we need to do, kick these guys in the tail and get them to work.”

First day of US government shutdown ends in standoff

At least one person has been killed and six were injured when an Amtrak train, carrying Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, collided with a garbage truck in Virginia.

The train was carrying House and Senate Republicans to a retreat in West Virginia when the crash occurred.

According to the Washington Post, none of the dozens of members of Congress aboard the train, or their accompanying family members and aides, were among the seriously injured.

&quot;Today&#39;s incident was a terrible tragedy. We are grateful for the first responders who rushed to the scene and we pray for the victims and their families.

May they all be in our thoughts right now,&quot; Ryan wrote in a Twitter post. The Wisconsin Republican was on the train with his family, and all were unharmed.The train &quot;came into contact with a vehicle that was on the tracks at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Va.

There are no reported injuries to passengers or crew members. Local law enforcement is investigating the incident and crews are inspecting equipment for damage,&quot; Amtrak, said in a statement.

Republican members of Congress on the train, which left Washington`s Union Station, were on their way to a retreat at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The retreat starts Wednesday and is scheduled to end on Friday. 
 
 
&nbsp;

The train was carrying House and Senate Republicans to a retreat in West Virginia when the crash occurred

At least one person has been killed and six were injured when an Amtrak train, carrying Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, collided with a garbage truck in Virginia. The train was carrying House and Senate Republicans to a retreat in West Virginia when the crash occurred. According to the Washington Post, none of the dozens of members of Congress aboard the train, or their accompanying family members and aides, were among the seriously injured. "Today's incident was a terrible tragedy. We are grateful for the first responders who rushed to the scene and we pray for the victims and their families. May they all be in our thoughts right now," Ryan wrote in a Twitter post. The Wisconsin Republican was on the train with his family, and all were unharmed.The train "came into contact with a vehicle that was on the tracks at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Va. There are no reported injuries to passengers or crew members. Local law enforcement is investigating the incident and crews are inspecting equipment for damage," Amtrak, said in a statement. Republican members of Congress on the train, which left Washington`s Union Station, were on their way to a retreat at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The retreat starts Wednesday and is scheduled to end on Friday.

US: Train carrying Republicans crashes, one dead

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday delivered his first State of the Union address and provided his assessment of his first year in office with a look ahead at his agenda as he continues to work towards fulfilling his campaign promise to &quot;make America great again.&quot;

In the hour-long address, Donald Trump spoke about the American economy and the tax cuts undertaken by his government. He also talked about &quot;decades of unfair trade deals&quot;, &quot;immigration policies that focus on the best interests of American Workers and American Families&quot;, &quot;what kind of nation&quot; America will be, and America&#39;s &quot;fight until ISIS is defeated&quot; among others.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trumps-state-of-the-union-speech-full-text-31279" target="_blank">Full text of Donald Trump&#39;s State of the Union speech</a>

The State of the Union Address is an annual message presented by President of United States to a joint session of the United States Congress after the president completes one year of his term.&nbsp;

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US President Trump said that &quot;together, we are building a safe, strong and proud America. The state of our union is strong, because our people are strong.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SOTU</a> <a href="https://t.co/FOEqVUyHho">pic.twitter.com/FOEqVUyHho</a>
&mdash; AFP news agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/958533775742328832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;So let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our Union is strong because our people are strong.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SOTU</a>: <a href="https://t.co/Njo52YOlc2">https://t.co/Njo52YOlc2</a>
&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/958524829233184768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Broadcast live across the country, the address serves as a platform for the President to directly communicate to the people of America.&nbsp;

As Trump took the stage, amid cheer and jubilation, he talked about issues of prime importance and utmost significance to the country, its prosperity and its ties with allies. Here is a quick look at some of the key points from Trump&#39;s first State of the Union address.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/what-is-state-of-the-union-address-31215">What is the State of the Union Address?</a>

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&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/958523660683415554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
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United America&nbsp;

&quot;Tonight, I want to talk about what kind of future we are going to have, and what kind of nation we are going to be. All of us, together, as one team, one people, and one American family.&quot;

Trump emphasised the importance of a &quot;united America&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;As we rebuild America&rsquo;s strength and confidence at home, we are also restoring our strength and standing abroad,&quot; Trump noted.&nbsp;

A staunch believer and propagator of the idea of the &quot;American dream&quot;, Trump further added, &quot;This is our New American Moment. There has never been a better time to start living the American dream.&quot;

Trump noted that the citizens of America love their country and deserve a government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return.&nbsp;

&quot;Tonight I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, to protect our citizens, of every background, color, and creed,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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Broadcast live across the country, the address serves as a platform for the President to directly communicate to the people of America. (WION)
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Fight until ISIS is defeated

Reinstating America&#39;s zero tolerance on terrorism, the US President noted that as he assumed office last year, he had pledged to work with allies to extinguish ISIS from the face of the earth.

&quot;One year later, I&rsquo;m proud to report that the coalition to defeat ISIS has liberated almost 100 percent of the territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria. But there is much more work to be done,&quot; he shared.

&quot;We will continue our fight until ISIS is defeated,&quot; Trump exclaimed.&nbsp;

Economically strong America

&quot;We want every American to know the dignity of a hard day&rsquo;s work; we want every child to be safe in their home at night, and we want every citizen to be proud of this land that we love,&quot; said Trump noting that the key to a stronger nation is closely tied to economic growth and prosperity.&nbsp;

&quot;I am asking both parties to come together to give us the safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve,&quot; he noted.&nbsp;

Trump furthered his statement by talking about tax relief provided to the US citizens.&nbsp;

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&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/958525971765907456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Just as I promised the American People from this podium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reform in American history.&quot;

He shared that since the tax cuts were passed, roughly 3 million workers have received tax cut bonuses &ndash; thousands of dollars per worker for many.

&quot;&Uuml;nemployment has hit a 45-year low,&quot; Trump shared.

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Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SOTU</a>: <a href="https://t.co/nT5Y9ywiwb">https://t.co/nT5Y9ywiwb</a> <a href="https://t.co/lZeqog5Zd3">pic.twitter.com/lZeqog5Zd3</a>
&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/958525610141343744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Trump also touched upon issues like the immigration policy and trade practices, among others.&nbsp;

&quot;America has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our jobs and our nation&rsquo;s wealth,&quot; Trump shared.&nbsp;

Broadcast live across the country, the address serves as a platform for the President to directly communicate to the people of America

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday delivered his first State of the Union address and provided his assessment of his first year in office with a look ahead at his agenda as he continues to work towards fulfilling his campaign promise to "make America great again." In the hour-long address, Donald Trump spoke about the American economy and the tax cuts undertaken by his government. He also talked about "decades of unfair trade deals", "immigration policies that focus on the best interests of American Workers and American Families", "what kind of nation" America will be, and America's "fight until ISIS is defeated" among others. Also read: Full text of Donald Trump's State of the Union speech The State of the Union Address is an annual message presented by President of United States to a joint session of the United States Congress after the president completes one year of his term. US President Trump said that "together, we are building a safe, strong and proud America. The state of our union is strong, because our people are strong." #SOTU pic.twitter.com/FOEqVUyHho — AFP news agency (@AFP) January 31, 2018 × "So let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our Union is strong because our people are strong." #SOTU: https://t.co/Njo52YOlc2 — The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 31, 2018 × Broadcast live across the country, the address serves as a platform for the President to directly communicate to the people of America. As Trump took the stage, amid cheer and jubilation, he talked about issues of prime importance and utmost significance to the country, its prosperity and its ties with allies. Here is a quick look at some of the key points from Trump's first State of the Union address. Also read: What is the State of the Union Address? #SOTU: https://t.co/nJF9j414YL pic.twitter.com/9akH7raQta — The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 31, 2018 × United America "Tonight, I want to talk about what kind of future we are going to have, and what kind of nation we are going to be. All of us, together, as one team, one people, and one American family." Trump emphasised the importance of a "united America". "As we rebuild America’s strength and confidence at home, we are also restoring our strength and standing abroad," Trump noted. A staunch believer and propagator of the idea of the "American dream", Trump further added, "This is our New American Moment. There has never been a better time to start living the American dream." Trump noted that the citizens of America love their country and deserve a government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return. "Tonight I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, to protect our citizens, of every background, color, and creed," Trump said. Broadcast live across the country, the address serves as a platform for the President to directly communicate to the people of America. (WION) × Fight until ISIS is defeated Reinstating America's zero tolerance on terrorism, the US President noted that as he assumed office last year, he had pledged to work with allies to extinguish ISIS from the face of the earth. "One year later, I’m proud to report that the coalition to defeat ISIS has liberated almost 100 percent of the territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria. But there is much more work to be done," he shared. "We will continue our fight until ISIS is defeated," Trump exclaimed. Economically strong America "We want every American to know the dignity of a hard day’s work; we want every child to be safe in their home at night, and we want every citizen to be proud of this land that we love," said Trump noting that the key to a stronger nation is closely tied to economic growth and prosperity. "I am asking both parties to come together to give us the safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve," he noted. Trump furthered his statement by talking about tax relief provided to the US citizens. #SOTU: https://t.co/nT5Y9ywiwb pic.twitter.com/Ppd1dRB6Hm — The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 31, 2018 × "Just as I promised the American People from this podium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reform in American history." He shared that since the tax cuts were passed, roughly 3 million workers have received tax cut bonuses – thousands of dollars per worker for many. "Ünemployment has hit a 45-year low," Trump shared. Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low.#SOTU: https://t.co/nT5Y9ywiwb pic.twitter.com/lZeqog5Zd3 — The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 31, 2018 × Trump also touched upon issues like the immigration policy and trade practices, among others. "America has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our jobs and our nation’s wealth," Trump shared.

Never been a better time to start living the American dream, says US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged the Congress to pass a legislation that promotes merit-based immigration, a move that would benefit hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trumps-state-of-the-union-speech-full-text-31279" target="_blank">Full text of Donald Trump&#39;s State of the Union Speech</a>

He proposed a pathway to citizenship for almost 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were brought in the US by their parents at a young age.

&quot;It is time to begin moving towards a merit-based immigration system -- one that admits people who are skilled, who want to work, who will contribute to our society, and who will love and respect our country,&quot; Trump said in his first State of the Union address.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/state-of-the-union-address-us-president-donald-trump-bids-for-safe-strong-and-united-america-31271" target="_blank">US President Donald Trump bids for &#39;safe strong and united America</a>

The State of the Union address is a traditional annual speech of the US president to a joint session of the Congress where he gives an account of the situation in the country.

He proposed four pillars of his immigration reform.

This includes building a wall, and ending chain migration and diversity visa.

Trump said that his proposal should be supported by both parties (Republican and Democratic) as a fair compromise -- one where nobody gets everything they want, but where the country gets the critical reforms it needs.

&quot;The first pillar of our framework generously offers a path to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were brought here by their parents at a young age -- that covers almost three times more people than the previous administration.

&quot;Under our plan, those who meet education and work requirements, and show good moral character, will be able to become full citizens of the United States,&quot; Trump said.

The second pillar fully secures the border, that means building a wall on the Southern border, and it means hiring more people to keep the communities safe.

&quot;Crucially, our plan closes the terrible loopholes exploited by criminals and terrorists to enter our country -- and it finally ends the dangerous practice of &#39;catch and release&#39;,&quot; Trump said.

Trump said the third pillar ends the visa lottery -- a programme that randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill, merit, or the safety of Americans.

The fourth and final pillar protects the nuclear family by ending chain migration, he said, ruing that under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives.

&quot;Under our plan, we focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to spouses and minor children. This vital reform is necessary, not just for our economy, but for our security, and our future,&quot; he said.

Trump said in recent weeks, two terrorist attacks in New York were made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration.

In the age of terrorism, these programmes present risks we can no longer afford.

&quot;It is time to reform these outdated immigration rules, and finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century,&quot; Trump said.

&quot;These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise, and one that will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system. For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen.

&quot;Most importantly, these four pillars will produce legislation that fulfils my ironclad pledge to only sign a bill that puts America first. So let us come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job done,&quot; Trump urged the lawmakers.

Trump proposed four pillars of his immigration reform

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged the Congress to pass a legislation that promotes merit-based immigration, a move that would benefit hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals. Full text of Donald Trump's State of the Union Speech He proposed a pathway to citizenship for almost 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were brought in the US by their parents at a young age. "It is time to begin moving towards a merit-based immigration system -- one that admits people who are skilled, who want to work, who will contribute to our society, and who will love and respect our country," Trump said in his first State of the Union address. Also read: US President Donald Trump bids for 'safe strong and united America The State of the Union address is a traditional annual speech of the US president to a joint session of the Congress where he gives an account of the situation in the country. He proposed four pillars of his immigration reform. This includes building a wall, and ending chain migration and diversity visa. Trump said that his proposal should be supported by both parties (Republican and Democratic) as a fair compromise -- one where nobody gets everything they want, but where the country gets the critical reforms it needs. "The first pillar of our framework generously offers a path to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were brought here by their parents at a young age -- that covers almost three times more people than the previous administration. "Under our plan, those who meet education and work requirements, and show good moral character, will be able to become full citizens of the United States," Trump said. The second pillar fully secures the border, that means building a wall on the Southern border, and it means hiring more people to keep the communities safe. "Crucially, our plan closes the terrible loopholes exploited by criminals and terrorists to enter our country -- and it finally ends the dangerous practice of 'catch and release'," Trump said. Trump said the third pillar ends the visa lottery -- a programme that randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill, merit, or the safety of Americans. The fourth and final pillar protects the nuclear family by ending chain migration, he said, ruing that under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives. "Under our plan, we focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to spouses and minor children. This vital reform is necessary, not just for our economy, but for our security, and our future," he said. Trump said in recent weeks, two terrorist attacks in New York were made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration. In the age of terrorism, these programmes present risks we can no longer afford. "It is time to reform these outdated immigration rules, and finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century," Trump said. "These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise, and one that will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system. For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen. "Most importantly, these four pillars will produce legislation that fulfils my ironclad pledge to only sign a bill that puts America first. So let us come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job done," Trump urged the lawmakers.

Donald Trump for legislation that promotes merit-based immigration, move to affect Indians

President Donald Trump declared Tuesday in his State of the Union address to Congress that what he calls America&#39;s &quot;open borders&quot; had allowed drug gangs to pour into US communities.

Pointing out a guest &mdash; a mother who lost two daughters to murder &mdash; Trump urged Congress to come together to &quot;close the loopholes&quot; that he said allow in groups like El Salvador&#39;s MS-13.

&quot;Many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes and our laws to enter the country as illegal, unaccompanied, alien minors,&quot; Trump claimed, laying out his immigration plan.

If the president wins congressional backing for his immigration plans they will include four pillars tightening what he and his populist supporters see as weak links in current law.

The first pillar, and one that might not find immediate support with the most vocal members of Trump&#39;s anti-immigrant base, is a &quot;path to citizenship&quot; for undocumented migrants who arrived at a young age.

The second pillar, Trump said, &quot;fully secures the border&quot; by building a huge wall on the Mexican frontier and hiring more immigration agents.

The third pillar would end America&#39;s Green Card lottery, and replace it with a so-called merit-based system for migrants with skills needed by US businesses.

And the fourth pillar &mdash; an idea that drew protests from Democrat lawmakers during the speech, would end &quot;chain migration&quot; policies that allow migrants to bring in family members.

Trump urged Congress to come together to "close the loopholes" that he said allow in groups like El Salvador's MS-13

President Donald Trump declared Tuesday in his State of the Union address to Congress that what he calls America's "open borders" had allowed drug gangs to pour into US communities. Pointing out a guest — a mother who lost two daughters to murder — Trump urged Congress to come together to "close the loopholes" that he said allow in groups like El Salvador's MS-13. "Many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes and our laws to enter the country as illegal, unaccompanied, alien minors," Trump claimed, laying out his immigration plan. If the president wins congressional backing for his immigration plans they will include four pillars tightening what he and his populist supporters see as weak links in current law. The first pillar, and one that might not find immediate support with the most vocal members of Trump's anti-immigrant base, is a "path to citizenship" for undocumented migrants who arrived at a young age. The second pillar, Trump said, "fully secures the border" by building a huge wall on the Mexican frontier and hiring more immigration agents. The third pillar would end America's Green Card lottery, and replace it with a so-called merit-based system for migrants with skills needed by US businesses. And the fourth pillar — an idea that drew protests from Democrat lawmakers during the speech, would end "chain migration" policies that allow migrants to bring in family members.

'Open borders' promote guns, gangs and cost lives: Donald Trump

<p content="Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he would keep Guantanamo Bay open, breaking from his predecessor Barack Obama's lengthy and ultimately failed efforts to shutter the maligned detention facility." data-reactid="22" type="text">US President Donald Trump announced today he would keep Guantanamo Bay open, breaking from his predecessor Barack Obama&#39;s lengthy and ultimately failed efforts to shutter the maligned detention facility.

<p content="&quot;I just signed an order directing Secretary Mattis to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay,&quot; Trump said, in his State of the Union address to Congress, in keeping with a campaign promise." data-reactid="23" type="text">&quot;I just signed an order directing Secretary Mattis to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay,&quot; Trump said, in his State of the Union address to Congress, in keeping with a campaign promise.

<p content="Under president George W. Bush, the US military hastily constructed a prison camp on Guantanamo Bay, located on the US naval base on the eastern tip of Cuba, in the months following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks." data-reactid="24" type="text">Under President George W. Bush, the US military hastily constructed a prison camp on Guantanamo Bay, located on the US naval base on the eastern tip of Cuba, in the months following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

At first, inmates were held in cages and fenced in with razor wire, and conditions for the orange-jumpsuit-clad detainees provoked a global outcry in 2002.

<p content="That early facility, known as Camp X-Ray, was soon replaced with more permanent structures and today, Guantanamo Bay consists of numerous high-security prison buildings." data-reactid="26" type="text">That early facility, known as Camp X-Ray, was soon replaced with more permanent structures and today, Guantanamo Bay consists of numerous high-security prison buildings.

At the height of its operations after 9/11, the facility held 780 people, detained mostly for their alleged ties to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Since then, hundreds have been transferred back to their home countries or other places.

<p content="Some of the most notorious inmates, including several alleged 9/11 co-conspirators, among them accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are still awaiting trial." data-reactid="29" type="text">Some of the most notorious inmates, including several alleged 9/11 co-conspirators, among them, accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are still awaiting trial.

<p content="Their cases have been beset by legal woes at Guantanamo, where a bespoke criminal justice system grants detainees -- who are considered &quot;unprivileged enemy belligerents&quot; -- only some of the legal rights that US federal courts guarantee." data-reactid="30" type="text">Their cases have been beset by legal woes at Guantanamo, where a bespoke criminal justice system grants detainees -- who are considered &quot;unprivileged enemy belligerents&quot; -- only some of the legal rights that US federal courts guarantee.

Of the 41 inmates remaining at Guantanamo, about 26 are trapped in legal purgatory.

These so-called &quot;forever prisoners&quot; have never been charged -- yet they have been deemed too dangerous to release.

Some were cleared for release under Obama, but have been stranded at Guantanamo under the Trump administration.

- &#39;Bad dudes&#39; -

<p content="On the campaign trail, Trump famously vowed he would load Guantanamo with &quot;bad dudes,&quot; and said it would be &quot;fine&quot; if US terror suspects were sent there for trial." data-reactid="35" type="text">On the campaign trail, Trump famously vowed he would load Guantanamo with &quot;bad dudes,&quot; and said it would be &quot;fine&quot; if US terror suspects were sent there for trial.

In 2009, soon after he was sworn in, Obama ordered the prison to be closed within a year, and no new inmate has been sent there since early 2008.

<p content="Political bickering, vehement Republican opposition and foreign allies' reluctance to take in the prisoners meant Obama could not close Guantanamo, though the population dropped from 242 to 41 under his watch." data-reactid="37" type="text">Political bickering, vehement Republican opposition and foreign allies&#39; reluctance to take in the prisoners meant Obama could not close Guantanamo, though the population dropped from 242 to 41 under his watch.

Since becoming president, Trump has toyed with the idea of sending Americans to Guantanamo, though federal judges would likely bar any such attempt.

<p content="In October, he suggested that the man accused of carrying out a deadly truck attack along a bike path in New York could be sent to Guantanamo, but he later backed off the idea." data-reactid="39" type="text">In October, he suggested that the man accused of carrying out a deadly truck attack along a bike path in New York could be sent to Guantanamo, but he later backed off the idea.

<p content="Another case that could potentially bring Guantanamo into legal focus is that of a US citizen who was captured in Syria and had allegedly been fighting for the Islamic State group." data-reactid="40" type="text">Another case that could potentially bring Guantanamo into legal focus is that of a US citizen who was captured in Syria and had allegedly been fighting for the Islamic State group.

The man, whose name has not been released, is apparently being held in Iraq.

<p content="The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up his case and a federal judge has ruled that the US must give it advance notice before transferring the man overseas." data-reactid="42" type="text">The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up his case and a federal judge has ruled that the US must give it advance notice before transferring the man overseas.

That would allow time for the ACLU to mount a legal challenge.

Trump announces he would keep Guantanamo Bay open, breaking from his predecessor Obama's lengthy and ultimately failed efforts to shutter the facility

US President Donald Trump announced today he would keep Guantanamo Bay open, breaking from his predecessor Barack Obama's lengthy and ultimately failed efforts to shutter the maligned detention facility. "I just signed an order directing Secretary Mattis to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay," Trump said, in his State of the Union address to Congress, in keeping with a campaign promise. Under President George W. Bush, the US military hastily constructed a prison camp on Guantanamo Bay, located on the US naval base on the eastern tip of Cuba, in the months following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, attacks. At first, inmates were held in cages and fenced in with razor wire, and conditions for the orange-jumpsuit-clad detainees provoked a global outcry in 2002. That early facility, known as Camp X-Ray, was soon replaced with more permanent structures and today, Guantanamo Bay consists of numerous high-security prison buildings. At the height of its operations after 9/11, the facility held 780 people, detained mostly for their alleged ties to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Since then, hundreds have been transferred back to their home countries or other places. Some of the most notorious inmates, including several alleged 9/11 co-conspirators, among them, accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are still awaiting trial. Their cases have been beset by legal woes at Guantanamo, where a bespoke criminal justice system grants detainees -- who are considered "unprivileged enemy belligerents" -- only some of the legal rights that US federal courts guarantee. Of the 41 inmates remaining at Guantanamo, about 26 are trapped in legal purgatory. These so-called "forever prisoners" have never been charged -- yet they have been deemed too dangerous to release. Some were cleared for release under Obama, but have been stranded at Guantanamo under the Trump administration. - 'Bad dudes' - On the campaign trail, Trump famously vowed he would load Guantanamo with "bad dudes," and said it would be "fine" if US terror suspects were sent there for trial. In 2009, soon after he was sworn in, Obama ordered the prison to be closed within a year, and no new inmate has been sent there since early 2008. Political bickering, vehement Republican opposition and foreign allies' reluctance to take in the prisoners meant Obama could not close Guantanamo, though the population dropped from 242 to 41 under his watch. Since becoming president, Trump has toyed with the idea of sending Americans to Guantanamo, though federal judges would likely bar any such attempt. In October, he suggested that the man accused of carrying out a deadly truck attack along a bike path in New York could be sent to Guantanamo, but he later backed off the idea. Another case that could potentially bring Guantanamo into legal focus is that of a US citizen who was captured in Syria and had allegedly been fighting for the Islamic State group. The man, whose name has not been released, is apparently being held in Iraq. The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up his case and a federal judge has ruled that the US must give it advance notice before transferring the man overseas. That would allow time for the ACLU to mount a legal challenge.

Trump vows to keep Guantanamo Bay prison open

Each test has forged new American heroes to remind us who we are, and show us what we can be

Donald Trump's State of the Union Speech: Full text

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Americans to move beyond the angry partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans in his State of the Union address to Congress.

&quot;Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve,&quot; he said.

The speech marked Trump&#39;s first year in office and came as his opinion poll approval numbers touched new lows, despite promising economic data and the president&#39;s frequent boasts of historic victories.

&quot;So let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our union is strong because our people are strong,&quot; Trump said.

&quot;And together, we are building a safe, strong and proud America. The state of our union is strong, because our people are strong.&quot;

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&quot;I am asking both parties to come together to give us safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SOTU</a>: <a href="https://t.co/Njo52YOlc2">https://t.co/Njo52YOlc2</a>
&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/958531462126546946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

President Donald Trump gives his first official State of the Union Address from the United States Capitol in front of a joint session of Congress

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Americans to move beyond the angry partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans in his State of the Union address to Congress. "Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve," he said. The speech marked Trump's first year in office and came as his opinion poll approval numbers touched new lows, despite promising economic data and the president's frequent boasts of historic victories. "So let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our union is strong because our people are strong," Trump said. "And together, we are building a safe, strong and proud America. The state of our union is strong, because our people are strong." "I am asking both parties to come together to give us safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve." #SOTU: https://t.co/Njo52YOlc2 — The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 31, 2018 ×

President Donald Trump urges US parties set aside differences

President Donald Trump, battling a probe into his campaign&rsquo;s alleged ties with Russia and struggling to sell Americans on his leadership abilities, will take credit for US economic gains in the past year in an address to Congress on Tuesday night.

Facing a deadline on an immigration controversy and strong Democratic opposition, Trump will also call for a bipartisan compromise of the type that has eluded him during the first year in office marked by heated political battles.

Trump will visit Capitol Hill to deliver his first State of the Union speech at 9:10 pm&nbsp;(0210 GMT on Wednesday).

In preparing for the event, Trump told US television network anchors that he would offer a message of unity, in what would be a rarity for the politically polarizing president.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/what-is-state-of-the-union-address-31215">What is the State of the Union Address?</a>

&ldquo;I would consider it a great achievement if we could make our country united,&rdquo; he told the anchors during a lunch, according to comments released by the White House.

Aides said the Republican president would use the televised speech to tout the benefits of a tax overhaul approved by the Republican-controlled Congress in December that was his first major legislative victory.

&ldquo;The economy will be front and centre,&rdquo; White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told NBC News on Tuesday.

The atmosphere in the House of Representatives chamber where Trump will speak could be tense. Several Democratic lawmakers have said they will boycott the event. Some Democratic women who will attend plan to wear black in support of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment.

Ahead of Trump&rsquo;s speech, Republicans and Democrats were deeply divided over immigration, which has been linked to congressional efforts to pass a spending bill. Lawmakers face a Feb. 8 deadline to reach a compromise on the issue and pass a new budget measure to avoid a second government shutdown after a brief closure earlier this month.

To attract Democratic votes for an immigration deal, Trump has said he is open to letting &ldquo;Dreamers,&rdquo; a group of immigrants brought into the country illegally as children, stay in the United States.

In return, he has demanded to fund for his long-proposed wall along the border with Mexico and measures to curb family sponsorship of immigrants, proposals that have failed to gain traction with Democrats in the past.

US Senator Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said the two sides had made little progress so far in bridging differences on immigration.

&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t agree on anything,&rdquo; Durbin said after a meeting with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Monday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/what-to-expect-from-trumps-first-state-of-the-union-speech-31225">Immigration, jobs, trade: What to expect from Trump&#39;s first State of the Union address</a>

Russia probe

Trump will also promote a $1.7 trillion plan to rebuild America&rsquo;s ageing roads and other infrastructure, but he is not expected to offer many details.

Trump is expected to address the various global issues that have preoccupied his administration, such as the challenge posed by North Korea&rsquo;s nuclear and weapons programs, and Iran&rsquo;s clout in the Middle East.

The speech comes as the president is buffeted by a series of headlines about US Special Counsel Robert Mueller&rsquo;s investigation into whether Trump or his aides colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the campaign using hacking and propaganda to attempt to tilt the race in Trump&rsquo;s favor. Russia has denied meddling. Trump, who has called Mueller&rsquo;s probe a &ldquo;witch hunt,&rdquo; has denied any collusion with Russia or that he has obstructed justice in his actions related to the federal investigation.

Americans, at the same time, are voicing concerns about Trump&rsquo;s fitness for office. Opinion polls show his job approval ratings are about 40 percent, a number that is alarming to Republicans as they seek to maintain control of the US Congress in midterm elections in November.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-deliver-first-state-of-the-union-address-tomorrow-indian-techies-widow-among-guests-31233">In Trump&#39;s first State of the Union address, Indian techie&#39;s widow will be among guests</a>

Leaders of the two parties had sharply different expectations for the speech. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said he was &ldquo;excited&rdquo; to hear a State of the Union speech when things were so promising.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really encouraging to be able to come and hear an upbeat tone at a State of the Union,&rdquo; Ryan told reporters. &ldquo;Economic confidence is coming back to America.&rdquo;

Representative Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 House Democrat, said Trump&rsquo;s theme of a &ldquo;safe, strong and proud America&rdquo; did not reflect reality.

&ldquo;That may be the theme, but that&rsquo;s not what has happened over the last year,&rdquo; he said, adding that Trump had alienated US allies, hollowed out the diplomatic corps and increased the national debt with tax legislation.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump should thank his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, for the strong economic outlook. &ldquo;Like many things in life, he inherited the healthy economy,&rdquo; Schumer said of Trump.

Trump told US television network anchors that he would offer a message of unity, in what would be a rarity for the politically polarizing president

President Donald Trump, battling a probe into his campaign’s alleged ties with Russia and struggling to sell Americans on his leadership abilities, will take credit for US economic gains in the past year in an address to Congress on Tuesday night. Facing a deadline on an immigration controversy and strong Democratic opposition, Trump will also call for a bipartisan compromise of the type that has eluded him during the first year in office marked by heated political battles. Trump will visit Capitol Hill to deliver his first State of the Union speech at 9:10 pm (0210 GMT on Wednesday). In preparing for the event, Trump told US television network anchors that he would offer a message of unity, in what would be a rarity for the politically polarizing president. Also read: What is the State of the Union Address? “I would consider it a great achievement if we could make our country united,” he told the anchors during a lunch, according to comments released by the White House. Aides said the Republican president would use the televised speech to tout the benefits of a tax overhaul approved by the Republican-controlled Congress in December that was his first major legislative victory. “The economy will be front and centre,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told NBC News on Tuesday. The atmosphere in the House of Representatives chamber where Trump will speak could be tense. Several Democratic lawmakers have said they will boycott the event. Some Democratic women who will attend plan to wear black in support of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment. Ahead of Trump’s speech, Republicans and Democrats were deeply divided over immigration, which has been linked to congressional efforts to pass a spending bill. Lawmakers face a Feb. 8 deadline to reach a compromise on the issue and pass a new budget measure to avoid a second government shutdown after a brief closure earlier this month. To attract Democratic votes for an immigration deal, Trump has said he is open to letting “Dreamers,” a group of immigrants brought into the country illegally as children, stay in the United States. In return, he has demanded to fund for his long-proposed wall along the border with Mexico and measures to curb family sponsorship of immigrants, proposals that have failed to gain traction with Democrats in the past. US Senator Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said the two sides had made little progress so far in bridging differences on immigration. “We didn’t agree on anything,” Durbin said after a meeting with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Monday. Also read: Immigration, jobs, trade: What to expect from Trump's first State of the Union address Russia probe Trump will also promote a $1.7 trillion plan to rebuild America’s ageing roads and other infrastructure, but he is not expected to offer many details. Trump is expected to address the various global issues that have preoccupied his administration, such as the challenge posed by North Korea’s nuclear and weapons programs, and Iran’s clout in the Middle East. The speech comes as the president is buffeted by a series of headlines about US Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump or his aides colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the campaign using hacking and propaganda to attempt to tilt the race in Trump’s favor. Russia has denied meddling. Trump, who has called Mueller’s probe a “witch hunt,” has denied any collusion with Russia or that he has obstructed justice in his actions related to the federal investigation. Americans, at the same time, are voicing concerns about Trump’s fitness for office. Opinion polls show his job approval ratings are about 40 percent, a number that is alarming to Republicans as they seek to maintain control of the US Congress in midterm elections in November. Also read: In Trump's first State of the Union address, Indian techie's widow will be among guests Leaders of the two parties had sharply different expectations for the speech. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said he was “excited” to hear a State of the Union speech when things were so promising. “It’s really encouraging to be able to come and hear an upbeat tone at a State of the Union,” Ryan told reporters. “Economic confidence is coming back to America.” Representative Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 House Democrat, said Trump’s theme of a “safe, strong and proud America” did not reflect reality. “That may be the theme, but that’s not what has happened over the last year,” he said, adding that Trump had alienated US allies, hollowed out the diplomatic corps and increased the national debt with tax legislation. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump should thank his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, for the strong economic outlook. “Like many things in life, he inherited the healthy economy,” Schumer said of Trump.

After turbulent year, Trump to tout strong economy in speech to Congress

US president Donald Trump is all set to deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday, an hour-long speech to Congress and the nation.&nbsp;

The speech marks the ceremonial kickoff of Trump&rsquo;s second year in office and is traditionally a president&rsquo;s biggest platform to speak to the nation.&nbsp;

The State of the Union speech is expected to focus on &ldquo;building a safe, strong, and proud America,&rdquo; and will touch&nbsp;on topics such as the economy, infrastructure, immigration, and trade. &ldquo;The tone will be one of bipartisanship. It will be very forward-looking,&rdquo; officials say.

What will be a surprise is if Trump talks at all about Robert Mueller&rsquo;s Russia investigation and, in turn, congressional Republican efforts to respond with their own probe of the government &ldquo;deep state.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Here is what Trump is expected to talk about in his first State of the Union speech:&nbsp;

<ins>Trade and Infrastructure&nbsp;</ins>

President Trump will likely urge Democrats for their support on an infrastructure bill to rebuild the nation&#39;s crumbling roads, bridges and airports. White House aides have said they will propose $200 billion in federal spending, but they haven&#39;t said where the money will come from.&nbsp;

Trump has pledged to rebuild the nation&rsquo;s ageing infrastructure but has provided few details on his $1.7 trillion plan, but most of that would be state and local spending, not federal dollars, reports said.&nbsp;

Trump also said that his speech will cover his efforts to lower trade barriers around the world for American exports. &ldquo;We have to have reciprocal trade. It&rsquo;s not a one-way deal anymore,&rdquo; an official&nbsp;said.

He is also likely to discuss the US trade imbalance with China during his State of the Union speech and may&nbsp;consider&nbsp;retaliation over intellectual property issues.&nbsp;

<ins>Immigration&nbsp;</ins>

The most controversial part of his speech is likely to be when he talks about immigration.&nbsp;

President Donald Trump said on Monday he will address his proposed immigration overhaul in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday and will seek Democratic support for it.

Trump said his immigration overhaul will have to be bipartisan &ldquo;because the Republicans don&rsquo;t really have the votes to get it done in any other way.&rdquo;

Republicans and Democrats have been long arguing over the future of some 1.8 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.&nbsp;

Trump has vowed to protect the so-called &quot;Dreamers&quot; (a group of immigrants brought into the country illegally as children, stay in the United States) from deportation but is also calling for changes to legal immigration that are controversial with both parties - &nbsp;in return for $25 billion to build a wall on the US-Mexico border and other tougher border security measures as well.

He will also insist lawmakers to agree to curb immigrants&rsquo; ability to sponsor family members.&nbsp;

Some Democratic lawmakers have invited &ldquo;Dreamers&rdquo; as guests to hear the speech in person.

<ins>Jobs&nbsp;</ins>

The path towards&nbsp;lower unemployment and higher growth began during Trump&#39;s administration. Trump argues that the tax overhaul he signed late last year has boosted business confidence and will lead companies to reinvest in the United States.

With unemployment for African Americans, Hispanics and women at record lows, in his speech on Tuesday, Trump will &ldquo;make clear that all groups are benefiting under this presidency,&rdquo; officials said.

He may also talk about some of first lady Melania Trump&rsquo;s guests for the speech, who are expected to include people who have benefited from the tax cuts.

<ins>Mid-Term polls&nbsp;</ins>

Republicans might want to check in on the state of its own party as we inch closer to the fall midterm elections. On paper, the GOP remains in the strongest position, it&rsquo;s been ahead of the elections since before the Obama administration. There are more than two times as many Republican governors as Democrats this time around.

But there are warning signs that the party&rsquo;s time may be coming to an end ahead of the midterm elections in November.

While Republicans in Congress are eyeing the exits, a growing number of Democrats are looking for a way in.&nbsp;

<ins>Unfiltered Moments&nbsp;</ins>

This could be an opportunity for the audience to see the unfiltered Trump for 60 minutes, and an opportunity for Trump to try to boost his approval ratings which have sagged in the mid- to upper- 30s.

The White House often struggles to maintain momentum on policy when Trump&rsquo;s tweets and off-the-cuff remarks upstage his scripted speeches.&nbsp;

He can be captivating at a campaign rally when his speech is an unpredictable stream of consciousness. He can be straight and authentic on Twitter, the unfiltered mode of communication that he says is &quot;MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL.&quot;

 
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SH1KZ7nw_L8" width="560"></iframe> 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The theme of the speech will be: 'Building a safe, strong and proud America'

US president Donald Trump is all set to deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday, an hour-long speech to Congress and the nation. The speech marks the ceremonial kickoff of Trump’s second year in office and is traditionally a president’s biggest platform to speak to the nation. The State of the Union speech is expected to focus on “building a safe, strong, and proud America,” and will touch on topics such as the economy, infrastructure, immigration, and trade. “The tone will be one of bipartisanship. It will be very forward-looking,” officials say. What will be a surprise is if Trump talks at all about Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and, in turn, congressional Republican efforts to respond with their own probe of the government “deep state.” Here is what Trump is expected to talk about in his first State of the Union speech: Trade and Infrastructure President Trump will likely urge Democrats for their support on an infrastructure bill to rebuild the nation's crumbling roads, bridges and airports. White House aides have said they will propose $200 billion in federal spending, but they haven't said where the money will come from. Trump has pledged to rebuild the nation’s ageing infrastructure but has provided few details on his $1.7 trillion plan, but most of that would be state and local spending, not federal dollars, reports said. Trump also said that his speech will cover his efforts to lower trade barriers around the world for American exports. “We have to have reciprocal trade. It’s not a one-way deal anymore,” an official said. He is also likely to discuss the US trade imbalance with China during his State of the Union speech and may consider retaliation over intellectual property issues. Immigration The most controversial part of his speech is likely to be when he talks about immigration. President Donald Trump said on Monday he will address his proposed immigration overhaul in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday and will seek Democratic support for it. Trump said his immigration overhaul will have to be bipartisan “because the Republicans don’t really have the votes to get it done in any other way.” Republicans and Democrats have been long arguing over the future of some 1.8 million immigrants living in the United States illegally. Trump has vowed to protect the so-called "Dreamers" (a group of immigrants brought into the country illegally as children, stay in the United States) from deportation but is also calling for changes to legal immigration that are controversial with both parties - in return for $25 billion to build a wall on the US-Mexico border and other tougher border security measures as well. He will also insist lawmakers to agree to curb immigrants’ ability to sponsor family members. Some Democratic lawmakers have invited “Dreamers” as guests to hear the speech in person. Jobs The path towards lower unemployment and higher growth began during Trump's administration. Trump argues that the tax overhaul he signed late last year has boosted business confidence and will lead companies to reinvest in the United States. With unemployment for African Americans, Hispanics and women at record lows, in his speech on Tuesday, Trump will “make clear that all groups are benefiting under this presidency,” officials said. He may also talk about some of first lady Melania Trump’s guests for the speech, who are expected to include people who have benefited from the tax cuts. Mid-Term polls Republicans might want to check in on the state of its own party as we inch closer to the fall midterm elections. On paper, the GOP remains in the strongest position, it’s been ahead of the elections since before the Obama administration. There are more than two times as many Republican governors as Democrats this time around. But there are warning signs that the party’s time may be coming to an end ahead of the midterm elections in November. While Republicans in Congress are eyeing the exits, a growing number of Democrats are looking for a way in. Unfiltered Moments This could be an opportunity for the audience to see the unfiltered Trump for 60 minutes, and an opportunity for Trump to try to boost his approval ratings which have sagged in the mid- to upper- 30s. The White House often struggles to maintain momentum on policy when Trump’s tweets and off-the-cuff remarks upstage his scripted speeches. He can be captivating at a campaign rally when his speech is an unpredictable stream of consciousness. He can be straight and authentic on Twitter, the unfiltered mode of communication that he says is "MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL."

Immigration, jobs, trade: What to expect from Trump's first State of the Union address

President Donald Trump said on Thursday the US&nbsp;government &ldquo;could very well&rdquo; shut down and that would be very harmful to the military.

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A government shutdown will be devastating to our military...something the Dems care very little about!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/953987636057821184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Already on Thursday, the White House appeared to be downplaying the impact of a possible shutdown, while at the same time preparing to lay blame on Congress if the government shuts down.&nbsp;

Less than an hour before a scheduled House vote on a spending bill Thursday night, Trump tweeted at lawmakers: &quot;Our military needs it!&quot; he wrote.

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House of Representatives needs to pass Government Funding Bill tonight. So important for our country - our Military needs it!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/954136290768846850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The president has consistently claimed that Democrats in Congress actually want a government shutdown, in order to detract attention away from the recently enacted Republican tax cuts.

Trump took to Twitter and wrote: &quot;either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good &quot;shutdown&quot; in September to fix mess!&quot;

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either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good &quot;shutdown&quot; in September to fix mess!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/859393829505552385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&ldquo;If the country shuts down, which could very well be, the budget should be handled a lot different than it has been handled for the last long period of time,&rdquo; Trump said in answer to reporters&rsquo; questions as he arrived for a visit at the Pentagon. &ldquo;If for any reason it shuts down, the worst thing is what happens to our military.&rdquo;

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Already on Thursday, the White House appeared to be downplaying the impact of a possible shutdown, while at the same time preparing to lay blame on Congress if the government shuts down.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday the US government “could very well” shut down and that would be very harmful to the military. A government shutdown will be devastating to our military...something the Dems care very little about! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 × Already on Thursday, the White House appeared to be downplaying the impact of a possible shutdown, while at the same time preparing to lay blame on Congress if the government shuts down. Less than an hour before a scheduled House vote on a spending bill Thursday night, Trump tweeted at lawmakers: "Our military needs it!" he wrote. House of Representatives needs to pass Government Funding Bill tonight. So important for our country - our Military needs it! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 × The president has consistently claimed that Democrats in Congress actually want a government shutdown, in order to detract attention away from the recently enacted Republican tax cuts. Trump took to Twitter and wrote: "either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good "shutdown" in September to fix mess!" either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good "shutdown" in September to fix mess! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2017 × “If the country shuts down, which could very well be, the budget should be handled a lot different than it has been handled for the last long period of time,” Trump said in answer to reporters’ questions as he arrived for a visit at the Pentagon. “If for any reason it shuts down, the worst thing is what happens to our military.”

Trump says government 'could very well' shut down

Following a disruptive start to 2018, President Donald Trump will huddle with top Republicans on a two-day retreat starting on Friday to lay out legislative priorities for the year and discuss a strategy for pivotal November congressional elections.

Days after explosive comments by Trump&#39;s former chief strategist Steve Bannon left the White House in a defensive crouch, the president will sit down at Camp David with party leaders including House of Representative Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Trump achieved the first major legislative win of his presidency in December with tax legislation long sought by his party and its supporters.

He is eager for more such victories and the White House has targeted infrastructure policy and a welfare overhaul as its top priorities. Immigration legislation, in particular, a plan to help people who were brought to the United States illegally as children, is also on the agenda.

How and when to execute those priorities must be decided. While Trump and McConnell want to work on infrastructure first, Ryan is more interested in tackling welfare.

A White House official said the timing of legislation would be discussed as well as the political priority of giving Republicans substantive issues to highlight ahead of November elections when the party will seek to maintain control of Congress.

All 435 members in the House and a third of the 100 members in the Senate will be up for re-election. A Democratic takeover of one or both chambers could help stifle Trump&#39;s agenda.

The meeting at the presidential retreat in Maryland, which will include Trump Cabinet officials, follows an uproar over the description in a new book of an inept Trump White House and Bannon&#39;s suggestion the president&#39;s son and son-in-law committed treason by meeting with a Russian official during the 2016 campaign.

Trump broke with Bannon on Wednesday, saying his former adviser had &quot;lost his mind,&quot; in a statement issued after comments attributed to Bannon in Michael Wolff&#39;s &quot;Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House&quot; were made public.

Aligning Priorities

The strategy session will provide an opportunity to switch topics after the furore over the book, which goes on sale on Friday.

&quot;The White House doesn&#39;t mind the optics after a few days of the president unloading on Bannon and making our views clear on the book, the president sits down and charts the course forward ... with the actual leaders of the Republican Party,&quot; a White House official said.

Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Thursday that Wolff&#39;s book was a &quot;complete fantasy&quot; filled with tabloid gossip. She called for the conservative outlet Breitbart News to consider parting ways with Bannon, who leads the group and had pledged to campaign for anti-establishment Republican candidates in the 2018 elections.

Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn said the weekend meeting would help lawmakers and administration officials get on the same page about their priorities.

&quot;This administration came into office perhaps not really knowing for sure that they would win the election and was a little bit behind the curve in terms of preparing. Now I think they&rsquo;ve recognized that that sort of coordination is really important in order to get things done,&quot; he said.

&quot;So I look forward to having those conversations and making sure that the president&rsquo;s priorities and our priorities are aligned.&rdquo;

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Following a disruptive start to 2018, President Donald Trump will huddle with top Republicans on a two-day retreat starting on Friday to lay out legislative priorities for the year and discuss a strategy for pivotal November congressional elections

Following a disruptive start to 2018, President Donald Trump will huddle with top Republicans on a two-day retreat starting on Friday to lay out legislative priorities for the year and discuss a strategy for pivotal November congressional elections. Days after explosive comments by Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon left the White House in a defensive crouch, the president will sit down at Camp David with party leaders including House of Representative Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Trump achieved the first major legislative win of his presidency in December with tax legislation long sought by his party and its supporters. He is eager for more such victories and the White House has targeted infrastructure policy and a welfare overhaul as its top priorities. Immigration legislation, in particular, a plan to help people who were brought to the United States illegally as children, is also on the agenda. How and when to execute those priorities must be decided. While Trump and McConnell want to work on infrastructure first, Ryan is more interested in tackling welfare. A White House official said the timing of legislation would be discussed as well as the political priority of giving Republicans substantive issues to highlight ahead of November elections when the party will seek to maintain control of Congress. All 435 members in the House and a third of the 100 members in the Senate will be up for re-election. A Democratic takeover of one or both chambers could help stifle Trump's agenda. The meeting at the presidential retreat in Maryland, which will include Trump Cabinet officials, follows an uproar over the description in a new book of an inept Trump White House and Bannon's suggestion the president's son and son-in-law committed treason by meeting with a Russian official during the 2016 campaign. Trump broke with Bannon on Wednesday, saying his former adviser had "lost his mind," in a statement issued after comments attributed to Bannon in Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" were made public. Aligning Priorities The strategy session will provide an opportunity to switch topics after the furore over the book, which goes on sale on Friday. "The White House doesn't mind the optics after a few days of the president unloading on Bannon and making our views clear on the book, the president sits down and charts the course forward ... with the actual leaders of the Republican Party," a White House official said. Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Thursday that Wolff's book was a "complete fantasy" filled with tabloid gossip. She called for the conservative outlet Breitbart News to consider parting ways with Bannon, who leads the group and had pledged to campaign for anti-establishment Republican candidates in the 2018 elections. Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn said the weekend meeting would help lawmakers and administration officials get on the same page about their priorities. "This administration came into office perhaps not really knowing for sure that they would win the election and was a little bit behind the curve in terms of preparing. Now I think they’ve recognized that that sort of coordination is really important in order to get things done," he said. "So I look forward to having those conversations and making sure that the president’s priorities and our priorities are aligned.”

Fresh from Bannon feud, Trump meets Republicans to strategise for 2018

The latest bid backed by <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-fumes-as-us-health-care-reform-bid-collapses-18056" target="_blank">US President Donald Trump</a> to dismantle his predecessor&#39;s health care law likely unraveled Monday when a crucial third Republican formally came out against the plan.

Senator Susan Collins, who has waffled for weeks on the latest measure that would overhaul Obamacare, joined <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-senator-mccain-opposes-obamacare-repeal-bill-in-possible-fatal-blow-20554" target="_blank">Republican colleagues John McCain and Rand Paul</a> as a firm no votes on the legislation.&nbsp;

Republican leaders had hoped to schedule a vote on the bill, which replaces the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a system of block grants to states, before a September 30 deadline that would allow them to pass it with a simple majority.

&quot;This is simply not the way that we should be approaching an important and complex issue that must be handled thoughtfully and fairly for all Americans,&quot; Senator Susan Collins said in a statement announcing her opposition.

The bill would make sweeping changes and cuts to Medicaid, with experts projecting a staggering $1 trillion-plus in cuts between 2020 and 2036 to the federal health program for the poor and the disabled which has been expanded under Obamacare.&nbsp;

&quot;This would have a devastating impact on a program that has been on the books for 50 years and provides health care to our most vulnerable citizens,&quot; Collins said.

Compounding the problem for the bill, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released a preliminary study of the new legislation, and projected that while it would reduce the budget deficit by some $133 billion, it would &quot;result in millions of fewer people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events.&quot;

Republicans hold 52 seats in the 100-member Senate and can afford just two defectors.&nbsp;

Collins&#39;s opposition, along with McCain and Paul, essentially sinks the Republican effort, which had gained steam in the two weeks since senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy unveiled their new plan.

It is sure to be yet another embarrassing blow to the Trump White House, which has yet to secure a major legislative victory more than eight months into his turbulent presidency.

Paul criticised as &quot;unseemly&quot; Graham&#39;s and Cassidy&#39;s latest effort to tweak their legislation to sweeten the deal for states like Alaska, Arizona, and Maine in order to lure skeptical senators from those states.

Paul has attacked the bill as a fake repeal of Obamacare.

&quot;It represents Republicans accepting a trillion dollars of Obamacare spending,&quot; Paul said.

Some Republicans still had been holding out hope that the measure would get across the finish line.

&quot;We&#39;re going to vote on this thing and we&#39;re going to pass it,&quot; Senator Dean Heller, a co-sponsor of the Graham-Cassidy bill, told reporters.

But that was before the Collins statement was released.

&#39;Kill the bill!&#39;&nbsp;

Earlier in the day, tensions over the controversial bill boiled over at the only scheduled Senate hearing on the health measure, when police forcibly removed disabled protesters, pulling some of them from their wheelchairs when they disobeyed orders to leave.

&quot;No cuts to Medicaid! Save our liberty!&quot; protesters shouted, forcing the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Orrin Hatch, to suspend the hearing shortly after calling it to order.

Insurance companies and&nbsp;health, doctor and patient groups opposed to the plan, tensions burst into the open in what is scheduled as the only public hearing on the contentious bill.

Several dozen protesters lined the halls, chanting &quot;Kill the bill, don&#39;t kill us!&quot; At least 50 US Capitol Police were on hand to maintain order, a rare scene in Congress.

Graham and Cassidy defended their legislation, which preserves some of the federal funding of Barack Obama&#39;s ACA but converts it to a system of block grants to the 50 US states.

&quot;This is not the last chance, this is the best chance&quot; to preserve health care for millions, Graham said.&nbsp;

&quot;If you don&#39;t find a way to stop the bleeding, then it&#39;s going to basically collapse before our eyes.&quot;

Democrats stand united against the measure.

&quot;Health care is a right, not a privilege for those who can afford it,&quot; Senate Democrat Mazie Hirono, who was invited to testify, said as she described being diagnosed earlier this year with stage four kidney cancer.

&quot;Millions of lives are at stake.&quot;

Senator Susan Collins, who has waffled for weeks on the latest measure that would overhaul Obamacare, joined Republican colleagues John McCain and Rand Paul as a firm no votes on the legislation

The latest bid backed by US President Donald Trump to dismantle his predecessor's health care law likely unraveled Monday when a crucial third Republican formally came out against the plan. Senator Susan Collins, who has waffled for weeks on the latest measure that would overhaul Obamacare, joined Republican colleagues John McCain and Rand Paul as a firm no votes on the legislation. Republican leaders had hoped to schedule a vote on the bill, which replaces the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a system of block grants to states, before a September 30 deadline that would allow them to pass it with a simple majority. "This is simply not the way that we should be approaching an important and complex issue that must be handled thoughtfully and fairly for all Americans," Senator Susan Collins said in a statement announcing her opposition. The bill would make sweeping changes and cuts to Medicaid, with experts projecting a staggering $1 trillion-plus in cuts between 2020 and 2036 to the federal health program for the poor and the disabled which has been expanded under Obamacare. "This would have a devastating impact on a program that has been on the books for 50 years and provides health care to our most vulnerable citizens," Collins said. Compounding the problem for the bill, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released a preliminary study of the new legislation, and projected that while it would reduce the budget deficit by some $133 billion, it would "result in millions of fewer people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events." Republicans hold 52 seats in the 100-member Senate and can afford just two defectors. Collins's opposition, along with McCain and Paul, essentially sinks the Republican effort, which had gained steam in the two weeks since senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy unveiled their new plan. It is sure to be yet another embarrassing blow to the Trump White House, which has yet to secure a major legislative victory more than eight months into his turbulent presidency. Paul criticised as "unseemly" Graham's and Cassidy's latest effort to tweak their legislation to sweeten the deal for states like Alaska, Arizona, and Maine in order to lure skeptical senators from those states. Paul has attacked the bill as a fake repeal of Obamacare. "It represents Republicans accepting a trillion dollars of Obamacare spending," Paul said. Some Republicans still had been holding out hope that the measure would get across the finish line. "We're going to vote on this thing and we're going to pass it," Senator Dean Heller, a co-sponsor of the Graham-Cassidy bill, told reporters. But that was before the Collins statement was released. 'Kill the bill!' Earlier in the day, tensions over the controversial bill boiled over at the only scheduled Senate hearing on the health measure, when police forcibly removed disabled protesters, pulling some of them from their wheelchairs when they disobeyed orders to leave. "No cuts to Medicaid! Save our liberty!" protesters shouted, forcing the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Orrin Hatch, to suspend the hearing shortly after calling it to order. Insurance companies and health, doctor and patient groups opposed to the plan, tensions burst into the open in what is scheduled as the only public hearing on the contentious bill. Several dozen protesters lined the halls, chanting "Kill the bill, don't kill us!" At least 50 US Capitol Police were on hand to maintain order, a rare scene in Congress. Graham and Cassidy defended their legislation, which preserves some of the federal funding of Barack Obama's ACA but converts it to a system of block grants to the 50 US states. "This is not the last chance, this is the best chance" to preserve health care for millions, Graham said. "If you don't find a way to stop the bleeding, then it's going to basically collapse before our eyes." Democrats stand united against the measure. "Health care is a right, not a privilege for those who can afford it," Senate Democrat Mazie Hirono, who was invited to testify, said as she described being diagnosed earlier this year with stage four kidney cancer. "Millions of lives are at stake."

Republican health plan likely dead as key US senator defects

US Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled a revamped health care plan aimed at fulfilling President Donald Trump&#39;s pledge to repeal Obamacare, but a revolt by four conservatives put the bill in immediate jeopardy.

Democrats formed a united front against the controversial measure that was drafted in secret, criticising it as a &quot;war on Medicaid,&quot; the health care program for lower income Americans, and calling it a worse plan than one that passed the House of Representatives in May.

For the past seven years, Republicans have worked to repeal the landmark health reforms of Trump&#39;s Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. Members from both parties agree the repeal effort has never been closer to fruition.

Senate Republicans are painting the new plan as less austere than the House bill which, according to a forecast by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), would leave 23 million fewer people insured than under current law.

<h3>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-healthcare-bill-43-protesters-arrested-dozens-ripped-from-wheelchairs-17168" target="_blank">US healthcare Bill: 43 protesters arrested, dozens ripped from wheelchairs</a></h3>

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But the 142-page draft would allow states to drop several benefits which are now mandated, such as maternity care and hospital services, and also would abolish the requirement for most Americans to have health insurance.

It however delays cuts to the Medicaid program and maintains for two years the tax credits included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- commonly known as Obamacare -- to help lower-income Americans purchase coverage.

&quot;I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill,&quot; Trump tweeted, seeking to give the effort a boost. &quot;Remember, ObamaCare is dead.&quot;

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled the bill at a closed-door session with party faithful.

Four Republicans quickly came out in opposition -- Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson and Rand Paul -- while at least three more Republicans have openly expressed serious concerns.&nbsp;

That poses a problem for the party leadership. Republicans hold 52 out of 100 Senate seats, so they can afford only two defections; in that case, Vice President Mike Pence would be brought in to break a 50-50 tie.

&nbsp;

Getting to 50 votes

Asked what would need to be included in the bill to get him on board, Paul said: &quot;It has to look less like Obamacare light -- it&#39;s got to look like what we promised.

&quot;It looks to us like the Obamacare subsidies will remain in place and... we think that the spending actually may exceed Obamacare spending in the next two years.&quot;

Lawmakers will be &quot;looking to see if there are things that we can do to refine it, and make it more acceptable to more members in our conference, to get to 50,&quot; Senator John Thune said.

&quot;Right now the challenge is -- how do we get to 50?&quot;

Trump remained confident, but acknowledged that a &quot;negotiation&quot; might be needed to get the bill passed.

But during a picnic with members of Congress later Thursday, he urged that the &quot;spirit of cooperation&quot; lawmakers have shown in the aftermath of a congressman&#39;s shooting last week extend to legislative discussions.

However Obama, whose best-known domestic policy achievement stands to crumble, offered a scathing critique of the new bill just hours after its release.

He called it &quot;a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families&quot; to the very rich that would raise costs, reduce coverage, roll back protections and &quot;ruin Medicaid as we know it.&quot;

Even if the measure is ultimately tweaked through amendments in Congress, it &quot;cannot change the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation,&quot; the former president warned in a Facebook post.

&nbsp;

&#39;Meaner&#39;

McConnell said a fresh CBO score was expected next week, and there will be &quot;robust debate&quot; on the floor.

He also said there would be an open amendment process to allow changes. He wants a final vote by the end of the month.

Any new Senate bill would have to be reconciled with the House version.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said the new bill was &quot;heartless,&quot; warning it would eventually cut Medicaid even more steeply than the House legislation, which slashes it by $800 billion over a decade.

While Trump reportedly called the House bill &quot;mean&quot; and wants to see a bill with heart, Schumer said &quot;the Senate bill may be meaner.&quot;&nbsp;

The new legislation would eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, a non-profit health organization that Trump&#39;s administration has targeted for cuts because it provides abortion services.

But it preserves a key element of Obamacare, which allows parents to cover children under their plan until age 26.

Democrats formed a united front against the controversial measure that was drafted in secret, criticising it as a 'war on Medicaid'

US Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled a revamped health care plan aimed at fulfilling President Donald Trump's pledge to repeal Obamacare, but a revolt by four conservatives put the bill in immediate jeopardy. Democrats formed a united front against the controversial measure that was drafted in secret, criticising it as a "war on Medicaid," the health care program for lower income Americans, and calling it a worse plan than one that passed the House of Representatives in May. For the past seven years, Republicans have worked to repeal the landmark health reforms of Trump's Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. Members from both parties agree the repeal effort has never been closer to fruition. Senate Republicans are painting the new plan as less austere than the House bill which, according to a forecast by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), would leave 23 million fewer people insured than under current law. Also read: US healthcare Bill: 43 protesters arrested, dozens ripped from wheelchairs But the 142-page draft would allow states to drop several benefits which are now mandated, such as maternity care and hospital services, and also would abolish the requirement for most Americans to have health insurance. It however delays cuts to the Medicaid program and maintains for two years the tax credits included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- commonly known as Obamacare -- to help lower-income Americans purchase coverage. "I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill," Trump tweeted, seeking to give the effort a boost. "Remember, ObamaCare is dead." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled the bill at a closed-door session with party faithful. Four Republicans quickly came out in opposition -- Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson and Rand Paul -- while at least three more Republicans have openly expressed serious concerns. That poses a problem for the party leadership. Republicans hold 52 out of 100 Senate seats, so they can afford only two defections; in that case, Vice President Mike Pence would be brought in to break a 50-50 tie. Getting to 50 votes Asked what would need to be included in the bill to get him on board, Paul said: "It has to look less like Obamacare light -- it's got to look like what we promised. "It looks to us like the Obamacare subsidies will remain in place and... we think that the spending actually may exceed Obamacare spending in the next two years." Lawmakers will be "looking to see if there are things that we can do to refine it, and make it more acceptable to more members in our conference, to get to 50," Senator John Thune said. "Right now the challenge is -- how do we get to 50?" Trump remained confident, but acknowledged that a "negotiation" might be needed to get the bill passed. But during a picnic with members of Congress later Thursday, he urged that the "spirit of cooperation" lawmakers have shown in the aftermath of a congressman's shooting last week extend to legislative discussions. However Obama, whose best-known domestic policy achievement stands to crumble, offered a scathing critique of the new bill just hours after its release. He called it "a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families" to the very rich that would raise costs, reduce coverage, roll back protections and "ruin Medicaid as we know it." Even if the measure is ultimately tweaked through amendments in Congress, it "cannot change the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation," the former president warned in a Facebook post. 'Meaner' McConnell said a fresh CBO score was expected next week, and there will be "robust debate" on the floor. He also said there would be an open amendment process to allow changes. He wants a final vote by the end of the month. Any new Senate bill would have to be reconciled with the House version. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said the new bill was "heartless," warning it would eventually cut Medicaid even more steeply than the House legislation, which slashes it by $800 billion over a decade. While Trump reportedly called the House bill "mean" and wants to see a bill with heart, Schumer said "the Senate bill may be meaner." The new legislation would eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, a non-profit health organization that Trump's administration has targeted for cuts because it provides abortion services. But it preserves a key element of Obamacare, which allows parents to cover children under their plan until age 26.

Republicans unveil 'meaner' Senate health bill, but lack votes to pass it

US&nbsp;Democrats hope frustration with President Donald Trump will give them a surprise victory on Tuesday in an election to fill a vacant congressional seat in suburban Atlanta that has been held by Republicans for decades.

As voting concluded on Tuesday, Democrat Jon Ossoff, a 30-year-old political novice, was expected to come out atop a field of 18 candidates vying for a US&nbsp;House of Representatives seat that was vacated when Trump named Tom Price as his health secretary.

The drama hinged on whether the documentary filmmaker would win an outright majority of the vote, which would send him to Congress, or if he would fall short of 50 per cent and be forced into a June 20 runoff with one of the 11 Republicans in the race.

An Ossoff win would not tip the balance of power in Washington but could weaken the already shaky hold Trump has on his fellow Republicans by encouraging lawmakers to distance themselves from him.

&quot;It&#39;s a test case for how far a Democratic candidate can go in a Republican district on the strength of opposition to Trump,&quot; said Todd Rehm, a Georgia Republican strategist who is not affiliated with any candidate in the race.

The district, which encompasses a swath of well-heeled suburbs north of Atlanta, has elected Republicans to the House since the late 1970s, but Trump carried it by only 1 percentage point in the November presidential election.

Republicans in the race are split among Trump supporters and candidates trying to hold the president at arm&#39;s length. Party officials say they can beat Ossoff once the primary is over and they unite behind a single candidate.

The party avoided embarrassment last week when it narrowly held a conservative Kansas seat vacated when Trump tapped Republican Representative Mike Pompeo to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

&nbsp;

&#39;MAKE TRUMP FURIOUS&#39;

With the slogan &quot;Make Trump Furious,&quot; Ossoff aims to galvanise opposition to a president struggling with an approval rating that has not topped 50 per cent since he took office on January&nbsp;20, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

Ossoff has drawn volunteers and donors from out of state who see the race as a way to strike a blow against Trump. He raised a stunning $8.3 million in the first three months of the year, fuelling a robust campaign.

&quot;They were ringing my phone off the hook,&quot; said Kim Fambro, 45, who said the outreach convinced her to vote for Ossoff.

Trump blasted Ossoff on Twitter and said in a robocall that the Democrat would &quot;raise your taxes, destroy your healthcare, and flood our country with illegal immigrants&quot;.

Ossoff said on CNN that Trump was misinformed about his positions and that he was focussed on issues affecting the region, not Washington.

Republicans have responded with millions of dollars of spending of their own, casting Ossoff as an inexperienced outsider who does not live in the area he hopes to represent. Ossoff, who grew up in the district, says he will move back if he wins.

(Reuters)

Jon Ossoff can fill a vacant congressional seat in suburban Atlanta that has been held by Republicans for decades

US Democrats hope frustration with President Donald Trump will give them a surprise victory on Tuesday in an election to fill a vacant congressional seat in suburban Atlanta that has been held by Republicans for decades. As voting concluded on Tuesday, Democrat Jon Ossoff, a 30-year-old political novice, was expected to come out atop a field of 18 candidates vying for a US House of Representatives seat that was vacated when Trump named Tom Price as his health secretary. The drama hinged on whether the documentary filmmaker would win an outright majority of the vote, which would send him to Congress, or if he would fall short of 50 per cent and be forced into a June 20 runoff with one of the 11 Republicans in the race. An Ossoff win would not tip the balance of power in Washington but could weaken the already shaky hold Trump has on his fellow Republicans by encouraging lawmakers to distance themselves from him. "It's a test case for how far a Democratic candidate can go in a Republican district on the strength of opposition to Trump," said Todd Rehm, a Georgia Republican strategist who is not affiliated with any candidate in the race. The district, which encompasses a swath of well-heeled suburbs north of Atlanta, has elected Republicans to the House since the late 1970s, but Trump carried it by only 1 percentage point in the November presidential election. Republicans in the race are split among Trump supporters and candidates trying to hold the president at arm's length. Party officials say they can beat Ossoff once the primary is over and they unite behind a single candidate. The party avoided embarrassment last week when it narrowly held a conservative Kansas seat vacated when Trump tapped Republican Representative Mike Pompeo to head the Central Intelligence Agency. 'MAKE TRUMP FURIOUS' With the slogan "Make Trump Furious," Ossoff aims to galvanise opposition to a president struggling with an approval rating that has not topped 50 per cent since he took office on January 20, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. Ossoff has drawn volunteers and donors from out of state who see the race as a way to strike a blow against Trump. He raised a stunning $8.3 million in the first three months of the year, fuelling a robust campaign. "They were ringing my phone off the hook," said Kim Fambro, 45, who said the outreach convinced her to vote for Ossoff. Trump blasted Ossoff on Twitter and said in a robocall that the Democrat would "raise your taxes, destroy your healthcare, and flood our country with illegal immigrants". Ossoff said on CNN that Trump was misinformed about his positions and that he was focussed on issues affecting the region, not Washington. Republicans have responded with millions of dollars of spending of their own, casting Ossoff as an inexperienced outsider who does not live in the area he hopes to represent. Ossoff, who grew up in the district, says he will move back if he wins. (Reuters)

US Democrats hope to strike blow at Trump in Georgia congressional race

The US&nbsp;House voted on Tuesday 215-205 to repeal regulations requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers&#39; privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc&#39;s Googleor &nbsp;Facebook Inc.

The White House said earlier Tuesday that President Donald Trump strongly supports the repeal of the rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission in October under then-President Barack Obama.

Under the rules, internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geo-location, financial information, health information, children&#39;s information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing.

Last week, the Senate voted 50-48 to reverse the rules in a win for AT&amp;T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc.

The White House in its statement said internet providers would need to obtain affirmative &quot;opt-in&quot; consent from consumers to use and share certain information, but noted that websites are not required to get the same consent. &quot;This results in rules that apply very different regulatory regimes based on the identity of the online actor,&quot; the White House said.

Websites are governed by a less restrictive set of privacy rules overseen by the Federal Trade Commission.

FCC chairman Ajit Pai in a statement praised the decision of Congress to overturn &quot;privacy regulations designed to benefit one group of favoured companies over another group of disfavoured companies.&quot; Last week, Pai said consumers would have privacy protections even without the Obama internet provider rules, but critics say they will weaken.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes the measure, said companies &quot;should not be able to use and sell the sensitive data they collect from you without your permission&quot;.

An Internet &amp; Television Association statement called the repeal &quot;an important step toward restoring consumer privacy protections that apply consistently&quot;.

One critic of the repeal, Craig Aaron, president of Free Press advocacy group, said major Silicon Valley companies shied away from the fight over the rules because they profit from consumer data.

&quot;There are a lot of companies that are very concerned about drawing attention to themselves and being regulated on privacy issues, and are sitting this out in a way that they haven&rsquo;t sat out previous privacy issues,&quot; Aaron said.

Representative Michael Capuano, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Tuesday that Comcast could know his personal information because he looked up his mother&#39;s medical condition and his purchase history. &quot;Just last week I bought underwear on the internet. Why should you know what size I take? Or the colour?&quot; Capuano asked. &quot;They are going to sell it to the underwear companies.&quot;

Comcast declined to comment.

Representative Michael Burgess, a Texas Republican, said the rules &quot;unfairly skews the market in favour&quot; of websites that are free to collect data without consent.

Republican commissioners, including Pai, said in October that the rules would unfairly give websites like Facebook, Twitter Inc&nbsp;or Google the ability to harvest more data than internet service providers and thus further dominate digital advertising. The FCC earlier this month delayed the data rules from taking effect.

(Reuters)

Under the rules, internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geo-location, financial and other information

The US House voted on Tuesday 215-205 to repeal regulations requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers' privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc's Googleor Facebook Inc. The White House said earlier Tuesday that President Donald Trump strongly supports the repeal of the rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission in October under then-President Barack Obama. Under the rules, internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geo-location, financial information, health information, children's information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing. Last week, the Senate voted 50-48 to reverse the rules in a win for AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc. The White House in its statement said internet providers would need to obtain affirmative "opt-in" consent from consumers to use and share certain information, but noted that websites are not required to get the same consent. "This results in rules that apply very different regulatory regimes based on the identity of the online actor," the White House said. Websites are governed by a less restrictive set of privacy rules overseen by the Federal Trade Commission. FCC chairman Ajit Pai in a statement praised the decision of Congress to overturn "privacy regulations designed to benefit one group of favoured companies over another group of disfavoured companies." Last week, Pai said consumers would have privacy protections even without the Obama internet provider rules, but critics say they will weaken. The American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes the measure, said companies "should not be able to use and sell the sensitive data they collect from you without your permission". An Internet & Television Association statement called the repeal "an important step toward restoring consumer privacy protections that apply consistently". One critic of the repeal, Craig Aaron, president of Free Press advocacy group, said major Silicon Valley companies shied away from the fight over the rules because they profit from consumer data. "There are a lot of companies that are very concerned about drawing attention to themselves and being regulated on privacy issues, and are sitting this out in a way that they haven’t sat out previous privacy issues," Aaron said. Representative Michael Capuano, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Tuesday that Comcast could know his personal information because he looked up his mother's medical condition and his purchase history. "Just last week I bought underwear on the internet. Why should you know what size I take? Or the colour?" Capuano asked. "They are going to sell it to the underwear companies." Comcast declined to comment. Representative Michael Burgess, a Texas Republican, said the rules "unfairly skews the market in favour" of websites that are free to collect data without consent. Republican commissioners, including Pai, said in October that the rules would unfairly give websites like Facebook, Twitter Inc or Google the ability to harvest more data than internet service providers and thus further dominate digital advertising. The FCC earlier this month delayed the data rules from taking effect. (Reuters)

US Congress votes to repeal Obama's internet privacy regulations

United States President Donald Trump laid the blame at the feet of the Democrats for his failure to repeal the Obamacare on Friday, as the country&#39;s fledgling administration was forced to wthdraw the refurbished healthcare bill in the last minute.

Moments before the bill was retracted, a sombre Trump called a Washington Post correspondent to explain his defeat in repealing and replacing the Obamacare, which was one of his key election pledge.

&quot;We couldn&rsquo;t get one Democratic vote, and we were a little bit shy, very little, but it was still a little bit shy, so we pulled it,&rdquo; he told by phone.

But he added that the Obamacare would &quot;explode&quot; and that would give him the best opportunity to frame a new bill.

&nbsp;

Friday&nbsp;drama

Republican leaders of the House of Representatives pulled the legislation due to a shortage of votes despite desperate lobbying by the White House and its allies in Congress, ensuring that Trump&#39;s first major legislative initiative since taking office on January&nbsp;20 ended in failure.

House Republicans had planned a vote on the measure after Trump late on Thursday cut off negotiations with Republicans who had balked at the plan and issued an ultimatum to vote on Friday, win or lose.&nbsp;Republican moderates as well as the most conservative lawmakers had objected to the legislation.

The White House and House leaders were unable to come up with a plan that satisfied both moderates and conservatives, despite Trump&#39;s vaunted image as a deal maker.

&quot;We learned a lot about loyalty. We learned a lot about the vote-getting process,&quot; Trump told reporters at the White House, although he sought to shift the blame to the Democrats, who were unified in their opposition, even though his party controls the White House, the House and the Senate.

Amid a chaotic scramble for votes, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, who championed the bill, met with Trump at the White House before the bill was pulled from the House floor after hours of debate.

Ryan said he recommended that the legislation be withdrawn from the House floor because he did not have the votes to pass it, and that Trump agreed.

&quot;There were things in this bill that I didn&#39;t particularly like,&quot; Trump added, without specifying what those were, but expressed confidence in Ryan&#39;s leadership.

&quot;Perhaps the best thing that could happen is exactly what happened today, because we&#39;ll end up with a truly great healthcare bill in the future after this mess known as Obamacare explodes,&quot; Trump said.

Friday&#39;s events cast doubt on whether Ryan can get major legislation approved by fractious Republican lawmakers.

&quot;I will not sugarcoat this. This is a disappointing day for us,&quot; Ryan said at a news conference, adding that his fellow Republicans are experiencing what he called &quot;growing pains&quot; transitioning from an opposition party to a governing party.

&quot;Doing big things is hard,&quot; Ryan added, noting that he got close but failed to muster the 216 votes needed to pass it.

Ryan said he did not know what the next steps would be on healthcare, but called Obamacare so flawed that it would be hard to prop up.

Without the bill&#39;s passage in Congress, Democratic former President Barack Obama&#39;s signature domestic policy achievement, the 2010 Affordable Care Act - known as Obamacare - remains in place despite seven years of Republican promises to dismantle it.

Repealing and replacing Obamacare was a top campaign promise by Trump in last year&#39;s presidential election, as well as by most Republican candidates, &quot;from dog-catcher on up,&quot; as White House spokesman Sean Spicer put it during a briefing on Friday.

&nbsp;

Agenda at risk

The House failure to pass the measure called into question Trump&#39;s ability to get other key parts of his agenda, including tax cuts and a boost in infrastructure spending, through Congress.

News that the bill had been pulled before a final vote was greeted initially with a small sigh of relief by US equity investors, who earlier in the week had been fretful that an outright defeat would damage Trump&#39;s other priorities, such as tax cuts and infrastructure spending.

Benchmark US stock market indexes ended the session mixed after rallying back from session lows following the news. The S&amp;P 500 Index ended fractionally lower, the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Averageslipped about 0.3 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite Index rose about 0.2 per cent.

The dollar also strengthened modestly on the news and US Treasury bond yields edged up from session lows. &quot;There&#39;s nobody that objectively can look at this effort and say the president didn&#39;t do every single thing he possibly could with this team to get every vote possible,&quot; Spicer told reporters before the legislation was pulled.

Trump already has been stymied by federal courts that blocked his executive actions barring entry into the United States of people from several Muslim-majority nations. Some Republicans worry a defeat on the healthcare legislation could cripple his presidency just two months after the wealthy New York real estate mogul took office.

In a blow to the bill&#39;s prospects, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen announced his opposition, expressing concern about reductions in coverage under the Medicaid insurance program for the poor and the retraction of &quot;essential&quot; health benefits that insurers must cover.&nbsp;

&quot;We need to get this right for all Americans,&quot; Frelinghuysen said.&nbsp;

Republican Representative Dana Rohrabacher said before the bill was pulled that voting it down would be &quot;neutering Trump&quot; while empowering his opponents.

&quot;You don&#39;t cut the balls off a bull and then expect that he can go out and get the job done,&quot; Rohrabacher told Reuters. &quot;This will emasculate Trump and we can&#39;t do that. ... If we bring this down now, Trump will have lost all of his leverage to pass whatever bill it is, whether it&#39;s the tax bill or whatever reforms that he wants.&quot;

Trump and House Republican leaders could not afford to lose many votes in their own party because Democrats were unified in opposition, saying the bill would take away medical insurance from millions of Americans and leave the more-than-$3 trillion US healthcare system in disarray.

Republican supporters said the plan would achieve their goal of rolling back the government&#39;s &quot;nanny state&quot; role in healthcare.

Obamacare boosted the number of Americans with health insurance through mandates on individuals and employers, and income-based subsidies. About 20 million Americans gained insurance coverage through the law.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said under the Republican legislation 14 million people would lose medical coverage by next year and more than 24 million would be uninsured in 2026.

Days of negotiations involving Republican lawmakers and the White House led to some changes in the bill but failed to produce a consensus deal.

The House plan would rescind a range of taxes created by Obamacare, end a penalty on people who refuse to obtain health insurance, end Obamacare&#39;s income-based subsidies to help people buy insurance while creating less-generous age-based tax credits

It also would end Obamacare&#39;s expansion of the Medicaid state-federal insurance program for the poor, cut future federal Medicaid funding and let states impose work requirements on some Medicaid recipients.

House leaders agreed to a series of last-minute changes to try to win over disgruntled conservatives, including ending the Obamacare requirement that insurers cover certain &quot;essential benefits&quot; such as maternity care, mental health services and prescription drug coverage.

Republicans appear to have been very&nbsp;confident that they could successfully repeal and replace ObamaCare:

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Adding insult to injury, running now on TVs across the country are ads congratulating Rs for repealing Obamacare. <a href="https://t.co/SfhRfxwaej">pic.twitter.com/SfhRfxwaej</a>
&mdash; Rob Bennett (@rob_bennett) <a href="https://twitter.com/rob_bennett/status/845478451146559488">March 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Without the bill's passage in the Congress, Obamacare remains in place despite seven years of Republican promises to dismantle it

United States President Donald Trump laid the blame at the feet of the Democrats for his failure to repeal the Obamacare on Friday, as the country's fledgling administration was forced to wthdraw the refurbished healthcare bill in the last minute. Moments before the bill was retracted, a sombre Trump called a Washington Post correspondent to explain his defeat in repealing and replacing the Obamacare, which was one of his key election pledge. "We couldn’t get one Democratic vote, and we were a little bit shy, very little, but it was still a little bit shy, so we pulled it,” he told by phone. But he added that the Obamacare would "explode" and that would give him the best opportunity to frame a new bill. Friday drama Republican leaders of the House of Representatives pulled the legislation due to a shortage of votes despite desperate lobbying by the White House and its allies in Congress, ensuring that Trump's first major legislative initiative since taking office on January 20 ended in failure. House Republicans had planned a vote on the measure after Trump late on Thursday cut off negotiations with Republicans who had balked at the plan and issued an ultimatum to vote on Friday, win or lose. Republican moderates as well as the most conservative lawmakers had objected to the legislation. The White House and House leaders were unable to come up with a plan that satisfied both moderates and conservatives, despite Trump's vaunted image as a deal maker. "We learned a lot about loyalty. We learned a lot about the vote-getting process," Trump told reporters at the White House, although he sought to shift the blame to the Democrats, who were unified in their opposition, even though his party controls the White House, the House and the Senate. Amid a chaotic scramble for votes, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, who championed the bill, met with Trump at the White House before the bill was pulled from the House floor after hours of debate. Ryan said he recommended that the legislation be withdrawn from the House floor because he did not have the votes to pass it, and that Trump agreed. "There were things in this bill that I didn't particularly like," Trump added, without specifying what those were, but expressed confidence in Ryan's leadership. "Perhaps the best thing that could happen is exactly what happened today, because we'll end up with a truly great healthcare bill in the future after this mess known as Obamacare explodes," Trump said. Friday's events cast doubt on whether Ryan can get major legislation approved by fractious Republican lawmakers. "I will not sugarcoat this. This is a disappointing day for us," Ryan said at a news conference, adding that his fellow Republicans are experiencing what he called "growing pains" transitioning from an opposition party to a governing party. "Doing big things is hard," Ryan added, noting that he got close but failed to muster the 216 votes needed to pass it. Ryan said he did not know what the next steps would be on healthcare, but called Obamacare so flawed that it would be hard to prop up. Without the bill's passage in Congress, Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement, the 2010 Affordable Care Act - known as Obamacare - remains in place despite seven years of Republican promises to dismantle it. Repealing and replacing Obamacare was a top campaign promise by Trump in last year's presidential election, as well as by most Republican candidates, "from dog-catcher on up," as White House spokesman Sean Spicer put it during a briefing on Friday. Agenda at risk The House failure to pass the measure called into question Trump's ability to get other key parts of his agenda, including tax cuts and a boost in infrastructure spending, through Congress. News that the bill had been pulled before a final vote was greeted initially with a small sigh of relief by US equity investors, who earlier in the week had been fretful that an outright defeat would damage Trump's other priorities, such as tax cuts and infrastructure spending. Benchmark US stock market indexes ended the session mixed after rallying back from session lows following the news. The S&P 500 Index ended fractionally lower, the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Averageslipped about 0.3 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite Index rose about 0.2 per cent. The dollar also strengthened modestly on the news and US Treasury bond yields edged up from session lows. "There's nobody that objectively can look at this effort and say the president didn't do every single thing he possibly could with this team to get every vote possible," Spicer told reporters before the legislation was pulled. Trump already has been stymied by federal courts that blocked his executive actions barring entry into the United States of people from several Muslim-majority nations. Some Republicans worry a defeat on the healthcare legislation could cripple his presidency just two months after the wealthy New York real estate mogul took office. In a blow to the bill's prospects, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen announced his opposition, expressing concern about reductions in coverage under the Medicaid insurance program for the poor and the retraction of "essential" health benefits that insurers must cover. "We need to get this right for all Americans," Frelinghuysen said. Republican Representative Dana Rohrabacher said before the bill was pulled that voting it down would be "neutering Trump" while empowering his opponents. "You don't cut the balls off a bull and then expect that he can go out and get the job done," Rohrabacher told Reuters. "This will emasculate Trump and we can't do that. ... If we bring this down now, Trump will have lost all of his leverage to pass whatever bill it is, whether it's the tax bill or whatever reforms that he wants." Trump and House Republican leaders could not afford to lose many votes in their own party because Democrats were unified in opposition, saying the bill would take away medical insurance from millions of Americans and leave the more-than-$3 trillion US healthcare system in disarray. Republican supporters said the plan would achieve their goal of rolling back the government's "nanny state" role in healthcare. Obamacare boosted the number of Americans with health insurance through mandates on individuals and employers, and income-based subsidies. About 20 million Americans gained insurance coverage through the law. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said under the Republican legislation 14 million people would lose medical coverage by next year and more than 24 million would be uninsured in 2026. Days of negotiations involving Republican lawmakers and the White House led to some changes in the bill but failed to produce a consensus deal. The House plan would rescind a range of taxes created by Obamacare, end a penalty on people who refuse to obtain health insurance, end Obamacare's income-based subsidies to help people buy insurance while creating less-generous age-based tax credits It also would end Obamacare's expansion of the Medicaid state-federal insurance program for the poor, cut future federal Medicaid funding and let states impose work requirements on some Medicaid recipients. House leaders agreed to a series of last-minute changes to try to win over disgruntled conservatives, including ending the Obamacare requirement that insurers cover certain "essential benefits" such as maternity care, mental health services and prescription drug coverage. Republicans appear to have been very confident that they could successfully repeal and replace ObamaCare: Adding insult to injury, running now on TVs across the country are ads congratulating Rs for repealing Obamacare. pic.twitter.com/SfhRfxwaej — Rob Bennett (@rob_bennett) March 25, 2017 × (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump blames Democrats for healthcare bill going down in flames

Two Congressional Democrats mocked US&nbsp;Vice President Mike Pence for posting a picture of all men&nbsp;on&nbsp;Twitter from a House Freedom Caucus meeting proposing doing away with&nbsp;women&#39;s healthcare initiatives, <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/325562-dem-lawmaker-shreds-house-gop-over-lack-of-women-in-maternity" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reports.

Here is the Tweet from Vice President Mike Pence:&nbsp;

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Appreciated joining <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS">@POTUS</a> for meeting with the Freedom Caucus again today. This is it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PassTheBill?src=hash">#PassTheBill</a> <a href="https://t.co/XG6lQIy5a6">pic.twitter.com/XG6lQIy5a6</a>
&mdash; Vice President Pence (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/844977432713146370">March 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The House Freedom Caucus&nbsp;gathered seeking ways to pass the Republican bill to repeal-and-replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Proposed was doing away with &quot;essential health benefits&quot;, which require insurance plans to cover basic health services females need, like maternity care and mammograms.

At least two Democrats seised on this&nbsp;picture without women in it to mock the Republicans for making laws about women&#39;s health in a meeting wit

That the Republicans would make legislation that so impacted women&#39;s health in a meeting without women it and&nbsp;post a picture of it, was seised on by two Democrats.

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This is outrageous: Not a single woman in the room as <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_pence">@Mike_Pence</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/HouseGOP">@HouseGOP</a> propose removing maternity coverage in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trumpcare?src=hash">#Trumpcare</a>. <a href="https://t.co/wwY6WsN206">pic.twitter.com/wwY6WsN206</a>
&mdash; Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMcGovern/status/844991898850877443">March 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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A rare look inside the GOP&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s health caucus. <a href="https://t.co/SgLmvSpeSM">https://t.co/SgLmvSpeSM</a>
&mdash; Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) <a href="https://twitter.com/PattyMurray/status/845001919034732544">March 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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No women are in the House Freedom Caucus, but it was reported that top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway was in attendance, as was the president and vice president.

(WION)

&nbsp;

The meeting discussed repealing ObamaCare 'essential health benefits', requiring insurance companies to cover mammograms and maternity care

Two Congressional Democrats mocked US Vice President Mike Pence for posting a picture of all men on Twitter from a House Freedom Caucus meeting proposing doing away with women's healthcare initiatives, The Hill reports. Here is the Tweet from Vice President Mike Pence: Appreciated joining @POTUS for meeting with the Freedom Caucus again today. This is it. #PassTheBill pic.twitter.com/XG6lQIy5a6 — Vice President Pence (@VP) March 23, 2017 × The House Freedom Caucus gathered seeking ways to pass the Republican bill to repeal-and-replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Proposed was doing away with "essential health benefits", which require insurance plans to cover basic health services females need, like maternity care and mammograms. At least two Democrats seised on this picture without women in it to mock the Republicans for making laws about women's health in a meeting wit That the Republicans would make legislation that so impacted women's health in a meeting without women it and post a picture of it, was seised on by two Democrats. This is outrageous: Not a single woman in the room as @Mike_Pence and @HouseGOP propose removing maternity coverage in #Trumpcare. pic.twitter.com/wwY6WsN206 — Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) March 23, 2017 × A rare look inside the GOP’s women’s health caucus. https://t.co/SgLmvSpeSM — Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) March 23, 2017 × No women are in the House Freedom Caucus, but it was reported that top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway was in attendance, as was the president and vice president. (WION)

Republicans mocked for posting photo of healthcare meeting with 0 women in it: The Hill

US&nbsp;lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday they had seen no proof to support the claim by Republican President Donald Trump that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped him last year, adding pressure on Trump to explain or back off his repeated assertion.

Several Republicans last week urged Trump to apologise for the allegations he made in a series of tweets on March 4.

The maelstrom also caused tension with key US&nbsp;allies and threatens to distract Republicans from campaign promises on health care and taxes.

&quot;I don&#39;t know the basis for President Trump`s assertion,&quot; US&nbsp;Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press.&quot; &quot;I do believe he owes us that explanation.&quot;

Collins said she supported Trump as president, but she wouldn&#39;t side with him if he &quot;misstated what the facts are.&quot;&nbsp;

FBI Director James Comey is expected to be asked about Trump&#39;s claims when he testifies at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Russia has denied the assertion it was involved in hacked emails and other attempts to influence the race.

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee holding the hearing, called Trump&#39;s claims &quot;patently false&quot; and said he expected Comey to say as much on Monday.

The Justice Department on Friday delivered documents to congressional committees to help clear up whether the Obama administration spied on Trump.

Republican Representative Devin Nunes, who leads the House intelligence panel, said after receiving the material, he saw no evidence of wiretapping.

But Nunes, who served on Trump&#39;s transition team, joined the White House in seeking to shift attention away from the controversies by calling for investigations of leaks to the news media.&nbsp;

Nunes said on &quot;Fox News Sunday&quot; that leaks to reporters about former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn were criminal and that his panel was probing whether other names were leaked.

Trump has been dogged by allegations that his associates had ties to Russian officials.

He fired Flynn last month after reports he had discussed sanctions with Russia&#39;s ambassador before Trump took office, without telling other White House officials.

&quot;The one crime we know that&#39;s been committed is that one: the leaking of someone&#39;s name,&quot; Nunes said. &quot;Were there any other names that were ... leaked out?&quot;

Nunes also said ahead of Monday&#39;s hearing he had seen &quot;no evidence&quot; of collusion between Russia and Trump`s team. But Schiff, the panel`s top Democrat, said there was enough &quot;circumstantial evidence&quot; that he still had questions.

Not Backing Down

Meanwhile, the White House has not backed down on Trump&#39;s surveillance claims.&nbsp;

The administration was forced to reassure key ally Britain after White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated a Fox News analyst&#39;s claim that a British intelligence agency helped Obama wiretap Trump.

The British government strongly denied it.

The issue led to an awkward moment on Friday at a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel when Trump was asked about the wiretap claims by a German reporter.

Trump said he and Merkel had &quot;something in common,&quot; apparently referring to reports during the Obama administration that Merkel&#39;s phone was bugged. The quip left the German leader looking bewildered.

Senior Republican Representative Tom Cole told reporters on Friday that Trump owed Obama an apology. Representatives Charlie Dent and Will Hurd, also Republicans, made similar comments.

&quot;I see no indication that that&#39;s true,&quot; Cole said of the wiretapping charge.&nbsp;

Unless Trump produces convincing proof, Cole added, &quot;President Obama is owed an apology.&quot;

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

The maelstrom has?caused tension with key US?allies and threatens to distract Republicans from campaign promises on healthcare and taxes

US lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday they had seen no proof to support the claim by Republican President Donald Trump that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped him last year, adding pressure on Trump to explain or back off his repeated assertion. Several Republicans last week urged Trump to apologise for the allegations he made in a series of tweets on March 4. The maelstrom also caused tension with key US allies and threatens to distract Republicans from campaign promises on health care and taxes. "I don't know the basis for President Trump`s assertion," US Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I do believe he owes us that explanation." Collins said she supported Trump as president, but she wouldn't side with him if he "misstated what the facts are." FBI Director James Comey is expected to be asked about Trump's claims when he testifies at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Russia has denied the assertion it was involved in hacked emails and other attempts to influence the race. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee holding the hearing, called Trump's claims "patently false" and said he expected Comey to say as much on Monday. The Justice Department on Friday delivered documents to congressional committees to help clear up whether the Obama administration spied on Trump. Republican Representative Devin Nunes, who leads the House intelligence panel, said after receiving the material, he saw no evidence of wiretapping. But Nunes, who served on Trump's transition team, joined the White House in seeking to shift attention away from the controversies by calling for investigations of leaks to the news media. Nunes said on "Fox News Sunday" that leaks to reporters about former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn were criminal and that his panel was probing whether other names were leaked. Trump has been dogged by allegations that his associates had ties to Russian officials. He fired Flynn last month after reports he had discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador before Trump took office, without telling other White House officials. "The one crime we know that's been committed is that one: the leaking of someone's name," Nunes said. "Were there any other names that were ... leaked out?" Nunes also said ahead of Monday's hearing he had seen "no evidence" of collusion between Russia and Trump`s team. But Schiff, the panel`s top Democrat, said there was enough "circumstantial evidence" that he still had questions. Not Backing Down Meanwhile, the White House has not backed down on Trump's surveillance claims. The administration was forced to reassure key ally Britain after White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated a Fox News analyst's claim that a British intelligence agency helped Obama wiretap Trump. The British government strongly denied it. The issue led to an awkward moment on Friday at a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel when Trump was asked about the wiretap claims by a German reporter. Trump said he and Merkel had "something in common," apparently referring to reports during the Obama administration that Merkel's phone was bugged. The quip left the German leader looking bewildered. Senior Republican Representative Tom Cole told reporters on Friday that Trump owed Obama an apology. Representatives Charlie Dent and Will Hurd, also Republicans, made similar comments. "I see no indication that that's true," Cole said of the wiretapping charge. Unless Trump produces convincing proof, Cole added, "President Obama is owed an apology." (Reuters)

Pressure builds on Trump to take back wiretap accusation

Donald Trump has banned employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from speaking with reporters and from giving social media updates, the <a href="http://nypost.com/2017/01/24/trump-orders-epa-media-blackout/">Associated Press</a> reports.

<article about="/policy/energy-environment/315876-trump-bans-epa-employees-from-giving-social-media-updates" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document">
The EPA is headed by Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who&nbsp;<a href="http://www.salon.com/2016/12/14/perry-would-bring-oil-industry-ties-to-energy-department/">Salon reports</a> is closely connected to the Texas oil industry, including corporate roles in two petroleum companies pushing to build the 1,200-mile crude oil pipeline in North Dakota that has launched fierce backlash. Trump also has ties to a company building the pipeline. Yesterday the piple was&nbsp;approved.&nbsp;This approval officially reversed&nbsp;Obama&#39;s position, and overturned&nbsp;what environmentalists considered to be a triumph after months-long protests, where demonstrators&nbsp;were<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/dakota-pipeline-protests/dakota-pipeline-protesters-authorities-clash-temperatures-drop-n686581"> soaked by officials with hoses</a>&nbsp;during&nbsp;cold winter weather,&nbsp;attacked by dogs and shot at with rubber bullets.

Before he was tasked with leading it, Perry&nbsp;publicly called for the EPA to be <a href="http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/12/13/13936210/rick-perry-energy-department-trump">abolished</a>. Trump&#39;s pick&nbsp;for the director of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, has challenged EPA policy in court, The Hill reports.&nbsp;

The ban against the EPA comes as other agency staff report being barred&nbsp;from communicating with&nbsp;the general public and with members of Congress, <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/315876-trump-bans-epa-employees-from-giving-social-media-updates">The Hill reports</a>.

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EPA memo says agency is not allowed to issue press releases, add new content on websites, or post on social media - Huffington Post <a href="https://t.co/3lJSk5BoFi">pic.twitter.com/3lJSk5BoFi</a>
&mdash; BNO News (@BNONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/823952590111121410">January 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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This is only the latest chill felt by federal employees since October.

In the days soon after the 2016 US election, the Trump team <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/republicans-invoke-140-year-old-law-that-could-reduce-federal-employees-wage-to-1-10998">reportedly</a> sought the names of individual federal employees who worked on climate change projects, and in January House Republicans revived an obscure law called the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/republicans-invoke-140-year-old-law-that-could-reduce-federal-employees-wage-to-1-10998"> Holman Rule</a>, which allows the government to reduce the salary of federal employees to a crippling $1.

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Oh, hey, remember when the transition team asked for names of climate change staff at DOE and women&#39;s program staff at State? This is why. <a href="https://t.co/fAxAOliFwG">https://t.co/fAxAOliFwG</a>
&mdash; Megan Carpentier (@megancarpentier) <a href="https://twitter.com/megancarpentier/status/817147618363117569">January 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The EPA has also frozen grant programs,<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-administration-imposes-freeze-on-epa-grants-and-contracts"> ProPublica reports.</a>

There were other bans, too: <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/dinograndoni/trump-usda">BuzzFeed </a>reports&nbsp;that the Department of Agriculture told its employees not to share information about research or Tweet under the agency&#39;s name, while the Department of Health and Human Services was also told not to speak to public officials, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-communication-freeze_us_58878b3ae4b0441a8f7114e2?p0jpp58ohp6ekx1or">Huffington Post reports.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Republicans work to curb&nbsp;public protests

Days after the pro-women, anti-Trump&nbsp;Women&#39;s March--where Americans in over 500 US cities&nbsp;took part&nbsp;in what might be the largest ever demonstration in American history, and were joined by millions from around the world--Republicans have made several proposals&nbsp;targeting protesters.&nbsp;

While&nbsp;peaceful assembly&nbsp;is protected by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.loc.gov/law/help/peaceful-assembly/us.php">the&nbsp;American Constitution</a>,&nbsp;the&nbsp;protection is not absolute.&nbsp;Republicans appear to be trying to bend it as much as possible.

For example, in Minnesota--where&nbsp;police shot and killed a 32-year-old&nbsp;black man, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/16/philando-castile-shooting-manslaughter-police-jeronimo-yanez">Philando Castile</a>--Black Lives Matter&nbsp;protesters set&nbsp;up encampments and&nbsp;took to the highway to&nbsp;shutdown traffic, MPR News reports. In the days immediately following the police shooting&nbsp;dozens of protesters were arrested, though the charges were dropped;&nbsp;Police say it cost more than $1 million in officer overtime and some damages, according to the report.

Republican Nick Zerwas pushed for bills to make it easier for prosecutors to charge protesters for blocking highways, resulting in a gross misdemeanour charge carrying&nbsp;up to a year in jail. Another proposed&nbsp;change would&nbsp;allow&nbsp;police departments to sue convicted protesters for the costs of demonstrating.&nbsp;

&quot;At some point, the rule of law has to matter. I think it&#39;s time to show there is accountability,&quot; Zerwas&nbsp;said. The&nbsp;proposals&nbsp;could be brought about with more Republican power in the Capitol this year.

If approved, protesters would have to pay out of their own pocket for protesting, so long as police&nbsp;convicted them of&nbsp;protesting. This would incentivise police to convict protesters, and the threat of jail or fines would likely discourage protesting in general.

Meanwhile in Chicago, the city&nbsp;has&nbsp;paid<a href="http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/07/17/city-to-pay-out-3-75-million-to-family-of-man-killed-by-police/">&nbsp;$500 million&nbsp;for judgements and settlements </a>related to police misconduct in the last ten years, ChicagoCBS reports. This money, paid to victims of police brutality or to&nbsp;family members of people killed by the police, would be funded by the public.

(WION)

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Together, these undermine both the Constitutionally protected right to freedom of assembly and, also, the natural world

Donald Trump has banned employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from speaking with reporters and from giving social media updates, the Associated Press reports. The EPA is headed by Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who Salon reports is closely connected to the Texas oil industry, including corporate roles in two petroleum companies pushing to build the 1,200-mile crude oil pipeline in North Dakota that has launched fierce backlash. Trump also has ties to a company building the pipeline. Yesterday the piple was approved. This approval officially reversed Obama's position, and overturned what environmentalists considered to be a triumph after months-long protests, where demonstrators were soaked by officials with hoses during cold winter weather, attacked by dogs and shot at with rubber bullets. Before he was tasked with leading it, Perry publicly called for the EPA to be abolished. Trump's pick for the director of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, has challenged EPA policy in court, The Hill reports. The ban against the EPA comes as other agency staff report being barred from communicating with the general public and with members of Congress, The Hill reports. EPA memo says agency is not allowed to issue press releases, add new content on websites, or post on social media - Huffington Post pic.twitter.com/3lJSk5BoFi — BNO News (@BNONews) January 24, 2017 × This is only the latest chill felt by federal employees since October. In the days soon after the 2016 US election, the Trump team reportedly sought the names of individual federal employees who worked on climate change projects, and in January House Republicans revived an obscure law called the Holman Rule, which allows the government to reduce the salary of federal employees to a crippling $1. Oh, hey, remember when the transition team asked for names of climate change staff at DOE and women's program staff at State? This is why. https://t.co/fAxAOliFwG — Megan Carpentier (@megancarpentier) January 5, 2017 × The EPA has also frozen grant programs, ProPublica reports. There were other bans, too: BuzzFeed reports that the Department of Agriculture told its employees not to share information about research or Tweet under the agency's name, while the Department of Health and Human Services was also told not to speak to public officials, the Huffington Post reports. Republicans work to curb public protests Days after the pro-women, anti-Trump Women's March--where Americans in over 500 US cities took part in what might be the largest ever demonstration in American history, and were joined by millions from around the world--Republicans have made several proposals targeting protesters. While peaceful assembly is protected by the American Constitution, the protection is not absolute. Republicans appear to be trying to bend it as much as possible. For example, in Minnesota--where police shot and killed a 32-year-old black man, Philando Castile--Black Lives Matter protesters set up encampments and took to the highway to shutdown traffic, MPR News reports. In the days immediately following the police shooting dozens of protesters were arrested, though the charges were dropped; Police say it cost more than $1 million in officer overtime and some damages, according to the report. Republican Nick Zerwas pushed for bills to make it easier for prosecutors to charge protesters for blocking highways, resulting in a gross misdemeanour charge carrying up to a year in jail. Another proposed change would allow police departments to sue convicted protesters for the costs of demonstrating. "At some point, the rule of law has to matter. I think it's time to show there is accountability," Zerwas said. The proposals could be brought about with more Republican power in the Capitol this year. If approved, protesters would have to pay out of their own pocket for protesting, so long as police convicted them of protesting. This would incentivise police to convict protesters, and the threat of jail or fines would likely discourage protesting in general. Meanwhile in Chicago, the city has paid $500 million for judgements and settlements related to police misconduct in the last ten years, ChicagoCBS reports. This money, paid to victims of police brutality or to family members of people killed by the police, would be funded by the public. (WION)

Trump silences environmental agency, Republicans propose bills to curb protesting

The Republican-led U.S. Congress, under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump to move quickly, took its first concrete step towards dismantling Obamacare on Thursday as the Senate voted to instruct key committees to draft legislation to repeal it.

Trump on Twitter congratulated the Senate for its 51-48 vote in the early hours of Thursday, adding &quot;now it&#39;s onto the House!&quot; Only one Republican, Kentucky&#39;s Rand Paul, joined Senate Democrats in opposing the resolution.

The House of Representatives plans to vote on the measure on Friday, Speaker Paul Ryan said, pushing ahead despite concerns among some Republicans about launching a repeal before building a consensus about how to replace the complicated and far-reaching Affordable Care Act, dubbed Obamacare.

Democrats accused Republicans of rushing forward to scrap outgoing President Barack Obama&#39;s signature legislative accomplishment, a law that has enabled upwards of 20 million previously uninsured Americans to obtain health coverage, without yet having a firm replacement plan.

The resolution passed on Thursday instructs committees of the House and Senate to draft repeal legislation by January&nbsp;27. Both chambers will then need to approve the resulting legislation before any repeal goes into effect.

Obamacare&#39;s fate is a high-stakes political showdown between Republicans and Democrats that potentially jeopardizes medical coverage for millions of Americans and risks causing chaos in the health insurance marketplace.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi vowed to fight. &quot;I think it&#39;s easier to win a fight when something is going to be taken away from you,&quot; Pelosi said in an appearance with elderly Americans who talked about how they had been helped by the law&#39;s provisions, including lower prescription drug costs.

Republicans have called Obamacare a federal government overreach and have sought to undermine it in Congress and the courts since it was passed by Democratic majorities in the House and Senate in 2010.

They are aggressively pushing towards their goal of killing Obamacare now that they will control Congress and the White House once Trump takes office on January&nbsp;20.

Ryan, speaking to reporters just hours after the Senate vote, said House Republicans would discuss options for replacing Obamacare during an annual retreat at the end of this month in Philadelphia.

Ryan said while Congress will take some replacement steps, the incoming Trump administration will be able to act on its own on some aspects, which he did not detail. Ryan said lawmakers were working on dismantling Obamacare &quot;in sync&quot; with Trump.

&quot;We&#39;re not holding hard deadlines, only because we want to get it right,&quot; Ryan said, indicating it will take some time for several House committees to work on replacement legislation.

&nbsp;

&#39;NO IDEA&#39;

Democrats mocked the Republican effort.

&quot;They want to kill ACA but they have no idea how they are going to bring forth a substitute proposal,&quot; said Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

Indeed, some Republicans have expressed concern about the party&#39;s current strategy of pushing repeal without having a consensus replacement plan ready.

Representative Charlie Dent, a moderate Republican from Pennsylvania, has &quot;major concerns&quot; about the process, according to a spokesman, fearing a repeal vote at the start diminishes the leverage that may be needed to get some lawmakers to back a replacement later.

Trump put new pressure on congressional Republicans on Wednesday when he said Obamacare repeal and replacement should happen &quot;essentially simultaneously&quot;. And an influential conservative group, Heritage Action, late on Wednesday pressed lawmakers to back the resolution.

Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said the replacement effort will likely tackle drug pricing.&nbsp;

Some Americans&nbsp;are worried about what this change will mean to their&nbsp;immediate future.

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May each one of these men experience the anxiety that I as a cancer patient feel right now, knowing I&#39;ll die if care becomes unavailable <a href="https://t.co/ZaOpZI6VKA">https://t.co/ZaOpZI6VKA</a>
&mdash; Xeni Jardin (@xeni) <a href="https://twitter.com/xeni/status/819469147281059840">January 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Democrats say Obamacare is working, enabling growing numbers of Americans to get medical insurance and helping slow the rise in healthcare spending. Republicans say the program is collapsing and support giving states more control. The average premium for a private insurance policy obtained through Obamacare is set to rise 25 per cent in 2017.

(Reuters)

Under pressure from Trump, Republicans are rushing to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which is more commonly known as 'Obamacare'

The Republican-led U.S. Congress, under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump to move quickly, took its first concrete step towards dismantling Obamacare on Thursday as the Senate voted to instruct key committees to draft legislation to repeal it. Trump on Twitter congratulated the Senate for its 51-48 vote in the early hours of Thursday, adding "now it's onto the House!" Only one Republican, Kentucky's Rand Paul, joined Senate Democrats in opposing the resolution. The House of Representatives plans to vote on the measure on Friday, Speaker Paul Ryan said, pushing ahead despite concerns among some Republicans about launching a repeal before building a consensus about how to replace the complicated and far-reaching Affordable Care Act, dubbed Obamacare. Democrats accused Republicans of rushing forward to scrap outgoing President Barack Obama's signature legislative accomplishment, a law that has enabled upwards of 20 million previously uninsured Americans to obtain health coverage, without yet having a firm replacement plan. The resolution passed on Thursday instructs committees of the House and Senate to draft repeal legislation by January 27. Both chambers will then need to approve the resulting legislation before any repeal goes into effect. Obamacare's fate is a high-stakes political showdown between Republicans and Democrats that potentially jeopardizes medical coverage for millions of Americans and risks causing chaos in the health insurance marketplace. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi vowed to fight. "I think it's easier to win a fight when something is going to be taken away from you," Pelosi said in an appearance with elderly Americans who talked about how they had been helped by the law's provisions, including lower prescription drug costs. Republicans have called Obamacare a federal government overreach and have sought to undermine it in Congress and the courts since it was passed by Democratic majorities in the House and Senate in 2010. They are aggressively pushing towards their goal of killing Obamacare now that they will control Congress and the White House once Trump takes office on January 20. Ryan, speaking to reporters just hours after the Senate vote, said House Republicans would discuss options for replacing Obamacare during an annual retreat at the end of this month in Philadelphia. Ryan said while Congress will take some replacement steps, the incoming Trump administration will be able to act on its own on some aspects, which he did not detail. Ryan said lawmakers were working on dismantling Obamacare "in sync" with Trump. "We're not holding hard deadlines, only because we want to get it right," Ryan said, indicating it will take some time for several House committees to work on replacement legislation. 'NO IDEA' Democrats mocked the Republican effort. "They want to kill ACA but they have no idea how they are going to bring forth a substitute proposal," said Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats. Indeed, some Republicans have expressed concern about the party's current strategy of pushing repeal without having a consensus replacement plan ready. Representative Charlie Dent, a moderate Republican from Pennsylvania, has "major concerns" about the process, according to a spokesman, fearing a repeal vote at the start diminishes the leverage that may be needed to get some lawmakers to back a replacement later. Trump put new pressure on congressional Republicans on Wednesday when he said Obamacare repeal and replacement should happen "essentially simultaneously". And an influential conservative group, Heritage Action, late on Wednesday pressed lawmakers to back the resolution. Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said the replacement effort will likely tackle drug pricing. Some Americans are worried about what this change will mean to their immediate future. May each one of these men experience the anxiety that I as a cancer patient feel right now, knowing I'll die if care becomes unavailable https://t.co/ZaOpZI6VKA — Xeni Jardin (@xeni) January 12, 2017 × Democrats say Obamacare is working, enabling growing numbers of Americans to get medical insurance and helping slow the rise in healthcare spending. Republicans say the program is collapsing and support giving states more control. The average premium for a private insurance policy obtained through Obamacare is set to rise 25 per cent in 2017. (Reuters)

US Senate launches Obamacare repeal process, House to vote

House Republicans have revived a law from 1876 that allows members of Congress to target individual federal employees and reduce their pay to $1, the Washington Post reports.

The Holman Rule, as it&#39;s known, permits Congress members to single out any of the 2.1 million civil servants the US employs for a career-ending reduction in pay, as well as to cut specific programs to $0, the Washington Post reports.

Majorities in the House and Senate still&nbsp;need to approve the amendment before the Holman Rule can be enacted, but the mere possibility has critics fearing&nbsp;Republicans can use this to target&nbsp;opponents.

There are reasons to be suspicious.

Two&nbsp;weeks ago the Trump transition team sent a questionnaire to&nbsp;the <a href="http://www.salon.com/2017/01/06/house-republicans-support-rule-that-could-allow-them-to-pay-individual-federal-workers-1/">Department of Energy</a>&nbsp;to identify&nbsp;specific employees working on&nbsp;climate change, <a href="http://www.salon.com/2017/01/06/house-republicans-support-rule-that-could-allow-them-to-pay-individual-federal-workers-1/">Salon reports</a>. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/12/22/trump-team-asked-state-department-for-info-on-womens-issues-programs-stoking-fears-of-another-witch-hunt/?utm_term=.f3fbe99d7958">The Washington Post</a> reports that Trump&#39;s team also sought the names from the State Department&nbsp;of individuals working on women&#39;s health issues.

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Oh, hey, remember when the transition team asked for names of climate change staff at DOE and women&#39;s program staff at State? This is why. <a href="https://t.co/fAxAOliFwG">https://t.co/fAxAOliFwG</a>
&mdash; Megan Carpentier (@megancarpentier) <a href="https://twitter.com/megancarpentier/status/817147618363117569">January 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Also in the crosshairs is&nbsp;intelligence.&nbsp;On Thursday,&nbsp;Trump said that plans to overhaul the Office of the Director National Intelligence, Salon reports.&nbsp;

Trump has clashed for weeks&nbsp;with US intelligence agencies, who now state&nbsp;unequivocally that&nbsp;Vladimir Putin interefered in the US election to benefit Trump. Trump, who in the presidential debates openly called on Russia&nbsp;to hack Clinton&#39;s emails, denied that Russia had any role in interfering&nbsp;with the US election. Last night he issued a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-admits-russia-interfered-with-us-election-after-meeting-intelligence-heads-10988">statement</a>&nbsp;admitting&nbsp;that Russia, among others, did interefere&nbsp;in the US election, but denied&nbsp;that it&nbsp;affected its&nbsp;outcome.

Trump&nbsp;has&nbsp;claimed&nbsp;he does not receive daily intelligence briefings, and has cast doubt on his country&#39;s own intellgence agencies. Last week he publicly sided with&nbsp;Julian Assange over&nbsp;the FBI, CIA and the White House.

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Julian Assange said &quot;a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta&quot; - why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/816620855958601730">January 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Republican Represenative from Virginia H Morgan Griffith suggested the Holman Rule may really&nbsp;come about&nbsp;and&nbsp;appeared to justify it,&nbsp;telling&nbsp;the Washington Post:&nbsp;&quot;I can&#39;t tell you it won&#39;t happen...The Power is there. But isn&#39;t that appropriate? Who runs the country, the people of the United State or the people on the people&#39;s payroll?&quot;

House Majority leader told reporters earlier in the week appeared to justify the Holman Rule, saying, &quot;All agencies should be held accountable and tested in a manner, and this is an avenue to allow them to do it&quot;, Salon reports.

The Holman Rule could be used in still more places&nbsp;too, critics fear.&nbsp;

As <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/01/congress-can-now-cut-the-pay-of-individual-civil-servants.html">NYMag</a> neatly points&nbsp;out, Trump is picking candidates with decades of experience&nbsp;that run contrary to&nbsp;the stated objectives of the departments they will lead: &quot;The president-elect&rsquo;s Labor Secretary&ndash;designate is&nbsp;<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/trump-gives-middle-finger-to-wage-earners-with-labor-pick.html" target="_blank">a fast-food executive</a>&nbsp;whose restaurants are serial violators of labor law; his EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) head is an&nbsp;<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/report-donald-trump-names-scott-pruitt-as-head-of-the-epa.html" target="_blank">ally of the oil industry</a>&nbsp;who loves to sue the EPA; his&nbsp;<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/11/carson-is-trumps-pick-for-hud-for-some-awful-reason.html" target="_blank">head of Housing and Urban Development</a>&nbsp;has called the Fair Housing Act &#39;communist&#39;.&quot;

On Tuesday Republicans voted to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-republicans-scrap-move-to-gut-non-partisan-ethics-watchdog-10872">gut the only non-partisan ethics </a>watchdog committed to overseeing&nbsp;Congress.&nbsp;

This week, in an unprecedented step,&nbsp;Trump demanded&nbsp;that&nbsp;all US envoys around the world posted by <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-asks-us-envoys-appointed-by-obama-to-quit-by-inauguration-day-10984">Obama must quit their post</a> before his January 20 inauguration. This threatens to leave the US without envoys in several important countries, including Canada, Germany, and Britain.

How&nbsp;the Republicans use this 140-year-old law has yet to be seen, but&nbsp;their hostility to the previous administration&nbsp;is&nbsp;beyond a doubt.&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Critics fear Republicans will use the obscure Holman Rule to attack a broad spectrum of opponents. There are many good reasons to worry

House Republicans have revived a law from 1876 that allows members of Congress to target individual federal employees and reduce their pay to $1, the Washington Post reports. The Holman Rule, as it's known, permits Congress members to single out any of the 2.1 million civil servants the US employs for a career-ending reduction in pay, as well as to cut specific programs to $0, the Washington Post reports. Majorities in the House and Senate still need to approve the amendment before the Holman Rule can be enacted, but the mere possibility has critics fearing Republicans can use this to target opponents. There are reasons to be suspicious. Two weeks ago the Trump transition team sent a questionnaire to the Department of Energy to identify specific employees working on climate change, Salon reports. The Washington Post reports that Trump's team also sought the names from the State Department of individuals working on women's health issues. Oh, hey, remember when the transition team asked for names of climate change staff at DOE and women's program staff at State? This is why. https://t.co/fAxAOliFwG — Megan Carpentier (@megancarpentier) January 5, 2017 × Also in the crosshairs is intelligence. On Thursday, Trump said that plans to overhaul the Office of the Director National Intelligence, Salon reports. Trump has clashed for weeks with US intelligence agencies, who now state unequivocally that Vladimir Putin interefered in the US election to benefit Trump. Trump, who in the presidential debates openly called on Russia to hack Clinton's emails, denied that Russia had any role in interfering with the US election. Last night he issued a statement admitting that Russia, among others, did interefere in the US election, but denied that it affected its outcome. Trump has claimed he does not receive daily intelligence briefings, and has cast doubt on his country's own intellgence agencies. Last week he publicly sided with Julian Assange over the FBI, CIA and the White House. Julian Assange said "a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta" - why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017 × Republican Represenative from Virginia H Morgan Griffith suggested the Holman Rule may really come about and appeared to justify it, telling the Washington Post: "I can't tell you it won't happen...The Power is there. But isn't that appropriate? Who runs the country, the people of the United State or the people on the people's payroll?" House Majority leader told reporters earlier in the week appeared to justify the Holman Rule, saying, "All agencies should be held accountable and tested in a manner, and this is an avenue to allow them to do it", Salon reports. The Holman Rule could be used in still more places too, critics fear. As NYMag neatly points out, Trump is picking candidates with decades of experience that run contrary to the stated objectives of the departments they will lead: "The president-elect’s Labor Secretary–designate is a fast-food executive whose restaurants are serial violators of labor law; his EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) head is an ally of the oil industry who loves to sue the EPA; his head of Housing and Urban Development has called the Fair Housing Act 'communist'." On Tuesday Republicans voted to gut the only non-partisan ethics watchdog committed to overseeing Congress. This week, in an unprecedented step, Trump demanded that all US envoys around the world posted by Obama must quit their post before his January 20 inauguration. This threatens to leave the US without envoys in several important countries, including Canada, Germany, and Britain. How the Republicans use this 140-year-old law has yet to be seen, but their hostility to the previous administration is beyond a doubt. (WION)

Republicans invoke 140-year-old law that could reduce federal employees' wage to $1

The Republican-led US Congress begins a new session on Tuesday&nbsp;where it will start laying plans for enacting President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s agenda of tax cuts, repeal of Obamacare and the rollback of financial and environmental regulations.

With Trump set to be sworn in as president on January 20, Republican lawmakers hope to get a quick start on priorities that were blocked during Democratic President Barack Obama&#39;s eight years in the White House.

Since his election on November 8, the Republican president-elect has made clear he wants to move swiftly to enact proposals he outlined during the campaign such as simplifying the tax code, slashing corporate tax rates and repealing and replacing Obama&rsquo;s signature health insurance program known as Obamacare.

Republicans have long sought to dismantle Obamacare, insisting it was unworkable and hampered job growth. But they face a dilemma over how to provide health insurance for the 13.8 million people enrolled in Obamacare who could lose their coverage. The law aims to provide health insurance to economically disadvantaged people and expand coverage for others.

Last month Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said that before the election, he assumed Democrats would take back control of the Senate and hold on to the White House, ending any talk of repealing Obamacare.

&quot;I didn&#39;t think...Trump had a chance of winning,&quot; McConnell said in a December 19 interview with Kentucky Educational Television.

The opposite occurred and now Republicans find they have to deliver on their campaign promise, even though they have not agreed on a replacement healthcare program.

Trump kept up his attack on the law on Tuesday, tweeting: &quot;People must remember that ObamaCare just doesn&#39;t work, and it is not affordable,&quot; and adding, &quot;It is lousy healthcare.&quot;

The first meeting of the 115th Congress will be full of ceremony, as the 435 members of the House of Representatives and a third of the 100-member Senate are sworn in.

Amid the celebration will be a move by House Republicans to clear the decks for Obamacare repeal.

That will come in the form of a vote on rules governing House procedures in the two-year term of the chamber. Tucked into the rules package is a move to prevent Democrats from slowing or stopping Obamacare repeal legislation because of the potential cost to the US Treasury of doing so.

Leading Democrats warned on Monday of a fierce battle over Obamacare.

&quot;We&#39;re going to fight as hard as ever to protect the ACA (Affordable Care Act),&quot; said Representative Steny Hoyer, the House&#39;s second-ranking Democrat.

Speaking to reporters, Hoyer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said they would launch an effort to mobilise grassroots support for Obamacare by explaining how repeal would create a ripple effect hurting a majority of Americans.

Obama is scheduled to meet on Wednesday with congressional Democrats to discuss strategies for fending off the Republican attacks on Obamacare.

&nbsp;

Cabinet, Supreme Court nominations

The Senate will kick off hearings on Trump&#39;s choices to head his Cabinet departments and other top jobs in the new administration.

It is also expected to receive a Supreme Court nomination from Trump early in his term to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last February. Republicans refused to consider Obama&#39;s nomination of Merrick Garland last year.

Prominent Republican Senator John McCain has warned that Rex Tillerson, Trump&#39;s choice for secretary of state, will have to explain his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom McCain has called a &quot;thug and a murderer&quot;.

Tillerson, who spent much of his career at Exxon Mobil Corp, has been involved in business dealings in Russia and opposed US sanctions against Moscow for its incursion into Crimea.

While McConnell repeatedly called for removing Obamacare &quot;root and branch,&quot; he said in the Kentucky television interview that his top priorities for the new Congress were dealing with the &quot;massive overregulation&quot; he said had been a brake on the US economy and accomplishing tax code changes to stop companies from moving jobs offshore.

Republican lawmakers also want to curtail or block regulations aimed at controlling industrial emissions that contribute to climate change, and roll back banking industry reforms enacted after the near-collapse of Wall Street in 2008.

Republicans might use upcoming spending bills funding government agencies to try to kill some of those regulations. Trump is also expected to try to use his executive powers toward that end.

Republicans will hold a slightly smaller majority in both the Senate and House than they enjoyed the past two years. That means Democrats will still have bargaining power, especially on issues that divide Republicans, such as spending priorities.

(Reuters)

Republican's are eager for Trump's agenda of tax cuts, repeal of Obamacare and the rollback of financial and environmental regulations

The Republican-led US Congress begins a new session on Tuesday where it will start laying plans for enacting President-elect Donald Trump's agenda of tax cuts, repeal of Obamacare and the rollback of financial and environmental regulations. With Trump set to be sworn in as president on January 20, Republican lawmakers hope to get a quick start on priorities that were blocked during Democratic President Barack Obama's eight years in the White House. Since his election on November 8, the Republican president-elect has made clear he wants to move swiftly to enact proposals he outlined during the campaign such as simplifying the tax code, slashing corporate tax rates and repealing and replacing Obama’s signature health insurance program known as Obamacare. Republicans have long sought to dismantle Obamacare, insisting it was unworkable and hampered job growth. But they face a dilemma over how to provide health insurance for the 13.8 million people enrolled in Obamacare who could lose their coverage. The law aims to provide health insurance to economically disadvantaged people and expand coverage for others. Last month Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said that before the election, he assumed Democrats would take back control of the Senate and hold on to the White House, ending any talk of repealing Obamacare. "I didn't think...Trump had a chance of winning," McConnell said in a December 19 interview with Kentucky Educational Television. The opposite occurred and now Republicans find they have to deliver on their campaign promise, even though they have not agreed on a replacement healthcare program. Trump kept up his attack on the law on Tuesday, tweeting: "People must remember that ObamaCare just doesn't work, and it is not affordable," and adding, "It is lousy healthcare." The first meeting of the 115th Congress will be full of ceremony, as the 435 members of the House of Representatives and a third of the 100-member Senate are sworn in. Amid the celebration will be a move by House Republicans to clear the decks for Obamacare repeal. That will come in the form of a vote on rules governing House procedures in the two-year term of the chamber. Tucked into the rules package is a move to prevent Democrats from slowing or stopping Obamacare repeal legislation because of the potential cost to the US Treasury of doing so. Leading Democrats warned on Monday of a fierce battle over Obamacare. "We're going to fight as hard as ever to protect the ACA (Affordable Care Act)," said Representative Steny Hoyer, the House's second-ranking Democrat. Speaking to reporters, Hoyer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said they would launch an effort to mobilise grassroots support for Obamacare by explaining how repeal would create a ripple effect hurting a majority of Americans. Obama is scheduled to meet on Wednesday with congressional Democrats to discuss strategies for fending off the Republican attacks on Obamacare. Cabinet, Supreme Court nominations The Senate will kick off hearings on Trump's choices to head his Cabinet departments and other top jobs in the new administration. It is also expected to receive a Supreme Court nomination from Trump early in his term to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last February. Republicans refused to consider Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland last year. Prominent Republican Senator John McCain has warned that Rex Tillerson, Trump's choice for secretary of state, will have to explain his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom McCain has called a "thug and a murderer". Tillerson, who spent much of his career at Exxon Mobil Corp, has been involved in business dealings in Russia and opposed US sanctions against Moscow for its incursion into Crimea. While McConnell repeatedly called for removing Obamacare "root and branch," he said in the Kentucky television interview that his top priorities for the new Congress were dealing with the "massive overregulation" he said had been a brake on the US economy and accomplishing tax code changes to stop companies from moving jobs offshore. Republican lawmakers also want to curtail or block regulations aimed at controlling industrial emissions that contribute to climate change, and roll back banking industry reforms enacted after the near-collapse of Wall Street in 2008. Republicans might use upcoming spending bills funding government agencies to try to kill some of those regulations. Trump is also expected to try to use his executive powers toward that end. Republicans will hold a slightly smaller majority in both the Senate and House than they enjoyed the past two years. That means Democrats will still have bargaining power, especially on issues that divide Republicans, such as spending priorities. (Reuters)

New Republican-led US Congress lays groundwork for reversing Obama agenda

US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump has offered retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn the job of national security adviser, the Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing a senior Trump official.

The official would not say whether Flynn, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency who advised Trump during the campaign on national security issues, has officially accepted the job, according to AP.

(Reuters)

A senior Trump official told AP about the job offer, but did not say whether Flynn had officially accepted the job

US President-elect Donald Trump has offered retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn the job of national security adviser, the Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing a senior Trump official. The official would not say whether Flynn, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency who advised Trump during the campaign on national security issues, has officially accepted the job, according to AP. (Reuters)

Trump has offered national security adviser job to Flynn: Associated Press

Republican members of the US house of representatives on Tuesday unanimously chose Paul Ryan to keep his job as Speaker, following the party&#39;s victory at the polls last week, the House GOP conference announced.

&quot;It is a tremendous honor to be nominated by my colleagues to serve as Speaker of the House. Now it&#39;s time to go big,&quot; Ryan, a 46-year-old lawmaker from Wisconsin, tweeted after the closed-doors vote at the Capitol.

Democrats and Republicans will formally vote to elect the chamber&#39;s speaker after newly-elected lawmakers take up their seats on January 3.

Given that the Republicans maintain their majority in the House, Ryan&#39;s re-election as speaker is essentially a foregone conclusion -- unless another Republican decides to mount a surprise challenge between now and then.

On the Democratic side, internal divisions have delayed the election of a party leader in the House until November 30.

The role is currently held by Nancy Pelosi, 76, but she may face a challenge from the party&#39;s young guard, in the person of 43-year-old Ohio lawmaker Tim Ryan.

The Republican majority in both the House and Senate is expected to clear the way for President-elect Donald Trump to roll out much of his conservative agenda unfettered.

In a sign that the party leadership&#39;s resistance to the maverick billionaire has all but disappeared, House Republicans assembling for the internal vote were each given one of Trump&#39;s trademark red &quot;Make America Great Again&quot; baseball caps.

Ryan himself -- who kept his distance and on several occasions criticised Trump during the White House campaign -- has swung firmly behind the 45th US president, who will take office on January 20.

&quot;Seventy perc ent of the people in this nation think America is going down the wrong path,&quot; Ryan told a news conference on Tuesday morning.&nbsp;

&quot;They now just said, get on a better way, a better path. That&#39;s our job. Not to look backwards but to look forward.&quot;

Trump and the Republicans appear to be in broad agreement on a roadmap that includes replacing President Barack Obama&#39;s trademark health care law, building a wall -- or fence -- on the Mexican border, and slashing taxes.

&quot;We&#39;re on the same page with our president-elect,&quot; Ryan said. &quot;I talked with Donald Trump virtually every single day.&quot;

Definitive results from last Tuesday&#39;s election have yet to come in, but Republicans are assured of holding at least 239 seats in the House of Representatives, against 193 for Democrats, and at least 51 of 100 seats in the Senate.&nbsp;

(AFP)

Despite the unanimous decision, a formal vote will be cast to elect Speaker by the new-elected lawmakers on January 3

Republican members of the US house of representatives on Tuesday unanimously chose Paul Ryan to keep his job as Speaker, following the party's victory at the polls last week, the House GOP conference announced. "It is a tremendous honor to be nominated by my colleagues to serve as Speaker of the House. Now it's time to go big," Ryan, a 46-year-old lawmaker from Wisconsin, tweeted after the closed-doors vote at the Capitol. Democrats and Republicans will formally vote to elect the chamber's speaker after newly-elected lawmakers take up their seats on January 3. Given that the Republicans maintain their majority in the House, Ryan's re-election as speaker is essentially a foregone conclusion -- unless another Republican decides to mount a surprise challenge between now and then. On the Democratic side, internal divisions have delayed the election of a party leader in the House until November 30. The role is currently held by Nancy Pelosi, 76, but she may face a challenge from the party's young guard, in the person of 43-year-old Ohio lawmaker Tim Ryan. The Republican majority in both the House and Senate is expected to clear the way for President-elect Donald Trump to roll out much of his conservative agenda unfettered. In a sign that the party leadership's resistance to the maverick billionaire has all but disappeared, House Republicans assembling for the internal vote were each given one of Trump's trademark red "Make America Great Again" baseball caps. Ryan himself -- who kept his distance and on several occasions criticised Trump during the White House campaign -- has swung firmly behind the 45th US president, who will take office on January 20. "Seventy perc ent of the people in this nation think America is going down the wrong path," Ryan told a news conference on Tuesday morning. "They now just said, get on a better way, a better path. That's our job. Not to look backwards but to look forward." Trump and the Republicans appear to be in broad agreement on a roadmap that includes replacing President Barack Obama's trademark health care law, building a wall -- or fence -- on the Mexican border, and slashing taxes. "We're on the same page with our president-elect," Ryan said. "I talked with Donald Trump virtually every single day." Definitive results from last Tuesday's election have yet to come in, but Republicans are assured of holding at least 239 seats in the House of Representatives, against 193 for Democrats, and at least 51 of 100 seats in the Senate. (AFP)

Republicans re-elect Paul Ryan as House speaker

Facebook had a tool to weed out fake news circulating on the social network this year but declined to deploy it for fear of offending conservatives, a report said on Monday.

The report by the online news site Gizmodo comes with Facebook under fire for allowing hoaxes and misinformation to go viral and, according to some critics, boost the efforts of Republican Donald Trump in his successful presidential run.

Facebook denied the report.

Gizmodo, citing unnamed sources said to be knowledgeable about Facebook&#39;s decision-making, said the tool was shelved after a controversy over reports saying the social network suppressed some conservative voices in its &quot;trending topics&quot; earlier this year.

&quot;They absolutely have the tools to shut down fake news,&quot; Gizmodo quoted one source as saying. &quot;There was a lot of fear about upsetting conservatives after (the uproar over) trending topics.&quot;

A Facebook statement said that the claims made in the article were &quot;not true&quot;.

&quot;We did not build and withhold any News Feed changes based on their potential impact on any one political party,&quot; the statement from Facebook said.

&quot;We always work to make News Feed more meaningful and informative, and that includes examining the quality and accuracy of items shared, such as clickbait, spam and hoaxes.&quot;

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has rejected the idea that bogus stories shared at the social network paved a path of victory for Trump.

&quot;The idea that fake news on Facebook, which is a very small amount of the content, influenced the election in any way I think is a pretty crazy idea,&quot; Zuckerberg said during an on-stage chat at Technonomy, a technology trends conference in California.

In a weekend posting, Zuckerberg said dealing with hoaxes and fake news is complex.

&quot;This is an area where I believe we must proceed very carefully,&quot; he said.

&quot;Identifying the &#39;truth&#39; is complicated. While some hoaxes can be completely debunked, a greater amount of content, including from mainstream sources, often gets the basic idea right but some details wrong or omitted.&quot;

Bogus election results

The notion of hoaxes and fake news remained a topic of debate on Monday, when internet users searching on Google were delivered a bogus report saying Trump won the popular vote in addition to the Electoral College.

The numbers on a blog called 70News, contradicting official results tallied so far by states, said Trump received 62.9 million votes to 62.2 million for Hillary Clinton.

The blog urged those petitioning for the Electoral College to switch their votes to reflect popular will to scrap their effort.

&quot;Hey Change.org, scrap your loony petition now,&quot; the posting said.&nbsp;

The bogus site was listed at the top of many search queries for &quot;final election result&quot;.

Preliminary tallies showed Clinton won roughly 700,000 more votes than Trump despite losing the states needed for an Electoral College victory.

Google seeks &quot;to provide the most relevant and useful results for our users&quot;, a company statement to AFP said.

&quot;In this case, we clearly didn&#39;t get it right, but we are continually working to improve our algorithms.&quot;

(AFP)

Facebook is under fire for allowing hoaxes and misinformation to go viral and,boost the efforts of Trump in his successful presidential run

Facebook had a tool to weed out fake news circulating on the social network this year but declined to deploy it for fear of offending conservatives, a report said on Monday. The report by the online news site Gizmodo comes with Facebook under fire for allowing hoaxes and misinformation to go viral and, according to some critics, boost the efforts of Republican Donald Trump in his successful presidential run. Facebook denied the report. Gizmodo, citing unnamed sources said to be knowledgeable about Facebook's decision-making, said the tool was shelved after a controversy over reports saying the social network suppressed some conservative voices in its "trending topics" earlier this year. "They absolutely have the tools to shut down fake news," Gizmodo quoted one source as saying. "There was a lot of fear about upsetting conservatives after (the uproar over) trending topics." A Facebook statement said that the claims made in the article were "not true". "We did not build and withhold any News Feed changes based on their potential impact on any one political party," the statement from Facebook said. "We always work to make News Feed more meaningful and informative, and that includes examining the quality and accuracy of items shared, such as clickbait, spam and hoaxes." Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has rejected the idea that bogus stories shared at the social network paved a path of victory for Trump. "The idea that fake news on Facebook, which is a very small amount of the content, influenced the election in any way I think is a pretty crazy idea," Zuckerberg said during an on-stage chat at Technonomy, a technology trends conference in California. In a weekend posting, Zuckerberg said dealing with hoaxes and fake news is complex. "This is an area where I believe we must proceed very carefully," he said. "Identifying the 'truth' is complicated. While some hoaxes can be completely debunked, a greater amount of content, including from mainstream sources, often gets the basic idea right but some details wrong or omitted." Bogus election results The notion of hoaxes and fake news remained a topic of debate on Monday, when internet users searching on Google were delivered a bogus report saying Trump won the popular vote in addition to the Electoral College. The numbers on a blog called 70News, contradicting official results tallied so far by states, said Trump received 62.9 million votes to 62.2 million for Hillary Clinton. The blog urged those petitioning for the Electoral College to switch their votes to reflect popular will to scrap their effort. "Hey Change.org, scrap your loony petition now," the posting said. The bogus site was listed at the top of many search queries for "final election result". Preliminary tallies showed Clinton won roughly 700,000 more votes than Trump despite losing the states needed for an Electoral College victory. Google seeks "to provide the most relevant and useful results for our users", a company statement to AFP said. "In this case, we clearly didn't get it right, but we are continually working to improve our algorithms." (AFP)

Facebook had tool to weed out fake news, declined to deploy over fear of offending conservatives

Build a wall, make nice with Moscow, tear up free trade deals and force Washington&#39;s allies to pay more for their own security. OK, and then what?&nbsp;

Beyond a few broad isolationist and protectionist strokes, President-elect Donald Trump has not painted a detailed picture of his foreign policy.&nbsp;

Now, with just ten weeks until he takes command of the world&#39;s sole superpower, Washington&#39;s friends and foes are seeking clues to his agenda.

And if it seems vague, perhaps that&#39;s intentional. In speech after campaign speech, Trump insisted on the virtue of &quot;the element of surprise&quot;.

In January, Trump was asked whether as president he would bomb Iran&#39;s nuclear sites instead of relying on a negotiated deal to keep them mothballed.

&quot;I want to be unpredictable,&quot; Trump said, insisting that US voters&#39; would support, as they eventually did, his shoot-from-the-hip style.

In the closing stages of his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly mocked the ongoing US-backed Iraqi campaign to liberate the city of Mosul.

Why had President Barack Obama&#39;s generals flagged up the siege four months in advance, giving the Islamic State group warning on the assault?

&quot;What a group of losers we have,&quot; he said on Saturday, as Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by US advisers and air power closed in on the city.

&quot;We need different thinking in this country, folks. They should have kept their mouths shut.&quot;

Generals might argue that building a coalition while preparing supply lines and refugee reception areas could not have been carried out in the dark.

Hardline rhetoric

But Trump is adamant, citing his experience negotiating property deals and luxury branding, that being unpredictable can be a plus.&nbsp;

&quot;He doesn&#39;t have a foreign policy track-record to explore,&quot; wrote former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden wrote for online journal The Cipher Brief.

&quot;So that leaves pretty much the campaign rhetoric to rely on. And campaign rhetoric historically gets softened by the realities of office.&quot;&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s rhetoric is certainly aggressive.&nbsp;

This time last year, his prescription for the Islamic States was simple: &quot;I would bomb the shit out of them. I&#39;d just bomb those suckers.&quot;

But he is not a neoconservative, with grand plans to remake the world in America&#39;s image through military adventurism and coercive diplomacy.

Despite evidence that he supported it at the time, Trump insists that former president George W&nbsp;Bush&#39;s invasion of Iraq was a terrible mistake.

He has touted a form of great power politics, &quot;making deals&quot; with US rivals to unite against threats like &quot;radical Islamic extremism.&quot;

&quot;Wouldn&#39;t it be nice if we actually got along with Russia and China and all these countries?&quot; Trump said in January. &quot;Wouldn&#39;t it be nice?&quot;

Allies like Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and European NATO members will have to pay their way, however, Trump has no time for free riders.

Climate &#39;hoax&#39;&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s presidency will apparently be much more skeptical of free trade, believing export powers like China are stealing American jobs and capital.

He has threatened to tear up existing deals like the North American Free Trade Area, forcing Mexico to pay export tariffs to pay for his border wall.&nbsp;

He would drive a hard bargain in talks on trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific trade deals, and take China to task for alleged currency manipulation.

Trump has also made noises about reauthorising US agents to use torture that have spread concern among allies and intelligence leaders themselves.

Last year, the United States and around 180 countries signed a landmark deal to slow climate change, an idea Trump has dubbed &quot;a hoax.&quot;&nbsp;

Iran has expressed concern that he would try to make good on a threat to rip up the nuclear agreement it signed last year with six world powers.

And Syrian refugees may no longer find safe haven in the United States, Trump having deemed them too great a risk of extremist violence.

In short, almost all of Nobel peace laureate Obama&#39;s foreign policy legacy is at risk, even his successful effort to normalize ties with communist Cuba.

But, once in the White House and advised by the National Security Council, State Department and US Trade Representative will Trump follow through?

Who knows? He&#39;s unpredictable.

(AFP)

Nobody really knows. His usual answer is, 'I want to be unpredictable'

Build a wall, make nice with Moscow, tear up free trade deals and force Washington's allies to pay more for their own security. OK, and then what? Beyond a few broad isolationist and protectionist strokes, President-elect Donald Trump has not painted a detailed picture of his foreign policy. Now, with just ten weeks until he takes command of the world's sole superpower, Washington's friends and foes are seeking clues to his agenda. And if it seems vague, perhaps that's intentional. In speech after campaign speech, Trump insisted on the virtue of "the element of surprise". In January, Trump was asked whether as president he would bomb Iran's nuclear sites instead of relying on a negotiated deal to keep them mothballed. "I want to be unpredictable," Trump said, insisting that US voters' would support, as they eventually did, his shoot-from-the-hip style. In the closing stages of his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly mocked the ongoing US-backed Iraqi campaign to liberate the city of Mosul. Why had President Barack Obama's generals flagged up the siege four months in advance, giving the Islamic State group warning on the assault? "What a group of losers we have," he said on Saturday, as Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by US advisers and air power closed in on the city. "We need different thinking in this country, folks. They should have kept their mouths shut." Generals might argue that building a coalition while preparing supply lines and refugee reception areas could not have been carried out in the dark. Hardline rhetoric But Trump is adamant, citing his experience negotiating property deals and luxury branding, that being unpredictable can be a plus. "He doesn't have a foreign policy track-record to explore," wrote former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden wrote for online journal The Cipher Brief. "So that leaves pretty much the campaign rhetoric to rely on. And campaign rhetoric historically gets softened by the realities of office." Trump's rhetoric is certainly aggressive. This time last year, his prescription for the Islamic States was simple: "I would bomb the shit out of them. I'd just bomb those suckers." But he is not a neoconservative, with grand plans to remake the world in America's image through military adventurism and coercive diplomacy. Despite evidence that he supported it at the time, Trump insists that former president George W Bush's invasion of Iraq was a terrible mistake. He has touted a form of great power politics, "making deals" with US rivals to unite against threats like "radical Islamic extremism." "Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with Russia and China and all these countries?" Trump said in January. "Wouldn't it be nice?" Allies like Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and European NATO members will have to pay their way, however, Trump has no time for free riders. Climate 'hoax' Trump's presidency will apparently be much more skeptical of free trade, believing export powers like China are stealing American jobs and capital. He has threatened to tear up existing deals like the North American Free Trade Area, forcing Mexico to pay export tariffs to pay for his border wall. He would drive a hard bargain in talks on trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific trade deals, and take China to task for alleged currency manipulation. Trump has also made noises about reauthorising US agents to use torture that have spread concern among allies and intelligence leaders themselves. Last year, the United States and around 180 countries signed a landmark deal to slow climate change, an idea Trump has dubbed "a hoax." Iran has expressed concern that he would try to make good on a threat to rip up the nuclear agreement it signed last year with six world powers. And Syrian refugees may no longer find safe haven in the United States, Trump having deemed them too great a risk of extremist violence. In short, almost all of Nobel peace laureate Obama's foreign policy legacy is at risk, even his successful effort to normalize ties with communist Cuba. But, once in the White House and advised by the National Security Council, State Department and US Trade Representative will Trump follow through? Who knows? He's unpredictable. (AFP)

Trump: What exactly will the new president do?

Despite sex assault allegations hounding him, fat-shaming a former beauty queen and his controversial abortion stand, a large number of women voters helped put Donald Trump in the White House.

Though his rival, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, clinched 54 per cent of the female vote, Trump was backed by 42 per cent of women voters, which contributed to his stunning victory, according to CNN exit polls.

Some 53 per cent of white women voters supported the Republican candidate, CNN said, the majority of them (62 per cent) non-college educated.

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<h5>Hillary Clinton, clinched 54 per cent of the female vote</h5>
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&nbsp;

The results upended predictions that sexist and degrading comments Trump made against women would sway female voters, who accounted for about 52 percent of the electorate on Tuesday, in favour of a candidate that could have broken the glass ceiling.

Experts said the outcome is not surprising, and reflects an election in which issues about the economy, jobs and immigration were much higher on all voters&#39; priority list than gender issues.

&quot;At the heart of it is what was driving all voters,&quot; said Diane Heith, professor and chair of the Department of Government and Politics at St&nbsp;John&#39;s University in New York.

Heith said although the leaked Access Hollywood tape in which Trump boasted about groping women, and his disparaging comments about a former Miss Universe had made many women cringe, it was not enough to turn them against the candidate.

&quot;There was no sisterhood created,&quot; Heith said. &quot;The issue of how he treated women did not overshadow the attitudes these individuals already had, being disaffected and how they had been treated by the establishment elite of which Hillary was absolutely part of.&quot;

Tough to cope

Still, the real estate magnate&#39;s shock win has left many women struggling to cope with the election of a president whose misogynistic behavior was disregarded at the polls.

&quot;More than half of white women voted for the man who bragged about committing sexual assault on tape, who said he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe vs Wade, who has spent 30-plus years in the public eye reducing women to their sexual attributes,&quot; wrote LV&nbsp;Anderson in an article in the online current affairs magazine Slate.

&quot;White women sold out their fellow women, their country, and themselves last night,&quot; added the author. &quot;Most white women don&rsquo;t want to be part of an intersectional feminist sisterhood. Most white women just want to be one of the guys. And we will all suffer for it.&quot;

One issue of particular concern for women, both Democrats and Republicans, will be how Trump deals with abortion rights while in the White House.

Trump moved further and further to the right on abortion during his campaign, at one point, suggesting that women who seek to terminate their pregnancy should be subject &quot;to some form of punishment&quot; should abortion be outlawed.

He backtracked on his remarks following an outcry. But it&#39;s unclear where he really stands on the issue, especially considering his running mate Mike Pence&#39;s views on abortion.

As governor of Indiana, Pence pushed for some of the most abortion-restrictive regulations in the country and has fought to defund Planned Parenthood, which offers reproductive health services, including abortions, to mostly lower-income Americans.

&#39;Angry white women&#39;

&quot;American women who are seeking reproductive freedom should be concerned about a Trump-Pence presidency,&quot; Heith said.

Juliet Williams, professor of gender studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, said Trump&#39;s shocking win could be attributed to a disconnect, both among Republicans and Democrats, when it came to women&#39;s voting.

&quot;A narrative about this election took hold very early on and that narrative was that Trump was mobilizing the angry white man vote, with angry white men (such as) coal miners in West Virginia or unemployed auto workers in Michigan,&quot; Williams said.

&quot;Frankly, all of us on the right and the left really should have wondered what the angry white vote means,&quot; she added.

&quot;What we learned yesterday is that angry white women have political power too ... and if you allow yourself to forget about women, you are going to lose. This is what happened to Hillary.&quot;

(AFP)

Trump was backed by 42 per cent of women voters, exit polls said

Despite sex assault allegations hounding him, fat-shaming a former beauty queen and his controversial abortion stand, a large number of women voters helped put Donald Trump in the White House. Though his rival, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, clinched 54 per cent of the female vote, Trump was backed by 42 per cent of women voters, which contributed to his stunning victory, according to CNN exit polls. Some 53 per cent of white women voters supported the Republican candidate, CNN said, the majority of them (62 per cent) non-college educated. Hillary Clinton, clinched 54 per cent of the female vote × The results upended predictions that sexist and degrading comments Trump made against women would sway female voters, who accounted for about 52 percent of the electorate on Tuesday, in favour of a candidate that could have broken the glass ceiling. Experts said the outcome is not surprising, and reflects an election in which issues about the economy, jobs and immigration were much higher on all voters' priority list than gender issues. "At the heart of it is what was driving all voters," said Diane Heith, professor and chair of the Department of Government and Politics at St John's University in New York. Heith said although the leaked Access Hollywood tape in which Trump boasted about groping women, and his disparaging comments about a former Miss Universe had made many women cringe, it was not enough to turn them against the candidate. "There was no sisterhood created," Heith said. "The issue of how he treated women did not overshadow the attitudes these individuals already had, being disaffected and how they had been treated by the establishment elite of which Hillary was absolutely part of." Tough to cope Still, the real estate magnate's shock win has left many women struggling to cope with the election of a president whose misogynistic behavior was disregarded at the polls. "More than half of white women voted for the man who bragged about committing sexual assault on tape, who said he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe vs Wade, who has spent 30-plus years in the public eye reducing women to their sexual attributes," wrote LV Anderson in an article in the online current affairs magazine Slate. "White women sold out their fellow women, their country, and themselves last night," added the author. "Most white women don’t want to be part of an intersectional feminist sisterhood. Most white women just want to be one of the guys. And we will all suffer for it." One issue of particular concern for women, both Democrats and Republicans, will be how Trump deals with abortion rights while in the White House. Trump moved further and further to the right on abortion during his campaign, at one point, suggesting that women who seek to terminate their pregnancy should be subject "to some form of punishment" should abortion be outlawed. He backtracked on his remarks following an outcry. But it's unclear where he really stands on the issue, especially considering his running mate Mike Pence's views on abortion. As governor of Indiana, Pence pushed for some of the most abortion-restrictive regulations in the country and has fought to defund Planned Parenthood, which offers reproductive health services, including abortions, to mostly lower-income Americans. 'Angry white women' "American women who are seeking reproductive freedom should be concerned about a Trump-Pence presidency," Heith said. Juliet Williams, professor of gender studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, said Trump's shocking win could be attributed to a disconnect, both among Republicans and Democrats, when it came to women's voting. "A narrative about this election took hold very early on and that narrative was that Trump was mobilizing the angry white man vote, with angry white men (such as) coal miners in West Virginia or unemployed auto workers in Michigan," Williams said. "Frankly, all of us on the right and the left really should have wondered what the angry white vote means," she added. "What we learned yesterday is that angry white women have political power too ... and if you allow yourself to forget about women, you are going to lose. This is what happened to Hillary." (AFP)

Trump did well with women voters despite sex assault allegations

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