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Listen: Audio of Trump Call With Bob Woodward About His ‘Bad Book’ Released

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President Donald Trump knew a storm was coming as publication neared of Bob Woodward’s book about his administration, and in a phone call with the journalist derided the work as “another bad book.”

The book is highly critical of Trump and his administration, and uses the phrase “nervous breakdown” to describe the White House operations under Trump, The Washington Post reported.

The Washington Post published an audio file and a transcript of Woodward speaking with Trump several weeks ago. Trump had made the call in Early August.

“So I have another bad book coming out. Big deal,” Trump said at one point in the interview.

Woodward told Trump, “it’s a tough look at the world and your administration and you.”

“Right. Well, I assume that means it’s going to be a negative book. But you know, I’m some — I’m sort of 50 percent used to that,” Trump said. “That’s all right. Some are good and some are bad. Sounds like this is going to be a bad one.”

Trump then explained to Woodward how the country is doing, as opposed to what Washington gossip might be talking about.

“But all I can say is the country is doing very well. We’re doing better economically just about than at any time. We’re doing better on unemployment maybe than ever. You know, I mean, if you look at the unemployment numbers, you’ve heard me say it. And we’re doing better on unemployment than just about ever. We’re having a lot of — a lot of companies are moving back into our country, which would’ve been unheard of two years ago,” he said.

During the conversation, Woodward told Trump that he has been very careful to document what happened.

“But are you naming names? Or do you just say ‘sources’?” Trump asked.

When Woodward said it mentioned “real incidents,” Trump followed up his question.

“No, but do you name sources? I mean, are you naming the people, or just say, ‘people have said’?” Trump said.

Woodward then said he used the device of describing events and listing who was there.

That approach led to Trump tweeting responses to claims made in Woodward’s book.

Trump also posted statements from White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis disputing parts of Woodward’s book.

Much of what Woodward recorded deals with his attempts to interview Trump for the book, including contacts made to White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, who said she sent the request up the chain of command but did not know what happened to it, and Sen. Lindsey Graham. Trump said he did get a message in passing from the South Carolina Republican.

Although Woodward repeatedly said it was important to have spoken with Trump, the president was not convinced.

“It doesn’t matter. Let me tell you what matters: The economy is the best it’s been in many, many decades. And it’s going to get a lot better. And the country is doing very well. That’s what’s important,” he said.

Trump then closed by telling Woodward what he expected of a book that never got his side.

“So we’re going to have a very inaccurate book, and that’s too bad. But I don’t blame you entirely,” Trump said. When Woodward tried to say he was accurate, Trump had a reply ready.

“Well, ‘accurate’ is that nobody’s ever done a better job than I’m doing as president. That I can tell you. So that’s . . . And that’s the way a lot of people feel that know what’s going on, and you’ll see that over the years. But a lot of people feel that, Bob,” Trump said. (For more from the author of “Listen: Audio of Trump Call With Bob Woodward About His ‘Bad Book’ Released” please click HERE)

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From Trump to Kobach: How the Populists and American Union Workers Are Taking Back the GOP

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American union worker support for populist-nationalist Republicans may have started with President Trump, but it’s not ending with him as many in the pundit class had predicted. . .

Not only through taking down free trade, but also anti-worker mass immigration policies, Trump garnered historic support from the country’s union workers. When Trump said the mass importation of foreign workers to take blue-collar U.S. jobs was driving down wages and crowding out working-class Americans, union workers nodded in agreement. . .

From the start of his run in 2015, there was a single Kansas elected official backing Trump’s brand of economic patriotism: Kris Kobach, who is now running to be the governor of Kansas.

Kobach had already made a name for himself among the populist-nationalist movement, taking on the business lobby and the open borders Left with his push for mandatory E-Verify, his crafting of sanctuary city bans in numerous states, and his plea to Americans that mass immigration was hurting the most vulnerable in American society during the President Obama years, the working and middle class. . .

If Trump’s election is indicative of the way to which the GOP is heading, Kobach can expect a win in his home state of Kansas. But, Kobach says, the U.S. worker-centric Republican agenda is not something that should be isolated to the White House and Topeka. (Read more from “From Trump to Kobach: How the Populists and American Union Workers Are Taking Back the GOP” HERE)

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Trump Responds to Possible 2020 John Kerry Run

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By The Hill. President Trump on Monday tweeted that he would be “so lucky” if former Secretary of State John Kerry launched a White House bid to challenge Trump in 2020.

“I see that John Kerry, the father of the now terminated Iran deal, is thinking of running for President. I should only be so lucky – although the field that is currently assembling looks really good – FOR ME!” Trump tweeted.

Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, did not rule out a potential 2020 White House bid during an interview on Sunday. He said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that talking about the 2020 race is a “distraction.”

“Talking about 2020 right now is a total distraction and waste of time,” Kerry said. “What we need to do is focus on 2018. We need to win back the confidence of the country to move in a better direction and to do it in sensible ways. We are in a moment of crisis for our country. The world is in a moment of crisis.” (Read more from “Trump Responds to Possible 2020 John Kerry Run” HERE)

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Trump Slams John Kerry as ‘Father’ of Iran Deal Amid 2020 Speculation

By Fox News. President Trump slammed John Kerry on Monday, labeling the former Massachusetts senator and secretary of state the “father” of the Iran nuclear deal amid speculation that Kerry could challenge Trump in the 2020 election. . .

In January, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that Kerry, during a visit to the Middle East, told Palestinian officials he was considering running for president in 2020.

Trump has been critical not only of the Iran deal but also of Kerry’s role in negotiating the now-defunct agreement. The president repeatedly has called Kerry the “worst negotiator I’ve ever seen.”

Kerry also criticized former President Barack Obama in his CBS interview, arguing that Obama should have followed through on his infamous “red line” warning to Syria, and that the United States “paid a price” as a result of Obama’s inaction. (Read more from “Trump Slams John Kerry as ‘Father’ of Iran Deal Amid 2020 Speculation” HERE)

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Trump ‘Is Mentally Ill,’ Doctor and Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean Says

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By Newsweek. Dr. Howard Dean, a physician who previously served as the governor of Vermont, told MSNBC on Sunday that Donald Trump suffers from mental illness and he is unfit to be president.

“I’ve long believed the president is mentally ill,” Dean said as part of a panel discussion hosted by Alex Witt, Raw Story reported. “And I believe narcissism overcomes his ability to know, A, what’s good for the country, and B, what’s good for him.”

Dean’s remarks came in the context of Trump’s response to the death of Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona. The president repeatedly attacked McCain for opposing his policies and was reportedly not invited to the senator’s funeral.

“Trump has been an outlier since he’s been president and he’s not a particularly well respected person,” Dean explained. “He wasn’t very well respected when he was in business in New York and he’s not very well respected now.” . . .

Numerous others have previously raised concerns about the president’s mental fitness. In 2017, a group of psychiatrists and psychologists released a book analyzing the president’s mental health, which became an instant bestseller.

(Read more from “Trump ‘Is Mentally Ill,’ Doctor and Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean Says” HERE)

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[Editor’s note – here’s what the left is saying about the President]:

President Trump’s Description of What’s ‘Fake’ Is Expanding

By NPR. President Trump was bombarded with negative news cycles last month, so he turned to Twitter, venting frustrations and dismissing an increasingly wide variety of things he doesn’t like as “fake” or “phony.” Presidential tweets about “fake news” aren’t new, but August was unique in the sheer frequency of such presidential declarations on Twitter. There were more tweets in August about things Trump labels fake and phony than in any other month of his presidency.

This is part of a trend: as Trump’s presidency has gone on, these kinds of tweets have increased over time, with peaks coming in months with particularly bad headlines for the president.

The range of things Trump is declaring fake is growing too. Last month he tweeted about “fake books,” “the fake dossier,” “fake CNN,” and he added a new claim – that Google search results are “RIGGED” to mostly show only negative stories about him. He also accused NBC News’ Lester Holt of “fudging” the tape of his May 2017 interview conducted shortly after Trump fired FBI director James Comey. (Read more from “President Trump’s Description of What’s ‘Fake’ Is Expanding” HERE)

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Democrats Blast Trump’s Federal Worker Pay Freeze as ‘Cutting Pay’ Because This Is the Swamp

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President Donald Trump is frustrated with Congress’ absolute refusal to entertain any notion of fiscal responsibility, so he’s taking action himself. On Thursday, the president announced he would cancel a scheduled 2.1 percent across-the-board pay raise for federal workers.

“In light of our Nation’s fiscal situation, Federal employee pay must be performance-based, and aligned strategically toward recruiting, retaining, and rewarding high-performing Federal employees and those with critical skill sets,” Trump wrote in a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.

Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are attacking Trump for “cutting pay,” because only in Washington D.C. is not giving the government a raise a pay cut.

Trump says he has the authority to cancel raises for federal workers when there is “national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare.” Congress, however, can override the decision in spending legislation, if it so chooses. And it’s likely Congress will override Trump. Lawmakers have already demonstrated a commitment to wildly increasing federal spending, ignoring the $21 trillion national debt.

Why stop now? (For more from the author of “Democrats Blast Trump’s Federal Worker Pay Freeze as ‘Cutting Pay’ Because This Is the Swamp” please click HERE)

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Remember That Guy Who Stole a Teen’s ‘MAGA’ Hat? He Just Got Some Bad News.

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Remember that brave 30-year-old man who assaulted a teenage boy in a Whataburger restaurant in San Antonio, Texas, for the crime of wearing a pro-Trump “Make America Great Again” hat? Yeah, he’s been indicted for theft — since the attacker stole the boy’s “MAGA” hat after cursing him out and throwing a drink in his face — and is facing up to two years behind bars. . .

“Kino Jimenez was indicted Wednesday on a charge of theft of person, which is a state jail felony. He was located in Universal City in July by San Antonio police robbery task force detectives who took him into custody on an arrest warrant,” reports My San Antonio.

In July, footage of Jimenez’s assault of 16-year-old Hunter Richard was posted online and quickly went viral. The footage went so viral, in fact, that the oldest Trump son, Donald Jr., publicly commented on the despicable harassment and arranged for Richard to receive a new “MAGA” hat signed by President Trump.

“F*** the president. You ain’t supporting s***, n****,” screamed Jimenez, seen snatching Richard’s MAGA hat and throwing a large drink in the teen’s face. “B**** a** motherf***er!” . . .

Prior to the assault, Jimenez racked up misdemeanor offenses for marijuana possession and driving while intoxicated on his criminal record, notes My San Antonio. Still, Jimenez is eligible for probation or deferred adjudication if convicted. (Read more from “Remember That Guy Who Stole a Teen’s ‘MAGA’ Hat? He Just Got Some Bad News.” HERE)

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Opposition Media: Well, the Toronto Star Just Gave Trump Another Reason to Bash the Dishonest Press

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President Trump’s relations with the press are contentious, and today’s events just offered more justification for his aggressive nature with the elite news media. Apparently, off the record means nothing now that Donald Trump is in office. The president is in the midst of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement between Mexico and Canada. Bloomberg News had a meeting with the president, where he said some portions would be OTR. Someone at Bloomberg appears to have leaked these details to the Toronto Star, who ran with it. The story is not 100 percent verifiable, which the Star admits, so just shows you where newsrooms are nowadays. Trump was speaking about how he was not going to compromise with Canada in the new trade talks…reportedly…:

In remarks Trump wanted to be “off the record,” Trump told Bloomberg News reporters on Thursday, according to a source, that he is not making any compromises at all in the talks with Canada — but that he cannot say this publicly because “it’s going to be so insulting they’re not going to be able to make a deal.”

“Here’s the problem. If I say no — the answer’s no. If I say no, then you’re going to put that, and it’s going to be so insulting they’re not going to be able to make a deal … I can’t kill these people,” he said of the Canadian government.

In another remark he did not want published, Trump said, according to the source, that the possible deal with Canada would be “totally on our terms.” He suggested he was scaring the Canadians into submission by repeatedly threatening to impose tariffs.

“Off the record, Canada’s working their ass off. And every time we have a problem with a point, I just put up a picture of a Chevrolet Impala,” Trump said, according to the source. The Impala is produced at the General Motors plant in Oshawa, Ontario.

(Read more from “Opposition Media: Well, the Toronto Star Just Gave Trump Another Reason to Bash the Dishonest Press” HERE)

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Trump Threatens to Withdraw From World Trade Organization

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If the World Trade Organization doesn’t “shape up,” President Donald Trump told Bloomberg he would pull the United States out.

In a Thursday interview with Bloomberg, Trump again criticized the international trading group’s treatment of the United States.

He told Bloomberg, “If they don’t shape up, I would withdraw from the WTO.”

The president’s comments follow previous reports that Trump had told White House aides that he wanted to withdraw from the WTO.

But top Trump administration officials haven’t been as eager to pull out of the global trade regulator. In July, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC that talk to withdraw from the WTO was “a little premature.” (Read more from “Trump Threatens to Withdraw From World Trade Organization” HERE)

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Massachusetts Dem Wants to Impeach Someone Other Than Trump

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Most Democrats calling for impeachment proceedings have their eyes on President Trump. One lawmaker in Massachusetts has someone else in mind. State Senator Barbara L’Italien, who is running to replace retiring Rep. Niki Tsongas, wants to send Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas packing because of his past “lies” about the sexual assault allegations against him.

During his 1991 confirmation hearings, Thomas was accused of making sexual advances against Anita Hill, a woman who had worked for him at two federal agencies. He denied the claims, but L’Italien doesn’t buy it. She is prepared to file the impeachment resolution against Thomas for perjury.

“There is an elephant in the room for Congress in the #MeToo era. Our leaders have to start talking about it. Two of the most powerful men in the country have been credibly accused of sexual crimes and gotten away with it,” L’Italien said. “Laws cracking down on sexual assault have to be signed by a president who multiple women say assaulted them. Regulations to stop sexual harassment can be struck down by a Supreme Court justice who lied under oath to counter allegations of sexual harassment. Why would victims think a government like that is looking out for them?” (Politico)

L’Italien may be the first politician to advocate for Thomas’s impeachment, but she’s not the first person. The Daily Intelligencer’s Jill Abramson wrote a piece entitled, “Do You Believe Her Now?,” laying out the case for impeaching Thomas based on new evidence. (Read more from “Massachusetts Dem Wants to Impeach Someone Other Than Trump” HERE)

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Guess Who Just Paid for the Wall? Mexico!

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Guess what? President Trump just won- again. Trump just made the impossible, possible- again. Trump just made Mexico pay for the wall. More on that in a moment. . .

That was all before President Trump announced a United States-Mexico trade agreement. Because Trump talked tough and never gave in, US workers will benefit. US carmakers will benefit. US manufacturers will benefit. US taxpayers will benefit. Trump did it. He won. We all won. Trump announced he will terminate NAFTA.

While we don’t know all the details yet, I guarantee this new trade deal will save us tens of billions, perhaps hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade. Since the wall with Mexico costs about $25 billion, Trump just forced Mexico (whether they know it or not) to pay for the wall. Once again, Trump accomplished what establishment politicians of both parties said could never be done.

But with Donald J. Trump there are no such words as “never” or “impossible.”Trump has chutzpah. Trump has cajones. Trump aims for the moon. Trump is combative and aggressive. Trump is driven to do what others say cannot be done. Trump is an eternal optimist. He accepts nothing less than #WINNING. I call those traits “The Trump Rules.” He proves they work every day!

You can bet he’s gotten Mexico to pay for the wall- his No. 1 promise of the election. You can bet we will now begin building the wall. Just as I knew his popularity would go up after the terrible week of guilty pleas and nonstop media assaults last week. (Read more from “Guess Who Just Paid for the Wall? Mexico!” HERE)

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