Politics. On Point.

The White House announces intent to nominate the following to the key posts within the administration. Nominees include Brian Benczkowski, Steve Bradbury and Carlos  Muñiz. Brian Allen Benczkowski of Virginia to be an Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Department of Justice.  Mr. Benczkowski is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP whose practice focuses on litigation and white collar criminal defense, including government and internal investigations. He has over 10 years of diverse public service experience in the federal government, including key leadership positions both in the U.S. Department of Justice and on Capitol Hill.  Prior to joining Kirkland in 2010, Mr. Benczkowski served as the Republican Staff Director for the Committee on the Judiciary of the U.S. Senate, where he was the top advisor and strategist to Republican members of the committee for legislative, oversight and nominations matters. Previously, Mr...

Hundreds of civil and human rights groups have penned a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to "end his systematic assault on civil and human rights." Led by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and 99 other such groups that include The Human Rights Campaign, the A. Philip Randolph Institute and the AFL-CIO, the groups maintain that the Trump administration has been making generous cuts to several civil rights organizations. “It’s clear that President Trump and his administration is attempting to roll back civil and human rights across the board. That will not stand,” said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference. The administration has vehemently cited his intent to "repeal and replace" Obamacare and what the administration deems as "high cost" health care. It has also promised an increase in spending for the following governmental agencies, as cited by OMB director Mick Mulvaney. In an off-camera briefi...

Lauds his work as president. President Trump took his blame-the-media speech to New London, Connecticut Wednesday where he gave the commencement address to the 2017 graduating class of U.S. Coast Guard. The president admonished the graduates to "never give up", suggesting he won the presidency because he never gave up his fight against "unfair" events, "especially by the media." "Look at the way I’ve been treated lately, especially by the media", Trump said. "No politician in history, and I say t his with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly.  You can’t let them get you down.  You can’t let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams." The president told the graduates they " will   find that things happen to you that you do not deserve and that are not always warranted.  But you have to put your head down and fight, fight, fight.  Never, ever, ever give up.  Things will work out just fin...

Today, in what could be seen as his first public forum since leaving office, President Obama reached out to young leaders during a civic engagement event at the University of Chicago to listen to thoughts and ideas on how youth can, and are, working to improve communities through engagement and opportunity. President Obama talks with youth during University of Chicago youth forum. ADVERTISEMENT CMB BUSINESS SOLUTIONS   The panel of youth who have forged ahead in their own lives to make positive differences talked about their own successes while providing ideas on how other youth can get involved to improve the quality of life and opportunity for today's youth. Samuel Figueroa a student from Roosevelt University shared the ideal of making “personal connections” to private situations. He said he believes in providing statistics to show where the need is in communities and said he likes to “connect the facts.” Figueroa also said that “listening” is key. “It’s ...

Members of civil rights groups met with Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice Tuesday with a list of concerns they say were meant to put Sessions “on notice.” "The meeting was two-fold", said Wade Henderson,  president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights .  We met with Sessions "to present the agenda of national civil rights organizations and to discuss with the AG our expectations for his responsibility to the American people to address issues of national concern regarding civil and human rights", he said. Civil rights groups met with the press after meeting with Attorney General Jeff Sessions Tuesday at the Department of Justice. Pictured are: Marc Morial, National Urban League. From left to right:  Rev. Al Sharpton, National Action Network; Wade Henderson,  Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund (hidden);   Kristen Clarke, president & exec...

The White House put out a statement honoring International Women's Day, a day where women around the world are recognized for their contributions to advance a civil society.  ADVERTISEMENT CMB BUSINESS SOLUTIONS   THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 8, 2017 Statement from the Press Secretary in Honor of International Women’s Day International Women’s Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate and reflect upon the meaningful progress women have made throughout society, while also acknowledging that there is still much work that remains to be done to ensure the complete and consequential participation of women in all spheres of economic, political, and public life. Throughout our history, women have made enormous contributions in the service of our country, and we know that as a Nation, America will only become stronger, more prosperous, and better able to meet our shared goals, as women achieve greater access to a level ...

President Trump announced Tuesday, on prime-time television, his Supreme Court pick selecting Neil Gorsuch, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.  If confirmed, Gorsuch will fill the SCOTUS seat left by Chief Justice Antonin Scalia who died in 2016.   Trump selects Neil Gorsuch to Supreme Court. Photo/AP. “Judge Gorsuch has a superb intellect, an unparalleled legal education, and a commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to its text", said Trump. "He will make an incredible Justice as soon as the Senate confirms him.” [ Gorsuch rules on Hobby Lobby  case]. While some consider Gorsuch to be “warm”, “open”, “generous” and willing to “find common ground”, Democratic Minority Speaker of House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said in a statement issued soon after the announcement about Gorsuch: “In the Hobby Lobby case, Judge Neil Gorsuch revealed his eagerness to single out women’s health for discrimination and e...

The Trump administration PR machine is doing its best to point out positive items the administration believes it is accomplishing. After Press Secretary Sean Spicer, on Monday, called the negative news about Trump " demoralizing " (2:00 mark), the administration put out 'positive' reinforcement by highlighting media coverage they say 'praises' Trump's actions his first week as president of the United States. Spicer said it was "frustrating" to turn on the news to see "... a constant attempt to undermine [Trump's] credibility and the movement that he represents." On Tuesday the administration, with facts to support their claims, provided a running list of news articles that show America's support. A White House email, leading with an article by The Atlantic titled, Praise For President Trump's Bold Action:  The President Is “Coming Out As A Winner On Many Issues ,   provided a running list of articles that show the ...

Making good on one of his campaign promises, President Trump vowed to make changes to NAFTA , also known as the North American Free Trade Agreement. Meeting with business leaders from Ford, Tesla, Dell and others at the White House Monday morning, Trump stated he will impose legislation that will charge tariffs (taxes) on companies that ship their products to the U.S. President Trump meets with business leaders at the White House. Photo/Chicago Tribune. "We're the only ones that make it free to come into the country", he said. Trump said countries like China make it difficult to ship products to their country, but do not pay to ship their products to the U.S. "We want fair trade", Trump said. NAFTA was enacted under former president George H.W. Bush in 1992 and signed into legislation by Bill Clinton in 1994. The president also wants to impose sanctions on U.S. companies who manufacture overseas as he vows to 'bring jobs back to America'...

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary January 20, 2017 Remarks of President Donald J.  Trump – As Prepared for Delivery Inaugural Address Friday, January 20, 2017 Washington, D.C. As Prepared for Delivery – Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you. We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.  Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come.  We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.  Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnif...