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| Senate Committee Advances Jeff Sessions for Attorney General | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| ■ The nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions to be attorney general cleared a sharply divided Senate Judiciary Committee. | |
| ■ The Senate Finance Committee approved President Trump’s Treasury and health secretary nominees without Democrats present. | ■ The Senate Finance Committee approved President Trump’s Treasury and health secretary nominees without Democrats present. |
| ■ President Trump, meeting with African-American supporters, said Frederick Douglass “has done an amazing job.” | |
| A divided Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senator Jeff Sessions’ nomination as attorney general Wednesday, despite a fierce pushback from Democrats over President Trump’s firing this week of the department’s acting chief over the administration’s refugee policy. | |
| The vote came on a straight party line vote, with 11 Republicans supporting their former colleague from Alabama and nine Democrats opposing him. | |
| The Republican-controlled Senate now appears ready to approve his nomination next week, which would give the Justice Department and its 113,000 employees a full-time boss after a tumultuous few days that called its independence into question. | |
| The judiciary committee vote came two days after Mr. Trump ousted acting attorney general Sally Q. Yates, a holdover from the Obama administration, after she refused to defend his contentious order on refugees because she said its legality was unclear. The White House called her actions “a betrayal.” | |
| Democrats zeroed in on the firing this week and charged that Mr. Sessions, an early supporter of Mr. Trump’s long-shot campaign and an influential adviser, would not have the independence to challenge the White House on legally questionable policies. | |
| At his confirmation hearing last month, however, Mr. Sessions pledged repeatedly that he would be able to “say no” to Mr. Trump if needed and would not be “a mere rubber stamp” on issues like immigration and national security. | |
| The debate turned ugly as committee members traded personal barbs and accusations of “untoward” behavior. | |
| The jousting started when Senator Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, began challenging Mr. Sessions’s civil rights record and claimed that another committee member, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, had “misrepresented” the issue. | |
| Mr. Cruz was not at the committee hearing at the time, but his fellow Texan, Senator John Cornyn, rushed to his defense and cut off Mr. Franken in midspeech. | |
| “I object to the senator disparaging a fellow member of the committee here in his absence,” Mr. Cornyn interjected angrily. | |
| “Well, he should be here first of all, and secondly he disparaged me,” Mr. Franken responded as the two men talked over one another. | |
| “I would hope he would do it to his face,” Mr. Cornyn said. The attack on Mr. Cruz, he said a moment later, was “untoward and its inappropriate and I object.” | |
| Senator Charles E. Grassley, the chairman of the committee, was clearly loath to referee the spat, telling the two senators that “we’d be better off if we just let it go.” | |
| But they didn’t, and Mr. Grassley eventually complained that the two senators were putting him “in an awful bad position” in their attacks. | |
| “Could you please leave personalities out of it?” he implored. | |
| Mr. Franken went right on talking — with Mr. Cruz at the center of his attacks. | |
| Senate Finance Committee Republicans suspended their rules of operation and approved the nominations of Representative Tom Price to be secretary of health and human services and financier Steven Mnuchin to be Treasury secretary — with no Democrats present. | Senate Finance Committee Republicans suspended their rules of operation and approved the nominations of Representative Tom Price to be secretary of health and human services and financier Steven Mnuchin to be Treasury secretary — with no Democrats present. |
| The unanimous votes for confirmation are a bit misleading. Democrats had tried to delay the finance committee votes, demanding answers from both nominees about recent news reports of insider-trading allegations involving Mr. Price and roughshod treatment of homeowners by Mr. Mnuchin’s Southern California bank — as well as his evasive and incomplete answers about both. | The unanimous votes for confirmation are a bit misleading. Democrats had tried to delay the finance committee votes, demanding answers from both nominees about recent news reports of insider-trading allegations involving Mr. Price and roughshod treatment of homeowners by Mr. Mnuchin’s Southern California bank — as well as his evasive and incomplete answers about both. |
| Republicans decided enough was enough. Committee rules require a quorum that includes at least one member from the minority party. But Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia, moved to suspend the rules, and with no Democrat present to object, the committee chairman, Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, gaveled it done, invoking the Democrats’ Tuesday boycott: | Republicans decided enough was enough. Committee rules require a quorum that includes at least one member from the minority party. But Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia, moved to suspend the rules, and with no Democrat present to object, the committee chairman, Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, gaveled it done, invoking the Democrats’ Tuesday boycott: |
| Of course, “unprecedented” is in the eyes of the beholder. Senate Republicans’ blockade of former President Barack Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, appears to have given Democrats a reason to obstruct pretty much however they choose. | Of course, “unprecedented” is in the eyes of the beholder. Senate Republicans’ blockade of former President Barack Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, appears to have given Democrats a reason to obstruct pretty much however they choose. |
| Senator Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the committee, emerged in the hallway after the vote and lamented the breaking of a tradition that required a member of the minority party to be in attendance for a vote. | Senator Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the committee, emerged in the hallway after the vote and lamented the breaking of a tradition that required a member of the minority party to be in attendance for a vote. |
| He said that revelations about Mr. Price and Mr. Mnuchin that came to light in recent days raised serious questions about their nominations. | He said that revelations about Mr. Price and Mr. Mnuchin that came to light in recent days raised serious questions about their nominations. |
| While it appeared that there were no additional moves that Democrats could make to slow the nominations, Mr. Wyden said that they would continue ask questions. | While it appeared that there were no additional moves that Democrats could make to slow the nominations, Mr. Wyden said that they would continue ask questions. |
| “What we’re going to do, and it may sound like a quaint idea, is to follow up,” Mr. Wyden said. “We’re going to keep pushing to get the facts.” | “What we’re going to do, and it may sound like a quaint idea, is to follow up,” Mr. Wyden said. “We’re going to keep pushing to get the facts.” |
| Senate Democrats on Wednesday pulled the same stunt with another one of President Trump’s cabinet nominees, Scott Pruitt, who was nominated to head the Environmental Protection Agency. | Senate Democrats on Wednesday pulled the same stunt with another one of President Trump’s cabinet nominees, Scott Pruitt, who was nominated to head the Environmental Protection Agency. |
| Democrats boycotted Mr. Pruitt’s scheduled confirmation vote by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, saying Mr. Pruitt had declined to adequately answer their questions and address their concern about how he would run the agency charged with protecting the environment. As Attorney General of Oklahoma, Mr. Pruitt has led or taken part in 14 lawsuits against the E.P.A., aimed at blocking or weakening existing environmental regulations. | Democrats boycotted Mr. Pruitt’s scheduled confirmation vote by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, saying Mr. Pruitt had declined to adequately answer their questions and address their concern about how he would run the agency charged with protecting the environment. As Attorney General of Oklahoma, Mr. Pruitt has led or taken part in 14 lawsuits against the E.P.A., aimed at blocking or weakening existing environmental regulations. |
| Yes, that Frederick Douglass, former slave, abolitionist and statesman who died in 1895. | Yes, that Frederick Douglass, former slave, abolitionist and statesman who died in 1895. |
| Meeting with African-American supporters at the White House on Wednesday, the president let it be known that Mr. Douglass, an important figure in American history, had come to his attention. | Meeting with African-American supporters at the White House on Wednesday, the president let it be known that Mr. Douglass, an important figure in American history, had come to his attention. |
| “Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who has done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice,” Mr. Trump said. “Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and millions more black Americans who made America what it is today. A big impact.” | “Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who has done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice,” Mr. Trump said. “Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and millions more black Americans who made America what it is today. A big impact.” |
| Yes, he said that. | Yes, he said that. |
| Mr. Trump’s hope for relative peace and calm this weekend at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, Fla., may be disrupted. | |
| Emboldened by demonstrations across the country, and the White House’s decision to scotch a trip to Milwaukee rather than face angry opponents, protesters are planning a march outside the club as it hosts the annual American Red Cross gala. | |
| The gala has been held at the club in previous years, and Mr. Trump has attended. It is unclear whether he will this year. | |
| But the protests will paint an untimely tableau for a president whose last five days have been spent facing fallout from his executive order banning travel over the next few months from seven Muslim-majority nations. | |
| Their action may have been encouraged by the White House itself. The decision to cancel President Trump’s trip to Milwaukee for a Harley-Davidson factory visit on Thursday was sure to have repercussions for the already energized activists opposing Mr. Trump’s presidency. | |
| Harley-Davidson was worried about the protests likely to greet Mr. Trump and the possible harm to its popularity, just as Peyton Manning was last week when he dashed out the back door of a Republican retreat in Philadelphia rather than risk the cameras. | |
| The Democratic National Committee is already mocking the decision. | |
| “Donald Trump is a real tough guy when it comes to locking up a scared 5-year-old boy trying to find his mother,” said Zac Petkanas, Democratic National Committee senior adviser. “But as soon as he has to face the American people to defend his illegal anti-Muslim ban, he chickens out. What a profile in courage.” | |
| First, President Trump called his hard stop on refugees and visas to seven Muslim nations a ban. | First, President Trump called his hard stop on refugees and visas to seven Muslim nations a ban. |
| Then his press secretary, Sean Spicer, stood at the White House podium on Tuesday and said it was not a ban, a position he held to, even after reporters quoted his boss. | Then his press secretary, Sean Spicer, stood at the White House podium on Tuesday and said it was not a ban, a position he held to, even after reporters quoted his boss. |
| Now Mr. Trump has asked, “What’s in a name?” | Now Mr. Trump has asked, “What’s in a name?” |
| Glad that’s settled. | Glad that’s settled. |
| Plans for President Trump’s state visit to Britain are all coming a cropper. | Plans for President Trump’s state visit to Britain are all coming a cropper. |
| When British Prime Minister Theresa May invited Mr. Trump last week to pay a state visit to Britain, a call on Queen Elizabeth II was part of the invitation. But royal visits tend to involve more than just the queen, and the Prince of Wales has made clear that he intends to give Mr. Trump a piece of his mind about the urgent need to address climate change. | When British Prime Minister Theresa May invited Mr. Trump last week to pay a state visit to Britain, a call on Queen Elizabeth II was part of the invitation. But royal visits tend to involve more than just the queen, and the Prince of Wales has made clear that he intends to give Mr. Trump a piece of his mind about the urgent need to address climate change. |
| American officials have made clear that Mr. Trump has no intention of being lectured by Prince Charles and instead, he wants to be greeted by Prince Charles’s much cuter children, including Prince William, his attractive wife, Kate Middleton, and their young children. | American officials have made clear that Mr. Trump has no intention of being lectured by Prince Charles and instead, he wants to be greeted by Prince Charles’s much cuter children, including Prince William, his attractive wife, Kate Middleton, and their young children. |
| Of course, this 2012 post on Twitter might make that a tad awkward as well: | Of course, this 2012 post on Twitter might make that a tad awkward as well: |
| But Prince Charles, who has been denied a kingship most of his life because of his mother’s decision to hang onto the crown into her 90s, has made clear that he does not intend to be passed over by Mr. Trump. | But Prince Charles, who has been denied a kingship most of his life because of his mother’s decision to hang onto the crown into her 90s, has made clear that he does not intend to be passed over by Mr. Trump. |
| The royal snag is one of several that have cropped up over Mr. Trump’s visit. British Prime Minister Theresa May thought her own visit to the White House had gone swimmingly, only to discover that shortly after she left, Mr. Trump had signed an executive order barring refugees and the entry of anyone from seven countries, which caused a firestorm in Britain. | The royal snag is one of several that have cropped up over Mr. Trump’s visit. British Prime Minister Theresa May thought her own visit to the White House had gone swimmingly, only to discover that shortly after she left, Mr. Trump had signed an executive order barring refugees and the entry of anyone from seven countries, which caused a firestorm in Britain. |
| Ms. May was accused of appeasement by a former British diplomat. Protesters gathered outside 10 Downing Street on Monday night, and more than 1.5 million signatures collected on an internet petition demanding that Mrs. May rescind her invitation for Mr. Trump to visit Queen Elizabeth II. | Ms. May was accused of appeasement by a former British diplomat. Protesters gathered outside 10 Downing Street on Monday night, and more than 1.5 million signatures collected on an internet petition demanding that Mrs. May rescind her invitation for Mr. Trump to visit Queen Elizabeth II. |
| Mrs. May has insisted that her invitation remain in force, but the initial bloom of her visit has decidedly faded. And now Prince Charles has promised to give it a royal tarnish. | Mrs. May has insisted that her invitation remain in force, but the initial bloom of her visit has decidedly faded. And now Prince Charles has promised to give it a royal tarnish. |
| The Obama administration’s efforts to regulate the once flourishing for-profit university system did not get a lot of attention, but they had big consequences. | The Obama administration’s efforts to regulate the once flourishing for-profit university system did not get a lot of attention, but they had big consequences. |
| Critics of the universities saw fake diploma mills that recruited students with advertising on buses, on subways and even in homeless shelters, and then helped them get guaranteed student loans from the federal government. Money in hand, the for-profits often left the students to their own devices. If they dropped out, or got degrees that proved worthless in the work world, so be it: The taxpayer would pay off the loans if the students couldn’t. | Critics of the universities saw fake diploma mills that recruited students with advertising on buses, on subways and even in homeless shelters, and then helped them get guaranteed student loans from the federal government. Money in hand, the for-profits often left the students to their own devices. If they dropped out, or got degrees that proved worthless in the work world, so be it: The taxpayer would pay off the loans if the students couldn’t. |
| The Obama-era regulations tightened up recruiting rules and tied loans to the schools’ records of getting their students the jobs they were promised. Many for-profit universities went under. | The Obama-era regulations tightened up recruiting rules and tied loans to the schools’ records of getting their students the jobs they were promised. Many for-profit universities went under. |
| Now, President Trump — who just settled a fraud suit against his Trump University — has asked Liberty University’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr., a stern critic of accreditation rules, to head a White House task force on higher education, assigned to focus on “overregulation and micromanagement,” a Liberty spokesman told NBC News. | Now, President Trump — who just settled a fraud suit against his Trump University — has asked Liberty University’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr., a stern critic of accreditation rules, to head a White House task force on higher education, assigned to focus on “overregulation and micromanagement,” a Liberty spokesman told NBC News. |
| “The goal is to pare it back and give colleges and their accrediting agencies more leeway in governing their affairs,” Mr. Falwell, an evangelical Christian, told The Chronicle of Higher Education. | “The goal is to pare it back and give colleges and their accrediting agencies more leeway in governing their affairs,” Mr. Falwell, an evangelical Christian, told The Chronicle of Higher Education. |
| The pendulum could be swinging back fast. | The pendulum could be swinging back fast. |
| Whether former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will actually run for president in 2020 at age 78 is still uncertain, but some of his plans for life after 44 years of public service became a bit more clear on Tuesday after he announced the formation of the Biden Foundation. | Whether former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will actually run for president in 2020 at age 78 is still uncertain, but some of his plans for life after 44 years of public service became a bit more clear on Tuesday after he announced the formation of the Biden Foundation. |
| And not surprisingly, Mr. Biden used one of his father’s favorite aphorisms to mark the occasion. | And not surprisingly, Mr. Biden used one of his father’s favorite aphorisms to mark the occasion. |
| “My dad used to have an expression, ‘It’s a lucky person who gets up in the morning, puts both feet on the floor, knows what they’re about to do and thinks it still matters,’” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “We look forward to this new chapter.” | “My dad used to have an expression, ‘It’s a lucky person who gets up in the morning, puts both feet on the floor, knows what they’re about to do and thinks it still matters,’” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “We look forward to this new chapter.” |
| Mr. Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, intend to use the foundation to advance some of their dearest foreign and domestic policy priorities, including their cancer initiative, combating violence against women, and supporting U.S. military service members and their families, according to the announcement. | Mr. Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, intend to use the foundation to advance some of their dearest foreign and domestic policy priorities, including their cancer initiative, combating violence against women, and supporting U.S. military service members and their families, according to the announcement. |
| Several of the Bidens’ closest friends and family members will serve on the board of the charity, including former Senator Ted Kaufman and Valerie Biden Owens, Mr. Biden’s sister. | Several of the Bidens’ closest friends and family members will serve on the board of the charity, including former Senator Ted Kaufman and Valerie Biden Owens, Mr. Biden’s sister. |