Donald Trump and Mike Pence enter the Oval Office yesterday for the swearing-in of Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. (Michael Reynolds/EPA) | | BY JAMES HOHMANN | with Breanne Deppisch | | | THE BIG IDEA: Mike Pence is the un-Trump. Serving the first president in American history who has no prior political or military experience, the vice president's background makes him well suited to sell Donald Trump's policies. Perhaps because he has been in their shoes, he has already proven adept at connecting with and reassuring conservative members of Congress, governors and talk radio hosts. The last few days have brought several illustrations of the important role he will likely play in the administration. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, came out yesterday against the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be secretary of education. That means, if Democrats stick together, she'll end up with a 50-50 vote. That would make Pence the first vice president in U.S. history to use his tie-breaking vote to confirm a cabinet nominee. Pence brings Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch to a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) -- Apart from his limited constitutional responsibilities, Trump is depending on Pence to be his clean-up guy on the Hill. During a private lunch with GOP senators on Tuesday, Pence sought to soothe concerns about the botched rollout of the refugee ban. He gave his word that the White House will do a better job of keeping members in the loop going forward, especially on major policy announcements. This is an incredibly delicate moment in the Capitol. Republicans who are wise, including Mitch McConnell, do not want to invoke the nuclear option. Smart conservatives understand that changing the rules of the Senate to allow for a simple majority to confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee would set a disastrous precedent, which would invariably be used to put hyper-liberal justices onto the high court in future years. Even talking about going this route poisons the well and makes it that much harder to woo the eight moderate Democrats needed to clear the current 60-vote threshold. | Trump: Senate Republicans should 'go nuclear' to approve Gorsuch | But Trump, who is all about instant gratification, has never grappled with James Madison's conception of the Senate as a saucer to cool hot tea. Yesterday morning, as Pence escorted Neil Gorsuch to his first meetings on the Hill, Trump lobbed a bomb by publicly urging Republican leaders to tear up the rules of the Senate. "I would say, 'If you can, Mitch, go nuclear,'" Trump told reporters at the White House. "I would say it's up to Mitch, but I would say, 'Go for it!'" Republican senators, so pumped about Trump's pick the night before, found themselves once again peeved at the president. "It'd be better to let it cool for a while," said Orrin Hatch, the president pro tempore. "I don't think it's going to be necessary," added John Cornyn, number two in GOP leadership. In the face of much more negative private complaints, Pence went on TV to walk back what Trump had said. He told the PBS "NewsHour" that the White House would like to get Gorsuch confirmed without the nuclear option. "I'm hopeful he doesn't," Pence said, referring to McConnell changing the rules. The White House has also booked Pence on three of this weekend's Sunday shows: Meet the Press, Face the Nation and Fox News Sunday. Billionaire industrialist Charles Koch speaks Saturday night at a reception for donors in California. (The Seminar Network) -- Pence is the Koch network's conduit into the administration. The most striking takeaway from my three days covering the Koch donor seminar in California earlier this week is the degree to which donors and others in the powerful network see Pence as their man in the administration. Marc Short went from being Pence's chief of staff in the House to leading political operations for the Koch network. Now he's the head of legislative affairs for the White House. Pence also just hired Koch network staffer Stephen Ford to serve as his chief speechwriter. The Kochs have been longtime boosters of criminal justice reform. They came pretty close to getting a major bill passed in the last Congress, but it fell apart because of election-year squabbling. On paper, the odds of getting it done now are dramatically lower. Incoming Attorney General Jeff Sessions voted against a bipartisan bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, and Trump ran on a platform of law and order. But top Koch officials and their closest allies insist that they're not giving up, in part, because they think Pence will help make it into an administration priority. "The reason we're optimistic is really Mike Pence," said Texas investor Doug Deason, a Koch network benefactor. "If you think Cheney had power in Bush White House, just watch and see what happens with Mike Pence!" Scott Walker visits Maple Bluff, Wis. (Scott Bauer/AP) -- Pence is also the go-to guy for governors. He just moved to the Naval Observatory after four years in the Indiana executive mansion, so he can relate to the challenges that governors face. Scott Walker said yesterday that, during a meeting at the White House this past weekend, Pence asked him about his 2011 move to curtail collective bargaining rights for public workers in Wisconsin. The governor said he and Pence talked about "how they may take bits and pieces of what we did with Act 10 and with civil service reform, and how they could apply that at the national level" for federal workers, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It's something that they're interested in. The vice president has brought it up before," Walker told a Rotary Club. "It's certainly something we're willing to offer our assistance on." During a panel discussion on federalism at the Koch seminar, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey recalled a meeting with Trump last summer. "Both he and Hillary were talking as if each of them would be the better leader or manager of the big federal bureaucracy," the Republican said. "I said, 'Hey … why don't you push all this stuff back to the states and focus on defense and foreign policy?'" Asked if Trump was receptive, he ducked a little: "When he picked Mike Pence as V.P., he told us a lot!" That prompted sustained applause from the 550 donors who have each committed to give at least $100,000-per-year to support the Koch network. The White House also announced last night that Pence has hired Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's chief of staff to become his communications director. Snyder helped navigate Detroit through bankruptcy, but his star faded with the lead poisoning scandal in Flint. "Jarrod helped guide our team through times of crisis," Snyder said in an effusive statement to the Detroit Free Press. | Audio: Vice President Pence takes questions from Republican lawmakers | -- Members of the House have a relationship with Pence from his 12 years there. Many conservatives who still view Trump warily express confidence that the replacement plan for Obamacare will turn out okay because Pence is so closely involved. Incoming HHS secretary Tom Price, who will be the point person on ACA replacement, has no personal relationship with Trump, but he's good friends with Pence from their time on the Hill. Lawmakers also express hope that, because Pence was foremrly the chair of the House Republican Conference, he will ensure rank-and-file members are included in the process. "It very much appears to me, particularly given that Mike Pence comes from the House, that we will have the central role as we ought to as the legislative body in driving legislation," said Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.). "They need us." | 'Life is winning in America': Pence speaks at March for Life | -- Social conservatives see him as one of their own. No one questions Pence's bona fides. Unlike Trump, he can very naturally speak the language of the conservative movement because it's his native tongue. The self-described "evangelical Catholic" is a hero among anti-abortion activists. As governor, he signed some of the strictest laws on abortion in the country. Last Friday Pence became the first vice president ever to address the annual March for Life since it began four decades ago. He touted the president's executive order to reinstate the so-called Mexico City policy and pledged that Planned Parenthood will be defunded. "Life is winning again in America," he said, getting a rock star's reception. Rush Limbaugh (Julie Smith/AP) -- Pence will be the Trump team's point man to sell its policies across conservative media. Before he came to Congress, he hosted an Indiana talk radio show. He called himself "Rush Limbaugh on decaf." Yesterday afternoon, the 57-year-old called into Limbaugh's show to tout Gorsuch. He also defended Trump's proposed infrastructure package, which many conservatives see as a boondoggle, and reiterated the promise to repeal Obamacare ASAP. Speaking in a very different tone than he did with Judy Woodruff on PBS around the same time, the V.P. griped that the new administration has not received the "honeymoon" period that every previous administration has in his lifetime. "Boy, if there was a honeymoon, it was pretty short, Rush," Pence said. He also decried the mainstream media for running "fake news" to bring Trump down. "I think it's one of the reasons people cherish and appreciate your voice in the national debate," Pence told Limbaugh. "Because when they hear it on Rush Limbaugh, they know it's a fact! They know it's coming straight at 'em, and they know it's backed up by the truth." THE WHITE HOUSE VS. THE WORLD: | Australian prime minister after Trump call: 'I always stand up for Australia' | -- Trump sent shockwaves around the world after turning what should have been one of the most congenial moments of his nascent presidency – a phone call with the leader of AUSTRALIA – into a badgering, brag-filled conversation that lasted half its intended length and included an indirect comparison of the country's prime minister to Vladimir Putin. Philip Rucker and Greg Miller scoop: "Trump blasted Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over a refugee agreement and boasted about the magnitude of his electoral college win … Then, 25 minutes into what was expected to be an hour-long call, Trump abruptly ended it. At one point Trump informed Turnbull that he had spoken with four other world leaders that day — including [Putin] — and that 'This was the worst call by far.' Trump's behavior suggests that he is capable of subjecting world leaders, including close allies, to a version of the vitriol he frequently employs against political adversaries and news organizations." "This is the worst deal ever," Trump fumed as Turnbull attempted to confirm that the U.S. would honor its pledge to take in 1,250 refugees from an Australian detention center. Trump complained he was "going to get killed" politically by the deal, and accused Australia of seeking to export the "next Boston bombers." He returned to the topic again hours later, writing in a late-night Twitter message: "Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!" U.S. officials said Trump has behaved in a similar fashion during conversations with other foreign leaders, but his remarks towards Australia were particularly alarming: The two countries have a tight bond, and have shared intelligence, supported each other diplomatically and have fought together in wars including in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump walks with Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto during his visit to Mexico City last August. (Dario Lopez-Mills/AP) -- Trump also suggested that he might send ground troops into MEXICO during a phone call with that country's president last Friday, according to the Associated Press: Trump warned that he was ready to send U.S. troops to stop "bad hombres down there" unless the Mexican military does more to control them, according to an excerpt of a transcript of the conversation that was leaked to the AP. "You have a bunch of bad hombres down there," Trump told Enrique Pena Nieto. "You aren't doing enough to stop them. I think your military is scared. Our military isn't, so I just might send them down to take care of it." The Mexican website Aristegui Noticias on Tuesday published a similar account of the phone call. Their report described Trump as humiliating Pena Nieto in a confrontational conversation. Eduardo Sanchez, spokesman for Mexico's president, denied the tone of the conversation was hostile or humiliating, saying it was respectful. -- The U.S. and Mexico appear to have taken the first steps toward renegotiating NAFTA, moving forward on a plan that would fulfill one of Trump's largest campaign promises and potentially transform the western hemisphere's economy. Ana Swanson and Joshua Partlow report: "A communique posted by Mexico's foreign and economic ministries … said that the Mexican government had begun a series of consultations with the private sector, a process which it said would take 90 days. The White House did not respond to a request for comment and officials in the U.S. Congress said they had not yet been notified of any formal action. But trade economists said the process might be tied to U.S. legislation passed under [Obama] that gives the president power to quickly broker a new trade agreement. Called fast-track authority, it requires the president to notify Congress 90 days before entering into negotiations for a new agreement. If the White House is indeed proceeding under fast-track authority, that suggests Trump could intend to scrap NAFTA altogether and forge bilateral trade deals with Mexico and Canada instead." -- Homeland Security secretary John F. Kelly said he wants the U.S.-Mexico border wall finished within two years, outlining an ambitious schedule for the project after visiting the Texas border. "The wall will be built where it's needed first, and then it will be filled in. That's the way I look at it," Kelly said in a Fox News interview that aired last night. "I really hope to have it done within the next two years." Meanwhile, he echoed Trump in saying they already "have the authority" necessary to construct the wall: "We're looking at the money aspect. I think the funding will come relatively quickly and like I said, we will build it where it's needed first as identified by the men and women who work the border." President Trump boards Marine One for an unannounced trip to Dover Air Force Base yesterday afternoon to to pay tribute to William "Ryan" Owens, the Navy SEAL who died during a weekend raid in Yemen. He was the first U.S. service member killed in combat since Trump took office. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) -- National security adviser Michael Flynn announced that the Trump administration is putting Iran "on notice" for its recent ballistic-missile launch, delivering a tight-lipped – but unspecified – response to what he called a violation of U.N restrictions. During a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, Flynn blamed the Obama administration for failing to confront Iran forcefully enough over its "malign actions" and said Trump is changing course. It's the latest sign that Trump's White House is advancing a combative, iconoclastic foreign policy, Anne Gearan reports, moving to concentrate power among a core group of aides who are loudly projecting an "America First" approach across the globe. -- Ranking Democratic lawmakers on six House committees are asking the Pentagon for information about Flynn, suggesting in a new letter that he may have violated a constitutional restriction by accepting a speaking fee for a trip to Moscow in 2015. "It is extremely concerning that he chose to accept payment for appearing at a gala hosted by the propaganda arm of the Russian government, which attacked the United States in an effort to undermine our election," the members wrote, saying it may be in violation of the emoluments clause. (Tom Hamburger) -- The U.S. military said last night that civilians "were likely killed" during Saturday's raid into Yemen, after the ground operation that led to the death of a Navy SEAL erupted into a massive firefight. A statement issued by Central Command said that an investigatory team "has concluded regrettably" that an unspecified number of civilians "appear to have been potentially caught up in aerial gunfire that was called in to assist U.S. forces" that were "receiving fire from all sides." Local media reports said at least 10 Yemeni women and children were killed. (Karen DeYoung) Trump and his daughter Ivanka depart for Dover Air Force Base from the South Lawn of the White House. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) THE TRUMP TAKEOVER AT HOME CONTINUES: -- Before he assumed office last month, Trump's team initiated an effort to oust the inspector general of every federal agency, with transition officials informing the independent watchdogs that their positions were only "temporary," and to seek other employment. These are open-ended appointments that by tradition have been respected by presidents of both political parties. (Steven Mufson) -- Trump has signaled his intent to sign five resolutions aimed at reversing Obama rules, including one dealing with methane emissions released from oil and gas operations on U.S. land and another requiring federal contractors to self-certify that they comply with U.S. labor laws. Trump will be the first president in 16 years to use the Congressional Review Act. (Juliet Eilperin and Chelsea Harvey) -- A draft executive order being considered at the White House would call on the U.S. Census to begin asking about immigration status. The proposal has sparked alarm among experts, who say the change would have a chilling effect. If immigrants no longer fill out the form, that would hurt local economies where they live and impact political redistricting. (Tara Bahrampour) -- The White House appears poised to take on yet another contentious slice of immigration policy: going after visa programs favored by technology companies to bring talented workers into this country. A draft order calls for a review of regulations regarding foreign workers and has roiled tech leaders, who have almost universally denounced the move. (Wall Street Journal) -- A leaked copy of a draft religious freedom executive order reveals sweeping plans to "legalize discrimination," according to The Nation: "The four-page draft order … construes religious organizations so broadly that it covers 'any organization, including closely held for-profit corporations,' and protects 'religious freedom' in every walk of life: 'when providing social services, education, or healthcare; earning a living, seeking a job, or employing others; receiving government grants or contracts; or otherwise participating in the marketplace, the public square, or interfacing with Federal, State or local governments.'" The draft order seeks to create wholesale exemptions for people and organizations who claim religious or moral objections to same-sex marriage, premarital sex, abortion, and trans identity, among other things. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: Groundhog Club co-handler Ron Ploucha holds Punsxutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, this morning. (David Maxwell/EPA) -- It's Groundhog Day! Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. (Angela Fritz) | Intense protests rage at Berkeley over Milo Yiannopoulos speech | -- The University of California at Berkeley canceled a speech from Breitbart writer Milo Yiannopoulos following a violent student protest that erupted in response to his planned appearance. The group of more than 1,000 demonstrators set off fireworks, threw rocks and bricks, and pounded on windows. (Susan Svrluga) -- The president himself weighed in this morning: Ollie is home safe. (Barbara Statas/Smithsonian's National Zoo) GET SMART FAST: - After fleeing her enclosure and spending three days in the wild, Ollie the bobcat has returned home! Zookeepers found the feline wandering near the Bird House exhibit, not far from where she disappeared, and confirmed she is now "100 percent safe and sound." (Michael E. Ruane and Dana Hedgpeth)
- Wildlife officials are mourning the death of a baby manatee, Emoji, who was killed after eating too many plastic bags. Vets say the young calf was just two weeks old when he was found wandering the seas with a stomach full of trash. Left orphaned and alone, he was likely unable to fend for himself. Manatees are some of Florida's most beloved, gentle creatures, but also among the most vulnerable – the so-called "sea cows" often fall victim to speedboat accidents, and in 2015, 19 were rescued from a Florida drainpipe. (Kristine Guerra)
- A day-long hostage standoff inside Delaware's largest state prison ended this morning after state police stormed the building, finding one corrections official dead and rescuing another who was being held hostage. (Katie Mettler and Mark Berman)
- The Fed voted unanimously to keep interest rates unchanged, a widely expected move that comes amid enduring uncertainty about fiscal policies under a President Trump. (Ana Swanson)
- The mayor of a tiny Texas town, located in one of the most staunchly conservative counties in the state, has come out as a transgender. She was both heartfelt and direct in an open letter to residents. "I live my life as a female now, and will be performing my duties to the town as such," she wrote, and has been stunned by the well wishes she has received from her community. "I was hoping for tolerance. I've been overwhelmed by support," she told Lindsey Bever.
The Internal Revenue Service building in Washington. (Susan Walsh/AP) GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES BEHAVING BADLY: -- A professional standards lawyer at the IRS was charged in a meth ring conspiracy. Federal prosecutors say he conspired to distribute some 50-plus grams of methamphetamine and is believed to have participated in the scheme since 2014. (Spencer S. Hsu) -- The Air Force moved to retroactively demote a retired four-star general, an extraordinary step that comes after an investigation found that he engaged in "inappropriate sexual acts" with a lower-ranking female officer. (Dan Lamothe) -- A Georgia prosecutor who was accused of hiring a prostitute last month is still receiving his government paycheck. He was nabbed alongside nearly 60 others in a sweeping sting. His bosses have prohibited him from making court appearances. (Peter Holley) | Biden Foundation Video Overview | OBAMA ALUMNI NEWS: -- Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, started a new charity. In a YouTube video, the couple laid out their wide-ranging plans for The Biden Foundation -- which include fighting cancer, preventing sexual assault, supporting military families and promoting education. (Juliet Eilperin) -- Biden also endorsed former Labor secretary Tom Perez for DNC chair. -- Hillary Clinton will deliver the commencement address at her alma mater, Wellesley College, where her 1969 speech as a graduating senior kicked off her political career. The former secretary of state is also working on a book of personal essays to come out on Sept. 26. Simon & Schuster says it will be structured around hundreds of favorite quotations that have inspired her. (CNN/ AP) -- John Kerry will write a memoir, as well. He's hired a lawyer to begin negotiating with publishers. (Politico) | The White House's vague statements about Frederick Douglass | AMATEUR HOUR: -- President Trump kicked off Black History Month on Wednesday by gathering a group of African American aides and supporters for a so-called "listening" session, in which he called CNN "fake news," thanked Fox for doing an "amazing job," and gave slave-turned-abolitionist Frederick Douglass lots of praise – in the present tense. "Frederick Douglass," Trump said, "is an example of somebody who's done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice." ("Amazing job, Frederick! Great work!" quipped Post columnist Dana Milbank. "It's unlikely anybody could recognize Douglass today, because he died in 1895. But no matter. He was on a roll.") -- Then, defending his boss, Sean Spicer added an additional layer of confusion: "I think he wants to highlight the contributions that [Douglass] has made, and I think through a lot of the actions and statements that he is going to make, I think the contributions of Frederick Douglass will become more and more," Spicer told reporters during a White House press briefing. His answer did not inspire confidence that either man actually knows Douglass has been dead for more than 120 years. (Vox) | Senate Finance Committee suspends rules to approve Mnuchin, Price without Democrats present | THE CABINET: -- GOP lawmakers moved aggressively to ram through several Trump nominees. Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee suspended their own rules to approve Tom Price to lead the department of health and human services and Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary, without Democrats present. (Kelsey Snell, David Weigel and Ed O'Keefe) -- Trump's VA nominee said he will seek a "major reform and a transformation of VA," but promised he will not privatize the system: "There will be far greater accountability, dramatically improved access, responsiveness and expanded care options," David Shulkin told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing. "But the Department of Veterans Affairs will not be privatized under my watch." (Lisa Rein) | Rex Tillerson sworn in as secretary of state | -- Rex Tillerson was confirmed as Secretary of State by a margin of 56 to 43. That's the largest number of "no" votes for the nation's chief diplomat since Henry Clay was confirmed nearly two centuries ago. Four Democrats – Heidi Heitkamp, Angus King, Joe Manchin III and Mark Warner -- broke ranks. He was sworn in by Pence. (Anne Gearan) -- On a party line 11-9 vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance the nomination of Jeff Sessions to be attorney general. He is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate by the end of the week. (Matt Zapotosky) -- Note: If Sessions recused himself from voting on fellow cabinet nominees, DeVos would fail. That's one reason GOP leadership is front-loading some of Trump's more controversial picks so that they can count on the Alabama senator's vote before he resigns to become A.G. -- Labor secretary nominee Andy Puzder is facing further delays in his Senate confirmation hearing because of complications in separating himself from his fast-food chain. He's trying to squelch rumors that he is getting cold feet about the gig: "I am fully committed to becoming secretary of labor and I am looking forward to my hearing," he said in a statement. (Jonelle Marte) Donald and Melania during the inauguration parade. (Evan Vucci/AP) THE FIRST FAMILY TAKES WASHINGTON: -- Harold Bornstein spoke to the New York Times about his decades as Trump's doctor. "I am probably the only person in the world who has every phone number for him and all the wives," he said. - The medications Trump takes: One is finasteride, a prostate-related drug to promote hair growth, which Dr. Bornstein credits with helping maintain his own shoulder-length mane. "He has all his hair," Bornstein said. "I have all my hair." The other two are antibiotics to control rosacea and a statin for elevated blood cholesterol and lipids, he added. Trump also takes a daily baby aspirin to reduce his risk of a heart attack.
- Trump as a "germaphobe": "He always stands there and changes the paper on the table himself" after an examination.
-- Melania Trump has hired a chief of staff. She's bringing on board Lindsay Reynolds, a Bush-era veteran who formerly served as associate director of the White House Visitors Office. (Emily Heil, Helena Andrews-Dyer and Krissah Thompson) -- FLOTUS is also moving to fill out the rest of her team: She's considering longtime Democrat/Obama appointee Natalie Jones to serve as the White House's new social secretary, and has hired Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a New York party planner known for organizing the celeb-laden Met Gala, as a senior adviser. Chief Strategist Steve Bannon arrives in the East Room before Trump holds a press conference last Friday. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) -- Steve Bannon is on the cover of Time Magazine this week as "The Great Manipulator." David Von Drehle has the story: "Most modern Presidents chart their opening moves with the help of a friendly think tank or a set of long-held beliefs. [Trump's] first steps had the feel of a documentary film made by his chief strategist and alter ego Stephen K. Bannon, a director who deploys ravenous sharks, shrieking tornadoes and mushroom clouds as reliably as John Ford shot Monument Valley. Having already helped draft the dark and scathing Inaugural Address and impose the refugee ban [last week], Bannon proceeded to light the national-security apparatus on fire by negotiating a standing invitation for himself to the National Security Council. His fingerprints were suddenly everywhere … [Trump and Bannon] share the experience of being talkative and brash, pugnacious money magnets who never quite fit among the elite. [But] Trump, in his long past as a businessman, has always aimed his disruptions at the goal of an eventual handshake: the deal. Bannon, in his films and radio shows, has shown a more apocalyptic bent. By marking Trump's first days so vividly, Bannon has put the accent on Trump the disrupter. In that sense, as one veteran Republican said, 'It's already over, and Bannon won.'" (See the cover.) Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks at the University of Notre Dame. (Robert Franklin/AP) TWO NATIONS, UNDER TRUMP: -- "'Can she eat more kale?' Hordes of people want reassurance RBG's health is good," by Monica Hesse: On Tuesday evening, Trump nominated Gorsuch for Scalia's long-empty seat. On Wednesday morning, liberals woke up, did the math and realized it was time to be concerned about Ruth Bader Ginsburg's fiber intake. Also bone density. Also exposure to airborne viruses (Madame Justice, what is your flu shot status?), and salmonella, and slippery ice, and also: Has anyone heard how scientists are coming along with a Zika vaccine? 'I'm very interested in this.' says [community organizer] Jeanette Bavwidinski ... 'I'm interested in what her daily regimen is. Like, what are you all feeding RBG? Is she getting enough fresh air? What is she reading? Is she reading low-stress things?' The facts in play: Ginsburg is 83 years old [and] one of the four reliably liberal jurists on the Supreme Court. ... But what if Ginsburg retires? What if Ginsburg gets sick and needs a leave of absence? In a week that has seen a relentless churn of White House news, liberal residents of the nation funneled their worst fears into a tiny, elderly woman." Quote du jour: "I kept thinking, you know, I could organize a bunch of gays," says consultant John Hagner. "We would just make a protective circle around her at all times. With a rainbow phalanx protecting the justice against potential slips and falls, Hagner would then feel free to turn his attention away from external dangers, and toward microbial pathogens. "At that point," he says, "what I'm mostly concerned about is the cancer. Is she getting her checkups? Do her doctors realize how important it is for her to get her checkups? Do they? The woman is 98 pounds." | 'He is trying to protect us with this ban' | ... Meanwhile, the flurry of White House moves are being received very differently in Trump's America. Jenna Johnson files from the small town of ACCIDENT, Md.: "A 60-year-old who works in the oil and gas industry said he is relieved to have a 'tough businessman' in the White House and hopes Trump will 'slam the door shut' on all Middle Easterners. A 26-year-old IT worker with a bushy beard said everyone should support 'enhanced screenings' at airports and struggles to take protesters seriously, referring to them as 'an entertaining show' that keeps airing new episodes. In this town of rolling hills in far western Maryland, many of President Trump's supporters have a message to those protesting his policies: Take a deep breath and stop yelling. Many here say the president is simply doing everything he promised to do and that he was elected to do — fight political correctness, protect the country from terrorists … [and] make Washington's swamp dwellers uncomfortable." A group re-paints the Ashburn Colored School last October after the nineteenth-century building was vandalized with racist symbols and hate language. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) MORE ON A DIVIDED AMERICA: -- Five teenage boys who vandalized a historic black schoolhouse with racist graffiti, including swastikas and phrases such as "white power," have received an unusual sentence for their crimes – an education. A Virginia judge has ordered them to complete a reading list of books from prominent black, Jewish and Afghan authors, write a research paper on hate speech, and visit the Holocaust Museum, among other things. They'll also listen to remarks from a former student of the all-black schoolhouse, which they defaced. (Moriah Balingit) -- Oakland has set up a $300,000 fund to fight deportations, joining a growing list of cities that have outlined plans to fund legal bills for immigrants who are threatened by Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. (San Francisco Chronicle) -- Among the hundreds of travelers detained by Trump's travel ban was CNN producer Mohammed Tawfeeq, an Iraqi national and legal U.S. resident whose reporting duties often require him to travel to and from the Middle East. He has filed a lawsuit challenging Trump's directive. (Atlanta Journal Constitution) Demonstrators protest Trump outside Downing Street earlier this week in London. (Leon Neal/Getty Images) THE WORLD IS NOT REACTING WELL TO TRUMP: -- He may have campaigned to make America great again – but his brand of nativism could be the death knell for American exceptionalism, says Tufts University professor Daniel W. Drezner. "For Trump's forgotten white men, it's a renaissance. For the idea that anyone can become an American, it's horrific … Whatever American exceptionalism was, it was not a powerful enough force to stop the transnational tides sweeping over the rest of the globe's democracies. The United States under Trump now looks like other post-2008 democracies in Europe, Latin America, and the rest of the world: deeply affected by globalization, hostile to immigration, and receptive to populist nationalism. A Trump administration will not be leading the charge on democracy, free trade, or human rights promotion. Trump's America looks just like a normal nation-state. -- A former Homeland Security immigration officer who vetted hundreds of potential refugees describes the long, grueling application process they undergo before coming to the U.S.: "From [my] experience and numerous security briefings, I can affirm that whoever wrote Trump's executive order blocking refugees … is wholly unfamiliar with the U.S. immigration system," she writes. "I typically had to review a stack of high school degrees, baptismal certificates, marriage and birth certificates, honors and awards, photos with U.S. service personnel, recommendations from American military members, and conscription booklets or cards … Every detail of their case is pored over and exhaustively analyzed … In one instance, while reviewing a case, I came across a report of a refugee who had handed someone a piece of fruit at a checkpoint. The incident was thoroughly investigated to see if the person had provided material support to a potential terrorist organization." -- An Iraqi-born man who works as a Facebook software engineer says he made it back into the U.S. just hours before Trump's travel ban went into effect. Ironically, he first came to America by way of a scholarship program aimed at students from Muslim-majority countries, which went into effect just one year after the 9/11 terror attacks. It was designed to help bridge the gaps between America and the Muslim world. Medium White Tee (Photo by Honolulu Museum of Art/Shuzo Uemoto) WAPO HIGHLIGHTS: -- "How a plain white T-shirt became a tribute to the Obama presidency," by Roxanne Roberts: "Feeling overwhelmed? Need to simplify your life? Even presidents feel that way. In a 2016 New York Times profile of Obama, [Rahm Emanuel] revealed an inside joke that he shared with the president in moments when they faced a crushing number of options: They would run away to Hawaii and open a T-shirt shack that sold shirts of only one color (white) and one size (medium). 'During difficult White House meetings when no good decision seemed possible," read the article,' Mr. Emanuel would sometimes turn to Mr. Obama and say, 'White.' Mr. Obama would in turn say, 'Medium.'' Brooklyn-based artist Emily Spivack read that last summer and couldn't get it out of her mind … She thought it was funny, escapist and very human: Although very few people understand the demands of the presidency, anyone could relate on some level to 'decision-making fatigue.' Thus was born the pop-up shop 'Medium White Tee.'" SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ: Here's the day in a nutshell: But this announcement got the lion's share of attention on the web: Many on Twitter joked about the Australia donnybrook: A good point from our fact checker: Reaction from a Democratic operative to the protests at UC Berkeley against Breitbart's Milo Yiannapoulos: And from the right: Here's some video from the protests from the San Francisco Chronicle's breaking news reporter: From another Chronicle reporter: Some were not impressed by Vice President Pence's tweet to mark Black History Month: Or Sean Spicer's talk about Frederick Douglass: Liberals laid down the gauntlet on Gorsuch: And one GOP senator responded: Another scene on the Hill: And from the White House: This tweet went viral: Some conservatives are thrilled with Trump's performance: On a lighter note: GOOD READ FROM ELSEWHERE: -- The Boston Globe, "At Harvard Law, Gorsuch stood out on a campus full of liberals," by Michael Levenson: "When neighbors complained that students in a Harvard Law School social club who lived in a gracious off-campus Victorian were parking illegally, spreading trash on the street, and throwing loud and late parties, Neil M. Gorsuch intervened. He and other members of the Lincoln's Inn Society devised a 'management plan' to curb the rowdy behavior, while arguing the whole kerfuffle was overblown.Twenty-six years later, classmates still describe Gorsuch … as more congenial than confrontational, even as he stood out as a committed conservative on a campus full of ardent liberals. Members of Gorsuch's class of 1991, an illustrious group that includes Barack Obama, staged sit-ins in the law library, camped outside the dean's office, and carried signs that read 'Diversity Now; and 'Homogeneity Feeds Hatred.' But Gorsuch had other concerns on his mind, classmates said … 'He was generally conservative, but certainly not a political firebrand of any sort,' Charnes said. 'He seemed to project sort of a Western, laid-back image.'" HOT ON THE LEFT: "Reddit Bans Alt-Right Group," from the Daily Beast: "Reddit, the enormous online community-run forum, announced on Wednesday night that it was banning the white nationalist subreddit r/altright, due to 'posting of personal information,' otherwise known as doxxing. It's a major switch for the self-proclaimed 'front page of the internet,' which, in the name of open dialogue, had once been loathe to ban almost anyone. It meant that Reddit hosted some of the most misogynist, and hate-spewing communities on the web. The imposed ban indicates that the company is attempting to police its vast networks of users, particularly its most vitriolic and, in this case, potentially dangerous. This particular subreddit had earned upwards of a reported 16,000 subscribers once Donald Trump took office and often included white nationalist sentiments and dialogue—echoing the public displays of leaders of the white nationalist movement like Richard Spencer." | | HOT ON THE RIGHT: "Man who claimed mom died in Iraq after Trump's ban lied, Imam confirms," from Fox 2 Detroit: "The leader of a mosque in Dearborn has confirmed … that a man who claimed his mother died in Iraq after being barred from returning to the United States under a ban instituted by President Trump this weekend, lied … about when her death occurred. Imam Husham Al-Hussainy, leader of the Karbalaa Islamic Educational Center in Dearborn, says Mike Hager's mom did not pass away this weekend after being barred from traveling to the United States. The Imam confirms that Hager's mother died before the ban was put in place. The Imam said she passed away on January 22, 2017, five days before President Trump instituted the travel ban. 'That's true. The 22nd of January, his mom died,' Al-Hussainy said. 'She did die but that was a couple weeks ago - before the ban.'" | DAYBOOK: At the White House: Trump attends the national prayer breakfast, participates in a legislative affairs strategy session, and meets with Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Reps. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Richard Neal (D-Mass.). Later, Trump has lunch with executives from Harley Davidson and union representatives.
On Capitol Hill: The Senate meets at 11 a.m. to resume consideration of a resolution disapproving the so-called Stream Protection Rule submitted by the Department of the Interior. Here's what on deck for the confirmation process: - Environment and Public Works votes on Scott Pruitt's nomination for EPA administrator at 10:15 a.m.
- Budget votes on Rep. Mick Mulvaney's nomination for OMB director at 11 a.m.
- Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs votes on Rep. Mick Mulvaney's nomination for OMB director at 11 a.m.
The House meets at noon for legislative business, with first votes expected between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. and last votes expected between 4:15 and 5:15 p.m. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The ratings went right down the tubes." -- Trump, at the National Prayer Breakfast this morning, on Arnold Schwarzenegger taking over "The Celebrity Apprentice." (Video here.) | NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.: -- On Groundhog Day, unfortunately, the forecast is not one Bill Murray would particularly enjoy to re-live over and over again. The Capital Weather Gang reports: "The sun is likely to greet the early risers (groundhogs included) with just occasional patches of clouds. Breezes pick up from the west (gusting over 20 mph at times) making highs in the mid-40s less than pleasant." -- Nestlé USA announced it is moving its U.S. headquarters to Arlington. They'll be taking over a vacated tower in Rosslyn – the tallest in the city – and will bring an estimated 750 jobs to the area. (Abha Bhattarai) VIDEOS OF THE DAY: Stephen Colbert wondered what is happening with Trump: | Stephen Looks At Washington And Wonders: What's Happening? | Seth Meyers has a lot of questions about Melania Trump's Vanity Fair cover: | A Lot of Questions: Melania Trump's Vanity Fair Cover | Meyers spoke with Robert De Niro about criticism from Trump: | Robert De Niro Mean Tweets Himself Before Donald Trump Can | Jimmy Kimmel poked fun at Trump's Supreme Court announcement: | Trump Hires a New Supreme Court Justice | Is the White House enlarging Trump's hands in photos? Conan O'Brien investigates: | The White House Is Photoshopping Trump's Hands - CONAN on TBS | O'Brien also imagined more conversations between Trump and Obama: | Trump Calls Obama To Discuss His Refugee Ban - CONAN on TBS | MSNBC compiled a funny video of Sean Spicer contradicting himself: |
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