How President Trump Backed Himself Into a Corner on Russia
President Trump reluctantly signed tough new sanctions on Russia and North Korea Tuesday, after the legislation passed last week with overwhelming margins in Congress. "I am signing this bill for the sake of national unity," Trump wrote in an unconventional signing statement, that also touted his business acumen and desire to make deals with Russia, China and North Korea. "I built a truly great company worth many billions of dollars," Trump wrote. "That is a big part of the reason I was elected. As President, I can make far better deals with foreign countries than Congress." The White House is correct that other administrations likely would share this one's reservations about congressional encroachment on the Executive Branch's foreign policy authority. But Trump backed himself into this corner, with a parade of positive statements about the Russian government, longstanding denial of its efforts to hack the 2016 election and a refusal to take unilateral steps on his own. Senate Republicans are growing more independent of Trump after the failure of healthcare reform. As the White House pushes lawmakers not to abandon Obamacare, they appear set to do just that. And they are sending warning signs to Trump not to mess with cost sharing reduction CSR paymentsnot because they don't want to see them eliminated, but because they worry that a swift end would destabilize the marketplaces, raise premiums and adversely affect their constituents. The First Golfer's relationship with the game. The White House admits Trump played a role in Donald Trump, Jr.'s misleading statement. And former Trump aides find their place in the swamp. Must Reads, Senate Republicans Are Slowly Turning Their Backs on Trump They're asserting their independence Associated Press, How Donald Trump Jr.'s Misleading Statement Could Cause Legal Trouble Trump's involvement places him in jeopardy as well TIME, First Golfer Donald Trump's relationship with golf has never been more complicated Sports Illustrated, Justice Dept. to Take On Affirmative Action in College Admissions Seeking to challenge policies it views as discriminating against white applicants New York Times, Full Transcript Trump's Wall Street Journal interview Excerpts omitted Trump's questionable assertions Politico, The Moment When It Really Started to Feel Insane' An oral history of the Scaramucci era Washington Post, Sound Off, "It wasn't a directive. It was a joke. There's a very big difference."  White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders Tuesday responding to the acting DEA chief's rebuke of the president's comments on police brutality, "He met with members of the media. I don't find that to be a strange thing."  Sanders on Sean Spicer's meeting with a Republican donor and a Fox contributor behind a concocted story on the death of a DNC staffer last year, Bits and Bites, White House President Trump Weighed In on Donald Trump Jr. Statement As Any Father Would' TIME, Retired Military Leaders Sign Letter Opposing Transgender Troop Ban TIME, President Trump Is on Tricky Legal Ground in His Threat to Kill Obamacare Associated Press, 3 Trump Appointees Owe Thousands of Dollars in Back Taxes Center for Public Integrity, Trump Loyalist Mixes Businesses and Access at Advisory' Firm New York Times, Boy Scouts Unaware' of Call Trump Said He Received From Organization Praising Jamboree Speech TIME, Senate Confirms Christopher Wray as New FBI Director Associated Press, How Russian Adoptions Became a Controversial Topic TIME, Tillerson spurns 80 million to counter ISIS, Russian propaganda Politico, Boeing Jets Once Destined for Russian Carrier to Be Next Air Force One Wall Street Journal, Trump's fundraising prowess keeps Republican Party close Associated Press, Trump Is Considering Perry for Homeland Security Chief Bloomberg