{"id":87411,"date":"2017-08-21T20:22:53","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T20:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/time-to-play-defense-on-agenda.html"},"modified":"2017-08-21T20:22:53","modified_gmt":"2017-08-21T20:22:53","slug":"time-to-play-defense-on-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/political\/time-to-play-defense-on-agenda.html","title":{"rendered":"Time to play defense on agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"

**Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up\u00a0here<\/a>.**<\/p>\n

On the roster: Time to play defense on agenda – Ryan hits the road to talk tax reform – Trump to address Afghanistan strategy tonight – Team Trump looks ahead to 2020 – 100 percent gratuity<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

TIME TO PLAY DEFENSE ON AGENDA
<\/b>Bloomberg<\/a>: \u201cTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin<\/b> emerged over the weekend as one of the staunchest defenders of Donald Trump<\/b> in the Cabinet, bringing stability to the administration\u2019s economic policy agenda as it heads into what\u2019s expected to be an unpredictable debt-limit debate. From dissolving business councils to following the fates of White House economic adviser Gary Cohn<\/b>\u2026 palace intrigue has rattled financial markets as investors try to assess what the administration can accomplish. Trump is becoming\u00a0increasingly isolated\u00a0from the Republican establishment and the stability of his economic agenda, including even the simple matter of the U.S. government\u2019s solvency, isn\u2019t being taken for granted. Trump is finding that his choice of a loyalist as Treasury chief \u2026 is paying off. \u2026 Mnuchin\u2019s commitment to the president is a positive sign for accomplishing Trump\u2019s economic initiatives, including tax reform, passing a budget and dealing with the debt limit, said Terry Haines<\/b>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan hits the road to talk tax reform<\/b> – <\/b>WashEx<\/a>: \u201cPaul Ryan<\/b> is headed to the Pacific Northwest this week to promote tax reform, his office announced Monday, to tout an overhaul of the tax code at the factories of Boeing and Intel. \u2026 This week’s events will be a continuation of Ryan’s tour to highlight the Republican effort to enact tax reform with President Trump. \u2026 Republicans haven’t yet unveiled legislation to replace the tax code, but the tax-writing committees are working toward that goal during the August recess. With Trump, congressional leaders have agreed on a broad set of\u00a0shared goals. Last week, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady<\/b>\u00a0delivered a speech<\/a>\u00a0at the Reagan Ranch in Southern California promising tax reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Border wall is up first – <\/b>The Hill:<\/a> \u201cFunding for President Trump\u2019s proposed border wall is poised to be a central issue in this fall\u2019s showdown over government funding. Unless Congress approves a new funding bill, the government will shut down on\u00a0Oct. 1. Trump is demanding funds for the wall that was the centerpiece of his successful presidential campaign, but Democrats have warned they will vote en masse against any legislation that includes money for the wall. \u2026 In the near\u00a0term, the most likely scenario is for Congress to approve a short-term continuing resolution in September that would fund the government for a matter of months. On its own, the measure would not include funding for the wall and would keep the government funded at present levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

THE RULEBOOK: CHOOSE WISELY<\/b>
<\/i>\u201cThe rights of property are committed into the same hands with the personal rights. Some attention ought, therefore, to be paid to property in the choice of those hands.\u201d \u2013 Alexander Hamilton <\/i><\/b>or James Madison<\/b>, Federalist No. 54<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

TIME OUT: DATA IS THE NEW OIL
<\/b>Economist:<\/a> \u201cA NEW commodity spawns a lucrative, fast-growing industry\u2026 A century ago, the resource in question was oil. Now similar concerns are being raised by the giants that deal in data, the oil of the digital era. These titans\u2014Alphabet (Google\u2019s parent company), Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft\u2014look unstoppable. They are the five most valuable listed firms in the world. Their profits are surging: they collectively racked up over $25bn in net profit in the first quarter of 2017. Amazon captures half of all dollars spent online in America. Google and Facebook accounted for almost all the revenue growth in digital advertising in America last year. Such dominance has prompted calls for the tech giants to be broken up, as Standard Oil was in the early 20th century. \u2026 Size alone is not a crime. The giants\u2019 success has benefited consumers. Few want to live without Google\u2019s search engine, Amazon\u2019s one-day delivery or Facebook\u2019s newsfeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flag on the play? –<\/b>\u00a0Email us at
HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM<\/a>\u00a0with
your tips, comments or questions.<\/p>\n

SCOREBOARD
<\/b>Trump net job-approval rating:\u00a0-16.9 points
<\/b>Change from one week ago:\u00a0up 7.6 points<\/b><\/p>\n

[President Trump\u2019s score is determined by subtracting his average job disapproval rating in<\/i>\u00a0the five most recent, methodologically sound public polls from his average approval rating, calculated in the same fashion.<\/i>]<\/p>\n

TRUMP TO ADDRESS AFGHANISTAN STRATEGY TONIGHT
<\/b>Wash Times<\/a>: \u201cPresident Trump will unveil his highly anticipated strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia during a prime-time address Monday night, an address that will cap months of intense debate between the president\u2019s inner circle and the country\u2019s top national security leaders on the way forward in the war-torn region. Before an audience of American service members stationed at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, Mr. Trump\u2019s address will \u2018provide an update on the path forward for America\u2019s engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia,\u2019 according to a White House statement issued Sunday. The announcement comes days after Mr. Trump tweeted that he and his top national security staff, including National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster <\/b>and Defense Secretary James Mattis<\/b> \u2026 have reached a decision on the way ahead in Afghanistan after this weekend\u2019s meetings at Camp David. \u2026 On Sunday Mr. Mattis declined to provide details on what the new Afghan war plan will entail\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

TEAM TRUMP LOOKS AHEAD TO 2020
<\/b>Politico:<\/a> \u201cPresident Donald Trump is methodically building a 2020 reelection campaign machine, shunting aside doubts about his viability for a second term as controversy consumes the early months of his administration. Trump is mapping out a fall fundraising tour that is expected to fill his campaign bank account with tens of millions of dollars. His team has tracked dozens of potential Democratic rivals, a list of names that ranges from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren<\/b> to Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg<\/b>. And his administration has received political advice from a top campaign pollster from his 2016 campaign, who has urged the president to keep up his attacks on the mainstream media. On Tuesday, Trump heads to the swing state of Arizona for a campaign-style rally organized by his political operation. The preparations, described by 10 people \u2026 come at a perilous time for the president, who has seen his approval rating plummet to historic lows and is facing mounting criticism from senior Republicans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Divide from GOP continues to be an issue – <\/b>Fox News:<\/a> \u201cPresident Trump\u2019s increasing divide with congressional Republicans is expected to take center stage when he campaigns [Tuesday] in Arizona, where outspoken Trump critic and GOP Sen. Jeff Flake<\/b> is seeking re-election. <\/b>Flake\u2019s opposition to Trump has increased in recent months, which has prompted the president to back a primary challenger to the first-term senator. <\/b>\u2018Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward<\/b> is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate,\u2019 Trump tweeted Thursday. \u2026 <\/b>The feud is part of a larger divide in which Trump is largely upset with GOP senators for failing to pass ObamaCare repeal-and-replace legislation, denying him a major legislative victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

White House prepares for negative response in Phoenix –<\/b> NYT:<\/a> \u201cOfficials in the White House and in Arizona are bracing for a furious reception to President Trump\u2019s campaign rally in Phoenix this week\u2026 Of particular concern for some officials is the prospect that Mr. Trump may be planning to announce a pardon for\u00a0Joe Arpaio<\/b>, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., who became an avatar for hard-line policies with his roundups of undocumented immigrants. Some of Mr. Trump\u2019s advisers worry that a pardon could deepen the racial wounds exposed in the last week and compound the president\u2019s political problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

PLAY-BY-PLAY<\/b>
Trump, first lady will not attend Kennedy Center Honors<\/i> – Reuters<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s small-dollar donors make the biggest difference<\/i> – Bloomberg<\/a><\/p>\n

Secret Service running into expense problems protecting first family<\/i> – Fox News<\/a><\/p>\n

Ryan gives fundraising boost to House GOP<\/i> – WashEx<\/a><\/p>\n

Clinton paid Huma Abedin<\/b> nearly $65G from campaign funds <\/i>– Washington Free Beacon<\/a><\/p>\n

U.S., South Korean troops start military drills amid North Korea\u2019s threats<\/i> – Wash Times<\/a><\/p>\n

Missouri Democrat apologizes to Trump for assassination comment <\/i>– Fox News<\/a>

AUDIBLE: BET WE COULD GUESS
<\/b>\u201cYou have no idea how much crazy stuff we kill.\u201d \u2013 An unnamed White House staffer told Mike Allen <\/b>from Axios, on why many Trump aides are not resigning despite their disappointment.<\/i>

<\/i>Share your color commentary:<\/b>\u00a0Email us at\u00a0
HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM<\/a> and please make sure to include your name and hometown.<\/p>\n

[Ed. note: Chris Stirewalt<\/b> is away. He and FROM THE BLEACHERS will return on Aug. 23.<\/i>]<\/p>\n

100 PERCENT GRATUITY <\/b>
UPI:<\/a> \u201cA Maryland bartender who received a pair of scratch-off lottery tickets as a tip used her $10 winnings to buy another ticket, which turned out to be a $100,000 winner. The\u00a0Maryland Lottery said\u00a0the 32-year-old Baltimore bartender, whose name was not released, received a pair of instant tickets as a tip recently, and she won $10 from the scratch-offs. The woman stopped by an Essex BP station after work and used her winnings to buy a $10 Super Triple 10s scratch-off ticket, which turned out to be a $100,000 winner. The bartender said she was so shocked by the ticket that she woke up her stepdaughter to double-check that it was a winner. \u2018When I realized it was real, I cried,\u2019 she told lottery officials. \u2018This really comes at a good time.\u2019\u201d

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES\u2026<\/b>
\u201cYou can tell me the writing was on the wall. You can tell me [John Kelly<\/b>] wanted to clean house. You can say it was inevitable once [Reince<\/b> Preibus<\/b>] left he was going to leave. And you can tell me that [Steve Bannon<\/b>] tendered his resignation a couple weeks ago. It was only a matter time.\u201d \u2013 Charles<\/i><\/b>\u00a0Krauthammer<\/b>\u00a0on \u201cSpecial Report with\u00a0Bret<\/b>\u00a0Baier<\/b>.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Brianna McClelland<\/i><\/b>\u00a0contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up\u00a0<\/i>here<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

\t<\/i><\/p>\n

This article was written by Fox News staff.<\/p>\n

Article source: http:\/\/feeds.foxnews.com\/~r\/foxnews\/politics\/~3\/d5jaTLUQkVM\/time-to-play-defense-on-agenda.html<\/a>\r\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

**Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up\u00a0here.** On the roster: Time to play defense on agenda – Ryan hits the road to talk tax reform – Trump to address Afghanistan strategy tonight – Team Trump looks ahead to 2020 – 100 percent gratuity TIME TO PLAY DEFENSE ON AGENDA Bloomberg: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[84],"class_list":["post-87411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-political","tag-political"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87411\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}