Executive Branch

“While we’re watching the scandals du jour, the president and his top advisers are dismantling the federal government.”

“President Trump is planning a budget that will apparently include a massive, 10 percent hike to defense spending, paid for by slashing the State Department, the EPA, foreign aid, and many domestic spending programs. That’s big news — but it doesn’t mean those changes are necessarily going to happen.”

“Although Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office now, he continues to own stakes in hundreds of businesses, both in this country and abroad. Ethics experts say this vast international web of personal financial ties could influence Trump’s thinking on public-policy decisions. Trump has dismissed such concerns; he notes presidents are exempt from the conflict-of-interest rules that apply to Cabinet members and other government employees. Past presidents have complied voluntarily with the ethics rules. What Trump and his team have done is commit to certain steps that do touch on some of the ethics and conflicts-of-interest concerns. The Trump Ethics Monitor focuses on those promises and tracks their status.”

“The key to keeping Trump’s Twitter habit under control, according to six former campaign officials, is to ensure that his personal media consumption includes a steady stream of praise. And when no such praise was to be found, staff would turn to friendly outlets to drum some up — and make sure it made its way to Trump’s desk.”