• Politics

White House Will Keep Visitor Logs Secret

3 minute read

President Trump is celebrating Easter weekend at his private club in Palm Beach without any of his senior aides, White House officials said. It comes as the palace intrigue over the fate and role of Steve Bannon has been the subject of unending speculation and gossip—and as the moderate wing inside the West Wing has been ascendant. But this is the Trump Administration, and these ups and downs have come and gone before. Bannon allies are encouraging him to stay in his job, hopeful that his efforts to push Trump in a more economic nationalist direction will again be valued in the future.

Trump’a Administration is breaking with his predecessor, announcing Friday that it will no longer release White House visitors logs. The White House argues that they are not bound to disclose the records, and that the Obama Administration scrubbed so many records because they were sensitive that they provided only a “facade of transparency.” It comes as Democrats and watchdog groups are demanding that the White House release the logs for 18-acre campus, and to expand the collection of who visits the president’s private club at Mar-a-Lago.

The White House asks supports if they want to eliminate the White House. The CIA director warns on Wikileaks. And the military drops the “mother of all bombs.”

Here are your must reads:

Must Reads

The White House Will Keep Its Visitor Logs Secret
They’ll can’t be requested until Trump has been out of office for five years [TIME]

The Koch Brothers Are Helping More Immigrants Get Help
They’re not aboard the Trump Train, TIME’s Philip Elliott writes.

Within Trump’s Inner Circle, a Moderate Voice Captures the President’s Ear
Gary Cohn rises [Washington Post]

For Trump, a Steep Learning Curve Leads to Policy Reversals
Is it new thinking or simply new information? [New York Times]

Secret Service Costs for Trump Family Protection Continue to Mount
Unprecedented challenge for the agency [CBS]

Sound Off

“WikiLeaks walks like a hostile intelligence service and talks like a hostile intelligence service,” — CIA Director Mike Pompeo at the Center for Strategic and International Studies

“I think in some cases, the issues evolve — that it’s not just a clear and fast statement that this is — the entity itself is moving towards his — or the issue is evolving towards the position that he articulated.” —White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Trump changing his mind on NATO

Bits and Bites

The U.S. Just Dropped the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ in Afghanistan. But What Is That? [TIME]

N. Korean official: Ready for war if Trump wants it [Associated Press]

Pompeo mocks microwave surveillance claims [Politico]

Some Women Who Backed President Trump May Be Having Second Thoughts [TIME]

The Pentagon Just Released Video of ‘The Mother of All Bombs’ in Afghanistan [TIME]

Trump Threatens Health Subsidies to Force Democrats to Bargain [New York Times]

Former Defense Secretary Criticizes President Trump For Saying ‘My Military’ [TIME]

James Comey Says Americans Should Be Wary of ‘Troll Farms’ Peddling Fake News [TIME]

The White House Wants to Know If You Want to Eliminate the White House [TIME]

More Must-Reads From TIME

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