President Trump Can’t Stop Tweeting

Just keep tweeting. President Trump’s late-night and early-morning missives are undercutting the legal case for his “travel ban,” distracting from his legislative agenda, and contradicting his staff’s efforts to conduct U.S. foreign policy. Trump’s insistence on calling the blocked proposal a “travel ban” as he pushes for a swift appeal at the Supreme Court was called “sad” by none other than George Conway, the husband of one of his top aides who was considered for key Justice Department posts. On Monday evening, White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short stated the obvious: that the Russia investigation and the tweets were taking the focus off his push for a health care bill and tax reform in Congress. And Trump’s Tuesday morning tweets taking credit for Arab states isolating Qatar, ostensibly because of that Gulf nation’s alleged financing of terror, broke with comments from his national security team who appealed for a united Gulf Cooperation Council in the fight against ISIS.

Trump’s over-promising and under-delivering. The Democratic Trump effect. And the truth about Trump’s nomination concerns.

Must Reads

President Trump’s Plans Are Stalled in Congress. Here’s How He Wants to Fix That
Aides acknowledge investigations are distracting from agenda [TIME]

How President Trump’s Tweets Hurt His Travel Ban
He’s undermining his own legal case [TIME]

In Trump’s White House, Everything’s Coming in ‘Two Weeks’
The president has a penchant for making and missing deadlines [Bloomberg]

The Trump Effect: Everyone’s Thinking of Running for President
The potential Democratic field is massive [Washington Post]

From Watergate to Enron, Mueller’s Team Brings Storied Prosecution Pedigrees
Mueller, who brings a wealth of national security experience, is expected to take an expansive view of his role [Politico]

Trump Grows Discontented With Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Tweets reveal frustrations [New York Times]

Top-Secret NSA Report Details Russian Hacking Effort Days Before 2016 Election
No indication of shifted votes, but penetration was deeper than previously known [The Intercept]

Sound Off

“Look, I think that the point is, is there is a reason to be alarmed.” —White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on the response to terrorism

“There’s no doubt that keeping members focused on investigation detracts from our legislative agenda, detracts from what we’re trying to do for the American people.” —White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short on Monday.

Bits and Bites

White House Will Not Invoke Executive Privilege in Comey Testimony [TIME]

President Trump Wants Congress to Confirm His Nominees. He Should Appoint More [TIME]

Cancel Donald Trump state visit, says Sadiq Khan, after London attack tweets [The Guardian]

Contractor charged in NSA document leak case [Washington Post]

Cities Are Pushing Back as President Trump Prepares to Cut Anti-Terrorism Funding [Associated Press]

A New U.S. Environmental Alliance Is Trying to Take Trump’s Place on the World Stage [TIME]

Tillerson Says Trump Wants Him to Rebuild Relations with Moscow Despite the Russia Probe [Associated Press]

‘Kill Them All.’ A Congressman Has Declared War on ‘Islamic Horror’ [TIME]

Kellyanne Conway’s Husband Called President Trump’s Latest Tweets ‘Sad’ [TIME]