Beltway Insider: Trump Defends Against Bombshell Book; Slams Bannon; Cannabis; North Korea; The Big Freeze/Sydney Heat

President Trump, basking from the tax package reform and recent jobs announcement that boost his economic efforts, was hit with the realities of a traitor as the inner workings of his candidacy, and post victory tribulations are confirmed.

According to Gallup, President Trump job approval, over the past week, increased by one percentage point to 40% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President remained constant at 55%.

Bannon Tell's All; Michael Wolff's White House; And It's All About Re-Election

President Trump has attempted to get in front of the bombshell book "Fire and Fury: Inside The Trump White House," by author Michael Wolff, which former White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon, who is often depicted as soulless, without a moral or ethical compass, and the guiding force behind a listless, incompetent and unprepared candidate was the main source of the Wolff tome.

"Highly discredited author" and "Pure work of fiction," President Trump's Senior Adviser for Policy, Stephen Miller, speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper, said of Michael Wolff.

"Fire and Fury: Inside The Trump White House," which will be released this week, paints an expected picture of life on the road to the White House and of course an expected post-victory White House with all the mistakes, bungling's, and treasonous meetings the population believes to be exact.

President Trump has taken to Twitter, his usual one-two retaliatory jab, stating "Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!" @realDonaldTrump

The fall out between the Bannon and Trump have been scathing and public with both men fueling the debate over the credibility of the Trump Presidency.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, in an effort to discredit Wolff, explained the book was full of false statements and when asked, by the White House Press Corps, for specifics she said, "The fact that there was a claim that the President didn't know who John Boehner was is ridiculous considering the majority of you have seen photos and, frankly, some of you have even tweeted out that the President not only knows him but has played golf with him, tweeted about him.  Ages of employees, which would be easy to fact-check, are wrong. There are numerous mistakes. I'm not going to waste the country's time, talking about a book that's complete fantasy and full of tabloid gossip, because it's sad, pathetic, and our administration is on moving the country forward."

"Mr. Bannon, is quoted as describing an infamous June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Donald Trump Jr. and a group of Russians as "unpatriotic. The three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor — with no lawyers. They didn't have any lawyers," Mr. Bannon said in the book. "Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad sh—, and I happen to think it's all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately,"' reported The Washington Times.

Bannon, who has sidestepped, albeit lightly his severe, ruthless and critical, "treasonous" statement as the former White House Chief Strategist and Counselor to the President who was one a maybe three non-family members who had a day to day relationship and immediate access to the candidate and then President.

"Steve Bannon expressed regret Sunday after he created a furor with comments critical of President Donald Trump's family in a new book, dragging the controversy into its fifth day as the White House kept up its attacks on both the former chief strategist and "Fire and Fury" author Michael Wolff," reported Politico.com.

The President is playing to the choir as the majority of Americans, have formed their own opinion based on the president's polarizing political views. While Trump did win the election, his approval ratings over his freshman year are consistently the lowest of any president in modern history. Oddly, just as it seems as each of Trump's decisions are becoming increasingly polarizing.

Trump Continues Re-Election Strategy

Then as mysteriously, he begins his reelection campaign efforts with a tax package that immediately assists a wide swath of the population that benefits most and covers the next election cycle. His second re-election campaign pillar lies in his recent statements regarding states' rights and Marijuana reform and legalization.

Most people, informed or otherwise, even kitchen table informed, understand every Trump policy will be repealed with the same tenacity as he has attacked his predecessors policies and legislation.

In order to defeat Donald Trump in the next election, the Democratic Party will need to return to the basic of what put them in office initially. Former Vice Presidnet Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) are probably the two strongest potential candidates to dethrone the President.

California Democratic Senator Kamala Harris has been mentioned, as has former First Lady Michelle Obama as possible 2020 democratic contenders for the Presidency.


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Immigration Pushback

The urban backlash against party leaders that allow Dreamers, Border Babies, and illegal aliens to enter America without applying for citizenship, that is revered and should not be given away freely, clearly played a part in the democratic party meltdown.

The pushback is not from Wall Street white establisment but the rise of the Alt-Right that will keep President Trump in office. The open arm welcome the democrats have extended has resulted in a pushback of the population against the ultra-inclusion policies that prevents equality.

Democrats, just as republicans, range from liberal to conservative and not all policies fit each person. When Emma Lazarus, author of the poem, The New Colossus penned these words: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

Her meaning as she wrote those words to raise money for the Statue of Liberty pedestal was not and could never be construed or interpreted as: Send me your terrorist who longs and yearns to destroy democracy; send those who's only desire is to injure, maim, and kill your citizens who have fought when country has called or those who target your sons and daughters as they peacefully enjoy the gleaming cities and stunning seas.

Immigration reform is clearly needed and a wall is not the answer and neither is free access.

"We'd like to get something done, but, again, we want to make sure that we have complete and responsible immigration reform and we're not just dealing with one piece of it. Look, we'd like to make a deal on securing funding for the border wall as well as ending chain migration, ending the visa lottery program, interior enforcement.  We'd like to do that right away.  So if the Democrats are willing to sit down and make that deal, I think we'd be happy to get that done by the end of the month," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

Trump Taunts Kim Jong Un . . .Again

President Trump and North Korean Dictator, Kim Jong Un are taunting each other again as Un announced on New Year's Eve the nuclear button rests on his desk and he chooses not to use it.

President trump, never one to allow a buffoon's remarks to pass, replied via twitter, "North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,'" Trump tweeted. "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!" @realDonaldTrump

The twitter war of words continue between President Trump and Kim Jong Un as the world waits while North Korea continues to test the strength of its nuclear program and the United States begins to prepare sanctions against the despot.

Cannabis Reform Comes to California

California's highly lucrative Marijuana industry became legal January 1, 2018. With revenues expected in the $7billion dollar range by 2020, the weed industry may just be what the state, whose budget is the sixth largest in the world and just above France and Brazil, to finally generate the necessary taxation to pay for its aging infrastructure, protect pre-school literacy and lunch programs, provide necessary social services for the elderly and those who desperately need additional care, and build affordable housing that addresses the highest homeless issue in the nation as well as low and middle income wage adjusted housing.

The eyes of the world may be watching the Golden State as it muddles through legislation that protects the non-participants from begin subjected to the carefree participant.

"To stay within the law, you'll need to consume cannabis on private property. "You cannot consume, smoke, eat, or vape cannabis in public places," according to the state Department of Public Health's website. Smoking marijuana where tobacco is prohibited is also illegal, unless there is a local ordinance expressly allowing its usage. This includes school campuses, restaurants, bars, public parks and hospitals -- essentially any public building. Don't expect to legally light up on campus: The University of California and California State University systems say they don't plan to change their policies barring marijuana." Politifact.com reported.

Law surrounding the legal consumption of Cannabis also extend to landlords. Should your rental agreement state "no smoking" any landlord can extend and include by an addendum a "No Cannabis" policy effective immediately.

With expected industry wide revenues always present in lawmakers minds, and policy evolving, what can Californians expect in price and taxes?


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"The cannabis culture website greenstate.com estimated legal marijuana buyers in California "will pay about eight dollars more" for their usual $50 eighth of an ounce of "top-shelf flowers," under the new law. That cost is far more than on the black market, causing some marijuana advocates to worry customers will turn to underground sales.  Licensed dispensary costs include a new statewide 15 percent tax on all recreational and medical cannabis products plus additional local taxes and fees. In Oakland, for example, the added local tax is 10 percent for recreational pot and 5 percent for medical cannabis," reported Politifact.com.

The Big Freeze/Sydney Heat

Before last weekends bomb cyclone blizzard which, which is described as a midlatitude storm colliding with another, and as it moved up the eastern seaboard, the old schoolers were calling it a Nor'easter, which wouldn't be too far off base and with howling, whipping winds, snow totals reaching up to 34inches in New England, and plunging temperatures correct weather terminology is lost to the cold hard facts.

Extreme and dangerous cold temperature with plunging wind chills gripped most of the nation, snow fell from Florida to Maine, and along the shoreline the wind drove walls of water up over the sea wall and instantly freezing cars, streets, electrical wires and everything in its path.

With the Eastern seaboard buried travelers attempting to return home after the New Year's holiday were met with the sad truth, a ticker board that read cancelled, over and over. Finding prime space, anywhere near an outlet, was the only objective as stranded travelers from New York to New England set up base camp waiting for the conditions to change.

Airports are still snarled. Although the blizzard conditions are expected to end, along with the winds, leaving only a bitter artic blast that is expected to hang on throughout the next week.

Sydney Swelters in Summer Heat

Not to add insult to injury for those living in the land down under Australians have seen the hottest day in nearly 80 years as the temperatures soared to a sweltering 47.3 Celsius or get this 117.14 Fahrenheit., just .5 degrees short of the record of 47.8 Celsius.

Aussies are feeling the heat.

For more information on President Donald Trump: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com,

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