Prospects are fading for US President Donald Trump to get a big boost at home from his first foreign trip as two new polls show his approval rating stagnating or declining and doubts rising about his credibility. Fifty-four percent of voters say Trump is abusing the powers of his office, according to the latest survey by Quinnipiac. Only 37 percent approve of his job performance, about the same as the 36 percent who approved two weeks ago. Fifty-nine percent say Trump is dishonest.

Sixty-six percent support the appointment of a special counsel to investigate possible improper links between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. Trump opposed that investigation, but the Justice Department named former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel anyway.

“President Donald Trump remains mired in dreadful mid-30s approval numbers and the red flags that are popping up tell an even darker story,” Tim Malloy, the poll’s assistant director, told reporters. “But by far the most alarming determination is that President Trump is abusing his office.”

The latest Fox News poll finds that only 34 percent of registered voters say Trump was correct in firing FBI Director James Comey, who had been in charge of the agency’s investigation of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Sixty-eight percent approve of the Justice Department’s appointment of the special counsel to investigate the Russian meddling, including 46 percent of Republicans. The Fox survey also finds that only 40 percent of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing, down from 45 percent last month. Fifty-three percent disapprove of his job performance, up by five points from 48 percent.

Eighty-one percent of Republicans approve of the president’s job performance, down from 87 percent when he took over in January. This is a troubling sign for Trump because if his base continues to erode he will probably lose influence among majority Republicans in Congress, damaging his agenda.

The White House is reportedly considering appointing a legal team to monitor President Donald Trump’s tweets, according to a report. The plan to scrutinize the president’s social media posts aims to avoid unnecessary political and legal troubles that have led to a number of investigations into administration officials, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump used Twitter as his main means of communicating with voters, a method that proved effective and far cheaper than advertising campaigns used by his opponents.  However, aides and officials had hoped that Trump would be more cautious as president, but this has not been the case.

Trump has caused controversy during his time in office by issuing unverified claims on Twitter about former FBI Director James Comey and his predecessor, Barack Obama. Without evidence, Trump accused Obama of wiretapping him during the election, and also hinted that his conversations with Comey, whom he fired this month, could have been taped at the White House.

Comey has authored a memo that said the president asked him to drop an inquiry about former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s ties to Moscow. Some members of Congress have demanded access to that memo. The White House also seeks to expand its legal team to deal with ongoing investigations into whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to interfere in the November election.

The Justice Department has named a special counsel to lead one of the inquiries. Meanwhile, Trump has appointed longtime legal adviser Marc Kasowitz to represent him on matters related to the Russia investigation.

The appointment of a private attorney may signal that Trump is seriously concerned about the impact the federal investigation could have on him personally, especially if others in his administration turn against him. Reports suggest that the White House might have major changes in store when Trump returns to Washington this weekend from his first trip abroad.

Culled from Presstv

Former US House Speaker John Boehner has chided President Donald Trump, saying his young presidency has so far been “a complete disaster” except for foreign policy. Boehner’s spokesman, Dave Schnittger, confirmed on Friday that the former congressman had made the scathing remarks at the KPMG’s 15th Annual Global Energy Conference in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday.

Trump’s fellow Republican hailed the president’s purported attempts to fight the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the Middle East but was highly critical of his other efforts. “Everything else he’s done has been a complete disaster. He’s still learning how to be president,” added Boehner, who was the speaker of the House of Representatives from January 2011 to October 2015.

The former Ohio congressman further said that although he had been friends with Trump for 15 years, he never thought the real estate mogul would one day occupy the White House. “But president? I just never envisioned him in that role,” he acknowledged.

Boehner also said at the event that Trump should not be allowed to post further tweets. Many have blamed Trump for being obsessed with his Twitter account, publishing controversial or provocative posts. In an interview with Press TV in March, former US diplomat in Germany Michael Springmann said Trump “has better things than tweet hour after hour and day after day… a lot of which do not make sense.”

Boehner, however, rejected calls to impeach Trump. Democratic Representative Al Green has formally put forward articles of impeachment for the US president, but such an effort has not been supported by most Democratic legislators as the probe continues.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Boehner blamed the Republicans for trying to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act, even after the House passed an overhaul measure with a low margin. He also lambasted Trump for dismissing tax reform efforts, which form a basis for the Republican policy agenda, as “just a bunch of happy talk.”

Since taking office in January, Trump has raised controversial issues such as imposing an entry ban on Muslims and building a wall on Mexico’s border, causing rifts among American politicians and drawing condemnations from across the globe.

Source: Presstv

There is no reason for the American people to get “shocked” over several controversies endangering the presidency of Donald Trump as they chose to vote for him, says former Republican contender in the 2016 presidential election, Senator Marco Rubio.

The Florida lawmaker made the comments during an interview on CBS on Sunday as the president was being investigated for possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 campaign and transition.

“This president ran a very unconventional campaign. I was there for a big part of it at the beginning alongside being one of his competitors,” Rubio said. “And that’s what the American people voted for. And in essence, you know, this White House is not much different from the campaign. People got what they voted for, they elected him.”

Trump recently shared classified intelligence with Russian officials and dismissed FBI Director James Comey and asked him to end an investigation related to coordination between his associates and the Kremlin.

“I think our job remains to do our work. We’ll have to deal with these issues,” Rubio said.”These issues come up, these questions every single day. And I do think the White House would benefit from some systems in place that perhaps avoid some of the unnecessary friction points that come up on a daily basis. But this is also the political environment we now live in, too.”

Rubio, often mockingly called “Little Marco” by Trump on the campaign trail, finally endorsed him for US president.

Source: Presstv

African American Congressman Al Green has been threatened with lynching after he called for US President Donald Trump’s impeachment over his multiple scandals. Green, a Democratic Representative from Texas, became the first lawmaker on Wednesday to call for Trump’s impeachment following revelations that the Republican president had pressured former FBI chief James Comey to drop the investigation into General Mike Flynn, who was Trump’s national security adviser and resigned over undisclosed contacts with a Russian diplomat.

The congressman on Saturday held a town hall meeting and played several recorded threatening messages sent to him at his offices in Texas and Washington, DC. “You’ll be hanging from a tree,” one caller said in a voicemail. “You ain’t going to impeach nobody,” the person added. “Try it and we will lynch all of you.” Most of the he callers used racial slurs against the African American lawmaker, and addressed him with the n-word over his strong stance on Trump’s divisive policies.

“We are not going to be intimidated,” Green said Saturday after playing threatening messages. “We are not going to allow this to cause us to deviate from what we believe to be the right thing to do and that is to proceed with the impeachment of President Trump.” Addressing his fellow Representatives in Congress on Wednesday, Green said that the impeachment of Trump was necessary for liberty and justice for all and “the government of the people, for the people, by the people.”

Trump sacked Comey earlier this month citing his handling of the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while at the State Department. The dismissal sent raised concerns in Washington, DC, with critics accusing Trump of trying to thwart the FBI investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the US 2016 presidential election and his possible collusion with the Kremlin during the election campaign.

Trump’s adviser, however, has dismissed reports about ongoing investigations into possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia as mere “propaganda”. “It’s not news, it’s not reporting, it’s just propaganda,” Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Trump and his adviser on counter-terrorism, said on Saturday.

Source: Presstv

The Iranian Interior Ministry has declared a first series of partial results from the Friday presidential election, putting Hassan Rouhani in the lead with 14,619,848 votes so far. Out of the 25,966,729 votes counted so far, 25,182,310 ballots were declared valid.

The candidate with the second largest number of votes was Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, who garnered 10,125,855 votes, according to the Interior Ministry. Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim and Mostafa Hashemi-Taba, the other two candidates, so far received 297,276 and 139,331 votes respectively.

Ali Asghar Ahmadi, the head of the Election Committee of Iran’s Interior Ministry, who announced the partial results, also said that over 40 million people voted in the election but said that turnout figure was not a final one. Iran’s 12th presidential election was held on Friday. Elections were also simultaneously held for City and Village Councils. Voting hours were extended several times due to a high turnout in the polls.

Six candidates had been vetted and approved by the Guardian Council to run in the election. In the final days of campaigning, however, two of the candidates, namely First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, withdrew from the race in favor of President Rouhani and Raeisi, respectively.

Source: Presstv

Iranians have begun voting in a presidential contest which pits President Hassan Rouhani against a serious challenger, Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, in what is believed to be a close race.  Some 63,500 polling stations opened at 08:00 local time (0330 GMT) for long lines which had already formed around the country where more than 56 million are eligible to vote.

Polls close at 18:00 (1330 GMT), but voting hours will most likely be extended.  Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei was among the first to cast his ballot, calling on Iranians to turn out in big numbers. Speaking after casting his vote, the Leader said, “I thank God Almighty for the blessing of democracy and people’s participation in the election. This is a great blessing.”

“Praise be to God, our people are thankful for this blessing. You see they are participating and my advice is that more and more people participate and come to the polls at the earliest time possible.” Ayatollah Khamenei described the 2017 elections as very important, saying the destiny of the country is in the hand of the masses.  “I believe a good work should be done in early hours and should not be delayed. I also believe the presidential election is very important,” the Leader said.

“The destiny of the county is in the hands of the people who choose the chief executive. They should heed the importance of this task,” Ayatollah Khamanei added. Besides picking a president, Iranians inside the country are also voting to choose members of the country’s City and Village Councils.

“The City and Village Councils Election is also important as it elects those who are in charge of urban and rural services, namely the everyday issues involving the people,” the Leader added. This year’s presidential race features four presidential candidates, namely incumbent Hassan Rouhani, who is running for a second term, Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, former deputy judiciary chief, member of Iran’s Expediency Council Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim and former vice president, Mostafa Hashemi-Taba.

However, Rouhani and Raeisi are viewed as the viable contenders after two candidates from a field of six, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Vice President Is’haq Jahangiri, dropped out in the final days of campaigning. Rouhani has been campaigning on the platform of an active foreign policy meant to enhance international relations. Raeisi has also vowed a strong economic management towards the elimination of poverty and unemployment.

Source: Presstv

Most Americans prefer an independent probe into US President Donald Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia rather than one by US Congress, a new poll shows.

According to the NBC NEWS/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday, a growing 78 percent of Americans think an investigation already launched into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between his associates and the Kremlin should be handled by an independent commission. Only 15 percent of those participating in the poll opted for Congress, where an investigation is already underway in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The FBI was also looking into the matter until Trump dismissed its director, James Comey (pictured below) recently. While 38 percent disapproved of Trump’s dismissal, 29 percent believed he made the right move. A partisan divide was demonstrated as 58 percent of Republicans approved of the measure, compared to 66 percent of Democrats disapproving.

Trump who had previously opposed an investigation altogether, confirmed Saturday that it should go forward in “the House, the Senate, the FBI.” Thirty percent said Trump has become less favorable after firing Comey while 61 percent said the dismissal has not changed their mind. Conducted from May 11 to 13, the poll has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Source: Presstv

US President Donald Trump has fired FBI Director James Comey, amid probes of potential contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials prior to the 2016 presidential election. “The president has accepted the recommendation of the Attorney General and the deputy Attorney General regarding the dismissal of the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement on Tuesday.

In a letter to Comey, the US president said, “It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission.” It was not immediately clear exactly why Comey was ousted. “The FBI is one of our Nation’s most cherished and respected institutions and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement,” Trump said in the letter. The dismissal takes place in the middle of an investigation in Russia’s alleged meddling of the US presidential elections in 2016. Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations of interfering in US elections.

The FBI as well as the US Senate and House intelligence committees have been investigating Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and any possible ties between Trump’s associates and Moscow. Comey was appointed FBI director by former President Barack Obama in 2013 to a 10-year term.

The Cameroonian dictator in power for 35 years has sent a letter of congratulations to French president elect, Emmanuel Macron today Monday, May 8, 2017, following his electoral victory in France’s general elections.  In the letter Mr. Biya wrote:

“Mr. President, on the occasion of your brilliant election as President of the French Republic, I have the great pleasure of addressing to you, on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Cameroon, my sincere and warm congratulations. I associate my best wishes with you in the accomplishment of your high mission.

For many decades, France and Cameroon have maintained close and confident relations in many fields, forged by history and a long friendship that has never faded, and they can still make further progress. I would like to assure you of my readiness to work with you to maintain this friendship between our two countries and to open new horizons to their cooperation. Accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.”

Aged 84, Paul Biya has already seen four French heads of state, including François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy, Francois Hollande, predecessor of Emmanuel Macron elected yesterday at age Of 39 years.

By Eyong Johnson