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U.S. NEWS Saturday 20 January 2018
Trump signs surveillance law after confusing tweets

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- Act. and phony Dossier, to so
dent Donald Trump on Fri- He linked the intelligence badly surveil and abuse
day signed a bill into law program to a dossier that the Trump Campaign by
to renew a foreign intel- alleges his presidential the previous administration
ligence surveillance pro- campaign had ties to Rus- and others?” the presiden-
gram, announcing his ac- sia. tial tweet said.
tion in the latest in a series That caused people to Trump and other Repub-
of confusing tweets about wonder if he didn’t support licans have alleged that
the spy program. the program that allows Obama administration of-
Trump’s tweet on Jan. 11 U.S. spy agencies to collect ficials improperly shared
created chaos in the House intelligence on foreign tar- the identities of Trump
just before it voted to reau- gets abroad. presidential transition team
thorize what is known as “This is the act that may President Donald Trump gestures while addressing the March members mentioned in in-
Section 702 of the Foreign have been used, with the of Life participants from the Rose Garden of the White House in telligence reports.
Intelligence Surveillance help of the discredited Washington, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018. Democrats say there is no
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
evidence that happened.
Emboldened Democrats take page from hard right Shortly before the House
vote, and after conferring
with House Speaker Paul
Continued from Front that the party’s willingness an Obama program that But the president has sent Ryan, Trump did an appar-
to help Republicans pass allowed the young immi- repeated mixed messages ent about-face.
“This is exactly the tactic a short-term spending bill grants to avoid deportation over what legislation he “This vote is about foreign
that they decried four and at the end of December, and legally work. He threw would sign on immigration. surveillance of foreign bad
a half years ago. And yet when liberal activists were the issue to Congress, call- Last week, he told a bipar- guys on foreign land,” he
here we are,” said Brendan already pushing for a show- ing for lawmakers to reach tisan group of lawmakers tweeted.
Buck, an adviser to Repub- down over immigration, a solution before March 5. that he would sign a bill “We need it! Get smart!”q
lican House Speaker Paul shows the party was will-
Ryan. “I think it’s quite a ing to negotiate a broader
moment in American poli- deal and can inoculate
tics that Democrats have lawmakers from charges
so quickly embraced what that they’re simply playing
they once called ‘arsonist’ politics.
tactics. This is a party mov- “We did it for a month,”
ing so hard and fast to the said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.
left that it’s almost difficult “At some point it starts to
to process.” look like the purpose is de-
The Democratic strategy lay, not to get a deal.”
comes with risks. While the Sen. Jon Tester of Mon-
party has had a string of tana, who is among the
victories in recent elec- Democrats up for re-elec-
tions, including a state Sen- tion in November, said he
ate win this week in a Wis- couldn’t stomach another
consin district Trump won short-term bill and blamed
by 17 points, the Senate GOP leaders for having in-
landscape for Democrats tentionally “played politics
in November is perilous. In- and kicked the can down
cumbents are on the bal- the road.”
lot in several Republican- There’s no guarantee
heavy states, including that Democrats would ul-
North Dakota, Montana timately benefit from a
and Missouri. shutdown. A Washington
Yet Democrats are confi- Post-ABC News poll out Fri-
dent enough of those sen- day showed 48 percent of
ators will hold the line Fri- Americans pin the blame
day and believe a series of for a potential shutdown
factors have made this the on Trump and Republi-
right moment for the party cans, while 28 percent
to reject another short- fault Democrats. And while
term spending extension. numerous surveys show the
Among them: a feeling public overwhelmingly sup-
that Trump’s stunning com- ports finding a solution for
ment in a private meeting the young immigrants in
last week calling for less im- the U.S. illegally, a CNN poll
migration from “shithole” also out Friday shows that
countries in Africa has put 56 percent of Americans
the onus on Republicans say approving a budget
to show sympathy for the agreement to avoid a shut-
“Dreamers” — the rough- down is more important
ly 700,000 young people than continuing the depor-
brought to the U.S. illegally tation deferral program.
as children. Trump announced in Sep-
Democrats also believe tember that he was ending