Page 3 - aruba-today-20171028

A3
U.S. NEWS Saturday 28 OctOber 2017
Trump greets kids in Oval Office for early Halloween treats

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hal- Families of school children
loween came a little ear- from 20 schools in the Dis-
ly at the White House as trict of Columbia, Mary-
President Donald Trump land and Virginia have
welcomed the children been invited to the fes-
of White House reporters tivities, along with military
into the Oval Office Friday families and community
for some early Halloween organizations.
treats. The president and first
More than a dozen cos- lady Melania Trump will be
tumed kids, including little handing out presidential
witches and Princess Leias, M&M’s and treats from the
a pint-sized Darth Vader, White House pastry kitch-
and a purple-haired uni- en, and the South Portico
corn gathered around the will be decorated in spider
Resolute Desk, where the webs, according to the
president handed out little White House.
boxes of White House Her- Fog will fill the air and trick-
shey’s Kisses. or-treaters will see bats and
The president also dis- pumpkins decorated with
pensed plenty of compli- the profiles of presidents
ments, congratulating the past. Federal agencies in-
kids’ parents for doing a President Donald Trump meets with children dressed in their Halloween costumes in the Oval Office cluding NASA, the Secret
good job — at least of rais- of the White House, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. The White House had invited the children of members of Service and the National
ing children, if not their cov- the media to visit the president and to trick-or-treat at the White House complex of the Eisenhower Park Service also will be
erage of the Trump White Executive Office building. handing out giveaways.q
House. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
“I cannot believe the me- out the treats.
dia produced such beauti- “You have no weight prob-
ful kids. How the media did lems, that’s the good news,
this, I don’t know,” he said right?” he said at one point.
as he welcomed the kids to “So you take out whatever
join him around his desk. you need, OK? If you want
Trump also joked with the some for your friends, take
kids about their parents’ ‘em. We have plenty.”
professions. “You going He also asked one little girl
to grow up to be like your how the press treated her.
parents?” he asked. “Don’t “I’ll bet you get treated
answer. That can only get better by the press than
me in trouble, that ques- anybody in the world,
tion,” he joked. right?” he joked.
Soon after, White House The president will also be
Press Secretary Sarah Huck- welcoming ghost and gob-
abee Sanders delivered a lins to the South Lawn for
box full of candy, and the trick-or-treating on the eve
president started handing of Halloween on Monday.

Trump administration disavows

Puerto Rico power contract: AP

By MICHAEL BIESECKER amid a growing number
MATTHEW DALY of investigations and a bi-
Associated Press partisan chorus of criticism
WASHINGTON (AP) — from Capitol Hill.
The Trump administration Trump spokeswoman Sar-
scrambled Friday to dis- ah Huckabee Sanders said
tance itself from the deci- Zinke had given the presi-
sion to award a $300 million dent his personal assur-
contract to help restore ance that he had nothing
Puerto Rico’s power grid to do with what she de-
to a tiny Montana compa- scribed as “a state and lo-
ny from Interior Secretary cal decision made by the
Ryan Zinke’s hometown. Puerto Rican authorities
The White House said fed- and not the federal gov-
eral officials played no role ernment.”
in the selection of White- The interior secretary also
fish Energy Holdings by the issued a fiery denial on
Puerto Rico Electric Power Twitter, saying “Only in elit-
Authority. ist Washington, D.C., would
The administration dis- being from a small town be
avowed the contract considered a crime.”q