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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 16 august 2017
Defiant Trump insists anew: Blame both sides for violence

Continued from Front testers. Trump appeared to
Some of those protesting defend both the extrem-
the rally to save a statue of ists’ right to protest, noting
Confederate General Rob- they had a permit, and
ert E. Lee were “also very Confederate statues.
violent,” he said. And he pointed out that,
“There are two sides to a like Lee and some other
story,” he said. He added generals, revered Ameri-
that some facts about the can presidents had owned
violence still aren’t known. slaves. “So, this week it’s
His remarks were wel- Robert E. Lee,” he said.
comed by former Ku Klux “I noticed that Stonewall
Klan leader David Duke, Jackson’s coming down.
who tweeted: “Thank you I wonder, is it George Wash-
President Trump for your ington next week and is it
honesty & courage to tell Thomas Jefferson the week
the truth.” after? You really do have
Trump’s handling of the to ask yourself where does
weekend violence has it stop?”
raised new and troubling As Trump talked, his aides
questions, even among on the sidelines of the lob-
some supporters, about President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the lobby of Trump Tower, Tuesday, Aug. 15, by stood in silence. Chief of
why he sometimes struggles 2017 in New York. With Trump are from left, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn staff John Kelly crossed his
to forcefully and unequivo- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and OMB Director Mick arms and stared down at
cally condemn white su- Mulvaney. his shoes, barely glancing
premacist groups. Mem- (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) at the president. q
bers of his own Republican as his president.
Party have pressed him to “As a Jew, as an American,
be more vigorous in criticiz- as a human, words cannot
ing bigoted groups, and express my disgust and dis-
five corporate and labor appointment,” Schatz said.
leaders have resigned from “This is not my president.”
a White House jobs panel in Violence broke out Sat-
response to his comments. urday in Charlottesville, a
Democrats were aghast picturesque college town,
at Trump’s comments after a loosely connected
Tuesday. Virginia Sen. Tim mix of white nationalists,
Kaine said on Twitter that neo-Nazis and other far-
the Charlottesville violence right extremists assembled
“was fueled by one side: to protest the city’s deci-
white supremacists spread- sion to remove a towering
ing racism, intolerance & statue of Confederate gen-
intimidation. Those are the eral Robert E. Lee. Heather
facts.” Sen. Brian Schatz of Heyer, 32, was killed when
Hawaii said on Twitter that a man plowed his car into
he no longer views Trump a crowd of counter-pro-

Trump signs order to speed

infrastructure construction

By JOAN LOWY required that such proj-
MICHAEL BIESECKER ects built with federal aid
Associated Press take rising sea levels into
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- account. Trump has sug-
dent Donald Trump said gested the predicted risks
Tuesday he has signed a from sea level rise driven by
new executive order in- climate change are over-
tended to make more effi- blown.
cient the federal permitting Describing his action,
process for construction of Trump said projects will still
transportation, water and be subjected to environ-
other infrastructure proj- mental safeguards.
ects without harming the “It’s going to be quick, it’s
environment. going to be a very stream-
Trump’s order includes re- lined process,” Trump
voking an earlier executive said. “And by the way, if it
order signed by President doesn’t meet environmen-
Barack Obama concern- tal safeguards, we’re not
ing projects built in flood going to approve it. Very
plains, White House officials simple. We’re not going to
said. The Obama order approve it.”q