Trump loves strong borders. Boundaries, not so much

Checks and balances, unchecked

Another morning, another tweet storm, a recurring theme: Donald Trump giving the impression that he’d like the rest of the federal government to take a side — his side — by squeezing his adversaries and rewarding his friends.

The president is displeased with how the Justice Department and FBI have responded to document requests from his Republican Capitol Hill allies who have sought to reignite investigations of Hillary Clinton and discredit the Russia probe.

“So sad that the Department of ‘Justice’ and the FBI are slow walking, or even not giving, the unredacted documents requested by Congress,” Trump tweeted. “An embarrassment to our country!”

Justice and the FBI are headed by Trump appointees who promised to maintain the law enforcement agencies’ independence from partisan politics.

Trump also upped the ante in his attacks on Amazon — whose CEO, Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post — and its delivery contract with the postal service.

“This will be changed,” Trump tweeted, sending Amazon into a 5 percent stock tailspin for the day and a $60 billion decline in value since it emerged last week that he would “go after” the online retailer.

Favorite channels

Before slamming Amazon, a presidential tweet smiled upon Sinclair Broadcast Group, whose pro-Trump ownership commanded local TV anchors around the United States to read a script denouncing “false news” from mainstream news media. (Click here for video.)

“Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC,” Trump tweeted.

Sinclair, which owns or operates 193 TV stations, is seeking federal approval for a $3.9 billion deal to buy 42 Tribune Media Co. stations.

Trump appointees at Justice are leading the review.

Make America great like Mexico?

Trump had a new twist on his complaint that Mexico isn’t doing enough to stop a group of Central American refugees heading toward the U.S. border.

“They have very strong border laws — ours are pathetic,” he tweeted.

He called on Congress to pass tougher immigration and border security laws — “use Nuclear Option if necessary.” It’s another case of Trump frustration that parts of his agenda have been thwarted by Senate rules that require 60 votes. Invoking the “nuclear option” would lower the bar to 51 votes. His most recent Twitter spasm may also reflect impatience from his fan base and the influence of policy adviser Stephen Miller.

See Newsday’s story by Laura Figueroa Hernandez.

Janison: Emission accomplished

EPA chief Scott Pruitt has gotten heat for his first-class travel, round-the-clock blanket of security and reports of a bargain-rate room rental from an energy industry lobbyist.

The Trump White House so far has found reason to try to remain warm to him: He has faithfully executed its agenda, writes Newsday’s Dan Janison.

Pruitt embraces skepticism about the role of human activity in climate change, is rolling back environmental regulations with gusto, and is now pushing efforts to soften emission standards for motor vehicles. The EPA could well be renamed the Industrial Protection Agency. In fact, the Trump administration is trying to crush California's more stringent air standards.

But questions about Pruitt aren’t going away. The New York Times reports the EPA gave a signoff last year to a Canadian energy company that was a client of the lobbying firm linked to the condo deal. The Wall Street Journal (pay site) reports the White House is taking a closer look at the condo arrangement.

As seen on TV

As a candidate, when Trump was asked where he got his military advice, he replied, “I watch the shows.” In his second year as president, it’s hard to imagine where he’d be without TV.

“Fox and Friends” inspires many, if not most, of his morning tweets. He’s been on a hiring spree of cable pundits, including Larry Kudlow as top economic adviser and John Bolton as national security adviser. He checks in regularly with Fox’s Sean Hannity.

But that’s not all. The Daily Beast reports Trump has brought Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs into Oval Office meetings with senior aides and Cabinet members via speakerphone. Sometimes Trump hushes his aides so Dobbs can jump in.

Trump views Dobbs as a godfather of the tough-on-immigration, protectionist economic nationalism he espouses, the report said. Dobbs is so hostile to multiculturalism that he has attacked St. Patrick’s Day, Columbus Day and other “ethnic holidays.”

RSVPutin

The Trump administration opened the door Monday to a potential White House meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but details are still being worked out.

The Kremlin said Trump had invited the Russian leader to the White House when they spoke by telephone last month. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the White House was among “a number of potential venues” discussed.

Putin’s last White House visit came in 2005 when George W. Bush was president.

What else is happening

• A GoFundMe campaign to help pay legal costs for Andrew McCabe, the fired former FBI deputy director, is ending after raising more than $545,000. That’s more than triple the original $150,000 goal.
• McCabe became a target for Trump when he learned of his wife Dr. Jill McCabe’s losing Democratic campaign for a Virginia legislative seat. In a Washington Post Op-Ed, she writes, “I have spent countless hours trying to understand how the president and so many others can share such destructive lies about me.”
• Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein authorized Special Counsel Robert Mueller to probe ex-Trump campaign chief and Ukraine lobbyist Paul Manafort and okayed his indictment, according to a new court filing .
• David Shulkin said he was fired as Veterans Affairs secretary. The first White House story was that he resigned. A revised explanation is that he was offered “the opportunity to resign.” The distinction matters because under the law, a resignation gives Trump a freer hand in naming a temporary successor.
• Trump’s lawyers are asking a New York State Appeals court to stop former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos’ defamation suit against Trump. They want the suit either thrown out or put on hold until Trump leaves office. Zervos accused Trump of unwanted kissing and groping.
• The Justice Department plans to pressure U.S. immigration judges to process cases faster by setting quotas tied to their performance reviews. There is currently a backlog of more than 600,000 cases.