Trump calls out Putin by name over Syria atrocity

So much for personal chemistry

On the 444th day of his presidency, Donald Trump found a reason to tweet something bad about Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

“President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad,” Trump tweeted following a suspected chemical attack that killed dozens of people in Douma, a rebel-held suburb of Syria’s capital.

“Big price ... to pay.” Medical and rescue groups have blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government for the killings.

A year ago, after another chemical attack, Trump ordered a cruise missile strike at a Syrian air base, and administration officials wouldn’t rule out a similar response.

But has a red line been crossed in the Trump-Putin relationship? Trump uses his Twitter account as a free-fire zone to hit domestic and foreign adversaries, but never before aimed it at the Russian strongman.

His harshest spoken words came after the 2017 chemical attack. “Putin is backing a person that’s truly an evil person, and I think it’s very bad for Russia,” he said. Trump also predicted back then “there’s going to be a lot of pressure on Russia to make sure that peace happens.”

That didn’t happen. See the story for Newsday by Laura Figueroa Hernandez and Scott Eidler.

Fork in the road from Damascus

Just days ago, Trump startled and alarmed his advisers by declaring “I want to get out” of Syria, bringing home the 2,000 U.S. forces there to help drive ISIS from the civil-war-torn country,

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a longtime hawk on Syria, charged that Assad was “emboldened” — and his Russian and Iranian backers cheered — by Trump’s signal that “the United States would prematurely withdraw.”

It’s still Obama’s fault?

Trump blamed former President Barack Obama for not acting decisively to remove Assad after a poison attack killed more than 1,400 people in 2013. Obama did not follow through militarily on his warning from 2012 that if Assad used chemical weapons, it would cross “a red line” with the United States.

“If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad would have been history!” Trump tweeted Sunday.

But in 2013, Trump stridently opposed military action. Among his tweets at the time: “AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA - IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!”

Janison: Russia Rashomon

Up to now, Trump’s tone on Russia has been at odds with that of the rest of his administration, which more consistently sees Moscow’s behavior in a harsher light.

Though the whole relationship remains bewildering and unclear, writes Newsday’s Dan Janison, the hawks seem to be ascendant. “Nobody’s been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump,” the president said last week. He previously complained when Congress demanded he impose sanctions to get tougher on Russia.

Israel in the mix

Russia and the Assad regime are attributing to Israeli planes a pre-dawn air attack on a major Syrian air base. Fourteen people were reported killed, including Iranians engaged in military operations in Syria, the Associated Press reported early Monday.

Israel's foreign ministry had no comment, as is typical in situations when it operates beyond its borders. The AP reports: "Since 2012, Israel has struck inside Syria more than 100 times, mostly targeting suspected weapons' convoys destined for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been fighting alongside Syrian government forces."

Scott-free

Trump is giving EPA chief Scott Pruitt a pass on the pile of ethics questions hovering over him, such as the nearly $3 million spent for round-the-clock security that accompanied him everywhere — even to Disneyland.

“Scott Pruitt has received death threats because of his bold actions at EPA,” Trump tweeted. The president also concluded “travel expenses OK” — meaning Pruitt’s frequent first-class flying — and saw nothing wrong in his condo rental from a lobbyist. “Scott is doing a great job!”

But reports in Politico and The New York Times suggest conservative Pruitt’s success in rolling back environmental regulations has been overblown. Legal experts told the Times that by cutting corners in procedures to claim quick wins, Pruitt has increased the risk his moves will be struck down in court.

Vets see Northport VA at risk

The recent ouster of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin was seen as a win for advocates of large-scale privatization of the VA health-care system.

That’s particularly concerning to those served by the VA Medical Center at Northport, reports Newsday’s Martin C. Evans. Its collection of aging buildings is estimated to need more than $250 million in renovation funding to fix outdated surgical facilities, failing ventilation systems, leaking roofs and other problems.

Fire in the sky 

The apartment that burned in Trump's high-rise tower, killing 67-year-old Todd Brassner, did not have sprinklers. They were not required under the fire code when the complex was built. Trump was one of the developers who while in the private sector resisted being required to retrofit buildings. Commercial structures were ultimately affected by legal changes but not residential units except those underdoing major renovation.

A BFF? FF at least

Trump tweeted that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping “will always be friends, no matter what happens with our dispute on trade.” He predicted a successful end to the standoff, in which China will “take down its trade barriers.”

Trump’s new top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, also looked to soothe trade war jitters in Sunday show appearances, saying, “This process may turn out to be very benign.”

But another economic adviser, Peter Navarro, took a tougher tack.

“Every day of the week China comes into our homes, our business and our government agencies. ... This country is losing its strength even as China has grown its economy.”

What else is happening

• Cambridge Analytica, the data firm funded by Long Island billionaire Robert Mercer, grew famous for its triumphant Trump connection. Now, amid a scandal, millions of Facebook users are being notified if Cambridge got their data.
• Kudlow said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg should wear a suit when he testifies at congressional hearings this week. “I am tired of his T-shirt and hoodie,” Kudlow said.
• The Washington Post traces how and why chief of staff John Kelly’s influence has diminished. Trump, who once considered Kelly a security blanket, feels increasingly emboldened to act alone, said the report, which the president denounced as “just another hit job” in a tweet Sunday.
• North Korea’s government has let the United States know that Kim Jong Un is ready to discuss his nuclear weapons program with Trump, U.S. officials said Sunday.
• While Trump has accused Amazon of shorting state and local governments on taxes, The Wall Street Journal (pay site) found that the Trump Organization online store collects sales taxes from consumers in only two states. New York is not one of them.
• Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian oligarch who attended Trump’s inauguration in 2017, was among the Putin pals slapped with sanctions last week.
• Some GOP strategists think a strong messaging theme for the midterm elections will be warning that a Democratic takeover of the House will lead to immediate efforts to impeach Trump, The New York Times reported.