White House doubles down on VA pick despite allegations

Jackson will “not be railroaded” by false accusations No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Wednesday, April 25 DOCTOR ESTRANGED White House physician Ronny Jackson cut an isolated figure Tuesday after Donald Trump suggested his nominee to lead the VA could stand aside over allegations of wrongdoing. Trump reportedly told the embattled admiral: “What do you need this for?" Later, however, after Trump and Jackson met, the White House aggressively pushed back on calls for Jackson to withdraw, claiming the doctor’s record was “impeccable” and he would not be “railroaded” by false accusations. [Reuters] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] ‘ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS’ A third federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, calling it “arbitrary and capricious.” Federal Judge John Bates has giving the Department of Homeland Security 90 days to come up with legal reasoning for why the program is unlawful. [HuffPost] GOP ON DEFENSE Republicans held on to a contested Arizona House seat in a special election Tuesday, spending $1.2 million to repel the Democratic challenger in a district Trump won by 21 points in 2016. [HuffPost]   SCOTUS SHOWDOWN Trump’s controversial travel ban, which targets people from several Muslim-majority countries, goes before the Supreme Court Wednesday, with the state of Hawaii the lead challenger in the case. [Reuters] EMCEE FREE Philly rapper Meek Mill was released from prison Tuesday after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overruled a prior decision to deny the artist bail. He immediately went to the 76ers NBA playoff game against the Miami Heat. [HuffPost] STORE SHOOTING Two police officers were critically injured in a shooting at a Home Depot in Dallas Tuesday, after being called to assist in an arrest at the store. A civilian guard was also injured. [HuffPost]           PRAISE FOR KILLER A message posted to the Facebook page of Toronto van suspect Alek Minassian before the attack lavished praise on murderer Elliot Rodger, who killed six college students in 2014 near the University of California. [HuffPost] HOST HACKED Joy Reid is not backing down from her claim that her now-defunct blog was the target of a cyberattack in which homophobic content was added. [HuffPost] MONEY MONSTER Trump’s budget director Mick Mulvaney admitted Tuesday that while in the House of Representatives, he only ever talked to lobbyists who paid up: “If you’re a lobbyist who never gave us money, I didn’t talk to you.” [HuffPost] CYBER CHIEF CONFIRMED The Senate has confirmed Paul Nakasone as the new director for U.S. Cyber Command and National Security Agency, replacing Adm. Mike Rogers, who is retiring. [Reuters] INFINITY BUCKS “Avengers: Infinity War” is set to break box office records, with the latest Marvel adventure expected to take $225 million to $245 million in its opening weekend. [Variety] SOUTH KOREA SWITCH Trump has reportedly pulled his choice for U.S. ambassador to Australia and will dispatch Adm. Harry Harris, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, to South Korea instead. [HuffPost]       This Spanish woman looks more like Donald Trump than Donald Trump. Watching Trump try to tempt his own wife to hold his hand is utterly agonizing. The parents of the Florida high school student whose racist “promposal” went viral have pulled their son from all school activities for the rest of the year — including prom. “No, it’s not cheating.” These are the 12 questions people in a polyamorous relationships really don’t want to hear. Actress Allison Mack, recently charged in a sex trafficking case, has been released to her parents on a $5 million bail and ordered not to have any contact with members of the alleged Nxivm cult. This Pennsylvania golf club called the cops on five black women members — for playing golf. “Sarah Drunkabee Sanders” is a boozy delight. Jennifer Garner’s 9-year-old weaved a 12-foot scarf long scarf on a peg loom for mom’s birthday. So the actress wore it. Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost have made their red carpet debut as a couple, stepping out for the “Avengers: Infinity War” premiere in LA Monday. A massage therapist is suing Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee for alleged sexual misconduct. The 95-year-old has denied the allegation. Should you be wearing underwear under tights or leggings when working out? We have the answer. “I couldn’t control it anymore.” A man who stole $1.2 million worth of fajitas has been handed a prison sentence of 50 years. Chris Rock hit on Rihanna and she looked at him as though he was her aunt. Fitness coach Jillian Michaels said she “freaked out” when her daughter said being gay was “gross.” This is why all companies fear “death by Amazon.” And comedian Hank Azaria has said he is happy to “step aside” from voicing Apu on “The Simpsons.”     HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25th 2018 we will be introducing a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most — all with a dash of signature Morning Email snark. Does somebody keep forwarding you this email? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Check out HuffPost Politics for more of the good stuff. ©2018 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe     - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe