The Washington Post: Donald Trump’s combative, grievance-filled press conference, annotated.

“A solemn President Trump turned his Thursday afternoon announcement of a new labor secretary nominee into a screed against the media and large-scale defense of his first four weeks as president.

It was remarkable. Trump hit all the usual points: The polls, the electoral college, the media, etc. He even said that he inherited a “mess” four separate times. There were grievances galore.

Below is the transcript, which we’ll update as it comes in, along with our analysis and annotations.”

The New York Times: Full Transcript and Video: Trump News Conference.

“President Trump on Thursday announced his new nominee for labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, during a news conference at the White House. Following is a transcript of that event, as prepared by the Federal News Service.”

NPR: Trump Press Conference On Labor Secretary And Russia, Annotated.

“President Trump began his press conference Thursday afternoon naming his new nominee for labor secretary, R. Alexander Acosta. He also announced his decision to issue a new executive action while his travel ban is held up in court.

The president said “nobody that I know of” on his staff was in contact with Russia during the campaign. He also said he did not direct Michael Flynn, who resigned as national security adviser this week, to discuss U.S. sanctions during a pre-inauguration phone call with Russia’s U.S. ambassador.

Trump also touted new approval numbers — citing one in his favor and leaving out a number of other polls that how him with a lower rating — and claimed to have “inherited a mess” in regards to the economy, though unemployment figures contradict that claim.”

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): Trump vs. Truth. (YouTube, 24min)

“Since taking office around 412 years ago Trump has made it clear that reality is not important to him. Think about it: He’s exaggerated the size of his inauguration crowd. He said the election was marred by mass voter fraud with no real proof of that. He also falsely claimed that compared to Muslims, it was “almost impossible” for Christian refugees from Syria to get into the US. He even lied about the weather during his inauguration.”

The Economist: Donald Trump seeks a grand bargain with Vladimir Putin.

“Even as his ambassador to the UN offered “clear and strong condemnation“ of “Russia’s aggressive actions“ in Ukraine, the president’s bromance with Mr Putin was still smouldering. When an interviewer on Fox News put it to Mr Trump this week that Mr Putin is “a killer“ , he retorted: “There are a lot of killers. What, you think our country’s so innocent?“

For an American president to suggest that his own country is as murderous as Russia is unprecedented, wrong and a gift to Moscow’s propagandists. And for Mr Trump to think that Mr Putin has much to offer America is a miscalculation not just of Russian power and interests, but also of the value of what America might have to give up in return.”

Huffington Post: The Long Road To Impeach Trump Just Got Shorter. By Norman Solomon.

“Under the Trump presidency, defending a wide range of past gains is both necessary and insufficient. Fighting for impeachment is a way to go on the offensive, directly challenging the huge corruption that Trump has brought to the White House.

From the outset, President Trump has been violating two provisions of the U.S. Constitution — its foreign and domestic “emoluments“ clauses. In a nutshell, both clauses forbid personally profiting from presidential service beyond receiving a government salary.”

The Washington Post: Opinions: Trump’s two-year presidency. By Kathleen Parker.

“Good news: In two years, we’ll have a new president. Bad news: If we make it that long.

My “good“ prediction is based on the Law of the Pendulum. Enough Americans, including most independent voters, will be so ready to shed Donald Trump and his little shop of horrors that the 2018 midterm elections are all but certain to be a landslide — no, make that a mudslide — sweep of the House and Senate. If Republicans took both houses in a groundswell of the people’s rejection of Obamacare, Democrats will take them back in a tsunami of protest.

Once ensconced, it would take a Democratic majority approximately 30 seconds to begin impeachment proceedings selecting from an accumulating pile of lies, overreach and just plain sloppiness. That is, assuming Trump hasn’t already been shown the exit.”