President Trump's first 100 days
- Congress OKs short-term spending bill, averting government shutdown over weekend
- Trump tells NRA: 'You have a true friend' in White House [video]
- Trump: National monuments a 'massive federal land grab'
- Local anti-Trump activists target state GOP elected officials
- Trump administration says Iran complying with nuclear deal
- Trump declares U.S.-Russia relations may be at 'all-time low'
- Gorsuch sworn into Supreme Court, restores conservative tilt
- U.S. strike on Syria is widely hailed, but angers Russia
- U.S. launches missile attack against Syria
- House intelligence committee chair steps aside
- White House says 'reality' changing with regard to Syria
- U.S. vows to uphold Russia sanctions until it respects pledges
- As GOP schism grows, Trump attacks fellow Republicans
- Trump revives threat to change libel laws
- Senate GOP needs Pence to break tie on family planning funds
- Trump administration seeks delay in ruling on climate plan
- Trump vows efforts to fight nation's opioid addiction crisis
- House sends bill to Trump blocking online privacy regulation
- House sends bill to Trump blocking online privacy regulation
- White House eyeing $18 billion list of social program cuts
- Watchdog to examine cost, security of Trump's Florida trips
- White House looks to bounce back after health care loss
- Trump signs legislation rolling back Obama-era regulations
- Trump's border wall with Mexico faces all kinds of obstacles
- Trump attacks conservative lawmakers over health bill
- Trump, GOP leaders pull troubled health care bill off House floor [video]
- Trump OKs Keystone pipeline, calling it 'great day' for jobs
- House GOP leaders delay vote on health care repeal bill
- Big GOP donors spending millions to stop Trump health care bill
- Trump feels 'somewhat' vindicated after Nunes intelligence briefing
- Comey: FBI probing Trump-Russia links, wiretap claims bogus
- GOP leaders propose health bill changes to help older people
- Trump to meet Iraqi premier as anti-IS policy takes shape
- Trump says Dems 'made up' allegations of Russia interference
- While Trump talks tough, U.S. quietly cutting nuclear force
- Trump says Germany owes 'vast sums' to NATO
- House panel gets Justice Department information about Trump's wiretap claim
- Trump would end subsidies for rural airline service
- Trump OKs changes in GOP health care bill, winning support
- President Trump, German Chancellor Merkel talk job training
- Trump's proposed budget features steep cuts to fund military, homeland security and aid veterans
- President Trump defends wiretapping claims at joint news conference with German Chancellor Merkel
- Trump budget cuts could cut $2 million of block grants for Chattanooga
- Trump pledges to fight 'terrible' court ruling blocking latest travel ban order [video]
- President Donald Trump speaks at rally in Nashville [video]
- Trump's first budget boosts military, cuts domestic programs
- Trump arrives at The Hermitage for historic visit to Andrew Jackson's home
- Trump announces challenge to Obama-era fuel standards
- White House meeting on Saudi underscores kingdom's influence
- President Trump to lay wreath at Andrew Jackson's 's tomb at Hermitage in Nashville
- Trump White House sees influence of shadowy 'deep state'
- Busload of local Trump supporters heading for president's Nashville rally
- Trump earned $153 million and paid $36.5 million in taxes in 2005
- 14 million would lose coverage under GOP plan, according to Congressional Budget Office
- Justice Department asks for more time on wiretapping evidence
- House committee wants evidence for Trump's wiretap claim
- Tax credits work differently in 'Obamacare' and GOP plan
- Trump administration dismissing congressional budget experts
- Trump on charm offensive with former rivals
- No more love for WikiLeaks from Trump after CIA hacked
- Trump's promises vs. the Republican plan on health care
- As president, Trump seeks answers on his own wiretap mystery
- New travel ban eases some legal questions but not all
- House GOP releases bill replacing Obama health care overhaul
- Trump tours private school in Florida, promoting choice
- Environmental programs face deep cuts under budget proposal
- Officials: New Trump order drops Iraq from travel ban list
- Trump looks to refocus his presidency in address to Congress
- Trump budget to increase defense spending by $54 billion
- Trump toasts nation's governors ahead of health care talks
- Trump condemns anonymous sources as staff demands anonymity
- White House bars major news outlets from gaggle
- A look at the legal path ahead for the Trump travel ban
- White House expects Justice crackdown on legalized marijuana
- Trump vows to fight 'epidemic' of human trafficking
- Conservatives learn dealing with Trump can be complicated
- Trump administration lifts transgender student bathroom guidance
- Millions targeted for possible deportation under Trump rules
- Trump Month Two: Talks on health care and on tax overhaul
- Trump praises new African American museum during first visit
- Trump denounces anti-Semitism in newly forceful condemnation
- Trump tries to move past controversies, toward legislating
- Revived by rally, Trump turns back to governing
- Outside of Washington, Trump slips back into campaign mode
- Trump gets out of Washington for campaign-style events
- Trump praises his 'fine-tuned machine,' says media dishonest
- Trump ushers in changes in Obamacare, could lead to higher annual deductibles
- A month into presidency, Trump prepares for a campaign rally
- Trump White House wrestles with a crush of crises
- Trump says U.S. will deal with North Korea 'very strongly'
- North Korean missile launch is Trump's latest test
- AP FACT CHECK: Are immigration raids result of Trump policy?
- Trump cites voter fraud in NH without providing evidence
- Trump says he might give travel ban a tweak or a makeover
- Trump responds to ruling on travel ban: 'SEE YOU IN COURT'
- U.S. appeals court refuses to reinstate Trump's ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations
- Trump says media 'doesn't want to report' extremist attacks
- White House expresses confidence travel ban will be restored
- U.S. judge temporarily blocks Trump's travel ban nationwide
- Trump moves to scale back financial regulations
- State Department says fewer than 60,000 visas canceled under Trump's order
- U.S. sanctions target two dozen people and companies in Iran following ballistic missile test
- Trump pledges to end political limits on churches
- Congress scraps Obama rules on coal mining, guns
- Trump tweets that Iran is 'on notice' for firing missiles
- Trump to Mexico: Take care of 'bad hombres' or U.S. might
- Trump praises Douglass, other famous African Americans
- Trump honors fallen Navy SEAL during unannounced trip
- Speaker defends Trump's order, warns of protests
- Local attorneys see widespread confusion over Trump's immigration order
- Trump supporters say they are happy with immigration order
- Veterans protest travel ban, saying it hurts interpreters
- Trump fires acting attorney general over executive order defiance
- White House: Immigration order 'small price' for safety
- Corker, Alexander call Trump's immigration ban 'poorly implemented' and 'confusing'
- Judge grants temporary stay after Trump immigration ban
- Trump's crackdown on refugees, citizens from 7 majority-Muslim countries takes effect
- Trump signs 'new vetting measures' to guard against terror
- Trump wants to slash EPA workforce and budget, official says
- Trump will pay for border wall with 20 percent tax on Mexican imports, spokesman says
- Trump poised to seek new military options for defeating IS
- Trump signals changes to U.S. interrogation, detention policy
- Trump calls for probe into unsubstantiated voter fraud claim
- Draft order would halt refugee processing for Syrians
- Trump intends to announce his Supreme Court pick on Feb. 2
- Trump warns he's ready to 'send in the Feds' to Chicago
- Trump moves to build border wall, cut sanctuary city funds
- EPA contract freeze, media blackout leave states confused
- Trump dogged by insecurity over popular vote, media coverage
- Trump moving forward with border wall, weighs refugee cuts
- Trump expands anti-abortion ban to all U.S. global health aid
- President Trump moves to advance Keystone XL, Dakota Access oil pipelines
- Trump administration places horse 'soring' ban on hold
- Trump tries to streamline manufacturing permits
- Trump moves to pull U.S. out of big Asia trade deal
- White House kicks off first full work day with daily briefing [video]
- Trump freezes new regulations until his administration can review them
- Trump signs first executive order
After a storm-tossed month for the U.S. ship of state, Sen. Bob Corker hopes the nation's new captain and crew have at least a hope of finding their 'sea legs.'
That wasn't obvious in the last week, which saw President Donald Trump's national security adviser resign, a growing furor over Russian meddling, and legions of European allies anxiously seeking reassurance that America won't abandon decades of defense and economic commitments.
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the national security adviser, resigned Monday after it was revealed he had misled the administration about having contact with Russian officials after the election. Then his chosen replacement, Adm. Robert Harward, turned down the job.
Calls came for investigations into both Flynn and whoever leaked information about the phone intercepts that brought him down. The Associated Press reported FBI Director James Comey met Friday with members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, after news broke that the FBI had interviewed Flynn about his contacts with Russian officials.
On Friday, Vice President Mike Pence said at the Munich Security Conference that Trump's administration will hold Russia accountable and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to NATO. That was three days after Defense Secretary Mike Mattis told NATO members in Brussels they needed to boost their own spending on the alliance or the U.S. would reduce its share.
And at the Munich conference, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., blasted "disarray" in the Trump White House and said allies would be "alarmed by the growing inability, and even unwillingness, to separate truth from lies" in the new administration.
But in an interview Friday, Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was considered for both vice president and secretary of state in a Trump administration, said he sees the politically inexperienced president "evolving to a better place" on foreign affairs and has hopes stability will emerge among the team of rivals staffing Trump's White House.
"There's no question it may take a little while for them to get their sea legs," he said, but he hopes Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, whom he called a friend, "over time will be able to pull all of that together and get them marching in the same direction."
"It's almost as though people are working against each other, and you can't have an organization that functions well when that is the case," he said, citing a "disconcerting" number of White House leaks.
"It seems to me it's possible there's numbers of power centers at the White House, in some cases, set up purposely to be in conflict, and I think that's led to some of the confusion. I'm hopeful that as they move along - they've been in office now four weeks - they'll be able to consolidate in such a way that some of the missteps that have occurred will not continue."
Corker advised Trump on foreign policy during the campaign and said he's continued the practice with Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Though in an interview last week with Politico, Corker called Trump "a wrecking ball" who "remains determined 'to destroy everything about' the U.S. establishment's view of the world," he told the Times Free Press the president has "begun to evolve to places I think are much better."
"You have to remember his real focus group during the campaign was these rallies, and he was constantly testing out the messages, if you will, in front of these rallies. He didn't have a lot of institutional support, he didn't have people around him who were really advising him on foreign policy, and so as he's gotten into office, he's realized that things are far different than he imagined.
"He was very much about wanting to reorient the world," Corker said. "He's coming around to a better place as it relates to Israel, he's coming around to a better place as it relates to NATO, coming around as of (Thursday) to a better place as it relates to Russia, much of which was because of pushback from folks who've been involved in foreign policy for many years. I consider it to be a healthy way because we're moving to a place that is more aligned with what our U.S. national interests are."
Though Trump has said he wants a good relationship with Russia and he didn't think Flynn did anything wrong, Corker said the president has disavowed "some grand sweeping deal" with the Russians.
"I think he's also understanding that while Vladimir Putin may send complimentary statements out about him, the fact is that Russia has been involved in very nefarious activities, they've worked against our interests, they've undermined 70 years of policy we've had toward Europe in trying to destabilize it," he said.
Any move by the Trump administration to lift sanctions against Russia would have been "hugely problematic," not only for the U.S. but European nations that also have sanctions in place, he said.
"They've been hanging in there with us, pushing back against their destabilizing activities, and for the United States all of a sudden to come up with some new arrangement, not only was bad but it also undermined our relationship with our European allies."
At home, Corker said, there needs to be a "fulsome review of everything Russia did relative to the election." He said he has met with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina and ranking Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia.
"They are in alignment as to what needs to occur, and I think that all that's happened over the last two weeks has added a lot of energy to that. I know that when FBI investigations are under way, as I understand there may be in this case, people are not allowed to testify, but assuming that's not the case, then I think General Flynn coming up and talking about those things would be a healthy thing, my guess is, something he might even want to do."
Corker said he'd met with Flynn on some issues, including one of his own top priorities, how to "strictly enforce" the Iran nuclear deal crafted by former President Barack Obama. Corker was a sharp critic of that deal and supports Trump's promise of a harder line.
"You've already seen them put additional sanctions on Iran for the ballistic missile test that took place" in January. "I think you're also going to see us over the course of time try to renegotiate the deal" because the U.S. "just cannot allow" Iran to develop nuclear missiles.
Corker doesn't think its necessarily a bad thing that the new president is causing some heartburn with his desire to upend the establishment, but says a smoothly functioning White House team will be critical.
"I think it's healthy that he's challenging the status quo. At the same time, when you talk about deals, deals, deals, you've got to know toward what end," he said.
"I'm all for upending the status quo, I'm definitely all for us getting our fiscal house in order, and I hope that one of the core values that they're going to have is that they're not going to continue to pile up debt for future generations.
"We want to see economic growth, we want to see tax reform, we want to make sure that we replace the health care changes that have taken place in the appropriate way. So it's important to us as a nation that they pull together more closely."