Hundreds of Events Planned for Friday's 'General Strike' Tens of thousands of people across the United States are expected to skip work and attend rallies and marches Friday as part of a "general strike" to "get our democracy back," NBC News reported. Strike4Democracy, one of the groups organizing the nationwide event, which is called the "#F17 General Strike," said more than 100 public protests are expected. Event pages on Facebook indicate the potential for high participation: Nearly 20,000 people have responded to the page for a New York City march alone. It will be the second straight day of national protests, following Thursday's "Day Without Immigrants" campaign, which was aimed at making a point about the economic impact immigrants have on the U.S. labor force. Get More at NBC News Fact Check: Trump Makes Familiar False Claims President Donald Trump offered his spin on the first weeks of his administration, and made some familiar false claims, during his Feb. 16 news conference
Get More Trump Supporters Cheer His Combative Stance With Media Critics of President Donald Trump saw in his news conference a combative, thin-skinned chief executive who continues to blame the media for the controversies roiling his administration. His supporters saw something else: A champion of Middle America who is taking on the establishment and making good on his campaign promises to put the country first. The Associated Press contacted Trump supporters across the country to see how they viewed a Thursday news conference in which the president said his administration was running like "a fine-tuned machine" despite the resignation of his top national security adviser, a court setback on his immigration order, a defeat for his nominee as labor secretary and reports of internal divisions. Get More Fla. Man Charged With Plotting to Put Explosives in Target Stores A Florida man is accused of plotting to blow up Target stores along the East Coast. Federal prosecutors say Mark Barnett, 48, paid a man $10,000 to put at least 10 explosive devices, disguised as food items, in Target stores from Florida to New York.
Barnett's plan was ruined after the man he paid to assist him surrendered the explosive devices over to police. Get More Top News of the Week: China's Children 'Left Behind'View daily updates on the best photos in domestic and foreign news. View gallery »Harward Rejects Offer to Replace Flynn: Official Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward has turned down an offer to become President Donald Trump's national security adviser, a White House official told NBC News Thursday. "It's purely a personal issue," Harward told The Associated Press Thursday evening. "I'm in a unique position finally after being the in military for 40 years to enjoy some personal time." Get More Officials May Propose Sending More Troops to Syria Putting a number of conventional U.S. military forces into Syria is one of the options expected to be presented to President Donald Trump later this month as part of the effort to accelerate the defeat of ISIS, two senior U.S. defense officials told NBC News on Thursday.
The troops would be sent in to serve as enablers, force protection and engineering advisers — similar to the way the United States has worked alongside the Iraqi Security Forces in Iraq. The United States does already have conventional forces operating in Syria. However, under the Obama administration, the rules for how many troops are allowed in the country have been very specific and set by the White House. For example, the last increase allowed 203 more troops to operate in Syria. The possible proposal could mean that most of the forces who typically rotate in and out for short durations would stay in country and build out an operating location or forward operating base. Get More at NBC News 2016 an 'Unprecedented Year for Hate': SPLC The Southern Poverty Law Center reported an increase in U.S. hate groups in 2016—the second year in row that the number has risen. The number of anti-Muslim hate groups saw the greatest rise, ticking up to 101 from 34 in 2015, according to the annual census of hate groups by the SPLC.
President Donald Trump's election and rhetoric during the campaign is, in part, responsible for this rise of anti-Muslim hate groups, according to the report. Get More EPA Nominee Pruitt Must Provide Records of Meetings: Judge An Oklahoma judge Thursday ordered state Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump's pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, to turn over documents related to Pruitt's communications with coal, oil and natural gas corporations that an advocacy group has sought for more than two years. District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons said "there really is no reasonable explanation" why Pruitt's office has not complied with a request filed in January 2015 by the Wisconsin-based Center for Media and Democracy for communications between Pruitt and Koch Industries and other major energy companies as well as the corporate-funded Republican Attorney General's Association. Get More Black Lawmakers Dismayed by Trump's Invite to Black Reporter
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus expressed bafflement and dismay Thursday after President Donald Trump asked a black reporter to set up a meeting with them. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina said there is "an element of disrespect" in Trump's comment to journalist April Ryan, asking her whether she was friends with CBC members and could convene a get-together. Get More 'Day Without a Woman' Planned for March 8 The organizers of the Women's March, which drew hundreds of thousands to Washington D.C. following President Donald Trump's inauguration, have a new day of action planned: "A Day Without a Woman." Get More Kushner Family Puts Brakes on Talks to Buy Miami Marlins The Kushner family, which has close ties to the president, put the brakes on its negotiations to buy the Miami Marlins due to a report of team owner Jeffrey Loria possibly being nominated by the president to become ambassador to France. Get More Trump Ordered for Christie at White House Dinner
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says President Donald Trump made him order meatloaf when they dined together at the White House this week. Christie and his wife, Mary Pat, joined Trump at the White House on Tuesday. The Republican governor said while guest-hosting a New York sports talk radio show Thursday that Trump pointed out the menu and told people to get whatever they want. Then he insisted he and Christie were going to have the meatloaf. Get More Guiterrez: Hispanic Dems Barred From Meeting With ICE Director Rep. Luis Gutierrez was among a group of Hispanic congressmen barred from a meeting Thursday with a top federal immigration enforcement official. According to Gutierrez, a Democrat from Illinois, he and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus were scheduled to meet Tuesday with acting Immigration and Custom Enforcement Director Thomas Homan to discuss President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order on deportation. Get More Who's Who in Trump's Brain Trust