President Trump announced Wednesday that he will be asking for a “major investigation” into alleged nationwide voter fraud -- a day after his press secretary was grilled on Trump’s claims that 3 million to 5 million people had voted illegally in November.

Trump announced the move on Twitter, and said the probe will focus on “those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and even those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time).”

I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017 even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time). Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017

Trump’s announcement comes a day after White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was forced to defend claims Trump had made at a private meeting with congressional leaders Monday that 3 million to 5 million people had illegally voted in the election.

The president took bipartisan criticism for the comments a day later, with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., saying he had seen "no evidence" of Trump's claim.

Spicer told the press that that is what Trump believes based on evidence presented to him.

“It was a comment he made on a longstanding belief,” Spicer said. “… He believes what he believes based on the information he’s been provided.”

When pushed by reporters on why, if that is the president’s belief, the Trump administration would not order an investigation into voting practices, Spicer said the president was “comfortable” with his victory, but eventually said “maybe we will.”

Trump had claimed millions had voted illegally in the wake of his election victory over Hillary Clinton in November when it became clear that while he had won the all-important Electoral College vote, Clinton had won the popular vote by more than 2.8 million votes.

Trump tweeted at that time that he actually won the popular vote “if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally,” a comment for which he was widely criticized.

While cases of voter registration fraud are not uncommon, cases of actual recorded voter fraud are rare and sporadic. There is little evidence to suggest that as many as 5 million voted illegally. In his press briefing Tuesday, Spicer cited a 2008 Pew Research Study and supposed findings that 14 percent of voters were not citizens.

There is no such study. Spicer may be referring to a disputed 2014 Washington Post “Monkey Cage” report which came to a similar conclusion. That study found that 14 percent of non-citizens in 2008 and 2010 indicated that they were registered to vote, and extrapolated that 6.4 percent of non-citizens voted in 2008 and 2.2 percent in 2010.

Meanwhile, a 2012 Pew study found evidence of widespread outdated voter registration forms, but did not make any conclusions in terms of actual voter fraud. The author of that study, David Becker, tweeted Tuesday that “voting integrity [is] better in this election than ever before. Zero evidence of fraud.”

In his tweets, Trump promised that, depending on the results, voting procedures may be “strengthened.”

Democrats immediately pushed back on Trump's action, with Democratic National Commitee chair frontrunner Keith Ellison, D-Minn., urging followers to "Fight it NOW!"</s>Donald Trump: US President to thrive in Year of the Cock

With Trump at the top of the pecking order, the volatile traits of the rooster means rocky times ahead.

US president Donald Trump will strut through the Year of the Rooster, thriving as Hong Kong geomancers predict 2017 will be marked by the arguments and aggression — characteristics attributed to the animal.

With Trump at the top of the pecking order, the volatile traits of the rooster — combined with the year’s signature element of fire — mean rocky times ahead, particularly in the western world, feng shui masters say.

"The rooster likes to pick fights, loves to have verbal arguments and is combative," Hong Kong soothsayer Thierry Chow told AFP.

Trump’s inauguration was met with mass protests in the US and he has already riled China, prompting fears of a trade war between the world’s top two economies.

Chow predicted he would ruffle more feathers in his first year as president.

"There will be a lot of strikes and even riots," says Chow.

Although born in the Year of the Dog, Trump can afford to be cocky due to his flock of faithful followers and his personal "bazi" element of earth, which is compatible with the fire element defining 2017.

According to the philosophy of feng shui, all events are dictated by the varying balances in the five elements that make up the universe: metal, wood, water, fire and earth.

"Bazi" are fate-setting traits linked to the exact time and date of a person’s birth.

"The year will have all these elements, these people, these things and environment which will help him personally as a president," says Chow.

Celebrity feng shui master Alion Yeo said the US economy would benefit due to the rooster’s signature element of metal, which also represents money and stocks.

"Trump’s ‘bazi’ shows he will be prosperous, so the US stock market will perform well in 2017," Yeo said.

But he says Trump’s good luck will only be temporary as the elements turn against him in future years.

"He will have a good run in 2017, but this won’t be the case for 2018 (the Year of the Dog)," says Yeo.

Feng shui — literally meaning "wind-water" — is influential in many parts of Asia, where people adjust their lives and carefully position items such as a cup of wine or pieces of ivory in offices and homes to maximise their luck and wealth.

Those who practise the ancient philosophy were highly sought-after by Chinese dynastic rulers as far back as 1,000 years ago.

"We were government workers in the past and would help the emperors ask the heavens whether the year was going to be a good one or not," Yeo said.

One traditional method was to shake three coins in a turtle shell and see which way they fell in order to judge important topics, including picking dates for marriage or how to fight a major battle.

Yeo still rolls coins to make predictions but uses a cup not a turtle shell. Others use a metal shell replica.

To divine the future, Yeo says the geomancer’s heart must be "very quiet".

"Whether or not you can communicate with the heavens is a gift," he adds.

Yeo says the world will be like a "sick ox" in 2017, with an even less favourable outlook than tumultuous 2016.

"It can barely even get up to eat the grass around it," he says, adding that Europe will fare particularly badly.

The rooster’s metal element signifies western countries, especially Europe, and will come under pressure from the year’s fire element, explains Yeo.

Brexit and the refugee crisis will drive more chaos for the continent in 2017, says Chow, who uses the "flying star" system to make her predictions based on constellation positions.

"I wouldn’t say things are calming down," she said.

"It will be a year of very heated arguments."

This post was syndicated from pulse.ng - Nigeria's entertainment & lifestyle platform online. Click here to read the full text on the original website.

Also, Like us on facebook</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would seek an investigation into what he believes was voter fraud in last November’s election, despite an overwhelming consensus among state officials, election experts, and politicians that it is rare in the United States.

Voters cast their ballots at a polling station set up in a garage during the U.S. presidential election, near Fernald, Iowa, U.S., November 8, 2016. REUTERS/Scott Morgan

The announcement drew rebukes from both Republicans and Democrats who said the Republican president’s unsubstantiated claims of large-scale fraud could undermine voting rights efforts as well as confidence in the new U.S. chief executive.

In the Nov. 8 election, Trump lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million ballots. Irked by that large figure, he has blamed voter fraud without citing evidence.

“I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and....even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time),” Trump said on Twitter.

“Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!”

In an interview with ABC News, Trump said none of the illegal votes would have been cast for him. “They would all be for the other side,” he said.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer later told a news briefing that the probe would not focus on only the 2016 election.

Three Democratic congressmen demanded proof of such fraud and sent a letter to election officials and attorneys general in all 50 U.S. states seeking examples of cases of fraud in November’s vote.

Many of the state officials did not need prompting with election officers in several states rejecting Trump’s claims immediately.

“Easy to vote, hard to cheat #Ohio,” Ohio’s Republican secretary of state, Jon Husted, said in a Twitter post rebutting Trump’s claim that 3 million to 5 million illegal immigrants voted against him.

“That’s impossible,” Democratic Secretary of State Alex Padilla of California said on CNN.

There is no history of widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections. Leading Republicans, including the top Republican in Congress, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, have rejected the claims.

Ryan, however, said in an interview Wednesday with MSNBC that if Trump believes there is widespread fraud “the right thing is to get an investigation to get the facts.”

Trump won the state-by-state Electoral College tally that decides the presidency, but the historic popular vote gap and allegations of Russian meddling in the election on his behalf have led some to say his victory was not legitimate.

NO EVIDENCE

Trump’s announcement that he will seek an investigation appeared to be prompted by a White House news briefing on Tuesday in which Spicer confirmed that the president continued to believe millions of illegal immigrants voted in the election.

Spicer initially said there was no investigation planned but changed tack after persistent questioning, saying “maybe we will ... anything is possible.”

Federal investigations of voter fraud are rare. A five-year probe initiated by Republican President George W. Bush’s administration turned up no evidence of voter fraud and ended in resignations and more investigations for the Department of Justice which enforces federal voting rights laws.

“Republicans have used claims of widespread voter fraud to discriminate and restrict access to the ballot box for years,” said Democratic U.S. Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina.

Trump’s attorney general nominee, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, has been criticized for his record on voting rights and race relations. A voter fraud case he prosecuted as a U.S. attorney in his home state of Alabama helped derail his confirmation as a federal judge in 1986.

Voting rights experts at New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice urged Sessions to heed lessons of the past.

“In 2007, the Justice Department was upended by scandal because it had pursued a partisan agenda on voting, under the guise of rooting out suspected ‘voter fraud,’” Adam Gitlin and Wendy Weiser wrote in a Jan. 7 report for the center.

“DOJ political leadership fired seven well-respected U.S. attorneys, dismissing some top Republican prosecutors because they had refused to prosecute non-existent voter fraud,” they wrote.

The firings scandal prompted the resignation of the attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, they said.

Slideshow (3 Images)

Others expressed concern that Trump’s repetition of falsehoods, including the size of inauguration crowds as well as voter fraud, could undermine public confidence.

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said Trump will need to be believed when he makes the case about a foreign threat and cannot reveal the intelligence behind it.

“Our new president is doing deep damage to himself and to our country,” Schiff said on Wednesday at the Center for American Progress think tank.</s>Donald Trump. You've heard of him, right?

The new President of the United States of America is a pretty big deal - and if you don't know that then he seems as though he'd be only too willing to tell you.

And you'd think that given everything - apparent voter fraud, trade deals, walls - then he wouldn't really be too concerned about the fortunes of the team currently bottom of the Conference . But that didn't seem to be the case on Wednesday.

Because according to an ambiguous headline on the front page of the New York Daily News, Trump could REALLY hate York City.

Twitter user Paul Dorsey spotted the amusing headline above - which obviously refers to New York once you've given it a second glance - and it wasn't long before he informed The Minstermen that they might just have a powerful enemy.

But to York's credit, they seem to want to keep relations cordial with the President, and showed some nice Twitter etiquette - something which others could probably learn from.

What next? Trump going on a 3am Twitter tirade against North Ferriby United?</s>Vehicles participating in an inaugural parade rehearsal pass by the Trump Internationa Hotel, January 15, 2017 in Washington, DC. On January 20 President-elect Donald Trump with be sworn in as the nation’s 45th president. Mark Wilson / Getty Images

In addition to the Trump Organization, it names Trump’s contractor, Lend Lease of New York, in the suit.

court papers that it began working on the project on Sept. 29, 2014 and was ordered to “accelerate work” last fall.

The reason? “To permit Mr. Trump’s nationally televised campaign event from the Hotel on September 16, 2016, which was to honor U.S. veterans,” the papers state.

Also, the Trump hotel had already started booking “paid events” and rooms for a “

To get the work done on time, the company claims, “required Freestate’s crews to work nonstop, seven days per week, 10 to 14 hours per day, for nearly 50 consecutive days, prior to the ‘soft opening,’ at significant additional cost and expense for which Freestate expected payment.”

Freestate claims it continued to work at the same pace to ensure the hotel was ready for its “grand opening” on Oct. 26.

“The ‘grand opening’ of the Trump Hotel by this day, was also a nationally covered event, which was planned just prior to the U.S. presidential election,” the suit states. “Although Mr. Trump’s Hotel has now been opened and has operated for business since September 2016, and despite the fact that Mr. Trump was successfully elected as the next U.S. President, Trump refuses to pay the sums due for the account of work of subcontractors, like Freestate.”

Freestate, which states in the suit that it has thus far been paid $15,130,267.39, said that when it submitted the bill for the extra costs, the Trump organization offered to pay just a third of the bill.

A spokesman for Freestate, which employs union electricians, did not immediately return a phone call from NBC to elaborate on the lawsuit, which was filed last Thursday — a day before Trump’s inauguration.

Workers at the new Trump International Hotel watch as US President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump ride in their limousine during the Inaugural Parade after taking the oath of office as the 45th President of the United States in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2017. Trump won the 08 November 2016 election to become the next US President. ERIK S. LESSER / EPA

A spokesperson for the Trump Organization responded to the lawsuit with the following statement:

“In developments of this scale and complexity the filing of nominal liens at the conclusion of construction is not uncommon as part of the close out process. In the case of Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C., the Trump Organization has invested over $200 million dollars into the redevelopment of the historic Old Post Office and is incredibly proud of what is now considered to be one the most iconic hotels anywhere in the country.”

The White House insists that Trump himself has divested himself from his companies and has turned over management of his empire to his sons.

This is not the first time the Trump organization has been accused of pressuring contractors to accept reduced payments on projects — or flat out failing to pay workers what they are owed.

USA Today and other news organizations have reported that Trump and his companies have been hit with more than 3,500 lawsuits for non-payment of bills or wages over the past three decades. Also, Trump companies have been cited for 24 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act since 2005, the paper reported.

Perhaps the most infamous example were the undocumented

Polish workers who were hired to build Trump’s glitzy home, Trump Tower in Manhattan. They went on strike when they weren’t paid, triggering a multi-year legal battle that ended with a settlement.

Trump denied doing anything wrong, and the Polish workers never got a nickel from the settlement.</s>SANTA FE – New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver issued the following statement today in response to President Donald Trump’s continued false allegations that at least three million illegal votes were cast in the 2016 General Election:

“President Trump’s allegations are simply not true. This office has been working aggressively to protect the integrity of our elections, while ensuring New Mexicans’ right to vote is not infringed. I am extremely concerned that President Trump is pushing these voter fraud lies to justify future efforts making it harder to vote. New Mexicans and the American people deserve better.”

In 2012, the Pew Charitable Trusts released a comprehensive plan to upgrade voter registration systems across the country. The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office has been actively working to implement the three specific recommendations made in the plan:
• Compare registration lists with other data sources, such as motor vehicle and national change-of-address records, to broaden the base of information used to update and verify voter rolls.
• Implement proven techniques and security protocols that use those data sources to better track and identify inaccurate records that could be removed, as well as eligible citizens who could be registered.
• Minimize manual data entry by providing voters with opportunities to submit their information online, which in turn would reduce costs and errors.

As part of this work, in June 2016, New Mexico became a participating State in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a sophisticated interstate data exchange, administered by the states, that harnesses cutting-edge technology to clean voter lists and streamline the process by which new voters register. This system alerts election officials to voters whose information might be out of date or who may be eligible but not registered. New Mexico is one of twenty states plus the District of Columbia currently participating in ERIC, which covers approximately seventy-six million voters.

A recent report by the Electoral Integrity Project ranks New Mexico’s electoral system #5 on its Perceptions of Electoral Integrity index. Two weeks ago, Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver announced the successful audit of New Mexico’s electronic voting tabulation systems used in the 2016 general election. The full audit report and analysis can be found on the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website.

If a New Mexicans would like to register to vote, or update their registration, they can visit the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Online Voter Registration website.</s>WATCH: What's happening in the US ahead of Trump's inauguration ceremony? Gulf News World Deputy Editor Nasheet Jaffer Khan brings you the latest updates...

Analysis: Hold on to your hats

Scott Shuey, Business Editor

In about an hour, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. It’s hard to remember an Inauguration Day that’s been regarded with such dread and anxiety. It’s not unprecedented – contentious politics have long when a part of American politics, but you have to go back to the turbulent 1968 and 1972 campaigns, when the US was still embroiled in Viet Nam, to find this level of vitriol. And we didn't have social media then.

Go online today and you can find anything from predictions of doom (or abject gloating). Much of the fear is due to a lack of actual knowledge about what a Trump presidency means for the economy, global trade, and civil rights. Trump’s cabinet nominations haven’t helped smooth any rattled nerves. But after the swearing in, Trump will deliver his inaugural speech, which could shed additional light on his immediate plans. Whether that will sooth any nerves in anyone’s guess. And Trump's team is saying he will be issuing some Executive Orders today. Hold on to your hats for those. Liberal activists protesting the inauguration also scuffled with police in Washington, blocking some of the Republican real estate developer's supporters streaming in for the ceremony. Trump's motorcade is on its way to the site of the inauguration, 4km from the White House where he had a meeting with Obama. US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle greeted president-in-waiting Donald Trump and his wife Melania on the steps of the presidential mansion on Friday. The two couples headed inside for traditional tea and coffee with their vice presidents and congressional leaders, but not before a mini-commotion caused by an unexpected gift from the incoming first lady to her predecessor. After a hesitant embrace, Melania presented Michelle with a large box from the high-end jeweler Tiffany's — located next door to Trump Tower in New York — in the store's iconic blue tone, which complemented her own outfit. An awkward sequence ensued, with the world looking on, as Michelle spun around, seemingly perplexed about where to place the surprise gift while the four posed for a photograph. Neither of the Marines standing guard beside them were authorised by protocol to break their salute to hold the box, and the snafu was only resolved when Obama himself ducked back inside the White House to spirit away the gift — whose contents remain a mystery for now. 'The work begins!': Trump to be sworn in as US president Donald Trump began the ceremonial events leading up to his swearing-in later on Friday as the 45th president of the United States, when he will take power over a divided country after a savage campaign and set the country on a new, uncertain path at home and abroad. In an event likely to draw 900,000 people, including protesters, Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence, will take the oath of office at midday outside the domed US Capitol, with US Chief Justice John Roberts presiding. "It all begins today!" Trump wrote in a note on Twitter. "I will see you at 11:00 A.M. for the swearing-in. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES - THE WORK BEGINS!" It all begins today! I will see you at 11:00 A.M. for the swearing-in. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES - THE WORK BEGINS!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2017 Wall Street stocks opened higher Friday ahead of the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump amid expectations of pro-growth economic policies from the new administration. Trump's election in November, coupled with the Republican sweep of Congress, raised expectations for business-friendly policies, including tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks. US stocks bulldozed to multiple records in November and December, although the market has been choppy in recent weeks. "The axiom that has made the rounds in recent weeks is that you 'buy the election and sell the inauguration,' which is to impart the view that upside will likely be harder to come by following the inauguration since a lot of hope wrapped up in potential policy actions has already been priced in," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare. About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.4 per cent at 19,805.28. The broad-based S&P 500 rose 0.5 per cent to 2,274.06, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index also advanced 0.5 per cent to 5,566.53. Log on to this site for a live web feed on the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States in about 45 minutes. Trump and Obama have tea and coffee US President-elect Donald Trump arrived at the White House Friday for his final meeting with outgoing leader Barack Obama, before the two head to the Capitol for the Republican's swearing-in ceremony. Obama and First Lady Michelle greeted Trump and his wife Melania on the steps of the White House. "Mr President-elect, how are you?" Obama asked. The four were to head into the White House for traditional tea and coffee. Russian President Vladimir Putin won't be watching the live ceremony of Donald Trump's inauguration Friday, his spokesman said, rubbishing the idea of him being Moscow's man in Washington. "I don't think that he plans to watch it live but of course he will follow it in the news, perhaps even as the main news item," Peskov told journalists. Separately, he told Rossiya 24 state channel it would be a grave mistake for foreign and domestic observers to assume Trump is Putin's man in Washington. Trump "is not our man, he is an American man, he is the president of the United States. "And it's probably the biggest mistake by Western analysts, by some of our political observers, to consider that he is 'our man'." Outgoing US President Barack Obama on Friday left the Oval Office for the last time, before welcoming his successor Donald Trump to the White House Obama walked into the Oval Office holding a letter, which he left on the Resolute desk, a 19th century gift from Queen Elizabeth that is made from the timber of a British arctic vessel. It is customary for the outgoing president to leave a personal note for his successor. Obama was to have morning tea with Trump before they make their way to the Capitol for the inauguration ceremony. As Obama walked along the West Wing colonnade, when asked if he was feeling nostalgic, "Of course" was the reply. Asked for last words for the America people, he offered a simple "Thank you." When Obama arrived in the Oval Office eight years ago he found a note from his predecessor, George W Bush. "Very few have had the honor of knowing the responsibility you now feel. Very few know the excitement of the moment and the challenges you will face," it read. "There will be trying moments. The critics will rage. Your 'friends' will disappoint you. But, you will have an Almighty God to comfort you, a family who loves you, and a country that is pulling for you, including me." "No matter what comes, you will be inspired by the character and compassion of the people you now lead."</s>Yesterday, a user on reddit posted on the social website a picture of a trash can that resembles the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

What followed was a photoshop battle that placed trashcan Trump into a variety of situations.

Check out some of our favorites below!</s>In case you haven’t heard, Donald Trump considers himself a master of the deal. This goes beyond just image and speeches – he appears determined to apply his management style in ways previous administrations, and fiscal conservatives, could have never fathomed.

Already, Trump has taken credit for saving hundreds of jobs in the Carrier deal, after negotiating directly with company representatives. And while this deal did not really affect the nation’s finances at large, Trump is reportedly pursuing a better deal for all taxpayers in regard to the F-35 fighter jet after sitting down with the CEO of Lockheed Martin, who later told Politico that they were, “close to a deal” on cutting costs.

RELATED: Here’s why Donald Trump might actually cut government

President Trump is hardly the first person to notice problems with the F-35. Senate Armed Forces Chairman John McCain has called the program, “both a scandal and a tragedy in respect to cost.” While cost should always be considered when evaluating a government program, perhaps even more worrying is the question of its combat capabilities. In 2008, after two analysts at the RAND corporation underwent a simulation, they declared the new plane, “Can’t turn, can’t climb, can’t run.”

What is different this time is how the new President is approaching the issue – and maybe achieving what others could not. Trump originally took aim at the program back in December, and to prove he is serious about the situation, Trump announced with a Tweet that he was in contact with Boeing to price out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet.

vary from $112.7 to $241.1 million, while the F-18 would cost $70 million a piece. If the Pentagon were to shift their order of 2,443 F-35’s to the F-18, even while using the low-end estimates, taxpayers could save billions.

Lockheed Martin seems to have gotten the message. The chairman of BAE systems, a defense contractor responsible for 10 percent of the F-35’s supply chain, announced Thursday, “We’ve been told through Lockheed that the president has an ambition to reduce the cost of that aircraft by a material amount of money … into double digits.”

This sort of Tweet-driven deal making is not new. Possibly in an effort to dispel the notion that the new Dealmaker in Chief was picking favorites, Trump has also taken fire at Boeing, again through Twitter regarding the price tag of $4 billion, for the Air Force One program, by exclaiming that the “ridiculous” costs could be avoided if he were to, “Cancel the order!”

Those concerned with government waste might be excited by Trump’s new approach to contract negotiations, but for real changes to be made, Trump’s willingness to take aim at wasteful programs cannot stop at the F-35 and Air Force One. If the president is looking to reassess deals, he should review the rotten deal the American taxpayer have found themselves in with the Pentagon budget at large.

In 2015, the Pentagon received some eye-opening news from their internal waste investigation. The plan found $125 billion in possible savings, but some high-ranking officials chose to bury it out of concerns that the money would be allocated away from the Pentagon in the future.

This plan would have provided a “clear path” for savings, without cuts to military personnel (and, in fact, Trump has called for troop increases on the campaign trail) or to bureaucratic civil servants in the defense department.

While this exact plan may not be the ideal one to implement, it will be hard to target and cut waste as long as opportunities for savings are buried – or never even discovered to begin with. After all, the Pentagon still has not been audited, and “persistent problems” with its accounting have led to the Government Accountability Office recently reporting it cannot even evaluate the federal government’s annual financial report.

What we do know proves that keeping America safe and supporting a bloated bureaucracy are two very different things. The Pentagon employs almost as many desk jobs as active duty troops, and pays the average administrative employee $200,000.

In other words, President Trump is right to take on waste, but he cannot just stop at the waste everyone knows about. Trump has called repeatedly to increase the military budget, but doing so will quickly crowd out his other goals if he does not first find opportunities for savings elsewhere.

RELATED: Under Donald Trump, small businesses are feeling their most confident in 13 years

President Trump has recently come out in favor of Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Rand Paul’s calls to audit the Federal Reserve. Those concerned with government waste and our nation’s security can only hope Trump encourages a similar level of transparency by supporting an audit of the country’s largest bureaucracy.

As Donald Trump said in the Art of the Deal, “The worst of times often create the best opportunities to make good deals.” Staring down $20 trillion in debt, fiscal conservatives should share President Trump’s optimism and hope some good deals result.

Jonathan Wren is the Outreach Manager for the Coalition to Reduce Spending.</s>The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):

2 PM: A spokesman says President Donald Trump’s belief that there were millions of illegal votes cast in the November election is based on ”studies and evidence.” But spokesman Sean Spicer did not provide examples of that evidence.

Trump first made the false claim during the transition. He reiterated the statement in a meeting Monday night with lawmakers, blaming illegal ballots for his loss of the popular vote. Spicer says Trump ”continues to maintain that belief.” There has been no evidence to support the claims that there was widespread voter fraud in the election.

 Spicer’s only attempt to support Trump’s assertion was to point a 2008 Pew Research survey that showed a need to update voter registration systems.

1:55 PM: An Agriculture Department research agency has banned the release of news releases, photos and other material to the public. In a memo to employees at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, chief of staff Sharon Drumm said the agency would immediately cease releasing any ”public-facing” documents.

”This includes, but is not limited to, news releases, photos, fact sheets, news feeds, and social media content,” read the email memo obtained by The Associated Press. A statement released by ARS spokesman Christopher Bentley said the agency ”values and is committed to maintaining the free flow of information between our scientists and the American public as we strive to find solutions to agricultural problems affecting America.”

The statement said some material would still be available on the agency’s website.

 Buzzfeed News first reported the memo.

1:50 PM: The White House says President Donald Trump has accepted House Speaker Paul Ryan’s invitation to address a joint session of Congress on Feb. 28. Ryan announced the invitation on Tuesday and informed reporters after a meeting with House Republicans. Ryan had met with Trump Monday night at the White House. Trump also met with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders on Monday.

Trump was meeting Tuesday at the White House with top Senate leaders. The speech will be Trump’s first to Congress. He was sworn in the office on Friday.

12:45 PM: The Trump administration has instituted a media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants. Emails sent to EPA staff since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press detailed the specific prohibitions banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency’s social media accounts.

 The Trump administration has also ordered a ”temporary suspension” of all new business activities at the department, including issuing task orders or work assignments to EPA contractors. The orders are expected to have a significant and immediate impact on EPA activities nationwide.

 The EPA did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment Monday or Tuesday.

 —

 12:25 p.m.

 President Donald Trump is hanging up some new art in the White House press area – and it’s none too subtle.

 The panoramic photo shows the crowds gathered near the U.S. Capitol for Trump’s inauguration on Friday. It’s a nod to the ongoing interest the president has in making it clear that his event was well-attended.

 Trump tweeted: ”A photo delivered yesterday that will be displayed in the upper/lower press hall. Thank you Abbas!” For emphasis, the official Twitter account of the president retweeted the (at)realDonaldTrump message. The photo was taken by Washington-area photographer Abbas Shirmohammadi, and it notes the wrong date – Jan. 21, although it does appear to depict the correct event.

 Trump and press secretary Sean Spicer have taken pains to play up the crowd size, sometimes exaggerating the number in attendance. They’ve excoriated the media for what they said is an effort to downplay enthusiasm for Trump’s inauguration.

 —

You may also like to watch this video:

11:50 a.m.

 President Donald Trump has taken steps to streamline the permitting process for manufacturing.

 He also wants pipelines to be made in the U.S., and an expedited process for environmental reviews and approvals.

 The steps came as Trump signed executive actions to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines. Former President Barack Obama blocked construction in late 2015 of the Keystone line from Canada to the U.S. Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers is studying alternative routes for the Dakota Access pipeline.

 Trump describes the regulatory process as a ”tangled up mess.” He says if the answer is no, it should be a quick no. If the answer is yes, Trump says ”let’s start building.”

 —

 11:35 a.m.

 President Donald Trump says he will announce his pick to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat sometime next week.

 Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that he’ll be ”making my decision this week” and ”we’ll be announcing it next week.”

 ”We have some outstanding candidates,” the president said. ”And we’ll pick a truly great Supreme Court justice.”

 The Supreme Court has only had eight justices since Justice Antonin Scalia died last year. President Barack Obama nominated a replacement but Republicans in the Senate refused to bring the choice up for a vote.

 During his campaign, Trump publicly identified nearly two dozen candidates for the vacancy.

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 11:25 a.m.

 President Donald Trump has signed executive actions to advance the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines.

 Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office that the moves on the pipelines will be subject to the terms and conditions being renegotiated by the U.S.

 President Barack Obama killed the proposed Keystone XL pipeline in late 2015, saying it would hurt American efforts to reach a global climate change deal.

 The pipeline would run from Canada to U.S. refineries in the Gulf Coast. The U.S. government needs to approve the pipeline because it crossed the border.

 The Army decided last year to explore alternate routes for the Dakota pipeline after the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and its supporters said the pipeline threatened1 drinking water and Native American cultural sites.

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 10:50 a.m.

 FBI Director James Comey is staying in his job. A Justice Department memo lists him among officials remaining in their positions.

 FBI directors are appointed to 10-year terms intended to carry across presidential administrations, even when a new party takes over the White House.

 President Donald Trump criticized the FBI during the campaign for its decision not to recommend charges against his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. But he also appeared to warmly greet Comey at a law enforcement gathering over the weekend.

 Comey is in his fourth year in the job.

 The New York Times first reported that Comey would stay on.

 The director’s job has been a 10-year term since 1976. Since then, only one has been removed prematurely – Reagan appointee William Sessions by Bill Clinton in 1993.

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9:48 a.m.

 President Donald Trump is expected to take executive action Tuesday to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines.

 That’s according to a person with knowledge of the action. The president is scheduled to sign orders at the White House late Tuesday morning.

 Former President Barack Obama killed the proposed Keystone XL pipeline in late 2015, declaring it would have undercut U.S. efforts to clinch a global climate change deal that was a centerpiece of his environmental legacy. The pipeline would run from Canada to U.S. refineries in the Gulf Coast. The U.S. government needed to approve the pipeline because it crossed the border.

 The Army decided last year to explore alternate routes for the Dakota pipeline after the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and its supporters said the pipeline threatened drinking water and Native American cultural sites.

 The person with knowledge of the decisions insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to confirm the moves ahead of a formal announcement.

 -By Julie Pace

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 9:45 a.m.

 President Donald Trump says he’s an environmentalist.

 The president made the comments Tuesday at a breakfast with auto industry executives.

 He didn’t elaborate on why he sees himself as an environmentalist, but the comments came after urging companies from the auto industry and beyond to bring jobs back to the U.S.

 On Monday, he made similar comments at a business breakfast, stating, again without elaborating, ”I’m a very big person when it comes to the environment. I have received awards on the environment.”

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 9:30 a.m.

 President Donald Trump is spending the morning meeting with auto executives as part of his push to bring jobs back to the U.S.

 Trump told his guests Tuesday at the White House that he’s looking to ease regulations to help auto companies and any other businesses wishing to do business in the U.S.

 Among the attendees of the breakfast are Ford Motor Co. chief executive Mark Fields, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and General Motors chief executive Mary Barra.

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 3:30 a.m.

 President Donald Trump’s efforts to build bridges and push through his agenda have been overshadowed once again with his continued fixation on the election and more false claims.

 During a bipartisan reception with lawmakers at the White House late Monday, Trump claimed the reason he’d lost the popular vote to his Democratic rival was that 3 million to 5 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally had voted.

 That’s according to a Democratic aide familiar with the exchange who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. There is no evidence to support Trump’s claim. Trump on Tuesday will continue his outreach efforts as he meets with executives from the auto industry and speaks by phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
United States President Donald Trump announces that he intends to seek an investigation into possible voter fraud from last year's election.