Donald Trump relents, says he will sign Russia sanctions bill.

Here's the deal, I own you. I say jump, you say how high. Clear?

Courtesy of TPM: 

President Donald Trump will sign a package of stiff financial sanctions against Russia that passed Congress with overwhelming support, the White House said Friday. Moscow has already responded, ordering a reduction in the number of U.S. diplomats in Russia and closing the U.S. Embassy’s recreation retreat. 

Trump’s willingness to support the measure is a remarkable acknowledgement that he has yet to sell his party on his hopes for forging a warmer relationship with Moscow. His vow to extend a hand of cooperation to Russian President Vladimir Putin has been met with resistance as skeptical lawmakers look to limit the president’s leeway to go easy on Moscow over its meddling in the 2016 presidential election. 

The Senate passed the bill, 98-2, two days after the House pushed the measure through by an overwhelming margin, 419-3. Both were veto-proof numbers. 

The White House initially wavered on whether the president would sign the measure into law. But in a statement late Friday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump had “reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it.”

This is only because Trump is boxed in and realizes that if he vetoes the bill that the Congress will just override it.

Which I'm sure is exactly what he is tearfully explaining to Vladimir Putin right now.

And the very fact that the White House wavered about the possibility that Trump would sign this is really all the evidence you need to assure you that Donnie is still Putin's little bitch.

President vetoes Republican bill to build Keystone XL project.

Nice try GOP.

Courtesy of the Washington Post:  

President Obama vetoed a bill authorizing the controversial Keystone XL pipeline Tuesday, carrying out a threat to reject one of the first measures the Republican-led Congress sent to the president's desk. 

"Because this act of Congress conflicts with established executive branch procedures and cuts short thorough consideration of issues that could bear on our national interest -- including our security, safety, and environment -- it has earned my veto," Obama wrote in a message to the Senate. 

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said earlier Tuesday that Obama planned to veto the bill because the State Department is still conducting a review of whether the massive pipeline — which would transport roughly 800,000 barrels of heavy crude from Hardisty, Alberta, to refineries in Port Arthur, Tex. — would serve the national interest. 

"Through this bill, the United States Congress attempts to circumvent longstanding and proven processes for determining whether or not building and operating a cross-border pipeline serves the national interest," Obama wrote.

Well this is going to piss off a whole lot of Republican lawmakers.

Not that they did not see this coming of course. 

I keep hearing some pundits suggesting that the President might ultimately allow the pipeline to be built, once the State Department review is complete, but I have a hard time believing he would do that.

Anybody of a different opinion?

President will veto bill for Keystone XL pipeline if it comes across his desk. Now we're talking.

Courtesy of CNN:  

President Barack Obama will veto the Keystone XL bill if Congress passes a measure green-lighting the oil pipeline, White House press secretary Josh Earnest announced on Tuesday. 

The pipeline is currently in a final phase of review from the State Department, which has already concluded that it would have a minimal impact on the environment. But the State Department also assessed that the pipeline would create about 42,000 jobs directly and indirectly during the construction period -- but just 50 permanent jobs. 

The White House reviewed the text of the bill to authorize the pipeline on Monday, Earnest said. 

Obama's objection to the legislation, Earnest said, is not based on the merits of the project so much as the idea Congress was trying to take the decision out of the hands of the executive branch. 

"The President has been pretty clear that he does not think that circumventing a well-established process for evaluating these projects is the right thing for Congress to do," Earnest said.

Can I just tell you how much I am enjoying this second half of his second term President Obama?

Kind of like to vote for him again if I could.

President Obama has a message for Republicans in 2015. I have a veto pen and I am not afraid to use it.

"Nice try Boehner."

Courtesy of the Chicago Sun Times:  

Warning from President Barack Obama to congressional Republicans: I have a veto pen and, come January, I won’t be afraid to use it. 

Since taking office in 2009, Obama has only vetoed legislation twice, both in fairly minor circumstances. But with Republicans set to take full control of Congress next year, Obama is losing his last bulwark against a barrage of bills he doesn’t like: the Senate. 

“I haven’t used the veto pen very often since I’ve been in office,” Obama said in an NPR interview airing Monday. “Now, I suspect, there are going to be some times where I’ve got to pull that pen out.” 

He added: “I’m going to defend gains that we’ve made in health care. I’m going to defend gains that we’ve made on environment and clean air and clean water.”

Yeah I have a feeling that the President might want to stock up on pen refills, because there is little doubt that the Republicans are going to try to repeal Obamacare repeatedly and pass all kinds of crazy legislation that he cannot let stand.

If we thought there was a contentious relationship between the President and the Congress before, I believe we have not seen anything yet.

Final image of the day.

Yeah I think this is a fair representation of what ideologically driven Americans are thankful for this holiday season.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer just vetoed SB 1062, the bill that would have allowed businesses to discriminate based on religious intolerance.

This is breaking news, but I just watched Jan Brewer announce that she vetoed the bill, and then walk away without taking any reporter's questions.

Update: Here is the CNN report:  

Brewer said she made the decision she knew was right for her state. 

"I call them as I see them, despite the cheers or the boos from the crowd," she said, calling the bill "broadly worded" and saying it could have unintended consequences. 

Her announcement spurred cheering and hugs by protesters of the bill in Phoenix. 

The measure, known as SB 1062, would have given Arizona businesses that assert their religious beliefs the right to deny service to gay and lesbian customers.

I just told my daughter that with all of these pro-gay decisions happening right now it almost makes me feel left out just being a boring old straight guy.

Bush veto comics.