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Ive made a bad habit out of viewing my On This Day list curated by Facebook. You know, the list that reminds you of all the stuff you probably shouldnt have posted on Facebook.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was having brunch with someone I didnt want to have brunch with but only did because I was bored, I scrolled through my On This Day list and saw a Facebook post from four years ago that read, Never trust a hipster with an ugly dog. Coincidentally, that was the same hipster I was having brunch with. So, of course, it made sense to show him the post. And, of course, he was offended that I called his dog ugly. Not because I didnt trust him (priorities). But I figured that after showing it to him, Id finally never hear from him again. It worked, eventually.

That really has nothing to do with this photo of President Barack Obama shooting a rainbow out of his arm, though. But this photo is one of my absolute favorites that I came across this week.

On April 10, 2015, which technically isnt this day, President Obama was leaving a visit from Jamaica, and Pete Souza captured this awesome photo:

Shoot a rainbow from his arm? Donald Trump could never. But there seems to be a downpour of poo wherever he goes.

Read the original:
Remember That Time President Obama Shot a Rainbow Out of His Arm? - The Root

A president's first 100 days are often seen as an indicator of whether or not the administration will ultimately be a successful one.

Though that period is still underway for President Trump, when it comes to golf outings, he has already soared high above the achievements of his predecessors, reports the New York Times.

According to the media outlet, Trump has, in his first 81 days, paid an estimated 17 visits to golf courses.

Inside President Trump's first 70 days

33 PHOTOS

Inside President Trump's first 70 days

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Donald Trump is sworn in as president of the United States on January 20, 2017, outlining his "America first" vision in his inaugural address.

Four million people around the world, including 500,000 in Washington, DC, attend the Women's March on January 21, 2017.

Kellyanne Conway coins the term "alternative facts" after the administration made false claims about the number of people who attended Trump's inauguration.

Trump signs an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multilateral trade agreement.

(Photo by Ron Sachs/Pool via Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Trump orders the government to begin construction of the US-Mexico border wall and pulls federal funds from sanctuary cities.

Trump signs his first immigration executive order, sparking nationwide protests.

Trump nominates 10th Circuit Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

Republican donor Betsy DeVos is confirmed as education secretary with a historic tie-breaking vote cast by Mike Pence one of the most contentious confirmations ever.

Michael Flynn resigns as National Security Adviser amid uproar over his communications with Russian officials.

Trump announces that "the time for trivial fights is behind us" in a his first address to Congress.

(Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via Bloomberg/Getty Images)

During his address to Congress, Trump honors Carryn Owens, whose husband, US Navy SEAL Ryan Owens, was killed during a raid in Yemen in January. The US-led attack is estimated to have killed 30 civilians, including 17 women and children, and 14 Al-Qaeda fighters.

(Photo via REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau comes to Washington to announce the Canada-US Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visits White House and Trump says he "can live with either" a one-state or a two-state solution, backing away from historic US support for Palestinian state.

Trump tweets that the media is "the enemy of the American people," a day after a wide-ranging press briefing during which he lambasted the press for reporting "fake news" about his administration.

After weeks of mounting pressure, Trump publicly condemns anti-Semitism in response to attacks on Jewish people and institutions across the country.

The Trump administration cracks down on undocumented immigrants, speeding up deportations.

Trump announces $54 billion increase in defense spending.

Kellyanne Conway provokes outrage after being photographed sitting casually with her feet on an Oval Office couch.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions recuses himself from investigations into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia after reports emerge that Sessions did not inform Congress of his meetings with the Russian ambassador during the campaign.

Trump accuses Obama of secretly wiretapping his phones leading up to the 2016 election.

Trump signs a revised travel ban, scaling back a few of the restrictions, in what Trump calls a "watered down version" of the original executive order. Two federal judges rule against the ban on March 15.

Trump surprises a White House tour and poses with a young visitor in front of a portrait of Hillary Clinton

US Attorney Preet Bharara says he was fired by the Trump administration after he refused to resign. Trump, as president-elect, had asked Bharara to stay on.

Trump unveils his federal budget blueprint, proposing cuts to virtually every federal agency besides Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs, which would all receive boosts.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits the border of North and South Korea, announcing that the US may take pre-emptive action if the country continues expanding its nuclear weapons capability. In this photo, a North Korean soldier covertly photographs Tillerson from behind.

Trump meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss NATO. Trump references reports that Merkel was spied on by Obama in 2013, joking he and Merkel "have something in common, perhaps."

FBI Director James Comey confirms an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the Trump's campaign's ties to Russian officials. Comey also tells Congress that he has no evidence to support Trump's claims that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower.

Trump meets with truckers and CEOs at the White House and sits in the front seat of a Mack Truck.

In a major setback for Trump, House Republicans pull legislation that would have repealed and replaced Obamacare before it can go to a vote.

Trump signs an executive order rolling back key Obama-era climate policies, including the Clean Power Plan.

Ivanka Trump announces that she will be an official White House employee, taking on an unpaid position as an adviser to her father, after facing criticism from ethics experts for her previously unofficial role.

Rep. Devin Nunes announces that he has information that Trump and his associates may have been "incidentally" surveilled by American intelligence agencies, information The New York Times reported was given to him by two White House officials. Nunes says he will continue to chair the committee investigating the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, amid Democrats' protests.

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The Palm Beach Post suggests he has played 14 times.

At this juncture in their presidential careers, Barack Obama and George W. Bush had yet to set foot on the links, while Bill Clinton had done so 3 times, notes the Times.

Golf is considered by many to be an appropriate, stress-relieving activity for presidents, but there are certainly those who feel otherwise.

SEE ALSO: Mitt Romney's 'binders full of women' have been found

In fact, not long ago, Donald Trump himself was a champion of the no-golf-for-presidents movement.

He harshly criticized President Obama's participation in the sport, tweeting jabs like, "PresObama is not busy talking to Congress about Syria...he is playing golf...go figure."

RELATED: Presidential Historians Survey 2017: Presidential ranking

45 PHOTOS

Presidential Historians Survey 2017: Presidential ranking

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43. President James Buchanan

2009: 42 2000: 41

(Photo via Getty Images)

42. Andrew Johnson

2009: 41 2000: 40

(Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)

41. President Franklin Pierce

2009: 40 2000: 39

(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

40. President Warren G. Harding

2009: 38 2000: 38

(Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

39. President John Tyler

2009: 35 2000: 36

(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

38. President William Henry Harrison

2009: 39 2000: 37

(Photo by National Archive/Newsmakers)

37. President Millard Fillmore

2009: 37 2000: 35

(Photo by National Archive/Newsmakers)

36. President Herbert Hoover

2009: 34 2000: 34

(Photo by ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

35. Chester Arthur

2009: 32 2000: 32

(Photo via Getty Images)

34. President Martin Van Buren

2009: 31 2000: 30

(Photo via Getty Images)

United States President George W. Bush announces his plan for jobs and economic growth at the Economic Club of Chicago. His plan features $674 billion in tax cuts and benefits. (Photo by Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images)

1864: Rutherford B Hayes (1822 - 1893), in his uniform as a Major General in the Union Army. Hayes later served as Republican Governer of Ohio and became the 19th President of the United States after winning the election of 1876. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

circa 1850: Millard Fillmore (1800 - 1874), 13th President of the United States of America. Fillmore was vice-president to Zachary Taylor and became President upon his death. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

377869 57: Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States who served from 1849 to 1850. (Photo by National Archive/Newsmakers)

Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States. Elected in 1888, Harrison was the grandson of William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States. (Photo by Library Of Congress/Getty Images)

377869 20: Portrait of 20th United States President James A Garfield. (1881) (Courtesy of the National Archives/Newsmakers)

circa 1954: Studio headshot portrait of American vice president Richard Nixon (1913 - 1994) wearing a jacket and tie. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

(Original Caption) Calvin Coolidge is seen here, (1872-1933), the 30th President of the United States. This is a head and shoulders photograph.

American President Jimmy Carter (Photo by ?? David Rubinger/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

(Original Caption) President Gerald Ford is seen here in a head and shoulder 3/4 profile.

377869 75: William H. Taft, twenty-seventh President of the United States serving from 1909 to 1913. (Photo by National Archive/Newsmakers)

377869 24: Portrait of 24th United States President Grover Cleveland. (1837-1908) (Courtesy of the National Archives/Newsmakers)

General Ulysses S Grant, American soldier and politician, c1860s (1955). Ulysses Simpson Grant (1822-1885) commanded the Union (northern) army in the American Civil War from March 1864, leading it to final victory the following year. He was elected the 18th President of the United States in 1869, holding office until 1877. A print from Mathew Brady Historian with a Camera by James D Horan, Bonanza Books, New York, 1955. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

377869 71: John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States serving from 1825 to 1829. (Photo by National Archive/Newsmakers)

WASHINGTON, DC -- CIRCA 1986: U.S. Vice President George H.W. Bush circa 1986 in in Washington, DC. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)

John Trumbull, Portrait of John Adams (1735-1826), President of the United States (1797-1801), United States, Washington. National portrait gallery, . (Photo by: Photo12/UIG via Getty Images)

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Trump's golf outings soar above first-12-week totals of Obama, Bush and Clinton - AOL

Former President Obamas White House political director is informally providing strategic advice to leaders at the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

David Simas, who is now CEO of the Obama Foundation, is close with DNC Chairman Tom Perez and has been in regular contact with Sam Cornale, a top adviser to Perez.

A source who has been involved in the transition said Simas has provided strategic advice on hiring decisions.

The talks with one of Obamas most prominent political aides underscore the delicate line walked by the DNC as it charts a way forward after a divisive presidential primary battle last year.

Any conversations between Perez and political figures who are viewed as being part of the establishment can be greeted with suspicion by liberal Democrats, who want to see the DNC stocked with progressives after the organization tilted the scales in favor of Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonIs Trumps presidency the patriarchys last gasp? The Hill's 12:30 Report Christie: Ex-Trump aide deserves presumption of innocence on Russia MORE and against Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersClinton campaign plagued by bickering Republican wins Kansas special election, fending off upset Obama fingerprints at DNC? MORE (I-Vt.) last year during the presidential campaign.

Perez, Obamas Labor secretary, was seen as the former presidents favored candidate in the race for the chairmanship earlier this year. Progressives were disappointed when he defeated Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who ran with the support of Sanders.

A spokesperson for the DNC downplayed the conversations, saying Simas is not advising in any official capacity and that talks with Perez represent just a small part of the input the chairman is taking from Democrats across the country as he seeks a path forward for a party devastated by its loss of the White House in 2016.

Hundreds of people from across the country have given input, volunteered their time, or sat down with Tom and other DNC officers to help rebuild the party, DNC communications director Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement.

Some liberals also say theyre not concerned about the conversations as long as the DNC changes its operation.

Tom Perez can talk to whoever he wants, said progressive activist Jonathan Tasini. The more critical measure is looking at whether he will clear the decks and purge the party of the whole class of consultants and self-promoters, from the sleazy David Brocks to the various people pocketing big bucks who shake down campaign committees and super PACs, all of whom have failed miserably over a decade if you look at the party's woeful state at every level.

Others argued that it makes sense that Perez, a former Obama administration official who has no formal electoral experience of his own, would seek advice from seasoned political hands.

Theyd be smart to listen to folks who have experience with this sort of stuff, said a former DNC official.

But other liberals expressed concern that former Obama officials could have too much influence over the DNCs direction.

Hopefully its just Perez taking advice from as many sources as possible, but it also looks like the DNC did not learn any lessons from 2016 that the party needs to be rebuilt by grassroots liberals, not from the top down, one progressive told The Hill.

Perez, Ellison and the DNC have gone to great lengths to signal the party is coming together after last years divisive primaries.

Perez tapped Ellison, a progressive favorite and rival DNC chairman candidate, to be his deputy chairman. Perez and Ellison have already hit the road together for campaign-style events seeking to capitalize on liberal energy ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

Perez will venture out with Sanders later this month on a nine-state tour to push progressive policies that the former Democratic presidential candidate championed during his campaign.

Liberal groups have been happy to see Perez attend their resistance events, as he did last month when MoveOn rallied outside the White House against President Trumps ban on immigrants coming from Muslim-majority countries.

The Perez-Ellison team has been more real than I thought it would be, the former DNC official said. I think theyre serious about fully integrating the Democratic Party.

There have been stumbles along the way.

Last month, progressive groups aired their frustrations with the DNC after it announced a 30-member transition advisory committee, believing the roster needed more liberals.

But some Democrats believe the left was well-represented on a committee that included labor activist Ai-jen Poo, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), union activist Brian Weeks, Black Lives Matter figure DeRay McKesson, former American Federation of Teachers aide LaToia Jones, and former DNC chairmancandidates Pete Buttigieg, Sally Boynton Brown and Jehmu Greene.

That has frustrated some mainstream Democrats, who believe no amount of concessions to the left will ever be enough.

I think theres some groups where the advocacy is not a means to an end; its a means in perpetuity, one well-connected Democrat told The Hill. Theyre just contrarian, and nothing you can ever do will be enough.

Perez has since met personally with representatives from Progressive Change Campaign Committee, as well as several other liberal groups, like MoveOn and the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

The lines of communication are open and weve had initial conversations with chairman Perez about what a win-win partnership with grassroots liberals might look like, as opposed to top-down outreach, said Kait Sweeney, the spokesperson for PCCC.

He is committed to rebuilding our state parties and we hope that process respects the millions of liberal activists taking action in the Trump era, she continued. Theyre engaged now and they dont wake up thinking about the DNC. These people have to be brought into the party and we hope the DNC will genuinely engage with progressives groups that have experience mobilizing millions because that would be a win for everybody.

-- This story was updated at 11:31 a.m.

See more here:
Obama fingerprints at DNC? - The Hill

A former Trump campaign adviser says he was targeted by the Obama administration because he was a "dissident."

New York business consultant Carter Page told ABC News that he was "so happy" to learn that The Washington Post reported on Tuesday night that the FBI obtained a secret FISA warrant to monitor his communication last summer as part of its ongoing investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government because it confirms that he had been the victim of "human rights violations."

"There had been prior reports, but I was so happy to hear that further confirmation is now being revealed," Page said. "It shows how low the Clinton/Obama regime went to destroy our democracy and suppress dissidents who did not fully support their failed foreign policy. It will be interesting to see what comes out when the unjustified basis for those FISA requests are more fully disclosed over time, including potentially the Dodgy Dossier -- a document that clearly is false evidence, which could represent yet another potential crime."

The unverified dossier compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele claimed that Page, who has long advocated for a closer relationship between the U.S. and Russia, had ties to the Kremlin.

According to the Post, the FBI and the Justice Department convinced a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge that there was sufficient evidence suggesting that Page could be acting as a Russian agent to authorize electronic surveillance in the heat of the 2016 presidential race.

Page has repeatedly denied allegations that he colluded with the Russians, and the White House did not issue a response to the Post's report, though members of the Trump administration have recently tried to minimize Page's contributions to the campaign, characterizing his role as brief and informal.

The FBI and the Department of Justice also declined to comment.

Last week, ABC News reported that Page had been targeted for recruitment as an intelligence source in 2013 by Russian spies promising favors in return for business opportunities in Russia. Page acknowledged that he was the anonymous "Male-1" identified in an unsealed FBI complaint detailing the spies' attempts to gather "economic intelligence" from Page and others to send back to Moscow.

Page, who cooperated with the FBI's investigation of the spies (one of whom, Evgeny Buryakov, was arrested, imprisoned and recently deported) told ABC News that any information he passed to the Russians was "immaterial."

Any information I could give is, again, immaterial and all public information, he said during a break in a New York energy conference.

ABC News' Jack Date contributed to this report.

See original here:
Former Trump adviser Carter Page claims Obama targeted him as a 'dissident' - ABC News

New York Times

For Obama, Syria Chemical Attack Shows Risk of 'Deals With Dictators' New York Times After last week, even former Obama aides assume that he will have to rethink that passage in his memoir. More than 80 civilians were killed in what Western analysts called a sarin attack by Syrian forces a chilling demonstration that the agreement ... Susan Rice's claim that Obama got Syria to 'verifiably give up its chemical weapons stockpile'Washington Post Assad's chemical strike exposes the foolishness of Obama's Iran dealNew York Post Obama official: 'We always knew' Assad kept some chemical weaponsWashington Examiner TheBlaze.com -CNN -Fox News all 17,662 news articles »

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For Obama, Syria Chemical Attack Shows Risk of 'Deals With Dictators' - New York Times