PHOTO: Donald Trump gives Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a firm handshake on Friday

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Developments on Day 23 of the Republican Administration of Donald Trump:

Trump Hosts Japanese Prime Minister

Donald Trump hosts the Japanese Prime Minister at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on the second day of Shinzo Abe’s visit.

The press was restricted to a suite whose doors and windows were covered with black plastic to prevent any glimpse of the two men as they played a round at the Trump National Golf Club. Trump provided coverage with a tweet:

The restriction may have been punishment after an awkward photo opportunity on Friday, in which Trump could not follow Abe’s words and then engaged the Prime Minister in an awkward handshake:

Apparently unaware of the image of Trump trying to dominate his visitor, the official President account had tweeted its own video of the handshake.

Few details were released beyond Trump’s proclamation of “very good talks!”.

The agenda was disrupted late Saturday when North Korea announced its latest missile test. Abe called the launch “intolerable” and called for Pyongyang’s compliance with UN resolutions. The Prime Minister said Trump, standing stoically nearby, had assured Tokyo of his support.

Trump added a sentence that the US “stands behind its great ally Japan 100%”.

Stephen Miller, “True Believer” Behind Trump’s Policies

The New York Times profiles Stephen Miller, the 31-year-old hard-right ideologue who has soared within seven months from speechwriter to White House “policy advisor.

Glenn Thrush and Jennifer Steinhauer summarize, “A man whose emails were, until recently, considered spam by many of his Republican peers is now shaping the Trump Administration’s core domestic policies with his economic nationalism and hard-line positions on immigration.”

The significance of Miller, involved in the drafting of Trump’s “Muslim Ban”, is demonstrated today by his appearance of four of the five main Sunday morning political talk shows.

Administration Drops Challenge to Expand Transgender Rights

Trump’s officials drop the Obama Administration’s efforts to expand transgender rights, withdrawing the government’s objections to an injunction against transgender students being allowed to use restrooms that match their gender identity.

A federal judge had already put a temporary hold on the guidance as a lawsuit by a dozen states moved through the courts. However, the Justice Department’s withdrawal of its brief suggests the Republican administration will pursue a different approach than its predecessor on transgender rights.

Arguments in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals were scheduled to be heard Tuesday in Austin, Texas.

Trump’s Son-in-Law is “Shadow Secretary of State”

The Washington Post portrays Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as a “shadow Secretary of State” as the “primary point of contact for presidents, ministers and ambassadors from more than two dozen countries, helping lay the groundwork for agreements”.

The Post highlights Kushner’s attempts to ease US-Mexican relations through discussions with the Mexican Foreign Minister, only to be undone hours later by Trump’s provocative phone call with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, followed by the President’s tweets insisting that Mexico will pay for “The Wall” on the US-Mexican border.

The article, drawn from US and foreign officials, parallels others portraying Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, as moderating influences in the White House. On the other hand, it pointedly notes the uncertainty of Kushner’s by-passing of standard diplomatic channels: “Many ambassadors were loath to put even their positive thoughts about Kushner on the record for fear of jeopardizing what has become their most important contact in Trump’s Washington.”

Kushner, appointed by Trump to handle the Israel-Palestine issue, is due to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week. The Israeli leader is a long-time friend of Kushner’s family.

Trump Continues Complaints About “Mistreated” Ivanka

Trump continues his Twitter complaints about the mistreatment of his daughter Ivanka, persisting in a controversy that he started on Wednesday with criticism of Seattle-based department store Nordstrom.

Nordstrom announced earlier this month that it was dropping Ivanka Trump’s line of merchandise because of poor sales. After the President’s initial reaction — “My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom….Terrible!” — his advisor Kellyanne Conway risked an ethics violation by telling the Fox News Channel:

Go buy Ivanka’s stuff, is what I would tell you. It’s a wonderful line. I own some of it. I fully — I’m going to just, I’m going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.

5 Canadians Turned Back At US Border

Five Canadian citizens of Moroccan descent have been refused entry to the US in the past week.

There are no restrictions on Canadians crossing the border — until they are established as criminals or security threats — but Trump’s “Muslim Ban” has raised scrutiny of travellers of Middle Eastern or North African backgrounds.

Among those interrogated for hours before being denied entry are a 19-year-old athlete and a woman taking her 5-year-old to the US as a break from his cancer treatment:

GOP Legislators: No Need to See Trump Tax Returns

Republican members of Congress say there is no need for Donald Trump to disclose his tax returns, despite issues over transparency and possible conflicts of interest.

Democrats are calling for the subpoena of the returns. “This is a no-brainer, for crying out loud,” said Representative Bill Pascrell, a member of House Ways and Means Committee.

However, Orrin Hatch, the GOP chair of the Senate Finance Committee, countered, “I don’t think we can roll all over people just because they’re in a position of government.”

Defying decades of precedent, Trump has refused to release his tax returns, both during the 2016 campaign and after his inauguration. The withholding of the records makes it harder for watchdogs to determine how his actions as president may affect his sprawling business empire, including the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida where Trump is hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this weekend.

Mother of Two Deported After 20+ Years

A mother of two, who has lived in Arizona for more than 20 years, is believed to be the first undocumented migrant deported during the Trump Presidency.

Guadalupe García de Rayos was 14-years old when she moved to the US from Mexico.

After she was caught using a fake Social Security number during a raid in 2008 at a water park where she worked, she was required to attend an annual meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

After a review of her case and some questions, she was allowed to stay in the US in previous years. In 2013 she was given permission to remain, even after a judge issued a deportation order against her, because she did not pose a threat to anyone and did not fit any of the Obama Administration’s criteria for priority deportation.

This year, following her meeting with ICE, she was taken into custody and ordered to be deported.

The detention sparked protests, with six people arrested.

In recent days, ICE officials have detained hundreds of undocumented immigrants in six states.

Trump defended the sweep in a tweet on Sunday morning: