President Trump Visits Border Wall Prototypes

“President Donald Trump on Tuesday stood alongside the prototypes of the wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, the first tangible steps towards fulfilling one of his most popular and persistent campaign promises,” Dan Nowicki, Rafael Carranza, and Ian James report in The Arizona Republic. “If you don’t have a wall system, we’re not going to have a country,” President Trump said in brief remarks during his tour.

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Susan Ferrechio reports in the Washington Examiner that Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) praised CIA Director Mike Pompeo as an “outstanding” pick as our Nation’s top diplomat. Ferrechio notes that Sen. Cotton “praised President Trump’s planned nominee to be the next secretary of state as well his decision to elevate Deputy CIA Director Gina Haspel to the top position at the spy agency.”

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“President Trump nominated the first woman as CIA director,” Lia Eustachewich reports in the New York Post. President Trump “said in a statement that her appointment would be an ‘historic milestone’ and that he, [Gina] Haspel and [Mike] Pompeo ‘have worked together for more than a year and have developed a great mutual respect.’”

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“Republican U.S. Senator Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Tuesday he looked forward to supporting Gina Haspel's nomination to be director of the CIA,” Patricia Zengerle writes in U.S. News and World Report. Zengerle adds that “in a statement, Burr, whose committee oversees the Central Intelligence Agency, said, ‘I know Gina personally and she has the right skill set, experience, and judgment to lead one of our nation’s most critical agencies.’”

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“Small business owners are more optimistic than ever about the economy, thanks to tax reform. The NFIB Small Business Economic Trends Survey optimism index hit a record high of 107.6 in February,” Leia Klingel reports for Fox Business. “The historically high numbers include a jump in small business owners increasing capital outlays and raising compensation,” Klingel explains.