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At halfway mark, Donald Trump's campaign promises hit roadblocks

"The area where Trump has had the biggest impact has been without Congress, using the powers of executive branch particularly in deregulation," said Guian McKee, an associate professor in presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. "The trade-off is they can do a lot of things but it is, generally speaking, going to be less permanent than legislative action. The next president can reverse those."

Guian McKee

How a Luckily Timed Bathroom Break Saved LBJ's Life During WWII

Kent Germany, an associate professor of history at the University of South Carolina and a fellow at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, notes that Johnson wore his Silver Star pin on his suit for much of his political career. “In his presidential portrait and many of the images of him as president,” Germany says, “that award for gallantry rests high up on his left lapel, connecting him to that moment in 1942 despite any possible reservations about his receiving it.”

Kent Germany

What covering people like Steve King puts front and center

That the GOP turned so quickly on King, after supporting him for so many years, is powerful evidence that putting a spotlight on hateful ideas can discredit them. But as we've seen in recent years, that media spotlight can also give them oxygen, providing a platform and legitimacy to proponents of bigotry and even violence. For journalists, this presents a genuine dilemma: In an era in which supporters of racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic and misogynistic ideas are increasingly visible and violent, how do you inform the public without legitimizing the fringes?

Nicole Hemmer

Attig worried for veterans affected by shutdown

MSNBC’s Richard Liu interviews William Attig, a combat veteran and Executive Director of the Union Veterans Council. An estimated 31% of all federal employees are military veterans. Attig says he is concerned that going without paychecks will have an adverse effect on the stability of affected veterans. Also joining the conversation, Republican strategist Susan Del Percio and former Obama administration official, Chris Lu.

Chris Lu

Pence's pickle: How to bargain when no one speaks for Trump

Marc Short, the former White House director of legislative affairs who previously served as Pence's chief of staff, said the vice president's measured manner has been a "complement" to Trump's very different style.

Marc Short

The Impact of the Government Shutdown Is About to Snowball

How much wiggle room does the administration have? Quite a bit, said Chris Lu, a former deputy secretary of labor in the Obama administration who is now a senior fellow at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.