What's happening in the political world:
Trump's morning tweet(s):
Great meeting with the @RepublicanStudy Committee this morning at the @WhiteHouse! pic.twitter.com/8Y2UoHoYaY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2017
North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been "playing" the United States for years. China has done little to help!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2017
Happy Lá Fheile Phadraig to all of my great Irish friends!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2017
Trump welcomes Merkel to White House
-- President Donald Trump hosted German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday for a meeting simmering with diplomatic and domestic political intrigue.
Germany, the most powerful political force in the European Union, has also been deeply concerned by Trump criticisms of NATO and deep skepticism inside the White House about the EU itself.
Speaker of the House still trusts Trump despite lack of wiretap evidence
-- Speaker of the House Sen. Paul Ryan said he has not seen any evidence that backs President Trump's claims that the Obama administration wiretapped Trump Tower during the presidential campaign.
In an interview on Thursday on CNN's "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer, Ryan said, "We have not seen any evidence that there was a wiretap or a (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court order against Trump Tower or somebody in Trump Tower."
Ryan said, however, that he still trusted Trump, and that the apparently false claims the President aired on Twitter would not damage the White House's credibility.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr and Mark Warner, the committee's ranking Democrat, also stated they "see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016."
White House sorry over British spying allegations
-- The White House issued an apology to the British government after alleging that a UK intelligence agency spied on President Donald Trump at the behest of former President Barack Obama.
At a Thursday press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer read out allegations originally made on Tuesday on Fox News by legal analyst Andrew Napolitano, that the UK intelligence agency GCHQ -- the equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency -- had spied on Trump.
"Judge Andrew Napolitano made the following statement, quote, 'Three intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command (to spy on Trump). He didn't use the NSA, he didn't use the CIA ... he used GCHQ,'" Spicer told journalists.
Sectretary of State says military action vs. North Korea is an option
-- (Newsy) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said military action against North Korea is "on the table" if the country continues to develop nuclear weapons.
During a press conference in South Korea, Tillerson told reporters the U.S. doesn't necessarily want a military conflict with the North.
But he emphasized if North Korea does anything to threaten the South or the U.S., there will be "an appropriate response."
