By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) – A glass bottle of milk was perched on the Resolute Desk, and President Donald Trump said he would get to it soon. But first, he needed to discuss Iran, the capture of someone accused of leaking classified information about Venezuela, and a couple of executive orders he was signing. Only after that could he focus on the main event – signing a bipartisan bill that recently passed Congress allowing schools to serve whole and 2% milk alongside the skim and low-fat options that have been required since 2012. “You see that beautiful milk? That’s why we’re here,” Trump remarked. He acknowledged the large crowd behind him in the Oval Office – Cabinet secretaries, lawmakers from both parties, dairy farmers, children – who had gathered to celebrate the new law. “We’ll be talking about that in a second,” Trump added. Even by Trump’s standards, the “Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act” signing felt surreal. The president is used to influencing markets, putting foreign leaders on alert, and creating major headlines quickly – often during lengthy public events covering various unrelated subjects with cameras rolling. But dairy products aren’t usually part of that mix. Before addressing the diverse group present, Trump informed reporters he had it “on good authority” that execution plans in Iran had ceased. This came despite Tehran signaling swift trials and executions amid its crackdown on protesters across the nation. This seemed like a way for Trump to shift away from a tight spot he’d put himself in after warning for days about potential military action against Iran if mass killings continued. After sharing this news, Trump switched topics abruptly. He announced that “the leaker has been found, and is in jail right now – and that’s the leaker on Venezuela, a very bad leaker.” Without clarifying what case he meant, he suggested there might be more individuals involved. “We’re hot on their trail,” he said. The president then signed executive orders concerning tariffs on semiconductors and rare earth minerals. Finally returning to milk, Trump mentioned it’s something both Republicans and Democrats enjoy drinking. Referring to national nutrition adviser Dr. Ben Carson, Trump said he “still looks good. That’s ’cause he drinks a lot of milk.” Trump made additional news after answering questions from reporters. He disclosed having completed his first known phone call with Delcy Rodríguez, who became Venezuela’s acting leader following the U. S.’s ousting of President Nicolás Maduro last week. The president also stated he’d receive updates on meetings earlier Wednesday between U. S. officials and leaders from Greenland and Denmark regarding his insistence that America take control of the world’s largest island – if he ever finished with this milk event. The excitement at the signing ceremony didn’t stop attendees from praising milk enthusiastically as essential for brain development while calling it “the most wholesome nutritious drink known to humankind.” A child provided an elaborate explanation about how milk is produced while Carson compared low-fat milk to dishwater. Trump eventually pointed back at the uncapped bottle sitting on his desk saying, “It just looks so good sitting there.” “We have some milk here. It’s been sitting here for five days,” he joked. “I brought it so the press could have some.” The event wrapped up with the bottle still untouched.
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Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) – A glass bottle of milk was perched on the Resolute Desk, and President Donald Trump said he would get to it soon. But first, he needed to discuss Iran, the capture of someone accused of leaking classified information about Venezuela, and a couple of executive orders he was signing. Only after that could he focus on the main event – signing a bipartisan bill that recently passed Congress allowing schools to serve whole and 2% milk alongside the skim and low-fat options that have been required since 2012. “You see that beautiful milk? That’s why we’re here,” Trump remarked. He acknowledged the large crowd behind him in the Oval Office – Cabinet secretaries, lawmakers from both parties, dairy farmers, children – who had gathered to celebrate the new law. “We’ll be talking about that in a second,” Trump added. Even by Trump’s standards, the “Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act” signing felt surreal. The president is used to influencing markets, putting foreign leaders on alert, and creating major headlines quickly – often during lengthy public events covering various unrelated subjects with cameras rolling. But dairy products aren’t usually part of that mix. Before addressing the diverse group present, Trump informed reporters he had it “on good authority” that execution plans in Iran had ceased. This came despite Tehran signaling swift trials and executions amid its crackdown on protesters across the nation. This seemed like a way for Trump to shift away from a tight spot he’d put himself in after warning for days about potential military action against Iran if mass killings continued. After sharing this news, Trump switched topics abruptly. He announced that “the leaker has been found, and is in jail right now – and that’s the leaker on Venezuela, a very bad leaker.” Without clarifying what case he meant, he suggested there might be more individuals involved. “We’re hot on their trail,” he said. The president then signed executive orders concerning tariffs on semiconductors and rare earth minerals. Finally returning to milk, Trump mentioned it’s something both Republicans and Democrats enjoy drinking. Referring to national nutrition adviser Dr. Ben Carson, Trump said he “still looks good. That’s ’cause he drinks a lot of milk.” Trump made additional news after answering questions from reporters. He disclosed having completed his first known phone call with Delcy Rodríguez, who became Venezuela’s acting leader following the U. S.’s ousting of President Nicolás Maduro last week. The president also stated he’d receive updates on meetings earlier Wednesday between U. S. officials and leaders from Greenland and Denmark regarding his insistence that America take control of the world’s largest island – if he ever finished with this milk event. The excitement at the signing ceremony didn’t stop attendees from praising milk enthusiastically as essential for brain development while calling it “the most wholesome nutritious drink known to humankind.” A child provided an elaborate explanation about how milk is produced while Carson compared low-fat milk to dishwater. Trump eventually pointed back at the uncapped bottle sitting on his desk saying, “It just looks so good sitting there.” “We have some milk here. It’s been sitting here for five days,” he joked. “I brought it so the press could have some.” The event wrapped up with the bottle still untouched.
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