The Wall: President Trump is expected today to issue an order to build his wall on the Mexican border and crack down on immigrants coming from “terror prone” countries. The president tweeted last night, “Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!” It’s unknown whether Congress would  appropriate the money to build the wall.

Trump promised throughout the campaign that Mexico would pay for the wall, but Trump recently switched to a plan to “build now, bill later.”

Cracks in the Wall: It’s only day five of the Trump Administration and fractures are showing in the Republican wall. After President Trump repeated his unfounded claim that three to five million people voted illegally in November, his press secretary backed him up saying, “He believes what he believes.”

Trump tweeted that he’s calling for a major investigation into voter fraud.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said, “If the President of the United States is claiming that three to three and a half million people voted illegally, that shakes confidence in our democracy. He needs to disclose why he believes that.”

Graham is not the only Republican leader shaking his head.

A story in the Washington Post says Trump has been enraged by the initial coverage of his presidency. “Trump has been resentful, even furious, at what he views as the media’s failure to reflect the magnitude of his achievements, and he feels demoralized that the public’s perception of his presidency so far does not necessarily align with his own sense of accomplishment.”

The Post story says internal warfare has already broken out, with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner trying to elbow aside “anyone he perceives as a possible threat to his role as Trump’s chief consigliere.” It’s astounding that internal conflicts are breaking out so soon, and that insiders are talking about it.

Stroke of the Pen: As he continues to overwrite the Obama presidency, President Trump signed orders yesterday allowing Congress to reconsider building the embattled Keystone XL oil pipeline and for federal agencies to “expedite” the much-protested Dakota Access Pipeline.

Obama rejected the 1,179-mile Keystone saying America needs to lead the way to cut reliance on fossil-fuels. The pipe would carry 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Canada’s tar sands fields to the Gulf Coast. The oil is considered to be a particularly polluting variety.

The meaning of Trump’s order for the Dakota Pipeline is less clear. After a coalition of Indian tribes staged massive protests, the Army Corps of Engineers agreed to find an alternate route around what is considered sacred land and vital water supplies.

Gag Order: The Trump administration has ordered what’s described as a temporary media blackout for the EPA, banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency’s social media accounts. They also banned the EPA from awarding any new contracts or work orders. It appears that the President who says climate change is a hoax has the EPA on hold until it gets in line with the new regime.

The Nominations: The hit musical movie “La La Land” collected 14 Oscar nominations, tying the record with “Titanic” and “All About Eve.” “La La Land” is up for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Original Screenplay, and more.  “Moonlight,” about a young black man growing up fatherless in Miami and coming to grips with being gay, has eight nominations. And finally breaking through the racial barrier, Academy members nominated seven black actors. The familiar Denzel Washington, and relative newcomer Ruth Negga are nominated for Best Actor and Actress, topping the list of talented minorities in play for a statue.

World: Possibly emboldened by signals from the new Trump administration, The Israeli government announced plans to build 2500 new homes in the occupied West Bank — Palestinian territory. Settlements have long been considered an obstacle to peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, and President Obama opposed them, but Trump as a private citizen even gave money to support them.

Doublethink: George Orwell’s 69-year-old novel “1984” about a dystopian future in which the government controls the masses with lies and language has hit #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list. Some samples of Orwell’s imaginary government slogans: “War is Peace”; “Freedom is Slavery”; “Ignorance is Strength.”

No one can pinpoint a cause and effect, but the suspicion is that when Trump aide Kellyanne Conway coined the term “alternative facts,” a lot of people thought that sounded familiar.

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