President Trump's First 100 Days: 'Alternative facts,' the CIA and the Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON - Setting the tone for a new administration usually takes a few weeks or months.

Not so with President Donald Trump. This weekend, the newly inaugurated commander in chief and his aides made it clear they will continue to make false claims to buoy Trump's image, withhold key information from the public, and wage war against the media. It's like the campaign all over again.

The latest controversy started Saturday after White House press secretary Sean Spicer berated the media for its coverage of the inauguration and made false claims about the number of people who attended. (The Washington Post's Fact Checker said Spicer's claims were untrue.) Asked about these falsehoods on Sunday's "Meet the Press," Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said Spicer presented "alternative facts" about the day.

NBC anchor Chuck Todd answered back: "Alternative facts are not facts; they're falsehoods."

As our colleague Aaron Blake wrote, the exchange "pretty much says it all" when it comes to the new reality facing Americans and the media under Trump.

TRUMP VISITS CIA HEADQUARTERS

The tone wasn't much different when Trump spoke to career intelligence officials at CIA headquarters Saturday. In a campaign-style speech, Trump complained about the media and defended the size of the audience at the inauguration. He falsely denied his recent barrage of attacks on the intelligence community for its conclusion Russia interfered in the 2016 election to boost his chances.

The remarks seemed all the more jarring given the setting: Trump spoke in front of a wall honoring intelligence officers who died in the line of duty. Former CIA director John Brennan, who resigned Friday, called the speech a "despicable display of self-aggrandizement" in front of the memorial. "Trump should be ashamed of himself," a spokesman for Brennan said in a statement.

CHAOS LOOMS FOR HEALTH-CARE MARKETS

The new president always intended to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. But his first small step toward this goal is poised to introduce unnecessary chaos into health insurance markets, according to experts.

Trump signed an executive order Friday telling federal agencies to "waive, defer, grant exemptions or delay" any part of the health-care law that creates a burden for consumers or the health-care system. While some might welcome this kind of relief, it is equivalent to lobbing a "bomb" into the law's "already shaky" insurance exchanges, said longtime Obamacare critic Robert Laszewski, president of the consulting firm Health Policy and Strategy Associates.

"Instead of sending a signal that there's going to be an orderly transition, they've sent a signal that it's going to be a disorderly transition," Laszewski told our colleagues. "How does the Trump administration think this is not going to make the situation worse?"

COMING UP THIS WEEK

Trump has a full schedule for his first Monday in office: He is slated to hold listening sessions with business leaders, union officials and workers; receive the presidential daily briefing; sign more executive orders; and host a reception for congressional leaders, followed by a meeting with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis.

On Capitol Hill, the Senate is set to consider the nomination of Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., for CIA director, while members of the Foreign Relations Committee vote on Rex Tillerson's nomination for secretary of state. Observers will watch that vote closely to see what Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., decides to do.

In case you missed it, the Senate on Friday confirmed retired Gen. James Mattis to lead the Defense Department and retired Gen. John F. Kelley to lead the Department of Homeland Security. A committee vote on Betsy DeVos, Trump's pick for education secretary, was rescheduled for Jan. 31.