President Donald Trump participates in the posthumous Medal of Honor ceremony for Staff Sergeant Travis W. Atkins, United States Army.  Atkins’ initial award, the Distinguished Service Cross, was upgraded to the Medal of Honor after a Defense Department review. His son, Trevor, and parents will represent him at a White House ceremony.  Anticipated start time 4:00pm EST

UPDATE: Video Added

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Staff Sergeant Travis W. Atkins will receive the Medal of Honor for his actions of June 1, 2007, in support of IRAQI FREEDOM.  While serving in Iraq with Company D, 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Staff Sergeant Atkins engaged in hand-to hand combat with a suspected insurgent.

As he attempted to subdue the man, Staff Sergeant Atkins realized the insurgent was attempting to detonate a bomb strapped to his body.  When he noticed the insurgent was about to trigger the suicide vest, Staff Sergeant Atkins tackled him, selflessly using his own body to shield his fellow soldiers from the imminent explosion.  Staff Sergeant Atkins’ heroic actions, at the cost of his life, saved the lives of three of his teammates.

Travis W. Atkins was born on Dec. 9, 1975, in Great Falls, Montana. He moved with his parents, Jack and Elaine, to Bozeman, Montana, in 1981. Growing up, Atkins was an avid outdoorsman. He loved to hunt, fish, snowmobile and camp.

Prior to enlisting, Atkins worked for concrete and painting contractors, and as a small-engine mechanic, but his athletic nature and desire to serve ultimately led him to the U.S. Army.

Atkins enlisted on Nov. 9, 2000, and attended basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and deployed with the 101st to Kuwait in early March 2003. Atkins participated in the invasion of Iraq later that month as an infantry fire team leader.

Atkins was honorably discharged from the Army in December 2003.

Back home, Atkins attended the University of Montana in Missoula and worked as a painting and concrete contractor. Two years later, Atkins once again answered the call to serve.

He reenlisted in the U.S. Army in December 2005 and was reassigned to Delta Company in the same battalion and deployed to Iraq again in August 2006.

He was killed in action on June 1, 2007. (Source)

Earlier today President Donald Trump held a bilateral oval office meeting with First Lady of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Fabiana Rosales.  The delegation accompanying Lady Rosales included: Carlos Vecchio, Ambassador-designate of Venezuela to the United States; Mrs. Romy Moreno Molina, Wife of Interim President Guaido’s Chief of Staff, Roberto Marrero; and Mrs. Belen Marrero Borjas, Sister of Roberto Marrero.

Juan Guaido’s Chief of staff Roberto Marrero was recently kidnapped by the Maduro regime.  Today’s meeting was a show of support for Jaun Guaido. [Video]

Lady Fabiana Rosales is 26-years-old.

Today on the Senate floor, United States Senator Mike Lee received his first star for conspicuous pageantry, meritorious valor, and ridicule with specific consequence during the great meme battle of 2019 against the Green New Deal. WATCH:

Whooo doggies….  President Trump attended a working policy luncheon today with Senate Republicans.  Making brief remarks to the media, President Trump answered questions about the Mueller report and the manufactured false Russian narrative.

While avoiding the specifics, President Trump directly implied the involvement of former President Obama.  [Video and Transcript below]

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[Transcript] 1:05 P.M. EDT – Q Some Democrats, sir, are still talking about impeachment. What’s your response to that?

THE PRESIDENT: I don’t think they’re talking about impeachment. We have the greatest economy we’ve ever had. Our country is in incredible shape. They and others created a fraud on our country with this ridiculous witch hunt, where it was proven, very strongly, no collusion, no obstruction. No nothing.

We are doing so well. We’ve never probably had a time of prosperity like this. It’s been great.

Q Mr. President, you’re accusing the people who launched the investigation into your campaign of treasonous acts.

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah.

Q How high up do you think it went?

THE PRESIDENT: I think it went very high up. I think what happened is a disgrace. I don’t believe our country should allow this ever to happen again. This will never happen again. We cannot let it ever happen again. It went very high up, and it started fairly low, but with instructions from the high up. This should never happen to a President again. We can’t allow that to take place.

Q Mr. President, do you think it reached the West Wing of the Obama White House?

THE PRESIDENT: I don’t want to say that, but I think you know the answer.

Q Mr. President, the report says that while you did not commit a crime —

THE PRESIDENT: Who said what?

Q The Mueller report says — according to the Barr letter — while you —

THE PRESIDENT: The Mueller report was great. It could not have been better. It said, “No obstruction. No collusion.” It could not have been better.

Q On healthcare — on healthcare: Your administration is making very clear that you think the Affordable Care Act is invalid and should be struck down. What is your message to Americans who may be concerned about their healthcare?

THE PRESIDENT: Let me tell you exactly what my message is: The Republican Party will soon be known as the Party of Healthcare. You watch.

END 1:07 P.M. EDT

President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., appears on Fox News with Tucker Carlson to discuss the vindication for the President within the Mueller Report, and the political intransigence of the media to admit their two-year-long delusion.

No collusion, no conspiracy, no obstruction…

Following the bilateral meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, both leaders held an Oval Office press availability.  During the presser President Trump was asked his thoughts about the Mueller report.  (Video and Transcript below):

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[Transcript] -Oval Office- 12:23 P.M. EDT – PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, thank you very much. It’s an honor to have Prime Minister Netanyahu in the Oval Office. We’ve had numerous great meetings, and we talk usually about trade and military and lots of things.

But today, I think we’re talking about — more than anything else, we’re celebrating the Golan Heights. It’s something that I’ve been hearing about for many years, from many people. I’ve been studying for years.

And this should have been done, I would say, numerous Presidents ago. But for some reason, they didn’t do it, and I’m very honored to have done it.

So I just want to say, Bibi, it’s an honor to have you at the Oval Office. Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: Thank you. May I say that I’ve been here many, many, many times. I’ve been around.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: You have.

PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: And I’ve met many friends of Israel in this office. But as I said in the other room, just now, in a day of history, we have never had a greater friend than President Trump.

And I think there is a unique bond between our countries, between our administrations, between the two of us. There has been no greater bond than that. It serves the interests of Israel in ways that I cannot begin to describe because not everything that the President and I talk about can be shared with the public.

And I think that, in many ways, the President knows and the United States knows that America has no better friend than Israel. We are willing to fight for our common values. We’re willing to fight. You have an ally that is willing to take up arms in defense of liberty, in defense of our land, our people, and our common values.

We admire America, and we’re grateful to you. Thank you, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much.

Q Mr. President, so did this turn out to not be a witch hunt after all? Do you think Robert Mueller did a fair investigation?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: It’s lasted a long time. We’re glad it’s over. It’s 100 percent the way it should have been. I wish it could have gone a lot sooner, a lot quicker. There are a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things. I would say treasonous things against our country.

And hopefully people that have done such harm to our country — we’ve gone through a period of really bad things happening — those people will certainly be looked at. I have been looking at them for a long time. And I’m saying, “Why haven’t they been looked at?” They lied to Congress. Many of them — you know who they are — they’ve done so many evil things.

I will tell you, I love this country. I love this country as much as I can love anything: my family, my country, my God. But what they did, it was a false narrative. It was — it was a terrible thing.

We can never let this happen to another President again. I can tell you that. I say it very strongly. Very few people I know could have handled it. We can never, ever let this happen to another President again.

Thank you all very much. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

Q Do you want the report to be completely released?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Up the Attorney General, but it wouldn’t bother me at all. Up to the Attorney General. Wouldn’t bother me at all.

Q Any news on pardons? Are you thinking about pardoning anyone, sir?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, I haven’t. I haven’t thought about it.

END 12:28 P.M. EDT

Earlier today President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House to discuss regional issues and the U.S. support for the nation state of Israel.  Included with this visit was an executive proclamation supporting Israel’s right to stable government over the Golan Heights.   [Video of remarks]

As the Democrat party showcases even more antisemitism, without overestimation, the bond between the U.S. and Israel is the strongest it has ever been. Quite remarkable.