In a press conference on Thursday, President Trump defended his administration and his campaign from questions about their association with Russian officials. Photo: ReutersWASHINGTON—About midmorning on Thursday, President Donald Trump abruptly decided to hold his own news conference, setting into motion a freewheeling, sometimes angry, 80-minute exchange. “My message is being filtered,” Mr. Trump told senior administration officials inside the Oval Office hours before the news conference, a person familiar with the matter said. “I want to speak directly to the American people about the progress we’ve...

Source: Wall Street Journal February 17, 2017 01:41 UTC