Monday, Jan. 21

á           According to the Washington PostÕs fact checker, President Donald Trump has made 8,158 false or misleading claims in the two years since he took the oath of office, 6,000 of these in the second year of his presidency.

Tuesday, Jan. 22

á           The Supreme Court said it would review New York CityÕs ban on transporting licensed and unloaded handguns outside the city limits.

á           The Supreme Court allowed Trumps restrictions on transgendered military members to take effect while the legal battle over the restrictions continues in the lower courts.

á           The Supreme Court declined to take action on TrumpÕs request to review his termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. TrumpÕs termination has been found by lower courts to be based on faulty legal reasoning and lacking in a solid rationale.

á           The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to bypass its normal procedures and decide quickly whether a question about citizenship can be placed on the 2020 Census after a New York judge last week ordered the administration to stop its plans to include the question.

Wednesday, Jan. 23

á           Trump sent House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter saying he plans to deliver the State of the Union speech as originally planned, despite her letter last week asking him to postpone it until the government shutdown is over.

á           Pelosi formally revoked her invitation to Trump to give the State of the Union address on Jan. 29. Later he said it was her prerogative and said he would give the address after the shutdown is ended.

á           An attorney for former Trump attorney Michael Cohen said that his client would not testify before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 7 Òdue to ongoing threats against his family from President Trump and Mr. [Rudolph W.] Giuliani, as recently as this weekend, as well as Mr. CohenÕs continued cooperation with ongoing investigations.Ó

á           The House Oversight and Reform Committee launched an investigation into the Trump administrationÕs use of security clearances and temporary or ÒinterimÓ security clearances.

Thursday, Jan. 24

á           An attorney for former Trump attorney Michael Cohen said his client was subpoened by the Senate Intelligence Committee and is scheduled to testify in a closed-door hearing on Feb. 12.

á           The Washington Post reported that civil penalties for polluters issued by the EPA have dropped, under the Trump administration, to the lowest level since 1994. From a 20-year average of $500 million per year (adjusted for inflation), penalties dropped last year by 85 percent, to $72 million.

á           The Senate rejected two competing plans for ending the shutdown — one favored by Trump and one by Democrats — although six Republican senators voted for the Democratic proposal.

Friday, Jan. 25

á           In a move that is predicted to face court challenges, the Trump administration began sending some asylum applicants back to Mexico to wait while their cases are processed.

á           Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III unveiled criminal charges against Roger Stone, a longtime friend of President TrumpÕs, accusing him of lying, obstruction and witness tampering. Stone was arrested in a pre-dawn raid at his home.

á           The Federal Aviation Administration delayed flights at New YorkÕs LaGuardia Airport, citing staffing shortages due to the government shutdown.

á           Trump signed a bill to end the government shutdown for three weeks, while also creating a bipartisan, bicameral committee charged with negotiating an agreement on border security as part of a new spending bill for the Homeland Security Department. The bill contained no money for TrumpÕs border wall, and Trump said without wall funding, the country may face another shutdown at the end of three weeks or an emergency declaration to circumvent Congress.

Saturday, Jan. 26

á           ABC reported that according to a new ABC/Washington Post poll, 60 percent of Americans want the new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives to obtain and publicly release TrumpÕs tax returns. Between 57 and 61 percent back investigations into possible collusion between TrumpÕs 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, TrumpÕs relationship and communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin and possible financial ties between Trump and foreign governments.

á           Six days of negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban ended, with the chief U.S. negotiator calling them Òmore productive than they have been in the past.Ó

Sunday, Jan. 27

á           Sen. Marco Rubio said on ÒMeet the Press,Ó that he does not think Trump should declare a national emergency to get funding for the wall and that he would fight him on it in the Senate.

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