Monday, May 15
á The
Guardian UK reported that former intelligence chief James Clapper accused
President Donald Trump of placing American democratic institutions Òunder
assaultÓ and cautioned that TrumpÕs removal of FBI Director James Comey is
Òanother victoryÓ for Russia. http://tinyurl.com/k87abrc
á
The Supreme Court refused to overturn the
decision by a lower court that ruled a 2013 North Carolina voting law
discriminated against African American voters. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/05/in_cooper_v_harris_the_supreme_court_strikes_a_blow_against_racial_redistricting.html
á Trump
revealed classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador
jeopardizing a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State and,
according to the Washington Post, Òpotentially endangering a coveted
intelligence asset, compromising a crucial alliance and undermining the war
effort against the Islamic State.Ó http://tinyurl.com/kvw8hd6
á The Trump administration announced plans to
cut U.S. foreign aid by $8.8 billion to international healthcare groups that
advocate for abortion rights. http://tinyurl.com/llsghqu
Tuesday, May 16
á After denying he divulged classified
information, Trump confirmed that he did share classified information with
Russian officials saying he has the Òabsolute rightÓ to give Òfacts pertaining
to terrorism Ó to Russian officials. http://tinyurl.com/mhavvtj
á The New York Times reported a Comey memo
from last February indicating Trump pressured Comey to shut down an
investigation into ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn. The Times
also reported that Trump suggested "Comey should consider putting
reporters in prison for publishing classified information." http://tinyurl.com/kjz74ut and http://tinyurl.com/mflb8hy
á Senator Angus King said ÒI think youÕre
getting very close to the legal definition of obstruction of justiceÓ if Trump
tried to shut down an FBI investigation of Flynn. http://tinyurl.com/msxdge2
á The Justice Department appointed Robert
Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russia election interference. http://tinyurl.com/lecbarw
á Two potential candidates turned down Trump
administration job offers to replace Comey as FBI
director. http://tinyurl.com/m4rcws2
á The Senate Intelligence Committee asked Comey
to testify publicly in their Russia interference investigation. http://tinyurl.com/mearlna
á The House passed bill HR1616 to
authorize the National Computer Forensics Institute to prevent cyber and
electronic crimes. http://tinyurl.com/lyc57ls
Wednesday, May 17
á Regarding the appointment of a special
counsel Trump tweeted ÒThis is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician
in American history!Ó http://tinyurl.com/lha24sd
á Putin said he would provide the U.S.
Congress with a record of the meeting between Trump and Russian envoys where
Trump divulged classified information. This offer was dismissed by U.S.
legislators as sowing undue chaos. http://tinyurl.com/mrq5jsx
á U.S. House and Senate intelligence
committees said they would continue their investigation of Russian interference
despite appointment of a special counsel. http://tinyurl.com/myjztv7
á The Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights accused the US of killing more than 40 civilians in a U.S.-led coalition
strike in Syria. http://tinyurl.com/mssug9q
á Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke
was appointed as assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Clarke, opposed by minority groups, likened Black Lives Matter to the KKK and
promoted racial profiling. http://tinyurl.com/kgwo3ez
á Senator Mitch McConnell said that
TrumpÕs proposed border adjustment tax stands little chance of being approved. http://tinyurl.com/k9zfoqf
á A federal court decided that the Environment
Protection AgencyÕs (EPA) approval of 59 pesticides linked to bee deaths does
not comply with the Endangered Species Act. http://tinyurl.com/n7phf35
Thursday, May 18
á The Federal Communications Commission
voted to begin the process of eliminating net neutrality rules to allow ISPs to
block, throttle, or prioritize Internet content in exchange for payment by
announcing a proposed rulemaking. http://tinyurl.com/kqdy92o
á Reuters reported that Trump campaign aides
had a least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russia. http://tinyurl.com/mz7nrff
á Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein met
in a closed-session briefing of U.S. senators to answer questions about his
appointment of special counsel Mueller. http://tinyurl.com/mra49k3
á Common Dreams reported the Trump
administration plans to cut the Department of EnergyÕs budget for renewable
energy and efficiency programs by 70 percent. http://tinyurl.com/ls9om2l
á
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin,
when questioned by Senator Elizabeth Warren before the Senate Banking
Committee, said Trump is not Òlooking intoÓ a Glass-Stegall break-up of
investment banks. http://tinyurl.com/lbbr67c
á
EPA chief Pruitt continued to delay a new federal
rule setting tougher safety standards at facilities that handle and store
hazardous substances. http://tinyurl.com/lmazdwb
á
Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard
Burr said Flynn is not cooperating with the committeeÕs request for documents. http://tinyurl.com/lzjfvwn
á
ProPublica
reported that lawyer Keith Noreika, TrumpÕs appointee to head the Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency and critic of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street
overhaul, is positioned to roll back consumer-friendly regulations imposed by
states. http://tinyurl.com/mamkoaj
Friday, May 19
á The New York Times reported that Trump
bragged last week to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and
Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, ÒI
just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job.Ó http://tinyurl.com/kw2qeq7
á The Justice Safety Valve Act was
introduced in the House to reduce jail sentences — an attempt to rein in
Attorney General SessionÕs directive earlier in the month to seek the toughest
possible sentences. http://tinyurl.com/l5w2faa
á Because of Trump administration mismanagement
of basic healthcare issues, health insurers announced plans to raise Obamacare
premiums or to exit marketplaces. A crisis already looms in Iowa where, in
2018, there will be no insurers on the exchange. http://tinyurl.com/k5aeyyc and http://tinyurl.com/lohbedr
á Comey agreed to testify in a public session
before the Senate Intelligence committee sometime after Memorial Day. http://tinyurl.com/kh7a5kg
á The Detroit News reported that
immigration agents are using a controversial surveillance tool, a
cell-site simulator, to find
undocumented immigrants. http://tinyurl.com/lorruka
á The U.S. Treasury Department's
Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on eight current or former
members of Venezuela's Supreme Court. http://tinyurl.com/mdjdrmb
á The
Education Department said that it will select one company to collect student
debt payments to replace nine contractors that currently handle $1.2 trillion
portfolio of education loans. http://tinyurl.com/my9fsjy
Saturday, May 20
á Trump
embarked on his first overseas trip as president to visit Saudi Arabia.
á Trump signed a joint Òstrategic
visionÓ with Saudi Arabia that includes $110 billion in American arms sales,
the largest arms sale in history, and other new investments. A legal analysis
prompted by congressional inquiries warned that the sale is illegal. http://tinyurl.com/mxn6dp6 and http://tinyurl.com/n44dk8n
á VICE reported the U.S. military is
waging a quiet but ever-expanding war in Africa. http://tinyurl.com/k2fdzrw
á The
Pentagon is accused of billing
the armed forces for fuel at rates much higher than what commercial airlines
pay for jet fuel on the open market. http://tinyurl.com/lzvxdmm
á
The House Intelligence Committee asked former
Trump campaign adviser Michael Caputo to testify about Russia election
interference. http://tinyurl.com/lj3zmdv
á
Sheriff David Clarke, appointed by Trump as Assistant Secretary to the Department of Homeland
Security, had his masterÕs thesis removed from the Naval Postgraduate
School website after reports that he plagiarized sections of his thesis on
homeland security. http://tinyurl.com/krexotd
Sunday, May 21
á
North
Korea launched a ballistic missile that reached a distance of 300 miles. http://tinyurl.com/moz9kt5
á
CNN
reported that Russian officials bragged during the election that because of
their strong relationship with Michael Flynn, they could use him to influence
Trump and his team. http://tinyurl.com/n864wf7
á
In a bureaucratic maneuver at the U.N. Security
Council, a plan to add an Islamic State Saudi Arabian group to a U.N. list of
terrorist groups was killed prior to TrumpÕs visit to Saudi Arabia. http://tinyurl.com/l2alfo2
á
A Seattle nonprofit that provides legal services
to immigrants won a restraining order against the Justice Department, allowing
the nonprofit to resume services after being shut down for a month by a cease
and desist letter. http://tinyurl.com/kobbnpd