Gina Haspel was sworn in as the
first woman director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Conservatives in
Congress accused Haspel of being part of a Òdeep
stateÓ conspiracy against President Trump. Haspel was
initially a controversial choice to lead the CIA because she presided over a
secret torture Ôblack siteÕ in Thailand during the George W. Bush
administration and was complicit in the destruction of video tapes documenting
torture at her facility.
Tuesday, May 22
President Trump seemed to back down from his long-standing
demand that North Korea unilaterally and completely disarm to end its nuclear
weapons program. His newfound flexibility appeared to be less about policy and
more oriented to preserving the summit meeting with the North Korean leader on
June 12. Trump also said that the meeting might happen and that it might not.
In a rare bipartisan action, Congress rolled back an
important provision of the Dodd-Frank banking law, which was passed to regulate
banks after the financial crisis of 2007. The House voted 258-159 to approve a
rollback of regulations for thousands of small and medium-sized banks with less
than $250 billion in assets. Under the new law, fewer than ten banks will still
be subject to the strict federal regulations devised to prevent another
meltdown of the U.S. banking sector.
Wednesday, May 23
Evgeny A. Freidman, a major business partner of Michael D. Cohen
— President TrumpÕs former long-time personal lawyer and fixer —
agreed to cooperate as a potential witness with special counsel Robert Mueller,
who is examining Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
FriedmanÕs cooperation could put significant pressure on Cohen to tell what he
knows about several matters under investigation by the special counsel.
Stacy Abrams won the Democratic primary in Georgia on a
progressive platform, becoming the first African American woman to be nominated for
governor by a major political party.
Thursday, May 24
In a remarkably personal letter, President Trump notified
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that the United
Stages would not participate in a nuclear disarmament summit scheduled for June
12. ÒI was very much looking forward to being there with you,Ó the letter read,
ÒSadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most
recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time.Ó The president left
open the possibility that the meeting might be rescheduled.
President Trump pardoned boxing legend Jack Johnson, the first
black heavyweight world champion. In 1913, Johnson was
convicted in a racially tainted case by an all-white jury of transporting his
white girlfriend Òacross
state lines for immoral purposes.Ó The conviction followed Johnson until
his death in 1946, but celebrities and politicians continued to advocate for
his pardon in the succeeding decades.
Friday, May 25
Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced movie producer and media
mogul, was arrested on rape charges in New York City. Weinstein appeared in
Manhattan Criminal Court in handcuffs, where he was charged with first-degree
rape, third-degree rape, and a first-degree criminal sex act. He surrendered
his passport to the court and posted a $1 million bond.
President Trump signed a series of executive orders, making it
easier to discharge federal workers. According to Buzzfeed,
David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said,
"This administration seems hellbent on replacing
a civil service that works for all taxpayers with a political service that
serves at its whim.Ó
Sunday, May
27
Rudy
Giuliani, President TrumpÕs lawyer told radio host John Catsimatidis
that President Obama and his top intelligence officials ÒknewÓ the FBI had sent
an undercover informant to spy on TrumpÕs 2016 campaign.
Republican
Sen. Marco Rubio took the opposite position, defending the FBI in comments on
ABCÕs This Week. He said, Òit appears that there was an investigation not of
the campaign but of certain individuals who have a history that we should be
suspicious of that predate the presidential campaign of 2015, 2016.Ó