Monday, July 29

· The Virginia Black Legislative Caucus announced that it will boycott events commemorating the 400th anniversary of representative government in Jamestown as well as the arrival of slaves from Africa because of President Donald Trump’s participation in the planned events.

Tuesday, July 30

· Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) released a bipartisan proposal to create the first paid parental leave plan. The plan would allow new parents to advance their child tax credit benefits to receive a $5,000 cash benefit when their child is born or adopted. Parents would receive a $500 reduction in their child tax credits for the next 10 years.

· The Senate confirmed Trump pick David Norquist for Pentagon Deputy Defense Secretary.

· Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) introduced the Manufacturing, Investment, and Controls Review for Computer Hardware, Intellectual Property and Supply (Microchips) Act intended to protect U.S. tech supply chains from being exploited by countries like China. The act would put into place a National Supply Chain Security Center under the office of the Director of National Intelligence whose purpose is to collect information on threats and develop a plan to increase supply chain intelligence.

Wednesday, July 31

· The Senate voted 56-34 to confirm Trump nominee and current ambassador to Canada, Kelly Kraft to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

· The Trump administration announced additional sanctions against Iran, targeting Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The Treasury Department said that sanctions have been imposed because Zarif “acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

· American and Chinese negotiators finished talks without any progress toward ending the trade war between the two countries.

· The Federal Reserve cut the benchmark interest rate by a quarter point. The cut was the first in more than a decade.

Thursday, Aug. 1

· Trump announced a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports, further escalating the trade war between the two nations. On Twitter, President Trump said that he was imposing the tariff because China has failed to deliver on the promise they made to stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. and to buy more farm goods from the United States. The goods targeted under the tariff include clothes, toys, cell phones, and other retail items, so consumers are likely to feel a more direct impact.

· Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida announced his support for impeachment proceedings, putting the number of pro-impeachment House Democrats past the halfway point, 118 out of 235 voting members.

Friday, Aug. 2

· The United States officially pulled out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia, citing multiple Russian violations. The treaty, made in 1987, has been considered a landmark agreement and the United States departure from it raises concerns about broader efforts to regulate the use of nuclear weapons.

· Trump’s nominee for national intelligence, John Ratcliffe withdrew from consideration for the position following criticisms that he is unqualified and was only nominated for his shared views with President Trump on the FBI Russia probe.

· Trump signed two-year, $2.7 trillion bi-partisan budget deal, passed by the Senate the day before. The bipartisan budget package blocks $126 billion in automatic spending cuts, suspends the debt ceiling through July 2021, and increases military and non-military spending by $320 billion above budget caps. However, the budget agreement does not fund federal agencies, leaving room for a potential government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year.

Saturday, Aug. 3

· The Trump administration announced that remaining migrant children being held in the Homestead detention center have been removed, meaning that migrant children will now no longer be held in temporary influx shelters.

Sunday, Aug. 4

· No news to report.