Monday Sept. 30

á           A senior State Department official told the Wall Street Journal that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listened in on President Donald TrumpÕs July 25 phone call to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump encouraged Zelensky to investigate presidential rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. Pompeo later confirmed this himself on Wednesday as he defended the conversation from the House impeachment inquiry.

á           The New York Times reported Trump recently called Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison requesting information discrediting Robert MuellerÕs 2016 election interference investigation. As in the Ukraine controversy, the Times said this Òshows the president using high-level diplomacy to advance his personal political interests.Ó

á           House Democrats subpoenaed TrumpÕs personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who served as TrumpÕs personal representative in Ukraine. Per a letter penned by three Democratic House Chairs, Democrats instigated the subpoena believing Giuliani was acting as Òan agent of the president in a scheme to advance his personal political interests by abusing the power of the office of the president.Ó

Tuesday Oct. 1

á           Pompeo criticized three congressional committees looking to question diplomats who helped shape American policy toward Ukraine. Pompeo, who is facing a congressional subpoena due to his potential involvement in the Ukraine controversy, called the move Òan act of intimidation.Ó

á           Trump tweeted a request to interview the whistleblower behind the Ukraine controversy. He confirmed the White House is trying to discover the identity of the whistleblower, who is protected by federal law.

á           A federal judge ruled Harvard University does not intentionally discriminate against Asian-American applicants. The lawsuit came from a group called Students for Fair Admissions, led by conservative activist Edward Blum, who believe the universityÕs affirmative action practices favored other racial minorities over Asian-Americans.

Wednesday Oct. 2

á           Senior Department of Homeland Security officials said the Justice Department plans to develop a regulation collecting DNA samples from people held in federal immigration custody and entering them into a national crime database.

Thursday Oct. 3

á           Trump publicly called on China to investigate Biden. According to the New York Times, Trump responded to criticisms by claiming it is not wrong to seek foreign help in combating corruption.

á           Attorney General William Barr urged executives of the messaging service WhatsApp to create loopholes in its security so the Justice Department can access encrypted data. ÒCompanies should not deliberately design their systems to preclude any form of access to content even for preventing or investigating the most serious crimes,Ó Barr wrote in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and chief executive of WhatsApp. Company spokesperson Andy Stone told the Times in response, ÒWe strongly oppose government attempts to build back doors because they would undermine the privacy and security of people everywhere.Ó

á           The State DepartmentÕs former special envoy for Ukraine, Kurt D. Volker, turned over a series of texts to Congress between American diplomats and a Ukrainian official that details a Òquid pro quoÓ deal to withhold security assistance from Ukraine until Ukraine offered to help with TrumpÕs presidential campaign.

Friday Oct. 4

á           Representatives of Sen. Bernie SandersÕ presidential campaign said Sanders suffered a heart attack on Tuesday. After two and a half days in the hospital during which doctors inserted two stents in a blocked artery, Sanders released a statement saying, ÒI feel great, and É I look forward to getting back to work.Ó

á           House impeachment investigators subpoenaed the White House for documents related to Trump pressuring Ukraine to interfere with a political rival. The investigators set a deadline of Oct. 18. They also requested documents from Vice President Mike Pence by Oct. 15. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said noncompliance with these requests would be considered obstructing Congress, itself a potentially impeachable offense.

á           The Trump administration announced it would continue to undermine legal immigration by denying visas to immigrants who fail to prove they have health insurance and can pay medical costs. The proclamation, issued by Trump, will go into effect Nov. 3.

Saturday Oct. 5

á           A second whistleblower came forward with information regarding TrumpÕs dealings in Ukraine. According to the individualÕs legal team, they have Òfirsthand knowledgeÓ of the matter, which could bolster the case against Trump in the House impeachment inquiry.

á           North Korean officials said nuclear talks with the Trump administration in Stockholm broke down within hours. This was the first of such negotiations in eight months. United States officials aimed to further the dismantling of North KoreaÕs nuclear program. North KoreaÕs chief negotiator said that the U.S. came Òempty-handedÓ to the meeting and remained unchanged in its stance. A State Department statement read that Òthe U.S. brought creative ideas and had good discussions,Ó without going into specifics.

Sunday Oct. 6

á           Trump announced his support for a Turkish military operation that would sweep U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, whom Turkey considers terrorist insurgents, off the border in Syria. According to the New York Times, this decision goes against the recommendations of top Pentagon and State Department officials and has caused a rift among Republicans.