Monday, Oct. 22

· U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mnuchin had opted not to attend an investment conference in Saudi Arabia this week amid uproar about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/10/22/mnuchin-meets-with-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-despite-outcry-over-governments-role-journalists-death/?utm_term=.f26708a2ba0d

· CIA Director Gina Haspel departed for Turkey on Monday amid a growing international uproar over Saudi Arabia’s explanation of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-director-flies-to-turkey-amid-growing-controversy-over-jamal-khashoggi-killing/2018/10/22/47d406d9-9f36-49fc-a187-a9a495b70a62_story.html?utm_term=.29f1bf9d775a

· The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross cannot be compelled to give a deposition in a lawsuit opposing the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-shields-commerce-secretary-wilbur-ross-from-answering-questions-on-census/2018/10/22/33dfa890-ce5f-11e8-a3e6-44daa3d35ede_story.html?utm_term=.6bb0b654d742

· Bruce Michael Alexander, who was arrested on charges of abusive sexual contact after allegedly groping another passenger on a Southwest flight told authorities that “the President of the United States says it’s ok to grab women by their private parts,” according to the criminal complaint. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/23/president-says-its-ok-grab-women-by-their-private-parts-man-accused-groping-woman-flight-invokes-trump/?utm_term=.c38bbf652068&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

Tuesday, Oct. 23

· Politico reported that Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has ordered a review of the Department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement and has removed the head of the Office, Scott Lloyd, from day-to-day operations. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/23/trump-caravan-border-hhs-873152?nname=playbook-pm&nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&nrid=00000158-890d-dfd4-ad7b-c96fadf30001&nlid=964328

· National security adviser John Bolton repeated to President Trump’s announcement that the United States would withdraw from a landmark arms control treaty in place since the Soviet era, saying the Russians are violating the pact. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/bolton-faces-moscows-dismay-amid-us-pledges-to-withdraw-from-nuclear-pact/2018/10/23/b2f9f718-d63c-11e8-8384-bcc5492fef49_story.html?utm_term=.5fcfdf79a0bb&wpisrc=al_news__alert-world--alert-national&wpmk=1

Wednesday, Oct. 24

· Five pipe bombs were found in mail to the Clintons, Barack Obama, CNN, former Attorney General Eric Holder and billionaire philanthropist George Soros. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/24/bomb-sent-bill-hillary-clintons-home-new-york-city-suburb/?utm_term=.9488e7b317f8&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

· The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped over 600 points, part of a trend that threatens to make October the worst month for the stock market in eight years. The sell-off was sparked, in part, by concerns over China’s economy as impacted by recently enacted tariffs, the interest rates set by the Federal Reserve and concerns about the bomb attacks on prominent Democrats. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/us-stocks-whipsawed-in-fresh-wave-of-volatility/2018/10/24/b9b75066-d7a2-11e8-a10f-b51546b10756_story.html?utm_term=.02cc096841e1&wpisrc=al_news__alert-economy--alert-national&wpmk=1

· A federal judge in two different lawsuits brought by the ACLU and others ordered Georgia election officials to stop summarily tossing absentee ballots because of mismatched signatures. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/judge-orders-ga-officials-to-stop-tossing-absentee-ballots-over-signatures/2018/10/24/9c5a5b06-d7bd-11e8-a10f-b51546b10756_story.html?utm_term=.287f18842a55&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

Thursday, Oct. 25

· Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley referred Julie Swetnick and her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, to the Department of Justice for a possible criminal investigation over allegations they made false statements to Congress about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/25/politics/julie-swetnick-justice-department-judiciary-committee/index.html

· Two suspicious packages were found addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden and another sent to Robert De Niro are similar to the pipe bombs that have been sent to other political and media figures in the past few days, according to the FBI. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/package-found-robert-de-niro-s-office-nyc-matches-other-n924251

· CIA Director Gina Haspel listened to audio purportedly capturing the interrogation and killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, part of the evidence Turkey relied on in accusing Saudi Arabia of the killing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-director-listens-to-audio-of-journalists-alleged-murder/2018/10/24/b07af451-7422-4fea-b0cd-ae9ad70df3e2_story.html?utm_term=.38ae07c37bc4&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

Friday, Oct. 26

· The Department of Justice announced that Cesar Sayoc, 56, of Aventura, Florida, an outspoken Trump supporter, has been arrested for sending pipe bombs to at least a dozen Trump critics. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/nyregion/cnn-cory-booker-pipe-bombs-sent.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

· Sayoc was charged with five federal crimes related to sending 13 different pipe bombs, three of which were found today, and officials said he is likely to be charged with a 14th as well. The charges carry a potential penalty of 58 years. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/26/suspected-explosive-devices-addressed-cory-booker-james-clapper-probe-expands-packages/?utm_term=.d4d6a4af675f&wpisrc=al_news__alert-politics--alert-national&wpmk=1

· Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos said on Friday that he is considering withdrawing from a cooperation agreement he entered into with special counsel Robert Mueller. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/26/papadopolous-plea-deal-942346?9&nname=playbook-pm&nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&nrid=00000158-890d-dfd4-ad7b-c96fadf30001&nlid=964328

· The New York Times reported that foreign carmakers that employ thousands of workers in the United States are moving jobs to China because of the trade war between the two countries. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/business/china-jobs-automobiles-trade-war.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

Saturday, Oct. 27

· Federal prosecutors identified the man who shot worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 and wounding another six, as Robert D. Bowers, 46, a Pittsburgh resident who the FBI said was not previously known to law enforcement. He was charged with 29 counts of federal crimes of violence and firearms offenses. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/27/pittsburgh-police-responding-active-shooting-squirrel-hill-area/?utm_term=.7bc88955b236&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

Sunday, Oct. 28

· Vice President Mike Pence told NBC News he sees no tie between Trump’s rhetoric and increased violence. When asked about calling Democrats a “mob,” as he did at campaign stops a day before, Pence indicated that was part of political debate. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/pence-rejects-suggestions-link-between-trump-rhetoric-violence-n925296

· Federal prosecutors announced they have filed hate crime charges against Robert Bowers in the shootings at Tree of Life synagogue. The attack is believed to be the deadliest on the Jewish community in US history, the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement. https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/27/us/pittsburgh-synagogue-active-shooter/index.html