Monday, Dec. 3
á
Chinese state media outlets made no mention of a several agreements
President Donald Trump said he reached with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Buenos Aires including a 90-day time frame for
finalizing the agreements, a reduction in tariffs on imported U.S. cars, or any
specifics about buying more American products.
á
Trump appointed U.S. Trade
Representative Robert Lighthizer, a negotiator who
has expressed deep skepticism toward China, to lead trade talks for the United
States to finalize the deal Trump said he reached Saaturday
with Xi Jinping.
Tuesday, Dec. 4
á
The National Republican Congressional Committee
announced that it had suffered a major email hack during the 2018 elections. Party officials
did not say when the hack began or who was behind it, although some have said
privately they believe it was a foreign agent due to the nature of the attack.
á
The 9th Circuit Count of Appeals struck down a portion of federal law
that makes it a crime to encourage foreigners to enter or reside in the United
States illegally as being contrary to the First Amendments protections on free
speech.
á
The attorneys general for Maryland and the
District of Columbia are seeking financial records and other documents from as
many as 13 Trump business entities as part of a lawsuit alleging that TrumpŐs
business violates the ConstitutionŐs ban on gifts or payments from foreign
governments.
Wednesday, Dec. 5
á A state funeral was held for former President George H. W. Bush at WashingtonŐs National Cathedral. Trump and the four living former presidents were in attendance.
á
The U.S. accused Russia of violating the Treaty
on Intermediate-range Nuclear Force, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would freeze its commitments under
the treaty in 60 days if Russia doesnŐt return to compliance. Russia denied it
has violated the treaty.
Thursday, Dec. 6
á The Senate, in a 50 to 49 vote along party lines, confirmed Kathy Kraninger as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to replace acting Director Mick Mulvaney.
Friday, Dec. 7
á
Trump announced he plans to nominate former Attorney General William Barr, who
filled the Justice Department top post under George H. W. Bush, to replace Jeff
Sessions as Attorney General.
á Trump announced he plans to nominate former Fox News commentator and current State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert to succeed Nikki Haley as Ambassador to the U.N.
á
Federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York and
from Special Counsel Robert MuellerŐs investigation filed new court papers in
the sentencing hearing for TrumpŐs former attorney Michael Cohen directly
implicating Trump in plans to buy the silence of two women alleged to have had
affairs with him and offering new evidence of Russian efforts to forge a
political alliance with Trump before he became president.
á
Federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York urged
ŇsubstantialÓ jail time for former Trump attorney Cohen, while MuellerŐs team
made no specific recommendation but said CohenŐs help was significant and any sentence
should be served concurrently with a possible sentence from another case.
á
Special counsel Mueller said in a
filing in federal court that Paul Manafort, TrumpŐs
former campaign chairman, told Ňmultiple discernible liesÓ during interviews
with prosecutors, including about his contacts with an employee alleged to have
ties to Russian intelligence.
Saturday, Dec. 8
á Trump announced that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly will leave the post by yearŐs end.
Sunday, Dec. 9
á
TrumpŐs top pick to be his next chief of staff, Nick Ayers,
currently chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, announced via Twitter
that he will not take the job with Trump and will instead leave the White House
at the end of the year.
á
The United States joined a controversial proposal by Saudi
Arabia and Russia at a United Nations working group focused on science and
technology this weekend, to weaken a reference to a key report on the severity
of global warming, saying only that the U.S. ŇnotedÓ the existence of the
report but did not ŇwelcomeÓ it.