Monday, Dec. 10
¥ The
Supreme Court declined to review two cases raising the issue of whether states
can block Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from their Medicaid
programs, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh
joining the courtÕs four liberal jurists.
á
Inspired by President Donald TrumpÕs behavior,
the Washington Post fact checker introduced a new category, ÒThe Bottomless
PinocchioÓ to account for Òpoliticians
who repeat a false claim so many times that they are, in effect, engaging in
campaigns of disinformation.Ó
Tuesday, Dec. 11
á
Trump clashed with House Minority Leader Nancy
Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over funding for TrumpÕs border
wall in an acrimonious Oval Office meeting before live television cameras.
Trump said he would be proud to shut down the government to try to get the
money he wants.
á
A new CNN poll shows that half
of Americans say they think it is likely that the Mueller investigation will
implicate the president in wrongdoing and only 29 percent say they approve of
TrumpÕs handling of the Russia investigation.
á
TrumpÕs top White House adviser on energy and climate was mocked and protested at U.N. climate talks in
Katowice, Poland, when he promoted fossil fuel use.
Wednesday,
Dec. 12
á
Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen
was sentenced to three years in prison. Cohen had pleaded guilty to committing
multiple crimes, including lying to Congress about a possible Trump business
deal in Russia and buying the silence during the 2016 presidential campaign of
women who alleged affairs with the future president.
á
Trump told Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) — one of his leading
congressional allies and a contender for White House
chief of staff — that he would like Meadows to remain on Capitol Hill,
taking the lawmaker out of contention for the job.
Thursday, Dec. 13
á
Congress passed long-stalled, bi-partisan legislation to combat sexual
harassment in Congress following negotiations between the Senate and the House
over differences in the versions passed by each house separately.
á
Russian national Maria Butina
pled guilty to conspiring
with a senior Russian official to infiltrate the gun rights movement in the
U.S. as an agent for the Kremlin from 2015 until her arrest in July.
Friday, Dec. 14
á
Trump named Office of Management and Budget
Director Mick Mulvaney as acting White House chief of
staff.
á
Former New Jersey governor and former head of
TrumpÕs transition team Chris Christie asked Trump to take him out of
consideration for the job of White House chief of staff.
á
Sen. John Kyl, who in
September took over the position of the late Sen. John McCain, said he is
resigning at the end of the year.
á
A federal judge in Texas, U.S. District Judge
Reed OÕConnor, ruled that the Affordable Care Act is
unconstitutional because of a recent change in federal tax law that eliminated
the tax penalty for people who do not carry health insurance, thereby rendering
the individual mandate unconstitutional. The decision is expected to be
appealed.
Saturday, Dec. 15
á
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke
resigned. Zinke is the subject of at least 15 ethics
investigations of his real estate dealings in Montana and his conduct while in
office.
á
ProPublica reported
that TrumpÕs inaugural committee
paid the Trump Organization for rooms, meals and event space at the companyÕs
Washington hotel at prices negotiated by Ivanka
Trump, a senior executive with the Trump Organization.
Sunday, Dec. 16
á
No news to report.