Monday, May 22

á       The Trump administration, in an effort to block an ethics inquiry, asked the Office of Government Ethics to withdraw its request for copies of waivers granted to dozens of former lobbyists who now work for the agencies they lobbied. http://tinyurl.com/n5dwvup

á       The Washington Post reported President Donald TrumpÕs budget proposal will include cuts to Medicaid of more than $800 billion over 10 years. http://tinyurl.com/lg5j98h

á       The Washington Post reported that TrumpÕs senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner may have conflicts of interest because he has kept most of his real estate investments. http://tinyurl.com/lqssarj

á       The Supreme Court ruled that North CarolinaÕs Republican controlled legislature unlawfully used race in defining two of the stateÕs congressional districts. http://tinyurl.com/nyzj3vx

á       The Associated Press reported that Michael Flynn will invoke his Fifth Amendment protection and notified the Senate Intelligence committee that he will not comply with a subpoena seeking documents. http://tinyurl.com/mhq67ju

á       Rewire reported that the Trump administration has been aggressively filling top government positions with anti-choice activists who push right-wing myths about reproductive health. http://tinyurl.com/n7adwoz

á       TrumpÕs budget, assuming a 3 percent economic growth rate, predicted a savings of $2 trillion over a decade. Analysts, contradicting his assumption, claim it would be a major feat and forecast the deficit will actually widen by $3.15 trillion. http://tinyurl.com/lor2yjy

á       The Supreme Court ruled that patent lawsuits should be tried where the defending company is based, rather than in a court of the plaintiff's choosing. http://tinyurl.com/y89ljorj

á       TrumpÕs budget would open AlaskaÕs Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling. http://tinyurl.com/y6w8pp4r

Tuesday, May 23

á       The Washington Post reported that Trump asked two of the nationÕs top intelligence officials in March to discredit an FBI probe into collusion between his campaign and Russia. http://tinyurl.com/mgeoecp

á       The Washington Post reported that Trump is moving to hire outside counsel to advise him with the investigations into Russia election interference. http://tinyurl.com/kfft23b

á       When Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross boasted to CNBC that "there was not a single hint of a protesterÓ in Saudi Arabia during TrumpÕs visit, the CNBC anchor told him that could be because protesting isnÕt allowed in Saudi Arabia. http://tinyurl.com/l89zuw9

á       Former CIA director John Brennan testified that last year the CIA alerted the FBI to a troubling pattern of contacts between Russian officials and Trump campaign associates and that he became increasingly concerned that Trump associates were being manipulated by Russian intelligence services. http://tinyurl.com/kud8lob

á       TrumpÕs budget has proposed massive cuts in spending on scientific research, medical research, disease prevention programs and health insurance for children of the working poor. http://tinyurl.com/jvuowe9

á       Senator Sheldon Whitehouse attacked TrumpÕs budget plan saying, ÒThese senseless, irresponsible choices serve one purpose: to pave the way for tax cuts for the very wealthiest. The good news is that this extremist proposal will go nowhere in the Senate.Ó http://tinyurl.com/kjn963f

á       In response to TrumpÕs attempt to stop the Office of Government Ethics inquiry into lobbyists hired as Trump administration employees, the OGE said the inquiry was well within its purvue. http://tinyurl.com/y8s59oqr

á       A recent Bloomberg report said Trump selected two anti-union lawyers for the National Labor Relations Board turning it into a force for union busting. http://tinyurl.com/y8cnnnqc

á       Huffington Post reported that education secretary Betsy DeVos accused critics of hindering innovation, then called TrumpÕs budget, which would cut education 13 percent, a Òhistoric investmentÓ in students. http://tinyurl.com/y7xmzmz8

á       Congressman Al Green became the first congress member to call for TrumpÕs impeachment. http://tinyurl.com/y6ucc5ux

á       The House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing on Congressman Jared HuffmanÕs Public Lands Telecommunications Act, legislation to help connect rural communities to high-speed internet. http://tinyurl.com/y8fgj9vt

Wednesday, May 24

á       Senate investigators again subpoenaed Michael Flynn to turn over documents pertaining to the investigation of Russian interference in the US election. http://tinyurl.com/yccn2734

á       Trump met with Pope Francis at the Vatican. http://tinyurl.com/ybne6gn2

á       Pope Francis gave Trump his 192-page work calling for a new partnership between science and religion to combat human-driven climate change. http://tinyurl.com/y8k7dhty

á       The pope gave Trump a large medallion in the shape of an olive tree, a symbol of peace, to which Trump replied, ÒWe can use peace.Ó http://tinyurl.com/y8k7dhty

á       The Congressional Budget Office said the new Obamacare replacement bill would leave 23 million people uninsured over a decade. http://tinyurl.com/ycextbr2

á       The Guardian UK reported that congressional Democrats urged Deutsche Bank to audit private accounts held by Trump and his family to determine if they have financial ties to Russia. http://tinyurl.com/y7ezd3hn

á       The Washington Post reported that TrumpÕs plans to cut food stamps hits his supporters hardest. http://tinyurl.com/y9cznp53

á       A new report from Human Rights First charged that border agents have been illegally been denying admission to asylum seekers. http://tinyurl.com/y7oomatb

Thursday, May 25

á       Trump addressed NATO allies saying NATO must focus on terrorism and that allies Òowe massive amounts of moneyÓ on defense. http://tinyurl.com/y9rykyne

á       The Justice Department reported that Attorney General Jeff Sessions failed to disclose meetings he had with Russian officials when he applied for his security clearance. http://tinyurl.com/y76rruka

á       Congressional Republicans introduced the Back the Blue Act of 2017 that shields police from civil lawsuits and makes killing police officers a federal crime. http://tinyurl.com/y97fcfx5

á       After negotiating a $110 billion arms deal with Trump, the Saudis asked him to repeal a 2016 law that allows relatives of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi kingdom for their deaths. http://tinyurl.com/y8g7s3yx

á       EcoWatch reported that taxpayers are charged $7 billion a year to subsidize fossil fuels on public land. http://tinyurl.com/ybpel4nt

á       Trump called for a full investigation by U.S. agencies that could end with prosecutions regarding leaks of sensitive Manchester bombing information. http://tinyurl.com/y9rykyne

á       The Washington Post reported that the secret Russian document claiming Hilary Clinton intentionally revealed classified information through her use of a private email server was unreliable and possibly fake. http://tinyurl.com/ycbltxca

á       Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte allegedly ÒbodyslammedÓ Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs and was charged with misdemeanor assault. http://tinyurl.com/yae3dx2l

á       The Senate passed the Digital Coast Act that requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA to establish a constituent-driven Digital Coast program. The program must: (1) provide an online resource that integrates geospatial data, decision-support tools, training, and best practices to address coastal management issues and needs, and to enhance resilient communities, ecosystem values, and coastal economic growth and development; and (2) provide for the documentation, dissemination, and archiving of the data. http://tinyurl.com/ya8eojc8

á       The Senate passed the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 that provides greater whistleblower protections for Federal employees, increased awareness of Federal whistleblower protections, and increased accountability and required discipline for Federal supervisors who retaliate against whistleblowers. http://tinyurl.com/yap5qncq

Friday, May 26

á       Jared Kushner, TrumpÕs son-in-law and White House adviser, held meetings in December with Russian officials, which are now part of the probe into Russia influence in the election. http://tinyurl.com/y83kpuva

á       The New York Times revealed that American spies collected information last summer that senior Russian intelligence discussed how to exert influence over Trump through his advisers. http://tinyurl.com/yd86j9tb

á       TrumpÕs revised travel ban executive order suffered another legal defeat when an appeals court refused to overturn a lower court ruling. http://tinyurl.com/y8djybya

á       Energy Transfer Partners, the oil company behind the Dakota Access pipeline, faced fines and scrutiny from regulators over a series of leaks, including a major spill now believed to be significantly bigger than initially reported. http://tinyurl.com/yctthruf

á       Healy Baumgardner-Nardone, former Trump campaign aide, was hired to lobby for a foreign client, the government of Malaysia. http://tinyurl.com/ybhpo9y8

á       During a meeting with European Union officials in Brussels, Trump allegedly said, ÒThe Germans are bad, very bad. See the millions of cars they are selling in the U.S.? Terrible. We will stop this.Ó http://tinyurl.com/ybu9284v

á       TrumpÕs economic adviser Gary Cohn suggested to reporters aboard Air Force One that Trump might be open to lifting NATO sanctions on Russia. http://tinyurl.com/ycldk7mw

á       International Business Times reported that the Trump administrationÕs infrastructure plan involves privatizing AmericaÕs assets and selling them to Goldman Sachs. http://tinyurl.com/yajljc68

á       The U.S. Army lost track of weapons worth $1 billion sent to Iraq and Kuwait. http://tinyurl.com/y6w6egxl

á       A pending bill, Restoring Internet Freedom Act, would gut net neutrality and allow ISPs to block, throttle, and favor websites and apps in exchange for money. http://tinyurl.com/ycgvgg22

Saturday, May 27

á       The Washington Post reported that Jared Kushner attempted to persuade the Russian Ambassador to set up a secure, secret channel through which communications could be established with officials in Moscow — expressly to circumvent oversight by U.S. intelligence. http://tinyurl.com/yavra692

á       Reuters reported that Jared Kushner had at least three previously undisclosed contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States during and after the 2016 presidential campaign. http://tinyurl.com/y7x547v9

á       Yahoo News reported that a group of 22 Republican senators signed a letter urging  Trump to make a Òclean breakÓ from the Paris Agreement on climate change. http://tinyurl.com/y9o2xjqf

á       Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said he "would not be concerned" with KushnerÕs attempt to have a secret  back-channel communications system with Russia. http://tinyurl.com/y77repwf

á       The State Department lifted restrictions on refugee entry to the U.S. despite Trump administration efforts to limit admissions. http://tinyurl.com/ycuflrmx

á       A U.S. airstrike in Syria killed 106 civilians fleeing ISIS. http://tinyurl.com/y7blmwek

Sunday, May 28

á       Allies expressed anger as Trump refused to affirm the U.S. commitment to implement the Paris climate accords — an action that would open the US to punitive tariffs, possible lawsuits, boycotts, and make it impossible for the world to keep global warming to 3.6 degrees F. http://tinyurl.com/yar4yrqx

á       Former intelligence officials described Jared Kushner's reported attempt to set up a backchannel line of communication with Russia to bypass the U.S.Õ intelligence apparatus as Òoff the map,Ó Òexplosive,Ó and Òextremely dangerous.Ó http://tinyurl.com/yasqe287

á       Reuters reported that the U.S. might ban laptops from aircraft cabins on all flights into and out of the country. http://tinyurl.com/y9pzylto