Monday, Aug. 20

á           The Microsoft corporation said Russian hackers, who attacked the Democratic National Committee in 2016, now appear to be focusing on the U.S. Senate as well as conservative think tanks that do not fully support President Donald TrumpÕs policies. The company took down a number of websites to thwart the hackers. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-hackers/russian-hacking-of-conservative-groups-sites-thwarted-microsoft-idUSKCN1L60I0

á           Trump said he was Ònot thrilledÓ with the Federal Reserve under his own appointee, Chairman Jerome Powell, for raising interest rates and said the U.S. central bank should do more to help him to boost the economy. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-fed-exclusive/exclusive-trump-says-not-thrilled-with-feds-powell-for-raising-rates-idUSKCN1L5207

Tuesday, Aug. 21

á           Facebook removed 652 accounts and pages linked to Iran after discovering they were targeting U.S. electoral politics less than three months before the midterm elections. Facebook was alerted to the accounts by FireEye, a cybersecurity firm. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-pages-removed-today-linked-to-russia-iran-2018-08-21/

á           TrumpÕs former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty in court to multiple felonies, including making fraudulent claims to obtain funds to pay hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels a Òin coordination and at the directionÓ of then candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/nyregion/michael-cohen-plea-deal-trump.html

á           Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was convicted of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and one count of failure to disclose a foreign bank account. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/us/politics/paul-manafort-trial-verdict.html

á           The EPA released the Trump administration coal emission rules that relax those put in place by the Obama administration. The new rules are expected to result in 1,400 premature deaths per year. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/climate/epa-coal-pollution-deaths.html

Wednesday, Aug. 22:

á           Trump told Fox News he knew about hush money payments his lawyer made to porn star Stormy Daniels before they became public, contradicting his earlier denial of any knowledge of the matter. He said, ÒDid they [the payments] come out of the campaign? They didnÕt come out of the campaign, they came from me.Ó http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/22/trump-insists-learned-michael-cohen-payments-later-on-in-fox-friends-exclusive.html

á           The New York Times reported that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is considering a plan for the federal government to arm local schools. It would be the first time Washington has provided funds for weapons not approved by Congress. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/22/us/politics/betsy-devos-guns.html

á           The Democratic National Committee said that what it had earlier feared was the beginning of a sophisticated attempt to hack into its voter database and reported to the FBI, was, in fact, an unauthorized Òsimulated phishing test.Ó https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/23/politics/dnc-hack-false-alarm/index.html

Thursday, Aug. 23

á           The South African government said TrumpÕs tweet of the day before, asking Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Òto closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmersÓ was Òbased on false information.Ó TrumpÕs tweet appeared to be in response to a Fox News report alleging the government of South Africa was Òseizing land from white farmers.Ó https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/23/africa/trump-south-africa-intl/index.html

á           David Pecker, publisher of the National Enquirer and a close friend of Trump, was granted immunity in the Michael Cohen case in exchange for information about hush money deals with playboy models and porn stars. https://www.wsj.com/articles/pecker-granted-immunity-in-cohen-case-1535041976

á           Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who was indicted with his wife for allegedly using more than $250,000 in campaign funds to enrich their family,  told Speaker Paul Ryan that he will step down from his committee assignments after initially declining to do so. Duncan pled not guilty to the charges. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/23/duncan-hunter-indicted-house-committees-794859

Friday, Aug. 24

á           The Wall Street Journal reported that federal prosecutors in Manhattan made a deal with Allen Weisselberg, the longtime chief financial officer of TrumpÕs business empire, to provide information on Michael CohenÕs illegal activities and testify before the grand jury in exchange for immunity from prosecution. https://www.wsj.com/articles/allen-weisselberg-longtime-trump-organization-cfo-is-granted-immunity-by-federal-prosecutors-in-michael-cohen-investigation-1535121992

á           Sen. John McCain reported that he is discontinuing cancer treatment. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in July 2017. https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/sen-john-mccain-battling-brain-cancer-is-discontinuing-medical-treatment/2018/08/24/bfd2ca3e-a7af-11e8-97ce-cc9042272f07_story.html?utm_term=.2e9723195c6f

á           Trump cancelled a planned trip to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, citing lack of progress in negotiations for denuclearizing that country. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-calls-off-pompeos-north-korea-visit-citing-a-lack-of-progress-on-denuclearization/2018/08/24/5349733a-8915-45ee-b075-ae840d9d272b_story.html?utm_term=.73c99478529b

á           Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who left in January 2017, was arrested in New York after he was accused of groping a woman last year. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/08/24/former-cdc-chief-tom-frieden-arrested-in-new-york-accused-of-groping/?utm_term=.24e7e2ac367f&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

Saturday, Aug. 25

á           Sen. John McCain, Vietnam war hero, long-serving senator from Arizona, and two-time presidential candidate, died in his home in Arizona. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/john-mccain-maverick-of-the-senate-and-former-pow-dies-at-81/2018/08/25/d9219b7e-a7b8-11e8-97ce-cc9042272f07_story.html?utm_term=.f51e7b83bdda

á           Democratic Party officials voted Saturday to strip superdelegates of much of their power in the presidential nominating process. Under the new rule, superdelegates will not be able to vote on the first ballot at a contested national convention. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/25/superdelegates-democrats-presidential-nominee-796151?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=00000158-890d-dfd4-ad7b-c96fadf30001&nlid=630318

Sunday, Aug 26

á           As leaders of both political parties and foreign dignitaries publicly mourned John McCain on Sunday, Trump conspicuously avoided a national moment of tribute for the senator who was an outspoken critic of his presidency. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/26/us/politics/trump-mccain-funeral.html