Monday, Feb. 5

· The House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously to make public a classified Democratic memorandum rebutting Republican claims that the F.B.I. and the Justice Department abused their powers to wiretap a former Trump campaign official. The vote gives President Trump five days to decide whether to approve the release. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/us/politics/democratic-memo-adam-schiff-trump.html?emc=edit_ne_20180205&nl=evening-briefing&nlid=75999791&te=1

· The Supreme Court denied the request of Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania to put off redrawing the state’s congressional map until after the 2018 midterm elections. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in January that the state’s congressional map was gerrymandered to give Republicans a political advantage. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/supreme-court-pennsylvania-gerrymandering_us_5a74bf28e4b06ee97af274d4?3x9

Tuesday, Feb. 6

· The House approved a stopgap spending bill that would increase military spending through September while keeping funds flowing to the rest of the government for six weeks. The House measure is considered unlikely to pass the Senate, where Democrats insist that an increase in military funds be matched with additional domestic spending. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/us/politics/government-shutdown-trump-immigration.html?emc=edit_ne_20180206&nl=evening-briefing&nlid=75999791&te=1

· The Pentagon is making plans for a large-scale military parade in Washington at Trump’s direction, although a White House official described the current plans as “brainstorming.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-marching-orders-to-the-pentagon-plan-a-grand-military-parade/2018/02/06/9e19ca88-0b55-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html?utm_term=.901beddde41d&wpisrc=al_news__alert-politics--alert-national&wpmk=1

· Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin brushed off recent stock market volatility and said the Trump administration can still claim credit for the fact that the market is up over 30 percent since the election. http://politi.co/2BeH8r9

Wednesday, Feb. 7

· Senate leaders reached bi-partisan agreement on a budget that would add hundreds of billions of dollars to military and domestic programs over a two-year period and raise the federal debt limit and spending caps imposed in 2011. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/us/politics/budget-deal-trump.html?emc=edit_ne_20180207&nl=evening-briefing&nlid=75999791&te=1

· House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi — intent on protesting Congress’s decision not to address the condition of young, undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers — conducted what amounted to a one-woman “filibuster,” in the House, speaking for eight hours and seven minutes, and setting a record for the longest continuous speech on the floor of the House, at least back to 1909. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/us/politics/pelosi-dreamers-budget-deal.html?emc=edit_ne_20180207&nl=evening-briefing&nlid=75999791&te=1

Thursday, Feb. 8

· White House officials said they regretted the way they handled accusations against Rob Porter, the staff secretary who resigned Wednesday. Two former wives accused him of abusing them. Porter unexpectedly left the White House one day after chief of staff John Kelly and other senior officials issued statements in his defense. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/us/politics/rob-porter-abuse-white-house.html?emc=edit_ne_20180208&nl=evening-briefing&nlid=75999791&te=1

· Federal agencies were urged by budget spokesperson John Czwartacki to prepare for a government shutdown that began at midnight. It was the second shutdown in three weeks. https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-leaders-scramble-to-win-support-for-budget-deal-ahead-of-midnight-deadline/2018/02/08/4812e996-0cd9-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html?utm_term=.e7199dd2d091&wpisrc=al_news__alert-politics--alert-national&wpm

Friday, Feb. 9

· Trump signed into law a budget deal that will increase spending by hundreds of billions of dollars, permitting the federal government to continue after a brief shutdown. The bill had passed the Senate on Thursday and the House earlier Friday, both on bi-partisan votes. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/us/politics/congress-budget-deal-vote.html?emc=edit_ne_20180209&nl=evening-briefing&nlid=75999791&te=1

· John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, said he was willing to step down over his mishandling of accusations of spousal abuse against Rob Porter, the staff secretary who resigned earlier in the week over the accusations, according to two officials aware of the discussions. https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/02/09/here-are-democrats-36-senators-and-73-house-who-voted-just-against-dreamers

· David Sorensen, a White House speechwriter, resigned after his former wife alleged he was violent and emotionally abusive. He was the second White House staffer to resign this week over such allegations. http://wapo.st/2H5XS4m

· Trump said he will not immediately agree to release a Democratic memo rebutting Republican allegations about the FBI’s FISA warrant on Carter Page, but directed the Justice Department to work with House lawmakers to redact certain classified portions, a step he did not take with the earlier Devin Nunes memo. https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/gop-mulling-ban-on-the-use-of-politically-funded-information-in-surveillance-requests/2018/02/09/6830ad5c-0dcf-11e8-95a5-c396801049ef_story.html?utm_term=.4cc6c12076da&wpisrc=al_news__alert-politics--alert-nationa

Saturday, Feb. 10

· In an early-morning tweet, Trump wrote about domestic abuse allegations: “Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused — life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-decries-lack-of-due-process-for-men-accused-of-sexual-harassment-abuse/2018/02/10/fb6f7e08-0e89-11e8-95a5-c396801049ef_story.html?undefined=&utm_term=.bd4bf56fd37b&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

· Heath Hall, a top official charged with overseeing the safety of the nation’s railroads, resigned “effective immediately,” the Department of Transportation said after questions were raised about whether he was simultaneously working as a public relations consultant in Mississippi. The Federal Railroad Administration hasn’t had a permanent leader for more than a year, all while it investigates a string of fatal train crashes. http://politi.co/2BmvlqV

Sunday, Feb. 11

· The Trump administration defended the handling of domestic abuse allegations against former staffer Rob Porter, and mounted a defense of Chief Of Staff John Kelly. Trump is reported to have been upset by the way in which Kelly handled the Porter affair and has even suggested that he might replace Kelly. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/373339-trump-officials-do-damage-control-after-staff-turmoil?userid=280231