Monday, April 10

á       Neil Gorsuch was sworn in as 113th Supreme Court justice.

á       The BLM changed the banner image on its website from a vast mountain range to a massive coal seam in Wyoming — supporting President Donald TrumpÕs campaign to bring coal jobs back to the U.S.

á       Trump proposed a tax reform that involves eliminating payroll FICA contributions to fund Social Security calling this Orwellian plan to defund Social Security a middle-class tax cut.

Tuesday, April 11

á       Education Secretary Betsy DeVos reversed Obama administration directives that were supposed to make it easier for student borrowers to pay back their loans.

á       A coalition of advocacy groups filed a Freedom of Information Act request to compel the release of TrumpÕs visitor logs because, unlike the Obama administration, Trump wonÕt disclose them.

á       House bill HR1584 introduced to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to prohibit the taking, importation, and exportation of Orcas and Orca products for public display.

Wednesday, April 12

á       Putin met with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after U.S. officials suggested Russia could have had advance knowledge of the Syrian chemical attack — an assertion Moscow has denied.

á       TillersonÕs meeting with Putin failed to ease deepening tensions over Syria and WashingtonÕs demands that Moscow abandon Syria, its main Middle East ally.

á       A trend towards more wars continued as the Trump administration expanded war zones in Yemen, Somalia, and Syria, sent a strike force toward North Korea, and increased drone strikes.

á       Civilian deaths spiked in Syria and Iraq as the U.S. launched bombing raids.

á       The EPA announced plans to repeal and replace the Clean Water Rule.

á       Reflecting the declining influence of chief strategist Steve Bannon and the growing power of former Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn, Trump broke with several positions he espoused on the campaign trail; he contradicted his past comments disapproving support for NATO, calling China a Òcurrency manipulator,Ó criticizing the work of Federal Reserve Board chair Janet Yellen, and disapproving low interest rates. He recanted his call for closing the Export-Import Bank, his plan to get rid of the national debt, his ban on officials becoming lobbyists after they leave the government, and his belief that the military is a disaster.

Thursday, April 13

á       TrumpÕs former campaign chairman Paul Manafort announced plans to register as a foreign agent for lobbying work he did on behalf of a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.

á       The Trump administration considered ways to speed up the hiring of hundreds of new Customs and Border Patrol officers.

á       Trump said he has ÒconfidenceÓ in FBI Director Comey, but it is Ònot too lateÓ to fire him.

á       The military dropped the most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat. Trump praised the decision to drop the massive bomb as an example of the Òtotal authorizationÓ he has given his military commanders.

á       Trump privately signed a bill that allows states to withhold Medicaid reimbursements from organizations that provide abortion services, including Planned Parenthood.

á       Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, asked GOP legislators to support a controversial anti-immigration provision that would to restrict federal funding grants for localities that refuse to assist immigration officials.

Friday, April 14

á       A federal judge ruled that Dakota Access Pipeline builder, Energy Transfer Partners, can keep some information about spill risks secret.

á       Tourism Economics in Wayne, Pennsylvania, said loss of tourism because of TrumpÕs travel ban is expected to cost $7.4 billion.

á       North Korea warned it was prepared to take the ÒtoughestÓ action unless the U.S. ends its Òmilitary hysteria.Ó

Saturday, April 15

á       North Korea launched a land-based version of its medium-range, submarine-launched, ballistic missile.

á       The Guardian reported that the Border Patrol is losing agents faster than it can replace them, delaying TrumpÕs plan to ramp up the force.

Sunday, April 16

á       Federal environmental officials scrambled to protect Lake Michigan from a chromium spill while the Trump administration pushed a budget to scuttle efforts to crack down on the pollutant nationwide.

á       Trump said Òsomeone should look into who paidÓ for April 15 protest rallies around the country urging him to release his tax returns.

á       TrumpÕs lawyers responded to lawsuits against Trump for inciting violence at his campaign rallies, saying Trump is immune from suit because he is President of the U.S. A federal judge already rejected one attempt to have the lawsuit dismissed earlier this month.

á       TrumpÕs national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said the U.S. is exploring Òa range of optionsÓ to respond to an increasingly provocative North Korea.

á       A single-payer healthcare bill is reported to have record support in Congress with 93 co-signers.

á       It appeared new Justice GorsuchÕs judicial record might tip the court toward siding with a church challenging MissouriÕs ban on state funding of religious entities, a closely watched case testing the limits of religious rights.