Government in action

 

Monday, July 9

á      President Trump announced Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/us/politics/trump-supreme-court-nominee.html?mtrref=www.nytimes.com&gwh=AF2F551EDDA214B99C4EA87B35757AA3&gwt=pay

á      Per President Donald TrumpÕs instructions, federal agencies began to implement harsher practices when addressing unions and employees, including stricter monitoring of time spent by union representatives on union duties and quick firing of Òpoor performers.Ó https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-fight-with-federal-employee-unions-gets-real-on-monday/2018/07/08/55e52e9e-7bba-11e8-aeee-4d04c8ac6158_story.html?utm_term=.5d2c1a5049c7

á      Noel Citron, TrumpÕs personal driver for more than 25 years, has sued for about 3,300 hours of what he claims is unpaid overtime. https://bloom.bg/2L1FpaR

á      Medicare and Medicaid officials scuttled a plan to pay for a breakthrough cancer treatment over concerns both within Health and Human Services and in congress over whether the drugÕs developer, Novartis, got preferential treatment because TrumpÕs long-time lawyer, currently under indictment, did consulting work for the firm. They also expressed concern over how much Novartis influenced the guidelines for payment. https://politi.co/2J7BJCI

Tuesday, July 10

á      In advance of a NATO summit, President Trump tweeted, ÒThe U.S. is spending many times more than any other country in order to protect them. Not fair to the U.S. taxpayer.Ó The President of the EU Council Donald Tusk responded, Òthe US doesnÕt have and wonÕt have a better ally than EU. We spend on defense much more than Russia and as much as China.Ó https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/10/world/europe/trump-donald-tusk-nato.html?action=click&emc=edit_ne_20180710&module=Top+Stories&nl=evening-briefing&nlid=75999791emc=edit_ne_20180710&pgtype=Homepage&te=1

á      President Trump pardoned ranchers Dwight Hammond and Steven Hammond, who were serving a five-year sentence after setting fire to public lands as a protest against government land use policy, a case which inspired a weeks-long armed standoff between the government and anti-government groups at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/10/us/politics/trump-pardon-hammond-oregon.html?emc=edit_ne_20180710&nl=evening-briefing&nlid=7599979120180710&te=1&login=email&auth=login-email

Wednesday, July 11

á      A new report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency says that the agency vastly underestimated the damage that a hurricane could inflict on Puerto Rico, the water and supplies that would be needed in the wake of such a disaster, and the difficulty of delivering supplies to the storm-ravaged territory. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/us/fema-puerto-rico-maria.html?emc=edit_ne_20180712&nl=evening-briefing&nlid=7599979120180712&te=1

á      Following a court order by California courts, an ICE detention facility in Pheonix struggled to reunite children under the age of five with their parents by the July 11 deadline, only managing to meet a fraction of their goal. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/10/us/politics/trump-administration-catch-and-release-migrants.html

á      Politico reported that business leaders and some Republicans pressed Trump to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve a growing trade dispute. https://politi.co/2Je91jM

Thursday: July 12

á      After a tempestuous two-day confrontation with NATO, President Trump agreed to continue U.S. support for the Alliance, claiming that the NATO Allies had agreed to raise their spending on defense, a statement that was quickly rebutted by the NATO Allies. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/world/europe/trump-nato-russia.html

á      Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that talks with China over the current trade war have Òbroken downÓ and that it was up to China to come up with concessions, while the Chinese government has accused the United States of Òacting erratically.Ó https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/us/politics/china-trade-war-mnuchin.html

á      FBI agent Peter Strzok faced a contentious hearing in front of the House Oversight Committee over his personal anti-trump emails and how his views may have affected the ongoing investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. https://politi.co/2NK68dG

Friday: July 13

á      The special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election indicted 12 Russian intelligence agents for breaking into the computer systems of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton presidential campaign in an attempt to damage ClintonÕs presidential bid. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/13/us/politics/mueller-indictment-russian-intelligence-hacking.html

á      Tom Price, who was forced to resign as Health and Human Services Secretary last year following an investigation into his travel expenditures, was told by a federal auditor to pay $341,000 for 20 flights that did not comply with federal guidelines. He has already repaid about $60,000. https://politi.co/2zyJPoz

á      The Associated Press reported that the detaining of immigrant children has become a $1 billion industry annually, a tenfold increase over the past 10 years. Currently almost 12,000 children are housed in nearly 90 facilities in 15 states. https://bit.ly/2zHoNnQ

Saturday, July 14

á      The Trump administration said the Department of Health and Human Services is currently holding 2,551 migrant children ages five through 17 who had been separated from their parents and that the process for reunifying younger children with their parents would be simplified and expedited. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/13/trump-administration-family-separations-reunifications-722196

á      During a CBS interview in Scotland, President Trump referred to the European Union as the biggest Òtrade foeÓ to the United States, a sentiment that EU Council President Donald Tusk rebutted. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/15/world/europe/trump-putin-summit-meeting.html?emc=edit_nn_20180716&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=8162136620180716&te=1

Sunday, July 15

á      Data obtained from a survey within the FBI suggests that agents have less confidence in the ethics and vision of their leadership following the firing of former director James Comey. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/15/us/politics/fbi-confidence-wray-comey-trump-survey.html

á      Trump arrived in Helsinki, Finland in preparation of his widely controversial July 16 summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/trump-arrives-in-helsinki-ahead-of-putin-summit-1277476931556