Government in action
Monday, July 9
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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