Monday, Aug. 27
á
The United States and Mexico reached a two-way
trade deal Monday, moving President Donald Trump one step closer to revamping
the North American Free Trade Agreement. The deal would have to be ratified by
congress to become effective. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/27/us-mexico-trade-deal-nafta-trump-administration-797464?nname=playbook-pm&nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&nrid=00000158-890d-dfd4-ad7b-c96fadf30001&nlid=964328
á
Trump threatened tariffs against Canada if
upcoming negotiations fail to yield either a separate deal or CanadaÕs entrance
into the deal announced with Mexico.
á Trump
ordered the American flag to be flown at half-staff this week in honor of Sen.
John McCain after intense bi-partisan criticism. The announcement came after
the flag on the White House was raised to full-staff earlier in the day, less
than 48 hours after McCainÕs death. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/flags-at-white-house-return-to-full-staff-after-brief-tribute-to-mccain/2018/08/27/14f5a9b2-a9ec-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?utm_term=.f696670445b7&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
á McCain
family representative Rick Davis said Monday that Trump will not attend the
funeral or memorial services in Washington for McCain and that Vice President
Pence will serve as the administration designee at a ceremony Friday at the
U.S. Capitol Rotunda. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/president-trump-will-not-attend-john-mccains-funeral-family-spokesman-says/2018/08/27/ac778dd8-aa1d-11e8-8a0c-70b618c98d3c_story.html?utm_term=.12e1ee94dc54
Tuesday, Aug. 28
á White House
economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the administration is Òtaking a lookÓ at
imposing regulations on Google following Trump's tweet accusing the search
engine of favoring news outlets critical of him in search results. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/28/larry-kudlow-google-regulations-conservative-outlets-798995?nname=playbook-pm&nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&nrid=00000158-890d-dfd4-ad7b-c96fadf30001&nlid=964328
á The Washington
Post reported that cancellation of Secretary of State Mike PompeoÕs trip to North Korea
came after North Korean official Kim Yong Chol sent a secret letter to Pompeo
that convinced both him and Trump the visit was not likely to succeed. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2018/08/27/why-trump-cancelled-pompeos-trip-to-north-korea/?utm_term=.44df79f46bed
á A
report from George Washington University was released saying Hurricane Maria
led to a spike in mortality in Puerto Rico, with an estimated 2,975 excess
deaths in the six months after the storm. The government of Puerto Rico
embraced the estimate as the official death toll, up from 64. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/study-hurricane-maria-and-its-aftermath-caused-a-spike-in-puerto-rico-deaths-with-nearly-3000-more-than-normal/2018/08/28/57d6d2d6-aa43-11e8-b1da-ff7faa680710_story.html?utm_term=.0daacd79094d
Wednesday,
Aug. 29
á Trump
announced via Twitter that White House Counsel Don McGahn will leave his
position this fall. https://www.axios.com/don-mcgahn-white-house-counsel-departure-emmet-flood-b4aeedcd-ac15-4502-995a-1e972ffa530e.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twsocialshare&utm_campaign=organic
á The
FBI pushed back on an unfounded claim in an earlier Trump tweet that Hillary
ClintonÕs emails were hacked by China, saying it had found no evidence that the
private servers she used while secretary of state had been compromised. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-without-citing-evidence-says-china-hacked-hillary-clintons-emails/2018/08/29/cdbd6c60-ab71-11e8-8a0c-70b618c98d3c_story.html?utm_term=.0d205a54f5f1&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
á In a boon to newspapers, the International Trade Commission reversed the White HouseÕs tariff on newsprint. The ITC said that U.S. makers of newsprint are not harmed by imports from Canada. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/business/trump-tariffs-newsprint.html?emc=edit_ne_20180829&nl=evening-briefing&nlid=7599979120180829&te=1
Thursday,
Aug. 30
á Trump
cancelled pay raises due to federal civilian workers in January because of
budget constraints, constraints believed to be caused by the tax cuts and
resulting deficit passed earlier this year. https://www.forbes.com/sites/francescoppola/2018/08/31/american-public-sector-workers-will-pay-for-trumps-tax-cuts/
- 3a9fa5ee4673
á The
Justice Department made a court filing in a student lawsuit asserting that
ÒHarvardÕs race-based admissions process significantly disadvantages
Asian-American applicants compared to applicants of other racial groups.Ó https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/30/justice-department-sides-with-students-suing-harvard-over-use-of-race-in-admissions-804156?nname=playbook-pm&nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&nrid=00000158-890d-dfd4-ad7b-c96fadf30001&nlid=964328
á More
than a thousand Puerto Rican families who fled Hurricane Maria will get two
more weeks of U.S.-funded housing in hotels and motels across the country but
will then need to fend for themselves, ruled U.S. District Judge Timothy
Hillman. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/30/justice-department-sides-with-students-suing-harvard-over-use-of-race-in-admissions-804156?nname=playbook-pm&nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&nrid=00000158-890d-dfd4-ad7b-c96fadf30001&nlid=964328
Friday,
Aug. 31
á Trade
negotiations between Canada and the U.S. were upended after inflammatory
off-the-record remarks by Trump to Bloomberg were obtained by the Toronto Star.
Trump said he is not making any compromises at all with Canada — and that
he could not say this publicly because ÒitÕs going to be so insulting theyÕre
not going to be able to make a deal.Ó https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/08/31/bombshell-leak-to-toronto-star-upends-nafta-talks-in-secret-so-insulting-remarks-trump-says-he-isnt-compromising-at-all-with-canada.html
á A
new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows disapproval of Trump at 60 percent. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-60-percent-disapprove-of-trump-while-clear-majorities-back-mueller-and-sessions/2018/08/30/4cd32174-ac7c-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?utm_term=.d97a9d8c1338
á W.
Sam Patten pleaded guilty to failing to register as a foreign lobbyist and told
prosecutors he arranged for a straw donor to give $50,000 to TrumpÕs
inauguration in place of a Ukrainian businessman who was legally barred from
contributing to the event. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/washington-consultant-for-ukraine-party-set-to-plead-guilty-to-violating-lobbyist-disclosure-law/2018/08/31/172cf2c8-ad23-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?utm_term=.99d7fe8152a8&wpisrc=al_news__alert-po
á Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos announced that she will not stand in the way of states
that want to use federal grants to purchase guns for schools, saying that is a
decision for local officials to make. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/31/devos-schools-guns-federal-grants-806103?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=00000158-890d-dfd4-ad7b-c96fadf30001&nlid=630318
á In a filing made
shortly before midnight, Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George
Papadopoulos, the first suspect charged in special counsel Robert MuellerÕs
Trump-Russia probe, asked the court to allow him to avoid prison time for lying
to federal investigators. The prosecution has recommended a six-month prison
term. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/01/papadopoulos-mueller-russia-probe-prison-lawyers-plea-806110?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=00000158-890d-dfd4-ad7b-c96fadf30001&nlid=630318
Saturday,
Sept. 1
á McCainÕs
funeral was held in WashingtonÕs National Cathedral, with eulogies from former
presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/mccain-to-be-eulogized-at-memorial-service-by-two-former-presidents/2018/08/31/1c180bb8-ad5c-11e8-b1da-ff7faa680710_story.html?utm_term=.684c84b6eaa0&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
á Reuters
reported that the Pentagon has decided to cancel $300 million in
aid to Pakistan that had been suspended over IslamabadÕs perceived failure to
take decisive action against militants. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-pakistan-military-exclusive/exclusive-pentagon-cancels-aid-to-pakistan-over-record-on-militants-idUSKCN1LH3TA
Sunday,
Sept. 2
á McCain
was buried at the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland.