Monday, Nov. 27
á White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, President Donald TrumpÕs choice to temporarily lead the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, competed with CFPB Deputy Director Leandra English, former Director Richard Cordray's hand-picked replacement, as both showed up for work. Mulvaney told staff to ÒPlease disregard any instructions you receive from Ms. English in her presumed capacity as Acting Director.Ó http://reut.rs/2zsNeke
á President Trump
transformed a White House ceremony to honor Navajo code talkers from World War
II into a racially charged controversy by deriding Senator Elizabeth Warren
with his favorite nickname for her, ÒPocahontas.Ó
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/27/politics/trump-pocahontas-navajo-code-talkers/index.html
á A political
activist believed to have been working for Project Veritas told a false story
of sexual assault by Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in an attempt to
undermine the paper. The Post did not publish an article based
on her unsubstantiated account and
instead exposed the scam. http://wapo.st/2ADohXB
Tuesday, Nov. 28
á
The Associated Press reported that the U.S.
awarded $30 million in contracts for Puerto Rico storm victims to an unproven
Florida company, Bronze Star LLC, that failed to supply aid. FEMA eventually
terminated the contracts, without paying any money, and re-started the bidding
process. http://bit.ly/2AfiKWo
á Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer pulled out of scheduled meeting
with Trump after he tweeted Ò[T]hey want illegal immigrants flooding into our
Country unchecked, are weak on Crime and want to substantially RAISE Taxes. I
don't see a deal!Ó
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/28/schumer-pelosi-cancel-meeting-with-trump-262853
Wednesday, Nov. 29
á North Korea said
it successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of
reaching any part of the U.S. mainland.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/north-korea-fires-missile-for-the-first-time-in-more-than-two-months/2017/11/28/0c136952-d46c-11e7-9461-ba77d604373d_story.html?utm_term=.f7436db239b8&wpisrc=al_news__alert-world--alert-national&wpmk=1
á Politico reported that Trump may use the weight of his office to help
elect scandal-tarred Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore. The White House is
considering flooding the state with robo-calls, emails, and text messages Moore
is confronting allegations that he sexually pursued teenage girls while in his
30s. http://politi.co/2AfhLoI
á Garrison Keillor
said heÕs been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of
inappropriate behavior. Minnesota Public Radio confirmed Keillor fired, saying
a single Ôinappropriate behaviorÕ allegation had been received. http://bit.ly/2BvAZ7I
á NBC fired Matt
Lauer, the longtime host of the ÒTodayÓ show, due to allegations of conduct
that the network labeled Òinappropriate sexual behavior.Ó http://politi.co/2k9oURy
á Trump shared
videos from the far right group Britain First, supposedly portraying Muslims
committing acts of violence on Twitter. Trump retweeted the video posts from an
ultranationalist British party leader, Jayda Fransen, who has previously been
charged in the United Kingdom with Òreligious aggravated harassment,Ó according
to news reports. http://nyti.ms/2k7dRIv
Thursday, Nov. 30
á The United
States warned North KoreaÕs leadership it would be Òutterly destroyedÓ if war
were to break out after Pyongyang test fired its most advanced missile, putting
the U.S. mainland within range, in violation of U.N. Security Council
resolutions. http://reut.rs/2j42ZI7
á House Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi called on Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) to resign,
describing allegations of sexual harassment by multiple former aides as
ÒcredibleÓ and Òdisappointing.Ó Conyers, the longest-serving member of
Congress, faces multiple accusations of mistreating female aides over two
decades, including alleged episodes of verbal abuse, inappropriate touching and
sexual advances.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/conyers-hospitalized-as-accuser-describes-unwanted-sexual-advance-in-chicago-hotel/2017/11/30/55b82820-d5e0-11e7-b62d-d9345ced896d_story.html?utm_term=.d88ae889a70b&wpisrc=al_news__alert-politics--alert-national&wpmk=1
á The Washington
Post reported that the White House has a plan to replace Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, after months of rockiness between
Tillerson and President Trump.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/11/30/white-house-readies-plan-to-replace-tillerson-with-pompeo-install-cotton-at-cia/?undefined=&utm_term=.fd765518a68b&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
á The Joint
Committee on Taxation said the Republican tax measure pending in the Senate
would add over $1 trillion to budget deficits over 10 years.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/28/us/politics/tax-bill-deficits.html?emc=edit_nn_20171201&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=81621366&te=1
á Members of
BritainÕs Parliament from across the political spectrum condemned the
anti-Muslim tweets shared by Trump the day before.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/world/europe/trump-tweets-uk-visit.html?_r=0
á Jose Ines Garcia
Zarate, an undocumented Mexican immigrant, was acquitted by a jury in the 2015
killing of Kathryn Steinle, a San Francisco woman. Cited by Donald Trump during
his campaign, the death of Steinle fed into a debate over whether immigrants
without legal status should be dealt with more aggressively. Zarate had been
deported five times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/us/kate-steinle-murder-trial.html?emc=edit_nn_20171201&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=81621366&te=1
Friday, Dec. 1
á Former national
security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his
contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and said he is cooperating in
the ongoing probe of possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the
Kremlin. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michael-flynn-charged-with-making-false-statement-to-the-fbi/2017/12/01/e03a6c48-d6a2-11e7-9461-ba77d604373d_story.html?undefined=&utm_term=.5ff1f58f503d&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
á Rep. Blake
Farenthold used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim brought by his
former spokesman — the only known sitting member of Congress to have used
a little-known congressional account to pay an accuser. http://bit.ly/2kePl8C
á Plans for Donald TrumpÕs Òworking visitÓ to the U.K. were dropped as
tensions with Theresa May grew over the presidentÕs anti-Muslim tweets. http://bit.ly/2zF0ja0
Saturday, Dec. 2
á In the wee hours,
the Senate passed a Republican bill overhauling the tax code. The $1.5 trillion
tax cut bestows extensive benefits on corporate America and the wealthy while
delivering mixed blessings to everybody else. The bill passed by a 51-49 vote.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/johnson-to-back-senate-tax-bill-putting-gop-leaders-close-to-securing-passage/2017/12/01/0226ff98-d6a2-11e7-b62d-d9345ced896d_story.html?utm_term=.e72b5a360e22&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
á A new poll shows the Alabama Senate race is neck and neck, with voters
divided over Roy Moore allegations. With less than two weeks to go, support
for Democrat Doug Jones stands at 50 percent vs. MooreÕs 47 percent support
among likely voters. http://wapo.st/2iCcMrO
Sunday, Dec. 3
á President Trump
issued a fresh denial Sunday that he asked then-FBI Director James B. Comey to
halt an investigation into the conduct of his dismissed national security
adviser Michael Flynn. ÒI never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn,Ó Trump
said in a pre-dawn message on Twitter. ÒJust more Fake News covering another
Comey lie!Ó https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/12/03/in-pre-dawn-twitter-message-trump-issues-a-fresh-denial-about-intervening-in-flynn-investigation/?undefined=&utm_term=.57af77638a8e&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
á A Trump lawyer said the President knew in late January that Flynn had
given the FBI the same account he gave to vice president, the account Flynn
acknowledged as a lie in his plea deal on Friday. http://wapo.st/2jf2Odg