Monday, Aug. 13
á
FBI agent Peter
Strzok was fired over anti-Trump text messages even though the director of the FBI
office that normally handles employee discipline had decided Strzok should face only a demotion and 60-day suspension. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-agent-peter-strzok-fired-over-anti-trump-texts/2018/08/13/be98f84c-8e8b-11e8-b769-e3fff17f0689_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.405a7190f729
á
Judge Dabny Freidrich, who was
appointed by President Donald Trump, ruled Monday that special counsel Robert
Mueller's probe is constitutional and legitimate. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/13/mueller-legitimate-court-ruling-774888?nname=playbook-pm&nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&nrid=00000158-890d-dfd4-ad7b-c96fadf30001&nlid=964328
á
Zeid RaÕad
al-Hussein, a Jordanian prince and diplomat, is stepping down this month as UN
high commissioner for human rights said Donald TrumpÕs anti-press rhetoric is Òvery
close to incitement to violence.Ó https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/13/united-nations-human-rights-nearly-impossible-to-defend-zeid-raad-al-hussein
á
McClatchy reported that political spending at Trump
properties is $3.5 million since January 2017, up from $35K in 2014. https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article216249755.html.
Tuesday, Aug. 14
á
The defense
rested in the trial of ex-Trump campaign manager Paul ManafortÕs
trial on 18 bank and tax fraud charges. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2018/08/14/paul-manafort-trial-day-11-live-coverage/?utm_term=.8106489d4dfd
á
Voice of America reported that after four years of
bombings, the elimination of key ISIS leaders, and other U.S. and coalition
backed efforts, there are still anywhere from 28,600 to 31,600 ISIS fighters in
Iraq and Syria, according to information from the Defense Department. https://www.voanews.com/a/far-from-dead-tens-of-thousands-of-is-fighters-linger-in-iraq-syria/4527452.html
á
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee
Sanders apologized late Tuesday for wrongly stating that President Trump has
created three times as many jobs for black workers as President Barack Obama
did. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/08/15/white-house-economists-apologize-after-huckabee-sanders-false-statement-about-black-employment-under-trump/?utm_term=.997efd76dd34
Wednesday, Aug. 15
á
Turkey raised
tariffs on a number of U.S. products, including rice, vehicles, alcohol, coal and cosmetics, in
response to U.S. sanctions. https://www.wsj.com/articles/turkey-to-raise-tariffs-on-a-number-of-u-s-products-1534307758
á
Trump revoked
the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, who has been a
leading critic of the president. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-revokes-security-clearance-of-former-cia-director-john-brennan/2018/08/15/043b6fc4-a0bb-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html?utm_term=.1b1b9287a033
Thursday, Aug.
16
á
The Pentagon
announced that TrumpÕs military parade, originally set for November 10, is cancelled when
cost estimates came in at $92 million, $80 million more than the original
estimate. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/17/pentagon-says-its-postponing-trumps-military-parade.html
á
In an op-ed in
the New York Times, Brennan said Trump was trying to silence those who challenge
him, and that the presidentÕs assertions that there was no collusion between
his campaign and Russia were Òhogwash.Ó https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/opinion/john-brennan-trump-russia-collusion-security-clearance.html?emc=edit_nn_20180816&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=8162136620180816&te=1
Friday, Aug. 17
á
the administration notified Congress on Friday that
it would not spend some $200 million that had been planned for Syria programs
and would instead shift that money to other areas. https://apnews.com/31eaa3ca51ed480f90ef6363156b710e?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter
á
The Washington Post reported that The White House has drafted
documents revoking the security clearances of current and former officials whom
Trump has demanded be punished for criticizing him or for participating in the
investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-intelligence-officials-rebuke-trump-for-pulling-brennans-security-clearance/2018/08/17/ea8382f2-a20d-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html?utm_term=.fce78ef36a63&wpisrc=al_politics__alert-politics&wpmk=1
á
The Washington Post reported that the Justice Department
is investigating whether longtime Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy sought to sell his influence with the Trump administration
by offering to deliver U.S. government actions for foreign officials in
exchange for tens of millions of dollars. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-fundraiser-broidy-under-investigation-for-alleged-effort-to-sell-government-influence-people-familiar-with-probe-say/2018/08/17/c9e55792-a185-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html?utm_term=.ed862b357b62&wpisrc=al_news__alert-politics--alert-national&wpmk=1
Saturday, Aug. 18
á
The New York
Times reported that White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn
II, has cooperated extensively in Robert MuellerÕs special counsel
investigation, sharing detailed accounts about the episodes at the heart of the
inquiry into whether President Trump obstructed justice. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/us/politics/don-mcgahn-mueller-investigation.html
á
In a tweet, Trump pointed at China, without offering any
evidence, as having possibly interfered in the 2016 election: ÒAll of the fools that
are so focused on looking only at Russia should start also looking in another
direction, China.Ó https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/after-detente-with-north-korea-trump-increasingly-takes-aim-at-a-new-foe--china/2018/08/18/077ca942-a2ef-11e8-83d2-70203b8d7b44_story.html?utm_term=.e4e09cb574d2
Sunday, Aug. 19
á
John Brennan
said on NBSÕs Meet the Press said he is considering
legal action to prevent Trump from stripping security clearances from others: ÒIf my clearances and my reputation
as I'm being pulled through the mud now, if that's the price we're going to pay to prevent
Donald Trump from doing this against other people, to me it's a small price to
pay. So I am going to do whatever I can personally to try to prevent these
abuses in the future. And if it means going to court, I will do that.Ó
á
TrumpÕs attorney Rudy Giuliani said on Meet the Press, on the topic of
potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia,
that "Truth isn't truth."