Month: February 2017

Week Five in Trump… And I’m Exhausted

Posted on February 27, 2017 in Politics, Trump

Here’s last week’s recap of what happened. Just a note that I’m not including many things from Trump’s speeches in the recaps unless they’re really newsworthy. There’s just too much in them to call out. Plus this list isn’t getting any shorter!

  1. Several “Not My President” rallies are held in cities around the country, including one in front of Trump Tower in NYC. I get the sentiment, but the fact of the matter is he actually IS the president.
  2. British parliament debates whether to downgrade Trump’s visit from a state visit.
  3. Trump names Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as national security advisor. This is after Petraeus withdrew and Harwood declined when they learned they couldn’t select their own staff (which appears to be under Steve Bannon’s purview).
  4. In his first week, McMaster separates radical terrorists from Islam, saying that terrorists pervert their religion. This contradicts the current attitude in the administration.
  5. Russia begins to put together a psychological profile of Trump for Putin. Their initial conclusion is that Trump is a risk taker and can be naive.
  6. Russian officials have confirmed that they had contact with Trump aides during the 2016 campaign, while Russia was interfering in the election.
  7. The week before Michael T. Flynn resigned, someone delivered a proposal to him outlining how Trump could lift the Russia sanctions.
  8. Texts are hacked from Paul Manafort’s daughter’s phone that indicate threats of blackmail against Manafort. The alleged sender of the texts denies they came from him.
  9. The White House makes a request to the FBI that the they publicly refute media reports about the Trump team’s communications with Russia. Director Comey rejects the request.
  10. Rep. Darrell Issa (R) calls for an independent investigation into the ties between Trump and Russia. Note that this is a huge surprise to me because Issa is a strict party-line guy.
  11. Worries arise about how data might be manipulated going forward (economic indicators, BLS, trade deficit, and so on) as Trump orders the Council of Economic Advisors to use a 3.5% expected GDP growth and then backfill the numbers to make it work.
  12. Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s original campaign manager, concedes that there was no voter fraud in New Hampshire.
  13. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) originally includes both Steve Bannon and Milo Yiannopoulos (both alleged white nationalists). Protests from conservatives get Yiannopoulos removed from the speaker list after he appears to defend pedophelia.
  14. CPAC attendees wave Russian flags while chanting “USA! USA! USA!” Apparently they were pranked.
  15. Continued threats on Jewish centers cause more evacuations. Finally this week, Trump puts out a statement condemning these attacks and anti-semitism in general after a Jewish cemetery is defiled. Following his condemnation, a second cemetery is defiled.
  16. Trump orders the DHS to work with the Justice Department to build a legal case for the upcoming travel ban. He also wants to expand the definition of terrorist activity.
  17. The administration downplays a DHS intelligence report that determined that the “country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity,” in direct contradiction to the administration’s argument for the travel ban.
  18. DHS memos expand the priority list for criminal undocumented immigrants to include even petty crimes, like minor traffic offenses. It also includes anyone charged or even suspected of a crime. The memos also outline more aggressive methods and ad restrictions to asylum claims.
  19. DACA immigrants are exempt from the deportation expansion, but PiP immigrants (family of military and vets) are not, which means a soldier’s spouse could be deported at any time if they have not completed the process for legal residency. It should be noted, though, that a few DACA immigrants have been detained despite the exemption.
  20. Trump calls the deportations a military operation. Spicer clarifies he meant that it’s carried out with military precision, which we have already seen is not the case as several high profile people have been detained on entering the US (like Muhammad Ali (son of the great one), Mem Fox, Henry Rousso, a Muslim teacher accompanying his class from the UK).
  21. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officials board a cross-country flight and make passengers show their government-issued documents before they can debark.
  22. Churches around the country unite to help protect undocumented immigrants by creating an underground railroad of sorts. School districts also step up efforts to allay fears of students.
  23. The hiring freeze ordered by Trump causes some military child care programs to close because civilian workers commonly provide this service.
  24. A riot breaks out in Sweden two days after Trump incorrectly called out a non-existent terrorist incident in that country. The riot was not blamed on immigrants. Studies have shown that refugees are responsible for about 1% of crime in Sweden and make up about 1.5% of the population.
  25. Bill O’Reilly has Nils Bildt on his show as an expert to support the narrative on Swedish crime and violence due to immigration. Nils is incorrectly billed as a Swedish national security advisor, though he has lived in the US since 1994 and holds no position in Swedish government.
  26. Congress members come home for the week and are met with a slew of angry or protesting constituents. Many refuse to meet with their constituents or hold town hall meetings. Some claim that angry constituents are not constituents at all, but rather paid protesters. Some take the meetings and call on their colleagues to do the same, recognizing all constituents have a voice.
  27. Emails obtained from EPA head Scott Pruitt show he’s been an ally of the fossil fuel industry and his office frequently coordinated with the industry to roll back EPA regulations.
  28. Trump rescinds Obama’s protections for transgender students. Betsy DeVos opposes this, pitting her against Jeff Sessions, who started the push for it. Sessions goes to Trump, who pushes DeVos to sign off on it. She later calls Obama’s protections “overreach.”
  29. Caitlyn Jenner comes out against the transgender decision, calling it a disaster.
  30. House bill 610, starting a school voucher program, is introduced on the heels of research results showing that vouchers do more harm than good to the students who receive them.
  31. While Trump claimed he reduced the cost of 2 military aircraft, the Air Force can’t find the supposed saving of $1 billion.
  32. Bannon pretty much admits that his job, along with those of the cabinet, is to deconstruct our government.
  33. John Boehner says congress won’t repeal Obamacare. And he laughed about it.
  34. Jeff Sessions proposes a crackdown on marijuana, along with private prison expansion. In other words, we need to keep pot illegal to keep private prisons in business. The US has around 22% of the worlds prisoners, roughly half of which are on drug charges.
  35. Trump says we need to beef up our nuclear arsenal, even though we have 6,800 warheads to Russia’s 7000. The next closest is France with 300. Like Carl Sagan said: “The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five.” Trump’s draft budget appears to be requesting a 10% increase in military spending.
  36. Secretary of State Tillerson and and Homeland Security chief Kelly meet with Mexico’s president Nieto to help ease strained relations.
  37. Trump meets with several manufacturing CEOs to discuss a commitment to restoring jobs. However, some CEOs say that there are plenty of openings right now, but there are no skilled workers to fill them (reinforcing the need to support vocational training).
  38. The White House excludes CNN, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Politico and BuzzFeed from a White House press briefing. AP and Time magazine boycott the meeting in solidarity. President Bush defends a free press, saying it’s necessary to our democracy.
  39. Infrastructure spending seems to be pushed back to 2018.
  40. Bills to curb protests are introduced in 18 states, though several have been shelved already.
  41. Support for the ACA is at an all-time high, with 54% approving and 43% disapproving.
  42. The FCC begins rollbacks that affect the Lifeline program, which provides discount phone and internet service for low-income customers. The internet service is the affected part, and some customers have already been cut off from access.
  43. Since Trump’s election, 6 coal plants have announced closures.
  44. Trump bales on the Correspondents Dinner.
  45. Sean Spicer holds a meeting with his staff regarding the leaks coming from the White House… and the meeting gets leaked.
  46. The nominee for secretary of the Navy, Philip Bilden, withdraws his name from consideration due to complicated business interests.
  47. Sean Spicer accuses The New York Times of incorrectly saying he was born in New England. He was born in Rhode Island, which is a state in New England state. (Update: he might’ve been born in Long Island, but won’t confirm.)
  48. U.S. tourism industry reports a decline in international travelers looking to book travel to the U.S. Some websites report that searches for flights from international locations are down anywhere from 6 to 17%.
  49. Trump spends another weekend at Mar-a-Lago.

Week Four in Trump

Posted on February 20, 2017 in Politics, Trump

Here’s the recap for this week. I try to stick just to the facts, but this week… well, it deserves a little commentary.

Congress has used the Congressional Review Act EIGHT times in the past week to role back some of Obama’s most recent policies. As I read through these, it strikes me that while some of these repeals are based on furthering Republican ideals, much more of it is fueled by a desire to erase the Obama presidency, regardless of whether it’s good for America or Americans. Furthering the Republican agenda is expected, but simply trying to erase our first black president is a reckless way to govern.

  1. Missed from last week: The DOJ announces they won’t challenge bills that block transgender students from using restrooms according to the gender they identify with. In other words, no transgender protection.
  2. In one NPR segment, Steven Miller claims that there was excessive voter fraud in New Hampshire and that voters were bussed up from Massachusetts to vote illegally. The head of the Trump campaign in New Hampshire agrees. But the head of the Republican Party in New Hampshire completely refutes everything that they said. This is the kind of bullshit that is tearing trust apart irreparably.
  3. Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hold a joint press conference where Trump defends his travel ban and ICE raids and then brags about his “very, very large” electoral college win. Trudeau reiterates Canada’s policy of openness.
  4. The Senate confirms Steve Mnuchin as Secretary of Treasury.
  5. The Senate unanimously confirms David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
  6. The Senate confirms Mick Mulvaney as Budget Director.
  7. The senate confirms Scott Pruitt, who denies climate change and has sued the EPA, to head the EPA.
  8. Amid controversies over previous employees, spousal abuse accusations, and his previous business record, Andrew Puzder withdraws from the Secretary of Labor nomination. Trump later nominates Alexander Acosta, who on the surface seems to be a better candidate for this.
  9. The White House removes 6 staffers who failed FBI tests. 10 advisory commission members resigned to protest the ACA repeal, the wall with Mexico, and punishing sanctuary cities. Both NSC Director Deare and Carson advisor Singleton were fired: in their cases, for disloyal criticism rather than treason. Total departures last week: 19.
  10. Mike Flynn resigns after leaks from the intelligence community confirm his conversations with Russia and their content, which included lifting sanctions.
  11. Intelligence leaks also claim that Trump’s aides had repeated contact with senior Russian officials during the 2016 campaign, and that Trump knew about Flynn for weeks.
  12. Trump views the Russia problem as an issue with illegal leaks from the White House instead of viewing the actual contact with Russia as the problem. He also blames it on Hillary in a tweet.
  13. Intelligence leaks indicate they are withholding the most sensitive information from the White House because they are convinced that the administration is compromised due to its ties with Russia and don’t want any confidential information getting out to Putin.
  14. Newly confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions refuses to recuse himself from investigations into the administration’s relationship with Russia even though he is pressured to do so due to his campaigning for Trump in 2016.
  15. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, moves to investigate the Russia leaks from the White House rather than investigating any Trump ties to Russia. He also moves to look into the guy who set up the private email server for Clinton.
  16. The version of 5 executive orders posted on whitehouse.gov do not match the officially registered versions.
  17. Russia deploys a cruise missile, violating an arms control treaty. Also, a Russian warship is seen off the east coast, though this is considered normal.
  18. Canadians are worried about Trump’s border policies, so much so that some Canadian schools have suspended any field trips to the US.
  19. The number of refugees crossing from the US to Canada increases.
  20. The House Ways and Means Committee could force the Treasure Department to release Trump’s taxes, but they vote straight down party lines not to. Democrats made the request; all Republican members voted no.
  21. The North Carolina Supreme Court blocks rules passed by the Republican-dominated assembly from taking effect as their legality is under consideration in the lower courts. If you remember, just before the Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, took office, the legislature passed a number of bills to strip his power and give it to them instead, including his power over the election board.
  22. In his press conference with Netanyahu, Trump indicates he is open to a 1- or 2-state solution, taking us in a new direction and contradicting Nikki Haley’s statement to the UN confirming our commitment to a 2-state solution.
  23. In the same press conference, Trump gives an unintelligible answer to a question about the rise anti-semitism, beginning with his big electoral win. Too long to print here, but worth the read: http://time.com/46724…/donald-trump-anti-semitism-netanyahu/
  24. Trump holds a 77-minute press conference, which keeps the media busy all day. There is too way much to fact check in this one, so I might do another post on it.
  25. Trump launches his 2020 election campaign and holds a rally in Melbourne, Fla. During this rally, he cites reasons to support his travel ban and mentions the incident that happened “last night” in Sweden, leaving a bunch of confused Swedes scrambling to figure out what happened that they missed (hint: nothing happened).
  26. Tuesday is a bad day for the White House. The Office of Government Ethics recommends an investigation and disciplinary action for Kellyanne Conway’s plug of Ivanka’s clothing line. Then Jason Chaffetz sends a letter to Trump requesting information about the security protocols used at the public dinner table at Mar-a-Lago in the aftermath of the Korean missile test. Finally, Mitch McConnell says it’s “highly likely” they will deepen the probe into Russian interference in the election in the wake of Flynn’s resignation.
  27. A draft memo surfaces indicating that the administration is considering the use of a deportation force. The document calls for “the unprecedented militarization of immigration enforcement”, dispatching 100,000 National Guard troops across several states, according to the AP. An updated memo removes this, but still includes expanding the definition of immigrants to be deported.
  28. ICE cancels a scheduled meeting with the Hispanic Caucus and some house Democrats, and reschedules it with Republican leaders, excluding the caucus. Finally Joaquin Castro is allowed into the meeting.
  29. Thursday is a day without immigrants. Across the nation, immigrants did not show up for work and some immigrant-owned businesses closed in an effort to show how much they contribute. On Saturday, there are marches across the nation in support of immigrants and protesting the recent ICE raids.
  30. An undocumented woman in Texas is detained by ICE while in court trying to get a protective order against her boyfriend, who she alleges is abusing her. This type of action on the part of ICE prevents undocumented immigrants from reporting crime, allowing criminals to go free.
  31. A legislator in Mexico is drafting a bill ruling that they will start buying their corn from South America instead of the Midwest. Also, some blame the slide in cattle futures on the antagonistic relationship with Mexico and the fall of the TPP, which would have provided access to the Japanese market.
  32. Trump apparently fabricates a meeting with Rep. Elijah Cummings, and then claims a Cummings cancelled. Cummings claims to know nothing of this meeting.
  33. The EPA creates a mirror site of how the site appeared the day before Trump took office in an effort to save all the information. Also, Republicans argue that the endangered species act tramples on states’ rights and begin to make moves to gut it.
  34. Trump signs the repeal of transparency rules for oil companies. This was a rule that prevented bribery in international dealings, among other things.
  35. House Republicans introduce an outline of their Obamacare replacement. Details are still sketchy.
  36. Trump signs a repeal of an Obama era regulation to keep waterways clean. The old regulation protected waterways from coal mining waste.
  37. The Senate approves H.J. Resolution 40, which overturns a rule limiting gun ownership by certain severely mentally disabled persons.
  38. The House approves H.J. Resolution 69, which overturns a federal rule crafted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The repeal means hunters can once again kill dens of wolf pups and hibernating bears, spot grizzlies from the air and shoot them after landing, and use steel-jaw traps for grizzly and black bears on wildlife refuges.
  39. The House approves H.J. Resolution 43, which would effectively defund Planned Parenthood.
  40. The House approves H. Res.116, overturning an Obama-era policy that allows states to set up retirement savings arrangements for employers whose employer does not provide a 401K.
  41. The House approves H.J. Resolution 42, lifting limits on drug testing unemployment applicants. Note that in the history of testing such applicants, the cost far outweighs the benefits.
  42. Democratic senate and house members introduced a bill that “would cement in law that Presidents must disclose all of their financial interests with countries that are involved in trade actions with the United States.” Meaning Trump would have to disclose any financial interests he has that would be affected by any actions he takes on trade issues.
  43. China grants Trump a trademark he’s been trying to get for a decade.
  44. At the Munich security conference, several U.S. representatives, including John McCain, John Mattis, Mike Pence, and John Kelly, spend time reassuring allies that the U.S. will continue to support them and NATO, despite what Trump has been saying. In the middle of this, Trump’s press conference exacerbates anxieties among our allies.
  45. Thousands rally in Times Square to say “I am a Muslim too” in protest of the executive order (travel ban) that is now on hold.
  46. Outdoor Retailer, the largest outdoor recreation convention, has been held in Utah for 20 years. They removed Utah from future bids in protest of Utah’s handling of public lands issues. (Utah legislators are working to return all federal lands to the states as a way of overturning Obama designations of public land.)
  47. Trump spends a third weekend at Mar-a-Lago.

Week Three in Trump

Posted on February 13, 2017 in Politics, Trump

Here’s the recap from last week. I thought it was a slow week, but… wait, actually this is a slow week in Trumpland.

  1. Missed from last week’s recap: The House introduces bill to banish the EPA.
  2. Trump drafts a plan to cut off food stamps for immigrants, both legal and illegal, which could cause some US citizens to go hungry (especially as it also affects their children even if born here).
  3. Polls show that a majority of Americans (albeit a small majority) views the travel ban as a Muslim ban and a majority is opposed to it. Trump says the negative polls are fake news.
  4. Federal appeals case for the travel ban is set for Tuesday.
  5. Trump vilifies lawyers and judges who are impeding the travel ban. Gorsuch says Trump’s remarks are demoralizing and disheartening, according to Senator Richard Blumenthal and Gorsuch’s communications lead.
  6. We learn that Trump signed the order placing Bannon on the National Security Council without understanding what he was signing.
  7. Trump tells a military group at MacDill Air Force Base that the media doesn’t report on all terrorist attacks across the world because “…the very, very dishonest press doesn’t want to report it.” He appears to have gotten this information from Alex Jones. The press office later releases a list of 78 “uncovered” attacks, most of which were covered as various news outlets proved by producing links to their stories. Missing from that list were any attacks in Israel, where such attacks are common, and in sub-Saharan Africa, where most such attacks occur.
  8. Trump says that they might not have an ACA replacement until the end of this year of next year.
  9. The Senate confirms Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, with the tightest margin in recent history and possibly making her the least qualified cabinet member in history. Democratic senators spoke through the night to try and bring one more Republican over to vote against her, but in the end, only two Republicans came over and Vice-President Mike Pence had to cast the deciding vote.
  10. On the same day, Representative Thomas Massie introduces H.R. 899, a one-page bill to banish the Department of Education by the end of 2018.
  11. A website explaining the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was removed from the Department of Education website. This was set up under President George W. Bush so educators, advocates and parents could get a “one-stop” explanation of the act and learn what their rights are under the disability law.
  12. Trump threatens to defund California over possible statewide sanctuary cities. “We give tremendous amounts of money to California. California in many ways is out of control, as you know.” Um, except for the fact that per capita, California only gets back 75 cents on their federal tax dollar. Most states receive more than they put in, some getting over $4.00 back for each dollar put in.
  13. Trump tells the National Sheriffs’ Association that the country’s murder rate is at the highest it’s been in 47 years. In actuality, it’s near its lowest point in that period according to the FBI, which gathers statistics from police departments nationwide.
  14. Senate Republicans vote to ban Senator Warren from speaking further in the Sessions hearing because she was “impugning” him by bringing up Coretta Scott King’s letter from his 1986 hearing (yes, there is an obscure and rarely used rule in the Senate that a senator can’t impugn another Senator – Senate Rule 19). #LetLizSpeak trends.
  15. Sessions is subsequently confirmed 52-47.
  16. Louisiana is hit by a reported 9 tornadoes. Trump approves disaster declaration for the area.
  17. Yemen announces they will end US military operations in Yemen.
  18. Nordstrom drops the Ivanka Trump line due to sagging sales, generating a backlash from Trump himself. Kellyanne Conway finds herself “counseled” when she tells people to go out and buy Ivanka’s stuff. Neumann Marcus also drops her line, followed by a few more retailers who say the line isn’t selling.
  19. In trying to denigrate the judges and lawyers who question the constitutionality of the travel ban as written, Trump said “I was a very good student. I comprehend very well. Better than, I think, almost anybody.” Too bad he didn’t go to law school.
  20. Ninth circuit court of appeals upholds the suspension of the travel ban and the ban is stayed indefinitely. Judges in this case have been receiving threats.
  21. Trump announces he will not appeal this decision immediately. They are looking at possibly rewriting the order and reissuing it.
  22. As part of a nationwide operation, ICE raids in LA pick up around 100 illegal immigrants, not all of whom had criminal records and some of whom have been here for decades. The push behind the raids seems to be Trump’s expanded definition of criminal alien.
  23. Latest reports are that the wall would cost $21.6 billion.
  24. Trump signs an executive order to reduce crime and restore public safety by creating a new task force on the issue under Sessions, focusing on illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and violent crime.
  25. Trump signs an executive order to increase intelligence sharing among law enforcement agencies to help combat international drug cartels.
  26. Trump signs an executive order to prosecute crimes against law enforcement officers using existing federal law. Amnesty International claims that this doesn’t address the underlying problem and will result in people being over-prosecuted for smaller offenses.
  27. A Texas court struck down the US Chamber of Commerce’s attempt to overturn a new Labor Department rule requiring retirement fund advisers to put their customers’ interests first.
  28. A state judge panel placed on hold a law that would have required North Carolina Governor’s (Roy Cooper) nominees for state cabinet heads to undergo confirmation hearings by the state legislature. If you remember, once the Democratic governor was elected, the GOP legislators moved to curtail the governor’s power.
  29. Tom Price is confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
  30. Officials have corroborated some of the information in the leaked Steele Dossier on Trump, confirming that some of the conversations described in the dossier took place between the same individuals on the same days and from the same locations as detailed in the dossier. This gives US intelligence higher confidence in the credibility of certain parts of the dossier as they continue to investigate. No content has been confirmed.
  31. As part of the Steele Dossier corroboration, officials claim National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had discussions with the Russian ambassador to Washington prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration. The discussions were inappropriate and possibly illegal, especially if they were about easing sanctions. The content of the conversations has not been released, though.
  32. Senator David Perdue introduces S.J.Res.19. As part of this legislation, there would be no more limits on the overdraft fees that banks can charge, among other things
  33. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and Public Citizen sued Trump over the 1-in-2-out executive order, which states that federal agencies needs to remove 2 regulations for each new regulation they create.
  34. Sr. Policy Advisor Stephen Miller makes the talk show rounds on Sunday morning, doubling down on claims of voter fraud and also saying that the judges in the travel ban case overstepped their power. He also claimed that the power of the president to protect the country will not be questioned. This is a guy to watch.
  35. Korea executes a missile test, causing Trump and Japan Prime Minister Abe to scramble to put out a joint statement during the weekend at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. They basically held a national security meeting at a public table in the dining room.

Week Two in Trump

Posted on February 6, 2017 in Politics, Trump

I apologize for the long post – this week’s recap is really long!

First, here are a few things I missed from the previous week’s recap:

  1. Trump says he will not release his tax returns because “He won and no one cares but media.” Polls reveal that over 60% of Americans want to see his tax returns.
  2. Trump did not put his company in a blind trust and in fact still retains full ownership in it, putting him in violation of the “Emoluments Clause” in the constitution.
  3. The entire senior staff at the State Department “quit”.
  4. Despite insistence that the travel ban is not a Muslim ban, this page was part of Trump’s campaign and remains on his site: https://www.donaldjtrump.com/…/donald-j.-trump-statement-on…
  5. Along with the above, Giuliani said in an interview that Trump asked him to write a Muslim ban and so he pulled a commission together to come up with a way to do it legally. Giuliani justified this by saying they focused on danger instead of religion.
  6. The ACLU brings in $24 million in funding over the weekend.

And now here’s what happened last week. As always, let me know if I missed anything or if I got anything wrong:

  1. Spicer uses the Quebec mosque shooting to defend the travel ban and “certain” news agencies run with the story that the shooter was Muslim. The perpetrator was an alt-right Trump supporter, but these stories are not walked back until the Canadian Prime Minister insists on it.
  2. Trump retains the protections given to LGBQT federal employees under Obama, apparently thanks to Ivanka and Jared Kushner.
  3. Betsy DeVos is found to have plagiarized her answers to senators’ written questions.
  4. Information comes out that indicates Mnuchin and Price lied in their confirmation hearings.
  5. A third wave of threats hits Jewish centers around the country, prompting evacuations. The first was 1/9, the second 1/18, and today’s brings the total to over 60 centers evacuated.
  6. Trump postpones signing an executive order on cybersecurity and another to the Justice Department to investigate his allegations of voter fraud, both signs that he is starting to hit roadblocks after a flurry of executive orders.
  7. Harley Davidson cancels meeting with Trump on fear of protests.
  8. Trump’s first military excursion results in the death of a navy seal, a 14-year-old American girl, and many Yemeni citizens. Leaks from officials indicate that the operation was undertaken without sufficient intelligence or support. The Trump administration tries to blame the Obama administration, but sources say the Obama administration delayed saying they didn’t want to push the new administration into an escalated situation with Yemen.
  9. Trump’s national security team, led by Mike Flynn, wants give more power to lower-level officials in order to speed up the decision-making process for operations such as the above.
  10. Democrats boycott the nomination hearings for Mnuchin and Price because of perceived lies during the hearings. Republicans change the rules and pass the nominees through to the Senate. This is all symbolic on both sides.
  11. Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court appointment. He would be a pretty even replacement for Scalia, though he has tended to favor religious freedom over civil rights. Democrats debate whether to give payback for last year’s treatment of Garland Merrick or to save that fight for another battle.
  12. Mitch McConnell derides Democrats for the possibility that they might block Gorsuch, presumably forgetting the name Merrick Garland.
  13. Rex Tillerson is confirmed as Secretary of State. Approval for James Mattis (Defense), Elaine Chao (Transportation) and John Kelly (Homeland Security) follows.
  14. House passes a resolution to end the Stream Protection Act, which protects our waters from coal pollution.
  15. Leaked info from Trump’s call with Mexico reveals that he threatened to send US troops there.
  16. Iran tests a missile, eliciting a stern response from the Trump administration along with some new sanctions.
  17. Troop movement and fighting resumes between Russia and the Ukraine with no immediate response from the administration.
  18. On a call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump slams the refu­gee agreement and brags about how much he won the electoral college. Trump ends the call after 25 minutes even though it was scheduled for an hour. Later explanations are that Trump was tired, and Senator John McCain smooths things over.
  19. At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump vows to get rid of the Johnson amendment, which would allow tax-exempt churches and their pastors to be politically involved and outspoken (thus breaking the rule separating church and state). The Baptist Joint Committee responds: “To change the law would hinder the church’s prophetic witness, threatening to turn pulpit prophets into political puppets.”
  20. A bill is filed in the House that would remove Steve Bannon from the security council.
  21. Over 50 lawsuits arise against the administration, mostly regarding the travel ban and the sanctuary city order.
  22. After Trump, Conway, and Spicer all called the travel ban a ban, they claimed it’s not a ban.
  23. Government releases numbers revealing that over 100,000 visas have been revoked as a result of the travel ban.
  24. Multiple judges put stays on the travel ban, citing unconstitutionality. Trump issues clarifications on the ban.
  25. The first visa holder who was denied entry and sent on a flight back home arrives back at LAX to be reunited with his family (after about 60 total flight hours over 6 days).
  26. A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocks the travel ban from being enforced nationwide, and the Department of Homeland Security announces that it is ceasing all operations associated with the ban. This opens us back up to visa holders, though the administration vows to fight it.
  27. The Ninth Circuit Court denies an emergency motion to reverse the above decision and allow enforcement of the travel ban again.
  28. House votes to repeal regulations aimed at curbing bribery and graft in the oil industry, which restricts paying bribes to foreign officials. Senate passes the same and the bill heads to Trump for approval.
  29. Uber CEO, Travis Kalanick, quits Trump’s advisory council. I’m torn about this, because sometimes you can work more change from within.
  30. The House reverses the Obama administration rule preventing gun sales to people with severe mental disabilities, going back on their previous statements where they said the problem is not guns, but is instead mental health.
  31. Trump appoints Jerry Falwell Jr. to head a task force on higher education.
  32. Kellyanne Conway repeats the debunked lie that the Obama administration put a ban on Iraqi visas and made up a massacre, the Bowling Green Massacre, to support it.
  33. CNN reports that Republican are saying more and more that there are parts of Obamacare that they will keep and that there is no mega-bill in the works to replace it. They are now talking about fixing it piece-by-piece.
  34. Betsy DeVos has donated $10s of thousands to Republican senators. The same senators who will be voting on her confirmation. Teachers start crowdfunding sites to make enough money to give to those Senators to see if they can be bought back.
  35. Trump orders a rollback of Wall Street regulations, including Dodd Frank.
  36. The last jobs report of the Obama administration shows 227,000 jobs created. Naturally, Spicer tries to give all the credit to Trump, even though the report’s data was from prior to the inauguration.
  37. Trump takes his first vacation to Mir-a-Lago for the weekend.
  38. Congressmen report that their phones, and the main Capital Hill switchboard, are so jammed from constituents calling in, they can’t keep up. Rumors are that the main switchboard was down for three days because of it. So keep those calls and emails up!
  39. A bipartisan bill is in the works to prevent Trump from being able to roll back sanctions against Russia without congressional approval.
  40. Senators Graham and Whitehouse say the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism will investigate Russia’s influence in both our elections and EU nations’ elections.
  41. The administration sends out Bureau of Indian Affairs agents to remove DAPL protesters from the protest camps.
  42. Trump has the highest disapproval rating of any newly elected president.
  43. McConnell says we shouldn’t spend federal money on an investigation into Trump’s claims of voter fraud.
  44. Ten states draft laws that either would criminalize peaceful protests or could cause physical harm to protesters.
  45. Trump appears to back off on his previous promise to reopen offshore black sites.
  46. Ajit Pai, the new FCC chair, begins reversing Obama administration rules, including a program that expands high-speed internet to poor communities.
  47. The administration is looking at changing the program, “Countering Violent Extremism,” to “Countering Islamic Extremism” or “Countering Radical Islamic Extremism.” The program has targeted all extremists in the past, but now might not target groups like white supremacists, the same groups that carry out most of the bombings and shootings in the US.
  48. Some in Congress appear to be backing off of the idea that America can go it alone, as they scramble to meet with and reassure various heads of state.
  49. In keeping with the tone of the Obama administration, Trump demands that Russia withdraw from Crimea, that Israel stop constructing new settlements, and that Iran receives additional sanctions based on their recent missile test.