| | | | 20 major news stories you might have forgotten this week | | With all the news breaking, days are marathons, weeks are eons and months are eternities in the helter-skelter Trump era -- as we've documented before. So our weekly roundup of national political news -- compiled by CNN's Brenna Williams to help you weary readers recall everything you might have forgotten -- covers quite a few topics.
Remember when Stormy Daniels said she was threatened to keep quiet about Donald Trump? That was on "60 Minutes" on Sunday. A theme we'll continue to chart is how Trump's legal problems butt up against his lawyer problems. The legal issues include lawsuits over matters ranging from Stormy Daniels to the emoluments clause of the Constitution, and, separately, the persistent and ongoing special counsel investigation into possible Russian election meddling. The lawyer problem: he can't find many top lawyers who will work for him.
Hidden here and there are some policy stories of great import. You probably missed how the Trump administration is changing the way undocumented immigrants interact with social services provided by the US government. That's a very big deal. And so is the move to ask a citizenship question on the US Census. Oh, and a Cabinet official was forced out. Trump picked his own doctor to take over the vacant spot. Without further ado, your refresher on all that happened in Washington this week:
Weekend: Monday:
Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: -- Z. Byron Wolf | | "To this survivor, and to anyone else on my team who was hurt by my failure to see what was going on in my office, I am so sorry."
-- Connecticut Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Esty, in a statement apologizing after she kept on a top aide for several months despite having learned of abuse allegations against him | | | PRUITT'S DISNEYLAND & ROSE BOWL TRIPS | | CNN's Sara Ganim and Rene Marsh reported Friday: "EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's 24-hour security in Washington extends to at least some of his personal trips, according to a letter Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse sent to the department's inspector general and shared with CNN.
"The letter, written based on information that Whitehouse says he confidentially obtained from an unnamed source, raises new questions about the cost of Pruitt's unprecedented EPA-funded security, and alleges that Pruitt has used his security detail while on non-official business, including trips home to Tulsa, Oklahoma, a family vacation to Disneyland and the Rose Bowl game."
Read more here. | | TRUMP REWRITING IMMIGRATION POLICY -- QUIETLY | | CNN's Tal Kopan had an excellent story about how Trump is rewriting immigration policy with a series of small moves that add up to dramatic change. From her piece: "Since last Thursday, here are some of the moves the administration has made: - Attorney General Jeff Sessions quietly reopened an immigration court precedent that he could single-handedly overrule, looking at whether the government needs to pause deportation proceedings until an immigrant is done pursuing legitimate claims to stay in the United States.
- President Donald Trump opted to not extend work permits and protections for approximately 840 Liberians who have been living and working in the United States for at least 16 years and, in some cases, decades. Previous Presidents had extended the permits on humanitarian grounds.
- The Commerce Department will add a question inquiring about citizenship to the 2020 Census, a move critics fear could undercount immigrant communities and thus cost diverse states and localities congressional representation and federal resources.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it would no longer default to releasing pregnant immigrants from detention, paving the way for more pregnant women to be held in lengthy custody awaiting immigration proceedings.
- The State Department moved to formally require all applicants for visas and legal residency in the United States to submit five years of social media, email and telephone history with their applications.
- The Department of Homeland Security advanced a policy that would substantially expand the types of government programs that could count against an immigrant's application to stay in the United States -- potentially skewing the immigration system in favor of high-income immigrants.
- The Justice Department settled a lawsuit with West Palm Beach over sanctuary city policies that clarified how much local officials can cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
- Trump is exploring whether he could build his long-promised border wall -- even though Congress has rejected his request for funds and authority to do so -- by using military resources to do it.
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a memo that could tighten employers' abilities to secure high-skilled visas for foreign workers."
Read more here. | | #METOO IMPACT ON WOMEN RUNNING FOR OFFICE | | CNN's Kyung Lah and Alberto Moya reported on Democratic women -- from Chicago to Miami to Detroit -- running for state and federal office who said the #MeToo movement is the rallying cry fueling their candidacies. From their story:
"What began as a hashtag generally against abusive men in power, moved into political accountability for alleged assaulters, and is now propelling some political candidacies in a historic year for women as record numbers run for local, state and national office in 2018. For progressive women now running as Democrats, the election of President Trump, who has denied accusations of sexual assault, was another spark and the Women's Marches that followed his inauguration fanned the flames. They tell CNN they cast the President as both a symbol and perpetrator of the sexual harassment the #MeToo movement rallies against."
Read more here. | | Eric Holder said he'll decide on a 2020 presidential bid by the beginning of next year.
"I don't know. We'll see," the former attorney general told Viceland's Desus & Mero when asked about running for president in 2020. "I haven't decided yet. What I've said is, I'm going to decide by the beginning of next year, and see if there is going to be another chapter in my public service career. We'll see."
You can watch a clip of the interview, which was uploaded on Thursday, on YouTube. Read CNN's story on the interview here. | |  | | H/T Brenna | | | Defense Secretary James Mattis broke the ice during his first ever meeting with new national security adviser John Bolton on Thursday by cracking a joke (gif above, story here). Jokes aside: Tell people you know to subscribe. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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