S1P08 - Politics & News

A recap of politics and news since about 01/01/2019

National

• 01/01 - Mitt Romney (R), as he prepares to become a US Senator from Utah, writes a scathing Washington Post op-ed review of Trump's first two years.
• Trump now agrees to give the military about four months to withdraw troops from Syria. He backs down from his initial knee-jerk decision to do it in 30 days. Too bad he doesn't think things through before the decision. 
• A federal employees union filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration alleging that the government shutdown is forcing about 400K employees to work without pay. 
• 01/02 - Apple lowers sales estimates for the quarter mostly due to China's economy slowing and global trade uncertainties. Trump's trade war at work.
• 01/02 - China says it has landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon. How would we know, we can't see that side.
• 01/03 - Nancy Pelosi is elected speaker of the House.
• 01/03 - The Justice Department is investigating whether former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke lied to Interior Department inspector general investigators. Another member of the Trump swamp. 
• 01/04 - The US added 312K jobs in December 2018. The unemployment rate was 3.9%. Both good numbers. 
• 01/04 - Administration officials to get large raises while 800K government employees go without paychecks. Both ironic and terrible optics.
• 01/04 - Senator Pat Roberts (R, Kansas) announces he will not seek reelection in 2020. Another old-guard Republican bales. 
• 01/04 - Trump threatens to keep government shutdown for months or years if he doesn't get wall funding. Also threatens to declare a national emergency and build the wall that way. #TrumpShutdown
• The Supreme Court agrees to hear North Carolina and Maryland gerrymandering cases. 
• 01/04 -  Kevin Sweeney, a retired Navy rear admiral who had worked closely with Mr. Mattis, was forced to step down as the Pentagon chief of staff. Trump was concerned about his loyalty. Not to the country but to Trump personally.
• 1/07 - The Trump administration has decided that the IRS can process tax refunds during the #TrumpShutdown. The IRS employees will not be paid until the shutdown ends. 
• 01/07 - It now appears that Trump's "immediate" withdrawal of troops from Syria has now changed to whenever. Another example of Trump making knee-jerk (emphasis on jerk) decisions only to have to walk them back when reality kicks in. 
• 01/08 - Natalia V. Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who in 2016 met with Trump campaign officials in Trump Tower, was charged on Tuesday in a separate case that showed her close ties to the Kremlin. Real estate money laundering.
• 01/08 - Court filings allege that Paul Manafort shared 2016 presidential campaign polling data with Konstantin Kilimnik who has been tied to Russian intelligence.
• 01/08 - The #TrumpShutdown stalls the farm bailout payments that are needed because of Trump's tariffs and trade war with China. Karma.
• 01/08 - Supreme Court rules against mystery corporation from ‘Country A’ fighting subpoena in Mueller investigation.
• 01/08 - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to meet with John Bolton. He says US conditions of protection from the Kurds for Syrian withdrawal is impossible. More fallout from Trump's kneeJERK decision to pull out immediately or slowly or more slowly, or never. Crystal clear and well thought out. 
• 01/09 - Eight House Republicans vote with the Democrats to reopen the Treasury Department without Trump's wall funding.
• 01/10 - Former Trump lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, agrees to testify publicly before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on February 7th.
• New analysis shows the oceans are heating faster than anticipated. Bad news for climate change.
• 01/11 - A military spokesman says that the withdrawal from Syria has begun. No details.
• 01/11 - The Trump administration does some magic so that mortgage loan income verifications can be processed during the shutdown. A favor to big business GOP supporters. Nothing swampy about that.
• 01/11 - Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D Hi) enters the presidential field. 
• 01/12 - Julián Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and housing secretary under the Obama administration, officially enters the presidential race. 
• 01/12 - The government shutdown is now the longest in US history. Trump has another record. He must be proud. 
• 01/13 - Washington Post - ABC poll shows 53% blame Trump and Republicans, 29% blame Democrats for the government shutdown. A somewhat different view than Trump's tweets. 

Texas

• 01/09 - The 86th Texas Legislature convenes.