Two Trump aides have been indicted on charges of conspiracy against the United States and a third has pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI. These explosive revelations mark a potentially pivotal moment in the ongoing investigation, but also serve as a stark reminder of how much Trump wrongdoing we already know about. Trump campaign officials and family members met with Kremlin-connected Russian operatives about receiving help from the Russian government. Jared Kushner and Jeff Sessions both lied about contact with Russian officials. Trump’s former campaign chairman and national security adviser both acted as agents of foreign governments, while a top campaign donor tried to help organize stolen materials. In office, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey while, by his own admission, considering the ongoing investigation.
For a full map of all of Trump’s suspicious ties to Russia, check out: trumpconnections.ru
- What will come of investigations into the Trump administration’s shady deal with Whitefish Energy Holdings — a small company based in the hometown of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke? Now that Puerto Rico has scrapped the deal, what will happen to the at least $8 million of taxpayer dollars handed out already?
- In light of the White House’s statement that all of the women accusing Trump of sexual harassment and assault are lying, will media organizations give those women a platform to respond and tell their stories?
- Will Republicans ever stop playing politics with children’s healthcare and reauthorize CHIP?
WHILE TRUMP TWEETS. Fewer than a third of Americans in Puerto Rico have power and more than one-in-five still have no running water. Meanwhile, a new report suggests the death count from the hurricane and botched response may be much higher than initially thought.
- The Washington Post: Trumps set to launch two real estate projects in India, despite conflict-of-interest concerns
- “Too defensive” — Sen. Rob Portman on Trump’s response to Russia
- Daily Beast: More Than 50% of President Trump’s Nominees Have Ties to the Industries They’re Supposed to Regulate
- AP reports that “The Education Department is considering only partially forgiving federal loans for students defrauded by for-profit colleges, according to department officials, abandoning the Obama administration’s policy of erasing that debt. […] If DeVos goes ahead, the change could leave many students scrambling after expecting full loan forgiveness, based on the previous administration’s track record.”
- Reuters: In pro-Trump Ohio county, opioid announcement disappoints
- David Brooks writes in the New York Times, “Republican senators greeted Trump on Capitol Hill and saw a president so repetitive and rambling, some thought he might be suffering from early Alzheimer’s.”
- Washington Post: Republicans, desperate for a win, already face setbacks as they prepare to unveil tax bill this week
- Huffington Post: GOP Doesn’t Seem To Hate Debt So Much Now That It Wants A Tax Cut
- FiveThirtyEight reports, “The 2016 Crime in the United States report — the first released under President Trump’s administration — contains close to 70 percent fewer data tables than the 2015 version did, a removal that could affect analysts’ understanding of crime trends in the country.”
FROM THE MOUTHS OF. “We have some of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet, and some that are Nazis.” — John Boehner on Congress