A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
Day 238: Betrayed.
1/ Top Democrats announced they had struck a deal with Trump to save DREAMers from deportation. After a White House dinner, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi reported they would pursue a legislative option for DACA that included provisions for border security—excluding building a wall. In response to criticism from right-wing media and his base, Trump tweeted that “no deal” had been struck and that the wall “will continue to be built.” (Washington Post / AP)
@RealDonaldTrump If AP is correct, Trump base is blown up, destroyed, irreparable, and disillusioned beyond repair. No promise is credible. https://t.co/uJjxk6uX5g
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) September 14, 2017
At this point, who DOESN'T want Trump impeached? https://t.co/g1mMhmm8ng
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) September 14, 2017
No deal was made last night on DACA. Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent. Would be subject to vote.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2017
2/ Flynn promoted a Middle East nuclear power plant deal while serving in the White House. The project, reported yesterday, originally involved several Russian companies, along with a group of former U.S. military officers with whom Flynn had worked on the potential deal. The deal would erect dozens of nuclear power plants in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East. (Wall Street Journal)
3/ In a policy reversal, the Office of Government Ethics will now allow anonymous donations to White House legal defense funds. The anonymity frees up lobbyists and others “with business before the government” to step in and pay White House aides’ legal fees, including those related to the Russia probe. (Politico)
4/ Tim Scott, the sole black Republican in the Senate, sat down with Trump to rebut the president’s claim that “both sides” were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville. Scott said he shared his thoughts on “the affirmation of hate groups” and “the last three centuries of challenges from white supremacists, white nationalists, KKK, Nazis.” The White House described the meeting as indicative of Trump’s commitment to “positive race relations.” (New York Times)
5/ National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster wrote a memo outlining a new anti-leak program that encompasses unclassified information. The memo suggested “every Federal Government department and agency” hold trainings on the dangers and consequences of leaks. The memo subsequently leaked to reporters. (Buzzfeed News)
6/ Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requested use of a U.S. Air Force jet for his and Louise Linton’s European honeymoon this summer. The jet costs $25,000 per hour to operate. Mnuchin’s request was ultimately denied. (ABC News)
7/ Russia reduced the number of parking spots available to U.S. diplomats at their consulates. The move represents the latest in a series of U.S.–Russian diplomatic expulsions and denials. The parking spots were painted over with a pedestrian crossing. (AP)
A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
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