Day 239: Sick and demented.
1/ In response to a London subway attack, Trump touted his travel ban and claimed Scotland Yard had failed to be “proactive.” British officials called Trump’s tweets about “loser terrorists” unproductive. Said Theresa May: “I never think it’s helpful for anybody to speculate on what is an ongoing investigation.” The train bomb injured 22 people. (Politico)
Loser terrorists must be dealt with in a much tougher manner.The internet is their main recruitment tool which we must cut off & use better!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2017
The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2017
2/ North Korea launched another missile over Japan, further escalating the Pacific crisis. The missile—the latest of more than a dozen in 2017—had the range to reach Guam. Trump will meet with other world leaders at the United Nations next week to discuss Pyongyang. (Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg)
3/ A spokesman for Paul Manafort testified before a federal grand jury. Jason Maloni has worked for Manafort since early 2017. Sources suggest Maloni is not a target of the investigation. (Politico)
- Roger Stone will testify before the House Intelligence Committee later in September. Despite the political operative’s claim that he “called for an open public hearing in the interest of full transparency,” he will meet with the panel behind closed doors. Stone corresponded with Guccifer 2.0 in 2016. (The Hill)
4/ The Senate Judiciary Committee will take steps to ensure Trump cannot fire Robert Mueller. Two bills in development come after concerns that Trump was considering dismissing special counsel Mueller in his frustration about the Russia probe, despite White House claims to the contrary. House Judiciary Committee heads met with Mueller on Thursday. (CNN)
5/ The Department of Justice declined to release visitor logs for Mar-a-Lago despite a federal court ordering the Secret Service to do so. Earlier this year, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the National Security Archive, and the Knight First Amendment Institute sued the administration for the Mar-a-Lago logs, as well as those for the White House and Trump Tower. The Department of Homeland Security had previously denied the groups’ Freedom of Information Act requests. (New York Times / CNN)
6/ The Trump administration will cut funding for Affordable Care Act enrollment groups by up to 92%. Known as navigators, the grassroots organizations help people sign up for ACA health insurance during the open enrollment period. Under Trump, the Department of Health and Human Services has repeatedly questioned their value. (Washington Post)
7/ The State Department held off on further sanctions on Iran while it decides to continue with the Iran nuclear deal. The administration will decide next month if Iran has met its commitments under the deal. An official said the Trump administration “seeks to bring a change in Iran’s behavior.” (Washington Post)
8/ Trump signed a congressional joint resolution condemning white supremacists. In a statement, he said Americans denounce “the recent violence in Charlottesville and oppose hatred, bigotry, and racism in all forms.” (NBC News)
- Aboard Air Force One, Trump also resurrected his “both sides” argument, stating “you have some pretty bad dudes on the other side also.” The statement came one day after meeting with Tim Scott, who addressed the president directly about his false equivalence rhetoric. (New York Times)
9/ Trump visited Florida, where he praised recovery efforts and contradicted his previous comments on hurricanes. In Naples, he and Melania passed out sandwiches. When asked about climate change, Trump said “we’ve had bigger storms than this.” He’d previously called Hurricane Irma “of epic proportion, perhaps bigger than we have ever seen.” (Orlando Sentinel / CNN)
10/ The California State Assembly passed a bill requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns. The Presidential Tax Transparency and Accountability Act now heads to the state Senate. (The Hill)
poll/ Repealing the Affordable Care Act remains GOP voters’ top priority. More than half of Republican respondents said repealing and replacing Obamacare is an “extremely important priority,” and 26 percent said it is “very important.” (Politico/Harvard)
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