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 by Matt Kiser and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
Day 263: War on coal.
1/ The Trump administration will roll back the Clean Power Plan. Scott Pruitt will sign the new rule tomorrow, which will override Obama’s policy to curb greenhouse gas from power plants. “The war on coal is over,” Pruitt declared. (Associated Press / New York Times)
2/ The attorney for the Russian billionaire who pushed for the Trump Tower meeting said an email shows the meeting wasn’t about Hillary Clinton. In the newly disclosed email, Natalia Veselnitskaya asked music publicist Rob Goldstone if she could bring a “lobbyist and trusted associate” to the meeting, because of his knowledge of the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law that imposed financial sanctions on wealthy Russians as punishment for human rights abuses. The email was disclosed by Scott Balber, who represents Aras and Emin Agalarov, the billionaire real estate developer and his son who requested the June 2016 meeting.
The emails between Goldstone and Trump Jr. tell a different story, however. Goldstone requested the meeting Trump Jr., saying the Russian government wanted to help the Trump campaign by providing documents that “would incriminate Hillary” and “be very useful to your father.” Trump Jr. replied: “If it’s what you say I love it.” (Washington Post / CNN)
3/ Trump is demanding funding for his border wall in exchange for signing legislation to provide legal status for “Dreamers.” The administration’s list of hard-line immigration principles includes overhauling the country’s green-card system, cracking down on unaccompanied minors entering the country, funding his wall along the southern border, and denial of federal grants to “sanctuary cities.” Last month, Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which provides legal status for 800,000 young immigrants brought to the US illegally as children. (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post)
4/ Trump called Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer in an effort to revive a deal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Trump said he would be open to cutting a one-year or two-year deal with Democrats. “I told the president that’s off the table,” Schumer said in a statement. “If he wants to work together to improve the existing health care system, we Democrats are open to his suggestions.” (Reuters / New York Times)
5/ Bob Corker: Trump is treating his office like “a reality show” and his reckless threats could set the nation “on the path to World War III.” The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee added that Trump acts “like he’s doing ‘The Apprentice’ or something.” On Sunday, Trump tweeted that Corker “didn’t have the guts” to run for re-election and that the Senator had “begged” for his endorsement. Corker responded on Twitter that it’s “a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.”
Last week, Corker said that Rex Tillerson, James Mattis, and John Kelly “help separate the country from chaos” and hopes they stay “because they’re valuable to the national security of our nation.” (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico)
Senator Bob Corker "begged" me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said "NO" and he dropped out (said he could not win without...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said "NO THANKS." He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
...Hence, I would fully expect Corker to be a negative voice and stand in the way of our great agenda. Didn't have the guts to run!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.
— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 8, 2017
6/ Mattis urged the military “to be ready” with options on North Korea as Trump tweets that “only one thing will work.” In a pair of tweets sent Saturday, Trump said that 25 years of agreements with North Korea have failed, “making fools” of the US. When asked what he meant, Trump told reporters: “You’ll figure that out pretty soon.” Sarah Huckabee Sanders was also cryptic: “You’ll have to wait and see.” Last week at a photo-op, surrounded by military leaders, Trump warned that “maybe it’s the calm before the storm.” (Politico / CNN / Washington Post)
Our country has been unsuccessfully dealing with North Korea for 25 years, giving billions of dollars & getting nothing. Policy didn't work!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2017
Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2017
...hasn't worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of U.S. negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2017
- North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile which it believes can reach the west coast of the United States. “As far as we understand, they intend to launch one more long-range missile in the near future,” said Anton Morozov, a member of the Russian lower house of parliament’s international affairs committee. “And in general, their mood is rather belligerent.” (Reuters)
7/ Facebook, Google, and Twitter employees were “embedded” inside the Trump campaign. Brad Parscale, the Trump campaign’s digital director, said employees from the tech companies “were there multiple days a week” to “teach us how to use their platform.” Parscale said Trump’s digital team “took opportunities” that Hillary Clinton’s did not, like pulling Facebook staffers into their folds multiple times a week. The Clinton campaign confirmed they turned down the offer to have Facebook provide the same service. The Trump campaign spent roughly $70 million on Facebook by election day. (CBS News / Washington Post)
8/ Google said Russian agents bought ads aimed to spread disinformation on YouTube, Google Search, Gmail, and DoubleClick, the company’s ad network. The ads don’t appear to be from the same Kremlin-affiliated troll farm that bought ads on Facebook. Google runs the world’s largest online advertising business, and YouTube is the world’s largest online video site. (Washington Post)
- Russian operatives used Twitter and Facebook to target veterans and military personnel with propaganda. Researchers found fake or slanted news from Russian-controlled accounts mixed with a wide range of legitimate content consumed by veterans and active-duty personnel in their Facebook and Twitter news feeds. (McClatchy DC / Washington Post)
9/ Pence walked out of the Colts-49ers game yesterday after nearly two dozen players from the 49ers knelt during the national anthem in what was an expensive, well-planned political stunt. Pence **tweeted **that he left because he “will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem.” Shortly after Trump tweeted that he “asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country.” (New York Times)
I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem.
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) October 8, 2017
I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country. I am proud of him and @SecondLady Karen.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
poll/ 47% of voters in non-metro areas approved of Trump’s job performance, while 47% disapproved. That is down from Trump’s first four weeks in office, when 55% said they approved of the president while 39% disapproved. (Reuters)
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 by Matt Kiser and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
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