đŚ Programming note: Iâll be publishing editions of WTFJHT on Monday and Tuesday this week. After that, Iâm taking a short break for the holiday and will be back in your inbox on Monday, December 1st (unless, of course, something truly wtf-y demands otherwise). Thanks, as always, for reading and letting me be part of your news routine. Iâm glad youâre here. -MATT
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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 834: Sweeping and systematic.
Today in one sentence: Trump discussed the "Russian Hoax" with Putin; House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler set a Monday deadline for Attorney General William Barr to grant access to the underlying evidence in Mueller's report; Trump said he probably won't allow former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify to Congress; and The Trump administration rolled back safety rules for offshore drilling operations that were put in place after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
1/ Trump discussed the âRussian Hoaxâ with Putin and both agreed that âthere was no collusionâ between Moscow and Trumpâs 2016 presidential campaign. Robert Muellerâs report, however, detailed how the Russian government interfered in the 2016 race in âsweeping and systematic fashionâ in order to help Trump win. Trump added that he âdidnât discussâ election meddling with Putin or warn him not to meddle in the next U.S. election. Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed that she was âpretty sure both leaders were very well aware of (the Mueller reportâs finding) long before this call took place,â because it was âsomething weâve said for the better part of two and a half years.â The hour-long discussion about Muellerâs report, trade, nuclear arms control, Ukraine, North Korea, and Venezuela was their first conversation since the release of Muellerâs report. (NBC News / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / CNN / Politico / Washington Post)
2/ House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler set a Monday deadline for Attorney General William Barr to grant access to the underlying evidence in Muellerâs report. If Barr fails to comply with Nadlerâs final âcounter offer,â the âcommittee will move to contempt proceedings and seek further legal recourse.â Nadler told Barr that the committee was âwilling to prioritize a specific, defined set of underlying investigative and evidentiary materials for immediate production,â specifically citing witness interviews and the contemporaneous notes that were cited in Muellerâs report. The Justice Department said earlier this week it would not comply with Nadlerâs subpoena for the unredacted Mueller report, underlying evidence, or grand jury information. (Politico / CNN / ABC News)
3/ Trump probably wonât allow former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify to Congress because McGahn was already interviewed by Muellerâs team. âI would say itâs done,â Trump told Fox News. âIâve had him testifying already for 30 hours.â Trump said he is concerned that allowing McGahn to testify would open the doors for Congress to call other members of his administration to appear before committees. (Reuters)
4/ The Trump administration rolled back safety rules for offshore drilling operations that were put in place after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The change is meant to ease drilling restrictions in places like the Gulf, even though oil production reached a record 1.9 million barrels per day at the end of 2018. It also reduces the required frequency of safety tests for key equipment, such as blowout preventers, a last-ditch safety measure against massive spills and âgushers.â The new rule will take effect in 60 days. (Politico)
Notables.
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The U.S. added 263,000 new jobs in April. The unemployment rate fell to 3.6% from 3.8% â the lowest since December 1969. (CNBC)
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The California state Senate voted 27-10 to prevent candidates from appearing on the ballot unless they have publicly released five years of their tax returns. California will also be one of the first states to hold primary elections for the 2020 race. If the bill becomes law and Trump does not release his tax returns, he may not be on the California primary ballot. (The Hill)
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Michael Cohen heads to prison on Monday to begin serving his three-year sentence for tax evasion, lying to Congress, and campaign finance crimes. (NBC News)
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John Kelly joined the board of a company that operates the largest facility for unaccompanied migrant children. Caliburn International is the parent company of Comprehensive Health Services, which operates Homestead and three other shelters for unaccompanied migrant children in Texas. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Kelly had been on the board of advisors of DC Capital Partners, an investment firm that now owns Caliburn. (CBS News)
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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