Month: July 2017

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell intends to release an updated version of the Republican healthcare bill on Thursday and is delaying the body’s annual August recess by two weeks in an effort to generate momentum […]

Trump Faces Lawsuit for Blocking Twitter Users

President Donald Trump is facing a lawsuit from First Amendment advocates over claims that he has unconstitutionally blocked some of his critics from his POTUS twitter account. The case was filed Tuesday in a New York City court […]

Paris, Much Maligned by Trump, Set to Welcome him

Since before there was a United States, Americans have had a love affair with Paris. President Donald Trump, who will leave for the French capital on Wednesday, does not share that affection. Several cities have […]

Trump Jr. Willing to Testify under Oath about Russia Claims

Donald Trump Jr. said Tuesday he would be willing to testify under oath about his meeting with a Russian lawyer who offered compromising information about Hillary Clinton. “And you have nothing to hide,” Fox News host Sean Hannity […]

U.S. and Qatar Sign Counterterrorism Agreement

Qatar and the U.S. have signed a memorandum of understanding on curbing terrorism. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said might help resolve the worst diplomatic crisis to shake the Gulf Arab states in decades. “I’m […]

Trump Conspicuously Silent as Son Walloped in Russia Scandal

President Donald Trump has been conspicuously silent about the growing firestorm involving his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who is facing more revelations about a meeting he held during the height of the campaign with […]

Russian Lawyer: Trump Aides Wanted Info ‘So Badly’

Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, involved in controversy over her meeting with Donald Trump Jr. last year denied Tuesday that she’s worked for the Russian government, CNN reads. Interviewed on NBC’s “Today” show, Veselnitskaya added that Trump Jr. […]

Trump Jr. Releases Stunning Chain of Emails on Conversations with Russian Sources

Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday released a stunning chain of emails with details of his conversations about setting up a campaign meeting with a Russian lawyer who had offered compromising information on Hillary Clinton. The […]

Kaine on Russia Probe: This is Moving into Perjury, False Statements and Even Potentially Treason

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine on Tuesday said the investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election is now “beyond” obstruction of justice. “The investigation – it’s not, nothing is proven yet, but we’re now […]

Trump Advisers Sought Alternative Plans for Afghanistan from Military Contractors

Top Trump advisers recruited two businessmen with backgrounds in military contracting to come up with alternative plans for Afghanistan, The New York Times reported Monday. Blackwater Worldwide founder Erik D. Prince and DynCorp owner Stephen A. […]

Republican Leaders Hope to Stage Healthcare Vote Next Week

Senate Republican leaders are hoping to stage a vote on their healthcare bill next week, though internal disagreements over issues like coverage requirements and Medicaid cuts leave the timing and even the measure’s fate in […]

Report: Government to End Search for New FBI Headquarters

The federal government will reportedly end its search for new FBI headquarters, The Hill reads. The Washington Post, citing officials within the General Services Administration, reported that the officials will make the announcement on Tuesday. […]

Comey Associate: No Memos Given to Me Were Marked ‘Classified’

A friend of ex-FBI Director James Comey told CNN Monday that memos Comey gave him to release to journalists after he was fired by President Donald Trump, were not marked classified. “No memo was given to me […]

Donald Trump Jr. in Legal Danger over Russia Meeting

President Donald Trump’s eldest son is in a legal danger zone following his statements that he met with a Russian lawyer with Kremlin ties who offered to deliver damaging information about Hillary Clinton, Politico reads. […]

GOP Senator: Trump Jr. Should be Interviewed by Senate Intelligence Committee

Senator Susan Collins is calling for the Senate Intelligence Committee to interview Donald Trump Jr. over a meeting he held with a Russian lawyer who promised to provide compromising information on Hillary Clinton during the […]

Lawmakers Want to Loosen Gun Laws

Gun control advocates demanded stricter gun laws following the nation’s worst mass shootings, The New York Times reads. After the killings, in Newtown, Orlando and Colorado, lawmakers urged for background checks, limits on magazine capacities, […]

Kremlin Says It Does Not Know Russian Lawyer Who Met Trump Jr.

The Kremlin said Monday it does not know the Russian lawyer who reportedly met last year with Donald Trump Jr. and other Trump campaign aides, The Hill reports. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference […]

Trump Defends Ivanka for Holding G-20 Seat

President Donald Trump defended his eldest daughter for holding his seat at the G-20 summit this weekend, touting German Chancellor Angela Merkel as unlikely backup in the decision. “When I left Conference Room for short […]

Trump Slams Comey over Leaks: ‘That Is so Illegal!’

President Donald Trump slammed James Comey early Monday after a report in The Hill that the former FBI director’s private memos on his conversations with Trump contained classified material. “James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media,” […]

Tillerson Heads to Kuwait to Help Resolve GCC Row

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to begin a four-day visit to Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Monday to help seek a resolution to the ongoing Gulf crisis. Tillerson assured Ukraine’s leader on Sunday […]

Senate Republicans No Closer to Obamacare Deal

Senate Republicans appear miles away from their long-sought repeal of Obamacare, returning to Washington on Monday with just a few weeks to put the pieces back together before they could be forced to abandon their partisan […]

Trump Discussed Forming ‘Impenetrable’ Cybersecurity Unit with Russia

U.S. President Trump recapped his lengthy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a series of tweets. The two world leaders discussed collaborating on cybersecurity together. The tweet is a bit curious, considering that Russia […]

Comey’s Memos on Trump Conversations Contained Classified Material

Over half of the memos ex-FBI chief James Comey wrote as personal recollections of his conversations with President Donald Trump about the Russia probe, purportedly contain classified information, according to interviews with officials familiar with […]

Trump Jr. Met with Russian Lawyer who Promised Damaging Clinton Info

President’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. says he met with an individual he had been told “might have information helpful to the campaign” in June 2016. His statements come in response to The New York […]

Outing Ethics Director Says He is ‘Disappointed’ With White House

Walter Shaub, the Office of Government Ethics director who announced his resignation Thursday, said the current ethics program in the White House is a “serious disappointment”, The Hill reports. When asked on MSNBC Friday about […]

Greenpeace Hangs Banner on Trump Tower in Chicago

Greenpeace protesters hung a banner from Trump Tower in Chicago reading “Resist, Defend” on Friday, The Hill reports. The group aimed to protest President Trump’s policies on climate change. The news website Chicagoist reports that […]

Arkansas Is Only State to Submit Voter Data to Trump Election Commission

Arkansas is the only state as of Friday to submit data to President Donald Trump’s voter integrity commission, according to the Justice Department. Arkansas uploaded information at the request of the Presidential Advisory Commission on […]

Tillerson: Trump and Putin Had ‘Positive Chemistry’

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had “positive chemistry” and “connected very quickly” in their first-ever face-to-face meeting in Germany on Friday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, The Hill reports. The meeting […]

U.S. and Russian Diplomats Share Different Accounts of Trump-Putin Meeting

A bilateral meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday resulted in a he said/he said dispute regarding the details of the foreign leaders first meeting, The Hill reports. Russian foreign […]

July 7, 2017 Focus Washington

G20 Summit: Trump and Putin Meet Face to Face for First Time

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have met for the first time, shaking hands at the start of a G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. They will hold a longer meeting later, and say […]