Cabbage News Network Week #5

Status of cabinet picks and other appointments: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/politics/donald-trump-administration.html. Hearings are happening this week. New confirmations since last week are Scott Pruitt (EPA). Top levels of government still largely vacant.

Friday 2/17

• DJT calls the media the "enemy of the American people" (source).

Saturday 2/18

• Homeland Security adopts new guidelines for more aggressive deportations (source). Followup article with more details.

Sunday 2/19

• U.S. starts patrolling South China Sea (source).
  
• More on Trump-Russia connections.

Monday 2/20

• New national security advisor appointed (source).
  
• Summary of planned anti-environment executive orders, stream protection rule repeal signed into law (source).
  
• DJT is winning the war on tourism (source).

Tuesday 2/21

• U.S. aid to Syrian rebels halted (might be temporary) (source).
  
• Increasing numbers of asylum seekers fleeing U.S. for Canada (source).

Wednesday 2/22

• Pruitt's ties to gas and oil companies documented
  
• DJT revokes protections for transgender students (source).
  
• State Dept. being kept out of foreign policy loop (source).

Thursday 2/23

• Justice Dept. scraps plan to phase out private, for-profit prisons (source).
  
• Bannon says they are working on the “deconstruction of the administrative state” and says many cabinet nominees were chosen specifically to dismantle their respective agencies (source).
  
• Spicer threatens crackdown on marijuana (source).
  
• NYT fact checking on trade - we have a trade surplus with many places (source).

Friday 2/24

• DJT wants more nukes (source).
  
• Priebus asks FBI to help cover-up Russia story (source)

In news elsewhere

• Russian consul found dead in Athens (source) - for those counting I believe that's the fifth high level Russian diplomat to be found dead/killed since the election.

Map of the week:

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