Cabbage News Network Week #62

Status of Puerto Rico infrastructure - it's been 191 days and the island is still 10% without power.

Friday 3/23

• DJT issues new partial ban of transgender troops in the military, essentially a don't ask don't tell for transgender policy, plus grandfathering those already in - new policy to be immediately challenged in courts (source).

Saturday 3/24

• Massive student-led demonstrations against gun violence (source).

Sunday 3/25

• DJT not hiring those lawyers that were announced last week after all, leaving him with just 1 lawyer working on the Russia investigation defense (source, source).

Monday 3/26

• U.S. to expel Russian diplomats source).
  
• DJT lawyer threatens Stormy Daniels if she doesn't stop saying that he threatened her (source).
  
• Environmentalists sue EPA over loosening pollution regulations for utilities (source).
  
• EPA to loosen fuel efficiency standards for cars (source.
  
• DHS to take on election security role (source).
  
• Census to add citizenship question to 2020 Census (source, as a regular census data user I'd be happy to talk more about why this is an issue, but I think the source article covers it pretty well).

Tuesday 3/27

• California sues Federal government over Census question (source).
  
• White House lies about citizenship question being on recent Censuses, it has not been (source).
  
• Administration ends reprieve program for Liberian immigrants (source).

Wednesday 3/28

• VA Secretary fired, DJT nominates his personal doctor as replacement (source).
  
• U.S. District Judge allows emoluments case against DJT to go forward (source).
  
• Senate to investigate DHS handling of background checks (source).
  
• U.S. to reduce its contributions to U.N. peacekeeping budget (source).

Thursday 3/29

• Russia expels U.S. diplomats (source).
  
• Immigration case backlog increasing as administration no longer granting what were once routine reprieves from deportation (source).
  
• DJT ends policy that exempted pregnant women from immigration detention (source).
  
• The opioid epidemic is still worsening (source).

Friday 3/30

• State Dept. to collect social media history on visa applicants (source).

Map of the week

• Snow accumulation animation the total snowfall for this past winter.
  
• Tracking map for the Chinese Tiangong-1 which is expected to come crashing to the Earth next week, possibly in Maryland.

Legislative action this week

• Legislation signed into law
  
  • Omnibus spending bill https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr1625
    
  • Bill preventing Federal funds from being used for official portraits of government officials (including president) https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/s188
    
  • 3 other minor bills
  
  
• Legislation awaiting DJT's signature
  
  • Bill penalizing websites whose users help sex trafficking (note the language in this bill is broad, many fear it will target legitimate sex workers as well) https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr1865
    
  • 7 other minor bills
  
  
• Legislation passed in the House, awaiting Senate - no new action this week
  
  • Bill to give patients access to experimental drugs https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr5247
    
  • Bill to improve security at schools https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4909 (does not arm teachers, basically appropriates some money for schools to spend on security as they will)
    
  • Bill easing emissions standards for electric utilities https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr1119
    
  • A bunch of bills rolling back financial protections https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4607, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr2226, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4725, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4296, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr1116, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4566, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4545
    
  • Reauthorization bill for the FCC https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4986
    
  • Bill barring political appointees from accepting civil service jobs for 2 years https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr1132
    
  • Bill gutting the ADA https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr620
    
  • Sanctions against Hamas https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr3542
    
  • 438 other pending bills
  
  
• Legislation passed in the Senate, awaiting House - no new action this week
  
  • Bill rolling back financial protections https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/s2155 (this bill will likely replace the ones passed by the House listed above).
    
  • 105 other pending bills