Cabbage News Network Week #71

Status of Puerto Rico infrastructure - it's been 247 days and the island is still 5% without power. A new study estimates Puerto Rico deaths due to hurricane Maria at 5,000 - a bit more than the official tally of 64 (source, analysis).

Friday 5/25

• DJT signs Executive Order restricting powers of Federal employee unions (source).
  
• Details emerge on a January 2017 meeting between Cohen and Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg (source).
  
• Chinese businessmen buying photo ops with DJT (source).
  
• ACLU documents widespread abuse of immigrant children from 2009-2014 (source).

Saturday 5/26

• DJT claims that White House official that gave a press briefing does not exist (source).
  
• Administration rolls-back wildlife protections in expansion of recreational hunting (source).

Sunday 5/27

• DJT blames Dems for his own policy of separating immigrant parents from children enacted just last month (source).
  
• Giuliani admits he made up "spygate" in attempt to discredit Mueller (source).

Monday 5/28

• Fact-checking on the "lost children" story NYTimes, WP. The TLDR, yes HHS lost track of 1,500 kids, this is however being conflated with stories about the separating children from parents story - that is happening (to the tune of 658 kids so far), but the 1,500 kids are kids that arrived at the border alone - in this case "lost track of" means placed with families that don't return HHS's phone calls, a reminder that they are often placed with immigrant families and immigrant families might have a reason to not want to return phone calls from the Feds. That said there is definitely cause for concern as a report from 2 years ago found some kids in the same situation ending up in the hands of traffickers. Another viewpoint from an immigration lawyer on why the sudden interest in tracking these kids may not be a good idea. Summary of the current situation on the border.

Tuesday 5/29

• NAFTA talks still in limbo and running out of time (source).
  
• Supreme Court refuses challenge to Arkansas abortion law (source).
  
• DHS awards grants to sanctuary cities over DJT's objections (source).
  
• DJT continuing the more or less constant attacks on Mueller (source).

Wednesday 5/30

• Pruitt throws his staff under the bus (source).
  
• Federal prosecutors took the contents of Cohen's document shredder and are putting them back together (source).

Thursday 5/31

• Tariffs against U.S. allies go into effect (source).
  
• DJT pardons all-around awful person Dinesh D'Souza for his illegal campaign contributions (source).
  
• DeVos planning on revamping higher education rules via regulation if Congress doesn't act (source).
  
• White House isn't talking to the Government Accountability Office (source).
  
• Federal employees union sues DJT over rights roll-back (source).
  
• Minority groups sue Census over citizenship question (source).
  
• Civil rights groups sue Education Dept over ending civil rights investigations (source).
  
• SEC charges Goldman Sachs VP with insider trading (source).

Friday 6/1

• Labor Dept. issues favorable job report (Source).

Maps of the week

I've probably posted these before, but they got updated data earlier this month, click through for an interactive map of the whole U.S.

Legislative action this week - no action this week