Cabbage News Network Week #6

[kmusser]

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 Wilbur Ross (Commerce), Ryan Zinke (Interior), Rick Perry (Energy), Ben Carson (HUD). List of vacant positions.

Friday 2/24

• Major news outlets blocked from covering WH press briefing (source).
  
• WH officials also ask congressmen to help cover-up Russia story (source)

Saturday 2/25

• More on the more aggressive immigration enforcement taking place (source).

Sunday 2/26

• DJT cabinet working at damage control (source).

Monday 2/27

• Fact checking on DJT's claim of saving coal mining jobs, determining the truth is murky on this one, worth a read (source).
  
• GWB wants answers on Trump-Russia ties, defends press (source).
  
• New commerce secretary also has ties to Russia (source).

Tuesday 2/28

• Executive order to review definition of "water of the united states" (source) - significant as this definition determines what waters the Clean Water Act covers, it's also the basis for pretty much all of our wetlands regulations - and perhaps an easy target as the current definition is ridiculously broad (essentially any water, regardless of size, temporary or permanent, artificial or natural), but using Scalia's definition would leave most intermittent streams, wetlands, and artificial bodies of water unprotected.
  
• DJT suggests anti-Semitic attacks might be "false flags" (source).
  
• Reality check on budget proposal (source).
  
• Summary of DJT speech to Congress.
  
• FBI investigating wave of threats against Jewish centers and schools (source).
  
• Fact-checking Sessions, the science is in on marijuana combating opioid abuse (source).
  
• Sessions gives police departments ok to ignore civil rights (source).

Wednesday 3/1

• Sessions met with Russians and lied about it in his confirmation hearings (source).
  
  • Calls for Sessions to recuse himself from Russia investigations
    
  • Calls for Sessions to resign for lying under oath
    
  • Summary of types of possible investigations
    
  • helpful timeline from NYT
    
  • Sessions recuses himself from investigations (source)
  
  
• NYT report on Obama administration efforts to preserve evidence of DJT-Russia connections before changeover of power.
  
• FCC rolling back data security and privacy regulations for Internet users (source).
  
• Dems call on Sessions to take action on hate crimes (source).
  
• House Intel committee investigation will look at Russia cyberactivity regarding the election and leaks from the intelligence community, will not look at Trump-Russia ties (source).

Thursday 3/2

• DJT transition team opted not to have any ethics training (source).
  
• GOP pushing anti-free speech bills at the state level (source).
  
• Airstrikes in Yemen resume (source).

Legislative action this week

• Signed into law
  
  • repeal of mental health prohibition for purchasing firearms https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hjres40
    
  • law encouraging NSF to recruit women for its entrepreneurial programs https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr255
    
  • law asking for NASA outreach to encourage K-12 women in STEM programs https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr321
  
  
• Legislation advancing in the House
  
  • Scrub Act - creates a commission whose job it is to look for regulations to repeal https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr998
    
  • Regulatory Integrity Act - prohibits agencies from advocating for new rules https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr1004
    
  • OIRA Act - expands regulatory review process https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr1009
    
  • repeal of rule requiring employers to keep records of workplace injuries https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hjres83
    
  • NASA Authorization Act - keeps NASA running https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/s442

Maps of the week:

• Tolkein's hand-drawn draft of Middle-Earth Map
  
  
• Harrient Tubman's underground railroad route
  
• Mapping spring's early arrival
  
• Mapping Ancestry's DNA results