Cabbage News Network Week #173

[kmusser]

Last week

• Flynn case might not be dropped after all (source).
  
• DJT fires State Dept. Inspector General for daring to investigate Pompeo (source).
  
• Fired official was also investigating DJT's Saudi arms deal (source).
  
• DJT assigns pharmaceutical executive to anti-vaccine effort (source).

Monday 5/18

• FDA approves at-home testing kit, puts the brakes on Bill Gates' antibody testing effort (source, source).
  
• Treasury Department's coronavirus relief fund is not being disbursed (source).
  
• Administration downgrades economic projections (source).
  

Tuesday 5/19

• U.S. threatens to leave World Health Organization (source).
  
• Administration ends National Guard deployments one day early to deny veteran and GI benefits to guardsmen working on the pandemic front line (source).

Wednesday 5/20

• Brief summary of DJT's war against government accountability.
  
• DJT threatens to pull Federal funding from Michigan and Nevada because they're using absentee ballots, and then immediate backs down from said threat (source, source).
  
• GOP to spend $20 million in campaign against absentee ballots. Fact check: absentee ballots are not fraud prone, nor do they particularly favor one party over the other (source).
  
• Senate beginning Burisma/Hunter Biden investigation (source).
  
• Supreme Court blocks release of unredacted Mueller report (source).
  
• Administration has not cut Afghan funding despite repeatedly saying that it was going to (source).
  
• Administration cuts oil and gas drilling royalty rates on Federal lands (source).

Thursday 5/21

U.S. withdraws from Open Skies treaty (source).

• U.S. sends Covid-19 aid package to Russia (source).
  
• DeVos plan to funnel Covid-19 aid to private schools meeting some resistance (source).
  
• Planned Parenthood asked to return SBA Covid-19 aid that it took (source).
  
• Calls to poison control centers more than doubled after DJT's suggestion of ingesting disinfectant (source).
  
• Senate confirms John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence (source).

Friday 5/22

• Administration supports lawsuit against Illinois stay at home order (source).
  
• DJT pushes for churches to re-open (source).

Maps of the week

• Status of the pandemic.
  
• Maryland map.

Legislative update

• Legislation awaiting DJT's signature
  
  • 2 pending bills sitting on DJT's desk
  
  
• Legislation passed in the House, awaiting Senate
  
  • Another Covid-19 spending bill, not that it looks likely to go anywhere https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr6800
    
  • 414 total pending bills sitting on McConnell's desk
  
  
• Legislation passed in the Senate, awaiting House
  
  • 137 total pending bills sitting on Pelosi's desk