5: The Simple Reason Trump Isn’t in Any Actual Trouble
Until Republicans start caring about the Russia scandal, Trump’s position is secure.
So, Donald Trump Jr. met with a lawyer he thought was bringing dirt on Hillary Clinton via the Russian government. Jared Kushner, now a White House adviser, attended that meeting but didn’t disclose it (or several other meetings with Russians) on forms he was required to fill out to receive his top-level security clearance. The Trump team has issued statements about that meeting that have changed as more information has come out about it; only on Friday did the public learn that a lobbyist with reported Russian intelligence ties had attended as well.
Michael Flynn, Donald Trump’s first national security adviser, was fired after the Washington Post revealed that he had lied to other administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, about his communications with the Russian ambassador. Flynn and Kushner attempted to establish a backchannel with Russia that raised eyebrows. Trump himself has questioned the idea that Russia hacked his Democratic opponents despite the conclusions of US intelligence agencies; as of last weekend’s G-20 summit, he was still hemming and hawing, saying, “I think it was Russia but I think it was probably other people and or countries. I see nothing wrong with that statement. Nobody really knows. Nobody really knows for sure.”
Vice News
4: TRUMP’S TEAM OVERSEEING WALL STREET BRINGS IN MORE GOLDMAN SACHS ALUMNI, DOCS REVEAL
AFTER USING GOLDMAN Sachs as a punching bag for his campaign, sharply criticizing his political opponents for ties to the investment bank, Donald Trump has taken unprecedented steps to appoint former Goldman Sachs attorneys and executives to the upper echelons of government.
It goes far beyond what’s been reported. Not only is Jay Clayton Trump’s chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, after serving as the attorney who advised the bank during the bailouts of 2008, but new disclosures show that the team Clayton brought with him to oversee the financial market regulator are also former Goldman Sachs attorneys.
The Intercept obtained the ethics disclosure form for Sean Memon, Clayton’s deputy chief of staff, which shows that Memon previously worked for Goldman Sachs, as well as a range of other Wall Street clients, including Wells Fargo, J.P. Morgan Chase, AIG, MetLife, Ally Financial, and Deutsche Bank.
The Intercept
Al-Aqsa mosque officials have rejected new security measures put in place by Israel as it reopened the holy site following a deadly gun battle that prompted a two-day closure.
Muslim religious authorities, who administer the compound, are refusing to pray there on Sunday after Israeli authorities installed metal detectors and additional close-circuit television cameras.
“The closure of al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the occupation in itself and the prevention of the call for prayers are all unfair and unjust and constitute a violation to the United Nations resolutions and the international agreements,” Omar Kiswani, director of al-Aqsa mosque, told reporters outside the site.
Aljazeera
A revised Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act would gut Medicaid, give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and defund Planned Parenthood, making it harder for women to access breast cancer screenings and basic reproductive services. The revised bill is largely similar to the previous Senate bill, including plans to slash more than $700 billion from Medicaid by 2026. The Congressional Budget Office is expected to complete its assessment of this latest bill by early next week. Republican Senate leaders are pushing for a vote by the end of next week. We speak with Jessica Mason Pieklo, a legal analyst and vice president of law and the courts at Rewire.Democracy Now
The next star of Doctor Who has been announced after intense speculation – and the person stepping into the role of Time Lord is Jodie Whittaker.
She is the first woman to take on the role, playing the 13th Doctor in the BBC1 drama. Whittaker, who rose to fame in ITV’s crime drama Broadchurch, had been touted as one of the contenders.
Debate has been whirring over who would play the Doctor ever since Peter Capaldi announced in January that he was leaving the programme.
The Guardian
