Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
AND NOW, A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Week 93 (Oct. 28-Nov. 3)
Trump refers to the Central American migrant caravan, which consists overwhelming of families fleeing violence and poverty, as an “invasion,” prompting critics to accuse him of fear-mongering in hopes of driving Republicans to the polls.
Week 94 (Nov. 4-10)
Democrats ride a huge antiTrump wave to the polls and win control of the House as well as gubernatorial races in Nevada, Kansas and other states where Trump had endorsed Republican candidates. Trump claims victoryanyway.
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The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds an injunction blocking Trump’s decision to phase out DACA.
••• Trump is criticized for victim-blaming when he cites poor forest management as the cause of deadly wildfires raging in California and threatens to withhold federal assistance to the state if policies aren’t changed. Trump claims that simply raking the forests will fix things. California officials note most of the forest land is federal and that raking is not a solution.
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In another immigration crackdown, the administration issues an order making individuals ineligible for asylum if they cross the border anywhere but a legal point of entry.
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A broken relationship comes to an end when Sessions is forced out.
••• Several media organizations, including Fox News, announce they will not air a new Trump campaign ad that incorrectly blames Democrats for allowing convicted murderer Luis Bracamontes into the country illegally.
••• Playing down speculation that he appointed Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general to squelch the Mueller investigation, Trump tells reporters, “I don’t know Matt Whitaker” and hasn’t spoken to him about the probe. However ...
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… It’s quickly revealed that a month earlier, Trump had told Fox News: “I can tell you Matt Whitaker’s a great guy. I mean, I know Matt Whitaker.” Whitaker, it is learned, has met multiple times with the president.
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In a further sign of the damage caused by Trump’s tariffs, the Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service estimates that net farm income in 2018 will be 13 percent lower than the previous year.
Week 95 (Nov. 11-17)
After clashing with first lady Melania Trump, White House deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel is forced out of the administration.
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A U.S. District Court judge in California rules that the asylum order “irreconcilably conflicts” with immigration law and the “expressed intent of Congress.” Trump lashes out, saying the ruling came from an “Obama judge.” This prompts a rare rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., who issues a statement defending the objectivity of the courts.
••• Trump hits back, tweeting that Roberts is wrong and that “It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an ‘independent judiciary.’” Point of fact: The judge who made the ruling, Jon Tigar, is a federal district judge and not a member of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
••• Trump tells reporters it is a “good time” for a shutdown unless lawmakers approve funding for the border wall.
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Asked about the Mueller probe on Fox News, Trump says “We’ve wasted enough time on this witch hunt.” At this point, the probe has resulted in convictions for three senior Trump associates and a total of 33 people being charged with crimes.
Week 96 (Nov. 18-24)
In response to a Thanksgiving Day question from reporters, Trump says he’s thankful for himself.
“This country is so much stronger now than it was when I took office that you wouldn’t believe it,” he says.
••• Despite reports that the CIA has concluded with “high confidence” that Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s killing, Trump issues a statement in which he continues to stand by the Saudis. The statement says “we may never know all of the facts” about the death and that the U.S. “intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia.” Critics point out this is another example of Trump siding with foreign nationals over U.S. intelligence and protecting wealthy people who do business with his properties.
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The Washington Post reports that Ivanka Trump used personal email extensively for official business — the same actions that Trump and Republicans vilified Hillary Clinton for doing as secretary of state. Trump defends his daughter, describing her emails as “very innocent” and saying they were nothing like Clinton’s.
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The White House announces that troops will be deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border in response to what Trump calls an “invasion” of migrants. Mattis, who has disagreed with Trump on a number of matters, does it again by clarifying that the troops wouldn’t have firearms.
Week 97 (Nov. 25-Dec. 1)
Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress about his dealings in Russia as Trump’s attorney during the 2016 campaign. He admits he and Trump enthusiastically pursued a “Trump Tower Moscow” project throughout the campaign. Prosecutors say Cohen admitted giving false details that suggested Trump had limited involvement and knowledge of the deal, when in fact members of the Trump family had been briefed about it numerous times.
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Trump calls Cohen a “weak person” and says “There would have been nothing wrong” if Trump had been involved in the Moscow deal.
••• Mueller says Manafort has violated his plea deal by lying to investigators, raising the possibility that he is protecting others in the administration and angling for a presidential pardon. Trump says a pardon is not off the table.
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Newly disclosed emails between Trump political adviser Roger Stone and a former associate, Jerome Corsi, show that the two were aware in advance of WikiLeaks’ plan to release hacked emails from Clinton’s presidential campaign. The revelation raises speculation that Stone will become a new focal point in the Mueller investigation, as prosecutors allege that WikiLeaks obtained the emails from a hacker with ties to Russian military intelligence.
••• General Motors announces it will close five manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Canada and eliminate 15 percent of its salaried workforce, partly to adapt to changing consumer demand but also as a result of Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs. Trump slams the company and threatens to take action to damage GM.
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The trade war cools off a bit: After talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit, the U.S. and China declare a 90-day halt on imposition of any new tariffs.
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Trump tweets that steel companies are “opening and renovating plants all over the country” and that “auto companies are pouring into the U.S.” Both statements are lies. BMW only made a soft commitment to opening a plant, and overall auto investment is down. And there’s no widespread trend of building new steelplants.
••• Trump cancels his White House meeting with Putin, citing Russia’s refusal to release Ukrainian Navy ships and sailors seized after a confrontation between the countries days earlier.
••• Somebody else’s problem: Quoting sources close to Trump, Daily Beast reports that the president shrugged off warnings about a coming debt crisis fueled partly by the GOP tax cuts. By the time the crisis comes about, he tells them, he’ll be out of office and won’t have to shoulder the blame. “Yeah, but I won’t be here,” he’s reported to have said.
Week 98 (Dec. 2-8)
After Nikki Haley’s resignation in October as U.N. ambassador, Trump announces his pick for the position — former “Fox & Friends” host Heather Nauert. Nauert had no diplomatic or government experience when she came to the administration in 2017 as the State Department spokeswoman.
••• Ending months of speculation, Trump says Kelly will leave the administration by the end of the year.
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The administration submits a sweeping proposed revision to the Clean Water Act that would strip federal oversight from an extensive collection of wetlands, streams, ponds and similar habitats. In addition, Trump lifts Obama-era limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal power plants.
Week 99 (Dec. 9-15)
Smock ’em if you got ’em: Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, says he would consider it an impeachable offense if Trump’s hush-money payments were found to violate campaign finance laws. Trump tweets: “Democrats can’t find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey’s testimony. … So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution, which it was not (but even if it was, it is only a CIVIL CASE, like Obama’s - but it was done correctly by a lawyer and there would not even be a fine. Lawyer’s liability if he made a mistake, not me). Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!”
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Cohen is sentenced to three years in federal prison. In an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” he says Trump was concerned the women’s stories “would affect the election” and knew the payments were wrong. Trump tweets that he “never directed Michael Cohen to break the law.”
••• Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigns amid a litany of investigations into reported ethics violations, lavish spending and conflicts of interest involving real estate dealings in the former congressman’s home state of Montana.
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A U.S. District Court judge in Texas rules that Obamacare is unconstitutional. “It’s a great ruling for our country. We will be able to get great health care,” Trump says. However, the administration has not advanced a comprehensive plan for American health care in the two years since taking office.
••• Trump tells Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he will be “proud” to shut down the government if Congress doesn’t provide funding for the border wall. •••
Trump tweets that the Justice Department should investigate “Saturday Night Live” for colluding with Democrats.
Week 100 (Dec. 16-22)
Taking a step long dreamed of by Putin, Trump unexpectedly announces that U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Syria, prompting across-the-aisle outcry. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., says it would be an “Obama-like mistake.”
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The Syria announcement is the last straw for Mattis, who steps down. “Because you have a right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position,” Mattis says in his resignation letter.
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With the shutdown deadline approaching on Dec. 21, the White House appears to drop its demand for border wall funding. But after taking criticism from far-right media commentators, Trump does a 180 and says he won’t sign a stopgap spending bill if it doesn’t include the funding. The deadline passes without a deal, and the shutdown begins.
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North Korea announces it will not give up its nuclear weapons as long as the U.S. is a nuclear threat.
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The administration scraps an Obama-era set of guidelines aimed at curbing disproportionate disciplining of students of color.
Week 101 (Dec. 23-29)
ProPublic offers a summary of its Documenting Hate project: “Since we launched the project in January 2017, victims and witnesses of hate incidents have sent us more than 5,400 reports from all 50 states. We’ve verified nearly 1,200 reports, either via independent reporting or through corroborating news coverage. “
••• Answering the White House’s traditional Christmas Eve calls from children, Trump asks a 7-year-old named Collman: “Are you still a believer in Santa? Because at 7, it’s marginal, right?”
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The Dow Jones industrial average plunges to 21,857.73, its lowest finish since August 2017, during a rollercoaster month for the stock market. The month closes with the Dow at 23,153.94.
Epilogue
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Week 102 (Dec. 30-Jan. 5)
Trump signs a sweeping criminal justice reform bill — a rarity in that it has drawn bipartisan support.
Week 103 (Jan. 6-12)
The New York Times reports that in 2017, federal law enforcement officials began an investigation into whether Trump had worked on behalf of Russia against U.S. interests.
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Trump responds with a tweet storm in which he denies the story and makes his often-repeated claim that he’s been far tougher on Russia than Obama, George W. Bush or Bill Clinton.
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The Washington Post reports that Trump seized and withheld the notes from a 2017 meeting with Putin in Helsinki. Trump denies it.
Week 104 (Jan. 13-19)
The Washington Post reveals that since April, when T-Mobile announced a $26 billion merger with rival Sprint that needs the Trump administration’s sign-off, several top T-Mobile executives have stayed at the Trump International hotel near the White House on numerous occasions. The situation raises questions about whether T-Mobile execs and others are patronizing the hotel, where rooms average $300 a night, to curry favor with the administration.
••• Whiplash alert! Giuliani tells CNN’s Chris Cuomo that he “never said there was no collusion” between the Trump campaign and Russia leading to the 2016 presidential election. Giuliani says instead that he never said there was collusion between Trump himself and the Russians. The statement contradict years of tweets and statements from Trump.
As Trump’s first two years draw to a close, Russia has made major advances on the world stage, the Western alliance is on its weakest footing in 70 years, North Korea continues to expand its nuclear capabilities, Trump’s trade war has thrown world trade into a crisis affecting U.S. businesses and consumers, clean air and water regulations have been removed, environmental protections have be relaxed at an unprecedented rate, the federal government has been shut down for the third time, 65 percent of Trump’s Cabinet has left because so few people want to work with this president, multiple Cabinet positions are occupied by “acting” leaders with limited experience in the role, the Mueller investigation is assumed to be nearing its conclusion,
Trump and his family face multiple congressional investigations, economists worry that tariffs and general economic chaos are inviting a recession, and The Washington Post reports that Trump has made 7,645 false or misleading claims as of Dec. 30 while undermining Americans’ expectation that their president be truthful with them.
Trump’s motto continues to be “Make America Great Again.”