Your Daily Dose of Trump and His Administration News
- Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine sued President Trump’s inaugural committee and business, alleging that the committee violated its nonprofit status by spending more than $1 million to book a ballroom at Trump’s D.C. hotel that its staff knew was overpriced and that it barely used. Racine’s suit specifically targets a $1 million deal made between the committee and the Trump Organization for the ballroom during four days around the inaugural, which he alleges was a knowing waste of the nonprofit’s resources to benefit the Trumps.
- President Trump may expand his controversial travel ban with an announcement expected as early as Monday, the three-year anniversary of the original order, which targeted several majority-Muslim nations. The list of countries is not yet final and could be changed, but nations under consideration for new restrictions include Belarus, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania.
- The Trump administration took a key step to approve the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline across 44 miles of land in Montana Wednesday. Indigenous and green groups have said the pipeline could infringe on sacred land and harm the environment, but Trump Interior Chief David Bernhardt touted the move as a “common sense infrastructure improvement in our country.”
- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters Wednesday that he would be “happy to” testify in the Senate impeachment trial against President Trump if he is compelled to by law. House Democrats are eager to ask the secretary what he knew of the president’s alleged pressure campaign against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the center of the impeachment process.
- The Trump Justice Department sided with the state of Ohio on its legislation that outlaws physicians from performing abortions they know are based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome. If the law were to be enforced, physicians who performed an abortion after a diagnosis of Down Syndrome would face a fourth-degree felony charge, loss of medical license and held liable for legal damages. The pregnant woman would not face prosecution.
- President Trump is set to be the first president to address the “March for Life” on the National Mall. Previous presidents have sent video greetings or invited organizers to White House. Trump will be the first to speak in person at the March.
- The Trump administration has approved the transfer of nuclear technical expertise to Saudi Arabia seven times — including twice since the Saudi-orchestrated murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Democratic senator said on Tuesday. Senator Tim Kaine said the administration approved one of those transfers on Oct. 18, 2018, just 16 days after Khashoggi was brutally murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, in an operation that the CIA believes was directed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The second transfer was approved on February 18th.
- The U.S. Department of Transportation released a proposed rule that would let airlines ban most “emotional support” animals in airplane cabins and board only specially trained service dogs to assist people with disabilities. Any animal other than a dog would not qualify as a service animal under the rule, which would limit the number of service animals a passenger can bring to two.
The Past 24 Hours Or So 