Trump Declares National Emergency – After agreeing to sign a spending bill passed in the House and Senate which would avoid another government shutdown, President Trump signed a national emergency declaration which will allow him to funnel money towards building a wall along the border with Mexico. The move has received widespread condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans and is expected to be challenged in court.
Bill Barr Confirmed – On Thursday, the Senate voted 54-45 to confirm William Barr to be the next US Attorney General, replacing Jeff Sessions who was fired by President Trump. Mathew Whitaker had been serving as Acting Attorney General until Barr’s confirmation. Barr, who previously served as US Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush, will oversee the Mueller investigation, and faced extensive questioning from Democrats regarding that during his confirmation hearings. Many Democrats refused to confirm Barr following his refusal to commit to fully releasing the Mueller report once it is finished.
Senate Committee: No Collusion – The Senate Intelligence Committee has found no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to the chairman of the committee, Richard Burr (R-Ala.). The House Intelligence Committee came to the same conclusion several months ago. The House and Senate probes are not related to Mueller’s investigation and it is possible they reach different conclusions.
Klobuchar Jumps In – Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) threw her hat into the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential nominee race on Sunday. Making her announcement outdoors during a blizzard and surrounded by hundreds of supporters, Klobuchar said “I don’t have a political machine. I don’t come from money. But what I do have is this: I have grit”. Klobuchar, who has served in the US Senate since 2007, has come under scrutiny recently after multiple former staffers claimed they were verbally abused by her during their tenure in her office. She is seen as a more moderate figure in the Democratic presidential candidate lineup, and may use that to contrast herself with the likes of ultra-liberal candidates like Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Cory Booker.
Freshman Rep. Omar Under Fire – Freshman Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali-refugee, found herself caught up in a furor this week for repeating centuries-old anti-Semitic tropes about Jews controlling politicians with money. Political leaders from both major US parties immediately began slamming Ms. Omar, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and many others all condemning the newly-minted Representative, and demanding that she apologize. The House of Representatives even passed a resolution rebuking Omar for her comments. After a milquetoast apology by Ilhan Omar, President Trump chimed in, calling the apology inadequate and demanded that she resign or at least be removed from her Congressional committees.
Dems “Green New Deal” Gets Mocked – A “Green New Deal” proposed by progressive House Democrats including the polarizing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attracted widespread ridicule from across the nation and political spectrums. Even Nancy Pelosi brushed away the ideas outlined in the “Green New Deal” and left Ocasio-Cortez off a key panel on climate change. Mitch McConnel said there will be a vote in the Senate on the deal to see who actually supports it.
American Accused Of Spying For Iran – Monica Elfriede Witt, 39, was an Air Force counterintelligence agents who joined US missions in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. On Wednesday, the Justice Department accused her of betraying the United States, charging her with two counts of espionage. She is also believed to have helped Iran with spearfishing campaigns, and to have provided intelligence information with Iranian intelligence. It is not clear if her actions caused the United States any harm. Ms. Witt is believed to be in Iran and will likely not face justice in a US court.