Democrats Condemn Trump – Democrats in the House of Representatives voted to condemn President Trump for tweets in which he told members of Congress to “go back home” before criticizing the US. The tweets, directed at “the squad” consisting of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley, were labeled as being racist and incendiary. Trump tweeted a denial that he is racist or that the tweets were racist in nature.
Effort To Impeach Trump Blocked – The Democrat-led House of Representatives voted down an attempt by Rep. Al Green (D-TX) to impeach President Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been vocally critical of such efforts, concerned that such a vote could imperil the seats of vulnerable Democrats. Pelosi said it would be wiser for Democrats to focus on the investigations being conducted into Trump by six House committees. Even if the House were to impeach Trump, the Republican-led Senate would undoubtedly vote it down, so such a vote is pointless regardless.
John Paul Stevens Dies – Former US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens died this week at the age of 99. Nominated as a conservative by President Gerald Ford in 1975, Stevens shifted far left in his legal opinions. He said that it was not he who moved left, but rather the Court that moved right, making him seem more liberal. Stevens served as an associate justice for 35 years before retiring in 2010.
US No Longer Granting Asylum – The Trump administration announced that they will no longer grant asylum to those who come to the US from third-world countries via the border with Mexico. The US said that there will be some exceptions to this policy, including instances of trafficking. Attorney General Barr said that although the United States is a kind and generous country, the immigration situation is out of control and they simply can’t deal with more people coming in.
Judge Shuts Down Cohen Probe – A federal judge ruled that an investigation into hush-money payments made during the 2016 election by former Trump fixer Michael Cohen should be shut down after prosecutors said they’ve concluded their investigation. The investigation apparently turned up nothing as nobody is expected to be prosecuted based on its conclusions.
Barr, Ross Held In Contempt – House Democrats voted to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress for their refusal to hand over documents related to an effort by President Trump to include a citizenship question on the census. The decision to hold them in contempt can technically allow federal prosecutors to charge their own boss, AG Barr, but that is unlikely to happen.
US Destroys Iranian Drone – President Trump said on Thursday that a US warship destroyed an Iranian drone that was deemed hostile to the vessel. The USS Boxer shot down the drone after it came within 3000 feet of the ship. President Trump blamed Iran for the incident which came just a week after Iran shot down a US drone that was operating near Iranian waters.