Week #28:  May 28, 2017

This week the Trump-Russia scandal reached the inner circle of Trump's WH, as bombshells revealed Kushner is a central focus of the FBI investigation. The Trump regime established a war room as the walls of Trump-Russia cave in on them, with breaking news daily. Also of note this week is the myriad of examples of Trump distancing our country from our traditional allies, and instead cozying up to brutal authoritarians. Human rights abroad are no longer a priority -- the focus seems to have shifted to where the Trump organization has properties. ____________________________________________________________

1.

Trump's attorney said he wouldn't sign his 2016 financial disclosure, a major departure from the norm. After OGE pushback, Trump said he would sign, but has yet to do so.   Read More About This

2.

The White House also blocked disclosure of names of former lobbyists who have been granted waivers to work in the White House or for federal agencies. Late Friday, the White House said they would comply, but has yet to do so.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

3.

GOP Senators are considering changing rules to make it harder for Democrats to block Trump's picks for circuit court judges. This follows the "nuclear option" which eased the path for Trump's SCOTUS pick.   Read More About This

4.

Tillerson held a press conference in Riyadh on a new US-Saudi partnership. US media was excluded.   Read More About This

5.

NPR reported there's been an unprecedented spike of white supremacist activity on college campuses since Trump was elected.   Read More About This

6.

Shortly after announcing his resignation from Congress, Chaffetz said individuals leaking info to the press should go to jail.   Read More About This

7.

Trump considered vetoing the temporary spending bill. Priebus asked Boehner to talk Trump into signing and keeping the government open.   Read More About This

8.

As the Trump regime's visited Saudi Arabia, the kingdom announced it would invest $20bn in Blackstone's new $40bn infrastructure fund.   Read More About This

9.

Saudi Arabia will also invest $100mm in Ivanka's Women Entrepreneurs Fund. In addition to other human right's abuses, the kingdom has one of the worst records globally for treatment of its women.   Read More About This

10.

During a photo op with Netanyahu on his visit to Israel, Trump confirmed the source of his leak to Lavrov and Kislyak at the White House by telling the press he "never mentioned the word or the name Israel."   Read More About This

11.

FP reported that Israel changed its intelligence sharing with the US after Trump's leak to Russia.   Read More About This

12.

Turkey summoned the US envoy to complain about the treatment of Ergodan's bodyguards for beating up US protestors.   Read More About This

13.

Amid rising tensions, Turkey signed a $1.5mm contract with longtime Trump lobbyist Brian Ballard. Ballard's firm has also recently signed contracts with the Dominican Republic and the Socialist Party of Albania.   Read More About This

14.

A leaked transcript prepared by the Philippines government of a phone call between Trump and Duterte described Trump praising the brutal authoritarian: "what a great job you are doing" with the drug problem.   Read More About This

15.

Also on the call with Duterte, Trump revealed the location of two US nuclear submarines.   Read More About This

16.

US officials were chastised for leaking the identity of the Manchester bomber to the press before British police officially named him.   Read More About This

17.

UK officials were also outraged when photos of the debris surfaced in the NYT, and said they would stop sharing information about the attack with their US counterparts. Later that day, sharing reportedly resumed.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

18.

Flynn's lawyer said his client would invoke his Fifth Amendment rights rather than comply with a Senate Intel Comm subpoena. Burr and Warner said they are considering holding Flynn in contempt.   Read More About This

19.

Christie told reporters that as head of Trump's transition team, he told Trump not to hire Flynn in any capacity. Pence took over as head next.   Read More About This

20.

Sessions canceled his Monday testimony on DOJ funding before Congress, for fear the hearing would be overtaken by questions are the Trump-Russia scandal.   Read More About This

21.

Cummings said the House Oversight Comm has documents that show Flynn lied to security clearance investigators in 2016. Flynn claimed he was paid by "US companies," not Russia's RT, for his 2015 Moscow trip.   Read More About This

22.

CNN reported that Mueller visited FBI headquarters, and was briefed on the contents of Comey's Trump memos.   Read More About This

23.

WAPO reported Trump asked intel chiefs Coats and Rogers to publicly say there was no collusion between Russia and Trump in the 2016 election. The goal was to "muddy the waters" about the FBI probe.   Read More About This

24.

Like Comey, Rogers was concerned about his conversations with Trump, and kept contemporaneous notes.   Read More About This

25.

WAPO also reported that White House staffers tried to get senior intel officers and members of Congress to push back on the stories that the Trump regime members were in frequent contact with Russian officials.   Read More About This

26.

Sen. Duckworth sent a letter to the NSA requesting info on security sweeps of the Oval Office after Trump's meeting with Lavrov and Kislyak.   Read More About This

27.

A member of the FEC called for an investigation into Russia's purchase of Facebook ads to possibly boost Trump in the election.   Read More About This

28.

At a House hearing, former CIA director Brennan testified that he was convinced last summer that "the Russians were trying to interfere in the election. And they were very aggressive"   Read More About This

29.

Brennan also testified on significant contact between the Trump campaign and Russia, citing Russians efforts to get US persons "to act on their behalf either wittingly or unwittingly."   Read More About This

30.

Brennan also said he alerted the FBI about the troubling pattern in July, seeming to form the basis for the start of the FBI investigation.   Read More About This

31.

Despite the Trump's regime efforts to limit the scope of Mueller's investigation -- citing Kushner, Ivanka and Manafort are clients of his former law firm -- the DOJ cleared Mueller to lead the Russia probe.   Read More About This

32.

The Senate Intel Comm subpoenaed two Flynn companies. Businesses, if corporations, cannot plead the Fifth.   Read More About This

33.

On Thursday, the Senate Intel Comm voted to give Burr and Warner blanket authority to issue subpoenas in the Trump-Russia probe.   Read More About This

34.

Burr and Warner asked Trump's political organization to produce all Russia-related documents, emails and phone records going back to his campaign's launch in June 2015.   Read More About This

35.

STAT reported on experts citing that the deterioration in Trump's linguistic capabilities could reflect changes in the health of his brain.   Read More About This

36.

Infowars was given White House press credentials.   Read More About This

37.

The NEH chairman resigned amid Trump's budget rollout which calls for huge cuts to domestic programs.   Read More About This

38.

A top Education Department official resigned after refusing DeVos's orders to testify before a congressional oversight hearing.   Read More About This

39.

Trump released his budget with a $2tn double-counting error. Larry Summers described it as, "the most egregious accounting error in a presidential budget in the nearly 40 years I have been tracking them."   Read More About This

40.

Trump's Caribbean estate was quietly put on the market at a significantly higher price than he paid in 2013, again raising ethical concerns of potential buyers paying above market to gain access.   Read More About This

41.

NYT reported on ethical concerns over the Trump family golf business, as the PGA comes to Trump National, and access to Trump, who frequents his courses, is being touted as a marketing point for membership.   Read More About This

42.

Demonstrating how Trump's friends continue to influence policy, Icahn is set to save $60mm for his oil refinery company CVR Energy in the first quarter due to planned easing of regulations.   Read More About This

43.

Giuliani attempted to distance himself from Trump's Muslim Ban, despite his bragging on Fox News months ago that he was consulted by Trump.   Read More About This

44.

DeVos said states should have the flexibility to discriminate against LGBTQ students, and schools will not be at risk of losing federal funds.   Read More About This

45.

Although before taking office Trump promised to donate all profits earned from foreign governments back to the US Treasury, according to NBC, the Trump Organization is not tracking these payments. The Constitution bans presidents from receiving foreign government gifts.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

46.

93% of key roles in the executive branch remain unfilled.   Read More About This

47.

Buzzfeed reported the guest reception manager at Mar-A-Lago, wife of a twice-convicted felon who likes to brag about his wife's access, was assigned a White House email and phone and helped with Trump's overseas plans.   Read More About This

48.

A new study found that tourism to the US has been on the decline since Trump took office, dropping by as much as 16%.   Read More About This

49.

The Carrier plant in Indiana, where to much ballyhoo Trump showcased saving 800 jobs, announced mass layoffs before Christmas. The jobs are being moved to Mexico.   Read More About This

50.

FP reported NATO countries were frantically preparing for their summit with Trump. One official said, "It's like they're preparing to deal with a child  --  someone with a short attention span and mood who has no knowledge of NATO, no interest in in-depth policy issues, nothing."   Read More About This

51.

At the NATO summit in Brussels, Trump pushed the PM of Montenegro aside, before chastising participants for not paying their share of NATO costs. His behavior was met with uniform disgust by our allies.   Read More About This

52.

Trump also refused to clearly back Article 5, the one-for-all, all-for-one principle of NATO, and remained at odd with our allies over Russia.   Read More About This

53.

Trump also said of Germany, our close ally, "The Germans are bad, very bad."   Read More About This

54.

Aya Hijazi, who Trump had bragged about negotiating her release from an Egyptian prison, told PBS's Woodruff that Trump did not understand that it was el-Sisi's regime that held her.   Read More About This

55.

On Wednesday, Greg Gianforte, running for Montana's open Congressional seat, body slammed a reporter when asked about AHCA CBO scoring. Like Trump, Gianforte has had harsh rhetoric on the media. Gianforte was charged with assault the night before the election.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

56.

Weeks before Jacobs had reported on Gianforte's ownership of Russian index funds, whose holdings include companies like Rosneft which are under US sanctions.   Read More About This

57.

Press advocates cited four incidents between the press and public officials in the past month, saying Trump's rhetoric has led to a "climate of anger, disrespect and hostility" towards the press.   Read More About This

58.

POLITICO reported that Trump reached out to former campaign staffers Lewandowski and Bossie about becoming crisis managers as the Trump-Russia scandal unfolds.   Read More About This

59.

In a surprising move, Trump hired his longtime personal lawyer Marc Kasowitz to represent him in the special counsel's Trump-Russia probe.   Read More About This

60.

CNN reported the Trump regime is establishing a war room-type operation aimed at developing a rapid-response to Trump-Russia news.   Read More About This

61.

As the CBO came out with alarming scoring on Trumpcare/AHCA, Trump ally Gingrich called for the abolishment of the CBO.   Read More About This

62.

Trump's budget targets undocumented immigrants by denying them tax credits and jobs, while significantly beefing up his deportation force.   Read More About This

63.

The Trump regime kept US reporters largely in the dark during his overseas trip this week: delaying readouts, keeping reporters at a distance, and refusing to hold new conferences.   Read More About This

64.

Trump ally Sheriff Clarke directed his staff waiting at the terminal to hassle a plane passenger after a brief exchange. The passenger is suing Clarke and his deputies involved.   Read More About This

65.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a nationwide injunction against Trump's second Muslim Ban by a 10–3 vote. The Chief Judge said the ban, "drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination."   Read More About This

66.

In their efforts to highlight crimes committed by undocumented immigrants through their VOICE program, Trump's DHS published a database with the personal information of abuse victims.   Read More About This

67.

For the first time in almost two decades, Tillerson declined to host a Ramadan event at the State Dept.   Read More About This

68.

In Portland, OR, a suspect hurled insults at Muslim women on a MAX train, before stabbing men who tried to stop him. Two are dead.   Read More About This

69.

According to the DOJ, Sessions did not disclose his meetings with Kislyakin his security clearance application.   Read More About This

70.

Sessions remains AG despite having lied both to the Senate under oath and on his security clearance application about Russia, as well as playing a role in Comey's firing despite being recused on Trump-Russia matters.

71.

Members of the House Financial Services Comm asked Deutsche Bank to produce documents on Trump family loans. As mentioned in Week 18's list, Deutsche has been fined for laundering money for Russia.   Read More About This

72.

NYT reported that US spies collected info last summer that top Russian officials were discussing how to exert influence on Trump through his aides, Manafort and Flynn.   Read More About This

73.

POLITICO reported that despite the Trump spin that Manafort was a minor player and not in touch with his regime, Manafort called Priebus the week before the inauguration to discuss the growing Russia scandal.   Read More About This

74.

WAPO reported that a fake Russian document which claimed assurances from AG Lynch to the Clinton campaign on the email investigation, influenced Comey's handling of the investigation, including his unusual news conference in July without conferring with the DOJ.   Read More About This

75.

Although Comey had the Russian document for months before the July news conference, the FBI did not take the simple steps needed to prove it to be bad intelligence until after July.   Read More About This

76.

WIRED reported that Russian hackers are weaponizing "tainted" leaks -- planting altered materials with disinformation alongside legitimate leaks.   Read More About This

77.

WSJ reported that a GOP political operative, Aaron Nevins, worked with the Russians to hurt Clinton and Democrats during the election -- the first direct evidence of collusion.   Read More About This

78.

WAPO reported that the FBI "person of interest" in the White House referenced in their reporting last week is Kushner. The FBI is investigating Kushner for the extent and nature of his contacts with Russian officials.   Read More About This

79.

Further, WAPO reported the FBI is investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 election, as well as possible financial crimes.   Read More About This

80.

The FBI informed House Oversight Comm chair Chaffetz that they will not turn over Comey's memos, leaving open the prospect that Mueller is investigating Trump for obstruction of justice.   Read More About This

81.

Lieberman became the fourth candidate under consideration by Trump for FBI director to withdraw from consideration.   Read More About This

82.

After demurring on whether Trump would lift sanctions on Russia Thursday, top Trump adviser, under media scrutiny, said Friday the sanctions would remain in place.   Read More About This

83.

A Quinnipiac poll found that most Americans believe Trump is abusing his power (54–43), and most believe he is not honest (59–36).   Read More About This

84.

WAPO reported at a meeting at Trump Tower in early December, Kushner proposed to Kislyak setting up a secret communication channel between the Kremlin and the Trump regime using Russian diplomatic facilities.   Read More About This

85.

Kislyak was reportedly taken aback by the suggestion, and concerned Kushner's request would expose Russian communication capabilities.   Read More About This

86.

Kushner's goal was to avoid US intelligence monitoring. Flynn attended the meeting with Kislyak too.   Read More About This

87.

Of note, both Kislyak and Flynn secretly met with a UAE crown prince around the time that prince was setting up a meeting between Erik Prince and a Russian official in Seychelles (see Week 21's list). Trump met that same UAE crown prince at the White House last week.

88.

Reuters reported that Kushner had at least three previously undisclosed contacts with Kislyak during and after the 2016 presidential campaign.   Read More About This

89.

Reuters reported FBI investigators are examining whether Russians suggested to Kushner or other Trump aides relaxing US sanctions in exchange for making bank financing available to the Trump regime.   Read More About This

90.

In response to the Reuters piece, Kushner's lawyer issued a statement that Kushner, "has no recollection of the calls as described."   Read More About This

91.

Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska has offered to cooperate with Congress in their investigation of Manafort in exchange for immunity. Noted in Week 27, Deripaska is suing AP for libel for reporting his ties to Manafort.   Read More About This

92.

Owners of Russian Alfa Bank sued Buzzfeed Friday in state court in Manhattan for publishing the Steele dossier.   Read More About This

93.

Amidst the Trump-Russia turmoil, Trump canceled his Iowa campaign rally scheduled for next week.   Read More About This

Replicated from:   https://medium.com/@Amy_Siskind/week-28-experts-in-authoritarianism-advise-to-keep-a-list-of-things-subtly-changing-around-you-so-b772e6b7f47d

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Week #27:  May 21, 2017

This week's list has over 100 items, and matches the feel of complete chaos:   bombshell after bombshell about Trump's ties to, and efforts to undermine the investigation into Russia. Although the biggest headline of the week was the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Trump-Russia, of equal importance was the diurnal harbingers of our fading democracy. Trump's WH invitation to yet another brutal authoritarian: Ergodan of Turkey, and the ensuing melee outside the Turkish embassy in DC, is a wake-up call for us all. ____________________________________________________________

1.

WSJ reported that three former employees of the Trump organization saw him tape phone calls from Trump Tower. Trump still has not revealed if his alleged taped conversations with Comey really exist.   Read More About This

2.

The Economist interviewed Trump about his economic policy, and described his strategy to be "unimaginative and incoherent." The interview revealed alarming lack of knowledge of basic concepts.   Read More About This

3.

Gen Michael Hayden said on CNN he's usually not in favor of special prosecutors, but after Trump fired Comey, "I've changed my mind."   Read More About This

4.

Richard Spencer and his torch-carrying white supremacist followers marched in Charlottesville, VA to protest the removal of a Confederate monument, chanting, "You will not replace us."   Read More About This

5.

Merkel's party seized a key state from rivals in the last election, putting her in a strong position for Germany's general election in September. This would mark the fourth setback for Putin since Trump.   Read More About This

6.

An NBC poll found that just 29% approve of Trump firing Comey, and 78% want an outside special prosecutor.   Read More About This

7.

Trump spent Mother's Day on the golf course, and did not see Melania or Barron.

8.

The Trump regime issued a statement on N. Korea's missile test, whichoddly started out with a Russian perspective.   Read More About This

9.

NY Magazine reported that candidates for FBI director were being screened for their loyalty to Trump.   Read More About This

10.

WAPO reported on the ways Trump has leveraged his presence at Mar-A-Lago to enhance his club's event business and enrich himself.   Read More About This

11.

Axios reported Sunday that Trump is considering a sweeping shake-up in his regime. One confidant said, "He's frustrated, and angry at everyone."   Read More About This

12.

The Trump regime has hidden massive amounts of data on issues such as workplace violations, energy efficiency, and animal welfare abuses  -- lessening the "naming and shaming" effect on corporate behavior.   Read More About This

13.

Clapper said US institutions are under assault  -- both externally with Russian interference in our election system, and internally from Trump.   Read More About This

14.

WNYC reported NJ Republican Rep. Frelinghuysen wrote a letter to a constituent's employer complaining about her progressive activism: "P.S. One of the ringleaders works in your bank!"   Read More About This

15.

Page wrote a bizarre letter to Rosenstein, complaining about Obama and Clinton, and citing Maroon 5 lyrics in the footnotes.   Read More About This

16.

A WAPO reporter noted "This Is Not Normal," when the paper accidentally published Mathis's personal cell phone number, which was on a yellow sticky note in a photo of Trump bodyguard Keith Schiller.   Read More About This

17.

Russian aluminum oligarch Deripaska is suing AP for libel in connection with their reporting on his ties to Manafort.   Read More About This

18.

Mother Jones reported that 50 farmworkers outside of Bakersfield, CA were poisoned by a pesticide just green-lighted by Trump's EPA.   Read More About This

19.

Trump met with UAE crown prince Sheikh Mohammed at the White House Monday. In Week 21 it was noted that this crown prince brokered a meeting between Prince and a Putin ally in Seychelles, shortly after a clandestine US meeting with Kushner, Bannon and Flynn.   Read More About This

20.

On Monday, WAPO reported that Trump revealed highly classified information on ISIS to Lavrov and Kislyak at the White House meeting. As mentioned in Week 26, US media was excluded.   Read More About This

21.

WAPO also noted that they withheld the most significant details from the story at the urging of White House officials who warned "revealing them would jeopardize important intelligence capabilities."   Read More About This

22.

Buzzfeed confirmed WAPO's story, adding an official who was briefed on Trump's leak said, "it's far worse than what has already been reported."   Read More About This

23.

Reuters and NYT also confirmed the story, with NYT adding the leaked information came from an ally. The White House continued to deny the WAPOstory Monday night.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

24.

Trump took to Twitter Tuesday morning saying he leaked to Russia for "humanitarian reasons" and which he has "the absolute right to do." Trump also ironically tweeted a complaint about "the LEAKERS."   Read More About This;  Click here, also

25.

Fmr US ambassador to Russia McFaul said Trump does not "have the right to leak classified information obtained from other countries, without their permission."   Read More About This

26.

A European official told AP that their country "might stop sharing intel with US if Trump gave classified info to Russian diplomats."   Read More About This

27.

At a press conference Tuesday, McMaster claimed that Trump decided to leak highly classified info to the Russians on the spur of moment, and wasn't aware where the information came from.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

28.

NYT reported that Israel was the source of the intelligence given to Russia. The leak raises concerns that the information could be passed to Iran, "Russia's close ally and Israel's main threat in the region."   Read More About This

29.

Buzzfeed reported an Israeli intelligence official said knowing Trump leaked to Russia without that country's prior knowledge was Israel's "worst fears confirmed."   Read More About This

30.

ABC reported Trump's leak endangered an Israeli spy placed inside ISIS.   Read More About This

31.

WSJ reported that the Israeli source Trump leaked was considered so sensitive, it wasn't shared with Five Eyes, our closest allies.   Read More About This

32.

For the first time, more Americans support Trump's impeachment (48%) than oppose it (41%) according to PPP. Their polling was conducted before the Russia leak.   Read More About This

33.

Trump hosted Turkey's Ergodan at the WH, another in a string of brutal authoritarians invited to the White House despite human rights abuses at home.   Read More About This

34.

After the meeting, a video captured Ergodan's bodyguards viciously attacking protestors outside the Turkish embassy in DC. Later, a video surfaced of Ergodan watching as his guards beat protestors.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

35.

DC police chief Newsham said diplomatic immunity could limit what the city can do to hold Erogodan's bodyguards accountable.   Read More About This

36.

Republicans and Democrats spoke out against the attack, with McCain calling for Turkey's ambassador to be expelled.   Read More About This

37.

Ceren Borazan tweeted a photo (see below) and wrote: "Dear @POTUSI'm being attackd in this photo. I was assaulted by this man, strangled for protesting. Please help me find & prosecute this man." The tweet was retweeted over 55k times. Trump has not responded to the assaults.   Read More About This

38.

Following outcry, the State Dept summoned the Turkish ambassador; but two bodyguards who were detained, we released and allowed to leave without redress.   Read More About This

39.

The @VP account tweeted then deleted a photo of Trump and Ergodan's sons in law -- both in government positions of power -- seated across from one another at lunch.   Read More About This

40.

NYT reported that Comey had been writing memos on his interactions with Trump, including a February 14 meeting at which Trump asked Comey to end the FBI investigation of Flynn.   Read More About This

41.

NYT also reported that the meeting took place in the Oval Office, and before it started, Trump asked Sessions and Pence to leave the room.   Read More About This

42.

According to a Comey associate, Trump also told Comey he should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information.   Read More About This

43.

WAPO reported Comey had shared his notes with a small circle in the FBI and DOJ  -- raising questions of whether Sessions and Rosenstein were aware before they wrote the memo to back Trump's firing of Comey.   Read More About This

44.

That evening, and the following morning, TV networks -- including Fox News -- complained that elected Republicans were refusing to go on-air.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

45.

The Russian Foreign Minister advised Americans not to believe the WAPOstory on Trump leaking to Russia. A spokesperson wrote on Facebook about American newspaper: "You shouldn't read them."   Read More About This

46.

Wednesday morning, Putin offered to hand over records of Trump and Lavrov's conversation to the US House and Senate.   Read More About This

47.

NBC reported Feds have subpoenaed Manafort for a $3.5mm mortgagetaken out on his Hampton home just after leaving the Trump campaign. Mortgage documents were never filed, and taxes never paid on the loan.   Read More About This

48.

Eleven Democratic Senators called for an investigation of Sessions's involvement with the Comey firing, after his stated recusal from the Trump-Russia investigation.   Read More About This

49.

In another sign of US decline under Trump, France's PM, economic minister and national security adviser are all experts on Germany.   Read More About This

50.

27-year-old Jean Jimenez-Joseph became the seventh person this year to die while under ICE custody. Jimenez-Joseph committed suicide, but ICE said he 'passed away' while at a detention center.   Read More About This

51.

ICE data revealed 41,000 arrests in Trump's first 100 days, a 38% increase over the same period in 2016.   Read More About This

52.

As crises loom this week, a new NBC/WSJ poll found that only a quarter of Americans find Trump to be honest.   Read More About This

53.

WSJ reported Russian state-run bank VEB indirectly provided hundreds of millions in financing to Ukrainian steel mill owned by Alexander Shnaider, who then funded construction of a Trump project in Toronto.   Read More About This

54.

Delivering a commencement speech at the Coast Guard Academy, Trump said, "No politician in history… has been treated worse or more unfairly."   Read More About This

55.

On Wednesday, Rosenstein appointed a special counsel, Robert Mueller, to oversee the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion between Russia and the Trump regime.   Read More About This

56.

Rosenstein was set to appear before the full Senate on Thursday and House on Friday.

57.

The White House was blinded by the special counsel news: given only 30 minutes advanced notice.   Read More About This

58.

WH PR strategy was in chaos, with Conway cancelling a scheduled appearance on Tucker Carlson's show an hour before airtime. No members of Trump's inner circle appeared on TV Wednesday.   Read More About This

59.

WAPO reported a month before Trump clinched the GOP nomination, in a private conversation with fellow GOP leaders, House Majority Leader McCarthy said Trump could be getting money from Putin, "There's two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump."   Read More About This

60.

Some GOP leaders laughed, and McCarthy continued, "Swear to God." Speaker Ryan swore the attendees to secrecy.   Read More About This

61.

When called for comment, spokespeople for Ryan and McCarthy denied the WAPO story -- until the Post told them they had audio.   Read More About This

62.

Pence registered a PAC on Wednesday, typically a signal of seeking higher office. Neither Biden or Cheney had active PACs while in office.   Read More About This

63.

NYT reported that Flynn officially disclosed to the Trump transition team on January 4 that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbying for Turkey.   Read More About This

64.

Pence headed Trump's transition team, but he continued to deny he knew about Flynn's lobbying. Pence was also notified about Flynn by Rep. Cummings in a letter dated November 18.   Read More About This

65.

NYT reported the Trump regime was aware of Flynn's business dealings in early November, even before his infamous pro-Turkey op-ed on Nov 8.   Read More About This

66.

NYT also reported acting FBI director McCabe confirmed to Congress a "highly significant" investigation into possible collusion between the Trump regime and Russia to sway the 2016 election.   Read More About This

67.

FBI prosecutor Brandon Van Grack is leading a grand jury inquiry in VA looking into Flynn's foreign lobbying, and has started issuing subpoenas.   Read More About This

68.

NBC reported that both Manafort and Flynn are considered "subjects" of a criminal investigation.   Read More About This

69.

Also per NBC: the FBI, with help from the Treasury Dept, CIA and other agencies, is examining contacts, money transfers and business relationships between the Trump regime and Russia.   Read More About This

70.

McClatchy reported that one of the Trump regime's first foreign policy decisions, involving the fight against ISIS, was made by Flynn in coordination with outgoing NSA Susan Rice. Flynn went against Obama administration advice, and put Turkey's interests ahead of US interests.   Read More About This

71.

Reuters reported that the Trump regime had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russian officials in the 7 months leading up to the election.   Read More About This

72.

Six of the undisclosed contacts involved Kislyak with Flynn and three other Trump regime members. The other 12 involved Russian officials or people close to Putin and Trump campaign advisers.   Read More About This

73.

Reuters also reported that after the election, Flynn and Kislyak had conversations about setting up a back-channel communication between Trump and Putin that could bypass the US national security bureaucracy.   Read More About This

74.

Yahoo reported that Trump was in touch with Flynn as recently as April 25th, telling him to "stay strong."   Read More About This

75.

On Thursday, Flynn's lawyer said his client will not honor the Senate Intel Comm's subpoena.   Read More About This

76.

WH advisers and personal associates are urging Trump to hire an experienced outside attorney to deal with the Trump-Russia probe.   Read More About This

77.

TIME reported Russia tried to hack the Defense Dept's Twitter accountsby sending 10,000+ tailored messages in an effort to get them to click, which would have enabled hackers to control the account.   Read More About This

78.

Thursday, Chaffetz, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, resigned from Congress without explanation.   Read More About This

79.

Newsweek reported that Trump staffers are starting to look for new jobs, and are worried about the taint of having worked for the Trump regime.   Read More About This

80.

Thursday, Rosenstein briefed the Senate. McCaskill and other senators said shared that Rosenstein knew Comey was going to be fired before he wrote his memo.

81.

Thursday, Trump tweeted the Special Counsel/Russian is the "single greatest witch hunt of a politician," and continued to cite Rosenstein's memo as justification for his firing of Comey.   Read More About This

82.

Trump denied collusion between his campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, but said "I can only speak for myself."   Read More About This

83.

On Friday, Rosenstein released his opening remarks to the House and Senate which include on Comey firing, "My memorandum is not a statement of reasons to justify a for-cause termination."   Read More About This

84.

After Rosenstein briefed the House, Cummings told the media, "This is about the fight for the soul of our democracy. We cannot afford to lose this one."   Read More About This

85.

NYT reported Trump called Comey weeks after taking office, and asked when he was planning to publicly state that Trump was not under investigation. Comey tried to explain proper chains of communication.   Read More About This

86.

According to a friend, Comey was troubled by many of his encounters with Trump, including a Jan 22 ceremony in the White House blue room, where Comey tried to blend in the blue curtains to avoid Trump's attention.   Read More About This

87.

WAPO also reported on Comey's apprehension around meetings with Trump, citing his extensive preparations with staff, and writing out notes in his car directly after meetings.   Read More About This

88.

NYT also reported Priebus asked Comey to push back on media reports in mid February that the Trump regime had been in contact with Russia during the election.   Read More About This

89.

Kushner, while in a White House room with a high-level delegation of Saudis, called the chief executive of Lockheed Martin, and asked if she would cut the price on a $100bn+ weapons deal with Saudi Arabia.   Read More About This

90.

CNN reported that despite his recusal, Nunes continues to review intelligence relating to Russia, including as part of the Gang of Eight. Nunes had recused himself over his close ties to the Trump regime.   Read More About This

91.

Pence's team continued to spin stories and distance him from Trump, indicating Pence was kept in the dark on Flynn and Russia, and that he's a "loyal soldier" but the news cycle is wearing on him.   Read More About This

92.

In Trump's first 119 days, he has made 586 false and misleading claims.   Read More About This

93.

As Trump floated Joe Lieberman as his top pick for FBI director, mysteriously Liberman's Wikipedia page was edited to remove 'Donald Trump' as a notable client of his firm.   Read More About This

94.

As Trump leaves for his first overseas trip, foreign leaders have been instructed to praise him for winning the Electoral College. A report cited: 'Compliment him on his election win, and compare him favorably to former President Obama.'   Read More About This

95.

On Friday, Rep. Carlos Curbelo became the first Republican to call for Trump's impeachment.   Read More About This

96.

Spicer issued a statement Friday afternoon in response to NYT stories, accusing Comey of "grandstanding" and "politicizing" the Russia probe, and hurting our ability "to engage and negotiate with Russia."   Read More About This

97.

NYT reported late Friday on a document detailing conversations between Trump and Russian officials in the Oval Office. Trump said "I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job."   Read More About This

98.

Stepping closer to obstruction of justice charges, Trump also allegedly told Russian officials that firing Comey had relieved "great pressure" on him, and that he is not under investigation.   Read More About This

99.

WAPO reported late Friday that law enforcement has identified a current White House official as "a significant person of interest."   Read More About This

100.

Reuters reported that the Trump regime is exploring ways to use obscure ethics rules to undermine the special counsel investigation of Trump-Russia -- citing since Kushner and Manafort were clients of Mueller's former firm, Mueller should be barred from investigating them.   Read More About This

101.

Late Friday, NY Magazine reported the person of interest in the WAPOstory is Kushner.   Read More About This

102.

CNN reported that intercepts of Russian communications reveal Russian officials bragged during the presidential campaign that they could use Flynn to influence Trump.   Read More About This

103.

Trump pick for deputy Treasury Secretary, James Donovan, withdrew from consideration on Friday.   Read More About This

104.

A former Trump campaign official who has hired counsel in the Russian probe told a CNN reporter that Trump should help pay for legal costs.   Read More About This

105.

As Trump left for his first foreign trip, one reporter noted, "Almost palpable relief the circus has left town for a few days." Truly was a different feel from the not normal chaos of recent months.

Replicated from:   https://medium.com/@Amy_Siskind/week-27-experts-in-authoritarianism-advise-to-keep-a-list-of-things-subtly-changing-around-you-so-cd6be88c85b7

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Week #26:  May 14, 2017

What stands out in Week 26 is our normalization of a leader who bold-faced lies to us, and the ease with which Trump continues to indulge in this behavior. We've entered uncharted territory: Trump fired the FBI director in charge of investigating him and his regime's ties to Russia, and admitted he did so because of the investigation. The other take-away of Week 26 is what you missed. We're in such a state of constant chaos, it's easy to overlook the ways the Trump regime continues to tear the fabric of our values, to loot every cent they can, and to move us further away from democracy. ____________________________________________________________

1.

Despite Russian involvement, Macron defeated Le Pen handily in France's presidential election, marking the third European country (Austria, Netherlands) to reject the Trump-like candidate since the US election.   Read More About This

2.

A shocking Guardian article detailed the use of data to influence the outcome of Brexit and the US election. Names tied to the scandal include Trump, Farage, Thiel, Bannon, and Mercer and his Cambridge Analytica.   Read More About This

3.

The article also warned that the Trump regime is already weaponizing US data for future elections, citing the company that helped Trump winhas "been awarded contracts in the Pentagon and the US state."   Read More About This

4.

While in Beijing for a meeting with potential investors for the family's New Jersey project, Kushner's sister mentioned Jared and the EB-5 visa program to market the investment. EB-5 visas allow immigrants a path to a green card for investing $500,000 in a project that creates US jobs.   Read More About This

5.

The Kushner family later apologized after being accused of kleptocracy by the media.   Read More About This

6.

A WAPO researcher who attended the meeting tweeted, "I was threatened, harassed and forced to delete recordings and photos of The Kushner family recruiting Chinese investors in US Green cards."   Read More About This

7.

Page said he would no longer cooperate with the Senate Intel Comm's request, saying he wants information he requested on the "unjustified civil rights violations by the Clinton/Obama regime."   Read More About This

8.

Eric Trump reportedly told a reporter back in 2014, when asked about funding golf courses, "Well, we don't rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia."   Read More About This

9.

Eric Trump later denied having said this, but Donald Jr. had similarly said at a real estate conference in 2008: "We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia."   Read More About This

10.

Trump-connected lobbyists are making millions at major companies and foreign governments by touting their access to the Trump regime.   Read More About This

11.

Goldman Sachs hired a top Trump campaign staffer, David Urban, as a lobbyist.   Read More About This

12.

Eight Senate Democrats asked regulators to investigate whether Trump friend Carl Icahn violated insider trading laws in the biofuel market.   Read More About This

13.

Wilbur Ross doubled down on the Trump regime rhetoric with Canada on tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, and warned Canada that "threats of retaliatory action" are "inappropriate."   Read More About This

14.

Nikki Haley issued a strong statement on Venezuela, citing Maduro's 'disregard for the fundamental rights of his own people.' As Venezuela's state-owned oil company donated $500k to Trump inauguration, the rest of the regime has been silent.   Read More About This

15.

The State Depart has yet to resume daily press briefings.   Read More About This

16.

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel revived the deleted EPA climate change webpage, which as cited in Week 24 was mysteriously taken down on a Friday night, and put the information up on Chicago's website.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

17.

Minutes after an ABC reporter asked Spicer why Trump's campaign website still calls for a Muslim ban, that reference was deleted.   Read More About This

18.

Despite Trump's promises to keep jobs in the US, Indiana's Rexnord -- in Pence's home state nearby Carrier which Trump visited to much ballyhoo --  is moving jobs to Mexico. Trump tweeted to blame Obama.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

19.

On CBS's "60 Minutes," residents in Granger, IN lamented their neighbor, who had no criminal record and had been in the US for 20-years, being deported and separated from his wife and children, who are all citizens.   Read More About This

20.

AP reported the Trump regime targeted Haitian immigrants, seeking evidence of crimes as an excuse to deport them.   Read More About This

21.

A bill that passed the Texas house would allow adoption agencies to reject families on the basis of religion or sexual orientation.   Read More About This

22.

Dan Heyman, a Public News Service reporter, was arrested Tuesday night in West Virginia for persistently asking Secretary Price questions.   Read More About This

23.

Price commended the police who arrested the journalist.   Read More About This

24.

EPA dismissed five scientists from a major scientific review board, and replaced them with representatives from industries the EPA regulates.   Read More About This

25.

Later in the week, two EPA science board members resigned in protest.   Read More About This

26.

Trump signed an EO creating a commission on 'election integrity' to re-examine Hillary's 3 million vote win and "fraud." The commission will be led by Pence and noted xenophobe Kobach of Kansas.   Read More About This

27.

Rep. Lewis issued a statement on the commission, saying "It's only been 54 years since we were jailed, beaten, and killed for trying to cast a vote."   Read More About This

28.

Reversing progress, Sessions instituted a tougher new criminal charging and sentencing policy -- a noted failure from the 1980 and 1990s. Sessions policy will disproportionately impact people of color.   Read More About This

29.

ICE arrested 1,378 suspected "gang members" in what Fox Newscharacterized as the largest gang sweep ever.   Read More About This

30.

Trump tweeted that China 'just agreed that the U.S. will be allowed to sell beef, and other major products' into China again. This deal was brokered by Obama last September.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

31.

FP reported on Bannon's attempts to get NSA McMaster fired, calling it the White House "Games of Thrones for morons." McMaster remains one of the few Trump senior officials who was not part of the campaign.   Read More About This

32.

When asked about NSC's duties at a daily press briefing, McMaster said "a lot of what we do at the NSC is trying to keep up with the President."   Read More About This

33.

During the day of the Yates/Clapper hearing, Trump sent a total of 7 tweets at Yates, including one from the @POTUS account.

34.

CNN anchors Dana Bash and John King likened Trump's tweets ahead of the hearing to "witness intimidation."   Read More About This

35.

Yates testified that she met with White House counsel McGahn twice to warn him that Flynn had lied to Pence about his conversations with the Russian envoy and therefore Pence's public statements were false.   Read More About This

36.

Yates warned McGahn that Flynn was compromised and could be blackmailed by the Russians. Yates met with McGahn on January 26 and 27, and was fired on Monday, January 30, allegedly for saying she would not defend the Muslim ban.   Read More About This

37.

Despite her warning, Flynn remained as Trump NSA for 18 days, sitting in on important foreign meetings and receiving classified information.   Read More About This

38.

The day after the Yates/Clapper hearing, Sen. Graham said based on what he heard, he wants to investigate Trump's business dealings.   Read More About This

39.

After Trump blamed Obama for Flynn having security clearance, NBC reported Flynn never received the broader security clearance required for an NSA.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

40.

Trump briefly changed his Twitter cover Monday night to a statement that Clapper said 'there is "no evidence" of collusion w/Russia and Trump.' Trump repeated this lie all week, including in a Friday morning tweet.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

41.

On Friday, Clapper told Andrea Mitchell that he didn't say what Trump claimed.   Read More About This

42.

ProPublica reported that part of Comey's testimony to the Senate Judiciary Comm on Huma Abedin was inaccurate. The FBI issued corrections just hours before Trump fired Comey.   Read More About This

43.

Following Clapper's testimony on Monday, the Senate Intel Comm asked Treasury Dept agency FinCEN for more information on Trump's business dealings.   Read More About This

44.

WSJ reported Friday FinCEN will provide info on businesses owned by Trump and family members to the Senate Intel Comm and the FBI. Ranking member Wyden is interested in shell companies and money laundering through property transfers.   Read More About This

45.

Vanity Fair reported that FBI sources said there are multiple inquiries in progress, including the cyber investigation and the business side. Bharara would have been investigating the business side as US AG SDNY.   Read More About This

46.

Late Friday night, the US Attorney SDNY Twitter account tweeted from acting AG Kim, 'We will not allow the US financial system to be used to launder proceeds of crimes committed anywhere-here or in Russia.'   Read More About This

47.

On Friday, a bi-partisan group of 178 former US AGs and asst US AGs of SDNY wrote a letter to Rosenstein calling for a Special Prosecutor   Read More About This

48.

Law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius provided a letter showing Trump has limited business dealings with Russia. ABC reported Morgan, Lewis has deep ties to Russia and received a "Russia Law Firm of the Year" award in 2016.   Read More About This

49.

Trump's initial stated basis for firing Comey was a letter from AG Sessions and Deputy AG Rosenstein, relating to Hillary's emails. Of note, Sessions had agreed to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation.

50.

Comey became the third person, after Yates and Bharara, fired by Trump while investigating him. Mary McCord who was the DOJ assistant AG overseeing the Trump-Russia probe also resigned without explanation.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

51.

Shortly after the firing, CNN reported grand jury subpoenas for business records have been issued to Flynn as part of the FBI's Russia investigation.   Read More About This

52.

The Senate Intel Comm also subpoenaed Flynn after he declined to comply with their April 28th letter unless he was offered immunity   Read More About This

53.

Trump's popularity hit a new low in a Quinnipiac poll: 36% approve, 58% disapprove. The poll was conducted before the Comey firing.   Read More About This

54.

The morning after firing Comey, Tillerson and then Trump met with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.   Read More About This

55.

Lavrov scolded Andrea Mitchell for asking Tillerson a question -- "Who was giving you your manners, you know?" Tillerson did not intervene.   Read More About This

56.

Trump's meeting took place at the WH, and included Lavrov and Kislyak. Photo credited to Russian news agency TASS emerged, showing of a joyous meeting. US media was excluded from both meetings.   Read More About This

57.

The White House readout of the meeting with Lavrov did not mention Kislyak. If not for Russian new agency photos, no one would know he was there.   Read More About This

58.

POLITICO reported the idea to exclude US press came from Putin. As did the insistence for the meeting at the WH.   Read More About This

59.

The Senate Intelligence Committee invited Comey to testify next Tuesday. He declined for now, saying he needed some time off first.   Read More About This

60.

NYT reported that days before the firing, Comey had asked Deputy AG Rosenstein for a significant increase in resources for the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the US election.   Read More About This

61.

General Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA and NSA, said of Trump's successive firing of Yates, Bharara and Comey, "…it's beginning to feel a little bit like Nicaragua around here."   Read More About This

62.

FT said of Comey's firing, "Putin chalked up another victory," as Trump's action resembles that of a non-democracy.   Read More About This

63.

Trump claimed that he followed the recommendation of his Deputy AG Rosenstein that Comey be fired over his handling of Hillary's emails. By the next day, leaks led to multiple stories which contradicted that claim.   Read More About This

64.

This story would change again and again in the coming days -- leaving surrogates having lied to the media. Pence said Trump fired Comey at the "recommendation of the Deputy AG," seven times during a presser.   Read More About This

65.

WAPO reported that in fact Trump made a decision to fire Comey, and then met with Sessions and Rosenstein to craft a plan for how. Trump was totally unprepared for the media explosion and political backlash.   Read More About This

66.

Trump himself said in a NBC interview Thursday that he was thinking about the Russia investigation when he fired Comey, saying "…Russia is a made up story."   Read More About This

67.

WAPO also reported that Trump was angry that Comey would not back his false Obama wiretapping claim, and that Comey focused on the Trump-Russia probe and not leaks.   Read More About This

68.

Reuters reported that Trump was infuriated that Comey would not preview his Senate testimony for Trump, Sessions and Rosenstein ahead of the May 3rd hearing.   Read More About This

69.

NYT reported that Trump and Comey's dislike each another. Comey told associated that Trump was "outside the realm of normal," even "crazy."   Read More About This

70.

WSJ reported that Comey had started getting daily instead of weekly briefings in the past three weeks due to potential evidence of collusion.   Read More About This

71.

WSJ also reported that on Monday, Comey briefed lawmakers on his request to boost the investigation, and requested additional personnel from Rosenstein.   Read More About This

72.

In an open-letter to Rosenstein, 20 attorney generals called for an independent investigation, saying Trump's firing of Comey was a violation of the public trust.   Read More About This

73.

Trump abandoned plans to visit the FBI after the Comey firing. According to NBC, Trump was told agents might not provide a warm reception.   Read More About This

74.

McClatchy reported Comey sought to expand his Trump-Russia probe to include Manafort, citing Manafort earned $80–100mm for political and business consulting work done for clients, including a Russian billionaire.   Read More About This

75.

Rachel Maddow reported that despite earlier indications he would do so, Manafort has yet to register as a foreign agent. Also, Sessions would not confirm if he has recused himself from matters involving Manafort.   Read More About This

76.

WSJ reported the Justice Dept requested Manafort's bank records as part of a probe into the Trump campaign's possible collusion with Russia in the 2016 election.   Read More About This

77.

WSJ also reported that NY AG Schneiderman and Manhattan DA Vance have been examining real-estate transactions by Mr. Manafort.   Read More About This

78.

On Thursday, acting FBI Director McCabe testified at a Sen. Intel Comm open, televised hearing. McCabe said he will not update the White House on the Russian investigation.   Read More About This

79.

McCabe contradicted the Trump regime's assertion that Comey was not well-liked at the FBI, saying "the vast majority of employees enjoyed a deep, positive connection to Director Comey."   Read More About This

80.

Also contradicting White House claims, McCabe called the Trump-Russia investigation "highly significant."   Read More About This

81.

Trump still claimed on Thursday that he had spoken to Comey three times about whether he was under investigation. When Sen. Collins asked if that would standard practice, McCabe answered, "It is not."   Read More About This;  Click here, also

82.

POLITICO reported Rosenstein arrived at the Senate Intel Comm's office while the open, televised hearing was taking place. Burr and Warner left the hearing, for what Burr said was a meeting "we can't push off."   Read More About This

83.

Sarah Flores, DOJ spokesperson lied that the meeting with Burr was previously planned, and is "nothing unusual."   Read More About This

84.

NYT reported that at a White House dinner shortly after Trump took office, at Trump's request, Comey declined to pledge his loyalty or discuss the Trump-Russia investigation.   Read More About This

85.

The dinner took place on January 27, the day after Yates initially informed the White House counsel that Flynn was compromised and subject to blackmail.   Read More About This

86.

Rudy Giuliani, who was also photographed at Trump Hotel DC the night of the Comey firing, was given a May 19 deadline by a judge in Detroit to produce his memo for Trump on the Muslim Ban.   Read More About This

87.

In a series of erratic early morning tweets Friday, Trump threatened to cease press daily briefings, and tweeted 'Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!'   Read More About This

88.

A source close to Comey said he is "not worried about any tapes."   Read More About This

89.

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss noted in a tweet, "Presidents are supposed to have stopped routinely taping visitors without their knowledge when Nixon's taping system was revealed in 1973."   Read More About This

90.

Top House and Senate Democrats demanded that Trump release any tapes of communication between he and Comey.   Read More About This

91.

Chaffetz asked the DOJ Inspector General to look at Comey's firing. Democrats also asked him to look into whether Sessions has recused himself and whether the FBI investigation into Russia is properly staffed.

92.

Durbin and Feinstein called on Rosenstein to resign if he refuses to appoint a special counsel. Klobuchar said Senators plan next week to further push this demand in close doored meetings.

93.

On the backs of visit by Duterte and the Russian envoy, Trump will host brutal authoritarian Erdogan for a White House visit on May 16.   Read More About This

Replicated from:   https://medium.com/@Amy_Siskind/week-26-experts-in-authoritarianism-advise-to-keep-a-list-of-things-subtly-changing-around-you-so-61ba023aee54

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Week #25:  May 7, 2017

The fabric and values of our country are transforming before our eyes.  The Trump regime of billionaires and sycophants - with most Republicans cowering along in lock-step -- continue to act and take actions that are greedy and cruel. As we hit Week 25, every subgroup of Americans not white, straight and male has been a target. The beat of Trump-Russia continues, as does Trump's mentally imbalanced leadership -- for which there is increasing concern. This week the authoritarian themes of silencing dissent, and consolidating power and wealth were also front and center. ____________________________________________________________

1.

Trump delivered a campaign speech in Harrisburg, PA to mark his first 100-days. One pundit called it "the most hate-filled in modern history."   Read More About This

2.

Frustrated by his failures in the first 100-days, Trump took to Twitter and Fox News to demand changes in to "archaic" rules of the House and Senate, so he could consolidate his power.   Read More About This

3.

Trump called for a government shutdown in September to fix what he called a 'mess.' Republican leaders rejected this idea.   Read More About This

4.

Trump also blamed constitutional checks and balances for the chaos of his first 100 days, saying "It's an archaic system … It's really a bad thing for the country."   Read More About This

5.

Trump said he is open to meeting Kim Jong Un, saying " I would absolutely be honored to do it."   Read More About This

6.

Trump ally Erdogan fired 3,900 from the civil service and military as "threats to national security" in his second post-referendum purge. Trump has filled 5% of key roles in the executive branch.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

7.

Tillerson sent a survey to employees ahead of a major State Department overhaul involving significant job and budget cuts. Tillerson has yet to name a deputy, or fill the key roles vacated by early resignations.   Read More About This

8.

In a CBS interview, Trump denied that Russia hacked our election, saying it "could've been China, could've been a lot of different groups."   Read More About This

9.

A massive coordinated hack and online leak of Macron's emails occurred just 1 1/2 days before the French presidential election. Macron's campaign blamed Russia for the attack.   Read More About This

10.

The leaks came within an hour of the midnight campaign blackout, during which politicians, media and citizens are legally required to pull back from any public election discussion.   Read More About This

11.

The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency accused Russia of gathering large amounts of political data in cyberattacks ahead of Germany's September election.   Read More About This

12.

Sparking shock and outrage, Trump invited Philippines President Duterte, an authoritarian known for brutality, to the WH. Trump did not clear the invitation with the State Department.   Read More About This

13.

According to Duterte's spokesman, Trump praised Duterte saying "you're doing a great job."   Read More About This

14.

Amid concern with Trump's embrace of authoritarian rulers, Tillerson said American values, such as human rights, should not be a condition for US foreign policy.   Read More About This

15.

Trump Tower in the Philippines continues to use videos of Trump and Ivanka as a key selling point.   Read More About This

16.

The Moscow Times reported that someone is throwing chemicals at Russian opposition, causing them to go partially blind.   Read More About This

17.

USA Today compiled a list of 38 Russians opposed to Putin who were victims of unsolved murders or suspicious deaths in the past three years. Two such deaths were related to the Steele dossier/Trump-Russia ties.   Read More About This

18.

McCain said he was "looking at other options" after Trump ally Corker backed off from imposing more sanctions on Russia.   Read More About This

19.

In violation of the Hatch Act, Secretary Ross accompanied Trump to Pennsylvania for a campaign event to raise money for Trump's 2020 campaign, and White House staffer Sandra Sanders tweeted about it.   Read More About This

20.

On Tuesday, without taking questions, Spicer walked out of a room full of reporters, as the Trump regime was forced to accept most of the Democrats' wish list in order to avoid a government shutdown.   Read More About This

21.

The OGE sent a letter to the White House and executive branch agency heads asking for copies of any waivers for Trump regime members from ethics rules. According to the NYT, at least two such waivers have been granted.   Read More About This

22.

The OGE says it wasn't consulted about Ivanka's job, saying she should be considered a federal employee and subject to those rules.   Read More About This

23.

Voice of America, a government-funded news agency, posted a story and tweeted about Ivanka's new book, raising questions about the Trump regime's use of government sources to promote private business interests.   Read More About This

24.

A State Department account (@GenderAtState) also likely violated federal rules by retweeting a post promoting Ivanka's book.   Read More About This

25.

After pushback from his Cabinet, Trump started to dismantle his "shadow Cabinet" -- young, inexperienced spies placed at federal agencies.   Read More About This

26.

The IRS is demanding $7 billion in back taxes from the Mercer's hedge fund. The Mercers' donations and ties to the Trump regime make it unlikely they will pay.   Read More About This

27.

Congress allocated a whopping $120 million for the Trump Family's security costs. Costs include business trips to Vancouver and Dubai by Trump's sons, and ski weekends in Aspen and Whistler for Ivanka.   Read More About This

28.

The WSJ uncovered that Kushner had failed to report $1bn of loans in his financial disclosure. He also omitted his stake Cadre, a tech startup with ties to Goldman Sachs, George Soros and Peter Thiel.   Read More About This

29.

POLITICO reported that at least nine members of Trump's transition team have registered as lobbyists, despite a five-year lobbying ban.   Read More About This

30.

Wilbur Ross said the Syria strike -- which he viewed with Trump and Chinese President Xi at Mar-A-Lago -- was "after-dinner entertainment."   Read More About This

31.

Priebus told ABC that the Trump regime "looked at" changing libel laws to go after the media for articles "that have no basis or fact," and "writing stories about constant contacts with Russia…"   Read More About This

32.

A Code Pink activist who briefly laughed during Sessions confirmation hearing was convicted in Virginia. Two others will also face charges.   Read More About This

33.

Trump's new FCC Chairman Pai said the FCC would investigate Colbert for a joke made about Trump and Putin and "take appropriate action."   Read More About This

34.

Republican House Chair Hensarling told dozens of government agencies to exclude communications with his committee from FOIA requests. He was widely criticized.   Read More About This

35.

Citing emails obtained under the FOIA, CBS reported that Trump had direct involvement in hunting the National Park Service official who tweeted photos of Trump and Obama's inauguration crowds.   Read More About This

36.

Seemingly to counter his unpopularity, Trump has mentioned the election results on 39% of the days since November 8th.   Read More About This

37.

In an article in New Yorker, writer Evan Osnos reported that Trump's fitness to service is "officially part of the discussion in Congress."   Read More About This

38.

Breaking a tradition of 18 years, a school district in Seattle canceled its international field trip over concerns of Trump's border enforcement.   Read More About This

39.

Trump did away with a 16-year-old tradition of celebrating Cinco do Mayo at the WH.   Read More About This

40.

Sen. Casey blasted Trump and his regime for deporting a mother and her 5-year-old son back to Honduras, where they would face grave danger. Despite Casey's efforts to intervene, the deportation is moving forward.   Read More About This

41.

According to the ACLU, Texas is about to become the first "show me your papers" state.   Read More About This

42.

The Trump regime fired chief usher Angella Reid, the first woman and second African American to hold the job. The job typically involves a long tenure, so this Friday afternoon firing was viewed with curiosity.   Read More About This

43.

Trump said he may not fund historically black colleges, a 25-year-old program, saying the funding may be unconstitutional.   Read More About This

44.

In a memo, Trump ordered his regime to end Michelle Obama's girls education program, "Let Girls Learn."   Read More About This

45.

After campaigning on cracking down on drugs, a line of attack that seemed racially based, Trump proposed cutting funding for the Drug Control Office, the agency charged with cracking down, by 95%.   Read More About This

46.

Rape charges were dropped against an immigrant teen in Maryland. Fox News had devoted days of coverage to the case, using it to validate Trump's immigration agenda.   Read More About This

47.

Several outlets reported that Gorka would accept a role outside the WHafter being denied security clearance and over his associations with a Hungarian hate group. Gorka said these reports were "very fake news."   Read More About This

48.

The Daily Beast reported that Trump and Bannon intervened to save Gorka, and for now, he will remain.   Read More About This

49.

On Wednesday, POLITICO reported that Lewandowski's firm, Avenue Strategies, quietly signed a deal to represent Citgo, a US-based oil company owned by Venezuela, in its proposed sale to Russia's Rosneft.   Read More About This

50.

Citgo has donated $500k to Trump inauguration. According to The Daily Beast, that money may have come from the Kremlin, at least indirectly.   Read More About This

51.

The owner of the 19.5% stake in Rosneft sold shortly after Carter Page's July meeting with Putin allies in Russia, is still not known.   Read More About This

52.

A bi-partisans group of Senators called on Trump to block Citgo's sale to Rosneft, citing concern that with control of Citgo, Russia could use its influence to counter US trade sanctions imposed in 2014.   Read More About This

53.

Amidst reports on Citgo and other questionable dealings, Lewandowski resigned from the Avenue Strategies, the firm he co-founded.   Read More About This

54.

Friday afternoon, Mark Green, Trump's second pick for Army Secretary, withdrew as a nominee. Senators had expressed alarm at Green's public homophobic statements, something Trump vetting missed or ignored.   Read More About This

55.

Rachel Maddow cited that Trump has yet to fill 57 of 58 senior level Pentagon positions which require Senate confirmation.   Read More About This

56.

Trump reportedly speaks to Rupert Murdoch almost every day. Some had speculated that Murdoch may be the biggest winner of Trump firing Bharara, as Fox News is under investigation in the Southern District.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

57.

As the Senate Intel Committee got back on track, the Committee sent letters to several Trump insiders including Flynn, Manafort, Page and Stone, requesting records of their communication with Russia.   Read More About This

58.

Page said he planned to cooperate, but his records as a private citizen would be 'minuscule in comparison' to what the FBI had collected under a FISA warrant. Page was asked to list any Russian official or business executive he met with between June 16, 2015 and Jan. 20, 2017.   Read More About This

59.

WAPO reported that Trump transition staffers warned Flynn about contact with Kislyak. Flynn was warned on both Kislyak's background and that contact with him would likely be monitored.   Read More About This

60.

WAPO reported Billingslea was among a small group of national security hands in the Trump transition team who were concerned about Flynn and Trump's pro-Russia stance.   Read More About This

61.

AP reported the Obama administration was concerned about the request for info on Kislyak, and about Flynn's contact with Russia. They also delayed telling the Trump team about planned sanctions against Russia.   Read More About This

62.

One punishment was to close two Russian compounds. AP reported the Obama administration feared if they told the Trump regime too far in advance, they might give Moscow lead time to clear information out.   Read More About This

63.

NBC further reported that the Obama administration gave the Trump regime only hours notice about closing Russian compounds.   Read More About This

64.

AP reported the Obama administration was also concerned about sharing info with the Trump transition team after classified documents were copied and removed from a secure facility.   Read More About This

65.

Sally Yates will testify Monday before the Senate that she gave a formal warning to Trump's White House that Flynn was lying three weeks before he was fired. This contradicts the Trump regime's version of what happened.   Read More About This

66.

Nine weeks have passed since Trump's tweet accusing Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower. This week Trump said it has "been proven very strongly."   Read More About This

67.

Rand Paul, a supporter of Trump's false claim, also said he thinks Obama spied on him. Paul tweeted that he has requested info on whether he "was surveilled by Obama admin" or the Intelligence community.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

68.

At an open Senate hearing, Comey reiterated that there was no spying on Trump Tower.   Read More About This

69.

On Thursday, Trump and the GOP passed a series of measures, including passage of Trumpcare/AHCA in the House, a watering down of Dodd Frank, and a 'Religious Liberty' EO which allows religious institutions to participate in politics, and power to decide on covering birth control.   Read More About This

70.

Beer was rolled in as the votes on Trumpcare were cast in the House, followed by a celebration at the White House -- this, as more than 24 million Americans stood to lose healthcare coverage.

71.

After the vote and celebration, it became apparent that many House members never read Trumpcare or considered how it would impact their state/district. As House members returned home for an 11 day vacation, many hid and/or turned off their phones.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

72.

Jason Chaffetz, who in Week 24 was noted to have left DC and halted his investigation of Flynn in order to get foot surgery, slithered back to DC to vote for Trumpcare.   Read More About This

73.

After Trumpcare passed the House, the non-partisan Cook Political Reportsaid the vote hurt the re-election prospects of 20 Republicans.   Read More About This

Replicated from:   https://medium.com/@Amy_Siskind/week-25-experts-in-authoritarianism-advise-to-keep-a-list-of-things-subtly-changing-around-you-so-c9e266046627

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