The Morning Briefing: RUSSIA, DACA, Net Neutrality and Much, Much More

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., joined by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., left, expresses support for the work of the Agriculture Committee in crafting the farm bill which the House begins debate on today, at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Republicans favor a plan to strengthen work requirements for food stamps, but Democrats say that would hurt the poor. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Good Thursday morning.

Here’s what is on the president’s agenda today:

  • The president has lunch with the secretary of defense
  • President Trump meets with the secretary general of NATO
  • The president participates in an expanded bilateral meeting with the secretary general of NATO
Advertisement

Lots of jibber-jabber on the RUSSIA-collusion front

As you read stories about the Trump Tower transcripts, remember that Natalia Veselnitskaya (RUSSIAN) was a client of Fusion GPS, the firm responsible for the salacious and unverified dossier. Remember that Glenn Simpson met with Veselnitskaya right before and after the Trump Tower meeting. Crazy coincidence, right?

Senate releases interview transcripts from Trump Tower investigation. Read them at the link.

Not really. New Documents: Trump Tower Meeting Participant Apparently Accuses Donald Trump Jr. of ‘Admitting to Collusion’

Senate committee agrees with intelligence community assessment of election meddling, breaking with GOP House investigation

What Paul Manafort’s Trump Tower notes mean

Miscellaneous RUSSIA-collusion roundup

The New York Times has an awful, biased, misleading story: Code Name Crossfire Hurricane: The Secret Origins of the Trump Investigation. The piece is really a propaganda/PR piece for the intelligence community, extolling their virtues and how they toiled and battled with ethical dilemmas over the Clinton and Trump investigations. Gimme a break. It’s so obvious an attempt to get out in front of whatever will be revealed in the IG report.

Yesterday we learned the FBI acknowledged it can’t indict a sitting president because they want you to know that they would indict Trump but they can’t. Of course we have no evidence of any crimes that Trump would be indicted for, yet CNN reports its wishcasting:

Advertisement

That conclusion is likely based on longstanding Justice Department guidelines. It is not about any assessment of the evidence Mueller’s team has compiled.

A lack of an indictment would not necessarily mean the President is in the clear. Mueller could issue a report making referrals or recommendations to the House of Representatives.

Related:

They ignored the offer, but ABC News left that out of the headline: Russian social media giant offered pro-Trump effort during campaign

Leaker of Michael Cohen’s financial records makes another explosive accusation

Russian company playing hardball with Mueller’s team

Senate passes net neutrality

Big tech money, yo’.

Senate Democrats approved a measure to quash the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to overturn so-called net neutrality rules.

But major hurdles still face supporters of net neutrality, the principle that Internet Service Providers should give consumers access to all legal content and applications on an equal basis, not favoring some sources or blocking others.

Three Republicans crossed over to vote with the Democrats to drag the bill the across the finish line: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.; and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Thanks, guys.

Because it’s campaign season, elected officials shun voting on anything “controversial” and start acting on legislation they think will gain them favor with their voters.

By forcing a public vote on the issue — one that’s popular with voters — Democrats hope to hike pre-midterm election pressure on enough lawmakers to gain a majority in the House. Passage in the Senate would “send a clear message to American families that we support them, not the special interest agenda of President Trump and his broadband baron allies,” said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who sponsored the CRA resolution.

Advertisement

And speaking of making stupid legislative moves during campaign season…

More GOPers sign on to DACA after Ryan tells them not to

So far, 20 Republicans have signed on to the bill. Only five more are needed to force a vote.

Two more Republicans signed on to a measure that would force an immigration vote in the House just hours after Speaker Paul Ryan urged his colleagues not to in a closed-door meeting Wednesday.

The momentum of the petition, paired with threats from conservatives to cause problems if the effort continues to move, prompted House leadership to summon both key moderate and conservative members to meet in Ryan’s offices with the full GOP leadership team Wednesday evening. But the issue remained far from resolved.

If you are unaware of what’s going on with this DACA bill and if you thought the GOP was in charge of the House, let me help you out:

A group of moderate Republicans are backing a plan to bypass GOP leaders by forcing a floor vote on four competing bills to preserve the Obama-era DACA program, which protected young undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children. Trump has decided to end the program, though it’s currently tied up in the courts.

The move, called a discharge petition, now has 20 Republican supporters. When Katko and Trott signed during the first vote series of the day — which is the main opportunity that lawmakers have to sign by hand the petition kept on the House floor — Republican petition backers, California’s Jeff Denham and Curbelo, were seen walking the floor, talking to members and each other.

Advertisement

“Obviously we do not agree with discharge petitions. We think they’re a big mistake — they dis-unify our majority,” Ryan said. “We want to advance something that has a chance of going into law where the President would support it.”

Developing…

Your daily WTF

Ten children removed from filthy California home were waterboarded, hit with crossbows and BBs, prosecutors say

Historical picture of the day:

A truck is almost buried in people as it makes its way through the crowd of thousands gathered in Tiananmen Square for a pro-democracy rally, Wednesday, May 17, 1989, Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Sadayuki Mikami)

Other morsels:

Media Misinformation On Vaping May Be Scaring Smokers ‘Away From E-Cigarettes’

House votes to expand veterans’ access to private care

Trump HHS considers using military bases to house immigrant children

Airlines must continue to accept service animals: U.S. agency

Feel the Bern: Socialists celebrate winning four Democratic nominations in PA

Flake comes out against Haspel’s nomination to lead CIA

YouTube removed GOP candidate’s ‘deportation bus’ ad for hate speech — then put it back up

Trump asks Sessions to consider prosecuting Oakland mayor over ICE raid

Preet Bharara being drafted for war on Trump

Naked man shot by police after striking car was science teacher

New court papers suggest Las Vegas shooter ranted about gun control days before shooting

Las Vegas gunman was tidy, but made housekeeper uneasy, say papers that paint picture of the massacre

Advertisement

Boulder, Colorado, unanimously votes to ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines

Surgeon General Jerome Adams saves the day when airline passenger suffers medical emergency

Michigan State University reaches $500 million settlement with Larry Nassar victims

Target quietly removes a t-shirt from its website after being accused of ‘stealing the art of a gay Mexican artist’

An antibiotic-resistant strain of ‘super gonorrhea’ is spreading around the globe

White House says ‘couple of bad actors’ responsible for latest leaks

And that’s all I’ve got, now go beat back that angry mob!

Recommended

Trending on PJ Media Videos

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Advertisement
Advertisement