MORNING MESSAGE
For Democrats, Resistance Trumps Ideas
Democratic Party luminaries say they want “new, fresh, bold, provocative ideas that can move us forward.” But when they gathered in a Georgetown basement, they found it hard to focus on jobs, climate and how to get big money out of politics, as Trump took most of the air out of the room.
The Investigation
Former FBI Director Mueller named Special Counsel for Russia probe. The Atlantic:“The decision to appoint Mueller, whose formal title is special counsel, was signed by Rod Rosenstein, who is deputy attorney general but made the appointment as acting attorney general. That’s because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been forced to recuse himself from the Russia probe, after admitting he failed to disclose meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to the Senate. Rosenstein wrote in an order that Mueller is authorized to take over the investigation that Comey confirmed to Congress… It also gives Mueller authority to look into other crimes noted under a statute that establishes the special counsel, ‘such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses; and to conduct appeals arising out of the matter being investigated and/or prosecuted.’
Sentate Intelligence Committee asks Comey to testify in public. TIME: “The Senate Intelligence Committee has requested former FBI Director James Comey to testify in both open and closed sessions for its investigation of Russia’s influence in the 2016 U.S. election. In letters sent Wednesday, the leaders of the committee also asked acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe to release ‘any notes or memorandum’ prepared by Comey related to his conversations with “senior White House and Department of Justice officials related to investigations into Russia’s efforts.”
New questions about Flynn’s ties to Turkey and Russia. CNN: “Fresh controversy swirled around former US national security adviser Michael Flynn Thursday after one report claimed he told the Trump transition team he was under federal investigation before he started in the role, and another said he opposed a military operation in Syria that Turkey would have opposed while he was secretly in its pay.”
House leader told GOP colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays Trump.” WaPo:“A month before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, one of his closest allies in Congress — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — made a politically explosive assertion in a private conversation on Capitol Hill with his fellow GOP leaders: that Trump could be the beneficiary of payments from Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
Erdogan bodyguards beat up protesters in Washington, DC. The Guardian: “According to witnesses, a brawl erupted when Erdoğan’s security detail attacked protesters carrying the flag of the Kurdish PYD party outside the residence. A local NBC television affiliate reported Erdoğan was inside the building at the time..”
The Agenda
Draft budget slashes renewable energy by 70 percent. Axios: “The Trump administration wants to cut the Energy Department’s renewable and energy efficiency program by nearly 70%… environmental groups and other left-leaning advocacy groups have focused on the deep budget cuts Trump wants for the Environmental Protection Agency, but some organizations want to ensure the broader umbrella of Democratic and environmental interests also defends the clean-energy investments at the Energy Department.”
Trump wants deep cuts to public schools to fund school choice. WaPo:“Funding for college work-study programs would be cut in half, public-service loan forgiveness would end and hundreds of millions of dollars that public schools could use for mental health, advanced coursework and other services would vanish under a Trump administration plan to cut $10.6 billion from federal education initiatives… The administration would channel part of the savings into its top priority: school choice. It seeks to spend about $400 million to expand charter schools and vouchers for private and religious schools, and another $1 billion to push public schools to adopt choice-friendly policies.”
Tulsa jury acquits police officer in fatal shooting of unarmed black man. NPR: “A jury has acquitted Tulsa police officer Betty Jo Shelby, who killed unarmed motorist Terence Crutcher in an encounter that was captured on video by a police helicopter last September. The case sparked criticisms that Shelby, who is white, overreacted when she shot Crutcher, who was black. The verdict came hours after the jury was sent to deliberate Wednesday. It devastated Crutcher’s family, who say they’re outraged by the outcome… ‘Let it be known that I believe in my heart that Betty Shelby got away with murder, and I don’t know what was in the mind of that jury,’ Crutcher’s father, Joseph, told reporters.”
Immigration arrests soar under Trump; sharpest spike seen for noncriminals. WaPo: “In Trump’s first 100 days in office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 41,318 immigrants, up 37.6 percent over the same period last year, the agency said Wednesday. Almost 3 out of 4 of those arrested have criminal records, including gang members and fugitives wanted for murder. But the biggest increase by far is among immigrants with no criminal records.”
More from OurFuture.org:
Philly DA Candidate Seeking to End Mass Incarceration Wins Race. Nika Knight: “Larry Krasner, the most progressive candidate in Philadelphia’s seven-way Democratic primary election for District Attorney, won the race Tuesday in what supporters call ‘a revolution.’ Krasner ran on an unprecedented campaign to end mass incarceration and stand up for people’s civil rights and liberties..”
The Bradley Foundation’s Secret War on Gay Marriage and Liberal Sex. Richard Eskow: ” A trove of documents exposed by the Center for Media and Democracy shows that the right-wing Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation wants to build a right-wing “infrastructure” across the country to promote its extreme agenda. Unfortunately, the Foundation’s desire to police what happens in American bedrooms is part of that agenda.”
Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People's Action.more »
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