Hereâs your dose of âWhat the Fuck Is Going Onâ news (Weekend edition: March 18th 2017 - March 19th 2017)
Trump is spending his seventh weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort since becoming president. These frequent and expensive trips are draining funds in Palm Beach County to the point where they are considering raising taxes to cover the costs. The Palm Beach County sheriffâs department said it costs about $60,000 in overtime EVERY DAY that Trump spends in Florida. In the 14 days Trump has spent at the resort since taking office, the sheriffâs department has spent more than one million dollars. (source)Â
Trump also made his 10th trip to a golf course this weekend despite constanting saying that he would never golf during his presidency, and regularly criticizing Obama for doing so. White House officials refused to answer whether Trump golfed again however, he posed for photos at the Trump International Golf West Palm. (source)Â
Notices detailing the Trump administrationâs plans for the border wall were made public by Customs and Border Protection. The specifics include that the wall must be 30 feet high, difficult to climb or cut through, and to âlook good from the north side.â Â Requests also call for it to be made of solid concrete, for it to be sunk at least 6-feet into the ground, and to include 25 to 50 foot automated gates for pedestrians and vehicles. (source)
Germany is rejecting Trumpâs claim that the country owes the U.S. and NATO âvast sums,â of money. After Trumpâs meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel he tweeted that the country âowes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States & must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!â German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen explained that the country owes no debts. (source)
Melania Trump and Barron Trump are reportedly moving to the White House in June. (source) Though there are some debates on the actual costs, Melania staying in New York has already cost millions of dollars. NYC Police Commissioner James P. OâNeill estimated that it costs about $127,000 to $146,000 a day to protect her and Barron, which is one of the lower estimates (some claim itâs up to $500,000 a day). (source)
An attorney, Jeffrey Lovitky, has filed a suit against Trump claiming that the public does not have access to the truth when it comes to Trumpâs debts. Lovitky is saying that Trump hid his personal debts and that he has information that would make Trumpâs original filing unlawful, meaning he would have to file a new disclosure that does include his personal debts. (source)
The Justice Department is preparing to send immigration judges to 12 cities around the country to expedite the deportation process for undocumented immigrants charged with crimes. California, Arizona, New York, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, and Minnesota are all included in this. (source)
El Carnaval de Puebla, a major Cinco De Mayo celebration in Philadelphia, has been canceled due to the increased immigration raids, arrests, and deportations. The six organizers unanimously decided to cancel the event because they did not feel comfortable holding it due to the possible actions that might be taken at the event. (source)
A review of Trumpâs property investments revealed that 63 Russians have invested nearly $100 million into Trump buildings throughout Florida. Some of those who made investments were Russian elites with strong political connections however the White House is saying that the media is overblowing this story. (source) (map showing where they bought)
New Jersey passed legislation that would force any presidential and vice-presidential candidates to disclose their federal tax returns in order to appear on the stateâs ballots starting in 2020. The bill is a response to Trumpâs refusal to disclose his taxes and now awaits signature from Trump ally, Chris Christie. (source)
Former U.S. Army flight surgeon Mark Green is set to be nominated as secretary of Army. This comes after the first nominee, Vincent Viola, withdrew himself from consideration due to conflict of interest issues. (source)
The Trump Organization promised at the beginning of the year to donate any profits made from foreign officials to the Treasury Department. Trump promised to give away these profits due to the constitutional prohibiting him from receiving payments from foreign governments. Now officials have announced that they will actually wait until next year to make the first promised donation. (source)
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson commented on his decision not to allow press to travel with him. He said that heâs ânot a big media press access person. I personally donât need it. ⌠When weâre ready to talk about what weâre trying to do, I will be available to talk to people. But doing daily availability, I donât have this appetite or hunger to be that. When I have something important and useful to say, I know where everybody is and I know how to go out there and say it.â (source)
The Trump administration rolled back guidance that forbade student loan debt collectors from charging high fees to defaulted borrowers. This will specifically affect those who have fallen critically behind or âdefaultedâ on their loans. Collection agencies were allowed to charge collection fees up to 16% which was no longer allowed under this rule, however they are once again allowed to profit off people with student loans. (source)
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus appears to have violated the White Houseâs policy restricting political interference in pending investigations. Priebus previously requested that the FBI refute a report of Donald Trump associatesâ contacts with Russian intelligence, which he was not allowed to do. (W.H. policy) (source)
House Republicans are working on changes to their health care bill to provide more tax credits for older Americans and to add a work requirement for the Medicaid program for the poor. "We think we should be offering even more assistance than the bill currently does,â for lower-income people age 50 to 64, said House Speaker Paul Ryan. (source)
White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended Trumpâs refusal to shake German Chancellor Angela Merkelâs hand during their visit. Spicer claims that the incident was a misunderstanding and said "I do not believe he heard the question.â (source)
Trumpâs approval rating has hit a new low, now only 37% approve of the job heâs doing. (source)
And now your daily reminder that: Flint, Michigan still doesnât have clean water. Standing Rock still needs your support. The American infrastructure report card still averages poorly with the rating of a âD+â
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