Trump Administration

Politico reports: Richard Grenell will step down as U.S. ambassador to Berlin in a few weeks, according to a report from German outlet Die Welt based on information from the German Press Agency. President Donald Trump in February called Grenell back to Washington to take over as head of U.S. intelligence on an interim basis, replacing former acting Director of …

ABC News reports: Stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements have sparked some violence in the United States, and it could continue under further restrictions, according to a new federal report obtained by ABC News from analysts at the Department of Homeland Security Counterterrorism Mission Center. “A variety of illicit actors are responding violently to stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures …

Axios reports: White House coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday that social distancing is “absolutely critical,” and that if Americans can’t maintain at least six feet from other people while gathering outside, they “must wear a mask.” As states have begun to reopen, many Americans have flocked to beaches and outdoor restaurants in large …

ProPublica reports: A former White House aide won a $3 million federal contract to supply respirator masks to Navajo Nation hospitals in New Mexico and Arizona 11 days after he created a company to sell personal protective equipment in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Zach Fuentes, President Donald Trump’s former deputy chief of staff, secured the deal with the Indian …

NBC News reports: It’s been more than six months since President Donald Trump claimed to have started his annual physical at Walter Reed hospital but the White House is declining to explain why he has yet to complete the yearly doctor’s examination. Administration officials did not espond to NBC News’ request for comment about the delay — despite Trump announcing …

OANN cultist reporter Chanel Rion: I‘d like to switch gears and ask about President Obama. We had an interesting article from [Breitbart’s] Joel Pollak this morning. I’d like to ask you if the President has considered pardoning President Obama for illegally wiretapping, illegally spying on citizens, and other potential crimes out there. Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany: I laid out a …

The New York Times reports: A divided Senate voted on Thursday to confirm Representative John Ratcliffe of Texas, a fierce conservative ally of President Trump’s with relatively little intelligence experience, to become the next director of the nation’s spy agencies. Democrats opposed the nomination en masse, but they agreed to dispense with the normal rules and accelerate Mr. Ratcliffe’s confirmation …

The Daily Beast reports: The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency urged health officials in “all states and territories” to provide “daily” updates on ventilator availability for the novel coronavirus directly to the data mining giant Palantir, according to emails shared with The Daily Beast and confirmed by FEMA. Palantir, co-founded by key Trump ally Peter Thiel, signed government …

Bloomberg News reports: The U.S. Supreme Court blocked House Democrats for now from getting access to confidential materials from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, granting a request from President Donald Trump’s administration. The court put the case on a fast track, giving the Trump administration until June 1 to file its appeal. That suggests the court will say before …

The Guardian reports: No surprise here: the first question to press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was about the president’s threat to withhold funding from states that are working to expand vote by mail. Asked what funding Trump was looking to withhold, McEnany dodged the question, saying, “I won’t get into exactly what the funding considerations are.” The press secretary said the …

An opening message from Pat Robertson’s network: Kayleigh McEnany sees God’s hand in the president’s election. When asked if God put Donald Trump into The White House for such a time as this, her answer is clear. “Yeah, I think prayer made a difference in the election,” she says. “Not to say that He puts a certain political party in …

CNBC reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday lashed out at Democrats investigating him, particularly Sen. Bob Menendez, as he defended his recommendation to President Donald Trump to fire the State Department’s internal watchdog. Pompeo has come under intense scrutiny since Trump followed through on his Cabinet official’s urging to fire Inspector General Steve Linick. “This is all coming …

NPR reports: You will not find a citizenship question on the 2020 census forms. But in the months since federal courts permanently blocked the Trump administration from asking the hotly-contested question for this year’s national head count, the administration has been pushing ahead with a backup plan — amassing government records to try to determine the U.S. citizenship status of …

NBC News reports: As federal workers file out of the State Department at the end of a Washington workday, an elite group is often just arriving in the marbled, flag-lined lobby: Billionaire CEOs, Supreme Court justices, political heavyweights and ambassadors arrive in evening attire as they’re escorted by private elevator to dinner with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Until the …

The Washington Post reports: A North Dakota construction firm that has received backing from President Trump has now secured the largest border wall contract ever awarded, a $1.3 billion deal to build 42 miles of black-painted fencing through the rugged mountains of southern Arizona. The company that won the contract, Fisher Sand and Gravel, has been repeatedly lauded by the …

Fox News reports: Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News Tuesday that he — unlike President Trump — is not taking hydroxychloroquine as part of an effort to stave off coronavirus. “My physician hasn’t recommended that, but I wouldn’t hesitate” to take it if he did recommend it, Pence added. Pence gave the interview following a meeting of the National …

Courthouse News reports: Amplifying scrutiny on the recent firing of the State Department inspector general, one lawmaker revealed today that Steve Linick had been investigating not only Secretary Mike Pompeo but President Donald Trump as well. “I’ve learned there may be another reason for IG Linick’s firing,” Representative Eliot Engel tweeted this afternoon. “His office was investigating — at my …

Politico reports: More than 40,000 National Guard members currently helping states test residents for the coronavirus and trace the spread of infections will face a “hard stop” on their deployments on June 24 — just one day shy of many members becoming eligible for key federal benefits, according to a senior FEMA official. The official outlined the Trump administration’s plans …

The Washington Post reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Monday that he asked President Trump to fire the State Department inspector general because his work was “undermining” the department’s mission, but he declined to describe any specific concerns. In a telephone interview, Pompeo said the decision was not an act of political retaliation, because he did not know beforehand …

The Hill reports: The former drug company executive leading the Trump administration’s coronavirus vaccine initiative said he will divest all his shares in Moderna, one of the initiative’s leading candidates. At the time of his appointment to lead “Operation Warp Speed,” the shares were worth about $10 million. The announcement comes as Moderna’s stock soared almost 20 percent on Monday, …