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“Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad.” ― Henry Kissinger




DAILY SPECIALS

With Lawyers Like These: Rudy Giuliani may have put his new client, the president of the United States, in a very bad spot. But not, it appears, in the way he thinks.
In Fox News interviews on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, Giuliani disclosed, among other pertinent details, that hush money paid to the porn star Stormy Daniels in October 2016 came from Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, but that Trump reimbursed him for the $130,000 paid to ensure Daniels’ silence on her alleged affair with the president.
Giuliani insisted in an interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday night that that does not amount to a violation of campaign-finance laws. But in detailing the structure of the payments, Giuliani and Trump may have admitted to an entirely different legal violation.
As noted by former White House ethics lawyer Norm Eisen, Cohen’s payments were, by the Trump camp’s admission, a de facto loan that he knew would be repaid by his client. But Giuliani is insisting that the loan was to Trump personally, not to the campaign. But that presents a whole new problem: Trump disclosed no such disbursement on his personal financial disclosure form covering 2016 and early 2017. That likely amounts to a violation of the Ethics in Government Act, according to Eisen’s group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

It’s also worth noting that when Trump filed his financial disclosures last year, his attorneys tried, unsuccessfully, to ensure that he wouldn’t have to sign them and subject himself to potential legal liabilities for misstatements and omissions. One wonders if they knew something like this might arise. [Daily Beast, Pay Dirt, May 3, 2018]









NIKKI HALEY    
United States Ambassador to the United Nations















INTERIOR WON'T LOWER ROYALTY RATES: The Interior Department said Tuesday it would not lower royalty rates for offshore oil and gas production, despite its Royalty Policy Committee recommendation in February that the agency lower the rates by one-third to help spur more drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead, the department cited the "success" of Trump's commitment to energy dominance, the economy, federal tax reforms, and "greater regulatory certainty," which prompted Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to keep the royalty rate in 200 meters of water and deeper at 18.75 percent. "The economy can maintain higher rates," Zinke tweeted. "Lower rates not needed." [POLITICO's Morning Energy, April 18,2018]



CANDIDATES



Rep. David McKinley is first to be endorsed by Patients For Affordable Drugs NOW. The organization said the West Virginia Republican - who co-introduced the FAST Generics Act and has opposed cuts to the 340B drug program - will benefit from a six-figure advocacy campaign ahead of this fall's elections.
"David McKinley has consistently been on the right side of legislation to lower drug prices," said David Mitchell of Patients For Affordable Drugs NOW. "We are proud to give him our support and look forward to working for his re-election this November." [POLITICO Pulse, April 18, 2018]


STEYER PICKS DE LEÓN IN HIS BATTLE WITH FEINSTEIN


The political partnership of wealthy Democratic activist Tom Steyer and state Sen. Kevin de León dates back to 2010, two years before the two teamed on a successful California ballot measure to change corporate tax rules and use the cash for energy efficiency projects.

Now, De León is running an insurgent campaign for the U.S. Senate and Steyer has endorsed him.

“I think he’s the kind of young progressive that reflects California and would be a very strong advocate for our state nationally,” Steyer said in an interview.

But will the billionaire San Francisco environmentalist spend money to help De León? After all, this week’s campaign finance reports showed Feinstein with a $10-million war chest, far above what De León has for the election season ahead.

“I don’t have any concrete plans for that,” he said in an interview with The Times. [L.A. Times, Essential Politics, April 18]



READ















Shawn Bennett has been named deputy assistant secretary for oil and gas at DOE's Office of Fossil Energy. Bennett previously was executive vice president for the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. [POLITICO's Morning Energy, April 17, 2018]




SENATE TO VOTE ON ED GENERAL COUNSEL NOMINATION: The Senate is set to meet at 10 a.m. to consider the nomination of Carlos G. Muñiz, a Florida attorney and former deputy to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi whom President Donald Trump picked to serve as general counsel in the Education Department. Muñiz has been awaiting a confirmation vote since October, when the Senate HELP Committee approved his nomination by a 12-11 vote along party lines.
DEVOS ON THE HILL TODAY: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is meeting with lawmakers today - but the Education Department did not respond to multiple requests for details and names. DeVos' public schedule says only that she has "Meetings with Members of Congress (closed press)." Her schedule for Wednesday says the same.
- Education Department spokeswoman Liz Hill said that "the Secretary continues to meet with Members on a wide variety of topics including the Department's priorities around school safety, expanding access to a high quality k-12 education for all students, FSA reform and ensuring students have access to multiple education pathways post-high school."
- DeVos drew criticism from the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee for not meeting with Appropriations members. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) told the Education secretary during a hearing of the House subcommittee that oversees education funding last month that he was "concerned that we have kind of a disconnect here." DeVos will likely soon have to pitch her administration's budget proposal to the Senate subcommittee that oversees education funding, which has been hearing pitches from other administration officials in recent weeks. [POLITICO's Morning Education, April 17, 2018]

- Speaking of for-profits: A progressive think tank is suing the Education Department to force the agency to turn over documents related to for-profit college conversions to nonprofits. The Century Foundation has filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to order the department to release records related to the recent purchases of for-profit colleges Education Management Corporation and Kaplan by the Dream Center, a California-based nonprofit, and Purdue University. Both purchases were approved by DeVos. The Century Foundation's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, says the group is seeking communications between the department and officials in the colleges.

- Such conversions have become more common - and they've drawn increased scrutiny. Three Senate Democrats earlier this month urged the Government Accountability Office to investigate the trend of for-profit colleges attempting to convert to nonprofits. The senators cited Ashford University's announcement last month that it plans to seek a nonprofit conversion. [POLITICO's Morning Education, April 17, 2018]



EDUCATION








Washington's quid pro quo to Rusal


The U.S. Treasury Department says it will provide sanctions relief to Rusal if CEO Oleg Deripaska relinquishes control of the Russian aluminum producer. “RUSAL has felt the impact of U.S. sanctions because of its entanglement with Oleg Deripaska, but the U.S. government is not targeting the hardworking people who depend on RUSAL and its subsidiaries,” said Treasury Secretary Mnuchin on Monday. RUSAL, he says, has approached the United States government “to petition for delisting.” [The Real Russia. Today. April 23]



WHIMSEY






CYBERSECURITY

BOSSERT OUT - White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert's resignation on Tuesday left some lawmakers scratching their heads and left cyber policy specialists wary about who will replace him. One senior administration official told POLITICO that Bossert resigned at John Bolton's behest, although others warned that Bolton was not the driving force behind Bossert's exit.
Regardless, lawmakers were perplexed. Bossert had gained respect from both the right and the left, particularly for his emphasis on cybersecurity. "I don't know what's behind that," Sen. Claire McCaskill, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, told MC. "I'm anxious to find out whether" it was Bossert's decision "or if he was pushed out, and, if so, why?" McCaskill added that she "certainly thought he was competent" and loyal to Trump, a trait the president desires. "That's why I'm fascinated that he was pushed out on the day after Bolton got there," McCaskill said.
Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson said he "always liked" Bossert, and considered him to be "really knowledgeable in that position," adding, "I hated to hear" about his exit. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr told MC he "didn't have any heads-up on" the resignation, before suggesting Bossert is "probably pursuing something that he thinks is better for him."
Bossert ran the cybersecurity unit at the National Security Council, helping to craft Trump's cyber executive order issued in May that pledged a new focus on protecting government networks and strengthening international and private-sector partnerships. He also blamed the Russian government for orchestrating last year's massively disruptive WannaCry malware attack, which seized networks in over 150 countries and caused billions of dollars worth of damage. The White House said Rob Joyce, the administration's top cyber adviser and deputy homeland security adviser, will temporarily assume the post in an acting capacity.
- WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR CYBER? - Bossert's departure, and Joyce's elevation, will "slow down the cyber work" at the NSC, a former cyber staffer on the council told MC. "Tom was actively engaged in the cyber portfolio and so his (seemingly sudden) departure will be disruptive." There could also be fresh recruitment issues, which would also slow down policymaking. A second former NSC official said that many current staffers are "in a 'wait and see' mode, mainly around whether Bolton is as difficult a person to deal with as reputed." "The NSC has had a really hard time recruiting people generally," this person added, "so it will be interesting to see how they fare under Bolton."
Bossert reported directly to Trump, but according to The New York Times, Bolton is reorganizing the NSC so that the homeland security adviser reports only to him. This would also bring the cyber portfolio more directly under the national security adviser's supervision - a reversal of the current Trump NSC setup. And given that Bolton has "publicly spoken before about wanting to be more aggressive on cyber," said a former NSC cyber official, "we could potentially see a more assertive use of cyber as a foreign policy tool going forward." Cory detailed Bolton's years of bellicose cyber rhetoric in a piece last month.

This approach could have serious consequences, a former senior White House national security official cautioned. "We are very vulnerable to retaliation through cyberspace, in a way that we are not in the physical domain," the former official said. "I'm not saying you can't or shouldn't use cyber tools as part of your national security toolbox, but that you should be cautious and careful in doing so." [POLITICO's Morning Cybersecurity, April 11, 2018]



CLIMATE CHANGE







NOTE: The news sources here vary.  Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here.  This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased.  Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value.  Thank you

NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as  a "community service" announcement.  These again are shared for their varying perspectives.

Any commercial or business interest information shared is purely informational, not an endorsement.  I have no connection with any such commercial or business interest.

Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post.  Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse.  They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended.
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