From wiretap accusations to travel ban 2.0, here's what Trump did this week

From wiretap accusations to travel ban 2.0, here’s what Trump did this week

By Colleen Shalby, Melissa Leu

March 10, 2017 2:35 PM PT

As the saying goes, time is an infinite loop. There’s no better proof of that than Donald Trump’s early presidency, where week seven has already brought what feels like a lifetime of nonstop news. Here’s your recap:

Last weekend

Missed the drama of Watergate? Trump’s got you covered. Without citing any evidence, the president accused his predecessor Barack Obama of ordering wiretaps on him during the election. Trump equated it to Nixon’s infamous scandal of the early 1970s.
In turn, FBI Director James Comey asked the Justice Department to publicly reject Trump’s claims. And a spokesperson for Obama called the allegations false.
On another matter, it turns out Trump won’t require Keystone XL pipeline to use American steel.

Monday, March 6

Travel ban 2.0 was unveiled. One major difference is that Iraq was removed from the list, leaving six countries affected: Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya. The order will go into effect March 16.
House Republicans released their plan for an Affordable Care Act replacement. Among the revisions in the new ACA, which has replaced “Affordable” with “American,” is a drastic cut of the federal funding for Medicaid that allowed 31 states to provide healthcare for millions.
The Supreme Court put off a ruling on transgender students’ rights. The court instead asked an appeals court in Virginia to reconsider the case of Gavin Grimm – a transgender boy who sued his school district, alleging sexual discrimination.
In other news, Ben Carson referred to slaves as immigrants during his first day on the job as secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Tuesday, March 7

Wikileaks published thousands of documents reportedly taken from the Central Intelligence Agency‘s Center for Cyber Intelligence. The documents expose details of America’s cyber-espionage efforts. The next day, the FBI launched an investigation into the breach.
The No. 2 man at the Justice Department said he didn’t see any reason to recuse himself from overseeing the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the presidential campaign.
Get ready for a showdown. Hawaii says it’s planning to sue over Trump’s new travel ban.

Wednesday, March 8

It’s International Women’s Day. On the same day: “A Day Without a Woman” protest. Women took the day off work and attended rallies across the country to bring attention to the discrimination they face. Trump even weighed in on Twitter.
Sanctuary cities fight back. San Francisco asked a federal judge to block Trump’s order that threatens to take away federal funds from cities that refuse to help enforce immigration laws.

Thursday, March 9

In an interview with CNBC, new EPA chief Scott Pruitt said he doesn’t believe that carbon dioxide “is a primary contributor to the global warming that we see.”
A Senate panel approved David Friedman as Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Israel. Friedman is Trump’s longtime bankruptcy lawyer.
Back to the travel ban. Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Massachusetts and Washington are challenging Trump’s executive order in court.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will lead a meeting of 68 nations to discuss best efforts to combat Islamic State.
The GOP’s healthcare overhaul measure moves forward. A second key House committee approved the bill that would end the Affordable Care Act and restructure Medicaid for low-income people.

Friday, March 10

Day 50! We’re halfway through Trump’s first 100 days.
You’re fired. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions asked 46 Obama-appointed U.S. attorneys to resign. Note: It’s not an unusual move for a new administration.
The U.S. added 235,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate dropped to 4.7%. Good news for everyone except White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who broke the rules prohibiting executive branch officials from publicly commenting on the report within an hour of its release. He tweeted about it 22 minutes in. Here’s why that rule was put into place.
Former national security advisor Michael Flynn filed paperwork with the Department of Justice that retroactively disclosed work his company did last year for a firm with connections to the Turkish government. He acknowledged that it “could be construed to have principally benefited the republic of Turkey.”

Grade the president

Now that you’re all caught up, here’s your chance to tell us what you think of Trump as we track his major moves in the first 100 days.

Grading opens every Friday and closes at the end of Monday. We’ll be posting your responses, so subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when they go up.