Day: June 6, 2018

Pruitt as ‘Swampy as You Get’ in Washington

Buck Banks

“He is about as swampy as you get here in Washington, D.C., and if the president wants to drain the swamp, he needs to take a look at his own cabinet.”

— Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), blasting allegations of ethical misconduct by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Bloomberg reports. “Pruitt’s tenure at the Environmental Protection Agency is under intensifying scrutiny, with at least 10 federal investigations probing his $50-per-night rental of a bedroom in a Capitol Hill condominium from a lobbyist, his frequent taxpayer-funded travel and his spending decisions.”

Trump Administration Continues Cruelty Campaign on the Border

Buck Banks

300

“Border agents and child welfare workers are running out of space to shelter children who have been separated from their parents at the U.S. border as part of the Trump administration’s new ‘zero tolerance’ policy,” NBC News reports. “As of Sunday, nearly 300 of the 550 children currently in custody at U.S. border stations had spent more than 72 hours there, the time limit for immigrants of any age to be held in the government’s temporary facilities. Almost half of those 300 children are younger than 12.”

Putin Explains Why There Has Not Been a Russia-U.S. Summit During Trump’s Term

Buck Banks

“You should ask our colleagues in the United States. In my opinion, this is the result of the ongoing acute political struggle in the United States. Indeed, Donald Trump and I have, firstly, met more than once at various international venues and secondly, we regularly talk over the phone.”

— Russian President Vladimir Putin, quoted by Axios, on why there hasn’t been a U.S.-Russian summit meeting yet.