This week in OnPolitics: Harvey's aftermath, Comey's psychic powers and the DACA decision
Welcome to America in 2017, where we cram two months’ worth of political news (and politics-adjacent news) into every week. After the upcoming holiday weekend, we’ll see how much news we can pile up in just four days. Speaking of, we’ll be off for Labor Day, so keep an eye out for the next OnPolitics Today on Tuesday. For now, let’s take a look at the week that was …
Harvey still not done
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Before and after aerial photos provided by Digital Globe show the devasating floods brought on by Hurricane Harvey. (Sept. 1)
AP
Hurricane Harvey has flooded an area of Texas larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined, by far the biggest natural disaster President Trump has dealt with in his seven-plus months at the helm — and we’re still not done with rain and flooding. Trump visited the Lone Star State Tuesday, getting close (but not disruptively close) to the region where 1.7 million residents had been under evacuation orders. Vice President Mike Pence was in the state later in the week, speaking to victims and pitching in at clearing debris.
Trump personally pledged $1 million to help in recovery efforts — and by the way, if you’re looking to donate yourself, watch out for scams.
During his visit, Trump described the storm as a “monster known as Harvey.”
“It sounds like such an innocent name,” he said. “But it’s not innocent.” This likely will put an end to Harvey’s incipient baby-name comeback.
James Comey, time traveler
Former FBI Director James Comey drafted a statement exonerating Hillary Clinton two months before the conclusion of an investigation into her use of a private email server, according to two Republican senators.
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) say that according to transcripts of interviews with FBI agents, Comey had started writing a statement clearing Clinton while the investigation was still ongoing. The statement ultimately was delivered in July 2016.
“The outcome of an investigation should not be prejudged while FBI agents are still hard at work trying to gather the facts,” Grassley and Graham said in a letter to new FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Trump tweeted early Friday morning that the report indicated “a rigged system,” completely dismissing the possibility that Comey is a time-traveling warlock, or perhaps an expert palm reader.Â
DACA decision looms over holiday weekend
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The White House said President Donald Trump will announce Tuesday his decision on whether to rescind federal protections for immigrant children whose parents brought them to the country illegally. (Sept. 1)
AP
Meanwhile, it looks like we’ll wait a few days to find out Trump’s plans for DACA immigrants. Nearly 800,000 young undocumented immigrants could face deportation if the president decides to discontinue the policy, as is widely expected.
The policy allows undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to apply for two-year stays, provided they attended school or joined the military and have committed no serious crimes. Several Republican leaders have urged Trump to keep the program intact, but a 10-state coalition led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says they’ll sue if the president doesn’t overturn the policy by Tuesday.
How is it that Trump is making the call himself? You might recall that the policy was established as an executive order by President Obama in 2012 after attempts to create a program with Congress failed.
Trump told reporters Friday that “We love the DREAMers,” and that an announcement would be made “sometime over the weekend … probably Sunday, Saturday. The latest will be Monday.” Huckabee Sanders announced later Friday that the announcement would be Tuesday.Â
Elsewhere in politics
- Transgender troop policy in a holding pattern, pending study
- Trump tax plan released. Well, it’s more of a plan for a plan
- Police can purchase secondhand bayonets and rocket launchers again
- Ad campaign dollars for ACA to be shifted to the 3 a.m. time slot on MTV Classic
- Politics seep into Burning Man. You can probably guess which way this one leans
- Blue states getting bluer, red states getting redder. Everyone retreat to your corners until 2018
BREAKING: People still order wallpaper
A Pennsylvania wallpaper company got an order from the White House for a pattern to put up in the Oval Office, hand-selected by Trump, to be delivered by 7 p.m. Problem: They discontinued the pattern three years earlier. Also a problem: They were pretty sure the whole thing was a prank.