Trump did what? Catch up on everything he's done this week

President Trump at a White House news conference.

By Colleen Shalby, Melissa Leu

Feb. 28, 2017 7:34 PM PT

Time flies. It’s week six of Donald Trump’s presidency. So far, Trump has continued to sever ties with the news media, taken credit for Hollywood’s dysfunctional Oscars ending and addressed his relationship with Russia, again.

Last weekend

Trump is skipping out on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The last president to miss the event was Ronald Reagan, but that’s because he was recovering from an assassination attempt in 1981 (and he still called in). The last president to purposefully skip the dinner was Richard Nixon.
Trump’s pick for Navy secretary, Philip Bilden, withdrew his name from consideration. It’s the second White House nominee to back out of the running for a Pentagon position because of financial issues.

Monday, Feb. 27

In a blow to civil rights advocates, the Jeff Sessions-led Justice Department changed course on the Obama administration’s challenge to a Texas voter identification law. Under Obama, federal attorneys had argued that the 2011 law suppressed the freedoms of minority voters.
Back to the travel ban. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Justice Department’s request to hold proceedings on the Trump administration’s travel ban. The court will carry on, and with its first brief due on March 10.
Trump has a theory for the whole Oscars’ envelope mix-up. The president thinks Hollywood’s obsession with him distracted everyone from keeping order.
Trump again denies that he’s initiated a phone conversation with anyone in Russia in recent years. “I haven’t called Russia in 10 years,” he said.
An extra 10%. Trump vowed to increase military spending by $54 billion by cutting an equally large amount from domestic programs, such as environmental protection and education.

Tuesday, Feb. 28

What better way to celebrate Mardi Gras than by watching Trump’s first address to Congress, where he talked about immigration, education, healthcare and acknowledged the widow of a Navy SEAL killed in the Yemen raid. Read the transcript and then get the facts.
On a scale of A through F, Trump graded his presidential performance a C or a C+ on messaging, an A for achievement and an A+ for effort. Speaking of grades, see how our readers have judged the president’s leadership.
If confirmed, Dan Coats will be the nation’s top intelligence official. During his hearing, he voiced concerns about Russia’s “assertiveness in global affairs.”
Trump issued an order to begin rolling back clean-water rules enacted by former President Obama.

Wednesday, March 1

We have a new Interior secretary. The Senate confirmed Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke to oversee more than 400 million acres of public land.
Another Obama rule may get the ax. The Labor Department asked for a 60-day delay in implementing a new rule that requires retirement advisors to put their clients’ interests ahead of other factors. (Think their own compensation and company profits.)

Thursday, March 2

Russia, Russia, Russia. Once again, the Trump administration’s ties to Sergey Kislyak, Russian ambassador to the U.S., are back in the news. This time, it was revealed that Jeff Sessions met with the diplomat during the campaign but failed to disclose that information when asked during his confirmation hearing for the post of attorney general. At the urging of Republicans and Democrats, Sessions has recused himself from investigations into Russia’s interference in the U.S. election.
Also in the hot seat? Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. He took a meeting with Kislyak at Trump Towers back in December.
Trump says he “wasn’t aware” of Sessions’ conversation with the diplomat. He has yet to speak out on Kushner.
Rick Perry is officially Trump’s Secretary of Energy, and Ben Carson was confirmed as Housing secretary.
Vice President Mike Pence’s email was hacked last summer while he was governor of Indiana. Turns out that Pence, a staunch critic of Hillary Clinton’s use of private email for business matters, did the same with an AOL account.

Friday, March 3

Coming full circle, Trump is calling for an investigation into Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s respective ties to Russia. Trump tweeted photos of Schumer and Russian president Vladimir Putin and Pelosi dining with Russian diplomats, after she had denied meeting with, you guessed it, Kislyak.
Trump visited a charter elementary school in Orlando where he spoke with students and praised educators.

Can’t get enough? We’ve got you covered for all of Trump’s first 100 days. »

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