Tag: Jim Bridenstine

Today in 5 Lines The Senate confirmed Jim Bridenstine, a Republican congressman from Oklahoma, to serve as the new NASA administrator. Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, the first sitting senator to give birth while in office, brought her newborn baby to the floor to cast her “no” vote. The Justice Department’s inspector general reportedly referred its findings on former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe to the U.S. attorney’s office for possible criminal charges. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s official portrait will cost taxpayers $85,000, which is more than his three predecessors combined. Today on The Atlantic The Buck Doesn’t Stop There: Dumping President Trump won’t actually get rid of the GOP’s problems. (Conor Friedersdorf) Why Do Trump’s Defenders Assume He’s Guilty? : Allies of the president have made some peculiar comments over the past few days. (David A. Graham) A Shared Problem: The focus on James Comey, Michael Cohen, and Stormy Daniels might pose a serious threat to Republicans in the midterms, but Trump’s personal dramas could hurt Democrats, too. (Ronald Brownstein) Snapshot What We’re Reading ‘The Fatalist Conceit’: The frustration many liberals feel about President Trump is a byproduct of the left’s unreasonable expectations: They think they can change the country through politics. (Mary Jordan, The Washington Post) -Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey)

Today in 5 Lines President Trump confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo met secretly with North Korea Leader Kim Jong Un earlier this month, and said “a good relationship was formed.” White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said his office will investigate Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s spending of $43,000 on a phone booth for his office. Three men from rural Kansas were found guilty in a plot to bomb a mosque and apartment complex housing Somali refugees. The Senate advanced the nomination of Representative Jim Bridenstine to be the new NASA administrator, after Arizona Senator Jeff Flake switched his vote to support the nomination. A federal judge ordered that Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach be held in contempt of court for ignoring her orders in a proof-of-citizenship voter registration case. Today on The Atlantic Why the Statue Had to Come Down: J. Marion Sims was known as the “father of gynecology.” But his medical advances were made through experimentation on enslaved women. (Adam Serwer) Why Aren’t Disadvantaged Students Going to Elite Colleges? (Adam Harris) Snark and Sick Burns: In the past two years, one thing in American politics has become particularly clear: Donald Trump has made everyone a little more like him. (Jane Coaston, Vox) Stop Crying: Instead of prematurely accepting defeat in November, Republicans should start leading, writes Deroy Murdock. (National Review) Remembering Barbara Bush: The former first lady died on Tuesday at age 92. After the 2016 election and various financial problems, his world came crashing down.