- 872 refugees will be granted waivers from the ban on refugees. The waivers are allowed under Trump’s executive order on immigration. [Link]
- Senate Democrats delay the committee confirmation vote on Jeff Sessions. The Democratic members refused to show up the committee meeting for the vote that required a quorum of members to be in attendance. [Link]
- The Senate confirmed Elaine Chao to be Transportation Secretary. Chao is the wife of Mitch McConnell. [Link]
- Trump will keep Obama-era LGBT protections in place. The protections apply to federal employees and contractors. [Link]
- Trump has paused Obama-era regulations from taking effect. $181 billion in regulations have been frozen and have not taken effect. [Link]
- Trump nominates Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the open seat on the Supreme Court. [Link]
- A Minnesota police officer punched a handcuffed 14-year-old girl in the face twice, after she spit on the officer. The officer is facing a charge of misdemeanor assault and is on paid leave. [Link]
- Recently released documents from the FBI shows the FBI is concerned about white supremacists entering law enforcement. [Link]
- The FBI currently has about 15,000 informants working for them. New documents reveal how the FBI recruits informants. One method the FBI uses is to investigate people, without suspicion they have committed any crime, before approaching them to be an informant. [Link]
- Germany is sending 450 troops and 30 tanks to Lithuania. Germany says the move is to deter Russian aggression. [Link]
- Israel announces another 3,000 settlement homes to be built in the Westbank. [Link]
- Iraq’s Prime Minister says Iraq will not impose a ban on US citizens. [Link]
- The 8-year-old girl who was killed in a US raid on al-Qaeda in Yemen was an American citizen. [Link]
