5 Stories You Might've Missed While Following That Bombshell Book On Trump's White House
A lot of news happened this week, and if you’ve spent the past few days following the drama around journalist Michael Wolff’s new book on the Trump White House, you might have missed some of it. But never fear: We’ve got you.
Wolff’s book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House ― which had some people lining up at midnight on Thursday for its release, and which has since shot to the top of Amazon’s best-seller list ― promised a candid look into President Donald Trump’s administration. The book has been making waves for days: Excerpts published earlier this week included explosive comments from former chief strategist Steve Bannon on Trump, his family and Russia. Trump, for his part, has dismissed the book as “phony,” and his lawyers tried unsuccessfully to stop its release.
It’s all added up to a major media frenzy (which, uh, HuffPost has not abstained from). But if the imbroglio has taken up all your attention this week, here’s a guide to a few of the other major events that happened.
1. Trump cut aid to Pakistan, and threatened aid to Palestinians
On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced that the U.S. would be cutting $255 million in aid to Pakistan, a key ally in the fight against terrorism. Haley told reporters the U.S. expected more support from Pakistan in counterterrorism.
Later that day, Trump took to Twitter to threaten aid to Palestinians, blaming Palestinians’ reluctance to negotiate a peace treaty with Israel. This was almost exactly a month after Trump roiled the peace deals himself by officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and saying the U.S. would move its embassy there, provoking anger among Palestinians and disappointment from U.S. allies.
“It’s not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing,” Trump tweeted Tuesday. “We pay the Palestinians HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect.”
It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018
Read more about Trump’s Palestine comments here.
2. The Trump administration proposed opening up America’s coasts to offshore drilling
On Thursday, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke proposed a new offshore drilling plan that would open up nearly all U.S. waters to oil exploration.
Environmental groups were not thrilled about the proposal, which would allow oil and gas companies to drill on the Atlantic coast for the first time since the 1980s. Perhaps surprisingly, Republican legislators in some coastal states weren’t happy either.
“I have already asked to immediately meet with Secretary Zinke to discuss the concerns I have with this plan and the crucial need to remove Florida from consideration,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), a close Trump ally, said in a statement Thursday. “My top priority is to ensure that Florida’s natural resources are protected.”
Read more about the offshore drilling proposal here.
3. Jeff Sessions changed policy, threatening the weed legalization movement
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a change in policy on Thursday, allowing the nation’s top federal prosecutors to decide how to handle marijuana cases in states where the drug has been legalized. Because federal law still regards marijuana as illegal, the decision spread uncertainty in the nascent legal marijuana industries in states like Colorado and California.
Representatives from legal-marijuana states on both sides of the aisle denounced the decision.
We'll give Jeff Sessions our legal pot when he pries it from our warm, extremely interesting to look at hands. https://t.co/LF0RpdCiHG
— Colorado Senate Dems (@COSenDem) January 4, 2018
This reported action directly contradicts what Attorney General Sessions told me prior to his confirmation. With no prior notice to Congress, the Justice Department has trampled on the will of the voters in CO and other states.
— Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner) January 4, 2018
Read more about Sessions’ announcement on marijuana here.
4. North and South Korea made a plan to talk ― despite Trump’s tweets
On Thursday, North Korea agreed to hold official talks with South Korea next week, for the first time in over two years.
After North Korean leader Kim Jong Un indicated he was open to dialogue in a New Year’s address, South Korea offered talks on Tuesday, after discussions with the U.S.
Later on Tuesday ― in response to Kim mentioning the “nuclear button on the desk in my office” ― Trump taunted Kim on Twitter, writing: “I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
On Thursday, Trump took credit for the dialogue between North and South Korea.
“Does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn’t firm, strong and willing to commit our total ‘might’ against the North,” the president tweeted. “Fools, but talks are a good thing!”
5. An earthquake shook California’s Bay Area residents awake
Early Thursday morning, an earthquake centered near Berkeley, California, shook many Bay Area residents awake. The 4.4-magnitude quake at 2:39 a.m. local time affected an estimated 9.8 million people around the San Francisco Bay, with some reporting feeling shakes for up to 10 seconds ― though no significant damage was reported as a result of the quake.
Residents took to Twitter in the middle of the night to check if others felt it too:
Ok.... that just woke me up. A heavy rolling #earthquake few seconds long. Anyone else in #Marin feel that?
— Tyler Florence (@TylerFlorence) January 4, 2018
Felt a big jolt and rolling. Picture frames, etc, fell down. We are standing outside because the fire alarm went off. SFPD & SFFD is here now. #earthquake pic.twitter.com/8dMu58spUt
— Riya (@loislane28) January 4, 2018
I can’t remember the last time an #earthquake woke me from a deep sleep, which means it had to be 4+ and on the Hayward fault.
No damage, no car alarms, no dogs barking, kids still asleep. Just a quick shake, rattle and roll— Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) January 4, 2018
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.