(cache) Timeline: How Russia is haunting Donald Trump - Axios
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Timeline: How Russia is haunting Donald Trump

Rebecca Zisser / Axios

Donald Trump has raised suspicion about his relationship with Russia by complimenting Vladimir Putin, proposing that the U.S. work with Russia to defeat ISIS and even calling on Russia to hunt down Hillary Clinton's emails. Those suspicions haven't gone away with his election.

Below is a full timeline of the interactions with Russia that have caused so much trouble for Trump:

How we got here ... words

Feb. 28, 2016: Sessions endorsed Trump. Stephen Miller, one of Sessions' top policy advisers, would become a top Trump adviser.

July, 2016: Sessions talked with the Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak after an event at the RNC. Sessions says he was acting in the capacity of a senator, not as a member of the Trump campaign. J.D. Gordon and Carter Page, Trump campaign aides, also talked with Kislyak.

Sept. 2016: Sessions had a private meeting in his office with Kislyak.

Oct. 7, 2016: U.S. intelligence accuses Russia of interfering in the election. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security formally accuse Russia of attempting to interfere in the election by hacking DNC computers and leaking information.

Dec. 9, 2016: The NYT breaks the news that Russian also might have hacked the RNC. This bolstered the idea that Russia was attempting to help Trump win the election.

Dec. 29, 2016: Mike Flynn talks about sanctions with Kislyak.

Jan 6, 2017: Trump & Obama briefed on Russian hacking

Jan. 10, 2017: Dossier filled with unverified claims that Russia has compromising intelligence about Trump is published.

Jan. 10, 2017: Jeff Sessions denies contact with Russians during his confirmation hearing.

Jan 11, 2017: Trump admits Russia probably hacked, but denounces dossier. "As far as hacking, I think it was Russia," he acknowledged at last before ranting at the media for publishing the contents of the dossier.

Jan 13, 2017: FBI Director James Comey refuses to tell the Senate whether his agency is investigating Trump-Russia contacts.

Jan 15, 2017: Mike Pence says that Mike Flynn did not talk sanctions on his phone call with the Russian ambassador.

Feb 13, 2017: Flynn resigns after it was revealed that he had talked about sanctions with the Russian ambassador and had lied to Pence about it. Trump had received warnings about the matter as early as Jan. 26.

Feb 14, 2017: New York Times reports Trump's campaign aides were in regular contact with Russian intelligence.

March 1, 2017: The Washington Post breaks the news that Sessions met with the Russian ambassador twice during the campaign.

March 2, 2017: Sessions recuses himself from investigations into relations between Trump campaign aides and Russia.

March 2, 2017: The NYT reports that Jared Kushner also met with Kislyak along with Flynn in December.

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All of Trump's Saturday tweets since taking office

Joe Burbank / AP

Once upon a time, Saturdays were devoid of news beyond the boring presidential radio address. Now, they are wild affairs, featuring Trump Twitter tantrums. All of these were (really) sent on Saturdays since Trump took office:

The Saturday Tweets

January 21

Trump's Android (the one he uses):

Trump's iPhone (his staff):

January 28

Trump's Android:

iPhone:

DELETED: "I will be interviewed by @TheBrodyFile on @CBNNews tonight at 11pm. Enjoy!"

February 4

Trump's Android:

February 11

Trump's Android:

iPhone:

DELETED: Playef golf today with Prime Minister Abe of Japan and @TheBig_Easy, Ernie Els, and had a great time. Japan is very well represented!

February 18

Trump's Android:

DELETED: Getting ready to leave for Melbourne, Florida. See you all soon!

February 25

Trump's Android:


Maybe the millions of people who voted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN should have their own rally. It would be the biggest of them all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017

iPhone:

March 4

Trump's Android:


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We have lost our sense of normality

Olivier Douliery / AP

How "normal" once looked:

"TRUMP CLAIMS OBAMA TAPPED HIS PHONES IN 'NIXON/WATERGATE' OPERATION." Broadcast networks cut in, Congress stops everything to investigate, the wheels of government grind to a halt. AP might alert: "President Trump today, inspired by the musings of a right-wing radio host, ... "

Cue this morning: It's just Trump being Trump, waking up on a Saturday morning at Mar-a-lago with a slow schedule, and key advisers back in D.C. And to 40% of America, it's plausibly true.

Keep reading ... words

Trump's tweetstorm, in one graf::

"The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs ... Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! ... Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone. ... Is it legal for a sitting President to be 'wire tapping' a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! ... I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! ... How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show."

The flurry looks like it was inspired by a Breitbart article yesterday by Joel Pollak: "Mark Levin to Congress: Investigate Obama's 'Silent Coup' vs. Trump."

Bob Costa tweets: "I've confirmed that several people at the White House have been circulating this Breitbart story."

The reaction ... N.Y. Times columnist Tom Friedman to Michael Smerconish on CNN: "Trump ... could as easily have woken up at Mar-a-lago this morning and said: "I saw a UFO fly over.' ... If you're going to make that allegation, you go to the head of the FBI, NSA, CIA and say: 'Here are the facts.'""

Word of the day: "besieged" ... Maggie Haberman: "Trump, according to his advisers inside and outside of the White House, has felt besieged by what he regards as a mostly hostile bureaucracy, consisting in part of Democrats and people who opposed his election who are now undermining his presidency with leaks."

"'That is the real story,' said Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, when asked for comment on how the White House views the constant string of stories based on what they have called leaks."

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Opioid-related deaths linked to high unemployment rates

Frankie Leon / Flickr cc

A new study from economists at the University of Indiana and University of Virginia has found that the economy has played an important role in the rise of the opioid epidemic — in which deaths from opioid overdoses have quadrupled among white people since 1999, per the Washington Post.

Alex Hollingsworth, Christopher J. Ruhm and Kosali Simon's analysis of health records from 1999-2014 found that rates of opioid deaths grew more quickly in counties where the unemployment rate climbed faster than average. A 1 percentage-point increase in the unemployment rate led to a 3.6% increase in the rate of fatal opioid overdoses, and a 7% increase in emergency room visits related to opioid overdoses.

Why it matters: The research tells us that places that better survived the Great Recession were more likely to resist the opioid epidemic, while places that suffered through the nation's economic downturn were more vulnerable to to the drug.

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What the Trump lifestyle gets you


Richard Drew / AP

President Trump might have won over the working class of America, but he is certainly not one of them... and neither are his children or grandchildren. While Hillary Clinton's inability to relate with average Americans hurt her during the campaign, Trump's gold-laden, glitzy lifestyle only added to the persona of a successful businessman. That's what Republicans got behind and who many supporters voted for — someone who could bring his personal success to the national level. But here are some of the ways the Trump family aren't like the majority of Americans.

Keep reading ... words
  • Ivanka once asked her dad to give Tiffany, who lived in California with her mom, a credit card for Christmas, since her half sister didn't get Trump's "surprises" like the other children, according to Vanity Fair. He obliged.
  • Tiffany knew the Kardashians growing up. Their moms were friends.
  • Trump once had Michael Jackson watch Ivanka dance in The Nutcracker.
  • Ivanka went to her first fashion show when she was 8 years old and signed with a modeling agency at 14, according to Politico.
  • The Trump kids grew up with two nannies and a bodyguard, who they would sell their lemonade to when they had a lemonade stand.
  • While growing up, Eric and Don Jr. learned to hunt, fish, and shoot with their grandfather over the summers in the Czech Republic.
  • Donald Jr. met his wife Vanessa Haydon, a former model, at a fashion show in 2003, according to the New York Times.
  • When Barron was born, the Trumps received an all-gold stroller as a gift from Ellen Degeneres.
  • After Donald Trump's affair with Marla Maples became public, Ivana took the kids — Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric — to live at Mar-a-Lago for three months, hiring tutors to help them keep up with their studies.
  • Barron has an entire floor to himself in Trump Tower.
  • Ivanka gets up at 5 a.m. to exercise before her kids wake up. Since the busy election season, however, she's had to temporarily give up her morning workouts.
  • Ivanka and Jared's kids go to a school that costs as much as $33,000 a year, according to the Daily Mail.
  • Trump recently visited the African American Museum, where he particularly liked the Muhammad Ali exhibit. It's not too big of a surprise as he spent $15,000 on the book GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali" with the icon's signature.
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The White House race to figure out Trump's wiretap allegations

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

The NYT has a wrap on the Trump White House's scramble to respond to the president accusing former President Obama — over Twitter, nonetheless, of wiretapping him during the campaign. Paragraphs 9 and 10 are rather interesting:

But a senior White House official said that Donald F. McGahn II, the president's chief counsel, was working on Saturday to secure access to what Mr. McGahn believed was an order issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court authorizing some form of surveillance related to Mr. Trump and his associates.
The official offered no evidence to support the notion that such an order exists. If one does, it would be highly unusual for a White House to order the Justice Department to turn over such an investigative document, given the traditional independence of law enforcement matters.

Why it matters: Pay attention to how the Obama folks worded their denial of ordering a tap on Trump. They explicitly said presidents can't order — and don't have access to — such actions during active investigations. If there is such an active investigation, the White House would be entering unusual territory seeking access to it.

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Sasse to Trump: We face a "civilization-warping crisis of public trust"

Alex Brandon / AP

The junior Senator from Nebraska is out with a statement on President Trump's allegations today that former President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower:

"The President today made some very serious allegations, and the informed citizens that a republic requires deserve more information. If there were wiretaps of then-candidate Trump's organization or campaign, then it was either with FISA Court authorization or without such authorization. If without, the President should explain what sort of wiretap it was and how he knows this. It is possible that he was illegally tapped. On the other hand, if it was with a legal FISA Court order, then an application for surveillance exists that the Court found credible. The President should ask that this full application regarding surveillance of foreign operatives or operations be made available, ideally to the full public, and at a bare minimum to the U.S. Senate.

"We are in the midst of a civilization-warping crisis of public trust, and the President's allegations today demand the thorough and dispassionate attention of serious patriots. A quest for the full truth, rather than knee-jerk partisanship, must be our guide if we are going to rebuild civic trust and health."
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Rewind: The must-know stories from a busy week

It's been a busy week, let's review.

Keep reading ... words

TECH / BUSINESS

Snap grows up: Snap shares opened trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange at $24 per share, which is a 41% premium to the $17 per share IPO price. In early trading the stock is climbing even higher. So far, so good. The LA-based "camera company" raised $3.4 billion at around a $24 billion valuation. Now, they just have to keep an eye on their growing competitor, Snow.

HEALTH

Obamacare drama: Some conservative Republicans — like Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and co. — aren't happy with the Obamacare replacement plan so far. They worry it will end up a mere "Obamacare lite." Thursday, Paul led a hunt for the "secret repeal bill," which was being stored somewhere in the Capitol. Friday, the new draft leaked, but there were very few changes from the first draft. Conservatives aren't likely to be satisfied with this version either.

POLITICS

The good: Trump gave his address to Congress Tuesday night, and although some argue he's graded on a curve, he crushed it. We saw a different Trump. He stuck to his teleprompter, honored the Navy Seal who lost his life in Yemen, addressed racial hatred and left out a lot of his usual fear tactics.

The bad: But the good doesn't last in politics, and two days after Trump's speech, there was more Russia drama. Come to find out via intelligence info left behind by Obama's administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions had met with the Russian Ambassador twice last year. The problem is, he swore he hadn't spoken with the Russians during the campaign at his confirmation hearings. Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, but some Dems don't think that's good enough — they want him to resign.

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Report: New Trump travel ban coming Monday

Politico has the scoop that Trump's revised executive order is planned for Monday, with Homeland Security employees told to stay home and the administration desperate for a story line to take focus off the president's Saturday tweetstorm.

What we don't know: How many countries it applies to, whether Iraq — as hinted — is off the list, if green card holders — as expected — will be exempt, etc. Lots to learn, and we'll on it.

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Kevin Brady: Obamacare replacement plan "no secret"

Alex Brandon / AP

House Ways and Means Committee chairman Kevin Brady said in a Fox News interview Saturday that Republicans are finishing the "final details" of their Obamacare repeal and replacement plan, but insists the general themes have been known for years. Brady said he personally briefed Sens. Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham — two Republicans who have criticized the secretive process — on the details two days ago, including the "two or three areas that we're finalizing." (One known area they're still working on: ways to target the tax credit to low-income people.)

Brady said the bill will repeal all of the Obamacare taxes, including the individual mandate penalty, and the subsidies. And it will start replacing the law by giving states more control over Medicaid, expanding the use of health savings accounts, and giving people tax credits to help small businesses and individuals buy health insurance. "That is the repeal and replacement bill. There's no secret about that. It's been part of every serious Republican bill for the past five years, which many Republicans have sponsored as well," he said.

Between the lines: Brady's right that there shouldn't be any big surprises for people who have been following GOP thinking on Obamacare replacement — but the final details can matter a lot, like the design of the tax credits, because they can make the difference in how many people will actually get health coverage.

Timing: Brady said the bills will be finished "very soon" and that they'll be posted "with plenty of time before committees in the House begin to take them up" — which is a tall order if Republicans want the committee work to start next week.

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Obama spokesman: We didn't order wiretaps on Trump

From Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis, a public denial that Obama the president ordered wire taps on Trump.

"A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false."

Why it matters: Note that the statement doesn't deny Trump was tapped, but rather says the Obama White House played no role in ordering or directing any taps. The full Trump Twitter saga here.

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Made in the USA, but not by a human worker

The cover of Barron's is a macabre sign of the times: how investors can profit off robots replacing workers: "If manufacturers are going to flourish in America, they'll need to buy a lot more robots. Here are six ways to play this hot trend."

  • The lead: "As President Donald Trump prevents manufacturers from leaving the U.S., expect them to use robots to keep labor costs down."
  • The strategy: "For long-term investors, robots could be one key to securing healthy corporate profit growth, and stock returns, even as wages rise."
  • "Factory robots look nothing like Rosie from The Jetsons, the nameless B9 model from Lost in Space, or the one on the cover of this magazine. Many are hulking arms with rotating joints and interchangeable tools that can weld, stack, paint, assemble, and more."
  • Unintended consequences? "One thing that could accelerate U.S. robot deployments is a corporate tax cut, which would reduce the overall cost of manufacturing in the U.S., but not the labor cost. Another is a border adjustment tax, which would reward exporters while penalizing importers. Accelerated depreciation on capital investments would give companies an immediate tax break on money spent to automate factories."
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Kellyanne: You need "bile in your throat"

CBS

Sneak peek from "CBS Sunday Morning" ... Kellyanne Conway to Norah O'Donnell, on what would make her leave the White House: her children.

  • "They're having the hardest time with this ... They're great kids, but they're really the worst ages for a mom to be here and away from them, 12, 12, eight and seven. And 24/7 Secret Service protection is tough for them. It's tough for them to think about when I'm away from them and why does she have that.
  • "And so I don't — this is all new for us. This is not something I sought. I'm not a famous person on TV. ... [T]hey're struggling because it's just different to not have a mom there as much as they're used to even though I've always worked. This is an entirely different level."
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