26 Mar
2018
Still Got a Job? Turmoil in the White House, and On the Streets
- Whew! What a week! No doubt there are many in the Trump Administration who consider themselves lucky to still have a job. The recently departed include Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, and National Economic Council Head Gary Cohn. Not to mention Trump lawyer John Dowd, who left saying the president routinely ignored his advice. Who’s next? Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin was reported on Sunday to be on his way out.
- If the changes lead to less turmoil inside the White House, all to the good. But some administration officials who Trump is believed to like and respect are said to be worried about their ability to get along with new National Security Advisor John Bolton. Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have reportedly expressed their doubts about Bolton, whose brusque operating style has in the past fueled major clashes.
- Members of the House and the Senate left town last week, so most of them missed the tens of thousands of young people and their allies who came to Washington to express their disgust at the inability of Congress to pass any gun control measures. It is likely to be a long road, however, to get any such legislation passed. Where the effect might be felt, however, is at the ballot box – if not in November, then certainly in 2020. As one gun-control advocate said, “The mass shooting generation is nearing voting age.”
- The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill that Congress passed before skipping town was counted as a victory by most Republicans, even though it gave Democrats much of what they were seeking. The bill failed to kill any of the programs or agencies that Trump had promised, while Democrats got an expansion of many of President Obama’s priorities. Also on the winning side: Pecan growers in Texas and Georgia. [Guess where the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and the Ag Secretary are from!]
- Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg quoted founder Mark Zuckerberg last week as saying that it is not a question of whether Facebook and its peers will be regulated, but when. Two events this week look at the issues: “Exploring Excessive Surveillance and Endangered Privacy,” on Monday at Arena Stage, and “Balancing Privacy and Autonomy in the Digital Age,” Friday at the American University College of Law.
- Remember North Korea? The country that President Trump agreed to have a sit-down with might have a new adversary in National Security Advisor John Bolton, who said Sunday that North Korea agreed to talk only to buy time to continue to develop its nuclear weapons. On Wednesday, the GWU Elliott School of International Studies hosts “Beyond the Nuclear Issue in North Korea.”
- Remember Syria? That war-torn country remains a hotbed of human suffering and, despite a collapse of the Islamic State, a wellspring of terrorism threatening the rest of the world. On Friday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts “After Syria: The United States, Russia, and the Future of Terrorism.”
- Remember Afghanistan? That oldest of wars in which the United States remains involved is still a quagmire, despite repeated pledges to get the U.S. out by this and the last two presidents. On Friday, the Brooking Institution hosts “An Update on the War in Afghanistan.”
- Remember Everyone Else? The United States retains plenty of global competition, on everything from manufacturing to the digital economy – and including of course foreign relations. On Tuesday, the RAND Corporation hosts “Overcoming the Threats of Our Strategic Competitors.”
- From the Women’s March in January 2017 to the anti-gun demonstrations around the country last weekend, women have taken a leading role in most of the current public debates. This week, several events take a look: On Tuesday, the Urban Institute hosts “Empowering Women for Growth and Prosperity,” while on Wednesday the Center for Strategic and International Studies has “Celebrating Women and Girls: Change Agents for Food and Nutrition Security in Conflict Settings.” On Thursday, it’s the Institute of Peace with “Securing Their Roles: Women in Constitution Making,” and the Carnegie Endowment on “Closing the Gender Gap in U.S. Politics: Lessons From Europe.”