“In June, about 10 weeks before explosions and fires would begin erupting at a chemical plant damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Houston, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt placed a 20-month delay on the implementation of rules designed to prevent and contain spills, fires and explosions at chemical plants.” More …
How Washington Lobbyists Fought Flood Insurance Reform
“The catastrophic weather in Texas has thrown the spotlight on the federal government’s troubled flood insurance program, which is nearly $25 billion in debt after huge payouts following Katrina, Sandy and other devastating hurricanes. But as Houston starts the long process of recovering, lobbyists in Washington have already maneuvered to slow lawmakers efforts’ to overhaul the National Flood Insurance Program and protect their industries’ profits.” More …
Gary Cohn Thinks You’d Have to Be a “Moron” to Pay the Estate Tax
“Trump’s economic adviser accidentally admits an obvious truth: America has two tax systems. One for winners, and one for everyone else.” More …
Toxic Sites in Likely Path of Hurricane Irma
“The Associated Press surveyed six of the 54 Superfund sites in Florida before Irma’s arrival, all around Miami in low-lying, flood-prone areas. There was no apparent work going on at the sites AP visited this past week. The EPA said that if there was no activity, a site should be considered secured but would be closely monitored. The sites were in various stages of federally directed, long-term cleanup efforts.” More …
Why Haven’t Reporters Mass-Adopted Secure Tools for Communicating With Sources?
“When journalists don’t step up, leakers are forced to use riskier modes of communication to initiate contact.” More …
Houston Left with a Toxic Mess as Trump Relaxes Rules
“Explosions and fires at a Houston-area chemical plant triggered an evacuation Thursday in a region still in chaos from Hurricane Harvey — and generated new criticism of President Donald Trump’s efforts to repeal the industry’s safety rules.” More …
Kushners’ China Deal Flop Was Part of Much Bigger Hunt for Cash
“Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and top adviser, wakes up each morning to a growing problem that will not go away. His family’s real estate business, Kushner Cos., owes hundreds of millions of dollars on a 41-story office building on Fifth Avenue. It has failed to secure foreign investors, despite an extensive search, and its resources are more limited than generally understood. As a result, the company faces significant challenges.” More …
World in No Rush to Offer Trump Help Post-Harvey
“After Katrina, countries around the globe offered to help the U.S. After Harvey, only a few — Mexico and troubled Venezuela among them — have volunteered aid.” More …
Dept of Justice: “No evidence to support Trump’s claim that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower”
“In a filing made public Friday, lawyers for the Department of Justice (DOJ) wrote that the department has no records supporting President Trump’s claim that former President Barack Obama ordered wiretaps of Trump Tower. Both [the Federal Bureau of Investigation] and [National Security Division] confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017 tweets,” the DOJ said in the filing, referring to Mr. Trump’s tweets.” More …
Trump Gets Millions from Golf Members. CEOs and Lobbyists Get Access to President
“Dozens of lobbyists, contractors and others who make their living influencing the government pay President Trump’s companies for membership in his private golf clubs, a status that can put them in close contact with the president, a USA TODAY investigation found.” More …