As expected, Trump blew up the NATO summit this morning, appearing to travel to the meeting with one goal in mind: spitting on U.S. allies and splintering key relationships.
As The Moscow Project laid out yesterday, this is just the latest step in Trump carrying out Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy agenda. Here are Putin’s top 10 goals in the report, which will probably seem eerily familiar from Trump’s actions:
- Degrade the European Union
- Disrupt American economic leadership in the world
- Build global distrust of America
- Fight sanctions against Russia
- Legitimize Putin’s regime in the world
- Elevate Russia as a great power again
- Interfere and discredit democracy in the West
- Soften America’s adversarial stance toward Russia
- Destabilize America from within
Watch Trump during this trip, and try find a single one of those goals that he doesn’t advance—and read The Moscow Project’s report to see just how much he’s already done for Russia at America’s expense.
All of this is happening with midterms right around the corner. At the exact time when the Trump Administration should be strengthening our defenses against continued Russian interference, Trump is giving Putin the big payout for last time.
This is part of why SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh must agree now to recuse himself from any matters related to the Russia investigation. It’s not just about fairness, it’s about our national security.
TRUMP’S TRUMP-FIRST AGENDA
See if you can spot the double standard here.
Over half of the children under five years old who were torn from their parents at the border still haven’t been reunited with their families, as yesterday’s court-mandated deadline came and went.
You’ll remember that when they were torn from their families, many children were placed in cages that resembled dog kennels.
Trump’s reaction to the humanitarian crisis (of people exercising their legal right to claim asylum) he created? “Well, I have a solution. Tell people not to come to our country illegally. That’s the solution.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s former campaign manager is spending his incarceration, having allegedly tampered with witness while awaiting trial for “conspiracy against the United States,” in the lap of luxury—living like a “VIP,” Manafort himself has reportedly said—with accommodations including a private phone, bathroom, workspace, and private living unit.
Trump’s reaction to his indicted campaign manager’s plight? “I feel a little badly about it.”
Apparently Trump’s “zero tolerance” policies get a little bit more tolerant and sympathetic when he’s terrified of what you might tell Robert Mueller.
There is one other way you can find Trump’s soft spot, even as an immigrant: be one of the 78 foreign workers Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort is currently requesting permission to hire.
PAID LEAVE. NO, REAL PAID LEAVE.
Today, a Senate Finance subcommittee held a hearing “examining the importance of paid family leave for American working families.” The catch? Their plan, expected to be introduced as legislation by Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla), would require parents to pay themselves for parental leave with already earned Social Security benefits.
Paid family and medical leave is vital. Currently, only 15% of workers have access to paid family leave, forcing many Americans to choose between caring for their families and paying their bills.
As Center for American Progress’ Shilpa Phadke explains, “Paid leave should be accessible to all families, and it should not come at the expense of workers and their economic stability over the long term.”
See a series of ideas and analysis from the Center for American Progress on the benefits of paid leave for all working families.