The Tap: Thursday, September 29, 2016

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #36 of The Tap, which was published on October 1, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• Newsweek reports that Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, a company owned by Donald Trump, “secretly” conducted business in Cuba during the presidency of Fidel Castro at a time when “American trade bans that made such undertakings illegal.” Trump Hotels allegedly spent “a minimum of $68,000” on a trip to Cuba in 1998 “to give Trump’s company a foothold should Washington loosen or lift the trade restrictions.” Federal law in 1998 prohibited corporate expenditures by U.S. companies in Cuba without government approval. The Newsweek report states, “The company did not spend the money directly. Instead, with Trump’s knowledge, executives funneled the cash for the Cuba trip through an American consulting firm called Seven Arrows Investment and Development Corp. Once the business consultants traveled to the island and incurred the expenses for the venture, Seven Arrows instructed senior officers with Trump’s company—then called Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts—how to make it appear legal by linking it after the fact to a charitable effort.” Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, when asked about the allegations on The View, said, “They paid money, as I understand, in 1998,” but added that Trump did not invest money in Cuba. “Did his hotel invest money in 1998 in Cuba? No,” said Conway.
  • Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), whose parents immigrated from Cuba and has been a vocal critic of President Obama’s efforts to open up relations with Cuba, commented on the allegations in an interview with ESPN/ABC’s Capital Games. He said, “I hope the Trump campaign is going to come forward and answer some questions about this, because if what the article says is true — and I’m not saying it is, we don’t know with a hundred percent certainty — I’d be deeply concerned about it, I would. … I mean, it was a violation of American law, if that’s how it happened.” Rubio often clashed with Trump throughout the 2016 Republican primaries but later endorsed him.
  • Hillary Clinton said that the allegations reported by Newsweek appear “to violate U.S. law, certainly flout American foreign policy and he has consistently misled people in responding to questions about whether he was attempting to do business in Cuba. This adds to the long list of actions and statements that raise doubts about his temperament and qualification to be president.”

• For the first time in its 34-year history, USA Today’s editorial board declared its stance in a presidential election by condemning Donald Trump’s candidacy for president. “From the day he declared his candidacy 15 months ago through this week’s first presidential debate, Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that he lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents,” wrote the editorial board. The board added that its criticism of Trump does not equate to an endorsement of Hillary Clinton: “The Editorial Board does not have a consensus for a Clinton endorsement.” The board concluded, “Stay true to your convictions. That might mean a vote for Clinton, the most plausible alternative to keep Trump out of the White House. Or it might mean a third-party candidate. Or a write-in. … Whatever you do, however, resist the siren song of a dangerous demagogue. By all means vote, just not for Donald Trump.”
  • Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Trump’s running mate, wrote an opposing op-ed in USA Today in which he said, “By electing Donald Trump, the American people have the opportunity to choose a bold leader. In a political world often reserved for talkers, Donald Trump is a doer. I’ve come to know the man who invited me to join him on the Republican ticket as thoughtful, compassionate and steady. Above all, I know he is ready to lead the United States as our next president and commander in chief.”

• The Detroit News broke an almost-century-and-a-half tradition by endorsing Gary Johnson for president. Since its founding in 1873, the Michigan newspaper has backed a Republican candidate in every presidential election with the exceptions of 2004 and two elections during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, when the paper chose to remain neutral. In its endorsement of Johnson, the paper said, “We abandon that long and estimable tradition this year for one reason: Donald J. Trump. … The 2016 nominee offered by the Republican Party rubs hard against the editorial board’s values as conservatives and Americans. Donald Trump is unprincipled, unstable and quite possibly dangerous. He can not be president.” The paper commended Hillary Clinton for her resume and temperament but criticized her on policy and character issues. On Johnson, the paper stated, “this is an endorsement of conscience, reflecting our confidence that Johnson would be a competent and capable president and an honorable one.” Johnson picked up several major newspaper endorsements in September, including the New Hampshire Union Leader and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

• The Trump campaign paid the remainder of former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski’s salary in a lump sum. Lewandowski, who was fired from the campaign in July and became a commentator for CNN shortly after, had been receiving $20,000 a month from the Trump campaign in a severance arrangement. The arrangement between the campaign, Lewandowski, and CNN prompted concerns by some that the network verged on “paying sources for content.” The final amount paid to Lewandowski will not be publicly available until mid-October, when the next financial disclosure statements are released.

• Hillary Clinton wrote an op-ed in Fortune discussing what she perceives as the challenges facing working women and mothers. "I’ll never forget what it was like to be a mom at work. It wasn’t easy. And I was lucky: I had financial security, a supportive employer, and affordable childcare. Too many families don’t. I’ve met so many parents stuck in impossible situations, at their wits’ ends trying to make it all work. It just shouldn’t be this hard to work and have a family," Clinton wrote. She then highlighted her plan to limit childcare expenses to 10 percent of a household’s income, establish 12 weeks of paid family leave, raise the minimum wage, encourage Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, and promote pay transparency.
  • See also: Clinton on labor and employment

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a statement confirming that pharmaceutical company Mylan incorrectly classified its product EpiPen with the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. The program requires companies to provide rebates to Medicaid in exchange for coverage of their drugs. Mylan classified EpiPen as a generic rather than brand-name drug; rebates under the program are lower for generics than branded products. The incorrect classification had “financial consequences for the amount that federal and state governments spend,” CMS said, with states possibly spending millions more than they would have otherwise because they did not receive rebates from the company. A Mylan spokeswoman wrote that EpiPen was classified as a generic under guidance from the federal government and “has been classified as a non-innovator [generic] since long before Mylan acquired the product.”

• Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said that next week’s joint exercises of Filipino and American troops will be the last because he does not want to hurt future trade relations with China. Duterte said, “I would serve notice to you now that this will be the last military exercise. Jointly, Philippines-US, the last one. I will maintain the military alliance because there is an RP-US pact which our countries signed in the early ‘50s. I will establish new alliances for trade and commerce and you are scheduled to hold war games again, which China does not want.” The announcement comes after Duterte said that U.S. special forces troops had to leave Mindanao and after Duterte called President Barack Obama a “son of a whore,” a comment for which he later apologized.

• In a press release, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule that requires “federal contractors to provide paid sick leave to employees who work on or in connection with certain federal contracts. The rule will allow these workers to use paid leave if they are sick, need to take care of a sick family member or must see a doctor or take a family member to a medical appointment. Workers may also use paid sick leave for reasons related to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.” Secretary of Labor Tom Perez said, "Part of the basic bargain of America is that if you work hard, you should be able to take care of your family. Paid sick leave helps workers recover from illness, or be there for their families, whether it’s to take an elderly parent to the doctor or to stay home with a young child with a fever. It allows working families to focus on what really matters most without having to worry about the next paycheck.” The final rule implements an executive order signed by President Barack Obama on September 7, 2015.

• The Wall Street Journal reported that the Obama administration agreed to lift sanctions placed on Iran’s Bank Sepah and Bank Sepah International—banks that were previously sanctioned for financing Iran’s ballistic-missile program—on the same day that the administration used a $400 million cash payment as leverage to ensure that Iran released four Americans who were being held there as prisoners. The sanctions on the banks were not initially to be lifted until 2023 under the nuclear agreement with Iran. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Administration critics and some congressional officials said they believed the move broke the commitments the administration made to Congress about the deal. The Obama administration had told Congress that under the deal the U.S. would lift sanctions only on companies and individuals tied to Iran’s nuclear development. Sanctions on those involved in missile development were to remain in place, these critics said.”
  • See also: Iran nuclear agreement: U.S. withheld cash until hostages were released

Preview of the day

There were no items for this day in issue #35 of The Tap, which was published on September 24, 2016. See the "Review of the day" tab for more information.