President Donald Trump meets greets Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the White House in Washington, Monday, March 20, 2017.Evan Vucci/The Associated Press
What happened this weekend?
On the weekend, the Trump administration put out contract notices that said it wants the border wall between Mexico and the United States to be 30-feet high, to look good from the north side and to be difficult to climb or cut through. The notices were made public late Friday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Homeland Security Department agency that will oversee the project and eventually patrol and maintain the wall. Proposals for construction of the wall are due by March 29. The government will award the contract based on 30-foot-wide sample walls that are to be built in San Diego.
Pressure is also building on President Donald Trump to explain or back off his assertion that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped him last year, as U.S. lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they have seen no proof. Mr. Trump has been asked by several Republicans to apologize for the allegations and many key allies do not understand Mr. Trump's basis for the allegations.
Meanwhile, while Mr. Trump promises to put American workers first, he could end up hurting American consumers in the process. Mr. Trump's proposals on trade, tax and infrastructure risk hitting the American people in the pocketbook through higher prices. The tensions centre on how quickly the U.S. economy should be growing, too. Mr. Trump sees a quick economic boost through taxes being cut and increased spending on infrastructure. The Federal Reserve, however, sees an economy that is running at a rate close to its current potential and nearing full employment – and the risk of inflation.
And now, today:
FBI Director James Comey confirmed Monday the bureau is investigating possible links and co-ordination between Russia and the associates of Mr. Trump as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in last year's presidential election. This was the first public confirmation of an investigation that began last summer, and it was included in Mr. Comey's opening statement at a congressional hearing that included examining Russian meddling and possible connections between Moscow and Mr. Trump's campaign. Mr. Comey said that the FBI does not ordinarily discuss ongoing investigations, but said he'd been authorized to do so given the extreme public interest in the case. Mr. Trump also took to Twitter as Mr. Comey took the stage on Monday.
But could this be all a distraction? As Mr. Trump rewrites the rules around U.S. health care and his first budget provides staggering cuts to domestic programs, the headlines continue to be around Mr. Trump's wiretapping claims and his temporary ban on visitors from some Muslim countries. As headlines roar, work on the Trump agenda continues.