What to Know
- Trump is weighing at least 4 people to serve as his next chief of staff, after plans for an orderly succession for John Kelly fell through
- Doctors believe a woman who died from rare brain-eating amoebas used tap water to rinse her sinuses
- On SNL this week, the cast took aim at a nervous Trump family, complete with a looming Robert Mueller, played again by Robert DeNiro
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Trump Looking at Several Candidates for Chief of Staff
President Trump is weighing at least four people to serve as his next chief of staff, after plans for an orderly succession for departing John Kelly fell through. The high-profile hiring search comes at a pivotal time as the president looks to prepare his White House for the twin challenges of securing his re-election and fending off inquiries once Democrats gain control of the House next year. Trump's top pick for the job, Nick Ayers, is out of the running and Trump is now soliciting input on at least four individuals, including Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney and Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Ayers, who is chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, was seen as the favorite for the job when Trump announced Saturday that Kelly would leave around year's end. But a White House official said Sunday that Trump and Ayers could not reach agreement on Ayers' length of service and that he would instead assist the president from outside the administration. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel matters.
Russia Investigation Threatens Trump, Those in His Orbit
The more that special counsel Robert Mueller and federal prosecutors reveal, the darker grow the legal clouds over President Trump. Trump's own Justice Department has now implicated him in a crime, accusing him of directing illegal hush-money payments to women during his 2016 presidential campaign. Mueller keeps finding new instances of Trump associates lying about their contacts with Russia during an election the Kremlin worked to sway in the Republican's favor. The president hasn't been charged with any crimes. He may never be. Whether a president can be prosecuted while in office remains a matter of legal dispute. But Trump also hasn't been cleared of wrongdoing. Each new legal filing underscores that the president is a central figure in investigations that already have brought down several people who worked closely with him and remain a threat to others in Trump's orbit.
Woman Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba, Tap Water in Neti Pot Blamed
Local
Doctors believe a woman who died from rare brain-eating amoebas used tap water to rinse her sinuses. The 69-year-old Seattle resident died in February after undergoing brain surgery at Swedish Medical Center. Her doctor tells The Seattle Times there was "amoeba all over the place just eating brain cells." According to a study published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, doctors believe the woman likely became infected when she used tap water in her neti pot, a teapot-like vessel used to flush out nasal passages. Health officials suggest using only distilled, sterile or previously boiled water to rinse sinuses. Tap water can contain tiny organisms that are safe to drink but could survive in nasal passages. Such infections are very rare. There were three similar U.S. cases from 2008 to 2017.
Jason Momoa Hosts, Mumford and Sons Performs on 'SNL'
On this week’s episode of “Saturday Night Live”, the cast took aim at a nervous Trump family, complete with a looming Robert Mueller, played again by Robert DeNiro. In the cold open, President Donald Trump’s sons, Eric and Don Jr., comforted each other at bedtime over the scary thought of Mueller's potential indictments. The real Russia investigation gained steam this week when prosecutors filed new documents saying former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort continually lied to investigators. Jason Momoa, who plays Aquaman in the new film by the same name, hosted the show, admitting in his monologue that he is something of an “SNL” nerd after watching it for years. He was joined by Leslie Jones, Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd, who claimed they had a great idea for Aquaman’s theme song.
