Megadonor Urged Bannon Not to Resign and More in Politics Today

It’s difficult to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in this country and to break through the clutter, so we’re here to make it easier. Here’s what we at Countable are reading today:

1. Megadonor urged Bannon not to resign

The man credited with honing Donald Trump’s populist message and guiding him into the White House has grown frustrated amid continued infighting in the West Wing, so much so that in recent weeks a top donor had to persuade him to stay in his position.

Five people, including a senior administration official and several sources close to the president, tell POLITICO that Steve Bannon, one of Trump’s closest advisers, has clashed with the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who’s taken on an increasingly prominent portfolio in the West Wing. Bannon has complained that Kushner and his allies are trying to undermine his populist approach, the sources said.

Read more at Politico.

2. Nunes steps down from US election Russian hacking probe

The head of a key US congressional investigation into alleged Russian hacking has temporarily stepped down amid an ethics inquiry into him.

House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes is now himself under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

The panel is looking into claims that the Republican disclosed classified intelligence.

Mr Nunes called the charges "entirely false" and "politically motivated".

Read more at *BBC.*

More coverage of Nunes’ recusal at Countable.

3. Conservatives fall short of another goal: Defunding Planned Parenthood

Anti-abortion groups thought they had a sure way to slash funding for the country’s largest abortion provider as part of the health-care overhaul proposed by the House Republican leadership.

But the overhaul failed — a nascent effort to revive it has also stalled — dampening conservatives’ once-high hopes to achieve one of their dearest goals: defunding Planned Parenthood.

Read more at The Washington Post.

4.The lesson of Gorsuch and the nuclear option: "Neither party has any incentive to compromise"

I wanted to know if Republicans’ use of the nuclear option represents a high-water mark for partisanship in American history. I also wanted to know what it would mean for the minority party in the Senate moving forward, why the nomination process has become so contentious, and what, if anything, can be done about the partisan gridlock.

Read more at Vox.

5. 7 States Carried By Trump Will Be Hit Hard By Proposed Border Tax, Report Shows

Seven U.S. Republican states carried by President Donald Trump would be among the hardest hit if a Republican-backed border adjustment tax became law as part of a broad tax reform, according to a report from conservative groups that oppose the tax.

The 15-page document, released on Thursday by the Koch-backed Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity, warned that border adjustment’s proposed 20 percent import tax would harm all 50 states, but identified 10 that could suffer the most because of their dependence on imports.

Read more at Huffington Post.

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr/Creative Commons)