Congressional Democrats have leveled criticism at former President Obama following The Washington Post's Friday publication of a comprehensive report detailing the Obama administration's reactions to mounting evidence of Russian election meddling in 2016.
Obama's response "was inadequate," said Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). "I think [the administration] could have done a better job informing the American people of the extent of the attack." Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), who serves on the House Intelligence Committee with Swalwell, said the penalties the Obama team imposed on Russia were "barely a slap on the wrist."
Of course, President Trump has also castigated his predecessor over the report. "Just out," he tweeted Friday night. "The Obama Administration knew far in advance of November 8th about election meddling by Russia. Did nothing about it. WHY?"
For a quick take on what has everyone so worked up, read The Week's summary of the Post report's major revelations here. Bonnie Kristian
Outside of Game of Thrones' predictable domination, the Emmys nominee list this year is full of some real head-turners.
From notable snubs to unexpected additions, let's take a look at some of the biggest surprises from this year's nominees.
1. Voters love Schitt's Creek and Fleabag - The previously-snubbed cult comedy Schitt's Creek unexpectedly snuck into the Outstanding Comedy Series category, also scoring nominations for its lead actors, Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara. Similarly, Fleabag after being previously snubbed scored not just a nomination in the top category but also 10 more, including for its star, Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
2. The Kominsky Method and GLOW miss - Netflix's The Kominsky Method, meanwhile, didn't get a nod in the top comedy category as expected, nor did GLOW, despite being nominated last year.
3. The Big Bang Theory and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt don't get a final season boost - The Big Bang Theory with its last season didn't get a nomination in the top comedy category nor, as was more likely, one for Jim Parsons, while Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's last episodes earned it no love, either.
4. Jon Snow edges out Robb Stark - Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden seemed to have a strong shot at a lead actor in a drama nominee for Bodyguard, but while that series was nominated, he was left out. Instead, it was Thrones' Kit Harington who was nominated after being snubbed last time, while Thrones co-stars Alfie Allen and Sophie Turner also got their first nods.
5. Jim Carrey, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, and Emma Stone are snubbed - These four traditionally movie-focused stars who headed to TV with Kidding, Homecoming, Catch 22, and Maniac respectively were all snubbed. Other actors who missed out on nominations included Allison Janney, Pamela Adlon,Tracee Ellis Ross, and Kieran Culkin.
6. Netflix nails it - Netflix's baking competition show Nailed It!, an online favorite, managed to make its way into the Outstanding Competition Program category. Better luck next time, The Masked Singer. Brendan Morrow
Say goodbye to @rogerjstonejr.
Roger Stone, President Trump's longtime and now former adviser, on Tuesday was found in violation of a gag order he's been subject to since February. So U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has ordered Stone to stay off Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter until his November trial, she announced Tuesday.
Berman Jackson had previously ordered that Stone not comment "in the media or in public settings about the Special Counsel’s investigation or this case" to avoid coloring a potential jury's opinion of him. Yet Stone has maintained social media accounts that constantly post declarations of his innocence, namely through T-shirts that read "Roger Stone did nothing wrong." He's also posted the occasional prompt to fund his legal defense at StoneDefenseFund.com.
In the Tuesday proceeding, Jackson said her gag order was "clear as day," and then read off several posts where Stone had apparently violated it, The Washington Post reports. Stone's lawyer tried to argue that his small social media following negated the influence of those posts, but Berman Jackson wasn't having it. She ordered that Stone cannot post on social media altogether, but did not expand on how she'd enforce the order.
Stone was indicted in January under former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe, and was charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, witness tampering, and making false statements, among other counts. He's since fought those charges very publicly, both on social media and in court. Kathryn Krawczyk
A divisive final season didn't prevent Game of Thrones from setting a new Emmys record.
The hit HBO series scored a total of 32 Emmy nominations on Tuesday, including for Outstanding Drama Series and acting nominations for stars Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Alfie Allen, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Lena Headey, and Gwendoline Christie. Game of Thrones received not only the most nominations of any show this year but the most nominations that any show has ever received in one year, according to The Associated Press. The previous record was set when NYPD Blue in 1994 earned 27 nominations.
Also making up the Outstanding Drama Series category was Better Call Saul, Bodyguard, Killing Eve, Ozark, Pose, Succession, and This Is Us. The 2017 winner, The Handmaid's Tale, wasn't eligible because it didn't air a full season within the nominating window. The Outstanding Comedy Series category consisted of Barry, Fleabag, The Good Place, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Russian Doll, Schitt's Creek, and Veep.
Some notable surprises from the announcement included the comedy series nod for Schitt's Creek, which also received nominations for stars Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, and the absence of Bodyguard's Richard Madden from the lead actor in a drama series category.
Thanks both to Game of Thrones and Veep, as well as other nominees like Chernobyl, HBO received the most nominations of any network with 137, with this coming after Netflix stole its thunder by claiming that title last year, The New York Times reports. Netflix, which released Emmy nominees like When They See Us and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, picked up 117 nominations. Thrones and Veep, both of which recently aired their final seasons, are widely expected to take home the top prizes in September, unless Thrones does unexpectedly get dinged for its controversial last set of episodes.
The 2019 Emmys, which don't currently have a host, will take place on Sept. 22. Read the full list of nominees here. Brendan Morrow
Ever heard the one about infrastructure week?
As politicians make calls to rectify the decline of U.S. infrastructure investment, a new study from Leah Brooks of George Washington University and Zachary of Liscow of Yale University provides "suggestive evidence" as to how and why infrastructure costs could have changed over time.
After digitizing annual state-level data on interstate highway construction — one of the largest projects in American history — they found that per-mile construction costs increased dramatically over time, tripling between the early 1960s and the 1980s. But why?
Brooks and Liscow ruled out some old theories such as the idea that highway planners procrastinated and left the most geographically challenging routes for last, or that costs for labor and materials changed. Instead, one possible explanation they found is that as incomes and home values rose, so did demand for more expensive interstates. For example, the doubling in real median per capita income between the '60s and '80s accounts for about half the increase in construction costs per mile. States were also building more bridges and ramps as incomes increased. The study suggests all this could have occurred simply because the more money people had, the more willing they were to spend it.
One other factor that the study finds consistent with the data is the rise of the "citizen voice" in the late '60s and early '70s. That includes the growth of environmental activism, the civil rights movement, and homeowners organizing as lobbyists. Basically, more power to the people possibly meant more expensive highway construction. The timing checks out, at least.
The findings, the paper says, are suggestive, but not causal. Still, it looks like a good start in bettering our understanding of infrastructure investment over time. Read the full study here. Tim O'Donnell