Skimm Quiz - 4/5

Fri 4/5 - DNA Test, Yemen, Violence Against Women

"There's not a lot of people who can understand" - A woman used a DNA test and found out she has 29 siblings thanks to a sperm ============================ *Congress is saying 'enough is enough' on the US's role in Yemen's civil war. We didn't, officially. But the US has always backed the Saudi Arabia-led coalition by selling them weapons and helping them refuel their planes.* Because the *civil war between the Yemeni gov and the Houthi rebels has become a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.* And the US and Saudi Arabia are longtime allies. The US and Iran are not. *Yemen is facing what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. More than 60,000 people are estimated to have been killed. 20 million (around two-thirds of the population)* don't have enough to eat. The country's on the *brink of a man-made famine. And a cholera outbreak is getting worse.* For the first time ever, *Congress is invoking a decades-old law to try to have more input on US involvement in wars.* The resolution passed mostly along party lines - though *some Republicans voted with the Dems. Dems are arguing that US support is fueling the crisis.* And that this law means they should have more of a say. The *Trump admin argues that its support is designed to help end the crisis. And that this resolution raises "serious constitutional concerns."* ========================== *House Democrats passed a bill protecting women from abuse, with some notable updates.* This is about the Violence Against Women Act first passed in '94. *One in four women will experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes. This law funds programs to prevent and prosecute violence against women.* It expired in February and this *bill would extend it for another five years.* *It included some *adds to the law to protect transgender people - giving transgender women to access to shelters.* (And making it so that transgender people are able to be in the prisons that align with their gender identities.) *It also adds new gun restrictions that the NRA very much does not support, closing the so-called "boyfriend loophole." That's the part of the bill that restricts gun access to some people with a history of stalking or domestic abuse.*

Wed 4/3 - Algeria, Turkey, Philippines, Chicago

*After 20 years in power and weeks of protests - President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria stepped down.* Yup. It's a win for millions of Algerians who have been *rallying against high youth unemployment rates, government corruption, and years of political repression and censorship.* ==================== The Turkish ruling party isn't taking rejection well. Earlier this week, *the country turned out for local elections and Erdoğan's Islamist party narrowly lost control of Istanbul and Ankara - Turkey's two biggest cities. Yesterday, his party challenged the results, arguing there were voting irregularities.* *Today, the country's election board reportedly approved a recount in a few districts, and there are concerns the government might try to manipulate the results.* *Erdoğan won re-election last year and consolidated power by doing things like abolishing the prime minister's office and appointing judges*. But the country's been in recession and Erdoğan has been reluctant to take basic steps to help fix it. ========================= *The Philippines Supreme Court wants some answers on the government's war on drugs.* Since *President Rodrigo Duterte came to power in 2016, police have killed between 5,000 and 20,000 people - many who were poor and some alleged political rivals. The gov has acknowledged some of these deaths, but thousands have gone unexplained.* Now, the *solicitor-general reportedly has two months to turn over thousands of police reports explaining how these people died.* ======================== *Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is going nuclear. After the Senate failed to pass a resolution that would cut the time it takes to confirm non-Cabinet level and district court judicial nominees, McConnell said 'hold up.' He plans to use the so-called "nuclear option" to get his way.* *This is basically a Senate tool that lets something pass with a simple majority of votes.* While this new debate rule would help President Trump's nominees be confirmed quicker, *it could backfire on Republicans if or when there's a change of power in the Senate.* *Here's what the Senate won't be dealing with anytime soon: a replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Republicans are going to wait until after next year's elections to revisit the health care debate since Dems control the House right now.* ========================= *Former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot easily won the Chicago mayor's race Tuesday, earning support from every part of the city to defeat a longtime political insider and become the first black woman and openly gay person to lead the nation's third-largest city.*

Tues 4/2 - Algeria, Death Penalty, Brexit

*Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said he'll be permanently out of office by the end of the month.* *He's been in office for 20 years* - seeing the country through post-civil war calm and avoiding major unrest during the Arab Spring. But for weeks, millions of Algerians have been protesting, *calling on Bouteflika to step down because of things like high youth unemployment, allegations of corruption against his admin, and Bouteflika's own poor health.* Amid protests last month, *Bouteflika hit 'reverse' on his plans to run for a fifth term. But he also canceled this month's election*, raising concerns he would try to stay in power. Last week, *Bouteflika's own military chief turned on him.* *Now, Bouteflika says he'll resign by April 28, which will lead to a transition period. But it's unclear who will take over for him.* So protesters who don't want anyone from Bouteflika's government to stay in power aren't throwing up victory signs yet. =========================== *The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to allow for the lethal injection of a death row inmate.* He has a rare medical condition called *cavernous hemangioma that he says would make him choke on his own blood, causing him to suffer during the execution.* His *lawyers pushed for him to be executed by lethal gas instead - in this case, nitrogen gas.* But the court's five conservative justices disagreed. They argued that *the lawyers waited too long to raise this issue and were just trying to delay execution. They also said the lawyers didn't prove nitrogen gas would be less painful* - and that the US has never used that method to execute someone before. They also said *the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment doesn't guarantee prisoners a painless death.* *The four liberal justices disagreed, with some saying the execution would be "excruciating and grotesque."* The case shows how a more solidly conservative court with Justice Brett Kavanaugh on board is upholding the death penalty. ============================ *The UK can't seem to escape its never-ending, boring AF breakup with the EU.* Yesterday, *lawmakers voted on four alternatives to PM Theresa May's thrice-rejected Brexit deal.* In true British form, lawmakers succeeded in ignoring semi-naked protesters. Also *in true British form, they failed to agree on a Brexit plan. Next up: May's considering putting her deal up for a vote...for the fourth time.* ----------------------------------------- *One would have kept the U.K. in a customs union for goods with the E.U. after Brexit, while another called for Britain to stay in the bloc's single market for both goods and services.* *Another option wanted any Brexit deal to be submitted to a public referendum, and the fourth said Britain should cancel its departure from the E.U. if it comes within two days of crashing out of the bloc without an agreement.*

Fri 4/5 - DC Archbishop, Mormons, Herman Cain, US-Mexico Border, Bill Barr, Tim Ryan

*Atlanta's Wilton Gregory announced as new archbishop of Washington DC* ======================== *The Mormon Church announced it would allow baptisms for children of LGBT parents. The church has around 16 million members worldwide.* *Back in 2015, church leaders approved rules that did things like making gay marriage grounds for expulsion and ending baptisms for children of gay parents.* In order to be baptized, kids of LGBT couples had to wait until they were 18 to disavow their parents' lifestyle. Yesterday, the church said 'nevermind.' And *reversed the policies "to reduce the hate and contention so common today." Although it says it still considers same-sex marriage a "serious transgression."* *But this is seen as a big step towards pushing the church to be more accepting of LGBTQ members.* ======================== *President Trump said he wants to appoint former Godfather's Pizza CEO and Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain to the Federal Reserve Board.* *Cain achieved notoriety for the 9-9-9 plan (taxes - 9% flat corporate income tax, 9% income tax, 9% sales tax)* =============================== *President Trump hit 'delete' on his threat to close the US-Mexico border this week.* Now, he's putting the *pressure on Mexico to curb drugs coming into the US in the next year or else risk car tariffs.* *Oh and in case you're wondering why he would stand down on his major immigration policy, it probably has to do with money - closing the border was expected to have a major hit on the economy.* ========================== *The Justice Department is backing Attorney General William Barr. Yesterday, it defended how Barr handled special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Trump-Russia investigation.* The defense came after news reports that some on Mueller's team were frustrated with Barr's summary of the investigation. *The DOJ said 'let's give him some credit' and that every page of the nearly 400-page report was flagged as potentially containing grand jury information, which means it can't be released to the public.* ============================= *Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan is the latest Democrat to jump into the 2020 race, announcing his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination during a Thursday appearance on ABC's "The View."* *He notably challenged Nancy Pelosi in 2016 for House Minority Leader*..

Tues 4/2 - Baltimore Mayor, Joe Biden, Tom Bady, Women's Final Four, Avocado Toast

*Democratic Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh will be taking an "indefinite leave of absence,"* her office announced Monday, *citing a battle with pneumonia.* The announcement comes at the same time *she's facing a scandal over a major purchase of children's books she authored by the University of Maryland Medical System.* ============================= Another woman has come forward to accuse the former vice president of inappropriately touching her. Over the weekend, *a former Nevada lawmaker came out to accuse Biden of kissing her on the back of the head at a 2014 campaign rally in a way that made her uncomfortable. Biden responded by saying he never thought he'd acted inappropriately. But that he'd listen to those who said he had.* *Yesterday, another woman came forward to say she felt uncomfortable when Biden once grabbed her head and rubbed noses with her.* People expected Biden to announce he's running for president any day now. But this might delay things. And, *in light of the #MeToo movement, some are wondering if it will throw a wrench into what's been a highly anticipated run until now.* ======================= *New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has officially joined Twitter, according to a company spokesman, and it isn't a coincidence that it came on April Fools' Day.* *Brady "announced" that he is retiring, and that in his spare time he will be tweeting.* =================== We found out the last teams that will make it to the Women's Final Four on Friday. *No. 2 Oregon will be up against no. 1 Baylor. And no. 2 UConn will be facing off against longtime rival no. 1 Notre Dame.* =================== *Americans would run out of avocados in three weeks if imports from Mexico were stopped*, said Steve Barnard, president and chief executive of Mission Produce, the largest distributor and grower of avocados in the world. =================== *Burger King is testing meatless burgers in 59 restaurants in Missouri. The fast-food chain is developing the product with California's Impossible Burger, which provides meatless burger for Red Robin, White Castle and many other restaurants.*

Mon 4/1 - Joe Biden, Nipsey Hussle

*In an essay for The Cut, former Nevada state assemblywoman Lucy Flores accused the former vice president of inappropriately touching her in 2014*. *She says that he kissed her on the back of the head at a campaign rally and that he made her feel "uneasy, gross, and confused."* Yesterday, *Biden said that while he made "expressions of affection" on the campaign trail, he never thought he acted inappropriately*, and that he would *"listen respectfully"* to those who suggested he had. -------------------------- *The 33-year-old rapper Nipsey Hussle was shot dead outside his clothing store in Los Angeles.* *His debut album "Victory Lap" had been nominated for Best Rap Album at this year's Grammys.* *He was also known for his interest in tech and his work in developing Vector 90, a co-working space to help connect inner city kids to opportunities in Silicon Valley.* Two other people were injured in the shooting. Police are still looking for the suspect. Rihanna, Drake, and others have posted tributes to Hussle. ----------------------- *TMZ: Zion Williamson's Busted Nike PG 2.5 PE Shoe Missing; 'Worth Around $250K'* ----------------------- no. 1 Duke lost against no. 2 Michigan State. Which means MSU is headed to the Final Four and will face no. 3 Texas Tech. Meanwhile, no. 5 Auburn will battle it out against no. 1 Virginia. The madness is making its way to April, and the NCAA might wanna hide its rugs. *FINAL FOUR: Michigan State (2), Texas Tech (3), Auburn (5), Virginia (1)* ---------------- *Hear Elon Musk's Surprise Rap Song 'RIP Harambe'*

Mon 4/1 - Trump & # of Immigrants

*President Trump wants to lower the number of people entering the US through Mexico.* Trump has updates on how exactly he plans on doing it. Over the weekend, *he threatened to shut down the US-Mexico border. He also said he'll cut aid to three Central American countries.* There's been a major uptick in the number of people crossing into the US at or between official points of entry. *About 100,000 people a month*. No matter how they got in, people in the US are allowed to apply for asylum on the grounds that they're fleeing specific types of violence. They're supposed to get an answer within 180 days. But with the current rate of people entering the country, the US legal system is overloaded. As are US border agencies. *There's a major backlog in processing these claims. And the result is what some people have called a humanitarian crisis - with a shortage of beds to house asylum seekers, among other concerns.* Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have attempted to pass comprehensive immigration reform. But failed. In the meantime, the Trump admin is taking things into its own hands. First, closing the US-Mexico border. Trump has threatened to close it in the past. But he's backed down. That might be because it could lead to a serious strain on the US economy. *Mexico is the US's third-largest trading partner. They swap about $1.7 billion in goods every day*. And *the US Chamber of Commerce says closing the border could threaten 5 million American jobs.* But Trump seems ready to take the hit. Because over the weekend, his admin said "something dramatic" needed to happen for him to change his mind and not close the border this week. Then there's the threat against Central American countries. The US sends *hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Central American countries like the ones many people are fleeing - El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.* Some of that money goes to programs working to curb gang violence. Trump says these three countries take advantage of the US and have done nothing to stop migrant caravans. *Now, he says he'll cut the flow of funds to them...something Congress would need to sign off on. Skeptics are warning that cutting the money could backfire - leaving conditions in those countries worse off and encouraging more people to flee to the US.* ------------- *The Trump administration's controversial plan to shrink the ballooning backlog of immigration cases by pushing judges to hear more cases has failed*, according to the latest data, with the *average wait for an immigration hearing now more than two years*. Since October 2017, when the Justice Department approved a plan aimed at reducing the backlog in immigration court, *the pending caseload has grown by more than 26%*, from 655,932 cases to just shy of 830,000, -------------- Until recently, most people caught crossing the border illegally were men from Mexico, but now *Central American families and unaccompanied minors make up some 60 percent of those apprehended, data from the agency show.* ------------------- *"If Mexico doesn't immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States throug (sic) our Southern Border, I will be CLOSING the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week," he tweeted.*

Mon 4/1 - Arab League & Golan Heights, Gaza/Israel

*The Arab League rejected the US's recognition of Israeli control over the Golan Heights and Jerusalem as Israel's capital.* *As a squad, the Arab League has had some rough patches recently (think: kicking out Syria, Saudi Arabia and friends boycotting Qatar)*. But at an annual summit over the weekend, leaders could agree on one thing: Israel. Specifically, the US's support for Israel's disputed claims over territory. This all comes as Israel and Gaza are trying to calm tensions. *Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people in Gaza showed up to protest Israel's blockade.* Some threw rocks and explosive devices, and Israel responded by shooting and killing four Palestinians - including three teenagers - and injuring dozens more. Yesterday, *some rockets from Gaza were fired into Israel. Egypt is working on a ceasefire that could see reduced violence in exchange for Israel loosening its blockade. It's unclear if that could work but Israel has since reopened two Gaza Strip crossings.* -------------- *This year's Arab League summit, held in Tunisia*, comes against a grim backdrop of ongoing wars in Syria and Yemen, rival authorities in Libya and a lingering boycott of Qatar by four fellow League members. ============================= *Lawyer Zuzana Čaputová was elected as Slovakia's first female president. Čaputová ran an anti-corruption, progressive campaign focused on political reform.* *She's considered an outsider who made it to a runoff - and now she's won the presidential election with close to 60% of the vote. Her win is giving a boost to liberals in central Europe, where rightwing movements have been having something of a moment.* ----------------- *The Croatian president thanks Argentina for taking in notorious pro-Nazi war criminals after World War II. In Bulgaria, a top politician calls the country's Roma minority "ferocious humanoids." And Hungary's prime minister declares the "color" of Europeans should not mix with that of Africans or Arabs.* ============================ *Comedian and anti-corruption candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy appeared to take the lead in the first round of Ukraine's presidential elections.* The kicker: he plays a president on TV...but *has no real political experience.* *Now Zelenskiy will likely head to a runoff against incumbent Petro Poroshenko on April 21. Eyes are on this election because of the country's tense relationship with Russia.*

Thu 4/4 - Mueller Report, Tax Returns, Biden

*The House Judiciary Committee voted to OK subpoenas for special counsel Robert Mueller's full, unredacted report.* In case you've been vacationing for two years (tell us your secrets): *Mueller looked into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. He finished his report last month, and AG William Barr (a Trump appointee) summed it up, saying there was no conspiracy.* *But some on Mueller's team are frustrated with how Barr summarized the report. And Dems want to see the full thing.* Barr said 'give me a minute' since *he has to redact info that could be illegal for him to release publicly.* *Now - after yesterday's party-line vote - Dems officially have the go-ahead to issue subpoenas. But they're holding off for now. * =========================== *While you can barely get your act together in time for this month's tax deadline (get on it), House Dems can't relate.* *They're excited to pore over the six years of Trump's tax returns they asked the IRS to hand over yesterday.* =========================== *Former VP Joe Biden read the room and says he'll be "more mindful and respectful of people's personal space" from now on.* ===================== *Patagonia isn't accepting new finance clients for its ubiquitous fleece vests* *Patagonia refusing to sell vests to some corporate clients that don't 'prioritize the planet'*

Thu 4/4 - Alabama, DoA, Facebook

*The Justice Department threatened to sue Alabama's prison system over things like violence and sexual abuse among male prisoners. At least 24 people were killed within Alabama's prisons since 2015.* After investigating for more than two years, *the DOJ found that it might be much higher since the state failed to properly classify violent deaths. Now, it's warning Alabama that the state could be in violation of the Eighth Amendment, by failing to protect prisoners from cruel and unusual punishment.* Alabama has a few weeks to shape up or the DOJ could sue. But that's not the end of it: the DOJ is still investigating accusations that *prison staffers engaged in excessive force against prisoners and sexually abused them. And those investigations could end in indictments.* ================================ *Six states and DC are suing the Department of Agriculture for rolling back Obama-era school lunch nutrition standards designed to limit childhood obesity.* The Trump admin said *it was hard to find food under those standards that students liked to eat. But the states are saying the public should have had a chance to comment.* ============================ *A cybersecurity firm said it found hundreds of millions of records from Facebook users.* There were two issues: *one, a Mexican media company improperly stored data like people's comments, likes, and reactions.* *Two, a third-party app that stored things like names, email addresses, and passwords. But the cybersecurity firm says both kept this data on Amazon's cloud-computing servers, which are publicly accessible.* Facebook responded to the news by saying that it's against policies to store info about users in a public database. ========================

Fri 4/5 - Belgium, Diets, Beyonce, Amazon

In the late 1950s and early '60s, *Belgium forcibly took away thousands of mixed-race children from their parents in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as Burundi and Rwanda.* *Belgians saw mixed-race people as a threat to their segregation policies - and their authority as colonial rulers. Up to 20,000 children were shipped away and placed in Belgian orphanages and schools, mostly run by the Catholic Church.* *The church has already apologized for its role in the kidnappings. Last year, Belgian lawmakers passed a measure asking the government to apologize and help the now-adults track down their families or get birth certificates.* Yesterday, *Belgium's prime minister said 'sorry' - saying he recognized "the targeted segregation" and the policy of forced kidnapping. This marks the first time that the Belgian government is taking any responsibility for its policies as a colonial ruler in Central Africa.* ===================================== *Unhealthy diets are responsible for more deaths than high blood pressure or even smoking tobacco.* We know, we know...sorry to be a buzzkill. Researchers looked at the diets of people in 195 countries. What they found: about 11 million deaths each year - *one in five deaths around the world - are linked to poor diet.* *But the problem isn't just about eating junk food. It's that people aren't eating enough healthy foods.* Time to add vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts to your cart. ==================== *Beyoncé is partnering with Adidas to create new shoes and apparel and relaunch athleisure brand Ivy Park* =================== *Amazon will launch thousands of satellites to provide internet around the world. 3,236 satellites will provide internet from low Earth orbit*

Wed 4/3 - NYC Congestion Pricing, India, EU Straws, Kittens,

New York City is getting the country's first congestion pricing. Stay with us. As part of the state budget,*it will charge drivers who come into the city's most congested neighborhoods - aka below Central Park. It will most likely use an electronic toll system (like E-ZPass) to bill drivers.* It's supposed to be *a way to raise money for the city's aggravating, reason-you-keep-taking-cabs public transit system.* *No exact tolls have been set but cars and trucks could have to pay well over $10. It's expected to start in 2021*, and other big US cities are watching to see how it plays out. ===================== *NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine accused India of endangering the International Space Station. Last week, India blew apart one of its satellites orbiting Earth to test a rare anti-satellite weapon.* Now, Bridenstine is saying that *it created hundreds of pieces of orbital debris - and that some are big enough to pose a potential threat to the ISS. He's afraid that other countries could follow India's lead.* But don't worry: the space station will move out of the way if needed, and *the threat is expected to go away as most of the debris burns up when it enters the atmosphere. So no need to jump up and save the planet just yet*..but until then, please recycle. *Europe bans single-use plastics. And glitter could be next.* ====================== *The Department of Agriculture announced it will end all experiments on kittens in Maryland. Since the '80s, it has used thousands of cats to research a deadly foodborne illness. *But last month, a bipartisan bill described this as "taxpayer-funded kitten slaughter."* Now, the USDA is taking the hint. Save the kittens 2019. *The remaining 14 cats will be adopted by USDA employees.* ==================== *After eight weeks of games and less than one season into Alliance of American Football's existence, league owner Tom Dundon has decided to suspend all operations*, league co-founder Bill Polian confirmed to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. ================== *Lunchables just unveiled 'Brunchables' breakfast sandwiches* *Brunchables come in bacon, ham, and sausage varieties with cheddar cheese on flatbread and a mini blueberry muffin.*

Thu 4/4 - North Korea, Ethiopia

North Korea is facing major food shortages. North Korea has *struggled to feed people for decades because of things like a dysfunctional government and a series of bad harvests.* *In the '90s, a famine there left anywhere from hundreds of thousands to more than a million people dead.* *The regime has worked to improve food security. But it still stands accused of not doing enough to feed its population. International sanctions on the country - which do things like limit trade - haven't helped.* But while the international community has used these sanctions as a way to try to get North Korea to drop its nukes, there are supposed to be exemptions for humanitarian aid. *The problem: stricter sanctions in recent years have made it harder for the aid to get through.* Out of a population of 25 million people, more than 10 million (around 40%) are estimated to be undernourished. And (at least one in five children are dealing with chronic malnutrition*. In short: things are at a crisis level. Many blame the crisis on a series of natural disasters in the country (think: prolonged heatwave, a typhoon, floods). *But the government also blames sanctions. And the UN's calls for help are getting louder, asking the international community to help the citizens of North Korea.* It's nodding in agreement - which is actually kind of a big deal in and of itself. For a while, the country has resisted asking for help. Because isolationist regime and all. *But before last month's summit between US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea said the country's food supplies were running low - a rare admission for the country.* ============================== Ethiopia's preliminary report into last month's Boeing plane crash. It found that the *pilots followed proper protocol when the Boeing 737 Max 8 started to nosedive. And that despite doing all the procedures Boeing recommends, they weren't able to stop the plane from crashing, killing all 157 people on board.* *The report doesn't blame Boeing, and details could change before it's finalized in the coming months. But it does put the pressure on Boeing and aviation authorities to investigate the plane's aircraft control system* and confirm the problem is fixed before the planes are able to fly again.

Tues 4/2 - White House Security Clearances

The White House is getting called out for having an alleged problem with security clearances. There are *three levels of clearance: the highest level is top secret, the next is (just) secret, and confidential is the lowest.* *People get access to classified national security information depending on the level of clearance that they have. But the White House (and other offices across federal government) are allowed to request interim security clearances (basically just a temporary pass).* Final clearances are supposed to be processed within 90 days. But that doesn't always happen. *Meet your whistleblower, Tricia Newbold. She's been a White House security adviser for 18 years. During a meeting with the House Oversight and Reform Committee last month, she said that since last year, she'd gathered a list of at least 25 people who got security clearances approved even when she and fellow co-workers flagged concerns about things like foreign influences* Yesterday, *the allegations were released by the chairman of the Oversight committee Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD).* Also, *Newbold had more to add. She said the White House was "getting out of control" with the number of interim security clearances it was providing - giving aides access to classified info for way too long.* She also said that *the Trump admin was no longer doing credit checks on people applying for clearances, which would show whether they could be susceptible to blackmail.* *She said she brought her concerns to several superiors including her supervisor Carl Kline, the director of the Personnel Security Office.* But that *Kline played a key role in reversing the security clearance denials.* Cummings said the committee plans to subpoena Kline. The documents don't identify the officials on Newbold's list but says *there are "two current senior White House officials."* And *one of them appears to be son-in-law-slash-senior adviser Jared Kushner.* *White House counsel Pat Cipollone has previously addressed the issue and said that it's up to the executive branch to decide whether to approve or deny a security clearance, so back off.*