Pruitt Confirmed as EPA Administrator 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. "Scott Pruitt confirmed to EPA"

"The Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency, an agency Republicans desperately want to rein in after what they charge was eight years of dangerous activism under the Obama administration that hurt."

"Pruitt maybe just the person to do it. As Oklahoma attorney general he sued the agency many times in that pursuit and has vowed to curb the EPA’s regulatory reach once in office."

"The largely party line vote was 52-46."

Read more at CNN.

2. "Venturing beyond the Beltway, Trump visits Boeing in South Carolina"

"Conducting his first visit beyond the Beltway since his inauguration four weeks ago, President Trump on Friday stressed his "America First" trade and economic policies during a campaign-like visit to an airplane plant operated by Boeing — a company he has criticized in the past."

""We are going to fight for every last American job," Trump told employees at Boeing as the company rolled out its latest model, the 787-10 Dreamliner ("Dreamliner ... great name," the president said)."

Read more at USA Today.

3. "Trump mounts bid to find leakers, as speculation surrounds Obama officials"

"President Trump is setting out to uncover the saboteurs leaking damaging details about his administration, as speculation intensifies over whether current officials or a cabal of Obama lieutenants – or both – are turning the faucets."

"One former senior intelligence official told Fox News he suspects ex-intelligence and other security officials, including former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, were in some way involved in revealing details of Michael Flynn’s conversations with the Russian ambassador. Those details contradicted what Flynn had told Vice President Pence and other Trump officials, leading to his resignation as national security adviser earlier this week."

Read more at Fox News.

4. "House G.O.P. leaders outline plan to repeal Obama health care act"

"House Republican leaders on Thursday presented their rank-and-file members with the outlines of their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, leaning heavily on tax credits to finance individual insurance purchases and sharply reducing federal payments to the 31 states that have expanded Medicaid eligibility."

"Speaker Paul D. Ryan and two House committee chairmen stood with the new secretary of health and human services, former Representative Tom Price of Georgia, preparing Republican lawmakers for a weeklong Presidents’ Day recess that promises to be dominated by angry or anxious questions about the fate of the health law."

Read more at The New York Times.

5. "Chaffetz wants charges for former Clinton aide"

"Rep. Jason Chaffetz is seeking charges for a former State Department employee who helped Hillary Clinton set up her private email server."

"Chaffetz, R-Utah, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions asking to convene a grand jury or charge Bryan Pagliano, The Associated Press reported."

"Pagliano refused to answer questions from a congressional panel investigating the attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, which uncovered Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of State."

Read more at Roll Call.

— Eric Revell

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