Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Reportedly Expects to be Fired

Rod Rosenstein Reportedly Expects to be Fired
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is scheduled to go to the White House on Thursday, according to CNN. Rosenstein’s potential resignation or termination ignites immediate questions about the future of special counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 election and its possible ties to Donald Trump. The news comes three days after The New York Times reported that Rosenstein suggested secretly recording Trump and “recruiting cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump from office for being unfit,” an account that Rosenstein denies. In the event of Rosenstein’s departure, Solicitor General Noel Francisco would then have oversight of Mueller’s investigation. A 2018 Democracy Fund Voter Study Group survey, co-authored by PRRI’s Associate Director of Research, Rob Griffin PhD, found that nearly half (48 percent) of Americans felt that Mueller’s investigation was being conducted fairly.
New Sexual Assault Accusations Emerge Against Kavanaugh
Over the weekend, The New Yorker published a report of another accusation of sexual assault against U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Deborah Ramirez has said that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both students at Yale University. The exposé, written by Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer, alleges that during the 1983-84 school year, when Kavanaugh and Deborah Ramirez were freshmen, Kavanaugh exposed himself during a drunken dormitory party and forced her to touch his genitals. The report by Farrow and Mayer also alleges that Republicans knew about Kavanaugh’s second accuser and attempted to speed up his confirmation in response. According to PRRI polling, nearly eight in ten (78 percent) Democrats, but only about half (52 percent) of Republicans, say unreported or unbelieved experiences of sexual harassment or assault are a bigger problem in the U.S. than false accusations.
Most Sexual Harassment Goes Unreported—a Majority of Americans Think That’s a Problem
Recently, President Trump questioned whether Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was sexually assaulted by U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in high school. Trump tweeted, “if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents.” In response, sexual assault survivors began sharing their experiences, under the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport. Examining the hashtag campaign, CNN Politicslooks at women’s reporting of assault. Citing PRRI data, Grace Sparks writes, “Two-thirds say that real experiences of sexual harassment or assault that aren’t reported is a bigger problem than false accusations that are made, according to data by the Public Religion Research Institute released in March.”
DHS: No Green Cards for Immigrants on Public Aid
On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a proposal to prevent immigrants receiving public assistance from acquiring green cards. In a DHS press release, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said the proposal is meant to protect taxpayers, as “those seeking to immigrate to the United States must show they can support themselves financially.” The proposal is projected to affect about 382,000 people each year, according to The New York Times. In a June 2018 survey, PRRI found Americans are divided over who they trust to handle the issue of immigration.Thirty-eight percent of Americans trust Democrats in Congress, while 21 percent of Americans trust President Trump and 14 percent trust Republicans in Congress. Notably, more than one-quarter of the public say they do not trust anyone to handle the immigration issue (17 percent) or express no opinion (10 percent).
U.S. Tariffs Target $200 Billion in Chinese Imports
The Trump administration’s latest tariffs against China, which target $200 billion in Chinese imports, went into effect this Monday. These tariffs will affect thousands of American consumer goods and raw materials used in the U.S. technology and telecom sectors, reports The New York Times and The Washington Post. In a 2015survey, PRRI found that 73 percent of the public believe China’s unfair trading practices are partially responsible for America’s economic problems.
Salinas Residents are Feeling Effects of California Poverty
The Salinas Californian profiled local residents struggling with poverty and homelessness. Documenting the challenges of paying rent and for other essentials, the article said disadvantaged Californians are forced to make tough choices. The piece also references a recent PRRI poll looking at the challenges faced by Californians who are working but struggling with poverty. “Fifty-six percent of Central Coast workers are struggling with poverty, PRRI found, higher than the state average but tied with the Sacramento Valley and behind only the San Joaquin Valley. Census data found close to one in five Salinas residents are actually in poverty,” the article’s author, Eduardo Cuevas notes.
Didsbury Church’s Radical Change After Tragic Suicide
Lizzy Lowe, a UK teenager, took her own life because she did not believe her church would accept her as a gay Christian. Four years later, her church, St James in Didsbury, Manchester and its sister church, Emmanuel, have formally made the decision to accept and embrace everyone regardless of gender, race, disability, or sexuality. Lizzie’s parents are grateful for the church’s move, and are hopeful that it might save the lives of other children. “I used to be somebody that would hold a traditional view,” says Nick Bundock, rector of St. James and Emmanuel. “But we lost a teenager, at 14, to suicide. And that puts everything else into perspective.”