Ever since Donald Trump was elected President of the United States back in November, the country has entered a bizzarro reality where treason, lying, and divisive policies have become the norm. Week after week, the orange-tinted demagogue and his administration finds itself increasingly immersed in controversy, while the Republican-majority Senate quietly chip away at the rights and benefits of its constituents.

Needless to say, as the shadows surrounding this disastrous presidency start to dissipate, we’re all left to face a number of uncomfortably glaring truths. Whether you’re looking to stay vigilantly informed or just a political masochist looking to start your day off on a depressing note, we’ve got a recap of every slimy move Trump and his cronies have made over the last week.      

The Russian Love Affair Heats Up

• The shady love affair between the Trump administration and Russia continued to blossom this week, this time connecting the Commander-in-Chief directly to the controversy. Although Trump has repeatedly denied ever meeting with Russian officials, it was recently revealed that he had in fact met with Russian ambassador Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak back in April. Kislyak was sitting in the front row during an invite-only speech by Trump, which he used as a call for improved relations with the country.  

• An alarming allegation from ex-NSA official John Schindler claims that Trump has been working with Russian intelligence to target journalists across the United States. On Monday, the security expert tweeted out the fear-inspiring accusation, warning us all of a “rough road ahead.” 

Learned fm very reliable IC sources that Trump WH, w/help fm Russian intel, is targeting US journalists. Rough road ahead. Get ready, peeps

— John Schindler (@20committee) March 7, 2017

• Last month, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin died suddenly while working in his New York City office. This week, it was revealed that the State Department ordered the city’s chief medical examiner not to disclose his cause of death, citing an agreement between the U.S. and the UN. Seeing how those with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin constantly pass away under questionable circumstances, the request can definitely be seen as sketchy.  

• On Friday, CNN reported that federal investigators and computer scientists are continuing to examine a possible computer server connection between Trump and a Russian bank. Last summer, a computer server owned by Alfa Bank repeatedly looked up the contact information for another server belonging to the Trump Organization, raising a possible connection with the election interference investigation. Intelligence officials have called the link “odd," but have yet to decipher whether or not there’s any significance to it.

• As the cards continue to unfold, a growing number of Americans are calling for a full-fledged investigation into the administration’s ties with Russia. Researchers from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal showed that 53 percent of Americans support an investigation on the matter, while 25 percent are against it.

The Dark (and Dank) Cloud Surrounding Jeff Sessions  

• After striking fear into the heart of the cannabis industry with an ominous warning of federal prosecution on legal marijuana, U.S. District Attorney Jeff Sessions continues to backtrack from his bold threat. The former Alabama Senator and latest red flag in the Russian controversy recently suggested that a federal crackdown on cannabis is simply “not possible.” Though he will likely continue to search for a way to disrupt the recreational cannabis market, it seems as if he has not found an acceptable path to do so just yet.   

• But that hasn’t stopped Los Angeles Sheriff Jim McDonnell from claiming that the federal government will likely try to interfere with California’s impending recreational system. He recently expressed his suspicion that the feds may raid LA’s retail pot shops, adding that they have the right to do so under federal law.

• Former pro-wrestler turned Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura came to the aid of the cannabis industry this past week, blasting Trump and his administration for their hypocritical stance. “It is completely wrong and unethical — not to mention unconstitutional — to reverse state law just because you feel like it. Shame on President Trump for even considering this.” he wrote.

• Meanwhile, while Sessions tries to figure out how to push his anti-cannabis policy on the country, his involvement with the Russian scandal continues to intensify. After denying contact with any officials from the country while under oath, it was discovered that the U.S. Attorney General had met with ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice before the election. Now, a new report shows that Sessions likely met with the Russian Ambassador a third time in April. Democrats, led by Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, have accused Sessions of perjury and have called out for his resignation.  

• Ironically enough, while the left is calling for Sessions to resign from his position, the highly questionable AG demanded that all 46 U.S. attorneys remaining from the Obama era step down from their positions immediately. Preet Bharara, a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York known for cracking down on corruption, refused the Trump administration's resignation demands, but was abruptly fired over the weekend.   

Placing the Blame on Obama (and Taking Credit for His Success)

• After the president accused Barack Obama of wiretapping phones in the Trump Tower last week, questions have been raised about whether Trump is flat out delusional or poorly attempting to deflect attention away from the bubbling Russian scandal.

• But one thing made clear by the intelligence community is that no one is taking Trump’s allegations seriously, especially FBI Director James Comey. Last weekend, the FBI called on the Justice Department to correct the record and publicly reject the president’s claim that Obama had Trump's phones wiretapped. The former president has vehemently denied Trump's allegations as well.   

• While trying to locate the source of Trump’s allegations, it was discovered that he received the information from an aide via a baseless article published on Breitbart. The right-wing “news” outlet has essentially acted as the media mouthpiece for the Trump administration, constantly offerings misleading and twisted facts to fit the divisive narrative of the president.

• It seems like blaming Obama is becoming the go-to defense mechanism for the untamable president. On Tuesday, Trump stated that the Obama was responsible for the 122 “vicious” Guantanamo Bay prisoners that have returned to the battlefield to fight American supported forces. It turns out that this “fact," presumedly taken directly from an episode of Fox & Friends, was completely incorrect. The truth is that 113 of the 122 released detainees were freed under George W. Bush, who is also responsible for opening the heinous prison in the first place.    

• But of course, when something goes right under Obama’s watch, Trump is happy to take the credit all for himself. At the tail-end of the week, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer touted that Trump was responsible for adding 235,000 jobs to the economy in the month of February. But many experts have refuted this claim by pointing out that most of this employment surplus was sparked under the Obama administration. Additionally, Trump has constantly dispelled employment statistics as “phoney," but has suddenly changed his tune now that they make him look good. Spicer went on to claim that the latest statistics showing job growth are “very real.”

The Sickening GOP Health Care Replacement Bill

• After spending the last eight years slandering “Obamacare," Republicans finally revealed their replacement for the Affordable Care Act. The GOP repeal act would defund Planned Parenthood, dismantle individual and employer mandates, and eliminate other essential benefits like Medicaid and income-based subsidies. Liberals, conservatives, and even the healthcare industry itself have all come out to oppose the new proposal.

• In defense of the awful repeal act, Republican Utah Representative Jason Chaffetz blamed poor people for not having adequate insurance, claiming that they should spend money on healthcare instead of iPhones. Ironically enough, it was later recently revealed that Chaffetz spent hundreds of dollars in donations at an Apple Store, adding an unfathomable layer of hypocrisy to the staunch Republican’s out-of-touch statement.  

• While Trump continues to distract the nation from the GOP’s attempt to decimate the rights and benefits of Americans, the repeal act isn’t the only alarming measure being pushed by the Republican-run Congress. Other bills introduced by the right would eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency, funnel tax dollars into private schools, terminate the Department of Education, criminalize abortion. There’s much more abhorrence where that came from, keep yourself up-to-date with this extensive list of these terrifying proposals.

Middle Eastern Travel Ban Reinstated Through New Executive Order

• After failing miserably to implement his unconstitutional travel ban on Middle Eastern immigrants the first time around, Trump and his team went back to the drawing board to legal-proof his widely disputed executive order. This past week, the president signed a new “Muslim Ban” measure, this time around excluding Iraq from the list of banned nations. His latest executive order also eases up the restrictions on green card and visa holders, but that doesn’t change the fact that zero terrorist attacks in the U.S. have been committed by people from banned countries, which includes Syria, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, or Somalia.

This Week On Twitter: A Country in Distress

• During a daily press briefing by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, reporters pointed out that his American flag pin was flipped upside down, a symbol that traditionally signifies “distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property." While Spicer quickly brushed the mishap off with a few lighthearted jokes, the internet didn’t let him off that easily. All across Twitter, people were roasting the press secretary, some of whom joked that the move was a secret cry for help from Spicer. 

Someone please rescue @seanspicer who is clearly signaling for help by wearing an American flag pin upside down. #SOS (Save Our Spicey) pic.twitter.com/ofh9zGs1Dg

— James Michael Sama (@JamesMSama) March 10, 2017

i fixed ur flag pin for u sean pic.twitter.com/Y9iCnYNKny

— darth™ (@darth) March 10, 2017

• Undeniably the most despicable comment of the week came from Ben Carson, the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), when the sleepy former surgeon compared African-American slaves to illegal immigrants. He stated that slaves were immigrants who “worked even longer, even harder for less." The shocking comment caused outrage across the internet, and even drew an angry response from the one and only Samuel Jackson.

OK!! Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants ? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAFUKKA PLEASE!!!#dickheadedtom

— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) March 6, 2017

Stirring Trouble Around the Globe

• Saudi Arabia: Wondering why Saudi Arabia was left off of Trump’s Middle Eastern travel ban? Well, it could have something to do with the President’s recent decision to resume arms deals with the controversial Middle Eastern nation. Though the deal was originally blocked by former President Obama over human rights concerns, the State Department has reversed that move, hinting that the Trump administration is seeking an increased role in the ongoing Yemen War. The $1.5 billion deal will send tanks and armored vehicles to the Saudi Arabian government.

• Azerbaijan/Iran: This past week, a shocking link was made between an unopened Trump hotel in Azerbaijan and corrupt oligarchs that support Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. A recent piece in the New Yorker makes an extremely sketchy connection between Trump and the Mammadov family, raising serious ethics questions from U.S. officials.   

• Turkey: After disgracefully resigning in light of his illegal connections with Russia, yet another controversy has emerged around former national security advisor Michael Flynn. It has been revealed that months before the election took place, Flynn’s consulting firm was paid $500,000 to lobby on behalf of Turkish interests. Although both Spicer and Pence have denied their knowledge about this glaring conflict of interest, recent evidence states otherwise.

• Middle East: While a majority of Trump supporters constantly lambasted Hillary Clinton for being a warhawk, Donny Boy has proven to be much more trigger happy with drone attacks than Obama ever was. Since the Republican president came into power, there’s been a 432% increase in U.S. military drone strikes. President Trump has averaged one drone strike every 1.25 days, on pace to shatter the 542 targeted strikes approved by Obama over 2,920 days.