In other news, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has withdrawn his name for consideration to be the next confirmed secretary. Just this morning, USA Today reported that the FBI's background check of Shanahan was held up by a domestic violence incident involving his former wife.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that the White House explored the legality of firing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and concluded it couldn't be done under current law.
Finally, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has overruled State Department analysts who said Saudi Arabi should be added to the list of countries that use child soldiers.
State Department experts recommended adding Saudi Arabia to the soon-to-be released list based in part on news reports and human rights groups’ assessments that the desert kingdom has hired child fighters from Sudan to fight for the U.S.-backed coalition in Yemen, the four sources said. [...]
Pompeo rejected the recommendation from the experts, who are from the State Department’s anti-human trafficking office, said the four sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. The office has a key role in investigating the use of child soldiers worldwide.”The United States condemns the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers. We place great importance on ending the practice wherever it occurs,” a State Department official said in response to Reuters’ questions. The official, however, did not specifically address the Saudi decision or whether any consideration was given to Riyadh’s security ties to Washington.