Welcome to This Week in Politics, the recurring column covering the highlights in politics for this week.

Saturday, Feb. 25 – Sunday, Feb. 26

• Former Labor Secretary Tom Perez Elected Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair

  • Perez has been elected Chair of the DNC, defeating Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota in the second round of voting

    • Perez named Ellison his Deputy Chair as his first act in office.

    • “We are one family, and I know we will leave here united today, no doubt about that,” Perez said shortly before the vote. “I’ve learned that great leaders are good listeners. You will always have my ear, and I will always have your back.”

• President Donald Trump Announces Budget Outline

  • Trump’s first budget includes a sharp increase in military spending, while cutting government agencies like the State Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

  • This budget is still preliminary, but is more drastic than most presidential budgets in the past.

Monday, Feb. 27

• Former president George W. Bush Criticizes Trump

  • Bush criticized Trump’s immigration policy and demanded that “we need answers” about Trump’s connections with Russia.

• Trump Calls Health Care “an unbelievably complex subject”

  • In a press conference Monday, Trump admitted that replacing Obamacare will be significantly more difficult than expected.

  • No formal health care plan has been announced, contradicting one of Trump’s largest campaign promises to replace the health care law on ‘day one’.

Tuesday, Feb. 28

• Over 100 Bomb Threats at Jewish Community Centers

  • This year, 100 Jewish centers have been threatened, many being evacuated and swept for explosives.

  • This shows the growing trend of antisemitism in society, leading many to infer it is due to the aggressive tone of Trump and his supporters.

• Justice Department Backs off of Police Departments

  • Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in a statement Tuesday, said that the Justice Department would scale back investigations into police departments that are under-performing or are accused of racial discrimination.

    • These investigations were pushed by former president Barack Obama to crack down on police brutality and excessive violence.

• Trump’s First Address to Congress

  • Trump called on lawmakers to overhaul the health care system, the tax code and approve budgets to improve the nation’s infrastructure

  • Trump stuck to his hard-line opposition to illegal immigration, contradicting what he said hours before about a legal pipeline to immigration for illegal aliens.

• United States and Russia Clash in United Nations

  • Russia vetoed a UN Security Council measure that would punish Syria for it use of chemical weapons, drawing harsh criticism from the Trump Administration.

    • This goes against Trump’s continued friendliness to the U.S.’s historic enemy, and may spark a change in policy.

Thursday, Mar. 2

• Sessions Embroiled in Russia Scandal

  • Sessions was accused of associating with Russia after it was released that he met with the Russian ambassador twice during Trump’s campaign.

  • During his confirmation hearing for Attorney General, Sessions denied having any contact with any Russian officials.

  • Sessions has since announced that he will recuse himself from any federal investigations involving Russia’s involvement with the Trump Administration or the 2016 presidential election.

• President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt Cleared from Charges

  • Mubarak was charged for responsibility of hundreds of deaths during the Arab Spring protests that ousted his presidency and was cleared by the Egyptian equivalent of the Supreme Court.

Friday, Mar. 3

• Fed Likely to Raise Interest Rates

  • Chairwoman Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve announced that multiple interest rate raises are likely this fiscal year, including one in the coming weeks.

• Man Responsible for JCC Bomb Threats Arrested

  • Juan Thompson of St. Louis has been arrested on charges of calling eight bomb threats on Jewish community centers, schools and a Jewish history museum.

    • Authorities believe he may not be the only one responsible for the threats.

  • There have been more than 100 threats against Jewish centers this year.