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

Saturday, March 18 – Sunday, March 19

• Secretary of State Rex Tillerson bars press pool on Asia trip

  • Tillerson became the first in State Department history to not allow a standard press pool to follow him on his plane during his trip around Asia.

    • A single reporter was allowed on his plane, the rest of the pool following on commercial flights.

Monday, March 20

• FBI to investigate Russia ties

  • FBI Director James Comey confirmed to the House Intelligence Committee that his bureau is investigating the ties between Russia and the Trump Administration, and the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

• No evidence to support wiretap claim

  • Comey also announced that no evidence was found to support President Donald Trump’s claim that President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during Trump’s political campaign.

• Neil Gorsuch starts confirmation hearings

  • Judge Neil Gorsuch of Colorado, Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, began his confirmation hearings. Gorsuch was intent on keeping his personal views private, and said that he will not hesitate to rule against the president if the law calls for it.

    • Gorsuch’s confirmation is expected to go to vote in two weeks, after many days of hearings.

Tuesday, March 21

• Syrian Rebels make comeback in Damascus

  • Rebels fighting the Syrian government have captured key positions on the outskirts of Damascus, the capital city. This marks the largest offensive by the rebels and shows that the rebellion is not failing after many territorial losses in the last few months.

• Restrictions on electronics on planes

  • A new Department of Homeland Security regulation requires all passengers from eight majority-muslim countries to stow all electronics larger than cell phones.

    • Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are affected by the new rule.

Wednesday, March 22

• Four die in London terror attack

  • A man in a large vehicle killed four outside of the United Kingdom Parliament building in the shadow of Big Ben, then left the vehicle and stabbed a police officer, who also died. About 40 people were injured in the attack, which came on the anniversary of the Brussels bombing attack last year.

Thursday, March 23

• House delays vote on American Health Care Act

  • The Act would repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a weaker bill, which has faced heavy opposition from many House Republicans and is expected to fail.

• ISIS claims responsibility in London attack

  • The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack Wednesday that killed four and injured about 40 people outside of British Parliament.

    • It is unclear if the attacker was actually affiliated with ISIS.

• Suspect arrested in Jewish Community Center threats

  • A Jewish Israeli-American citizen has been arrested in Israel on charges of threatening multiple Jewish Community Centers across the United States.

Friday, March 24

• American Health Care Act fails

  • The Trump Administration´s replacement for the Affordable Care Act was pulled from the docket, as it did not have enough votes to pass.

    • The bill´s key opposition has been the Republican Freedom Caucus, a group of hard-line conservatives that viewed the bill as too weak.

• Keystone XL lives on

  • The State Department has granted a construction permit to TransCanada to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which was previously shut down by Obama, and has been revived by Trump.

• Paul Manafort will testify on Russia ties

  • Manafort, former campaign manager to Trump, and one of his close advisors, will face a hearing on his involvement in the Trump-Russia ties by the House Intelligence Committee.

    • Manafort received over $750,000 from a Russia-backed Ukrainian presidential candidate, as well as having extensive business ties in Russia.

• Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak released from prison

  • Mubarak has been released from a military hospital following his exoneration of charges stemming from the Arab Spring uprising in the country while he was president, which resulted in his ousting.