Earlier this week, a team of White House attorneys responded to Special Counsel Mueller's request to interview President Trump. Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City and the current lead attorney, declined to reveal details of their counteroffer, except to say that it constituted a "good faith attempt to reach an agreement," and that there is one area where "we could agree, if they agree." Giuliani refused to indicate what this "area" might be. Giuliani has also said that Trump will not sit for an interview after September 1. While Trump has vocally denied that there was any collusion with Russia to meddle in the 2016 presidential election, and has publicly said he is willing to do an interview with Mueller, his legal team has tried to limit the scope of Mueller's questioning. As of the end of this week, Mueller had yet to respond to the counteroffer.

Meanwhile, the Mueller investigation has taken Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, to trial for bank fraud, tax evasion, and other crimes. While the charges against Manafort do not relate to collusion specifically, they important for the credibility of Mueller's investigation. As part of the trial, Mueller's team called Rick Gates, one of Manafort's former partners, to the stand. Gates pleaded guilty to conspiracy and lying to the FBI earlier this year, and as part of this plea agreed to cooperate with investigators to testify against Manafort. His testimony may prove damning.

In international news, the Trump administration this week wielded sanctions against Turkey, Russia, and Iran. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued new sanctions against Russia as punishment for its use of chemical weapons against a former spy in the UK. Trump approved economic sanctions against Turkey - doubling existing tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum - for the continued detention of multiple American citizens by the Turkish government. And Trump reinstated sanctions against Iran that had been lifted since the 2015 nuclear accord. Despite evidence that this accord has been effective, Trump does not trust that Iran has slowed its nuclear development; he imposed the sanctions again in hopes of curbing it. These varied sanctions have drawn mixed responses from the international community.

As international relations on planet Earth seem increasingly tense, the Trump administration has turned its attention to the skies. On Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence made a speech in which he called for the US to establish a military "Space Force" by 2020. To that end, the administration is calling on the Department of Defense to review their current approaches to military action in space. While Trump's expensive galactic plans still require approval from Congress, Trump is already banking on their success to the point that his reelection committee is creating "Space Force 2020" merchandise.