Vox Sentences: Turns out the White House entrance is a revolving door

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The Trump administration proposes a budget; the US’s top spy says Russia will meddle in the 2018 midterms.

Less “You’re fired,” more “I quit”

Alex Wong/Getty Images

• The Trump White House has set a modern record for staff turnover at a whopping 34 percent. That includes at least 37 high-level aides and advisers who have either resigned or been fired since Donald Trump took office, including a chief of staff and multiple agency heads. [NYT / Peter Baker]
• To put the turnover rate in perspective, just look at the numbers for the past four presidents: During Barack Obama’s first year, only 9 percent of the administration’s top staffers and advisers left the White House; Bill Clinton’s administration saw an 11 percent turnover; George H.W. Bush’s administration had 7 percent; and Ronald Reagan’s was 17. [Salon / Nicole Karlis]
• For comparison, only 15 people were “fired” on The Apprentice — Trump’s reality TV series — each season. [Washington Post / Philip Bump]
• As the administration struggles to explain the circumstances behind the ouster of staff secretary Rob Porter last week amid allegations of spousal abuse, more resignations could roll in, including that of Chief of Staff John Kelly, who has been under fire. [LA Times / Laura King and Michael Finnegan]
• It’s not just a staffing crisis; it’s a management crisis. Working at the White House is … kind of terrible, and people don’t want to do it anymore. [Vox / Ezra Klein]
• Despite the chaos, Trump’s approval rating somehow just hit a nine-month high. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]

Russia is at it again

• We haven’t seen the last of Russian interference in US elections — at least according to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, who told the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday that Russia plans to meddle in the 2018 midterms. [Vox / Alex Ward]
• Russia apparently believes that, well, it worked in 2016, and it didn’t cost much, so why not try again? [Washington Post / Ellen Nakashima and Shane Harris]
• The written version of the “Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Committee” details the Putin administration’s desire to “create wedges that reduce trust and confidence in democratic processes, degrade democratization efforts, weaken U.S. partnerships with European allies, undermine Western sanctions, encourage anti-U.S. political views, and counter efforts to bring Ukraine and other former Soviet states into European institutions.” [Assessment / Daniel R. Coats]
• The Russia briefing was part of an annual hearing on “worldwide threats” organized by the Senate Intelligence Committee and attended by top intelligence officials in America. [NPR / Miles Parks]

Miscellaneous

• Young Americans aren’t necessarily sold on the idea of democracy. The Trump presidency isn’t helping. [NBC / Ian Bremmer]
• In Afghanistan, a haircut isn’t just a haircut. The Taliban had strict rules about hair and beard styles, but today barber shops are flourishing in the country. [Racked / Ruchi Kumar]
• First, there was a museum of ice cream. Now a museum of candy is opening in New York. [Eater / Serena Dai]
• After they pack up their skates and put away their skis, what comes next for Olympic athletes? [Atlantic / Linda Flanagan]

Verbatim

“A dog will not be allowed to file and put its name on the ballot.” [The director of elections for the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office responds to a dog owner who filed for the animal to run for governor. (There are no laws in the state governing who gets to be on the ballot.) / John Bowden]

Watch this: Figure skating scoring, explained

The new figure skating scoring system is complicated and controversial. Here’s how it works. [YouTube / Aleli May Vuelta]

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