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Republican lawmakers checked off a second energy industry rule from their kill list Friday, as they and President Donald Trump cranked up what they promise will be a far-reaching effort to erase the Obama administrations regulatory legacy.

The Senate convened before sunrise and voted to revoke a SEC rule requiring energy and mining companies to reveal their payments to foreign governments. Trump is expected to sign off on that repeal, along with a Senate action Thursday revoking a regulation on coal-mining pollution in streams.

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Both moves represent the first successful use in 15 years of the Congressional Review Act, an obscure law that allows Congress to repeal recently enacted regulations by simple-majority votes. The House separately voted Friday to repeal an Obama-era regulation curbing greenhouse gas pollution from oil and gas wells an action the Senate must approve before it goes to Trumps desk.

The Republican effort to dust off the 1996 law is just one aspect of Trump's anti-regulation drive. Trump also signed an executive order Friday to start unraveling the Dodd-Frank financial regulations put in place after the 2008 financial crisis, which the new president and congressional Republicans complain are strangling the economy.

The SEC rule that the Senate attacked Friday was required under Dodd-Frank, and was championed by Democrats and transparency advocates as a tool to curb corruption. Had such a rule been effect in past years, Exxon Mobil would have had to disclose what Russias government was getting from the companys multibillion-dollar investment in the country under then-CEO Rex Tillerson, who is now Trumps secretary of State.

Friday's unusually early Senate vote stemmed from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's clock management for the floor as well as senators' desire to catch flights home. Leaders in both chambers are acutely aware that the campaign to roll back Obama-era rules will be limited by Senate time restrictions, which also must make room for confirmation votes on Trump's Cabinet nominees and an ambitious GOP agenda on spending, health care and taxes.

For the next 60 days around here, thats probably the most important legislative activity moving these Congressional Review Act items through the chamber," said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.).

Republicans are digging through a list of more than 200 measures that are ripe for repeal under the review act's time restrictions. They also must consider how many resolutions the Senate can deal with, given its slowness compared with the House.

The criteria will be based on how much the Senate can handle," said House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah). "Were not just going to repeal rules for the fun of repealing rules if the Senate doesnt have the time frame to actually pick them up."

The Congressional Review Act allows lawmakers to repeal any regulation completed within the past 60 legislative days. That means that any rule the Obama administration finished after mid-June is vulnerable, but that Congress must act by late May or early June, depending on each chambers schedule.

Once Congress uses the act to repeal a regulation, no future administration can enact any substantially similar rule without lawmakers' approval. Before this week, Congress had successfully used the review act only once, to overturn a Clinton administration rule in 2001.

Besides voting to repeal the SEC rule, both chambers also voted this week to vacate the coal-mining restrictions that the Interior Department had imposed in December, which were designed to protect steams from the waste created by mountaintop-removal coal mining. In addition, the House's vote Friday would wipe out the Obama administration's attempts to limit emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from oil and gas wells on public lands.

The energy industry opposes the methane limits because it would make companies incur the expense of capturing the greenhouse gas and shipping it to market. But environmental groups say controlling methane emissions is crucial in fighting climate change. Greens also complain that letting companies vent their methane into the atmosphere deprives the government of revenue it should receive for fuel produced on federal property.

"Theres absolutely no reason why the industry cant and shouldnt be responsible for limiting the methane pollution they waste, leak, vent and flare from our public lands," said Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters. "This rollback is like an early Valentines Day gift from the Republican-led House to the oil and gas industry, showing that they love them more than their constituents and everyone who is affected by this pollution."

The methane rule is just one of dozens of late Obama administration regulations that Republicans lambaste as a burden on U.S. businesses, contending they offer few benefits but come with high costs.

Obviously, over-regulation has been a constant complaint around the country and one of the reasons the economys not doing as well as it should, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) told POLITICO this week. So this is one tool we have available to us, obviously. So were going to do a number of these.

As soon as next week, the Senate is also expected to take up House-passed resolutions blocking rules that require background checks before Social Security recipients with mental health issues can buy guns, and order federal contractors to disclose labor law violations.

The House, meanwhile, has teed up several more resolutions likely to pass next week. Those would repeal rules on the reporting of work-related injuries and drug-testing requirements; teacher preparation; state education plans; and the use of public lands. More resolutions are in the works as Republican leaders sort through the list of rules that can be be eliminated, a House Republican aide said Friday.

The Trump administration may have to unwind other Obama-era rules through the regulatory process once his Cabinet is in place, or lawmakers may have to block them with appropriations riders, Republicans said.

Courts have never tested the provision of the Congressional Review Act that prohibits the executive branch from enacting rules similar to those lawmakers have repealed. It's almost certain to draw legal challenges in the future, although that's not much of a worry for Republicans now.

Were going to make a lot of lawyers rich, but if were going after regulations that I think are onerous then I think its worth the fight and we should do as much of it as we can," Cole said.

Eric Wolff and Alex Guilln contributed to this report.

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GOP assault on Obama's regs is just beginning - Politico

The United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call,Inc. hide caption

The United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

On Thursday the GOP-controlled House voted to overturn an Obama administration rule designed to keep firearms out of the hands of some people deemed mentally ill.

The action was the latest move by Congressional Republicans to undo several of President Obama's regulations on issues such as gun control and the environment though an arcane law called the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

According to NPR's Susan Davis, the measure being blocked from implementation would have required the Social Security Administration to send records of some beneficiaries with severe mental disabilities to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System. About 75,000 people found mentally incapable of managing their financial affairs would have been affected.

The National Rifle Association had pushed for the repeal, and Republicans argued it infringed upon Second Amendment rights by denying due process.

Supporters of the rule argued it was designed to stop mentally ill persons from getting firearms.

"The House charged ahead with an extreme, hastily written, one-sided measure that would make the American people less safe," Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., said, according to The Hill. Esty represents Newtown, Conn., where a mentally ill man shot and killed 20 six- and seven-year-olds and six adults.

NPR's Nathan Rott reports that the Senate also passed a resolution to undo the Obama administration's Stream Protection Rule, also largely along party lines, by using the CRA. The goal of the rule was to minimize coal mine pollutants in waterways, and would have required coal companies to monitor water quality in nearby streams during mining operations. Republicans argued the law was too burdensome and would kill jobs in the coal industry.

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House Votes To Overturn Obama Rule Restricting Gun Sales To the Severely Mentally Ill - NPR

Playing Barack Obama Rocks His Hat Backwards While Vacationing in the British Virgin Islands

Island vibes!

Barack Obama was spotted in full vacation mode on Tuesday, rocking his hat backwards while taking a stroll in the British Virgin Islands with his wife, Michelle Obama.

RELATED: President Obama's Post-White House Plan: A Trip to Palm Springs!

The 55-year-old former president went for an ultra-casual look, trading in his signature suit and tie for shorts and flip flops, as he and the former first lady waved at a nearby crowd.

READ: President Barack Obama Shares Sweet Birthday Message to Michelle Obama

Obamas backwards hat was the talk of Twitter, with one tweet reading, "Obama got his hat to the back like it's 1990 and trump isn't president. GET YO A** BACK HERE... with respect, sir."

Other tweets focused on the joy of seeing the former POTUS happily enjoying his vacation after eight years in the White House.

"Seeing Obama on vacation in flip flops with his hat to the back just brought me so much joy," tweeted one user.

"Obama in a backwards hat is my favorite Obama," read another tweet.

WATCH: President Obama Thanks Americans in Parting Letter: 'You Have Made Me a Better Man'

While the ex-POTUS has been soaking up the sun since leaving Washington D.C. last month, hes still being praised for his work in the White House.

Chicago native Chance the Rapper took to Twitter on Thursday to announce the launch of his Thank U Obama clothing line in honor of the 44th president.

MORE: Ellen DeGeneres Shares Touching Tribute Montage to the Obama Family

The Obamas jetted off on vacation after President Donald Trump's inauguration last month.

See the couple's final day in the White House below.

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Barack Obama Rocks His Hat Backwards While Vacationing in the British Virgin Islands - Entertainment Tonight

There has been no shortage of tributes to President Obama and first lady Michelle in the months since the 2016 election. But none have been quite as cool as this clothing collection by designer Joe Freshgoods, which launched on January 20.

If you, like us, missed the first release of Thank You Obama, a collection of T-shirts, posters and sweatshirts all dedicated to the Obama family, all of that changed whenChance the Rappertweeted photos of himself wearing the restocked goods on Thursday.

Im a model now. droppin in like 15 minutes. ThankUObama.us, he captioned the group of images. Hes seen wearing a T-shirt featuring Obama in a crown, an airbrushed Barack and Michelle wedding T-shirt that looks like it came from the coolest amusement part of all time and oh, right ...

A T-shirt that has the name Malia emblazoned across it. Said T-shirt, called a message to Malia, also says, We all smoke, its OK. The design and color appear to be an homage to Harvard, where Malia will study after a gap year.

Thank You Obama/Joe Freshgoods

On the Thank You Obama website, Freshgoods explained the inspiration for this extremely important project. The night Obama won his first term gave me so much hope, especially and most importantly as a black man. I decided to make a collection saying thank you and give me something to smile at every now and then when i look in the closet, he wrote.

According to Casual Fridays, the line sold out quickly when it first dropped, and this restock is already on a 1- to 2-week backorder, so youd better move fast if you want to score some of this iconic memorabilia.

Thank you,Chance the Rapper. Thank you, Obama. And thank you, Thank You Obama.

Head to Thank You Obama to learn more.

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This Obama-Themed Clothing Line Just Dropped Into Your Life - Huffington Post

By preserving sites that have been central to the black experience, Obama helped revitalize our civic religion.

Barack Obama speaking at the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture on September 24, 2016. (Reuters / Joshua Roberts)

Among its other accomplishments, the presidency of Barack Obamayou do remember it?featured an unmistakable expansion of public appreciation for African-American history. This was especially true as his time remaining in the White House dwindled away: From the opening of the Smithsonians Museum of African-American History and Cultureto the designation of a site in South Carolina as the nations first national park devoted to Reconstruction, the Obama presidency ended with considerable emphasis on how the nation conceives of African-American history in public spaces. In many ways, and despite whatever uncertainties lie ahead, Obamas attempts to memorialize more of the African-American experience enhanced the meaning of what it means to be an American.

The idea that the United States has a civil religion, an argument first put forward by sociologist Robert Bellah in 1967, suggests that all Americans possess certain national touchstones for collective memory. We have a shared understanding of the importance of certain events, such as the battles of the American Revolution and the Civil War. This is crafted by public memoryhistory not necessarily as it is written by historians, but more generally, the ways in which the public remembers the past in popular culture and media. During Obamas presidency, Americas civil religion expanded to include moments from the civil-rights struggle and other protest movements, all of which enhanced and enlarged the definition of who counts as an American. In a rapidly diversifying country, the importance of this achievement cannot be underestimated.

From his early entry into public discourse, which can be traced to the publication of his memoir, Dreams From My Father, Obama has written and spoken extensively of the importance of African-American historyboth to himself and to the nation. Indeed, Obama wrote in that book about the importance writers such as James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, and Malcolm X had on the development of his own identity. As president, Obama continued his engagement with the black historical and literary tradition by using the power of the presidency to create landmarks to the African-American experience, thereby forever shaping public memory and Americas civic religion.

His second inaugural address, in 2013, for example, argued for the need to memorialize moments in African-American history as part of a larger national narrative. His famous line about Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall was an attempt to broaden the idea of who is remembered in American memory. In both the realm of presidential rhetoric and physical spaces, Obama worked time and again to broaden the ideas of what is memorialized, of who counts as an American.

His participation at the commemoration of the 50thanniversary of the Selma voting-rights march is another example of how the president used the power of the presidency to memorialize a national event. It would be easy to assume that anyone occupying the White House in 2015 would have participated in the Selma march. However, the symbolism of the first African-American president speaking to the power of the ballotespecially during a time of renewed voter suppression across the nationcould not be missed. In his speech, the president compared the site of Selma to other important places in American history: As John [Lewis] noted, there are places and moments in America where this nations destiny has been decided. Many are sites of warConcord and Lexington, Appomattox. Gettysburg. Others are sites that symbolize the daring of Americas characterIndependence Hall and Seneca Falls, Kitty Hawk and Cape Canaveral.

Obama positioned the civil-rights movement within the highest pantheon of moments in Americas history.

By comparing Selma to other important battles and turning-points in American history, Obama positioned the civil-rights movement within the highest pantheon of moments in Americas political and cultural history. Presidents, through public addresses and what they choose to memorialize, determine what future generations will also consider to be significant in the national story. Just as importantly, they choose the reasons why such moments deserve memorialization. This also matters. Think about President Ronald Reagans reluctance to support a holiday commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. When Reagan was finally compelled to sign the bill into law in 1983after pressure from both civil-rights activists and Congresshe repackaged King as a color-blind, centrist hero. Even though Kings birthday is now a federal holiday, Americans are still debating the legacy of Dr. King, thanks to Reagans attempt to appropriate him for the conservative cause.

Remember, too, who Obama memorialized in his Selma addressnot just Martin Luther King Jr. but also local activists like Amelia Boynton and C.T. Vivian, thus tying together the local and national civil-rights campaign as is not often done in important, nationally-televised speeches that help shape public memory. In that same address, Obama even spoke to how the activists were seen at that time: Back then, they were called Communists, or half-breeds, or outside agitators, sexual and moral degenerates, and worse. His purpose was to remind Americans of the dangers of labeling anyone who dissents from the status quo as being so far outside the mainstream as to be alien to the American experience. (It was also, significantly, a rhetorical shot at Reagans attempt to redefine Kings legacy; one of the former presidents reasons for originally refusing to support the MLK holiday was his view that King had been a Communist stooge.)

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Obamas efforts to reshape American memory only accelerated in his final year in office. The opening of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in September 2016 was another occasion for Obama to memorialize African-American history as part of a larger American story of struggle and progress. The museum was created in 2003, long before Obama became president or even emerged on the national stage. But the opportunity of the its actual opening lent itself to Obamas mission of commemorating African-American history as fundamental to the broader American story. As he argued during his speech, too often, we ignored or forgot the stories of millions upon millions of others, who built this nation just as surely, whose humble eloquence, whose calloused hands, whose steady drive helped to create cities, erect industries, build the arsenals of democracy.

These were encouraging and affirming words not just for African Americans, but for those historians of the American experience who have argued over the last 50 years for a shift towards looking at the lives and aspirations of downtrodden Americans, and not just those great men in power. Obamas own speeches and rhetorical gestures, therefore, speak to a larger shift in how American public memory is being recorded, stored, and used.

Obamas own speeches and rhetorical gestures speak to a shift in American public memory.

Obamas decision to grant national-monument status to a Reconstruction historic site in Beaufort, South Carolina, was another example of the presidents attempt to broaden what is memorialized in the United States. By establishing this national monument, the president corrected a previously grievous oversight by the national governmentuntil then, there had been no national monument dedicated to the Reconstruction period. This is not a surprise. The Reconstruction era, long depicted through a racist and simplistic historical lens as a disaster in American history, has undergone a re-evaluation in the last fifty years among mainstream historians (and far longer on the left, going back to W.E.B. Du Boiss Black Reconstruction, published in 1935). But for far too long, Americans appeared unwilling to commemorate Reconstruction as an important moment in American history. This was due to the eras complicated racial and sectional politics, offering both an inspiring story of newly freed African Americans becoming citizens and the depressing end to that experiment only a decade after their freedom. Reconstruction has always resisted the easy American historical narrative of steady and inevitable progress.

Along with providing for the creation of a Reconstruction historic site, Obamas proclamation last month also designated historic sites for the Birmingham civil-rights campaign of the early 1960s, along with ones that tell the story of the Freedom Riders of 1961. Both these sites commemorate not just the victories of the civil-rights movement but some of the worst violence from that time period targeted against civil-rights activists. Again, Obamas designations show that he is concerned not only with remembering American history as one of constant progress, but also one of struggle andin the case of Reconstructionwith the potential for devastating reversals.

Memory of the past matters. If Americans have a collective memory of the past that promotes activism and political participation, it has the potential to push modern and future activists to also imagine a better nationjust as freedmen and women did during Reconstruction, or activists in Selma and Birmingham a century later.

The fight to reshape American memory of the past is one that must be joined by common citizens, politicians, and academics. The battle over the creation of a Reconstruction memorial site was led by historians themselvesmost notably Greg Downs, Kate Masur, and Eric Foner. Local activists have often fought for new ways to commemorate civil-rights struggles. Everyone has a role to play in continuing Obamas efforts to expand the public memory and revitalize the civic religion into one that represents all Americans. We need it now as much as ever.

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Barack Obama Radically Expanded Our Appreciation of African-American History - The Nation.