Jacqueline Sahlberg  //  8/17/18  //  Daily Update

The Trump Administration does not track migrant children who come to the United States alone. Pentagon reporters say that they are being punished for publishing critical articles. After President Trump called the media the “Opposition Party,” the Senate passed a resolution with unanimous consent affirming that the “press is not the enemy of the people.” The Trump Administration has formed a team, led by the State Department, to promote its pressure policies against Iran. The Trump Administration may pull back $3 billion in foreign aid that Congress has approved. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday said that White House counsel Don McGahn called him about the Sinclair-Tribune merger in July, as the deal was imploding due to opposition from regulators.

IMMIGRATION

Detained asylum-seeking families face barriers to accessing justice, report Ingrid Eagly, Steven Shafer, and Jana Whalley for the American Immigration Council.

Nine humanitarian volunteers are facing federal charges after leaving water bottles for migrants in the Arizona desert (Immigration Law Prof, Colorlines, Arizona Daily Sun).

The Trump Administration does not track migrant children who come to the United States alone (NYTimes).

CIVIL RIGHTS

The Trump administration is preparing to let states impose additional restrictions on Medicaid (Politico).

DEMOCRACY 

“President Trump’s denials of collusion with Russia are “hogwash,” writes John Brennan in the NYTimes.

• President Trump said that he revoked Brennan’s security clearance in part because of the Russia probe (Politico, NYTimes).
• The president may be preparing to strip additional security clearances from officials with links to the Russia investigation (WashPo).

President Trump is not the first executive to use nondisclosure agreements, writes Stephen Kohn at The Hill.

After President Trump called the media the “Opposition Party,” the Senate passed a resolution with unanimous consent affirming that the “press is not the enemy of the people” (Boston Globe).

Pentagon reporters say that they are being punished for publishing critical articles (Politico).

President Trump has brought the Republican Party into a new era, but voter fraud mythology predates his presidency, argue Rick Perlstein and Livia Gershon at Talking Points Memo.

JUSTICE & SAFETY

The Trump Administration has formed a team, led by the State Department, to promote its pressure policies against Iran (WashPo, Politico).

The Trump Administration may pull back $3 billion in foreign aid that Congress has approved (WashPo).

President Trump called on the Justice Department to bring a lawsuit against opioid makers (WSJ).

Following President Trump’s modification of the process for vetting offensive cyber operations, Bobby Chesney at Lawfare outlines the key issues at stake.

REGULATION

A federal district court judge issued an injunction, blocking the suspension of the Obama-era Waters of the United States (“WOTUS”) rule in 26 states (Legal Planet, Reason).

A federal judge ordered the government to prepare a new environmental impact statement for the Keystone XL pipeline (Hill). 

Disagreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over the justification for reversing Obama-era fuel efficiency rules could provide a hook for legal challenges (WashPo). 

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai knew that the agency’s claims about being hit by a DDos attack were false for over six months, but says that he could not correct the false statements due to an internal investigation (Ars Technica).

Bureau of Land Management plans show the agency aims to use areas of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments for increased mineral development, livestock grazing, and recreation, notes Hillary Hoffman at Environmental Law Prof Blog.

RULE OF LAW 

President Trump’s outburst over security clearances has jeopardized the institutional interests of the presidency, writes Robert Litt at Lawfare.  

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday said that White House counsel Don McGahn called him about the Sinclair-Tribune merger in July, as the deal was imploding due to opposition from regulators (Hill).

Tags: