Raquel Dominguez , Caroline Cox  //  8/3/17  //  Daily Update

DOJ will investigate race-based university admissions practices. Secretary of State Tillerson refuses to spend funds already appropriated by Congress to fight terrorist propaganda and Russian disinformation. DOE Secretary Betsy DeVos is no longer pursuing plans to overhaul student loan servicing. The White House threatened to end subsidies for insurance payments under the Affordable Care Act. President Trump signed the Russia sanctions bill but expressed concerns about it. Analysis continues of reports that President Trump helped shape Donald Trump Jr.’s statement about a meeting with a Russian lawyer during the election.

IMMIGRATION

President Trump announced his support for the RAISE Act, which would reduce the number of legal immigrants admitted to the United States each year and base admission preferences on skills and employability (NYT, WaPo, LA Times).

• Alex Nowrasteh at the Cato Institute has little faith in the plan.
• David Bier at the Cato Institute casts doubt on the claim that the RAISE Act would “restore legal immigration levels to their historical norms.”

Despite time sensitivity, the Supreme Court will not hear the travel ban case during its first week of arguments, which may indicate the Court’s disinclination to decide the case on the merits, explains Leah Litman on Take Care.

The Second Circuit dismissed the claims of a U.S. Citizen wrongfully detained by ICE for over three years (NPR, ImmigrationProf Blog).

President Trump’s immigration policy lead ICE to detain juveniles merely suspected of gang affiliation, writes Philip Desgranges for the ACLU.

President Trump’s strict border policy is not the answer to San Antonio’s smuggling tragedy, urges Jay Shooster on Just Security.

CIVIL RIGHTS

DOJ will investigate race-based university admissions practices (NYT, WaPo, LA Times).

• White nationalist views drive this new focus on affirmative action, argues Paul Waldman for the Washington Post.
• White Trump voters believe they face a high degree of discrimination (WaPo).
• Lambda Legal disagrees with DOJ's approach.

Coast Guard officials reached out to transgender members of the Coast Guard, pledging support (Hill).

President Trump’s tweeted ban on transgender individuals serving in the military needs to go through further steps before becoming official policy, outlines Russell Spivak for Foreign Policy.

SAFETY AND JUSTICE

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson refuses to spend funds already appropriated by Congress to fight terrorist propaganda and Russian disinformation (WaPo, Politico).

• Tillerson also indicated a preference to repair relations with North Korea.

If President Trump eliminates the Iran deal, he could put the entire world at risk, write Steve Andreasen and Steven Simon for the New York Times.

• Carl Bildt concurs in the Washington Post here.
• Iran has filed a complaint alleging American violations of the Iranian nuclear deal (NYT).

Senator Ron Wyden asked Attorney General Jeff Session to release recommendations from President Trump’s task force on violent crime (Hill).

The Trump Administration may be preparing trade measures against China (Hill).

Jared Kushner’s plan for the Middle East will not succeed, argues Aaron David Miller for Politico.

The White House wrote a letter to Senator Bob Corker defending the legal basis of Administration’s airstrikes in Syria.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Here is an organized guide to all analysis of emoluments issues published on Take Care.

Corey Lewandowski has taken on an increasingly large, unofficial role as advisor to the Trump Administration as he starts his own lobbying firm, write Nicholas Confessore and Kenneth P. Vogel at the New York Times.

REGULATION

The White House threatened to end subsidies for insurance payments under the Affordable Care Act, reports Negassi Tesfamichael at Politico.

• On Take Care, Nick Bagley explains how Trump could sabotage the ACA.

DOE Secretary Betsy DeVos is no longer pursuing plans to overhaul student loan servicing, reports Michael Stratford at Politico.

The FDA faces limited resources and staff to inspect the growing number of imported cosmetics, writes Eric Lipton at the New York Times.

RULE OF LAW

Attorney General Sessions warned against police misconduct in a recent speech to the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, reports Josh Gerstein at Politico.

President Trump’s remarks that seem to encourage police misconduct are likely in conflict with his oath of office, argues Rachel A. Harmon at the Marshall Project.  

CHECKS AND BALANCES

Republican Senator Jeff Flake publicly criticizes President Trump and his own party’s response to the White House in his new book, writes Lisa Mascaro at the Los Angeles Times.

FEDERALISM

17 states and D.C. received approval to intervene in House v. Price, a lawsuit concerning ACA subsidies, writes Lyle Denniston at his eponymous blog.

• The court order in House v. Price is available here.
• Timothy Jost at Health Affairs Blog explores what would happen if these cost-sharing reduction payments were eliminated.

RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE

President Trump signed the Russia sanctions bill but expressed concerns about it (WaPo, LA Times).

• President Trump’s signing statement can be found here.
• The White House also released a public statement on the bill, which is available to read here.
• Lawfare provides an overview of the bill and the controversies related to its passage.

The White House confirms that President Trump helped shape Donald Trump Jr.’s statement about a meeting with a Russian lawyer during the election, reports Peter Baker at the New York Times.