Daily Update | February 20, 2019
Jacob Miller // 2/20/19 //
President Trump denied asking former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to put a U.S. attorney who would be sympathetic to President Trump in charge of the investigation into payments to a woman President Trump allegedly had an affair with. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that a Texas man may not be executed due to his having an intellectual disability, reversing a Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decision. Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered a hearing on Roger Stone’s bail status after he posted an image on Instagram which appeared to show the judge’s head next to the crosshairs of a gun. President Trump signed an order to create a military branch under Air Force control that would primarily deal with threats in space, which he has referred to as a “space force.” The House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a report discussing allegations from whistleblowers that Michael Flynn and other members of the Trump administration were part of an effort to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.
TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS & LITIGATION
The New York Times looked back at President Trump's efforts to undermine investigations into his administration over the past two years.
- Read the report here.
Data on public statements and Twitter posts from President Trump indicate he has attacked the Russia Investigation more than 1,100 times, write Larry Buchanan and Karen Yourish for the New York Times.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered a hearing on Roger Stone’s bail status after he posted an image on Instagram which appeared to show the judge’s head next to the crosshairs of a gun (NYT, WaPo, WSJ, LATimes, Politico).
- Stone formally apologized to Judge Jackson for the post (Politico).
President Trump denied asking former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to put a U.S. attorney who would be sympathetic to President Trump in charge of the investigation into payments to a woman President Trump allegedly had an affair with (Politico).
CIVIL RIGHTS
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that a Texas man may not be executed due to his having an intellectual disability, reversing a Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decision (Hill).
Justice Thomas wrote that the Supreme Court “should reconsider the precedents” of libel law, including New York Times v. Sullivan, when an appropriate case arises, while concurring in denial of certiorari in a case involving libel claims (NYT, WaPo, LATimes).
JUSTICE & SAFETY
President Trump’s focus on the border has ignored actual national emergencies including climate change, gun violence, and cyber attacks, write former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Karen Breslau for Politico.
The Trump administration’s policies withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal and attempting to start a trade war with China have directly led to cyber attacks and made Americans less safe, writes John Glaser for the CATO Institute.
President Trump signed an order to create a military branch under Air Force control that would primarily deal with threats in space, which he has referred to as a “space force” (NYT, WaPo, WSJ).
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a report discussing allegations from whistleblowers that Michael Flynn and other members of the Trump administration were part of an effort to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia (NYT, WaPo, WSJ
- Read the report here.
REGULATION
Congress should act to address President Trump appearing to have cost the United States over $12 billion by removing cost-sharing payments under the ACA, writes Nick Bagley in the second part of his series of articles for Take Care.
RULE OF LAW
The Trump administration has enabled corruption by appearing to support efforts in Guatemala against to undermine the UN-sponsored anti-impunity commission, argues Matthew Stephenson for the Global Anticorruption Blog.
Tags:
Rule of Law Conflicts Regulation Civil Rights Justice & Safety