Daily Update | June 7, 2018
The Trump administration is preparing to release a sweeping plan for reorganizing the federal government, including a major consolidation of welfare programs. The administration’s policy on separating families at the border is connected to the policy regarding the indefinite detention, without individualized bond hearings, of persons detained for immigration purposes. Fury and despair over the Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling are misplaced. President Trump commuted the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, for whom Kim Kardashian West had advocated in her meeting with the president. There is a growing list of U.S. diplomats breaking diplomatic conventions. Mike Mulvaney, the head of the CFPB, has purged its expert advisory boards.
TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS & LITIGATION
Sen. Lindsey Graham questioned whether Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should remain in charge of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation (The Hill).
Which obstruction law applies to the president? (Lawfare).
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s allegation that Paul Manafort attempt to engage in witness tampering is thin, writes Paul Rosenzweig at Lawfare.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said that President Trump should not try to pardon himself (NYT).
Paul Ryan also backed Rep. Trey Gowdy in dismissing President Trump’s assertion that the FBI inserted a ‘spy’ into his campaign (NYT, WaPo).
Stormy Daniels sued Michael Cohen and her own former lawyer, alleging that the two discussed an effort to quash the story of her alleged affair with President Trump (NYT, WaPo).
IMMIGRATION
The administration’s policy on separating families at the border is connected to the policy regarding the indefinite detention, without individualized bond hearings, of persons detained for immigration purposes, writes Leah Litman at Take Care.
Undocumented immigration shouldn’t replace legal immigration, writes Nolan Rappaport at The Hill.
The uncertainty regarding DACA might undermine its positive impact, write Caitlin Patler, Erin Hamilton, and Robin Savinar at UC Davis.
The question regarding citizenship on the census illegally discriminates against immigrants, writes Ceridwen Cherry at the ACLU.
CIVIL RIGHTS
Fury and despair over the Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling are misplaced, writes Joshua Matz at The Guardian.
JUSTICE & SAFETY
President Trump commuted the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, for whom Kim Kardashian West had advocated in her meeting with the president (Sentencing Law & Policy, WH, NYT).
The White House’s approach to NAFTA frustrates businesses (NYT).
There is a growing list of U.S. diplomats breaking diplomatic conventions (NYT).
Witnesses at the Trump administration’s School Safety Commission hearing demanded a focus on guns (NYT).
Sen. Bob Corker unveiled a bill to check President Trump’s tariff authority (WaPo).
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
EPA Head Scott Pruitt may have ‘dug his hole quite a bit deeper’ in seemingly acknowledging the alleged attempt to secure a Chick-fil-A franchise for his wife (WaPo).
- Republicans are reportedly losing patience with Pruitt.
REGULATION
A new lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act brings up challenging questions about standing, writes Nick Bagley at Take Care.
FCC officials are facing more accusations that they lied about the cause of a May 2017 comment website outage that temporarily prevented people from submitting comments on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's plan to eliminate net neutrality rules (Ars Technica).
A judge has ordered the EPA to disclose any science backing up EPA head Scott Pruitt’s claim that carbon dioxide does not contribute to climate change (Ars Technica).
The end of the 210-day period during which Mick Mulvaney can serve as CFPB Acting Director under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (FVRA) in the absence of President Trump’s nomination of a permanent Director is drawing closer (Ballard Spahr).
The SEC head will not ease securities rules for cryptocurrencies (The Hill).
Mike Mulvaney, the head of the CFPB, has purged its expert advisory boards (NYT).
HHS Secretary Alex Azar denied sabotaging insurance markets, instead blaming the Affordable Care Act (NYT).
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has halted its new policy of partial debt relief for defrauded students after a judge said that the DOE had misused private earnings data (NYT).
President Trump will sign into law a sweeping measure to revamp veterans’ private health care, but implementation remains uncertain given the vacancy at the top of the Department of Veterans Affairs (WSJ).
The Trump administration is preparing to release a sweeping plan for reorganizing the federal government, including a major consolidation of welfare programs (Politico).
REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
There are many high risk tradeoffs that may be involved in presidential impeachment, writes David Pozen at Take Care.
RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE
A Senate bill would authorize spying on Russians who engaged in disinformation and hacking (The Hill).
Tags:
Immigration Conflicts Regulation Civil Rights Justice & Safety Removal from Office Russian Interference