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Caroline Cox, Helen Marie Berg  //  3/28/18  //  Daily Update

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The National Rifle Association admits that it receives foreign donations, but it claims that it does not put them toward election work. Public documents show that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses Facebook data to identify and track suspects. The handling of Hurricanes Harvey and Maria show that the Trump Administration favored Texas over Puerto Rico in its relief efforts. A proposal to end Medicare funding for long-term opioid prescription receives blowback from patients with chronic pain. The FBI has assigned 54 staff members to assemble documents for the House Judiciary Committee regarding the McCabe firing and the Hillary Clinton email investigation among other high-profile matters.

 

IMMIGRATION

President Trump announced that Liberians living in the United States with temporary immigrant status have one year to return to their country (NYT).

West Palm Beach, Florida and the Justice Department revealed that they have settled the city’s lawsuit challenging the Department’s crackdown on sanctuary cities (WSJ).

Public documents show that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses Facebook data to identify and track suspects (The Intercept).

The U.S. Census Bureau plans ask respondents about their citizenship status, which critics worry will reduce the accuracy of the 2020 census (NPR).

• The California Attorney General plans to file a lawsuit over the decision (The Hill).
• Twelve states in total have thus far indicated their intent to sue (NYT, WSJ). 

The sanctuary policies that Attorney General Sessions criticizes are based in a history of public safety measures,  writes Liam Brennan at Just Security.

While he is unlikely to fulfill his promise of a border wall, President Trump has significantly change the immigration debate (PBS).  

The U.S. Senate confirmed Kevin McAleenan to serve as the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency known for its corruption (The Hill).

  

CIVIL RIGHTS

The handling of Hurricanes Harvey and Maria show that the Trump Administration favored Texas over Puerto Rico in its relief efforts (Politico).

 

DEMOCRACY

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen informed foreign diplomats that the United States will retaliate against any election meddling (NYT).

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in partisan gerrymandering case this week where the Court will have to answer whether states may discriminate against voters on the basis of political affiliation,  explains David Gans at Take Care.

The National Rifle Association admits that it receives foreign donations, but it claims that it does not put them toward election work (NPR).

 

JUSTICE & SAFETY

President Trump and John Bolton should tread carefully with the International Criminal Court, writes John Bellinger at Lawfare.

With signs that the Trump Administration will leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, questions remain about what the Administration’s approach to the country will be (Lawfare).

President Trump announces plans for a temporary memorial to opioid abuse victims (Politico).

 

REGULATION

State Department diplomats are concerned about the influence of new National Security Advisor John Bolton’s bombastic style (WaPo).

A proposal to end Medicare funding for long-term opioid prescription receives blowback from patients with chronic pain (NYT).

Gun rights groups claim the DOJ is acting outside of its statutory authority by banning bump stocks and are ready to sue (The Hill).

The FCC has proposed blocking some types of foreign-made wireless equipment amid concerns that the products could include “back doors” to spy on American companies (WaPo).

Public health groups sue the FDA for allowing candy-flavored electronic cigarettes to remain on the market without undergoing the required review process (The Hill).

Rumors of Secretary of Veteran Affairs Dan Shulkin’s dismissal abound, but President Trump still hasn’t said “you’re fired” (NYT).

 

RULE OF LAW

Trump’s judicial nominees seem to have one thing in common: they all find the power of the federal bureaucracy alarming and want to dismantle it (NYT).

 

CHECKS & BALANCES 

The Omnibus spending bill represents the divide between Congress and the President (NYT).

• But perhaps the White House is intentionally washing its hands of the bill (LATimes). 

The FBI has assigned 54 staff members to assemble documents for the House Judiciary Committee regarding the McCabe firing and the Hillary Clinton email investigation among other high-profile matters (WaPo).

 

REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

A sitting President can be indicted and past practice does not indicate otherwise, explains Walter Dellinger at The New York Times.   

Stormy Daniels is a distraction, the public should focus on the actual misdeeds of the Trump administration, argues Max Boot at The Washington Post.

Why is it so hard for President Trump to hire a lawyer?, asks Aaron Blake at The Washington Post.

The Stormy Daniels controversy is shaking President Trump’s base (NYT).

 

RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE

 The expulsion of Russians from the U.S. should be one of many retaliatory actions the U.S. should take against Russia (NYT).

Sanctions are an important part of Congress’s power to regulate foreign commerce and the President should not prevent their implementation, argues Benjamin Alter at Lawfare.  

The DOJ moves to dismiss a lawsuit by Kasperksy Labs which claims that Congress acted unlawfully by banning their security products from government computer systems (The Hill).

 

Tags:

Immigration Rule of Law Checks & Balances Regulation Democracy Civil Rights Justice & Safety Removal from Office Russian Interference

 

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