---

Caroline Cox, Jeffrey Stein  //  3/30/18  //  Daily Update

---

A federal district court judge has ruled that a lawsuit challenging the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program can move forward. Former Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he plans to file a lawsuit on behalf of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee to block the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The Kremlin plans to expel 150 Western diplomats in response to the the expulsion of Russian diplomats from a variety of western nations. A new government study suggests that thousands of teachers had their federal grants taken away and converted to loans, sometimes for minor errors in paperwork. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rebuffed a call from Republican leaders to appoint a second special counsel to look into the FBI’s handling of its most high-profile probes.

 

IMMIGRATION

The State Department is considering a requirement that visa applicants provide their social media information to the government (The Hill).

Former Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he plans to file a lawsuit on behalf of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee to block the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census (NYT).

A federal district court judge has ruled that a lawsuit challenging the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program can move forward (The Hill).

President Trump is directing Defense Secretary James Mattis to find ways to use Pentagon funding toward building a border wall with Mexico (Just Security).

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is contemplating overruling immigration judges to speed the deportation of immigrants (NPR).

 

CIVIL RIGHTS

Transgender veterans are critical of President Trump’s decision to disqualifies those who have received gender confirmation surgery from service (WaPo).

 

JUSTICE & SAFETY

The Kremlin plans to expel 150 Western diplomats in response to the the expulsion of Russian diplomats from a variety of western nations (WaPo).

• Despite President Trump’s reluctance to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Trump administration has at multiple times taken aggressive action against Russia at the recommendation of the president’s top aides (WaPo).

Changes among President Trump’s national security advisors could reduce Jared Kushner’s influence on global issues (WSJ).

The appointment of John Bolton as a national security advisor is dangerous for American foreign policy,  writes John Glaser at Cato at Liberty.

Individuals involved in the confirmation hearings for John Bolton during President George W. Bush’s administration say that the nominee has  changed little in the intervening years (NYT).

 

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

A group advocating for more transparency at the Supreme Court suggests Congress needs to ensure Supreme Court justices are properly recusing themselves from cases when they have a conflict of interest (The Hill).

 

REGULATION

The Trump administration is expected to launch an effort in coming days to weaken greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy standards for automobiles (NYT).

President Trump’s announcement to name Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson to lead Veterans Affairs has led the agency deeper into disarray (Politico).

• President Trump has nominated someone who has no discernible management experience to run the second-largest agency in the federal government, writes Eugene Robinson for the Washington Post.

The outgoing vice chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation warned against loosening key rules meant to keep banks stable in times of crisis (The Hill).

A new government study suggests that thousands of teachers had their federal grants taken away and converted to loans, sometimes for minor errors in paperwork (NPR).

Democratic senators criticized the head of the Federal Communications Commission over his proposal to cut down on a program that helps make broadband and phone service more affordable for low-income households (The Hill).

 

RULE OF LAW

Attorney General Jeff Sessions rebuffed a call from Republican leaders to appoint a second special counsel to look into the FBI’s handling of its most high-profile probes (WaPo).

 

CHECKS & BALANCES

If the president fires Robert Mueller, seeks to obstruct the investigations or refuses to answer questions, then Chief Justice John Roberts must forge a consensus to defend the rule of law, writes Joel Richard Paul in the Los Angeles Times.

 

REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

Government watchdog groups called for an investigation into whether President Trump’s campaign and a super PAC controlled by his new national security adviser conspired with an embattled political data firm to violate elections laws (WaPo).

 

RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s chairman and top Democrat released a request for new emails from two senior campaign aides to President Donald Trump, taking a fresh bipartisan step in their investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election (Politico).

 

 

Tags:

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

 

VIEW MORE