Rachel Thompson  //  3/4/19  //  Daily Update

The Mexican government has undertaken more active efforts to support President Trump’s border intervention, stopping groups of migrants and refusing asylum applications in some cases. Revisiting an earlier request for Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s private email server, the President recast those remarks as sarcastic during his longest speech as President. Comments made by Michael Cohen during testimony last week are bringing fresh scrutiny to the role that WikiLeaks played in Russia’s election interference. The President’s use of Non-Disclosure Agreements with highly-subjective gag orders during the campaign might be more common in the private sector but are testing the limits of public information. Weeks of noncompliance with the provisions of the Global Magnitsky Act demonstrate that the President is ignoring his obligations to produce a report on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS AND LITIGATION

House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler has announced a forthcoming request for documents related to "very clear" evidence of obstruction, according to Aime Williams at the Financial Times.

In a filing last week, Robert Mueller assessed the timeline to make a convincing case against Roger Stone at about two weeks, according to Lydia Wheeler at The Hill.

IMMIGRATION

The Mexican government has undertaken more active efforts to support the President’s border intervention, stopping groups of migrants and refusing asylum applications in some cases, Azam Ahmed and Kirk Semple report at The New York Times.

DEMOCRACY 

Recounting recent outcomes and popular discrepancies facilitated by the Electoral College, Jamelle Bouie at NYT Opinion argues that the institution is the greatest threat to our democracy.

Travis Crum discusses provisions and protections included in the recently unveiled Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019.

CIVIL RIGHTS

The troubling implications of compromising or conceding the Establishment Clause in the Bladensburg Cross case are analyzed by Nelson Tebbe and Micah Schwartzman.

CHECKS & BALANCES

Underpowered nearly since inception, the National Emergencies Act severely limits the ability for Congress to terminate the President’s emergency, writes Don Wolfensberger at The Hill.

Weeks of noncompliance with the provisions of the Global Magnitsky Act demonstrate that the President is ignoring his obligations to produce a report on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, write Edgar Chen, Alicia O’Brien, and Julie Rodin Zebrak at Just Security.

Balking tradition, in confirming the President’s conservative appeals court nominee without the consent of either Senator from his home-state of Washington the Senate has one-upped the stakes for future political gamesmanship, writes Deanna Paul at The Washington Post.

Digging in at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the President furthered his rhetorical attack on the media and the ‘Presidential Harassment’ of Democratic lawmakers, themselves now launching an “abuse of power investigation (CNN).

The President’s use of Non-Disclosure Agreements with highly-subjective gag orders during the campaign might be more common in the private sector but are testing the limits of public information, writes Orly Lobel at The Atlantic.

RULE OF LAW

Does the Supreme Court decision regarding a posthumous bright-line distinction for the validity of judicial opinions undercut its own precedent?, asks Michael C. Dorf.

RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE

Revisiting an earlier request for Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s private email server, the President recast those remarks as sarcastic during his longest speech as President (The Hill).

• Jose Luis Magana compiles the most bizarre moments of the speech in The Atlantic.

Comments made by Michael Cohen during testimony last week are bringing fresh scrutiny to the role that WikiLeaks played in Russia’s election interference, writes Jaqueline Thomsen at The Hill.

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