2/20/18  //  Daily Update

The Supreme Court is likely to take one of five approaches to the Trump Administration's request for expedited review of a lower court's block on terminating the DACA program. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Jared Kushner “has expanded beyond his contacts with Russia and now includes his efforts to secure financing for his company from foreign investors during the presidential transition.” AT&T is arguing in court that “President Trump's hatred of CNN played a role in the DOJ's attempt to block AT&T's purchase of Time Warner Inc. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered new U.S. Congressional maps to rectify what it had previously ruled was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.

1/15/18  //  Daily Update

Following a federal court ruling, the Trump Administration will begin accepting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals applications again. A leaked copy of the Pentagon’s Nuclear Posture Review shows that the government wants to update the nuclear arsenal with new types of weapons. The Trump Administration approved Kentucky’s plan to impose work requirements for Medicaid recipients, paving the way for other conservative states to follow suit.

12/12/17  //  Daily Update

The Southern Poverty Law Center is suing the federal government, alleging that ICE agents entered the homes of immigrant families without warrants, consent, or probable cause. The Supreme Court will not hear an appeal of an Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision that held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not encompass discrimination based on sexual orientation. A federal court “denied the Trump administration’s request to delay an order requiring the military to begin accepting transgender recruits starting Jan. 1, saying the argument for more time seemed based on ‘vague claims.'" The Supreme Court will hear a case challenging Maryland’s congressional map as unconstitutional, indicating the Court may be ready to establish a standard for partisan gerrymandering. Three women who accused President Trump of sexual misconduct called on Congress to investigate their allegations.

11/8/17  //  Daily Update

DOJ has dropped its prosecution of Desiree Ali-Fairooz, an activist who laughed at Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing as Attorney General. A top advisor to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross continued to serve on the board of Navigator Holdings, whose clients include a Russian energy company tied to the Kremlin, while she was a part of the Trump administration. Syria joins the Paris climate accord, leaving just the United States opposed to it.

11/1/17  //  Daily Update

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is scheduled to interview White House Communications Director Hope Hicks. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow claimed that “pardons are not on the table” in the wake of the Special Counsel’s indictments. Executives from Facebook, Google, and Twitter testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Russian influence operations on their platforms during the 2016 election. The ACLU is suing the Trump Administration for the release of a ten-year-old girl with cerebral palsy detained by ICE after undergoing surgery. The EPA has eliminated the ability of scientists receiving EPA research funding to serve on the agency’s advisory committees, a move that will likely increase the influence of industry-funded scientists.

10/31/17  //  Daily Update

Paul Manafort, former chairman of the Trump campaign, and Rick Gates, Manafort’s business associate and fellow campaign official, were indicted on 12 counts, including charges of money laundering and tax fraud. George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty on charges of making false statements to the FBI regarding contacts with Russian nationals. A federal judge blocked the Trump Administration from enforcing its military transgender ban, ruling that the policy appeared to be rooted solely in a desire to express disapproval of transgender people. Secretary of Defense Mattis and Secretary of State Tillerson that Congress did not need to pass a new authorization for the use of military force. More than 50% of Senate-confirmed appointees in the Trump Administration have some notable conflict of interest.