7/24/18  //  Daily Update

The President's legal team has offered Special Counsel Robert Mueller an opportunity to interview President Trump about potential collusion with Russia during the campaign, but not obstruction of justice. Twelve audio recordings seized from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s office were turned over to federal prosecutors after President Trump’s legal team waived attorney-client privilege with respect to the recordings. The Department of Education is expected to announce new regulations that would expand the ability of employers to pay disabled employees below the minimum wage. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that the Trump administration was considering stripping security clearance from several former national security officials who have criticized the administration. Senate Democrats requested documents from the Department of the Treasury on financial ties between Maria Butina, who was recently indicted on charges of serving as an unregistered agent of Russia, and the NRA.

7/23/18  //  Daily Update

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Department of Justice released the heavily redacted Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court application to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. Materials seized from the office of Trump attorney Michael Cohen include a secret recording, made prior to the 2016 election, of President Trump discussing payments related to Playboy model Karen McDougal, with whom he allegedly had an affair. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats denies criticism of President Trump over the news that President Putin is to be invited to Washington. In a Friday morning TV interview, President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on all $500 billion of Chinese imports. The Trump administration has proposed changes to Medicare regulations that would adjust compensation for doctors’ visits.

7/18/18  //  Daily Update

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is seeking immunity for 5 witnesses who are expected to testify against Paul Manafort at his impending trial. Maria Butina, who was indicted Tuesday on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of the Russian government, had developed extensive ties within the conservative movement. The Trump administration’s proposal to impose Medicaid work requirements puts it on course to break the law by reducing tribal health care funding by millions of dollars. The Internal Revenue Service will no longer require some non-profit groups to disclose the names of large donors. The Department of Labor rescinded an Obama-era regulation that would have required companies to disclose their use of consultants to undermine labor organizing efforts.

6/28/18  //  Daily Update

Justice Anthony Kennedy announces his retirement. The travel ban has led to a 93% decrease in immigration from targeted countries since it went into effect in December. A federal judge has ruled that detained children must be reunited with their parents, but the Trump administration claims that compliance will be difficult. Despite pleas from the President, House Republicans reject immigration reform bill. On the last day of its term, the Supreme Court ruled that public sector employees who do not join a union cannot be charged fees to help pay for collective bargaining in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31. White House National Security Advisor John Bolton says that the Russian meddling in the U.S. Election is likely to come up at a planned summit between President Trump and Vladimir Putin.

6/26/18  //  Daily Update

The Special Counsel has obtained phones and computers belonging to Erik Prince, a private military contractor who reportedly set up a backchannel meeting between Trump campaign staff and Russian government officials. Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, has said that border officials will no longer refer adults crossing the border with children for prosecution by the DOJ. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt attempted to recruit oil executives for leadership positions at the agency. The Trump administration is preparing to announce new restrictions on Chinese investment in the United States and technology exports to China. The DOJ will soon have to decide whether to appeal a New York district court ruling striking down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as unconstitutional.

6/25/18  //  Daily Update

Stormy Daniels is expected to meet with federal prosecutors in New York as part of the investigation into Michael Cohen. President Trump on Twitter advocated depriving undocumented immigrants of due process rights. The Trump Administration announced the establishment of a formal process to reunite the 2,053 children separated from parents at the border. President Trump’s call to establish a sixth military branch—a “space force”—has been met with a cool reception by the Pentagon. Newly released emails indicate that Environmental Protection Administration head Scott Pruitt sought to hire a friend of a lobbyist who rented Pruitt a Capitol Hill apartment at below market rate. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) suggested he would use his position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to delay the confirmation of judges in order to extract concessions from the administration on trade and other issues.

6/11/18  //  Daily Update

Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted Paul Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik on new charges related to his alleged attempts to tamper with witnesses. DOJ is refusing to defend the DACA programin court. It is also arguing that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. At the G-7 summit, President Trump rejected a joint statement and aggressively confronted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Commerce Department released documents about the 2020 census question regarding citizenship.

5/31/18  //  Daily Update

In March 2017, President Trump pressured Attorney General Jeff Sessions to rescind his recusal from the Russia investigation. A new report suggests that Trump administration policies contribute to the risk of sexual abuse of LGBT ICE detainees—a risk 97 times greater than that faced by non-LGBT detainees. The denial of cert in Planned Parenthood v. Jegley leaves intact a decision at odds with governing precedent and will likely lead to uncertainty for abortion providers. Deposition transcripts reveal that the President's criticism of the NFL had a significant influence on the league’s decision to change its policy on standing for the national anthem. President Trump reportedly bragged at a closed-door fundraiser about a classified confrontation between U.S. troops and Russian mercenaries in Syria.

5/29/18  //  Daily Update

The United States will delay new sanctions against North Korea while it continues discussions about reviving the planned summit with Kim Jong Un. In recent months, China has granted several trademarks to Ivanka Trump’s brand, raising questions about whether the trademarks are an effort to gain favor with the White House. The recently enacted bank deregulation bill backed by the Trump administration will significantly reduce regulations on all but the largest banks. The Trump administration’s rollback of an Obama-era executive order requiring increased flood protection for federally funded infrastructure projects poses serious risks in the future. In his efforts to undermine the credibility of the Mueller investigation, President Trump is rendering conspiracy theories mainstream.

5/16/18  //  Daily Update

U.S. Border Patrol has consistently undercounted the number of deaths of migrants on American soil. North Korea suggests that it may back out of the summit with the United States in response to joint South Korea–U.S. military exercises. The White House announced plans to eliminate the top cyber policy advisor position. In a memorial event for law enforcement officials killed in the line of duty, President Trump stated that a “dangerous anti-police prejudice” is growing in the United States. The Trump Organization has brought on a Chinese state-owned company as a partner for a real estate development project in Indonesia, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest after the Trump administration expressed support for ZTE, a Chinese electronics company under US sanctions.

5/15/18  //  Daily Update

As the United States opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers killed dozens of Palestinians demonstrating the embassy’s move. Justice Department prosecutions under the Foreign Agents Registration act signal that the Administration is using an expanded interpretation of the law. The White House intervened to prevent the release of an EPA study into the safety of drinking water. The Trump administration’s proposed use of emergency powers under various federal statutes to support the coal industry may set a precedent benefiting renewable energy producers under future administrations. Millions accepted a fake news story about a Supreme Court ruling on Sharia law, demonstrating the speed and danger of fake news on the internet.

4/23/18  //  Daily Update

The Democratic National Committee sued the Russian government, Russian government entities, the Trump campaign, Wikileaks, and Trump campaign officials alleging a conspiracy to hack DNC servers and release information during the 2016 election. Attorney General Jeff Sessions told White House Counsel Don McGahn that he would consider resigning if President Trump fired Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.The Trump administration will pivot its teen pregnancy prevention funding efforts toward abstinence-based programs and away from comprehensive sexual education. The CIA’s campaign for controversial deputy director Gina Haspel to be confirmed as its director is atypically public and political. The future of the Iran nuclear deal will be central to meetings between French President Emmanuel Macron and President Trump next week.

4/19/18  //  Daily Update

The Trump administration is attempting to transfer an unlawfully detained American citizen from Iraq to Saudi Arabia. Anticipating that President Trump may pardon close associates, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman asked the New York legislature to give his office increased power to pursue state charges against individuals given federal pardons. The American Constitution Society, a liberal legal group, sent an open letter to the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group with strong ties to the Trump administration, to stand together against efforts to interfere with investigations into the administration. Karen McDougal, a former model, settled a lawsuit with the parent company of the National Enquirer over a nondisclosure agreement that prevented her from discussing an alleged affair with President Trump.

4/18/18  //  Daily Update

The Supreme Court struck down a law allowing deportation of some immigrants who commit serious crimes as unconstitutional due to vagueness by a vote of 5-4, with Justice Gorsuch joining Justices Kagan, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Breyer in the majority. James Comey’s public criticism of President Trump during his book tour may hurt his image as fully apolitical. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate would not take up a bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller against termination by President Trump. In a move backed by Congressional Democrats, the Department of the Interior decided not to reduce royalty rates on offshore drilling, overriding the recommendations of an advisory panel. The 9th Circuit will appoint a special prosecutor to defend the criminal contempt conviction of Joe Arpaio after he was pardoned by President Trump.

4/12/18  //  Daily Update

Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg concluded two days of testimony on Capitol Hill. The Justice Department will temporarily suspend the Vera Institute of Justice’s Legal Orientation Program, which provides legal assistance to detained immigrants facing deportation, as it audits the program’s cost-effectiveness. White House deputy national security adviser for strategy Nadia Schadlow has resigned, making her the third senior National Security Council official to leave since John Bolton was appointed national security adviser. The FBI raid on the office of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer, sought records related to the “Access Hollywood” tape in addition to records related to payments to Stormy Daniels. A bipartisan group of senators introduced a new bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller from termination by President Trump, and the Judiciary Committee will likely hold a vote within the next week.