1/15/19  //  Daily Update

Attorney General nominee Bill Barr said in written testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Special Counsel Robert Mueller should be allowed to complete his investigation. More than 40,000 immigration hearings across the country have been cancelled because of backlogs due to the government shutdown. President Trump threatened to economically “devastate” Turkey if it attacked U.S. Kurdish partners in Syria following U.S. withdrawal. A federal judge in California temporarily blocked new rules that would have allowed employers to opt out of the ACA's contraceptive mandate from going into effect in several states. The Department of Education is expected to issue a proposal this month which would change work rules for people with disabilities.

1/14/19  //  Daily Update

Following James Comey’s firing as FBI Director, the FBI opened an inquiry into whether President Trump was secretly working on behalf of Russia. President Trump has concealed details of his face-to-face encounters with President Putin from senior officials in the administration. President Trump defends his position on border security and the government shutdown in a video posted on Twitter. The U.S. military announces the start of withdrawal from Syria. Federal employee unions sue the government over the shutdown. Congress approves back pay for furloughed federal employees. Attorney General nominee William Barr faces questions from senators ahead of this week’s confirmation hearings.

1/11/19  //  Daily Update

Federal workers are suing the Trump administration for being forced to work without pay. Michael Cohen has agreed to testify to Congress on February 07. President Trump visited the United States-Mexico border on Thursday to advocate for a wall along the southern border. The White House has asked the United States Army Corps of Engineers to look into ways to divert funding toward building the border wall. The Department of Labor is soliciting feedback on a regulation that would encourage states to conduct blanket drug testing for individuals seeking unemployment insurance. A new report examines how presidential candidates ignore campaign finance laws and recommends that the FEC repeal its regulation exempting presidential candidates from certain campaign finance laws when they are “testing the waters” of a campaign. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claims that the United States will be taking ana activist role in the Middle East, contradicting President Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria.

1/10/19  //  Daily Update

The current government shutdown is the second longest ever. President Trump walked out of shutdown talks when Democrats rejected funds for the border wall. Justice Kavanaugh writes his first opinion for the Supreme Court. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein expects to leave the Justice Department if new attorney general Matthew Whitaker is confirmed. Congress has summoned Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin to deliver a briefing about the Trump administration’s plans to end sanctions on companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg V. Deripaska. President Trump threatens to block federal emergency funds for California fire relief if officials there do not “get their act together” to prevent forest fires.

1/9/19  //  Daily Update

After first appearing to miss a filing deadline, Paul Manafort’s legal team announced it had filed under seal without prior notice. Manafort openly disputed that he lied to investigators. Then, by error, the sealed filings leaked, showing that Manafort has been accused of sharing polling data with Russian intelligence. A bipartisan group of lawmakers will introduce a bill to protect Robert Mueller this week. President Trump tweeted that reporting about the Syria withdrawal plan was inaccurate--and that the plans have not changed--amid ongoing confusion. After some delay by the Trump Administration, airlines will have to report statistics regarding how often they break wheelchairs and similar aids. In the past month, the Trump Administration has continued to promote programs benefiting the Trump and Kushner families. The Supreme Court announced it would also close on January 18, when the judiciary cannot sustain operations during the government shutdown.

1/8/19  //  Daily Update

House Democrats have prepared a litany of Trump investigations. The government may not have enough money to issue food stamps in January owing to the shutdown. The shutdown may also delay some people’s court dates by as much as four years, including for immigration proceedings. Congress could prevent President Trump from using his national emergency powers to build the wall. Amid objections from advocacy groups, the Trump administration rescinded an Obama administration guidance aimed at protecting disabled students. The Trump Administration has aggressively appealed lower court rulings and is depending on the Supreme Court to uphold administration policies.

12/21/18  //  Daily Update

Both houses of Congress have passed the FIRST STEP Act, a bill that will overhaul the country’s criminal-justice system if it is signed into law by President Trump. The President's nominee for Attorney General, William Barr, wrote a memo to the Justice Department in June that criticized the special counsel Robert Mueller’s legal theory of how President Trump may have obstructed justice. A senior DOJ ethics official has suggested that acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker should recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, but he does not plan to step aside. The Department of Homeland Security announced that asylum seekers at the southern border will be required to return to Mexico and wait there while their claims are processed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention folded its Climate and Health Program into the office that handles asthma, eliminating the word “climate” from its title and forewarning a shift in focus.

12/20/18  //  Daily Update

The D.C. Circuit upheld a mysterious grand jury subpoena of a foreign company. Robert Mueller requested a transcript of Roger Stone’s testimony to the House. A federal district judge in D.C. struck down most of the Trump Administration’s policy that made it difficult to receive asylum for domestic and gang violence claims. The Trump Administration announced it would ease restrictions for sponsoring migrant children. The Trump Administration plans to pull soldiers out of Syria immediately. The Trump Administration announced it would lift sanctions on companies owned by a Russian oligarch.

12/19/18  //  Daily Update

Trump administration backs down from threatening government shutdown and considers other ways to fund promised border wall. The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to halt the emoluments case against President Trump. The Donald J. Trump Foundation is dissolving as the New York Attorney General pursues its lawsuit against the charity, Trump, and his three eldest children. Appeals court judges in Colorado dismissed complaints of judicial misconduct that were filed earlier this year against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Ex-Trump adviser Roger Stone admits to spreading lies about Hillary Clinton, among other topics, online in a lawsuit settlement. President Trump’s commission on school safety has recommended revoking a federal guideline directing schools not to punish minority students at higher rates.

12/18/18  //  Daily Update

Two business associates of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn were indicted for conspiring to serve as unregistered foreign agents of Turkey and lying to federal investigators. Congressional Republicans continue to attempt to convince President Trump not to shut down the government if there is no funding allocated for a border wall. Democrats in Michigan have turned to Governor Rick Snyder in hopes of blocking Republican legislation that would strip significant authority from the Democratic Secretary of State and Attorney General. An official statement from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sharply criticized the United States Senate for claiming that crown prince Mohammed bin Salman was at least partially responsible for the death of Jamal Khashoggi. The Senate Intelligence Committee released two reports on Russian social media activity during the 2016 election. Russian disinformation teams targeted special counsel Robert Mueller with claims that he was corrupt and had ties to extremist groups.

12/17/18  //  Daily Update

A federal district judge in Texas struck down the Affordable Care Act after the Trump administration declined to defend the law. Nearly every organization that President Trump has led in the past decade is under criminal investigation. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned after allegations of financial misconduct. Two years after its publication, many of the claims in the Steele dossier have been confirmed by other investigations. Kim Jong-un publicly warned that increased sanctions from the United States could end any chance of North Korean denuclearization. The Trump administration has aggressively sought to expedite high-profile cases to the Supreme Court in the hopes of securing victories from its conservative majority. A new report prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee reveals that Russian government support for President Trump on social media was more widespread than previously known.

12/14/18  //  Daily Update

President Trump claimed he “never directed Michael Cohen to break the law,” and publicly criticized his former attorney following Cohen’s sentence to three years in jail. A 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died of dehydration and shock after being taken into Border Patrol custody a week ago according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The United States Senate voted 56 to 41 to withdraw American military assistance to Saudi Arabia in Yemen, going against President Trump’s defense of the nation following the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Solicitor General Noel Francisco filed two requests at the Supreme Court asking it to stay injunctions from three lower courts on the Trump administration’s ban on transgender individuals from serving in the military. National security advisor John Bolton outlined a new strategy for the The Trump administration in Africa aimed primarily at opposing China. Maria Butina pled guilty to conspiracy to act as a foreign agent, and agreed to cooperate with with federal prosecutors going forward.

12/13/18  //  Daily Update

Michael Cohen, President Trump's former attorney, is sentenced to three years in prison for financial crimes and lying to Congress to protect the "dirty deeds" of President Trump. Former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, has asked a federal judge to spare him from prison time. The Trump administration has filed a request asking the Supreme Court to block a district court order preventing the government from enforcing a ban barring immigrants who cross the border illegally from seeking asylum. The Trump administration plans to call out China for stealing American trade secrets and is expected to impose sanctions on hackers working for a Chinese intelligence service. The Senate passed legislation to reverse a Trump administration policy limiting donor disclosure requirements for political nonprofits.

12/10/18  //  Daily Update

In a series of court filings on Friday, federal prosecutors recommended a four-year prison sentence for former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and accused former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort of lying to Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Former FBI Director James Comey testified privately before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is expected to leave the administration by the end of the year. Lawyer and former Attorney General William Barr was nominated to be Attorney General. A federal appeals court refused to stay a lower court’s ruling blocking the Trump administration’s ban on asylum for migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. According to new data from the State Department, the administration’s policies have significantly reduced the admissions of Muslims and residents of Muslim-majority countries. The Trump administration wants to open negotiations on a peace deal in Afghanistan by April.

12/7/18  //  Daily Update

Congress passed a short-term spending bill to fund the government through December 21st, but it does not include funding for the border wall. The Census Bureau plans to conduct the first ever field test of a census question to test the effects of the controversial citizenship question. The arrests in Canada of two officials associated with the Chinese tech giant, Huawei, at the direction of the United States have intensified already divisive trade negotiations between the United States and China. The Senate confirmed Kathy Kraninger’s nomination as the Director of the CFPB. William Barr, a Republican attorney who served as Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush, appears to be President Trump’s top choice for Attorney General. The Russian Embassy criticized the United States’ treatment of Maria Butina, a Russian official charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent, and demanded her release.