9/24/18  //  Daily Update

Former Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland reversed her statement to Special Counsel Mueller about former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, now saying that Flynn may have spoken to her about discussions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 presidential transition. The White House and its allies are divided over the possibility of firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. DOE announced it will “rethink anything and everything” related to its approach to special education, with more deference paid to local decision-making. A federal judge in New York ordered Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to be deposed as part of a lawsuit challenging the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. The New York Times sued the FCC over its refusal to release records that the Times thinks might shed light on Russian interference in the net neutrality repeal proceeding.

9/21/18  //  Daily Update

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford says she would agree to testify at a Senate hearing next week, but would not be prepared to do so on Monday. The Trump Administration plans to shift $260 million from program like cancer research and AIDS prevention to cover the cost of housing thousands of undocumented immigrant children in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Pentagon stopped announcing body counts of Taliban and Islamic State fighters killed in battle in Afghanistan, a practice which had begun in January. The Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has begun dismantling decades-old policies meant to improve racial disparities in youth incarceration. A number of Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin managed to build relationships with elements of the Trump campaign in 2016.

9/20/18  //  Daily Update

As election day nears, many states and counties are beefing up their plans to deal with cyberattacks on election infrastructure. Undocumented immigrant families affected by Hurricane Florence are wondering whether seeking government resources like shelter, food, or other aid would put them at greater risk. State Department officials are facing backlash over the decision to drastically limit the number of refugees who will be permitted to settle in the U.S. The Office of Inspector General criticized the Bureau of Prisons’ management of female prisoners. Terrorism is down worldwide, but the State Department says that Iran maintains a ‘near-global reach’ as the leading state sponsor of terrorism. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un committed to some concrete steps towards denuclearization, but fell short of what American officials have demanded.

9/19/18  //  Daily Update

President Trump’s order for the Justice Department to declassify certain materials related to the investigation and surveillance of his former campaign advisor, Carter Page, is a self-interested effort at “obfuscation, concealment, deception, and the weaponizing of the oversight process.” Mike Pompeo announced that the Administration will cap its refugee resettlement for the coming fiscal year at 30,000, the lowest number in history. Administration officials urged Congress to amend a decades-old court ruling that limits the amount of time migrant children can be detained. FEMA Chief William Long has been suspended and is facing a possible criminal investigation related to his use of government vehicles. More evidence has arisen showing that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross lied to Congress in testifying that DOJ initially approached him about adding the citizenship question to the census.

9/18/18  //  Daily Update

In a court filing, the Special Counsel announced that former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn would be ready for sentencing in late November, suggesting that his cooperation with the Special Counsel investigation is nearing its end. The federal government asked the Supreme Court to limit its disclosure obligations in a lawsuit challenging the ban against transgender Americans openly serving in the military, citing Presidential privilege. Newly released e-mails written by Brett Kavanaugh suggest that he will oppose modern interpretations of the Constitution that protect civil rights such as gay marriage and access to abortion. Closer attention should be paid to the vendors of election equipment given the dominance of three companies in the election-technology market and their insistence on keeping their technology secret while they curry politicians’ favor. President Trump ordered the Department of Justice to declassify and release the text messages of several former FBI officials whom he has criticized.

9/17/18  //  Daily Update

Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign manager, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice and agreed to cooperate with the ongoing Special Counsel investigation. Many immigrant parents who were separated from their children at the border are being denied reunification because of minor misdemeanor offenses from decades ago. The attorneys general of the District of Columbia and Maryland are seeking discovery on President Trump’s communications with foreign and state governments regarding his Washington, DC hotel, after a federal district judge denied a motion to dismiss a suit contending that President Trump’s ownership of the hotel violates the Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution. The Trump administration will announce $200 billion of new tariffs on Chinese products, further escalating tensions over trade. National Security Advisor John Bolton’s criticism of the International Criminal Court does not serve the interests of the United States.

9/14/18  //  Daily Update

Paul Manafort and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office are nearing a plea agreement. The federal government reached a settlement agreement that would allow approximately 1,000 asylum seekers whose families were separated under the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy to re-apply for asylum. Eighteen former counterterrorism officials called on the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to retract or correct a report that misleadingly implied a link between terrorism and immigration. The U.S. government’s entire system for organizing and maintaining a record of its own activities is on the verge of collapse. The NLRB announced a proposed rule that would make it more difficult for employees of contractors and franchises to challenge abusive labor practices. A bipartisan group of 17 governors announced a new set of policies aimed at combating climate change while working around the Trump Administration.

9/13/18  //  Daily Update

Andrew Miller, an associate of Trump confidante Roger Stone, filed a brief in federal appeals court challenging Special Counsel Mueller’s authority to subpoena him. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is seeking a plea agreement from Special Counsel Robert Mueller that does not include cooperation. The number of migrant family members arrested for illegal entry into the United States rose by 38 percent in August. According to a new report, federal enforcement of voting rights for minorities has fallen significantly in the last five years. The DOE has reopened a civil rights case against Rutgers University, suggesting that the school may have allowed a hostile environment for Jewish students. As expected, President Trump signed an executive order authorizing automatic sanctions against any foreign entities found to have interfered in U.S. elections.

9/12/18  //  Daily Update

In his latest attack on the credibility of the Department of Justice, President Trump falsely claimed in an early morning tweet that former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page were involved in a “media leak strategy” to undermine his administration. New York State Tax Department investigators met with Michael Cohen’s attorney regarding its investigation into Cohen and the Trump Organization; officials involved in the matter described the Department’s investigation as a “clear interference” with the US Attorney’s Office’s ongoing criminal investigation. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously dismissed a claim alleging that President Trump incited a riot at a 2016 campaign rally in Kentucky, finding that his speech did not encourage violence and was ultimately protected by the First Amendment. The Department of Health and Human Services announced its plan to more than triple the size of its camp for migrant children at Tornillo-Guadalupe Land Port of Entry in response to the growing number of children crossing the border.

9/11/18  //  Daily Update

National Security Advisor, John Bolton, announced the Administration’s threats to impose sanctions and bans on travel to the United States for those involved in the ICC’s potential investigation into the United States’ efforts in the Afghanistan war. The Federal Election Commission unanimously ruled that federal campaigns and national party committees can accept free security services from Microsoft without violating campaign finance laws because Microsoft would be acting out of business interests and would be providing the services on a non-partisan basis. In response to Palestine’s stalled peace talk negotiations with Israel, the Trump Administration orders the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Washington D.C. Office. The Trump administration is planning to roll back regulations governing the release of methane, a greenhouse gas, during oil and gas extraction.

9/10/18  //  Daily Update

Vice President Mike Pence said, if asked, he would sit for an interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller about Russian interference in the 2016 election. President Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen offered to rescind a non-disclosure agreement with adult film star Stormy Daniels. Immigration judges are objecting to DOJ policy and personnel changes, including an annual case quota, that appear designed to speed up the immigration courts. Increasingly, President Trump is using official or nonpartisan events to attack the press. The President is fixated on the idea that tech companies are silencing his conservative base as part of a broader campaign to undermine his presidency. The EPA lost more than 1,500 of its staff in the first 18 months of the Trump's administration.

9/5/18  //  Daily Update

Special Counsel Robert Mueller will accept some written answers from President Trump. The ACLU has sued DHS, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies to find out whether the government plans to thwart or surveil indigenous and environmental activists who oppose the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The EPA’s Office of Inspector General determined that the EPA failed to properly justify increased security costs. President Trump again raised a threat to the broadcast licenses of TV stations that air news programming that he dislikes.

9/4/18  //  Daily Update

Democrats, eyeing a majority, are preparing hearings, subpoenas, and investigations into nearly every corner of the Trump Administration. Immigrants, fearing a crackdown from the Trump Administration, are dropping out of nutrition programs. President Trump rolls back worker safety rules. Social security numbers and other information were inadvertently made public by a government transparency website during a systems upgrade. President Trump is to test high-pressure negotiating style as U.S.-Canada NAFTA talks resume. Lawmakers are set to start tech industry hearings. President Trump renews his criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. U.S.-North Korea stalemate threatens nuclear disarmament deal. U.S. freezes military aid to Pakistan, citing inadequate action on militants.

8/31/18  //  Daily Update

President Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, discussed buying all of the National Enquirer’s information on President Trump, though the plan never came to fruition. The Department of Justice put its support behind students suing Harvard University claiming its admissions policies discriminate against Asian-Americans. President Trump wrote in a letter to Congressional leaders that he plans to cancel pay increases for federal workers that are scheduled for 2019.

8/30/18  //  Daily Update

The Trump Administration is challenging the citizenship of thousands of Hispanic Americans living along the U.S. border. It appears likely that ICE has wrongfully detained thousands of U.S. citizens. Education Secretary is preparing to release new rules to protect students accused of sexual harassment or assault. The Fourth Circuit once again rules that North Carolina’s congressional map is unconstitutional, setting up a new battle at the Supreme Court this fall. The U.S. Embassy in South Africa released information contradicting President Trump’s claims regarding happenings in the country.