11/4/19  //  Daily Update

The Ninth Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from stripping federal funds from sanctuary cities. A federal judge also blocked the Trump Administration from implementing a policy of denying visas to immigrants who cannot prove they have health care or the ability to pay for it. Chad Wolf will be the new Acting Secretary of the DHS. HHS announced a proposed rule rolling back regulations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion. And according to newly released documents from the Mueller investigation, Paul Manafort suggested as early as summer 2016 that Ukraine, rather than Russia, might have hacked the DNC during the presidential campaign.

11/1/19  //  Daily Update

The full House approves guidelines for impeachment in a vote along party lines. A district court hears argument on a case that could determine whether the Administration can invoke executive privilege to prevent a wide swath of testimony. And a new, high-profile suit about facial recognition is filed against the Administration by the ACLU.

10/31/19  //  Daily Update

On the impeachment front, questions emerge about the treatment of former Ambassador to Ukraine Maria Yovanovitch;Just Security reports that the Pentagon warned the White House about withholding funds; and a high-ranking officer testifies that he was troubled by the Trump-Zelensky call. In other news, a three-judge panel stays a lower-court ruling that would have required grand jury materials to be turned over to Congress, and questions linger about who the next DHS head will be.

10/29/19  //  Daily Update

The impeachment inquiry continues, with Democrats agreeing to hold a vote to affirm the ongoing inquiry.

10/25/19  //  Daily Update

The House will interview NSC staff next week in the ongoing impeachment inquiry. Senator Lindsay Graham introduces a resolution condemning the inquiry. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights describes conditions at the border as "inhumane." And the Supreme Court unexpectedly appoints conservative lawyer Paul Clement to defend the structure of the CFPB in a key upcoming Supreme Court case.

10/24/19  //  Daily Update

Republicans storm the secure location where impeachment testimony is occurring, resulting in a 5-hour delay. Trump's personal lawyer tells the Second Circuit that the President cannot be indicted or subjected to process by a state for any crime while in office—even murder. And Giuliani's associates plead not guilty.

10/23/19  //  Daily Update

Trump refers to the impeachment inquiry as a "lynching" while the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine delivers damning testimony. The President's now-aborted decision to host the G-7 at his resort gets cited in an Emoluments Clause brief. And the Ninth Circuit upholds the operation of the No-Fly List with respect to four plaintiffs who claimed it violates their due process rights.

10/22/19  //  Daily Update

House Democrats slow the impeachment inquiry. President Trump dismisses the Emoluments Clause as "phony," but watchdog groups disagree and now say that he has over 2,500 conflicts of interest. Facebook takes down foreign misinformation. And the House moves to dismiss a lawsuit by the President seeking to prevent Congress from getting his tax returns.

10/18/19  //  Daily Update

President Trump plans to host the next G-7 meeting in June at the Trump National Doral Miami resort. Energy Secretary Rick Perry plans to resign from his cabinet position, reportedly by the end of the year. And Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said President Trump blocked military aid to Ukraine in part to compel the government to investigate corruption among Democrats in the 2016 presidential campaign.

10/17/19  //  Daily Update

A House Committee asks for expedited enforcement of a subpoena. New immigration data suggests that Trump is remaking the immigration system. And new info emerges about Mick Mulvaney's role in the Ukraine scandal.

10/16/19  //  Daily Update

The White House opens a review of the President's Ukraine call, while Rudy Giuliani refuses to comply with a subpoena. Meanwhile, the full Fourth Circuit will reconsider an earlier decision dismissing an Emoluments Clause challenge to the President's business arrangements. And the President again vetoes an attempt to end the emergency declaration along the southern border.

10/15/19  //  Daily Update

Former top Russia advisor Fiona Hill testified Monday that Rudy Guiliani ran a “shadow foreign policy” related to Ukraine in order to benefit the president. Federal prosecutors are looking into Rudy Giuliani’s ties to Ukraine. The president has imposed sanctions on Turkey. DHS is asking Congress to grant the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) the power to issue subpoenas to internet service providers requiring them to provide data for private subscribers that CISA believes to be vulnerable to threat.

10/10/19  //  Daily Update

President Trump declared a complete refusal to comply with the House impeachment inquiry unless the full House expressly votes to authorize the inquiry and adopts certain procedures. The White House advised U.S. diplomats to downplay the eventual release of aid funds to Ukraine. Former Vice President Joe Biden announced his support for the president’s impeachment. Former congressman Trey Gowdy joined President Trump’s legal team as an outside adviser. President Trump criticized Turkey’s military offensive in Syria but remained dismissive of Kurdish fighters and reiterated opposition to extended wars. President Trump issued two new executive orders on administrative law related to guidance documents and enforcement actions.

10/9/19  //  Daily Update

The White House issued a scathing letter to Democratic congressional leaders indicating it will not participate in the impeachment inquiry. The Administration directed U.S. Ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, not to appear for his deposition before the House committees. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, Lindsey Graham, invited Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, to testify about the Ukraine scandal before the committee. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against DHS, alleging the Department is improperly using mandatory marriage interviews as a way to detain and remove immigrants from the US. The Senate Intelligence Committee released Volume 2 of its report on Russian interference in the 2016 Election, including recommendations for preventing future election interference.

10/4/19  //  Daily Update

An IRS whistleblower has filed a complaint alleging Treasury Department officials might have interfered with an audit of the president’s or the vice president’s tax returns. The DOJ intervened on Wednesday in the president’s lawsuit against the Manhattan DA’s office over a subpoena of his tax returns, arguing for the case to be in federal court and for temporary relief for the president. The House has stated they will subpoena the White House by the end of the week if they do not hand over requested documents related to the July phone call with Ukranian President Zelensky. A Senior Justice Department official has said they did not open a criminal investigation into the July call because they could not quantify the request for information on Hunter Biden as “a thing of value.” In response to a request for a TRO, Justice Department lawyers have voluntarily agreed to preserve any records of the president’s phone calls and communications with foreign leaders.