11/20/17  //  Daily Update

Justice Department officials are preparing to announce several cases against Iranian suspects. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a new policy forbidding the Department of Justice from imposing new rules via guidance letters. Frustrated with the Trump administration, foreign leaders are attempting to build relationships with state-level Democrats on issues such as climate change.

11/17/17  //  Daily Update

The House of Representatives passed the Republican tax reform proposal. Richard Cordray has announced his impending resignation as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines to eliminate rules limiting the ability of broadcast media outlets to merge. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced that he would begin holding hearings on certain judicial nominees without “blue slips” from home state senators. The Senate Judiciary Committee announced that Jared Kushner had undisclosed contacts with Wikileaks and individuals tied to the Russian government.

11/16/17  //  Daily Update

Six House Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against President Trump. The Immigration Defense Project reported a 900% increase in arrests and attempted arrests at courthouses by ICE this year. The DOJ inspector general will release a report this spring containing findings regarding the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server.

11/15/17  //  Daily Update

President Trump’s most recent executive order increasing the vetting of refugees from 11 countries is being challenged in a Washington federal district court. Only 6 of 102 federal agencies met the Department of Homeland Security’s first deadline to uninstall compromised anti-virus software. American cities and states are fighting global warming even without the support of the federal government. Attorney General Jeff Session provided testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on his contacts with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign.

11/14/17  //  Daily Update

The Ninth Circuit ruled that a portion of the third travel ban may take effect, allowing the government to prohibit the entry of individuals from certain countries who lack a bona fide relationship with a person in the United States. DOJ prosecutors are considering whether a special counsel should be appointed to investigate donations to the Clinton Foundation. Donald Trump Jr. communicated via private message on Twitter with WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign; those communications were provided by Trump Jr. to Congressional committees investigating Russian interference.

11/13/17  //  Daily Update

Special Counsel Mueller is investigating former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn’s alleged role in the forced removal of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric, from the US and his delivery Turkey in exchange for millions of dollars. A coalition of 20 states and 50 cities has pledged to follow the Paris climate accord commitments and pursue carbon emission reductions, even if President Trump withdraws. Chicago, Atlanta, and nine other cities have announced that they will join the growing list of jurisdictions that provide legal defense for undocumented immigrants in deportation hearings.

11/10/17  //  Daily Update

This week’s Versus Trump covers abortion rights, the transgender ban, Muslim Ban 3.0, and the “International Entrepreneur Rule." White House Chief of Staff John Kelly unsuccessfully tried to pressure DHS not to extend residency permits for tens of thousands of Hondurans living in the United States. Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, a member of the President’s Commission on Election Integrity, sued the Commission, claiming it is keeping Democrat members in the dark. The Justice Department announced a plan to bring criminal charges against anyone who possesses, imports, distributes or manufactures any fentanyl-related substance. The Justice Department is seeking a plea deal with Paul Manafort’s former son-in-law Jeffrey Yohai, relating to real estate dealings through shell companies.

11/9/17  //  Daily Update

Advocates have petitioned the Ninth Circuit to appoint private counsel to prosecute Joe Arpaio and challenge his pardon. The Trump Administration has tightened restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba and accessing hotels, stores, and businesses tied to the Cuban military. President Trump has called for total denuclearization of North Korea and warns North Korea not to underestimate the United States during speech in South Korea. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) has announced that he will force a vote on the House floor before Christmas to impeach President Trump.

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.

11/7/17  //  Daily Update

DHS announced that they will end temporary protected status for Nicaraguans, but did not make a decision on the protected status for Hondurans. First Amendment scholars filed an amicus brief in support of those suing the President for engaging in impermissible viewpoint discrimination by selectively blocking critics from his Twitter account. The White House has prepared an executive order to weaken the ACA’s requirement that taxpayers demonstrate proof of insurance.

11/6/17  //  Daily Update

Special Counsel Mueller has enough evidence to bring charges against the Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. New documents regarding Papadopoulos’s Russian connections call into question previous assertions by members of the Trump Administration that they were unaware of any contacts with Russia before the 2016 election. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross retained investments in a shipping firm with business ties to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s inner circle. In a Supreme Court filing, DOJ accused the ACLU of misconduct and is seeking sanctions in the recent Jane Doe abortion case.

11/2/17  //  Daily Update

President Trump called on Congress to end the Diversity Visa Lottery program. Following the Trump administration’s decision to roll back the birth control mandate, Notre Dame has ended contraceptive coverage. The Trump administration said that it considers the suspected NYC attacker an “enemy combatant” and would consider sending him to Guantánamo Bay. Rep Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) announced that a group of house democrats plan to file new impeachment charges against President Trump before Thanksgiving and are currently consulting with constitutional scholars.

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.

10/27/17  //  Daily Update

On Versus Trump Podcast, Charlie Gerstein and Easha Anand discuss Garza v. Hargan, in which the en banc DC Circuit held that an undocumented migrant in federal custody had the right to obtain an abortion. The Congressional Accountability Office will investigate the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. The federal government moved toward releasing 2,800 documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency. The State Department is set to begin implementing new Russian sanctions after lawmakers in both parties raised questions about a weeks-long delay.