04/13/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Days before Japanese leader Shinzo Abe dined with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago, restaurant inspectors slapped the resort with 13 violations — including raw fish used in sushi, one of Japan’s signature dishes. Florida restaurant inspectors also found beef, duck, chicken and ham stored at unsafe temperatures higher than the law requires, […]

Read More… from 04/13/2017

04/13/2017

CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/LEGAL/LOBBYING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Fossil fuel lobbyists and environmentalists are set for a legal battle over whether the Trump administration will defend regulations on chemical plant safety. The Union for Concerned Scientists, Sierra Club and Earthjustice plan to jointly file a motion Wednesday [4-12-17] to intervene in a lawsuit filed by fossil fuel groups in […]

Read More… from 04/13/2017

04/11/2017

LEGAL/TRUMP BUSINESS: “The Trump Organization has settled another lawsuit with a celebrity chef. The company had sued Geoffrey Zakarian, a Food Network star, for breach of contract after he refused to open a restaurant in the Trump Organization’s new Washington, D.C. hotel. On Monday [4-10-17], lawyers announced that the suit had been settled, just days […]

Read More… from 04/11/2017

04/07/2017

DHS/LEGAL: “Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) on Friday dropped a lawsuit it filed the previous day against the U.S. government, saying the government had withdrawn a summons for records about who was behind an account critical of President Donald Trump. A lawyer for the social media company, Mark Flanagan, wrote in court papers that a U.S. Justice […]

Read More… from 04/07/2017

04/06/2017

DHS/LEGAL: “Twitter filed a lawsuit Thursday to block an order from the Department of Homeland Security that seeks to reveal the user of an account who has been critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Tweets from the account — @ALT_uscis — indicate that it is run by someone who is an employee of the […]

Read More… from 04/06/2017

03/31/2017

LEGAL/TRUMP U: “Thousands of former Trump University students will get most of their money back, with a judge on Friday approving a $25 million settlement. ‘The settlement is fair, adequate, and reasonable,’ Judge Gonzalo Curiel said in his decision. Nearly 4,000 former students submitted claims and those who are eligible could get back about 90% […]

Read More… from 03/31/2017

04/04/2017

INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/RUSSIA: “Carter Page, who served briefly as a foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, made an appearance in a federal espionage case several years ago because he communicated with a Russian intelligence agent under surveillance by the FBI. In a statement released Tuesday [4-4-17], Page confirmed his role in the 2015 Justice […]

Read More… from 04/04/2017

04/02/20107

2016 ELECTION/CAMPAIGN/LEGAL: “A federal judge has rejected President Donald Trump’s free speech defense against a lawsuit accusing him of inciting violence against protesters at a campaign rally. Trump’s lawyers sought to dismiss the lawsuit by three protesters who say they were roughed up by his supporters at a March 1, 2016 rally in Louisville, Kentucky. […]

Read More… from 04/02/20107

03/31/2017

CRIME/IMMIGRATION/LEGAL: “The Trump administration on Friday [3-31-17] fired back at California’s top judge, disputing her characterization this month that federal immigration agents were ‘stalking’ courthouses to make arrests. In a letter to Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, leaders of Trump’s Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security called her description of federal agents’ conduct “troubling.” They […]

Read More… from 03/31/2017

3/31/2017

LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday supported the decision of his former national security adviser to seek immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony in congressional probes of possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Retired General Michael Flynn wants protection against ‘unfair prosecution’ if he testifies before […]

Read More… from 3/31/2017

3/30/2017

LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVE BANNON: “White House chief strategist Steve Bannon won’t face any criminal charges related to his mysterious voter registration in Miami-Dade County. Prosecutors announced Thursday that they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Bannon, President Donald Trump’s special assistant, broke the law when he signed up to vote in Miami-Dade County after […]

Read More… from 3/30/2017

3/27/2017

LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has volunteered to speak to the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of its investigation into Russian meddling in the US election, a White House spokesman said Monday [3-27-17]. ‘Throughout the campaign and transition, Jared Kushner served as the official primary point of contact with foreign governments […]

Read More… from 3/27/2017

3/22/2017

SECRET SERVICE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “In the century or so since Congress first assigned the Secret Service the task of protecting the president of the United States, its top job has always gone to an agency veteran. Like so many things in the Trump era, that may soon change. Aides to President Trump are narrowing […]

Read More… from 3/22/2017

3/22/2017

CAMPAIGN/FBI/INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/POLITICS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The public confirmation this week that federal investigators are probing links between the Russian government and associates of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign prompted Democrats to renew their call for an independent investigation into the matter. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey, in an unusual disclosure, acknowledged the investigation during testimony on […]

Read More… from 3/22/2017

3/21/2017

LEGAL/OBAMA/WIRETAPPING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In accusing former President Barack Obama of ordering Trump Tower wiretapped before last year’s presidential election, President Donald Trump compared the alleged behavior to ‘Nixon/Watergate.’ But John Dean, a former White House counsel under former President Richard Nixon who was charged with obstruction of justice for his role in Watergate, said it’s […]

Read More… from 3/21/2017

3/21/2017

CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/LEGAL/TRUMP FAMILY/IVANKA: “Being so closely associated with the President of the United States might be serving Ivanka Trump’s brand for the better, but a California retailer thinks such an advantage crosses into the category of illegal competition. Modern Appealing Clothing, a family-owned boutique selling lines like Dries Van Noten and Comme des Garçons […]

Read More… from 3/21/2017

3/21/2017

LEGAL/TORTURE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/NEIL GORSUCH: “Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has suggested that President Trump ‘may get impeached’ if he tries to reauthorize waterboarding, reports the Washington Post. During a hearing for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Graham asked Gorsuch in reference to Trump, “You have said several times he is not above the law as […]

Read More… from 3/21/2017

3/20/2017

2016 ELECTION/CAMPAIGN/FBI/INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/RUSSIA: “FBI Chief James Comey said publicly for the first time Monday that his agency is investigating alleged links between Russia and the Trump campaign and whether any crimes may have been committed during last year’s election campaign. ‘That includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and […]

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3/15/2017

IMMIGRATION/LEGAL/TRAVEL BAN/TRUMP EXEC ORDERS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A federal judge in Hawaii issued a nationwide order Wednesday [3-15-17] evening blocking President Trump’s ban on travel from parts of the Muslim world, dealing a stinging blow to the White House and signaling that Mr. Trump will have to account in court for his heated rhetoric about Islam. […]

Read More… from 3/15/2017

3/15/2017

IMMIGRATION/LEGAL/TRAVEL BAN/TRUMP EXEC ORDERS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Advocates head to court Wednesday [3-15-17] to make last ditch-pleas to head off President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban without some of their most potent weapons: scenes of chaos as travelers were detained at airports across the country during Trump’s first attempt two months ago. Apparently by design, Trump’s […]

Read More… from 3/15/2017

3/13/2017

LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Our put-upon president has spent a lifetime talking smack, like a street kid in a pickup basketball game in Queens. Insults and demeaning remarks are just part of the game and part of his persona. When he called Mexicans ‘rapists’ and said ‘Lyin’ Ted’ Cruz’s father helped kill JFK, it was all […]

Read More… from 3/13/2017

3/12/2017

DOJ/LEGAL/OBAMA ADMIN/PREET BHARARA: “[M]ore than seven years after taking office, Mr. [Preet] Bharara, 48, finds himself on what appears to be the losing end of a quintessential political decision. On Saturday, the Trump administration fired him after he refused to follow a Justice Department order to resign immediately. The order, which was issued on Friday […]

Read More… from 3/12/2017

3/10/2017

ATTORNEY GENERAL/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “The American Civil Liberties Union has filed an ethics complaint against Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his testimony to a Senate committee that he had no communications with the Russian government. The complaint, filed with the Alabama State Bar’s disciplinary commission, comes less than two weeks after The Washington Post revealed […]

Read More… from 3/10/2017

3/09/2017

IMMIGRATION/LEGAL/TRAVEL BAN: “Washington state, which played a central legal role in derailing President Donald Trump’s original executive order on immigration, also will challenge the revised White House order issued this week, its attorney general said on Thursday [3-9-17]. Several other Democratic-led states quickly signaled they would join the Washington suit, immediately making it a major […]

Read More… from 3/09/2017

3/09/2017

CLIMATE CHANGE/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A groundbreaking climate lawsuit, brought against the federal government by 21 children, has been hailed by environmentalists as a bold new strategy to press for climate action in the United States. But the Trump administration, which has pledged to undo Barack Obama’s climate regulations, is doing its best to make sure […]

Read More… from 3/09/2017

3/09/2017

2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/FBI/INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Federal investigators and computer scientists continue to examine whether there was a computer server connection between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank, sources close to the investigation tell CNN. Questions about the possible connection were widely dismissed four months ago. But the FBI’s investigation remains open, the sources said, and […]

Read More… from 3/09/2017

3/08/2017

CONFLICT OF INTEREST/LEGAL/LOBBYING/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “POLITICO reported in November that Flynn’s consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group, was lobbying for a Dutch consulting firm with ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The new documents confirm that Flynn lobbied for the Turkish-linked firm, Inovo BV, before and immediately after the election. They also reveal that […]

Read More… from 3/08/2017

3/08/2017

ETHICS/LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/MONICA CROWLEY: “Monica Crowley backed away from a top national security spot for Donald Trump after plagiarism reports surfaced in January. She has now spoken publicly for the first time during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. In doing so, Crowley called herself a victim of a ‘political hit job.’ Controversy arose when […]

Read More… from 3/08/2017

3/08/2017

IMMIGRATION/LEGAL/TRAVEL BAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRMP EXEC ORDER: “Hawaii is not wasting any time challenging President Donald Trump’s new travel ban. Attorneys for the state filed a new 40-page request just before midnight on Tuesday, asking a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order blocking implementation of the new executive order. Trump signed a new executive […]

Read More… from 3/08/2017

3/08/2017

CYBERWAR/FBI/LEGAL/RUSSIA: “FBI Director James Comey signaled he has no plans to resign despite once again being at the center of a political storm — this time over probes into Russian hacking of the 2016 election and his request that Justice Department officials reject President Donald Trump’s claims that his predecessor ‘tapped’ his phones. ‘You’re stuck […]

Read More… from 3/08/2017

3/07/2017

LEGAL/OBAMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s top spokesman said Monday there was no doubt the Obama administration conducted some type of surveillance of the Republican’s presidential campaign. ‘There’s no question that something happened. The question is it, is it surveillance, is it a wiretap or whatever?’ Spicer said during an off-camera briefing at the White […]

Read More… from 3/07/2017

3/6/2017

LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Democratic U.S. lawmakers on Monday urged President Donald Trump to release logs of visitors to the White House and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida under a policy that made public the names of nearly six million visitors to the White House during the administration of Barack Obama. If Trump continues the policy, […]

Read More… from 3/6/2017

3/6/2017

LEGAL/LGBTQ/SUPREME COURT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. Supreme Court avoided a ruling on transgender rights by sending a closely watched case involving bathroom access at a Virginia high school back to a lower court on Monday [3-6-17] after President Donald Trump rolled back protections for transgender students. Lawyers for a transgender student named Gavin Grimm, who […]

Read More… from 3/6/2017

3/6/2017

LEGAL/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Sessions’ recusal in the Russian case places the investigation for now in the hands of Dana Boente, a career prosecutor and the acting deputy attorney general. Before Sessions was sworn into office, Boente briefly served as acting attorney general after Trump fired his predecessor, Sally Yates, for refusing to defend the […]

Read More… from 3/6/2017

3/2/2017

ATTORNEY GENERAL/LEGAL/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Jeff Sessions is an honest man. He did not say anything wrong. He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not…intentional. This whole narrative is a way of saving face for Democrats losing an election that everyone thought they were supposed…to win. The Democrats are overplaying […]

Read More… from 3/2/2017

3/2/2017

ATTORNEY GENERAL/FBI/INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/RUSSIA/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions, facing a chorus of criticism over his contacts with the Russian ambassador, recused himself Thursday [3-2-17] from any current or future investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. His conversations with the ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, came amid suspected Russian hacking directed at Hillary Clinton’s campaign. […]

Read More… from 3/2/2017

3/2/2017

ATTORNEY GENERAL/FBI/INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions met twice last year with the top Russian diplomat in Washington whose interactions with President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn led to Flynn’s firing, according to the Justice Department. Sessions did not mention either meeting during his confirmation hearings when he said he knew […]

Read More… from 3/2/2017

3/2/2017

ATTORNEY GENERAL/FBI/INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday if the FBI determines that President Donald Trump’s campaign illegally coordinated with Russia, Attorney General Jeff Sessions should recuse himself from making the decision whether to pursue prosecutions. Sessions, a Trump appointee, ‘cannot make this decision,’ Graham said. But Graham deflected a question about a Washington […]

Read More… from 3/2/2017

3/2/2017

2016 ELECTION/ATTORNEY GENERAL/FBI/INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday if the FBI determines that President Donald Trump’s campaign illegally coordinated with Russia, Attorney General Jeff Sessions should recuse himself from making the decision whether to pursue prosecutions. Sessions, a Trump appointee, ‘cannot make this decision,’ Graham said. But Graham deflected a question about a […]

Read More… from 3/2/2017

2/24/2017

FBI/INTELLIGENCE/LEAKS/NATIONAL SECURITY: “U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the FBI on Friday for failing to stop leaks of national security information to the media and directed the agency to find those who pass on classified information. Trump’s comments come amid media reports saying the FBI refused a White House request to knock down news stories saying […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/23/2017

2016 ELECTION/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse this week said he’s sure the Russia-related cloud hanging over President Donald Trump’s administration will not be clearing up any time soon. And Republicans, he said, are beginning to take the accusations much more seriously. The subcommittee will then evaluate the legality of what took place during […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

LEGAL/POLITICS/PROTESTS: “Republican governors warned conservatives on Thursday that they need to keep up with the resurgent activism from liberals, amid a wave of protests in Washington and at lawmakers’ home-state town halls. Speaking to thousands of conservative activists who gathered here for the Conservative Political Action Conference, Republican leaders urged the audience to pressure their […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/14/2017

ETHICS/LEGAL/ERWIN CHEMERINSKY: “[Erwin] Chemerinsky is something of an icon in the field of Constitutional law. Now, making news as one of a team of lawyers from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington – CREW – suing President Donald Trump for allegedly violating the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, Chemerinsky is facing an unusual opportunity. There is no […]

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2/12/2017

CABINET/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “It turns out, being the commander in chief may not what President Donald Trump thought it would be. Politico reports that aides to the president and close allies say that he is becoming frustrated with the challenges of being the most powerful man in the world. That includes everything from congressional fights […]

Read More… from 2/12/2017

2/9/2017

IMMIGRATION/LEGAL/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRAVEL BAN: “A federal appeals panel on Thursday [2-9-17] unanimously rejected President Trump’s bid to reinstate his ban on travel into the United States from seven largely Muslim nations, a sweeping rebuke of the administration’s claim that the courts have no role as a check on the president. The three-judge panel, suggesting that the […]

Read More… from 2/9/2017

2/4/2017

LEGAL/TRAVEL BAN/TRUMP EXEC ORDER: “The Seattle federal judge whom President Trump derided on Twitter on Saturday after blocking Trump’s executive order restricting travel to the U.S. is known for his conservative legal views, for a record of helping disadvantaged children that includes fostering six of them, and for dramatically declaring ‘black lives matter’ during a […]

Read More… from 2/4/2017

2/3/2017

LEGAL/OBAMA/TRAVEL BAN/TRUMP EXEC ORDER: “What limitations are there?- Only Congress can change laws or appropriate new funds from the Treasury. Presidents are required to uphold those laws and work with the resources they are given. When presidents overstep these limits — which aren’t always precisely defined — they can be blocked by the courts.  Already, […]

Read More… from 2/3/2017

7/7/2016

LEGAL/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Nailing down the number of legal battles involving Donald Trump and his businesses is a moving target, and the USA TODAY Network’s ongoing review of his empire’s litigation continues surfacing new cases. In early June, the analysis had found at least 3,500 cases — a figure that has now surpassed 4,000 — and […]

Read More… from 7/7/2016

2/25/2015

LEGAL: “… It’s a case [Trump University lawsuits] that is nonsense. It’s something I could have settled many times. I could settle it right now for very little money, but I don’t want to do it out of principle. The people that took the course all signed — most, many, signed — report cards saying […]

Read More… from 2/25/2015

6/22/2014

LEGAL: “I’d bet the lawyers for the Central Park 5 are laughing at the stupidity of N.Y.C. when there was such a strong case against their ‘clients’ “  – 6/22/2014, Donald Trump, Twitter.com, trumptwitterarchive.com, 6/22/2014 […]

Read More… from 6/22/2014