Monday, March 25
á
The U.S. Supreme Court left intact a federal
appeals court ruling that said an unnamed company owned by an unidentified
foreign government, had to comply with a subpoena issued by Special Counsel
Robert Mueller and taken over by the U.S. AttorneyÕs office in Washington, D.C.
á
Michael Avenatti, the
attorney who had represented Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against President
Donald Trump, was charged by federal prosecutors for extortion, wire fraud and
bank fraud in two separate cases in New York and Los Angeles.
á
Six Democratic chairs of House committees sent a
letter to Attorney General William Barr formally requesting that he release
MuellerÕs full report to Congress and also begin transmitting underlying
evidence to the committees by April 2.
á
The Justice Department changed its position in
an appeal of a lawsuit filed by several Republican state attorneys general to
have the entire Affordable Care Act voided, by agreeing with a lower agreeing
with the lower court that the entire law is invalid. The DOJ had been arguing
that the courts should invalidate the individual mandate while letting much of
the rest of the law stand.
Tuesday, March 26
á
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals heard
arguments today on an appeal of a lower court ruling that it is unconstitutional
for Trump to block people from his Twitter account because they express views
critical of him.
á
Chief Justice John Roberts denied a request to
delay a ban on bump stocks, devices that allow a semiautomatic gun to shoot
more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger, from going into effect
today while challenges to the ban are on appeal.
á
Women who said they were harmed by breast
implants pressed a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel to take new
steps to protect consumers, including bans or restrictions on certain products
and a strengthened informed consent process.
á
The House failed to override TrumpÕs veto of
CongressÕ disapproval resolution that sought to nullify his national emergency
declaration at the U.S.-Mexican border by a vote of 248 to 181, 40 votes short
of the two-thirds majority that would have been needed to override the
presidential veto.
Wednesday, March 27
á
Kevin McAleenan,
commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that authorities are
having to release migrants into the country after cursory background checks
with only a notice to appear in court because of the deluge of asylum-seeking
families with children.
á
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D.-Vt.), the ranking
Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee said Commerce Secretary Wilbur
Ross declined to testify before the committee on his departmentÕs budget, a
routine type of hearing.
á Politico reported that Seven former senior Trump aides, including the White HouseÕs top ethics official, may have violated federal law by failing to disclose their future employment on financial reports.
á
David Goodhand, an assistant U.S.
attorney, said in a hearing in U.S. District Court that the special counsel
grand jury that investigated possible Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential
election is Òcontinuing robustlyÓ despite the end of MuellerÕs probe.
á
Judge James E. Boasberg
of the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., issued two opinions rejecting
permissions given by the Health and Human Services Department had given to both
Kentucky and Arkansas to require people on Medicaid to work in exchange for the
health benefits.
á
James A Fields, the neo-Nazi who drove into a
crowd of counter-protesters to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville,
pled guilty to federal hate crimes. He was already sentenced to life in prison
in a state court trial for the offense, which killed Heather Heyer and injured 35 others.
Thursday, March 28
á
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a second
appeal of the bump stock ban, leaving the ban, which went into effect Tuesday,
after the court refused to hear a first appeal on the issue.
á
The Commerce Department announced that the U.S.
economy grew 2.2 percent in the final quarter of last year, less than the 2.6
percent the government initially estimated and another sign the economy
is slowing.
á
A U.S. Border Patrol official reported that
prosecutions of single migrants crossing the border for the first time in and
around Del Rio, Texas, were suspended in February due to a lack of jail space.
Instead they are facing instant deportation.
á
The Department of Housing and Urban Development
charged Facebook with housing discrimination,
alleging that its targeted advertising violates the Fair Housing Act by
restricting who can view housing ads.
á
Trump announced he is rescinding his proposal to
eliminate funding for the Special Olympics amid a bipartisan outcry.
á
TrumpÕs pick to serve as third in command at the
Justice Department, overseeing health care and immigration cases, Jessie Liu,
withdrew her name from consideration amid backlash from conservatives on the
Senate Judiciary Committee.
á
U.S. District Judge John Bates of the District
of Columbia blocked new rules from the Trump administration to make health
insurance plans available outside the Affordable Care Act that avoid all the
requirements of the law, calling the efforts, Òclearly an end-run around the
ACA.Ó
Friday, March 29
á
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank
Pallone called for an investigation into communications subcontracts for
millions approved by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma to, among other
things, bolster her public profile.
á
Attorney General Barr said in a letter to
Congress that MuellerÕs report detailing his investigation of Trump and
RussiaÕs election interference will be delivered to Congress by mid-April or
sooner and said he does not plan to submit the report to the White House
beforehand.
á
Nevada Assembly member Lucy Flores, a onetime
Democratic nominee for NevadaÕs lieutenant governor, accused former vice
president Joe Biden of touching and kissing her without her consent during her
campaign in 2014.
Saturday, March 30
á
No news to report.
Sunday, March 31
á
No news to report.