Friday, March 28 | By Jonathan Easley |
Trump squares off with top law firms
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PRESIDENT TRUMP has a new round of court battles on his hands, as he seeks to punish law firms with ties to former special counsel Robert Mueller. Two prominent Washington law firms — Jenner & Block and WilmerHale — sued the Trump administration Friday over the president's executive orders to limit their government contracts, security clearances and access to government buildings. Mueller worked at WilmerHale before being tapped as special counsel investigating contacts between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign. Jenner & Block once employed Andrew Weismann, who worked on Mueller's team and has gone on to become an anti-Trump legal pundit. "The Constitution, top to bottom, protects against such attempts by the government to target citizens and lawyers based on the opinions they voice, the people with whom they associate, and the clients they represent," the Jenner & Block lawsuit states. Trump has signed similar orders targeting the law firms of Covington & Burling, Perkins Coie and Paul Weiss. Perkins Coie also sued, with a federal judge blocking portions of Trump's order as the case unfolds. Paul Weiss struck a deal with Trump, which includes a commitment of $40 million on pro bono cases that align with the administration's goals. Trump announced Friday that he'd struck a preemptive deal with the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to provide $100 million in pro bono legal services. "This was essentially a settlement," Trump said. |
DEPORTATIONS CASE HEADS TO SCOTUS |
Meanwhile, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to intervene to allow for swift deportations for alleged gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg halted deportations under that law, as civil rights groups warn the absence of due process could lead to wrongful deportations. Trump and Republicans have called for Boasberg to be impeached and removed, although a three-judge appeals court panel upheld his ruling. "This case presents fundamental questions about who decides how to conduct sensitive national-security-related operations in this country—the President, through Article II, or the Judiciary, through TROs," the Justice Department wrote in its application to the Supreme Court, referring to temporary retraining orders. "The Constitution supplies a clear answer: the President. The republic cannot afford a different choice." Boasberg is also overseeing a federal records case pertaining to the Trump officials who discussed Houthi attack plans over the Signal communications app. The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to the group chat, setting off a firestorm in Washington. Boasberg, who was randomly assigned to the case, ordered the Trump administration to preserve all the texts in question. |
The courts are also hearing arguments over several high-profile arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials of student activists, as the Trump administration cracks down on pro-Palestinian protesters on campuses. Democrats are demanding answers about the arrest of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national whose arrest by officers was caught on video. Ozturk was accosted on the street and whisked away in an unmarked vehicle. The government says Ozturk participated in "pro-Hamas" activities, but her lawyer says she was detained for writing a pro-Palestinian op-ed. The Hill's Lexi Lonas Cochran writes: "The administration has seen at least eight high-profile cases in its crusade against pro-Palestinian students and faculty, with most of them based on a rarely used law that says the secretary of State can deport a noncitizen who presents a threat to U.S. foreign policy." Secretary of State Marco Rubio says at least 300 foreign students have had their visas revoked so far. Here are the international students and faculty known to be targeted by ICE. |
💡Perspectives: • The Hill op-ed: America needs an immigration policy based on facts, not fear. • Washington Monthly: The finance industry's raid on campus. • American Greatness: Tren de Aragua is a military incursion. • MSNBC: Why judges keep rejecting Trump's Alien Enemies Act argument. |
The Trump administration is moving to formally end the U.S. Agency for International Development, notifying remaining employees they will be terminated & the agency will be merged with the State Department.
More than 140 are dead after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar. Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in public water supply.
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Hundreds of Tesla protests planned this weekend
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More than 200 protests against Tesla are planned across the country Saturday, as liberal demonstrators look to take out their frustrations with Elon Musk. Musk's electric vehicle company has become a cultural flashpoint and a target for his political enemies, who hope to hit him in his pocketbook and drive down the price of Tesla's stock. The organizers of the "Tesla Takedown" campaign say they'll remain civil amid an outbreak of vandalism against Tesla cars and dealerships across the country. Musk, who has been trailed by controversy over the sweeping cuts imposed by his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced plans to travel to Wisconsin ahead of Tuesday's state Supreme Court election. Musk said he'd be handing out $1 million checks to select voters who cast ballots in the election, although he later deleted the social media post making the announcement and posted another one clarifying the giveaway. Democrats say Musk's pay-to-vote scheme is illegal, with Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Ben Wikler calling it a "blatant felony." Musk-backed groups have poured more than $16 million into the state Supreme Court race, which will determine the ideological make-up of the Wisconsin's highest court. The Democratic National Committee is running ads accusing Musk of seeking to buy the seat. "We cannot allow a billionaire to buy this election," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) posted X. Musk and his DOGE team defended their government cuts in an interview with Fox News Channel's Bret Baier on Thursday night, detailing the waste and fraud they say they've uncovered so far. The Hill's Julia Shapiro has the rundown on the senior leaders of the DOGE team here. You can watch the full interview here. |
• Republicans are starting to sweat the special elections to replace former Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) that will take place Tuesday. A shocking survey from President Trump's pollster Tony Fabrizio finds Democrat Josh Weil up by 3 points over Republican Randy Fine in Waltz's former district, which Trump carried by more than 30 points in 2024. • Also next week, Washington and the world will be consumed by Trump's trade war, with tariffs set to hit April 2, which the president is calling "Liberation Day." Trump said he had a "productive call" Friday with new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Friday amid roiling tensions between the two countries. Carney said ahead of the call that the old economic relationship between the U.S. and Canada is "over." He said his country would respond "forcefully" to the tariffs and that nothing is "off the table." Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Canada would seek to "maximize the pain for Americans" in response to U.S. tariffs. Stocks tanked Friday over inflation and trade war fears. Consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level in more than two years. Americans' outlook on the economy has become more pessimistic since last month, according to the latest CBS News/YouGov survey. |
💡Perspectives: • The Liberal Patriot: How to win friends and votes in rural America. • The Hill: To be liberal or centrist? The Democratic Party faces a dilemma. • Whole Hog Politics: Voters tell Trump to back off tariffs. • City Journal: Winding down the Department of Education is overdue. |
© Rod Lamkey Jr., Associated Press |
Vances visit Greenland amid Trump push for territory
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Vice President Vance and second lady Usha Vance toured a U.S. military base in Greenland on Friday amid Trump's push to control the territory. The Vances were joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and national security adviser Mike Waltz. "It's cold as s— here," Vance said ahead of a briefing on Arctic security. "Nobody told me." Greenland is part of Denmark, a U.S. ally and member of NATO. A planned visit to other parts of Greenland were scuttled amid blowback from politicians in Greenland and Denmark, who were angered the administration appeared to be sending an official delegation despite not being invited. The American officials instead visited a U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik on the northwest coast of Greenland. Vance criticized Denmark, saying it had allowed Greenland to be more susceptible to attack from China and Russia. "Our message to Denmark is very simple - you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland," he said. "You have under invested in the people of Greenland and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful land mass, filled with incredible people." Trump on Friday insisted the U.S. must control Greenland for national security reasons. "We have to have Greenland. It's not a question of 'Do you think we can do without it.' We can't," he said. • The Trump administration increased its demands from Ukraine in its latest minerals deal proposal as it seeks a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hopes the deal will be signed next week. And Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned against selling Ukraine out. |
NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday": Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.). NBC's "Meet the Press": The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg; Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.). Fox News' "Fox News Sunday": Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.); Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.). ABC's "This Week": Warner; Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio); former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). CNN's "State of the Union": Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.); Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D). |
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