Thursday, April 4, 2024

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1/ Biden called for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza to “protect innocent civilians.” During a reportedly tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden called the deaths of humanitarian workers caused by Israeli airstrikes and the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza “unacceptable.” Biden conditioned future U.S. support for Israel with Netanyahu implementing “specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.” He also urged Netanyahu “to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home.” The White House added that “U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.” Secretary of State Tony Blinken echoed the point, saying: “If we don’t see the changes we need to see, there will be a change in our policy.” (New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Associated Press / CNN / Axios)

2/ A federal judge denied Trump’s request to dismiss the criminal charges that he mishandled classified documents. Trump had argued that the Presidential Records Act protected him from prosecution. Judge Aileen Cannon, however, said the PRA “does not provide a pre-trial basis to dismiss” either the mishandling charges or the related obstruction charges against Trump. The decision comes two days after special counsel Jack Smith said Cannon was pursuing a legal premise about the PRA that was “wrong” and based on a “fundamentally flawed” understanding of the case that has “no basis in law or fact.” (Washington Post / NBC News / Axios / CNN / Associated Press / Politico)

3/ A Georgia judge rejected Trump’s attempt to get his criminal election interference case dismissed on First Amendment grounds. Trump had...

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Wednesday, April 3, 2024

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1/ Special Counsel Jack Smith warned the judge overseeing Trump’s classified documents case that she is pursuing a legal premise that “is wrong” and would “distort” the trial. In an unusual order last month, Judge Aileen Cannon directed Trump and Smith to submit briefs on potential jury instructions for two legal interpretations of the Espionage Act, under which Trump is charged with mishandling 32 classified records. In one version, jurors would be instructed to assume that Trump had complete authority to take any records he wanted from the White House under the Presidential Records Act — a 1978 law that manages the maintenance of White House documents produced during each presidency. Under this scenario, “neither a court nor a jury” would have the ability to review the decision, which could nullify much of Smith’s case against Trump. In the other version, jurors would review and determine whether a record retained by Trump could be categorized as “personal” or “presidential.” In this scenario, jurors could decided that official documents were mishandled. Federal prosecutors, however, rejected both proposals, writing that the PRA “should not play any role at trial at all,” arguing that Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified records occurred after his presidency ended. Smith added that Cannon’s order was based on a “fundamentally flawed” understanding of the case that has “no basis in law or fact.” Smith indicated that federal prosecutors would appeal if Cannon rules against them and accepts Trump’s arguments about his record-retention powers. (CNN / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Axios / New York Times / NBC News / Associated Press / CBS News)

How legal fights and stalling by judge could push Trump documents trial after election. “US District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed to the federal bench by Trump in 2020, has drawn out the case with an unusual, eyebrow-raising approach in her nearly 10-month oversight of the case, delaying rulings on what experts say are routine legal questions that must be resolved before the case can go to trial.” (CNN)

Trump is trying everything he can to delay this month’s hush money criminal trial. Trump’s “own incessant rhetoric is generating significant publicity, and it would be perverse to reward defendant with an adjournment based on media attention he is actively seeking,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said. The filing was in response to a request by Trump’s lawyers to delay the trial for the foreseeable future because of “prejudicial” publicity around the case. (CNN / NBC News)

2/ Biden condemned the Israeli strike that ...

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Tuesday, April 2, 2024

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1/ An Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers, leading to the World Central Kitchen charity suspending delivery of 240 tons of food to Gaza, where famine is imminent. The U.S.-based disaster relief nonprofit group said its team was traveling through a demilitarized zone in two armored cars and a third vehicle that were clearly marked with the World Central Kitchen logos when the convoy was hit three times in succession by missiles fired from a drone until the aid workers were all killed. The organization had coordinated its movements with the IDF. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that an “unintentional” Israeli airstrike killed “innocent people” in Gaza, adding: “This happens in war.” The White House, meanwhile, said it was “outraged” and that the attack was “emblematic of a larger problem.” World Central Kitchen had served 42 million meals in the 175 days it operated in Gaza. More than 200 aid workers have been killed in the six months of fighting. (New York Times / Axios / Associated Press / Politico / NPR / Washington Post / CNN / NBC News / CNBC / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Florida’s Supreme Court ruled that the state’s constitution does not protect abortion rights, allowing the state’s six-week abortion ban to take effect May 1. But in a separate ruling, the court allowed a proposed state constitutional amendment on the November ballot, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution. Amendment 4, if approved, will allow abortion up to the point of viability, which is generally around 24 weeks into a pregnancy. Constitutional amendments in Florida need the support of at least 60% of voters to be approved. (Washington Post / CNN / NBC News / USA Today / CBS News / ABC News / Politico / Associated Press / New York Times /

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Monday, April 1, 2024

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1/ The Biden administration authorized another weapons transfer to Israel despite public frustration with Israel’s conduct in the war and opposition to Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah, which could lead to mass casualties and exacerbate the humanitarian disaster on Gaza. The weapons package, worth billions of dollars, includes more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, which have been linked to civilian deaths during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. It was approved in 2008 but is only being fulfilled now. The Biden administration, however, is considering a new weapons sales worth more than $18 billion to Israel of fighter jets, air-to-air missiles, and guidance kits, which turn dumb bombs (like the MK84 and MK82) into precision-guided weapons. While the sale is pending U.S. government approval, it will be years before the weapons arrive in Israel. U.S. and Israeli officials, meanwhile, held virtual talks to discuss the Biden administration’s alternative proposals to the invasion of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltering with nowhere to go. The meeting was supposed to take place last week in-person, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled it after the U.S. didn’t veto a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. (Washington Post / NBC News / Associated Press / ABC News / CNN)

Al-Shifa Hospital has become a graveyard, Palestinian health official says. (Washington Post)

“Entire families dead”: Journalist describes scene at Al-Shifa Hospital after Israeli troops withdraw. (CNN)

“A horror movie”: One man describes the aftermath of Israel’s raid on Al-Shifa. (New York Times)

Israeli lawmakers vote to authorize ban on Al Jazeera operating in Israel, which will allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ban the Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera from operating in Israel, citing national security concerns over its coverage of the war in Gaza. (Washington Post)

2/ Trump posted a video to his personal social media website depicting Biden with his hands and feet tied together in the back of a pickup truck. In a 20-second video, a pickup truck featuring pro-Trump flags can be seen with a large decal on its tailgate showing Biden hogtied, lying horizontally. “This image from Donald Trump is the type of crap you post when you’re calling for a bloodbath or when you tell the Proud Boys to ‘stand back and sta...

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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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1/ The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to “take all necessary and effective measures” to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza as famine sets in, including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel, and medical supplies into the enclave. The court’s order comes in response to a case brought by South Africa, which accuses Israel of state-sanctioned genocide in Gaza. The legally binding order instructs Israel to take measures “without delay” to ensure “the unhindered provision” of basic services and humanitarian assistance “at scale.” In a separate order, the judges called for Israel to ensure that its military “does not commit acts which constitute a violation” of Palestinians’ rights under the Genocide Convention. International aid organizations have said Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian supplies into Gaza have led to a man-made famine. (Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press)

2/ South Carolina will use a congressional map that a federal court ruled was “unconstitutional” because the Supreme Court hasn’t ruled on the redistricting case it heard in October. With no decision and the state facing a June 11 primary, the same court that had deemed the map unconstitutional agreed to allow South Carolina to use the racially gerrymandered map for this year’s congressional election. The three-judge panel noted that “with the primary election procedures rapidly approaching, the appeal before the Supreme Court still pending, and no remedial plan in place, the ideal must bend to the practical.” Last year, the judges held that the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature had “exiled” more than 30,000 Black residents from the 1st Congressional District in what the court called a “bleaching” to benefit Republicans. That amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, they concluded. If the Supreme Court later upholds the lower court ruling, then new maps would have to be drawn for the 2026 election. (CNN / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico)

3/ A California judge ruled that one of Trump’s former lawyers should be disbarred for his role in developing the legal strategy to overturn the 2020 election. John Eastman championed the fringe legal theory that Trump could pressure Pence to block or delay the Electoral College certification to overturn Biden’s victory. Nevertheless, Judge Yvette Roland ruled that Eastman violated ethics rules — and even potentially criminal law — by promoting Trump’s efforts to overturn the election. “In view of the circumstances surrounding Eastman’s misconduct and balancing the aggravation and mitigation, the court recommends that Eastman be disbarred,” Roland wrote. Eastman is also facin...

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Wednesday, March 27, 2024

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1/ An Alabama Democrat won a special election in the state Legislature after making in vitro fertilization and abortion rights central to her campaign. Marilyn Lands – who had criticized the state’s near-total abortion ban and the recent state Supreme Court ruling that temporarily banned in vitro fertilization – said her win sends “a clear message” to Montgomery and called for the legislature to “repeal Alabama’s no-exceptions abortion ban, fully restore access to IVF, and protect the right to contraception.” The Biden campaign said the victory was a “warning sign” for Trump and “extreme MAGA Republicans,” adding that Alabama voters “know exactly who’s to blame for restricting their ability to decide how and when to build their families and they’re ready to fight back.” In 2020, Trump narrowly carried the district. (CNN / NBC News / Associated Press / Politico / The Hill / New York Times)

2/ The Biden administration pledged to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after a 984-foot cargo ship hit a pillar, causing it to collapse. Six people are presumed dead. “It’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstruction in that bridge,” Biden said. “I expect the Congress to support my effort.” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned of a “long and difficult path” to full recovery, but added that “Infrastructure is, or at least ought to be, a bipartisan priority.” Buttigieg said he expects the White House will need Congress to authorize additional funds beyond the approximately $1 billion allocated by the 2021 infrastructure law for emergency relief, noting that some Republicans “crossed the aisle” to support the bipartisan infrastructure bill. (Politico / ABC News / Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / NBC News)

3/ A federal appeals court blocked Texas’ plan to arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering the U.S. The 2-1 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit follows a lower-court ruling in February that said the state law, which would criminalize unauthorized immigration at the state level, is probably unconstitutional. The same court temporarily froze the law March 19 – hours after the Supreme Court said it could go into effect. The Biden administration initially challenged the law in January, arguing that the state law conflicts with the federal government’s immigration policy and violates the Constitution’s supremacy clause, which says that federal laws preempt conflicting state laws. Texas can now ask the Supreme Court to allow the law to go into effect again. In the m...

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Tuesday, March 26, 2024

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1/ The New York judge presiding over Trump’s hush money criminal trial imposed a gag order barring Trump from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, and jurors. Trump’s history of “prior extrajudicial statements establishes a sufficient risk to the administration of justice,” Justice Juan Merchan ruled, adding “there exists no less restrictive means to prevent such risk.” Merchan called Trump’s past attacks “threatening, inflammatory,” and “denigrating,” and said similar attacks would “undoubtedly risk impeding the orderly administration of the Court.” Trump is also barred from commenting about lawyers in the case, court staff, employees in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and their family members if those statements are made with the “intent to materially interfere” with the case. The order, however, doesn’t apply to Merchan or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The trial begins with jury selection on April 15 – the first of Trump’s four criminal cases to go to trial. It will also mark the first criminal prosecution of a former American president. (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / Associated Press / Bloomberg / CNBC)

2/ The Supreme Court appeared likely to preserve access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which is used in over 60% of U.S. abortions. The court heard oral arguments on the Biden administration’s appeal of lower court rulings, which restricted access to the pill, including its availability by mail. During arguments, there was little discussion about whether the FDA’s decisions to lift restrictions on the drug were unlawful, but instead the justices focused on whether the the group of anti-abortion doctors who brought the lawsuit even had legal standing to bring the claim. The case is the first abortion-related hearing since the court reversed Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court has never restricted access to an approved drug by overriding the FDA’s conclusions about safety. A decision is expected by July. (Associated Press / Washington Post / NPR / Politico / NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

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Monday, March 25, 2024

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1/ The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan and the release of all hostages. The U.S., however, abstained, which allowed the resolution to pass 14-0. This is the first ceasefire resolution to pass after four previous failures: The U.S. has vetoed three previous resolutions since the conflict began, while Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution last week. After the resolution passed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from a “principled position” and that the U.S. abstention “harms the war effort as well as the effort to liberate the hostages.” Netanyahu then canceled a diplomatic visit to Washington, which Biden had requested to discuss Netanyahu’s planned ground invasion of Rafah. The U.S. had intended to use the meeting to offer alternatives to reduce civilian casualties. The State Department called the decision “a bit surprising and unfortunate.” (NPR / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / CNN / Politico / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Associated Press / Axios)

2/ Trump’s hush money trial – his first of four criminal trials – will start April 15 in Manhattan. Trump’s lawyers had argued that a late release of more than 100,000 pages of potential evidence should postpone the trial. Prosecutors argued that only about 300 documents were pertinent to the trial, and that “99 percent” were irrelevant. At the hearing, Judge Juan Merchan refused to allow further delays, saying that despite Trump’s claims, the district attorney’s office “is not at fault for the late production of documents from the U.S. attorney’s office” and that Trump “has been given a reasonable amount of time.” Assuming the date holds, Trump will become the first former American president to face a trial on criminal charges. (Washington Post / NBC News / Axios / Associated Press / Politico / New York Times / Bloomberg)

3/ Trump only needs to post a bond of $175 million – not the o...

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Thursday, March 21, 2024

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1/ The Biden administration will cancel nearly $6 billion in federal student loans for 78,000 Americans through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The latest student debt cancellation allows eligible borrowers to have their remaining debt forgiven if they have made a certain number of payments and are working for approved employers, like teachers, nurses, and firefighters. An additional 380,000 borrowers in the public sector are one to two years away from qualifying for the same debt forgiveness. In total, Biden has canceled $144 billion of federal student loan debt for nearly 4 million borrowers. (USA Today / NBC News / NPR / CNN / CBS News / Associated Press / CNBC / Axios)

2/ Congressional leaders released details of their $1.2 trillion deal to fund the government and avert a partial government shutdown. The package would fund about three-quarters of the federal government for the next six months, including defense, homeland security, financial services, and health agencies. The House will vote on the package on Friday, meaning lawmakers will need to waive a rule giving members 72 hours to consider legislation before voting on it. Meanwhile, Rand Paul and other Senate conservatives have threatened to slow swift passage of the bill down by introducing amendments. Government funding expires at midnight Friday. (Axios / Associated Press / Politico / NPR / Washington Post / New York Times)

3/ New York Attorney General Letitia James took her first step toward seizing Trump’s golf club and private estate in Westchester County, formally entering the judgments with the clerk’s office. James said she’s prepared to start seizing assets if Trump misses the March 25 deadline to post a $454 million bond for the civil fraud judgment she won against him. Trump’s lawyers claim it’s “a practical impossibility” to get the more than $350 million, plus roughly $100 million in interest, together by the deadline. Trump asked the appeals court to pause the judgment, saying 30 bonding companies have turned him down and he’ll be forced to sell properties in a “fire sale” to raise money if the court doesn’t waive the bond or allow him to post a smaller one for $100 million. (

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Wednesday, March 20, 2024

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1/ A federal appeals court blocked a Texas law allowing state police to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border — hours after the Supreme Court had allowed it to go into effect. The appeals court judges are now considering whether the law should remain on hold while its constitutionality is being challenged in court. A district court ruled last month that the measure conflicts with federal immigration law. The law, known as Senate Bill 4, was signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in December and allows law enforcement to arrest and deport migrants if they’re suspected of crossing the border illegally. However, Mexico’s government said it would not “under any circumstances” accept the return of any migrants from Texas. Those who reenter illegally after a deportation could face felony charges and a 10-to-20-year prison sentence. (New York Times / Washington Post / Texas Tribune / Associated Press / CNN / NBC News / Politico / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

2/ The Biden administration issued the strictest-ever rules for tailpipe emissions to ensure that the majority of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. are all-electric or hybrids by 2032. The new standards require automakers to reduce emissions by over two-thirds by 2032 – limits so stringent they’ll compel automakers to rapidly boost sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. In 2023, EVs made up about 7.6% of new car sales, but the new rule is targeting 35% to 56% for EVs in 2032, and 13% to 36% for plug-in hybrids. The rule will prevent 7.2 billion metric tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere through 2055 – roughly four times the total emissions of the transportation sector as of 2021. “Three years ago, I set an ambitious target: that half of all new cars and trucks sold in 2030 would be zero-emission,” Biden said. “Together, we’ve made historic progress. Hundreds of new expanded factories across the country. Hundreds of billions in private investment and thousands of good-paying union jobs. And we’ll meet my goal for 2030 and race forward in the years ahead.” (New York Times / CNN / Politico / Bloomberg / CBS News / The Verge /

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