The Biggest Loser

Gulfcoastguy

Botch said:

The EU was set to replace its aging AWACS aircraft with another Boeing design (a "wedgetail", which I haven't heard of).  But, because of The Felon's continued threats against NATO, they've moved the contract to a Saab system (Sweden) installed on a Bombadier aircraft (Canada).  Contract Value: $8B.  
 
Wonder how much money Boeing had contributed to the Epstein Ballroom...

The Wedgetail was actually an Australian design mounted on a Boeing plane. The US was planning to adopt the Wedgetail to replace the current AWACs but backed out. That mean that the US doesn’t really have a dog in that fight. Too bad because the Wedgetail is probably the best all around choice. The Swedish offering has AESA radars on each side of that long bar. Each side can “see” 120 degrees for a total of 240 out of 360 degrees. Admittedly randomly changing flight direction can fill in the gaps. Sweden has provided Ukraine with 2 of these planes with excellent results so far. 

lousubcap

Friday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION :

A federal judge yesterday ruled that policies that make it harder for people from countries on Trump’s travel ban list to get green cards and work permits are likely discriminatory and unlawful. The judge issued a preliminary injunction, blocking enforcement for 22 plaintiffs and directing the parties to discuss whether the order should apply to the rest of the 200. Nata Raymond reports for Reuters.  

The Trump administration filed a lawsuit yesterday against the state of New Jersey, seeking to overturn state laws that financially help undocumented immigrants attend public colleges in the state. Daniel Han reports for POLITICO."

lousubcap

Monday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

Two companies that make the abortion drug mifepristone asked the Supreme Court on Saturday to pause Friday’s lower court ruling that cut off telemedicine access to the pills nationwide. Alice Miranda Ollstein reports for POLITICO. 

A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from moving ahead this week with plans to end Temporary Protected Status for more than 2,800 people from Yemen. Nate Raymond reports for Reuters. "

lousubcap

Tuesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

The Supreme Court yesterday restored nationwide access to a widely used abortion medication, mifepristone, in a temporary order allowing women to obtain the pill by mail. Ann E. Marimow and Pam Belluck report for the New York Times.  

The Supreme Court also yesterday ruled that its decision declaring Louisiana’s congressional map unconstitutional should go into immediate effect. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson opposed the order, calling it “unwarranted and unwise.” Jackson wrote in her dissent, “To avoid the appearance of partiality here, we could, as per usual, opt to stay on the sidelines and take no position by applying our default procedures. But today, the Court chooses the opposite. Not content to have decided the law, it now takes steps to influence its implementation.” Aaron Pellish reports for POLITICO. "

lousubcap

Wednesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

The Trump administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit yesterday against the New York Times, alleging that the Times passed over a qualified white male employee because he would not help the company meet its goal of boosting the newsroom’s ranks of underrepresented groups. “A necessary consequence of NYT’s intent to increase the percentage of non-White leaders would be a decrease in the percentage of White leaders,” the government’s lawsuit alleged. Nick Niedzwiadek reports for POLITICO. 

A federal appeals court yesterday split over the Trump administration’s policy of mandatory detention for most people facing deportation, with judges disagreeing on whether the 1996 immigration law authorizes holding detainees without bond. The divided ruling deepens an existing split among courts nationwide and increases the likelihood that the Supreme Court will ultimately decide the issue. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO."

Botch

An excerpt from HCR, 4 May 26:
 

On Wednesday, Trump talked to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin for an hour and a half—the twelfth phone call between the two leaders since Trump took office a second time—and just hours later posted about removing U.S. troops from Germany. Putin has wanted to weaken the U.S. commitment to Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for a long time. As Jack Detsch, Paul McLeary, and Stefanie Bolzen of Politico note, European officials worry that Putin is making plans to attack a NATO country.

On Thursday, Trump suggested to reporters that he might also pull troops out of Spain and Italy, “Why shouldn’t I?” he said. “Italy has not been of any help to us. And Spain has been horrible. Absolutely horrible.”

On Friday the Defense Department said it was pulling 5,000 troops from Germany and was cancelling a plan formulated under the Biden administration to put an artillery unit equipped with missiles in Europe. The U.S. had increased its European presence after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. These moves will take U.S. forces back to where they were before the invasion. As scholar of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder wrote: “You can apply lots of normalizing frameworks or you can just make a timeline of his calls with Putin. We don’t have a sovereign foreign policy. We have superpower suicide.”

lousubcap

Thursday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal appeals court yesterday ruled that ICE cannot broadly detain undocumented immigrants without bond hearings. “Simply put, the language that Congress has chosen to use does not grant to the Executive unfettered authority to detain, without the possibility of bond, every unadmitted alien present in the country,” Judge Stanley Marcus wrote. Judge Barbara Lagoa, a Trump appointee, dissented from the panel’s decision. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.  

A federal judge yesterday ruled that the federal government does not have to return the 2020 election ballots from Georgia’s Fulton County that were seized by the FBI from a warehouse near Atlanta. Kate Brumback reports for AP News.  

The Justice Department yesterday filed a lawsuit against Colorado over a state law banning high-capacity ammunition magazines. It was the second lawsuit in two days that the Trump administration has filed against gun-control policies in the Democratic-led state. In the suits filed this week, the DOJ argued that the gun-control laws violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Jack Healy reports for the New York Times. "

lousubcap

Friday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A panel of federal judges yesterday found Trump had violated the law when he imposed a 10 percent tariff on most U.S. imports in February.The Court of International Trade ruled that Trump had wrongly invoked a decades-old trade law when he applied those duties, after his previous set of tariffs was struck down by the Supreme Court. Tony Romm and Ana Swanson report for the New York Times.  

A federal judge yesterday found that the Trump administration violated a court order from last year that strictly limited instances in which the government can make immigration arrests in the District of Columbia without a warrant. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times. 

A federal judge yesterday ruled that the Trump administration’s cancellation of more than 1,400 previously approved grants by the National Endowment for the Humanities violated the Constitution. Jennifer Schuessler reports for the New York Times. "

lousubcap

Monday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal appeals court on Friday required the Trump administration to continue allowing lawmakers to inspect immigration detention facilities without advance notice, ruling unanimously that impromptu visits posed minimal problems for the government. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times. 

The Justice Department said in a court filing Friday that former President Joe Biden plans to intervene in a lawsuit seeking to stop the Trump administration from releasing about 70 hours of partially redacted audio recordings of Biden’s 2017 interviews with a ghostwriter for his memoirs to Congress and the conservative Heritage Foundation. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO. "

lousubcap

Tuesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

The Supreme Court yesterday maintained full access to the abortion pill Mifepristone until 5 pm on Thursday, giving the court another three days to consider its next steps. Lawrence Hurley reports for NBC News.  

A federal appeals court yesterday rejected the Trump administration’s mass detention policy. The ruling follows similar victories in the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit and the New York-based 2nd Circuit. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.  

A nonprofit filed a lawsuit yesterday to stop the Trump administration from its ongoing repainting of the reflecting pool on the National Mall to make it “American Flag Blue. The Cultural Landscape Foundation argued that the resurfacing is “unlawful” and that it should be restored to its original color until the administration follows congressionally mandated procedures to do the work.  Gary Grumbach and Dareh Gregorian report for NBC News."

fishlessman

the painting of the reflecting pool is now an end of world event

Botch

Some interesting points from a Talking Head this morning:
- China is Iran's biggest trading partner (they buy 80% of Iran's oil)*
- China supposedly has more sway over what Iran does than any other country
- Iran's oil is only 15% of what China buys, but 80% of all the oil China consumes, comes thru the Strait*
- Traitor is desperate for an "off-ramp" to his stupid war
- Traitor will be visiting China tomorrow
- China may be able to provide Traitor his "off-ramp", but they'll want something in return
- China really, really wants Taiwan, currently heavily supplied, militarily, by the US
- Traitor's loyalty to any of the US's allies (the EU, Ukraine, Canada, and... Taiwan) is vapor-ware
 
I don't like where this may be going.  
 
 
* This kinda goes against the idea that oil is a "world commodity", and nearly impossible to limit from any given country; this is something I don't understand very well.  

lousubcap

The Taiwan-Iran conversation will be the high-point on both sides.
CHEETO can be had with Xi and Xi knows it.  The administration will be in heavy spin mode after this **** show.  
Strap in.

Botch

From RR, yesterday:  
 

Friends,

I had dinner recently with a group of political operatives — sophisticated people who for years have been advising politicians and candidates. During dinner they shared with me their fantasy, which they gave 30 percent odds of becoming a reality within the next four months. 

In my dinner companions’ fantasy, Trump’s failed war will elevate gas and food prices so high and long that much of the Republican base will begin turning against Trump. And Trump’s mental problems will become even more obvious. 

Faced with all this, JD Vance promises Marco Rubio that he’ll appoint him vice president if Rubio joins Vance in seeking to oust Trump under the 25th Amendment.* Rubio agrees. 

Vance and Rubio then approach House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune for confidential discussions in which they broach the possibility. Johnson and Thune give Vance and Rubio their tacit support. 

Vance and Rubio then get Pete Hegseth to sign on, promising Hegseth that he’ll keep his job. They get Todd Blanche to sign on by promising him he’ll be appointed permanent attorney general. 

Vance, Rubio, Hegseth, and Blanche are what Thune and Johnson need to make the 25th stick. 

This arrangement serves everyone’s interests. For Vance and Rubio, it avoids what could be a messy 2028 primary election in which the two are pitted against each other. As president, Vance gets a head start on being elected president in 2028. As vice president, Rubio is heir apparent in 2032 (when Rubio will be only 60 years old) or in 2036. 

As president and vice president, Vance and Rubio end Trump’s tariffs and his war, which have caused prices to soar, upset the Republican base, and turned much of the world against America. 

Hegseth gets the job security he’s desperate for. Blanche gets the promotion he covets. 

Republicans in the House and Senate get rid of Trump, who’s become an albatross around their necks and who they fear, if he remains in office, will cause them to lose control over the House and Senate in the midterms — and could lead to a congressional rout in 2028.

The plan is finalized when Trump is away at Mar-a-Lago. It’s executed in a conference call to Trump — during which Vance, Rubio, Hegseth, Blanche, Johnson, and Thune notify Trump he’s no longer president. 

Trump screams, hollers, pounds his Mar-a-Lago desk, and threatens legal action, but there’s nothing he can do. He’s out of office. 

I listened intently as my dinner companions spelled all this out. “So you really think there’s a 30 percent chance of this happening?” I asked them. 

“Could be higher if the war continues,” one of them said, and the others agreed. Another of them thought the odds already higher. 

“I can’t decide whether to be elated or worried,” I responded. 

They laughed, but I was serious. 

_____

** To remind you: Section 4 of the 25th Amendment states that “whenever the Vice President and a majority of … the principal officers of the executive departments … transmit to the president pro-tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.” Section 2 of the 25th Amendment states that “whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

fishlessman

60 percent odds on Rubio next election.   It’s still early but Rubio looks more likable😎

lousubcap

Wednesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal appeals court yesterday temporarily paused a lower court ruling against the Trump administration’s 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act. Dietrich Knauth reports for Reuters. 

The Trump administration last week filed a lawsuit to use eminent domain to seize about 14 acres from the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces at the base of Mount Cristo Rey in order to advance border wall construction, offering roughly $183,000 as compensation. Chris Brittany Gibson reports for Axios. "

lousubcap

Thursday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s sanctions against U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesFrancesca Albanese. “Albanese has done nothing more than speak!” the judge wrote. Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO. 

The Justice Department yesterday filed a lawsuit against the District of Columbia Bar over its effort to discipline Trump administration lawyers.The lawsuit defends Jeffrey Clark, a government lawyer in the first Trump administration who sought to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, and Ed Martin, a current senior Justice Department official. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the D.C. Bar of acting as a “blatantly partisan arm of leftist causes.” Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times. "

lousubcap

Friday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

The Supreme Court yesterday extended its pause on a lower court ruling rolling back the availability of the abortion drug Mifepristone. The move preserves online and mail order access to the drug until the lower court rules on the merits of the case. Alice Miranda Ollstein and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO. "

lousubcap

Monday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

Mahmoud Khalil’s legal team filed a motion Thursday asking the Board of Immigration Appeals to reopen and terminate his removal proceedings,citing new evidence they say shows DOJ and immigration-court officials secretly engineered and fast-tracked the outcome of his case. The motionalleges that the BIA improperly influenced the immigration judge, treated Khalil’s non-detained case as detained, routed the appeal to Chief Appellate Immigration Judge Garry Malphrus, and issued a decision in nine days; Khalil separately appealed the removal order to the Fifth Circuit. Al Jazeerareports.

The Justice Department sued Connecticut and state officials on Friday over a new state law that restricts federal law-enforcement officers’ use of face coverings, requires visible badge and name-tag identification, and applies state use-of-force standards to federal officers. DOJ is seeking to block those provisions of SB 397 as applied to federal officers, arguing they directly regulate federal operations in violation of the Supremacy Clause and intergovernmental-immunity principles. The complaint says some violations could expose federal officers to state criminal penalties.

The First Circuit on Saturday left in place a district court order requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to reinstate a collective-bargaining agreement with the AFGE National Veterans Affairs Council, which also covers employees represented by AFGE Local 2305, rejecting the Trump administration’s bid to stay the injunction pending appeal. The panel saidthe government had not made the required strong showing that it was likely to overturn the order, which rested in part on the district court’s finding that the agreement’s termination appeared substantially motivated by First Amendment retaliation. The court separately stayed the judge’s more specific enforcement directives requiring VA to comply with the agreement “in both form and substance” and process pending grievances and arbitrations."

lousubcap

Tuesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

The Treasury Department’s general counsel, Brian Morrissey, resigned yesterday, just hours after the Trump administration announced the creation of a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” that could soon make payments to Trump’s political allies who claim that the Biden administration improperly targeted them, three sources said. Andrew Duehren reports for the New York Times.

Trump said yesterday he would ask the Justice Department to open an investigation into an error regarding mail-in ballots in Maryland. The Maryland State Board of Elections announced last week that it had been “made aware of an error” that led to some voters receiving ballots for the wrong party in the state’s upcoming primaries. The state “sent out 500,000 Illegal Mail In Ballots, and they got caught!” Trump said. Jacob Wendler reports for POLITICO."

lousubcap

Wednesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

25 states and the District of Columbia yesterday filed a lawsuit against Education Secretary Linda McMahon, saying she exceeded her authority and overstepped guardrails set by Congress by refusing to classify nursing as a professional degree. Michael C. Bender reports for the New York Times.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission yesterday filed a lawsuit against Minnesota, arguing that the state does not have the authority to put guardrails around prediction markets. Pooja Salhotra reports for the New York Times."

lousubcap

Thursday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal judge yesterday ordered the White House to preserve all presidential records, including text messages exchanged among its top officials. The ruling blocked a Justice Department memo and White House guidance in April, maintaining that Trump’s White House records were his private property and that officials did not need to comply with the Presidential Records Act. Minho Kim reports for the New York Times.  

Two police officers, who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, filed a lawsuit yesterday against the Trump administration to block the creation of the nearly $1.8 billion ‘anti-weaponization’ fund. The suit alleges that the Trump administration has created a “slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name.” Luke Broadwater reports for the New York Times.  "

Botch

As political scientist Jonathan Ladd noted, the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits compensation for those who engaged in insurrection. It says that “neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States…, but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.” In his comments to Sargent, Raskin noted that if the fund pays off the January 6 rioters, the government will be doing precisely that: “using federal taxpayer dollars to compensate people who participated in insurrection.”   HCR, 20 May 2026

 
 Now, the Constitution also forbids Traitor from holding any government office, but that was ignored too, so...

Botch

From this morning:
 

lousubcap

Wednesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

Lawyers for the Southern Poverty Law Center asked a federal judge yesterday to dismiss charges accusing it of defrauding its donors, saying that the case was part of a “retributive campaign” by Trump to use the Justice Department to go after groups “deemed to be his political enemies.” Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.  

The Trump administration yesterday filed its second antisemitism lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles. The lawsuit accused the school of taking “no serious action whatsoever” to prevent the harassment of Jewish and Israeli students during pro-Palestinian protests in 2024. Mark Arsenault reports for the New York Times. "

lousubcap

Friday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal judge yesterday declined to block an executive order Trump signed in March targeting mail-in voting and directing the creation of a federal database of citizens to help guide states on voter eligibility. The judge said it was premature for the court to intervene, adding that the administration had yet to carry out much of the order, leaving most of the harm predicted by the lawsuit as hypothetical. Zach Montague and Adam Sella report for the New York Times."

lousubcap

Monday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal judge on Friday barred the Trump administration from taking steps to launch Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. The order prohibits the government from establishing the fund or processing disbursements until a hearing is held in June. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge on Friday ruled that Trump’s effort to rebrand the Kennedy Center in his own name is illegal, stating that it violated the clear language of federal law that requires the building to honor “President Kennedy and President Kennedy alone.” The order came as part of a broader ruling that also overturned a plan announced in March to close the center for two years of renovations. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups filed a lawsuit on Friday over alleged human rights abuses at the United States’ largest immigration detention center in El Paso, Texas. A DHS spokesperson said claims that there are inhumane conditions at the camp are categorically false. Andrew Hay reports for Reuters."

Botch

The narcissist cashes in (from Robert Reich, today):
 

Friends,

In light of my post yesterday about Trump’s plans for a Trump rally on the mall to celebrate the start of America’s 250th birthday festivities — designed, in his words, for “patriots” and promising to be “wild” — several of you wanted to know more about how it’s being planned and paid for.

This year’s 250th anniversary events, commemorating America’s founders’ refusal to be bound by a tyrant, were supposed to be planned by a nonpartisan, nonprofit group created by Congress in 2016 via a bipartisan congressional caucus of more than 350 members.

That nonpartisan, nonprofit group is called “America250.”

“America250” still exists, at least in theory. It lists as Honorary National Co-Chairs George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. Its ex-officio members include present and former government officials drawn from both parties. You can read more about it at the “Official website of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission,” here.

But “America250” is not planning this year’s 250th anniversary events on the mall or anywhere else in official Washington. Trump and his MAGA allies circumvented Congress and created their own planning committee, confusingly named “Freedom 250.”

Trump’s “Freedom 250” describes itself in much the same way “America250” does — as a “non-partisan organization leading the celebration of our Nation’s 250th birthday.” 

 But unlike “America250,” Trump’s “Freedom 250” is bankrolling events promoting Trump and his political agenda (which is why most of the performing artists who originally agreed to participate dropped out last week when they learned of the ruse).

The “Freedom 250 toolkit” lists as its “core theme” elevating “President Trump’s Freedom 250 vision” — boosting Trump’s supposed achievements and not his many failures (such as two impeachments, criminal conviction on 34 felony charges, attempted coup against the United States, incitement of an attack on the U.S. Capitol, disastrous war in Iran, etc.) — analogous to Trump’s executive order requiring that the Smithsonian remove details about his impeachments from museum exhibits.

Not surprisingly, Trump’s “Freedom 250” is also designed to make money for Trump. Trump’s personal business is now trademarking the term “Trump 250,” along with a logo nearly identical to America250’s logo.

 The Trump Organization has filed several trademark applications in connection with America’s 250th anniversary celebration, all featuring the Trump name as a centerpiece of the highly anticipated festivities. In one filing, a “Trump 250” image was trademarked to be used on a variety of merchandise including bumper stickers, tote bags, drinkware, clothing items, and golf balls. A wordmark application was also submitted for the name “Trump 250” on Friday.

Trump’s online store is already selling sweatshirts, a $200 dollar blanket, and golf balls with that logo.

 Like the White House ballroom project, Trump’s “Freedom 250” is also a pay-to-play scheme. People and companies with financial interests likely affected by Trump are encouraged to make tax-deductible donations to gain access to, and seek favors from, him.

Corporations pay between $500,000 and $10 million to become Freedom 250 “sponsors.” A corporation giving $1 million or more will be invited to a “private Freedom 250 thank you reception” hosted by Trump. For $2.5 million or more, sponsors will even get a speaking role at the Fourth of July celebration in Washington. (Major donors so far include Lockheed Martin, ExxonMobil, Oracle, Palantir, Mastercard, and United Airlines.)

Who else is paying for Trump’s “Freedom 250” festivities? You and I, at least in part.

Tucked away inside last year’s sprawling 870-page “One Big Beautiful Act” was an allocation of $150 million for “events, celebrations, and activities surrounding the observance and commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.”

Most of those funds are going to Trump’s “Freedom 250” rather than to the nonpartisan “America250.” Why? When Congress appropriated the $150 million, only America250 was planning celebrations for the 250th. But now that Trump’s Freedom 250 is up and running, Trump’s Interior Department has doled out $100 million to it ($25 million has gone to the nonpartisan America250).

Oh, and unlike other groups created by Congress, Trump’s Freedom 250 doesn’t have to disclose anything about its spending until 2027.

So the answer to your questions about how America’s 250th is being planned and paid for — and why it’s becoming a propaganda vehicle celebrating Trump — is that Trump has pushed aside the nonpartisan group Congress set up in 2016 to plan it and substituted his own Trump-loyalist group, to which Trump’s Interior Department is siphoning off most of the taxpayer funds.

This is exactly what Trump did to the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Capital Planning Commission, and every other semi-public body Congress established for the common good.

This is the way authoritarianism substitutes for democracy — slowly and incrementally, until the whole system suddenly tips over.

But this particular example is especially ironic because “America250” was supposed to celebrate our fight for democracy against arbitrary tyranny. Trump’s “Freedom 250” is doing exactly the opposite.

lousubcap

Tuesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal appeals court yesterday ruled that Hegseth’s policy to remove transgender members of the military was fueled by “the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group.” However, the panel was divided over how to apply its ruling, opting to protect only the specific plaintiffs in the case. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO. 

A federal judge yesterday ordered the National Park Service not to interfere with Accountability Now USA’s display of an “86-47” flag at its ongoing demonstration near the National Mall, rejecting the contention that the phrase was meant as a coded call for violence against Trump. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.   

The Democratic Party indicated in a court filing yesterday that it is appealing a judge’s decision last week not to immediately block Trump’s executive order tightening rules on mail-in voting. Reuters reports. "

lousubcap

Wednesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A group of transgender young people filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department, urging a federal judge to block a criminal subpoena issued to NYU Langone. The subpoena instructs hospital officials to appear before a grand jury this month with documents “sufficient to identify each patient” under 18 who received gender-related treatments since 2020. Amy Harmon reports for the New York Times. 

Several state attorneys general filed a lawsuit yesterday against the Trump administration to challenge its deal with TotalEnergies to end its U.S. offshore wind projects. “We are fighting back to stop this illegal agreement that threatens to erase over a thousand union jobs and cheat millions of New Yorkers out of clean, affordable energy,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. Clara Hudson reports for the Wall Street Journal. "