The Biggest Loser

Friday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

"The Trump administration yesterday urged the Supreme Court to allow ICE to continue patrols in Southern California. The emergency petition followed an appeals court refusing to lift a temporary restraining order preventing authorities from stopping or arresting people solely based on factors such as the language they speak or their work location. The Justice Department argued that federal agents would be allowed to consider such factors during immigration enforcement, with Trump’s Solicitor General writing to the court, “No one thinks that speaking Spanish or working in construction always creates reasonable suspicion … But in many situations, such factors—alone or in combination—can heighten the likelihood that someone is unlawfully present in the United States.” Lindsay Whitehurst reports for AP News.

A federal judge in Maryland yesterday issued a new nationwide injunction blocking Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman’s ruling followed her approval of a petition from CASA, an immigrant rights group, to certify a class-action lawsuit on behalf of U.S.-born children who would be denied automatic citizenship under Trump’s order. David Nakamura reports for the Washington Post."

No worries-CHEETO (aka Agent Orange and Dear Leader) will get rolled by Vlad the Impaler.  CHEETO wants that Nobel Peace Prize so badly that he will give Vlad anything he wants in exchange for stopping the war with Ukraine. If eventually given a seat at the big people table Zelenskyy should decline.  

I think it is foolish to be optimistic about most Trump enthusiasts having a meaningful self-reckoning until there is a better box on the ballot for them to check (in their view). I want to be optimistic about midterms but until then this is really feeling like “hate mongers that are gonna eat all the evil they can find until they get fat and fall asleep” are at full strength.  So here’s to the middle!

Monday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

"In a 2-1 decision Friday, a federal appeals court quashed Judge Boasberg’s effort to pursue criminal contempt proceedings for administration officials who he says defied his orders in March by deporting 130 Venezuelan men to an El Salvador prison. Referencing Trump-appointed Judges Gregory G. Katsas and Neomi Rao, Obama-appointed Judge Cornelia T.L. Pillard wrote in dissent, “The majority does an exemplary judge a grave disservice by overstepping its bounds to upend his efforts to vindicate the judicial authority that is our shared trust.” Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO; Mark Berman reports for the Washington Post. 

A federal appeals court on Saturday unanimously rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to conceal a public database of federal spending, a resource that researchers say is key to holding the administration accountable to Congress’s control over the budget. Two of the three appeals judges said the effort was an affront to Congress’s authority over spending, with the court granting a Friday deadline for the administration to put the data back online. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO. 

The trial will begin today on whether the deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles violated federal law. California is asking Judge Charles Breyer to order the Trump administration to restore control of the remaining Guard troops to the state and to stop the federal government’s deployment of military forces in California. Janie Har and Olga R. Rodriguez report for AP News.

The Democracy Forward Foundation filed a lawsuit on Friday, asking a federal judge to expedite its Freedom of Information Act requests, which seek records the Justice Department and FBI have produced on Epstein in recent months. The group is also requesting documents prepared for Attorney General Pam Bondi, including briefing materials she used ahead of a May meeting with Trump, during which Bondi reportedly told the president his name appeared in the Epstein files. Zach Schonfeld reports for The Hill. "

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5446705-dc-police-union-praises-trump/

I don’t know enough about it Botch but it might be an example where one “crime is low” stat isn’t the whole story. 

I can tell you that there are times where I witness behaviors in Atlanta that make me feel it’s a lawless, chaotic, and “will somebody please do something to restore civilization” place. 

So is this DC stuff that?  No idea. People who sell ads for “free”websites and tv shows probably want us to worry that Trump is creating a militarized fortress where he is untouchable from protestors while unleashing a new wave of mega crimes against humanity. But that sounds like a work of fiction just the like J6 that never happened, right?  Oh crap I might have just talked myself into a conspiracy theory.  deep breaths. 

Tuesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

"Troops were deployed to protect federal property and personnel in California in recent months despite intelligence assessments indicating a minimal threat, two military officials testified yesterday in a landmark trial over Trump’s authority to use soldiers for domestic policing. The three-day, non-jury trial before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco will determine whether the June deployment violated a 19th-century law prohibiting the military from engaging in civil law enforcement. Dietrich Knauth and Jack Queen report for Reuters. 

A federal judge yesterday blocked the Trump administration from withholding federal funding to the National Endowment for Democracy, a congressionally created nonprofit that promotes democracy worldwide. The organization has been crippled by the loss of $239 million in funding earlier this year. In a 15-page ruling, Judge Dabney L. Friedrich found that the administration withheld the money “for impermissible policy reasons,” causing the organization “irreparable” harm, including staff layoffs and the termination of several democracy-supporting initiatives. Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.

Acknowledging a shift in the political landscape since it brought its lawsuit in 2023, the group that sued military academies — including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy — over their consideration of race in admissions has dropped its case. Announcing the end of the cases yesterday, the president of Students for Fair Admissions said the group had reached an agreement with the Department of Justice on behalf of the Defense Department. Vimal Patel reports for the New York Times.

A Manhattan federal judge yesterday rejected the government’s bid to unseal grand jury transcripts from its investigation into convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell. Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who is overseeing Maxwell’s case, wrote in a 31-page opinion that releasing the transcripts would be a breach of grand jury secrecy, and that allowing such exceptions “casually or promiscuously” would undermine public confidence in future witnesses’ willingness to testify. Engelmayer added that the Justice Department’s “entire premise — that the Maxwell grand jury materials would bring to light meaningful new information about Epstein’s and Maxwell’s crimes, or the government’s investigation into them — is demonstrably false.” Hurubie Meko reports for the New York Times.

Harvard University and the Trump administration are close to finalizing a potentially landmark settlement in which Harvard would spend $500 million on vocational and educational programs and research in exchange for the restoration of billions in federal research funding, sources say. The deal is not yet certain, as both sides are still negotiating key language in the agreement, and both Trump and senior Harvard leaders must approve the terms. Alan Blinder, Michael D. Schmidt, and Michael C. Bender report for the New York Times."

Thursday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

"In a 2-1 decision yesterday, a federal appeals court panel allowed the Trump administration to continue withholding billions in foreign aid, ruling that aid organizations that brought the lawsuit lacked the legal standing to bring the challenge. In the split decision, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals did not weigh the merits of the aid groups’ arguments, which alleged that Trump illegally impounded congressionally appropriated funding. Instead, the majority overturned the injunction on procedural grounds, ruling that the grantees lacked the legal right to pursue a constitutional challenge that hinged on an alleged violation of law. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times; Lauren Gardner reports for POLITICO.

A Baltimore judge appeared skeptical yesterday in the Trump administration’s lawsuit against all 15 Maryland-based federal judges over a standing order relating to deportation cases. Back in May, Chief Judge George Russell issued and later revised an order that established procedures for handling cases involving immigrants at immediate risk of deportation. Under the order, deportations are temporarily halted for two business days while the court considers the case. The Justice Department challenged the order, arguing Russell lacked the authority to impose such a sweeping directive. U.S. District Judge Thomas Cullen, who typically serves in Virginia but was assigned to the case because Maryland judges are recused, questioned whether the Justice Department had followed the right approach in filing a lawsuit. “You probably picked up that I don’t have a very good poker face … I have some skepticism,” he said. Laurence Hurley reports for NBC News. 

In a court filing yesterday, detainees at Alligator Alcatraz alleged their tent camp on an Everglades airstrip has become overcrowded and unsanitary with limited access to the outside. The allegations follow a federal judge’s order earlier this week requiring ICE to improve conditions at a holding center in Manhattan, where lawyers reported unsafe and unhygienic environments. The filing alleges that detention officials go “cell to cell” pressuring detainees to sign forms to drop their immigration cases and leave the country voluntarily, with at least one man reportedly coerced into signing in exchange for a blanket. Mariah Timms and Victoria Albert report for the Wall Street Journal. 

ICE sent three U.S. citizen children, including a 4-year-old boy with stage 4 cancer, to Honduras with their deported mothers, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of the families. The suit alleges that despite the government’s own directives, the parents “were never given a choice as to whether their children should be deported with them and were prohibited from contacting their counsel or having meaningful contact with their families to arrange for the care of their children.” In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said that U.S. children were not being “deported” and rejected claims that the parents lacked a choice about their children’s care before being sent to Honduras. Daniella Silva reports for NBC News."

Perfect opportunity to tell CHEETO to give Ukraine everything it wants and then we will grant you the Peace Prize.  CHEETO wants that so badly that he will grovel before Putin to improve his chances. Sad!

Trump looks like he overbid on the Price is Right Showcase Showdown.