Donald Trump – Page 3 – National News Roundup

Year 8, Weeks 15-17 ( April 28 – May 18)

May 21, 2024 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

April showers appear to be bringing May… showers, at least where I live. But they also bring gloomy news updates! Hooray, spring in 2024.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting my eighth year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a criminal trial!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

The theme of the Election Et Cetera stories this cycle is both Trump Court Cases and Trump’s Horrifying Stumping. Here’s what has happened since last time:

It’s A Wonderful Cannibal. We have yet another cycle full of news from Trump’s first criminal trial, where Stormy Daniels and then Michael Cohen testified for several days straight. Along the way, Trump was fined a grand and threatened with jail time for violating his gag order a billion times, and roasted for falling asleep during his own trial. Meanwhile, Trump’s pretty much just straight-up telling reporters that he won’t accept 2024 election results if Biden wins, and also took a moment to praise Hannibal Lecter as “a wonderful man” in the middle of a rant against immigrants. And just for maximum “the rules are made up and the laws don’t matter,” Trump’s pet judge in Florida also made the classified document case go away.

In contrast, the Capitol Hill Dales stories were relatively minor. Here’s what I have for you:

Capital Hill Infighting. The news in pettiness from Capitol Hill this cycle is that Marjorie Taylor Greene again attempted to oust Speaker Johnson, and again failed to get the votes – in part because the Democrats supported him again. Johnson, meanwhile, scolded the Oversight Committee this week after Greene blew up a hearing by insulting a Dem’s visage on the record and then saying she “would never apologize.” He smoothed things over with the press by saying “we’re going to maintain decorum,” making one wonder if he has ever met his colleagues. There was, of course, also some jockeying about Israel, but we’ll discuss that more below.

Your New Normal:

Marijuana and Misoprostol. The biggest news in the health world is that the Department of Justice announced that they are reclassifying marijuana, moving it from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance. The change will not cause decriminalization in entirety, but is a first step down that path. In seemingly direct contrast, Louisiana legislators moved this cycle to make abortifacients a scheduled substance for the first time in history. (If that’s not an apt metaphor for American health politics at the moment, I don’t know what is.)

The Bad:

Ongoing Conflict in Gaza. The ongoing war in Gaza continues to have implications for American politics. Though Biden attempted to negotiate away from a full-scale invasion of Rafah, Netanyahu pressed forward with a full invasion and closed down Al-Jazeera while he was at it. This move, along with a report that Israel may be committing war crimes using U.S. resources, prompted Biden to threaten to withhold weapons – which of course immediately drew Republican ire. As I type this, the death of Iran’s president, as well as the International Criminal Court’s decision to seek an arrest warrant for Netanyahu alongside Hamas, make the entire situation even more unpredictable.

The Good:

Recent Market Resilience. This cycle in “good news that wouldn’t even be news in a normal timeline,” the Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the Fed’s authority to fund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau celebrated by moving forward on its efforts to crack down on predatory payday loans.

So that’s what I have for you, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For still reading these roundups, you deserve this gentle cat suggestion and a more functional government. I’ll be back next time with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me more time to take naps!

Year 8, Weeks 12-14 ( April 7-27)

April 30, 2024 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

My apologies for the longer cycle than intended this go-round, folks – Passover really snuck up on me, and the Seder took precedence last Monday. Thankfully, we appear to have passed over the worst types of news this cycle as well. So I suppose it all evens out!

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting my eighth year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a noncompete clause!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

The theme of the Election Et Cetera stories this cycle is definitely Trump Court Cases. Here’s what has happened since last time:

45 Court Cases. This cycle marked the beginning of the first criminal trial against Trump, which is the hush money case being brought in New York. It’s going about as well for him as you might expect – his request to delay was denied, and a great deal of detail is coming to light about his illegal catch-and-release process during the 2016 campaign. He also tried and failed to dismiss the Georgia and classified document criminal cases against him. The Presidential immunity case, which SCOTUS heard oral arguments on this cycle, appeared to go better for him – or at least, it appears likely to delay several other cases. Meanwhile, Arizona and Michigan both named him an unindicted conspirator in elector interference cases; Arizona’s new indictments bring the total number of states charging Trump allies with election interference to six.

In contrast, the Capitol Hill Dales more-or-less run the gamut. Here’s what I have for you:

Capitol Hill Highlights. Capital Hill was fairly functional this cycle, as a bill package that funded Ukraine and Israel while potentially banning Tiktok managed to make it through both houses and onto Biden’s desk. The Biden administration also forgave more student debt and proposed a plan to close the “gun show” loophole in background check requirements. Meanwhile, the Senate dismissed the House’s nonsense impeachment of U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

Your New Normal:

Health News Roundup. A lot of health news happened this cycle. The Biden administration clarified some points regarding HIPAA protections, attempting to deter illegal subpoenas of medical records like the ones issued in Tennessee earlier this year. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a case about whether emergency rooms are required to perform life-saving abortions under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. In a fascinating separation of powers tug-of-war, Arizona both reinstated a Civil War era abortion ban and began the process of de-reinstating it. And finally, the Biden administration admitted that it has more-or-less given up on the FDA menthol cigarette ban it’s supposed to be finalizing.

The Bad:

Encampments on College Campuses. An “ovation” of protest encampments on college campuses which began on Columbia’s campus has spread from coast to coast this cycle, with protests on 40 campuses and counting as I type this. The encampments at this point have resulted in remote classes, canceled commencements, student suspensions, and over 600 arrests of both Jewish and Muslim participants. Several outlets are reporting both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic violence as tensions escalate, as well as excessive police force from squads in riot gear in several places. Needless to say, this is a complicated situation, but many colleges seem to be badly mismanaging it.

The Good:

Recent Market Resilience. The Federal Trade Commission agreed by 3-2 vote this cycle to ban noncompete agreements, noting that these contracts stifle innovation, suppress wage growth, and prevent new business formation. It’s very likely that this rule will be challenged in court, but it’s still a really encouraging decision.

So that’s what I have for you, and I’m sure next cycle will be worse. For still reading these roundups, you deserve this gay icon and a more functional government. I’ll be back next time with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me fortitude to make it to the end of this holiday!

Year 8, Weeks 9-10 ( March 17-30)

April 2, 2024 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

Well folks, it’s April, and the news is full of fools. (I wish I could claim this was intentional, but sadly it is not.) Nonetheless, the NNR is here, and that’s no joke!

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting my eighth year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not an electoral candidate!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

I hope everybody’s ready for another episode of The Trump and Biden Show, because we’re back with more Election Et Cetera. Here’s what has happened since last time:

45 Annoyances. We did have some news this cycle about South Carolina using an illegal districting map for the November election, which is always fun–but the vast majority of the news involved Trump. At the top of the week, there was a giant rigmarole about his bond payment on the civil fraud case, which he did successfully argue down to $175M from its original $454M pending appeal and then paid today. He was also placed under a gag order for the hush money case, which is scheduled to begin in a couple of weeks. That gag order was then promptly expanded to include comments about the judge’s family after Trump wouldn’t shut up about said judge’s adult daughter. Meanwhile, the Trump attacked Biden for acknowledging Trans Day of Visibility–something he has done every year of his Presidency–because this year it happened to fall on Easter.

Unsurprisingly, the Capitol Hill Dales also remain pretty election-flavored this cycle. Here’s what I have for you:

Capitol Hill Highlights. Likely as part of a campaign push, Biden announced another student debt forgiveness wave this cycle, this time for public service workers. He also signed a final budget deal, which will keep the government funded until September. That is particularly helpful because the House GOP is again calling for the removal of their own Speaker, even as their majority drops to a margin of a single vote due to Rep. Mike Gallagher retiring early. We also learned that the Department of Justice is suing Apple for having a monopoly, and the EPA issued new rules that incentivize electronic vehicles and cutting carbon emissions in cars.

Your New Normal:

Health News Roundup. This was something of a promising cycle for health news. AstraZeneca announced a $35 cap for inhaler costs, following the example of Boehringer Ingelheim earlier this month. And in oral arguments before SCOTUS on the mifepristone case, the court seemed to signal that it might reject the appeal for lack of standing – which would keep medication abortion relatively accessible in much of the country. Obviously, we’ll have to see what happens when the opinion comes out, but it’s a promising sign.

The Bad:

Baltimore Key Bridge Collapse. Much of the country was shocked this cycle by the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore, which was hit by a massive cargo ship after the ship lost power. Incredibly, there were no cars on the bridge when this happened, because the ship was able to send a distress signal fast enough for officers on site to block access – and the crew of the ship survived as well. There are, however, six construction workers who went missing when the bridge collapsed, and at this point are presumed dead. President Biden has promised that the federal government will cover costs of rebuilding, but the process will likely take a long time.

The Good:

Recent Survey Resilience. In news that is exciting if you’re me, the U.S. Census Bureau is refining its race and ethnicity census questions. The new census question will ask about race and ethnicity together, and offers options for identifying as Latino or Middle Eastern/North African. It’s a major improvement for two populations that have been inaccurately measured for a long time.

So that’s what I have for you, and let’s enjoy this relative reprieve while we can. For making it through, you deserve this truth in advertising and a more functional government. I’ll be back next time with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me your peep recipes!

Year 8, Weeks 6-8 (February 25 – March 16)

March 19, 2024 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

Folks, I won’t lie to you – the NNR was postponed because I really, really struggled emotionally with some of this cycle’s stories. If you are someone with a personal stake in Gaza, someone gender nonconforming, or someone who was very traumatized by Orange Mussolini Round 1, you might want to have emergency icecream at the ready for this one.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting my eighth year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not an electoral candidate!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

Now that we’ve officially locked in candidates, the Election Et Cetera section is going to be the Trump and Biden show for the foreseeable future. Here’s what has happened since last time:

Election Rapid Fire. (CW: racism, threat of violence) Obviously, the biggest news this cycle is that Super Tuesday came and went, and Donald Trump and Joe Biden are now the official candidates for the 2024 Presidential election. Mike Pence celebrated by refusing to endorse Trump, while Mitch McConnell celebrated by endorsing him but announcing his retirement at the end of the year. This news is possible in part because the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Trump can stay on the ballot in all 50 states, although they didn’t agree about why. They also agreed to hear the case about his made-up presidential immunity in April, so that will be fun. Meanwhile, the endless parade of upsetting Trump news has already kicked into high gear. In the past three weeks, we have confirmed that he can’t pay the $464M fraud penalty on his New York civil case, in part because absolutely no companies will loan him money (except that one company that helped with his other civil penalty). He is also now down to 88 criminal charges pending after three were dismissed this week, and those live ones include several about misusing classified documents, but he’s nonetheless getting intelligence briefings again. His early stump speeches include such gems as “we will throw Liz Cheney in prison for investigating me,” “immigrants aren’t people,” and “if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath.” So get ready for another 33 straight weeks of this reheated hell, I guess.

Unsurprisingly, the Capitol Hill Dales are also pretty election-flavored this cycle. Here’s what I have for you:

Capitol Hill Highlights. Biden had his State of the Union this cycle, which unsurprisingly contained several campaign elements as well as tackling reproductive rights, assistance to Ukraine, and Medicare pricing. We also saw Congress keep the lights on for another few weeks, with the next shutdown deadline coming up this Friday. Finally, the Biden administration issued a new cap on credit card late fees – they now cannot exceed $8.

Your New Normal:

Gazing at Gaza. (CW:starvation, death) The Biden administration and Congress have also become more vocal about the situation in Gaza this news cycle. Vice President Harris has been calling for a cease-fire and more humanitarian aid, while President Biden has ordered construction of a temporary aid port. The pushes come as Gaza is on the brink of famine, with reports of people eating animal feed and grass. In total, over 30,000 people have died in Gaza in the past five months, including 112 people who died waiting for aid last week after Israeli troops fired into an agitated crowd; meanwhile, an estimated 99 Israeli hostages have still not been released. There are also thousands of people missing. Notably, several Jewish members of Congress have started to speak up, including Senate leader Chuck Schumer, who called for another Israeli election this week. President Biden reportedly backed Schumer, though he did take a call with Netanyahu for the first time in a month today.

The Bad:

Fires in TX and Examiners in OK. (CW: death, hate crimes) An issue with the power lines, apparently caused by power company facilities, has resulted in the largest Texas wildfire in history this cycle. The wildfire has killed over 7,000 cows, burned over 1M acres, and destroyed over 500 structures, which is likely to have long-lasting implications for the agriculture industry there. The situation was exacerbated by the hottest February on record, which created unusually dry conditions – and is itself the ninth broken record in a row for monthly temperatures. In unrelated news, except that it makes me incandescently angry, the one-page medical examiner report of Nex Benedict’s death was released last week, which concluded that Benedict’s death was a suicide caused by taking benadryl with Prozac. (Reader, you may read that and think “Isn’t that an incredibly common antidepressant combined with an incredibly common antihistamine, neither of which are contraindicated with each other?” Yes, that is true, and no, you are not missing anything, and I’m sorry, welcome to this terrible party.) Needless to say, many LGBT advocates are skeptical of this finding, including yours truly.

The Good:

Recent Health Resilience. We did have some good health news this cycle. Alabama passed a law that protects in vitro fertilization, returning business on that front to normal after the practice was threatened by a court decision last month. And just today, the Biden administration banned asbestos, a long-overdue measure that was decades in the making. Progress!

So that’s what I have for you, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve a new hope for Voyager and a more functional government. I’ll be back next time with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me better news in the next cycle again cause the last one didn’t take.

Year 8, Weeks 3-5 (February 4-24)

February 27, 2024 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

We’re doing a bit of before-spring cleaning here at the NNR as we settle into Year 8 – good gravy, it’s hard to believe we’re in our eighth year of this. I’m open to feedback if anybody has it, but no worries if not – despite the flood of stories this week, we’re still ramping up, news-wise. Which is a bit dispiriting, because several of this cycle’s stories are truly painful.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting my eighth year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a primary!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

I think it’s likely that Election Rejection will feature 2024 election news from here on out, though I’m going to keep the name for now. Here’s what has happened since last time:

Election Rapid Fire. A whole pile of stuff has happened since the last NNR, so we’re just going to do a listicle to cover it all: 1) Joe Manchin has officially announced he’s not running for President, thanks goodness for small miracles; 2) Trump trounced Nikki Haley in her home state of South Carolina, when she was already having a bad time in Nevada – making him more-or-less a shoo-in for the official Republican nomination (though Haley refuses to drop out before Super Tuesday in March); 3) Trump was fined a giant pile of money and barred from conducting business in the New York civil fraud suit, which he likely doesn’t have and the RNC will probably pay; 4) Trump’s New York criminal trial is moving forward (likely with a gag order) and will begin on March 25; 5) the DC appeals court found that Trump has no Presidential immunity from January 6 prosecution, and consequently he is appealing to SCOTUS; 6) the GA criminal case is technically proceeding forward but is a hot mess; and 7) Biden’s now enjoying a funding advantage in the 2024 election because Trump keeps making the RNC pay his legal bills.

Similarly, I’m rebranding the “everything else federal government” section to more accurately reflect its range. We’re going to call this one the Capitol Hill Dales, at least for now. Here’s what I have for you:

Capitol Potpourri. I’ve got a similar list for you in federal government news: 1) Biden is officially absolved of wrongdoing for holding onto classified papers, though the report stirred up some rumors about his memory that he’s now trying to shake; 2) Biden also announced a new student loan forgiveness plan that prioritizes people with loans under $12K who have already made 120 payments, which says truly damning things about how student loans work in this country; 3) the House did manage to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on the second try by a single vote; and 4) the Senate passed a $95B military aid package, but the House appears poised to kill it a second time.

Your New Normal:

Infections and In Vitro. The CDC announced this cycle that they plan to relax the 5-day covid isolation standard in the near future, which of course puts immunocompromised people in a bad position. Meanwhile, as Florida has another measles outbreak at a Broward County elementary school, its state surgeon general basically told parents YOLO. But the biggest health news by far this cycle is the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision to rule that frozen embryos are legally children, which immediately created massive disruptions for the state’s in vitro fertilization facilities and access to fertility treatments. Unsurprisingly, this was unpopular with a lot of Americans, and the GOP began falling all over itself to show how pro-IVF it is almost immediately. By the time that I type this, Alabama lawmakers and Donald Trump are both publicly claiming they are going to pass legislation to protect IVF procedures.

The Bad:

This Month’s Senseless and Preventable Murders. (CW: murder, hate crimes, bigotry) Two men and two juveniles have now been criminally charged after opening fire into a Superbowl parade in Kansas City earlier this month. The mass shooting killed a much-beloved local DJ, Lisa Lopez Galvin, and injured 21 other people. In other lethal news from this cycle, a sixteen-year old nonbinary student who lived on a reservation in Oklahoma, Nex Benedict, died after being beaten in the bathroom of their high school. Benedict’s family report that they experienced severe bullying for at least a year leading up to the incident. Notably, Oklahoma has introduced 54 pieces of anti-trans legislation in the 2024 legislative session, and had previously issued rules requiring Benedict to use the girl’s bathroom where they were attacked. In the wake of Benedict’s death, an Oklahoma state senator called Benedict “filth”, while school superintendent Ryan Walters reiterated his belief that trans students should not be allowed to live in accordance with their gender identity. It is painfully ironic that this story unfolds in the same cycle that 2022 Trans Survey data shows 94% of trans and gender-diverse adults have more life satisfaction when living authentically in a gender identity not assigned at birth. Needless to say, both of these deaths were preventable tragedies that should never have happened in the first place.

The Good:

Recent House Resilience. Surprisingly, given everything else going on, the House managed to extend the Child Tax Credit with strong bipartisan support this past week. I genuinely have no idea how that happened, but I’ll take it.

So that’s what I have for you, and I think we can agree that it was more than enough. For making it through, you deserve these parrots’ cactus love affair and a more functional government. I’ll be back next time with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me better news in the next cycle dear God.

Year 8, Weeks 1-2 (January 21–February 5)

February 6, 2024 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

It’s a new year, with surprisingly little new news! Which is to say, most of the news I have for you this cycle relates back to elections – either the upcoming 2024 election, or fallout from the insurrection of the 2020 one. And the 2024 election is looking more and more like a complete repeat of the 2020 circus. Everything new is old again, y’all.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting my eighth year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a primary!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

I think it’s likely that Election Rejection will feature 2024 election news from here on out, though I’m going to keep the name for now. Here’s what has happened since last time:

Wins and What? The New Hampshire primary came and went, with Trump soundly beating Nikki Haley and disappointing half the country. Biden won the Democratic primary there as well, despite needing a write-in campaign and therefore earning no delegates. He also won the endorsement of the United Auto Workers, and handily won the first “real” DNC primary in South Carolina this past Saturday as well. It was a good week for E Jean Caroll as well, as she won a $83M verdict against Trump in her defamation suit. Meanwhile, nobody won when the federal DC judge decided to postpone Trump’s insurrection trial this week by vacating the March 4 trial date without selecting a new date. (It’s not canceled, don’t worry – likely the new trial date will be sometime in May.) And for reasons I still don’t understand even after reading the ‘explanation,’ Trump and half of his minions have apparently declared ‘holy war’ on Taylor Swift.

Meanwhile, Biden Rebuilding features a by-now-rare asterisk, as I cover a topic that I think needs attention even though it’s not my lane. Here’s what I have for you:

Airstrikes and Sanctions in the Middle East.* After three Americans were killed in Jordan by drone strike last week, the Biden Administration launched airstrikes on Iraq and Syria this past Friday. They then followed up with a strike on Yemen the following day. Now the Houthis are threatening escalation, though Biden is apparently trying to avoid striking Iran. Foreign policy isn’t exactly my main expertise, but I think this needs attention, especially during an election year and against the backdrop of Biden sanctioning several Israelis in the West Bank last week. I’ll try to keep reporting on this as things develop.

Your New Normal:

Immigration Immolation. The biggest news threads from Capitol Hill right now all center around far-right people absolutely losing it over immigration issues. After the Supreme Court agreed last cycle that Texas needs to stop basically usurping the federal immigration process at the southern border and let Homeland Security function, House Republicans responded by advancing impeachment articles for the Secretary of Homeland Security. They’re also signaling that they will tank the bipartisan deal in the Senate that was successfully brokered yesterday on this very topic, and for some reason Lauren Boebert wants to oust the current Speaker even though he called the Senate deal “dead on arrival.” Meanwhile, Texas governor Gangrene Abbot decided to take the MAGA up to eleven, and created an old-fashioned standoff with federal officials while he blocked their entry to the border. Abbott publicly compared federal presence to a “foreign invasion,” and 25 other governors backed his play.

The Bad:

Violence and Abortion. (CW: sexual violence, miscarriage, forced birth) With the election season now in full swing, there was a lot of news about the reproductive rights, much of it hard to read. The Democratic Women’s Caucus drew attention to a case in Ohio, where a woman faced felony charges after experiencing a miscarriage. A study letter was also published this cycle estimating that 64,565 rape-related pregancies have occurred in states that have banned abortion. On a related note, Texas was in the news because its medical board still hasn’t defined what emergency conditions would make medical abortion permissible.

The Good:

Recent House Resilience. Surprisingly, given everything else going on, the House managed to extend the Child Tax Credit with strong bipartisan support this past week. I genuinely have no idea how that happened, but I’ll take it.

So that’s what I have for you, and there’s definitely more where that came from. For making it through, you deserve Elmo checking in on you and a more functional government. I’ll be back next time with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me more chocolate because we’re running out!

Year 7, Weeks 51-52 (January 7-20)

January 23, 2024 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

This past cycle has been something of a surreal odyssey of election (rejection), between Iowa primaries last week and New Hampshire semi-official primaries this coming Tuesday. It makes me think we’re getting a preview of what Year 8’s prolonged election season will be like, and let me tell you, I don’t really want to see that movie. Alas, we all bought a ticket just by living here.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be rounding out my seventh year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not an election campaign!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

This cycle featured an unholy melding Election Rejection and semi-regular election news. Here’s what has happened since last time:

Primary Chaos. I’m sure most folks reading this already know that Trump won the Iowa primary by a country mile, forcing most other GOP primary candidates to drop out – including Ron DeSantis, who had originally been considered his strongest contender. We’re now left with only two GOP candidates as we go into New Hampshire’s primary tomorrow: Nikki Haley and the indicted Cheeto. Meanwhile, it’s still an open question whether he’s even allowed to be a candidate in Colorado and Maine – oral argument on the Colorado case will be on February 8, and Maine has decided to pause until that is resolved. And while all this is happening, people in New Hampshire are reporting they are receiving robocalls telling them not to vote from an AI that sounds like Joe Biden. We’re definitely back on the track to unprecedented times, if we ever even left.

With election season officially underway, much of Biden Rebuilding looks like a campaign trail – but more about that below. Here’s what I have for you:

Another Month, Another Stopgap. As foretold by prophecy, we did indeed reach a deal to avoid shutdown this cycle with a 314-108 House vote–but just like last time, it only kicks the can down the road. The process also wasn’t without its drama, as the Freedom Caucus doesn’t seem to like the new Speaker much more than the old one; in fact, all but two opposing votes came from Speaker Johnson’s own party. And now we get to do this whole thing again in a little over a month, when the first of the funding runs out on March 1.

Your New Normal:

SCOTUS POCUS. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Supreme Court activity from this cycle. In oral arguments last Wednesday, the court appeared to signal that it plans to gut our existing administrative law system, which has functioned under the Chevron precedent for as long as I’ve been alive. (That said, we won’t know the full extent until the opinion is issued, which will likely be months from now.) Then today, in the wake of three migrants dying while trying to cross the Rio Grande, it agreed that Texas needs to stop basically usurping the federal immigration process at the southern border. This paves the way for the Biden administration to remove the razor wire that Texas placed there, among other things, though the underlying case is still ongoing.

The Bad:

Shouldn’t We Talk About the Weather? Most of the continental U.S. was hit this week with a series of winter storms, resulting in bitter cold and/or severe flooding in many places. The storms set new low records in much of the country, as normally-temperate places like Houston hit the teens and ordinarily-cold places like Kansas City had highs in the negatives. The weather also leaves more properties than normal at risk of repeat flooding. Shocking no one, research suggests that these extremes may also be caused by artificial climate change.

The Good:

Recent Campaign Resilience. As Biden hits the beginnings of his campaign trail, he has been forecasting or introducing a lot of constituent-pleasing initiatives this cycle. Last week, he announced a proposal to curtail surprise overdraft fees from most banks, which will be open for public comment until April 1. Some outlets have also suggested that the White House is again considering moving the menthol ban forward. But the biggest news of the cycle came just today, when he announced additional plans to expand access to reproductive health care through coverage of contraceptives and medications. It’s quite clear that the Biden administration plans to make reproductive health a central issue of his campaign.

So that’s what I have for you, and there’s definitely more where that came from. For making it through, you deserve this brave rescue pupper and a more functional government. I’ll be back next time with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me a better timeline before November!

Year 7, Weeks 46-50 (December 3 – January 6)

January 9, 2024 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

Hello from the other side of the holidays! The last few weeks were truly chaotic for me, and I appreciate your patience while we closed out 2023. Now it’s a whole new year, and the NNR is back, baby! Sadly, so is the terrible news.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be rounding out my seventh year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a voting ballot!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

Boy howdy, did a lot happen on the Election Rejection front during the break. Here’s what has happened since last time:

45 Rollercoasters. I’m sure most of y’all have already heard by now that Trump was removed from the ballot in both Colorado and Maine last month due to his previous insurrection. (Fun fact, there are movements in IL and MA to do the same thing, though Michigan officially closed the door this week.) Unsurprisingly, Trump has appealed the CO decision to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case on Friday. In other Trump court news, the D.C. Circuit Court decided that he did not have Presidential immunity when he committed said resurrection – but he still went ahead and moved today to dismiss the GA election case on the same exact Presidential immunity grounds. Sadly, all of this remains relevant because he’s kicking every other elephant’s tail in primary polls, despite not even showing up to any GOP debates. And just today, he implied he plans to have Biden indicted if re-elected in 2024. Fun times, amirite?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Biden Rebuilding front had a lot of news too. Here’s what I have for you:

Federal Mini-Roundup. There are a lot of odds and ends from Capitol Hill to cover, which we’re just going to address piecemeal: 1) NJ rep George Santos was indeed expelled from the House last month, though it’s not yet clear who is going to replace him; 2) the Biden Administration announced an initiative to replace lead water pipes over the next ten years; 3) NJ Senator Bob Mendez was newly charged with acting as an agent of Qatar this week in addition to all his other foreign agent charges; 4) Biden issued thousands of pardons for people convicted of use and possession of marijuana in DC; and 5) Congress ostensibly reached a deal to avoid shutdown this weekend, though the Freedom Caucus is yelling about it (so who knows if it will actually pass).

Your New Normal:

Contagion Corner (Again, Still). Rough news on the health fronts – as I’m sure folks are mostly aware, we’re in the middle of a new COVID peak due to strain mutation yet again, with this strain being particularly good at reinfection. Meanwhile, flu infection is extra rough this year, particularly with RSV creating additional strain. And though a new study suggests that multiple vaccines protect better against long COVID, the CDC estimates that only about 19% of adults have received the most recent booster. (This matter isn’t helped any by the Florida Attorney General publicly calling for a halt to mRNA vaccines in the state.)

The Bad:

Bad News Frequent Flyers. This cycle also saw several Bad News stories we’ve seen repeatedly before, like rabid moles that keep popping up to bite us. Here are the lowlights: 1) We’ve already had the first high school mass shooting of the year, when seven people were shot at a high school in Perry, Iowa on Thursday; 2) 2023 was officially the hottest year in human history due to human-made climate change; 3) the DOJ is suing Texas over its illegal immigration system yet again; and 4) the Fifth Circuit held that Texas law trumps federal statute on the subject of emergency abortions, continuing its long trend of absolutely Opposite Day abortion opinions. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m definitely beyond tired of seeing every single one of these stories.

The Good:

Recent Redistricting Resilience. We did get one nice glimmer of sunlight in election news, which was a Wisconsin SJC opinion that ordered new state districting, finding that the current version is badly gerrymandered. (Though opponents are upset that this finding came after a recent change in majority, said districts are also completely non-contiguous, which is pretty egregious, so I’m calling this a fair win.)

So that’s what I have for you, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve Edgar Allan Poe ukulele and a more functional government. I’ll be back next time with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me the energy to shovel my driveway!

National News Roundup: Year 3, Week 14 (April 21–27)

April 30, 2019 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

This week, hoooo boy — I can’t tell if the entire Trump administration did a bunch of mushrooms or somebody snuck some in my cereal and I’m the one that’s high. I’ll do my best to break it down, but this week was pretty much one long, bad trip through Wonderland. And we didn’t even get to meet a dormouse.

Standard standing reminders apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m only summarizing the news within my area of expertise. This week’s news contains some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise — I’m a lawyer, not a booster shot! — but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Constitutional Crisis Corner

Somehow, the Russia Investigation and its related aftermath just remain the gift that keeps on giving. Here’s what I have for you this week:

Remember the Russia Bit of ‘Russia Investigation?’* (Apparently nobody in this administration does, if this past week was any indication.) Russian operative Maria Butina was given an eighteen-month sentence this week, but she was credited with significant time already due to being held pretrial, so she’ll be sent back to Russia in only about nine months. Meanwhile, this administration refuses to rule out using hacked info in their reelection campaign, and no serious changes to election practices have been suggested despite news in the Mueller report that Russian operatives successfully targeted and hacked at least one Florida county government in 2016. And Trump called the Russia investigation, not Russian espionage, “an attempted overthrow of the U.S. government” even though Mueller literally found evidence that Russia hacked us to override our election process. The move had former CIA Director, John Brennan, dismissing his statements as “sociopathic ramblings,” and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein just straight-up quit instead. That last bit won’t mean anything good, so I’ll keep folks posted on developments from here.
Further Weird Mueller Aftermath.* Trump’s behavior continued to be all over the place this week, but it took some wild turns on matters Mueller-related in particular. First he tweeted fifty times in a 24-hour period about the investigation, which apparently even Twitter thought was excessive because they removed 5,000 of his best fake followers afterwards. Joke’s on Jack Dorsey, though, because then he was forced to sit through a meeting with Trump where 45 outlined all his complaints, which is definitely how a leader of the free world should spend his time. Then Trump got into some protracted fights with Congress, which I’m outlining separately below, and followed that up by taking to the Twitters again to announce that he’ll sue Congress if they manage to impeach him. That’s… not how it works, in case anyone was curious.

There was only one major story regarding Disregard of Governing Norms, but it’s a new level of egregious. Here’s what happened:

Oversight? More like Over That, Amirite* The White House went obstruction-happy this week in an unprecedented way, ordering first former White House personnel security director Carl Kline not to testify before Congress and then extending that order out to include basically everybody who has ever worked for this administration. Then Congress started threatening to hold everybody in contempt if they refused to comply, which made the White House change its tune. But then after all that, Attorney General Barr started refusing to testify before Congress because they plan to have actual lawyers question him about his treatment of the Mueller report. So now Congress is threatening to subpoena him. After all that, it’s no wonder that Rosenstein threw up his hands and quit, yeesh.

Your “Normal” Weird:

International Ickiness. In gross international news, Benjamin Netanyahu, who against all odds is somehow still Prime Minister of Israel, announced that he wanted to name a settlement in Golan Heights after Donald Trump. And news also broke that North Korea billed the United States $2M for the care of comatose prisoner Otto Warmbier. Trump’s insisting he didn’t pay them, but Trump never pays anybody if he can avoid it so that’s not saying much.
20 Candidates and Counting. Joe Biden announced his presidential candidacy this week, bringing us to an even 20 candidates for the Democratic nomination. Five of those candidates had a televised town hall this past week, and the biggest takeaway was definitely several candidates’ opinions about enfranchisement of incarcerated constituents. (It turns out that Sanders is for enfranchisement, Buttigieg is against it, and Harris isn’t sure. I’m judging you, Pete Buttigieg.)
SCOTUS Scuttlebutt. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the proposed census citizenship question this week, and the conservative majority asked a lot of questions that suggest they will let the citizenship question stand. (That’s not great news for Team Civil Rights, because it’s likely to have all kinds of ill effects for noncitizen denizens.) Against that backdrop, it’s pretty nerve-wracking that they also agreed to hear a case about whether gay and trans people have workplace protections, but we’ll have to see how that one goes.

The Bad:

Awful California Violence.* A gunman entered a synagogue in San Diego during Passover Shabbat services on Saturday and started shooting, killing one person and injuring three more. It’s the second instance of gun violence in a synagogue in about six months, and just like last time, Trump took the uncharacteristic step of actually condemning the shooting. His statements make an odd counterpoint in the same week he announced he stands by his Charlottesville remarks — and for that matter, the same week that Netanyahu announced Golan Heights will be named after him — but highlight 45’s complex relationship with American Jewish people.
Social Media Screwups.* Facebook and Twitter appear to be competing for people’s ill will this week, which has been kind of morbidly fascinating. Facebook is expecting a record-setting $5B fine this week for its many, many privacy violations, though the axe hasn’t yet dropped at the time that I type this. Meanwhile, Twitter is gaining attention for refusing to use the same algorithm to remove white supremacists that it used to weed out ISIS supporters. According to the Motherboard article that first flagged the issue, the source of reluctance was the belief that the algorithm would pick up Republicans. (Well, you know, if it quacks like a Nazi…)
Iffy Medical News. Measles outbreaks are in the news again, with officials saying that we’ve reached a 25-year record high in documented cases. Hundreds of students and staff have been quarantined at UCLA, and officials are saying that people born before 1989 should get a booster shot. Apparently Trump agrees, and I enjoy thinking about what that will do to his voting base.
Your Painfully Regular Bad Immigration Updates. The week in “how am I not making this up” news, the administration apparently considered putting migrant kids in Guantanamo Bay before dismissing the idea as bad optics (gee, you think?). Then Trump issued a memorandum threatening to mess with the visa process of 20 different countries — ostensibly because these countries have people who overstay their visas and fall out of status, but for the most part these countries aren’t the biggest sources of undocumented immigrants; they’re just — big shocker — a bunch of countries with populations of color. (The biggest source of immigrants who overstay visas, by the way, is actually Canada, who sends over about 88,000 people who fall out of status per year.) And a Massachusetts judge and clerk have been federally charged with obstruction of justice for helping a criminal defendant avoid ICE — which is a very big deal, because to my knowledge it’s the first time a public official has been charged this way. We’ll need to keep an eye on this, even though Massachusetts is rallying around the officials.

The Good:

Recent Court Resilience. In positive court news, the Kansas Supreme Judicial Court found that the Kansas constitution protects women’s right to choose. This is excellent news, because it guarantees that the state will retain the right even if SCOTUS rules otherwise — a state supreme judicial court is the highest authority on that state’s constitution. And on the federal side, an abortion gag rule put in place by the Trump administration was enjoined by a federal judge this week, which means it will be blocked until the case is resolved. So it was a bad week for measles, but a good week for reproductive rights.

So that’s what I have for this week, and some of last as well. For making it through, you deserve this squid checkup poetry and an eventual better government. I’ll be back next week with more (and hopefully less confusing) news, and I hope you will be back as well — but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me more hours in the day!

National News Roundup: Year 2, Week 16 (May 6–12)

May 15, 2018 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

Honestly, the theme of this week was “Taking This Horrorshow on the Road.” Between updates on the Russia investigation, increasingly draconian policies at the borders, withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and the release of North Korean prisoners, it definitely feels like the most noteworthy things to happen this past week occurred outside the country. But there’s still a huge amount of horrible happening domestically, and it’s a good idea to keep on top of that as well.

Standard standing reminders apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m only summarizing the news within my area of expertise. This week’s news contains some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise — I’m a lawyer, not a confirmation hearing! — but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Constitutional Crisis Corners:

It was another fairly quiet week regarding Casual Disregard of Governing Norms, but there was one major exception to this general rule:

Haspel Confirmation Hearing. Only a few days after she had threatened to withdraw, Gina Haspel’s confirmation hearing began on Wednesday, with the occasion marked by the arrest of several protesters. Disturbingly, the shouting about torture may have actually helped Haspel’s chances, since she gained the support of a second Democrat and Dick Cheney used the whole thing as an opportunity to condone waterboarding. But even some Republicans appear queasy at Haspel’s refusal to agree with simple, straightforward statements like “Torture is bad,” so what happens from here is kind of anyone’s guess.

There was a fair amount happening this week on the Russia Investigation front too, as several different interrelated issues moved forward. Here’s a summary of the main things to know:

Cohen Circus Continues. There was even more news about Michael Cohen this past week, and it’s hard to sort out what’s mere monkeyshines and what’s genuinely concerning. First we learned that Novartis made payments to him to the tune of $1.2M after Trump became President, which definitely isn’t sketchy at all, and it turns out Cohen wasn’t even able to do what he was paid to do. AT&T hopped on the Pay Cohen to Be Incompetent Train as well, paying him $600,000 to get advice about their merger with Time Warner and getting net neutrality repealed. (They ended up ousting their top lobbyist over it.) But while those two are disturbing in their own right, they were pretty quickly overshadowed by Stormy Daniels’s lawyer announcing that Columbus Nova, an investment firm with ties to a Russian oligarch, also was paying Cohen a cool half-million. Then further news came out that this firm also set up a bunch of alt-right websites during the 2016 election, tying Russia more closely to alt-right causes yet again. The full impact and implications of all of this are still not clear, but I bet there will be more news on it soon.
Mike Pence Continues to be Mike Pence. This week’s jackassery is his statement that it’s “time to . . . wrap up [the Mueller investigation]” in “the interest of the country.” His argument for why it’s time to conclude the investigation was simply that “it’s been about a year since this investigation began.” Also, he has a bridge he would like to sell us.
Senate Intelligence Committee News. The Senate Intelligence Committee released a report on election security this week, and the findings were… not great. The committee found that Russia definitely tried to undermine confidence in the election system, targeting nearly half the states in the country and potentially altering or deleting voter registration data in several of them. Meanwhile, House Democrats also released thousands of Facebook ads that were purchased by Russian troll farms. The ads are surprisingly varied in scope, focusing on racially divisive issues in particular but encouraging political divisions in general. It’s… pretty creepy and sobering to realize they were seeding Black Lives Matter ads alongside MAGA ones, to be honest, and a great excuse to remind yourself how to follow credible news sources.

Your “Normal” Weird:

Melania’s Be Best Campaign. Melania Trump rolled out a ‘Be Best’ campaign this week, which was originally listed as ‘by Melania Trump and the Federal Trade Commission.’ Except that it was first issued by the FTC in 2014, before Melania ever touched the White House, and the words ‘by Melania Trump’ referred to an eight-sentence introduction she added to the existing pamphlet. Given her history of stealing Michelle Obama’s words in 2016, it’s understandable that people are crying ‘plagiarism’ — not your best work, Melania.
Scheiderman Resigns. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned this week amid allegations of romantic partner abuse. The news is particularly upsetting given Schneiderman’s history as an advocate for women’s rights, and given surfacing allegations that Trump blackmailed Schneiderman over it to get the AG to drop the Trump University case. We apparently learned about the blackmail angle from the raid of Michael Cohen’s office, which of course was overseen by the US District Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Schneiderman was widely regarded as Mueller’s backup plan for indicting Manafort and Gates. So it’s… all kind of an incestuous mess, to say the least.
John McCain News. John McCain was one of several senators to speak out against Gina Haspel this week, going so far as to urge the Senate not to confirm her on the grounds that “[h]er refusal to acknowledge torture’s immorality is disqualifying.” The Daily Beast also reported that John McCain was the one who gave the Steele dossier to James Comey. Perhaps these two things were why a White House staffer was quoted as observing that McCain’s opposition “doesn’t matter, [because] he’s dying anyway” and therefore would not hold much sway in the Senate proceedings. The White House, of course, was very upset that the comment was leaked, but have no plans to issue any kind of apology, because their moral compasses are set to Permanent Opposite Day.
North Korean Prisoners Released. North Korea released three American detainees this week in a gesture of goodwill that was positive but vaguely baffling. The released men appeared to be in good health, and the whole thing was likely publicity preparation for proposed peace talks.

The Bad:

Immigration Updates. Despite news the previous week of DHHS losing almost 1,500 migrant children, the Trump administration announced a new policy this week to charge every single adult apprehended at the border and separate all adults and children as a matter of course. When questioned on the wisdom of this course of action, Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly apparently replied the children will be “put into foster care or whatever.” (Yes, the same foster care system that apparently loses one fifth of all its wards.) Meanwhile, this new policy appears linked to Trump’s anger at the current Secretary of Homeland Security, given reports that he blames her for rising apprehension rates at the border and recently berated her for thirty minutes straight in a Cabinet meeting. It also appears to be intended to dissuade people from exercising their right to seek asylum. Folks, nearly everything I just typed is busted on so many levels that I don’t even know where to start, so suffice to say, this is not good or humane policy.
Iran Nuclear Deal. Trump announced this week that the U.S. was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, calling it “a horrible one-sided deal that should never have been made.” France, Germany, and Britain have already signaled that they plan to stay in the deal, releasing a joint statement noting their “concern and regret” that the United States is withdrawing. Iran is continuing to negotiate with them as well as Russia and China to see if a deal can be reached without us, even as thousands protest the U.S. withdrawal and Iran warns that it will not renegotiate. We should continue to watch this, and it wouldn’t be the worst idea to call reps about it.

The Good:

Ben Carson Suit. Civil rights groups are bringing a suit against Ben Carson for his failure to enforce a fair housing rule that forced communities to address systemic segregation if they wanted to receive HUD funding. They’re arguing that his actions violate the 1968 Fair Housing Act, and frankly, they’re probably right. I’m excited to see where this lawsuit goes.

And that’s the news this week! I’m afraid next week looks like it’s gearing up to be an awful news week, if today is any indication, and I’m sure we’ll be crying in our comfort foods by this time next week. But I’ll be back, and I’m hoping so will you, and if you need anything before then, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me hope for tomorrow!