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Federal Judge Orders WH To Restart DACA

Federal judge orders Trump sdministration to restart DACA in full. NYM: "A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully restart the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the fourth district court ruling against the White House’s efforts to eliminate the program. On Friday, Washington-based district judge John Bates — who was appointed by President George W. Bush — dismissed the Trump administration’s rationale for shutting down DACA as inadequate. The order doesn’t take effect immediately. Bates gave the administration until August 23 to appeal the ruling or restart the Obama-era program, which protects from deportation more than 700,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as children. The judge had given the administration 90 days to restart the program back in April, but stayed his own ruling in order to give the administration another chance at presenting a legally sound reason for why DACA is unlawful. It couldn’t."

Reuniting Migrant Families is "Sole Burden" Of Government

Judge says reuniting families is government's sole burden. AP: "A federal judge on Friday said the Trump administration was solely responsible for reuniting hundreds of children who remain separated from the parents after being split at the U.S.-Mexico border, puncturing a government plan that put the onus on the American Civil Liberties Union. 'The reality is that for every parent that is not located, there will be a permanently orphaned child and that is 100 percent the responsibility of the administration,' U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said. His remarks in a conference call came a day after the administration and the American Civil Liberties Union submitted widely divergent plans on how to reunify more than 500 still-separated children, including 410 with parents outside the United States. The government proposed Thursday that the ACLU, which represents parents, use its 'considerable resources' to find parents in their home countries, predominantly Guatemala and Honduras. The Justice Department said in a court filing that the State Department has begun talks with foreign governments on how the administration may be able to aid the effort. Sabraw said he was disappointed with the court filing 'in the respect that there's not a plan that has been proposed.' He said he would order the government to name someone to lead the effort."

Tuesday Primaries In KS, MI, MO, WA, Ohio Special Vote

4 primaries, Ohio special election promise key midterm clues. ABC: "Voters in five states head to the polls Tuesday, and both parties are looking for signs of strength and unity in their ranks less than three months until the first major U.S. election since the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington State all hold primaries Tuesday, but the special election in Ohio's 12th Congressional District is taking on particular significance because it's the last time Democrats and Republicans will face off directly until November. Thirty-six U.S. House seats and three U.S. Senate seats are at stake in November in the four states holding primaries Tuesday, many of which will be in races key to determining control of both chambers of Congress... the district north of Columbus is suddenly primed to play a key role as Democrats aim to recapture a majority in the House of Representatives. Much like Rep. Conor Lamb did on his path to an upset victory in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District in March, Franklin County Recorder Danny O'Connor has combined a moderate platform with criticism of both Democratic and Republican leadership to gain a foothold in the race. His opponent's support of President Trump is further likely to boost turnout among Democrats in the district."

Judge Rejects Anonymous Dark Money In Elections

Judge's ruling invalidates FEC regulation allowing anonymous donations to 'dark money' groups. Politico: "A U.S. District Court judge on Friday issued a ruling invalidating a Federal Election Commission regulation that has allowed donors to so-called dark-money groups to remain anonymous, the latest development in a years-long legal battle that could have major implications for campaign finance. Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled the FEC's current regulation of such groups, including 501(c) 4 non-profits, fails to uphold the standard Congress intended when it required the disclosure of politically related spending. 'The challenged regulation facilitates such financial 'routing,' blatantly undercuts the congressional goal of fully disclosing the sources of money flowing into federal political campaigns, and thereby suppresses the benefits intended to accrue from disclosure ... ,' wrote Howell, an Obama appointee to the D.C district court. The decision is likely to be appealed. The decision paves the way for new requirements that could force nonprofits to disclose donors who give least $200 toward influencing federal elections. (Social-welfare nonprofits such as Crossroads GPS are allowed to spend money on elections so long as it's not their 'major purpose.') In the post Citizens United era, spending by these groups has ballooned, but they have largely avoided having to report individual donors as a result of the FEC's belief that their names only need to be disclosed in limited circumstances."

Progressives' Roadmap To Victory In November

The Progressives’ plan to win in 2018. The Atlantic: "The first Netroots Nation conference in a Trump-era election year opened with not one, not two, but five keynote speakers of color, all of whom underlined the potential of a 'multiracial coalition' of voters made up of African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and progressive whites. Their prescription for taking back the House in the November mid-terms was not winning back Trump voters, but expanding the electorate. 'Our swing voter is not red to blue,' Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 28-year-old Bronx Democrat who upset Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley in a June primary, told an audience of progressive activists on Saturday. 'It's non-voter to voter.' The line was met with huge applause from the audience at Netroots Nation, the annual gathering for progressive candidates, activists, and organizers. Where as last year’s conference attendees saw a gubernatorial candidate’s speech interrupted with shouts of 'trust black women,' this year’s felt like a very intentional tribute to people of color, especially women. The conference offered more than 20 training sessions and panels specifically addressing how to reach those voters, as well as the millions of eligible Americans who aren’t registered to vote. The majority of panelists and presenters, according to Netroots organizers, were people of color."

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