Trump Digs In On Separatng Families

Why Trump is digging in on separating families at the border. CNN: “Logic suggests that the White House, under crushing political pressure, would be forced to back down on its hardline immigration policy amid outrage over searing depictions of kids separated from their parents at the southern border. But while the swirling political crisis over the ‘zero tolerance’ approach to undocumented migrants might convince a conventional White House to seek a way out, this administration is so far digging in. It is sticking to a strategy of falsely blaming Democrats and past administrations for a practice that it decided to adopt and could change anytime it wanted to. ‘The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility,’ President Donald Trump declared on Monday. A climbdown on this issue would represent more than a huge embarrassment for the President. It would undermine his political image and philosophy and require him to admit he’s wrong and to temper instincts that force him to counterattack.”

All 5 First Ladies Speak Against Family Separations

All 5 first ladies speak out against family-separation immigration policy. ABC: “All five living first ladies have weighed in on the the Trump administration’s immigration policy this week, an unusual move even as Melania Trump had her spokeswoman issue a statement on it. The policy of separating children from their family members when they cross the border illegally has prompted debate in Washington, with many rights groups calling the practice inhumane. The Trump administration has said it’s simply enforcing a law to prosecute adults that come into the U.S. illegally and that children cannot be housed with adults while they are going through the criminal process.”

China Trade War Escalates

Europe and Asia markets slide after Trump threatens new tariffs on Chinese products.WaPo: “European markets opened down and Asian ones dipped dramatically after President Trump threatened China with tariffs on $200 billion in products, renewing fears of an all-out trade war that could hit the global economy. ‘Asian countries that have close trade ties to China such as South Korea and Japan are bracing for side effects of the trade war,’ said Park Jin-woo, a researcher at Seoul’s Center for Trade Studies at the Korea International Trade Association. Dips in Asia, and then in Europe, sparked concern that U.S. markets could also take a Tuesday morning hit.”

Supreme Court Punts On Gerrymandering

The Supreme Court decided not to decide Wisconsin’s gerrymandering case. But here’s why it will be back. WaPo: “On Monday, the Supreme Court surprised observers by deciding not to decide Gill v. Whitford, the high-profile case about partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin. Instead, the court remanded the case back to Wisconsin district court to give the plaintiffs “an opportunity” to provide better evidence about whether they had the right to bring the suit at all. That means the litigation about partisan gerrymandering is likely to continue. While any subsequent decision will come too late to affect the 2018 elections, it’s certainly possible cases will be decided in time to affect the 2020 elections… (Justice) Kagan suggested a First Amendment argument could allow the Democratic Party or other political groups to have standing as plaintiffs, enabling them to represent members across the state. For example, members of the disadvantaged party might complain that a biased legislative map harmed its ability to mobilize supporters or recruit candidates to run for the legislature. This would switch the focus from the individual whose vote was diluted to the political party whose functions were undermined.”

Kobach Ordered To Attend Remedial Legal Classes

Kris Kobach ordered to attend legal classes for violating basic legal concepts. ThinkProgress: “A federal judge on Tuesday struck down Kansas Secretary of State and notorious voter suppression architect Kris Kobach’s documentary proof of citizenship law, and ordered Kobach, who decided to represent himself in the litigation and repeatedly violated basic rules of civil procedure, to attend six hours of continuing legal education classes. During trial in March, Kobach argued that he had evidence that a significant number of non-citizens were registering to vote in Kansas. The only way to prevent this type of voter fraud, he argued, was his law which required voters to show a proof-of-citizenship document like a passport or birth certificate when they registered to vote. The ACLU, which represented the voters in the lawsuit, argued that the law disenfranchised eligible voters, especially students and low-income citizens. According to the ACLU, the Kansas law blocked more than 35,000 people in that state from casting a ballot between 2013 and 2016 — about 14 percent of all new voter registrations.”