Author: Kelly Coyle
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Trump and Kim meet for second summit
President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met face-to-face on February 27 and 28, in Hanoi, Vietnam, for their second in-person summit. Trump and Kim were unable to reach an agreement on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump said that Kim wanted all economic sanctions to be lifted in return for…
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Senate confirms Wheeler as EPA administrator
Andrew Wheeler, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 52-47, mostly along party lines. Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined 46 members of the Democratic caucus in voting against Wheeler’s nomination. No Democrats voted for Wheeler’s nomination. Trump announced his intent to…
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US House passes firearms legislation
The House passed a bill that proposes requiring federal criminal background checks on all firearms sales by a vote of 240-190. Eight Republicans voted with most Democrats in favor of the bill. Two Democrats—Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Collin Peterson (Minn.)—voted with Republicans against the bill. The bill proposes requiring background checks for commercial…
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Senate rejects Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
The Senate rejected the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act by a vote of 53-44. It needed 60 votes to advance. The bill proposed making it a felony if a healthcare practitioner failed to care for a child who survived an abortion or attempted abortion. All Republicans and Democratic Sens. Bob Casey (Pa.), Doug Jones…
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House passes resolution to overturn Trump’s national emergency declaration
The House passed legislation to overturn President Donald Trump’s declaration of national emergency on the southern border. The resolution passed by a vote of 245-182. Every Democrat and 13 Republicans voted for the resolution. The 13 Republicans who voted for the resolution were Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Mike Gallagher (Wis.), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), Will Hurd (Texas), Dusty Johnson (S.D.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), Francis…
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SCOTUS releases 10th unanimous opinion of term
The U.S. Supreme Court released its 10th unanimous opinion of the term. Justice Sonia Sotomayor delivered the unanimous opinion in Nutraceutical Corp. v. Lambert, a case concerning claim-processing rules. It was her first opinion of the term. The justices have issued 11 decisions, 10 of which were unanimous.
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SCOTUS releases two unanimous opinions
The U.S. Supreme Court released two unanimous opinions this week. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered the unanimous opinion in Timbs v. Indiana, a case concerning the Eighth Amendment’s ban on excessive fines. It was her second opinion of the term. Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the unanimous opinion in Dawson v. Steager, a case…
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SCOTUS to hear four cases next week
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the following four cases next week: *Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck, a case concerning the First Amendment’s limitation on governmental restriction of free speech and public access television channels. *Mont v. United States, a case concerning supervised release for criminals. *United States…
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Sixteen states file suit against Trump’s emergency declaration
Sixteen state attorneys general filed a lawsuit in California’s Northern District against President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration to pay for a wall along the southern border. The lawsuit states that the emergency declaration shows a “flagrant disregard for the separation of powers. … President Trump has veered the country toward a constitutional crisis of…
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Trump signs bill to fund parts of the government and border barrier; declares state of emergency
President Donald Trump signed a $328 billion spending bill that includes $1.375 billion in funding for barriers on the southern border. He had requested $5.7 billion in wall funding. Trump, because he said he did not get the amount requested, declared a state of emergency on the southern border and directed $8.1 billion to build…