President Trump’s Declaration of National Emergency Hit with First Lawsuits
Just a day after President Trump declared a National Emergency, advocacy groups had already filed lawsuits against it, The Washington Post reports.
The group Public Citizen is seeking to block Trump’s declaration on behalf of three Texas landowners. And another group is suing the Department of Justice for failing to provide adequate documents related to the president’s decision. Here we go…
Pope Francis makes Rare Move of Defrocking Ex-Cardinal Guilty of Sex Abuse
Pope Francis has defrocked Theodore McCarrick, the former U.S. Cardinal who was found guilty by Vatican officials of sex abuse against minors and adults. He is the highest ranking official to be “laicized,” meaning he can no longer celebrate Mass or other sacraments or be addressed by any religious title.
This week the Pope will welcome more than 100 top Catholic bishops from around the globe for an unprecedented summit aimed at tackling the issue of clergy sex abuse. Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Square, he asked for prayers toward that effort.
Lindsay Graham Expresses Support for President Trump’s Emergency Declaration
“I think the president's been making a persuasive case that the border is broken, you know,” he said on Sunday’s Face the Nation on CBS. “Drugs are flowing across the border killing Americans, human trafficking. We've got a dangerous situation along the border.”
Trump: Europe Must take 800 ISIS Fighters or They’ll be Freed
Trump on Saturday said the caliphate was "ready to fall” and that the United States was asking European allies to take back more than 800 Islamic State fighters captured in Syria and put them on trial.
The United States is asking Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to take back over 800 ISIS fighters that we captured in Syria and put them on trial. The Caliphate is ready to fall. The alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them........
Trump said on Friday there would be "great announcements" about Syria over the next 24 hours.
Illinois Gunman Kills 5 After Losing Job
The man brought a gun to his termination meeting at the Henry Pratt Company plant in Aurora, Illinois, and started killing people in the room immediately after he learned had been fired. He killed 5 and injured 6 – including 5 police officers – in a 90-minute rampage. Police say he did not legally own the gun.
Also among his victims – a 21-year-old intern on his first day on the job.
Chicago police say the investigation has “shifted” while CNN and others are reporting evidence suggests Smollett might have organized the attack. His lawyers are pushing back against that.
“We can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation,” Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in an emailed statement Saturday. “We’ve reached out to the Empire cast member’s attorney to request a follow-up interview.”
A statement from Smollett’s attorneys reads, "Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with…. He has been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth."
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Gives Inaugural Address in the Bronx, Touts Amazon Win & Green New Deal
Alexandria Ocascio Cortez spoke to a group of about 300 constituents in a performing arts high school in the Bronx, giving a formal address to establish her congressional agenda – an unusual move for a freshman member of Congress, NBC reports.
She touched on Amazon’s exit from New York City, saying “we don’t have to settle for scraps in the greatest city in the world.”
She also defended the Green New Deal, noting that it is supported by every Democratic presidential candidate and said the Green New Deal belongs to “indigenous communities in the United States, it belongs to the residents of Flint, it belongs to the people Puerto Rico, it belongs to the coal miners of West Virginia, it belongs to the victims of wildfires.”
Colin Kaepernick Settles with the NFL
Kaepernick and the NFL have reached a settlement in the case where Kaepernick accused the NFL of collusion to keep him off the field after his decision the kneel during the national anthem.
Brett Tolman: Trump’s ability to declare a National Emergency “virtually unassailable”
Make sure to follow @BrettTolman, @NoSpinNews, and @BillOReilly on Twitter!
As @BillOReilly and I have discussed on @NoSpinNews the President’s ability to declare a national emergency is virtually unassailable. S 2808 however limits where the $ can come from. https://t.co/5EXjVOJZ8k
