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July 2017

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 20, 2017 34 Comments
OJ Simpson has received parole for his 2008 conviction of an armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers. From Fox News:
Commissioner Tony Corda begins. He says Simpson committed a crime and was sent to prison. He says Simpson has no prior convictions and is low risk. He has community support and has heard from Simpson and his victim. "The question is if you have served enough time in this case." Corda votes to grant parole.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on July 20, 2017 18 Comments
"Germany will remain Germany,” Chancellor Merkel had assured Germans amid the massive migrant influx last year. German politicians, media, and celebrities told everyone that "refugees" were coming to "enrich" their country. Since then, the country has seen numerous rapes, sexual assaults, and terrorist attacks. Now you can add female genital mutilation and child brides to that list. A report from the feminist and women rights group Terre des Femmes states that the number of females in Germany who have had their genitals mutilated has risen sharply last year due to mass-migration -- taking the total number of victims to 58,0000. Additionally, more than 13,000 minor girls are at risk of undergoing genital mutilation, a practice officially banned in Germany.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 20, 2017 99 Comments
The NY Times has published excerpts of its interview yesterday with Donald Trump. While there were several newsworthy comments, most focus is on the criticism of Jeff Sessions recusing himself from the investigation and the resulting appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Sessions' recusal is the most consequential event of the Trump presidency so far, because it resulted in what appears to be a wide-ranging investigation into Trump. As posted earlier, the Mueller team appears to be larger in size than would be needed for an investigation into Russian meddling in the election, something I pointed out in Mueller legal team approaching size of entire US Attorney’s Office for Rhode Island.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on July 20, 2017 31 Comments
On CNN this morning, political analyst David Gregory was discussing the lengthy interview that President Trump granted yesterday to three reporters from the New York Times, including Maggie Haberman. Said Gregory:

"It's striking that the president who spends so much time trying to discredit the news media to convince his supporters simply not to believe outlets like the New York Times, in the end cannot quit Maggie Haberman and that's just the bottom line. Because he wants legitimacy and he knows you have to go to Maggie and her colleagues who are really the journalists of record on this Trump presidency."

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 19, 2017 36 Comments
Polling this far out from the mid-term elections in November 2018 is just guesswork. But a Washington Post - ABC News poll has Democrats worried, because while it shows voters in general want a change in control of Congress, it also shows that Republicans in general, and Trump supporters particularly, are much more motivated to vote. Aaron Blake at The Fix (WaPo) writes, This poll should be a warning sign for Democrats:

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 19, 2017 3 Comments
People rejoiced when the Illinois legislature passed a budget bill mainly aimed at education. I blogged about eduction funding for grades K-12 earlier this month. Public universities have their own problems. Yes, the state has its first budget in two years, but its the first budget in two years:
"You don't get one year's funding and have people say, 'Oh, Illinois is totally fixed now,' " said Rachel Lindsey, interim president of Chicago State University. "I don't think it would be in our best interest to think of ourselves as out of the woods just yet."

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 19, 2017 41 Comments
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has kept his word. The Department of Justice has expanded its asset forfeiture program that will allow authorities to seize a citizen's property even if they have not been charged with a crime. The DOJ's program can even apply in the fourteen states that have banned civil asset forfeiture without a criminal conviction.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 19, 2017 35 Comments
The Supreme Court has ruled on the Trump administration's Motion for Clarification and for a Stay of the Hawaii Order significantly scaling back implementation of Travel Order No. 2. The Court denied the request for "clarification," granted a stay of the Hawaii Order on refugees, and was silent (de facto denial) of a stay as to relatives:

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 19, 2017 8 Comments
The investigation into female genital mutilation (FGM) in Michigan has now spread to five other states after authorities identified possible new defendants. The lawyer for Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, the woman charged with performing FGM on numerous girls, disclosed this information in new court documents "to show the complexity of the case and explain why" the court should release her client "from jail to prepare for trial.
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