The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to rule on President Trump's policy restricting military service by transgender people. If granted, the request would bypass challenges in lower courts which, so far, have gone against the administration.
Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued lower court decisions blocking the policy mean "the military has been forced to maintain" an earlier policy which "pose[s] too great a risk to military effectiveness and lethality." Plaintiffs in those cases decried the request for an accelerated decision.
The Supreme Court typically does not hear cases until they have gone through the full appeals process. And after the partisan controversy surrounding the confirmation of new Justice Brett Kavanaugh this fall, the administration's push for a quick decision may be "forcing [the Supreme Court] into a minefield that many justices would almost surely prefer to avoid," lawyer and former SCOTUS clerk Joshua Matz told The Associated Press. Bonnie Kristian
The FBI arrested a member of a right-wing militia on Saturday in New Mexico. Larry Mitchell Hopkins, 69, of Flora Vista, New Mexico, was charged with alleged unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition just days after his armed group, The United Constitutional Patriots, detained over 200 migrants who had illegally crossed the United States' southern border into New Mexico.
The group reportedly posted videos of its members detaining the migrants and coordinating with U.S. border patrol agents to take the people into custody. It is unclear, however, if Hopkins' arrest is directly related to the detentions, per The Guardian. But the New Mexico attorney general's office described him as a "dangerous felon who should not have weapons around children and families."
The militia's spokesman, Jim Benvie, said that Hopkins "will get through this" and that the arrest "doesn't change anything."
The American Civil Liberties Union, which has called The United Constitutional Patriots "fascist," blamed the group's vigilante actions on the rhetoric of President Trump. Tim O'Donnell
An ongoing series of bombings targeted churches and luxury hotels in what is believed to be a coordinated terror attack in Sri Lanka on Sunday. At least 140 people have reportedly been killed and 560 injured.
The Sri Lankan government has declared a curfew, blocked access to most major social media sites, and deployed the military in response. The first wave of attacks reportedly occurred during three Easter services at Christian churches throughout the country, including in the capital Colombo. Christians are a minority in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka and Christian groups say they have faced increasing intimidation from some extremist Buddhist monks in recent years, per Reuters.
Three more bombs then went off at hotels, one near a zoo, and one at a private residence.
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena both condemned the attacks.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks. Sri Lanka has been at "relative peace" for the past decade after the end of a 25-year civil war when terrorist bombings were common. Tim O'Donnell
Mitt Romney says he is 'sickened' by the Mueller report's findings, but government can now 'move on'
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly left Attorney General William Barr and other members of the Justice Department perplexed, The Washington Post reports.
Their confusion stems from Mueller's decision to not reach a conclusion on whether President Trump obstructed justice during Mueller's probe into 2016 Russian election interference and the Trump campaign's conduct surrounding the meddling. In public, Barr — who reportedly considers Mueller a friend — said it was Mueller's "prerogative" to make the call, or lack thereof, on obstruction.
But privately, Barr and Assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein disagreed with Mueller's legal theories. In the report, Mueller's team pointed to a long-standing legal opinion at the Justice Department's Office of Legal Council, which says that a sitting president should not be indicted. Mueller reportedly concluded that meant they could not accuse the president of a crime and, at times, the report implies that Congress should assume the role of making prosecutorial decisions.
This reportedly surprised Barr who did think Mueller had the authority to make such a decision (Barr eventually came to the conclusion that the evidence did not constitute obstruction.) Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, told the Post that it was, indeed, a surprise that Mueller leaned so heavily on the OLC opinion.
"It doesn't make any sense, because on collusion, he seemed to be perfectly empowered to reach a conclusion on whether the president committed a crime," Turley said. "The other problem is that his mandate clearly allowed him to make a decision." Read more at The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell
President Trump normally seems to relish the idea that he and the media are foils. He's gone so far as to call some outlets the "enemy of the people," but he still stops and talks with them as often as he can. But, apparently, first lady Melania Trump can convince him not to.
On Thursday, as the president crossed the White House's South Lawn shortly after the public release of the redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on 2016 Russian election interference and the Trump campaign's conduct surrounding the meddling, he walked right past a "mob of reporters." Instead of stopping to take a few questions like he usually does, Bloomberg reports, Trump just waved silently before boarding the presidential helicopter and heading down to Florida for the weekend.
Trump, per Bloomberg, sought to show defiance after Mueller's findings became public — although the White House has largely claimed the report vindicates Trump, he is reportedly still frustrated with the news coverage on the matter. Ignoring the reporters on the lawn fed right into that plan of defiance. However, people briefed on the matter told Bloomberg that it was the first lady, not the president, who suggested spurning the press. Trump appeared to continue following the first lady's advice as he ignored reporters' questions upon arriving in Florida on Thursday evening, as well. Read more about the aftermath of the Mueller report at Bloomberg. Tim O'Donnell
The United States on Friday made the first arrest related to the mysterious raid of North Korea's embassy in Spain in February, sources familiar with the situation told The Washington Post.
During the raid, which took place in the middle of the day, masked intruders reportedly tied up staff and stole computers before fleeing to the U.S. On Thursday, U.S. authorities arrested Christopher Ahn, a former U.S. Marine, in connection with the break-in. Ahn is a member of Free Joseon, a group dedicated to the overthrow of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his familial dynasty. Free Joseon reportedly claimed responsibility for the embassy raid in March. Free Joseon was trying to assist the U.S. government by turning over the stolen items, which the group claimed potentially had "enormous" intelligence value, per the Post.
The State Department said that the United States had nothing to do with the incident, despite initial reports out of Spain that the CIA was involved.
Ahn's case will remain sealed after a judge ruled in favor of his attorney's request. Read more at The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell