Rumors are spreading that the U.S. Supreme Court will vote 5-4 to rule that a U.S. president cannot be prosecuted for anything he does while he is president. Some Democrats are suggesting that Joe Biden bring a gun to his first debate with Donald Trump. If he shoots Trump, he would be immune, but if Trump shoots Biden he would be prosecuted because he is not a sitting president.   read more

If Goldman Sachs had been allowed to appoint the head of the SEC, which is supposed to keep an eye on the financial industry, it might’ve chosen Jay Clayton. Attorney Clayton has handled many deals for Goldman Sachs and is even married to one of its wealth managers. Goldman Sachs didn’t have to worry, because that’s exactly who Donald Trump, who declared during his campaign: “I’m not going to let Wall Street get away with murder. Wall Street has caused tremendous problems for us,” nominated.   read more

Friedman’s most radical position rejects the “two-state solution” that every U.S. administration has advocated since at least 1967. He has even said that Trump would support Israeli annexation of the West Bank—something most Israel supporters oppose because it would make Israel a Muslim-majority nation. To avoid the conclusion that his policies would destroy the Jewish character of Israel, Friedman claimed without any evidence that “nobody really knows how many Palestinians live there.”   read more

Among Collyer's controversial decisions was her 2011 ruling that limited the release of details of the George W. Bush administration’s memos regarding torture. She also supported the CIA's contention that for it to acknowledge interest in using drones for targeted killing would cause damage to U.S. national security. Her decision was unanimously reversed on appeal. In 2016, she rejected the Libertarian and Green parties' claim of legal right to participate in the U.S. presidential debates.   read more

As a Washington law firm partner in 1985, Lighthizer focused on trade litigation and policy advice, in particular promoting the interests of U.S. Steel and the steel industry in general. In 1985, he lobbied on behalf of Brazil’s Sugar and Alcohol Institute. A longtime protectionist, he criticized presidential candidate Sen. John McCain for what Lighthizer believed were trade-friendly policies. And, like Trump, Lighthizer has focused on China as a trade bogeyman.   read more

In 1996, Desai was recruited as a legal assistant to the U.S. arbitrators at the Iran-U.S. States Claims Tribunal in The Hague, a job that continued through 1998. Later that year he went on to practice law with the Seattle firm of Davis Wright Tremaine, focusing on litigation pertaining to copyright, trademark, newsgathering and the First Amendment. Then in 2001, he joined the University of Wisconsin Law School faculty as a professor of law. He has continued in that job to the present.   read more

“President Trump’s executive order is unconstitutional, unlawful, and fundamentally un-American...[and] undermines our states’ families, economies, and institutions," said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. High-ranking U.S. security officials, including Madeleine Albright, Leon Panetta and John Kerry signed a declaration arguing the ban endangers U.S. citizens. “We view the order as one that ultimately undermines the national security of the United States...” the officials said.   read more

Born in Mexico, Velasquez served as director of the D.C. Office of Latino Affairs between 2003 and 2006. He then joined the Office of Human Rights, where he worked for nearly seven years, focusing on enforcing civil rights, including non-discrimination practices through the D.C. Human Rights Act. In 2013, Velasquez took over as executive director of the Latino Economic Development Center, a non-profit that helps Latinos find affordable housing and develop business skills.   read more

Oil and gas interests have comprised most of Perry’s political donors over the years. A strong advocate of the death penalty, Perry is a climate-change denier who said those who believe the overwhelming evidence that the climate is changing “know that we have been experiencing a cooling trend, that the complexities of the global atmosphere have often eluded the most sophisticated scientists..." As governor of Texas, Perry was Indicted for abuse of power--charges that were eventually dropped.   read more

Mulvaney rode the Tea Party wave in 2010 to become one of the 14 most conservative members of Congress. He signed on to Speaker Ryan’s plan to turn Medicare into a voucher scheme and was criticized at his confirmation hearing for not having paid payroll taxes for the woman who cared for his young triplets. When Mulvaney said he couldn’t recall voting for cuts in defense spending and troop deployments, Sen. McCain responded: “I think I would remember if I was withdrawing troops from Europe.”   read more

As director of D.C.'s Planning Office, Tergoning devoted herself to revitalizing the city, with a focus on making it more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. Many residents found her efforts arrogant and high-handed. “The thing people sometimes forget about Harriet is, she's viewed as a hero in the smart-growth movement, but a lot of D.C. residents really didn't like her,” said a Post reporter. The Washingtonian called her “a street fighter who often finds herself between warring forces.”   read more

Pruitt filed a series of 14 lawsuits against federal regulations designed to protect the environment from numerous threats, including mercury emissions by coal-burning power plants, and carbon dioxide that causes climate change. In 13 of the cases, Pruitt was joined by co-plaintiffs including companies that had contributed money to him. At one point, Pruitt allowed an industry-written letter, prepared by Devon Energy officials, to be printed verbatim on official stationery with his signature.   read more

In his 2014 fundraising emails, Zinke wrote: “I spent 23 years as a Navy SEAL and served as a Team Leader on SEAL Team Six — the team responsible for the mission to get Osama bin Laden.” What he didn’t mention was that he’d been out of the Navy for three years when the mission against bin Laden was carried out. He also said that while humans have some role in climate change, “the evidence is equally as strong that there are other factors...that have a greater influence.”   read more

It was during the savings and loan crisis that Golding launched his career in mortgage finance with a job at the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. His ascension at FHA found him with limited authority to manage the agency. Republican lawmakers, led by Sen. Charles Grassley, criticized the Obama Administration for circumventing the Senate in appointing Golding to the FHA post. HUD officials denied there was any such intent. Industry trade groups, however, largely supported the choice.   read more

Several of Puzder's food franchisees were fined by the Labor Dept, the very organization Puzder has been nominated to lead, for not paying employees properly. Puzder fought against minimum wage increases, donating money to a failed attempt to fight a ballot measure raising Nevada's minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $6.15. In response to critics of his sexually charged fast-food commercials, Puzder said, "I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis. I think it’s very American."   read more

Tillerson's ExxonMobil cut a deal with Russia in 2011 for a joint venture to explore for oil in the Russian Arctic. But in 2014, the collaboration ended due to sanctions the U.S. put into place after Russia invaded Ukraine. Not surprisingly, Tillerson opposed the sanctions. Russia wasn’t the only place where Tillerson’s company acted in opposition to U.S. interests. It also signed an oil deal with the Kurds who control Iraq’s northern region. That agreement cut out the Iraqi central government.   read more

These are the seven countries from which President Donald Trump halted entry to the United States: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Including all terrorist acts committed by terrorists who were foreign-born or whose parents were born abroad, the total number of Americans killed by terrorists from the Trump 7 is…zero. On the other hand, terrorists from other countries have killed 2, 689 Americans. Here are some examples.   read more