Trump’s Long-Shot Effort To Block Bolton’s Book
- Key details from Former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s long-awaited book began to surface this week, after major newspapers got ahold of the tell-all before its official release next week.
- Bolton, who refused to testify in the impeachment inquiry, details a number of occasions where President Trump apparently abused his office for political gain.
- Trump, not surprisingly, is unhappy with the book, and tried to argue on Monday that any conversation with him is “highly classified.”
- The DOJ filed suit on Tuesday to attempt to block the book’s release. Later in the week, the Trump administration escalated its legal battle against the book.
- At a hearing in the case on Friday, the DOJ’s long-shot effort to block the book appeared to be on the ropes. But Bolton’s problems may not be over.
- Catch up on every twist and turn in the hearing by reading our live coverage here.
Supreme Court Shows Its Independence
- The Supreme Court issued two landmark rulings this week — one upholding workplace protections for LGBTQ people, another upholding the Obama-era DACA immigration program.
- Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh each authored scathing dissents in the gay rights ruling.
- Conservatives were none too happy with Chief Justice John Roberts this week for joining his liberal counterparts in both rulings.
- Trump’s reaction to the gay rights ruling was relatively muted. But after the DACA ruling, he raged at the court, calling the recent decisions “shotgun blasts” aimed at Republicans.
Where The Pandemic Is Still Raging
- Arizona has emerged as a major coronavirus hot spot, as TPM’s Josh Kovensky has reported. The state set records on Monday in a number of markers that point to the severity of the outbreak: New COVID cases, hospitalizations, ventilators in use and ICU beds occupied.
- In Texas, another state seeing a surge in COVID cases, Gov. Greg Abbott condoned local efforts to get around a state ban on localities requiring masks.
- For TPM subscribers, here’s a look at why hospital staffing and capacity have become a recurring issue in the fight against the coronavirus.
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