Trump in office

[DKG]

Donald Trump issued a consequential executive order that undermines the power of the federal government to prosecute Americans for obscure rules passed by unelected agencies.

The order, entitled "Fighting Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations," was issued Friday and limits the federal government from prosecuting Americans for violating regulations without ill intent.

"The United States is drastically overregulated. The Code of Federal Regulations contains over 48,000 sections, stretching over 175,000 pages — far more than any citizen can possibly read, let alone fully understand. Worse, many carry potential criminal penalties for violations," reads the order.

The order calls for federal agencies to make a list of regulations that carry a criminal penalty and make it public within 365 days. It also disfavors prosecutions where there is no evidence of bad intent against the accused, in favor of prosecutions against those who knowingly violated regulations.

The order was praised by those in favor of limiting the power of the federal government, including attorney Laura Powell of Californians for Good Governance.

"The federal regulatory code, spanning 175,000 pages, contains countless criminal offenses — literally countless, as no one knows the exact number," she explained.

"This lack of clarity violates the due process requirement of fair notice," she added. "Many offenses are strict liability, meaning you can be convicted even if you were unaware your actions were illegal. This has empowered the administrative state to function as an unaccountable fourth branch, bypassing Congress's legislative authority."

[DKG]

[Herman]

Russia and Ukraine are resuming peace talks for the first time in years all thanks to Trump.

Even Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut admits that his foreign policy is praiseworthy.

Trump has spent the last few days meeting with foreign dignitaries in the Middle East, including President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Trump even announced he would be lifting sanctions on Syria, inching closer and closer to a peace deal.

"I'm not in the habit of praising Donald Trump," Himes said in an interview Thursday. "But I got to tell you ... I think the president has, in this last week or so, played the Middle East pretty darn well."

[Herman]

Donald Trump scores major legal win on blocked order.

Trump's administration secured a legal win on Friday when a federal appeals court lifted a lower court injunction that had blocked the president's plan to end unionizing rights for hundreds of thousands of federal workers in a case brought by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress the courts have emerged as arguably the most significant impediment to Trump administration policy.

Since Donald Trump's second inauguration in January courts have blocked a number of his policies including a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, the freezing of billions in foreign aid and on Friday the Supreme Court ruled against deporting Venezuelan nationals using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.

riday saw a U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit panel put on hold an injunction issued by a lower court blocking the implementation of an executive order issued by Trump in March on union rights in federal government.

Trump's executive order removed more than a dozen federal agencies, including the departments of Defense, State, Treasury, Justice, Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, from union bargaining obligations regarding their employees.