On Friday morning, President Donald Trump tweeted that apparently “everyone” is talking about John Podesta and why he “refused to give the DNC server to the FBI and CIA” at the G-20 summit in Hamburg. His comment seemed peculiar, given that the world’s leaders probably had more pressing issues to discuss, like climate change and international terrorism.

It’s not clear whether any G-20 leaders actually did talk about John Podesta. But later in the day, Hillary Clinton’s former campaign chairman hit back on Twitter and called the president a “whack job.”

1/ On a x-country road trip with my wife;

— John Podesta (@johnpodesta) July 7, 2017

3/ Get a grip man, the Russians committed a crime when they stole my emails to help get you elected President.

— John Podesta (@johnpodesta) July 7, 2017

Podesta wrote that the Russians hacked his email to get Trump elected. It seemed like Trump conflated that hack with the DNC one, although they were two separate incidents. Podesta also pointed out to Trump that he didn’t even work for the DNC.

5/ BTW, I had nothing to do with the DNC.

— John Podesta (@johnpodesta) July 7, 2017

7/7 Dude, get your head in the game. You’re representing the US at the G20.

— John Podesta (@johnpodesta) July 7, 2017

Other lawmakers commented on the president’s tweet as well. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, wrote, “Yes, I’m sure that’s the big talk at G-20. Not climate change or trade, but why didn’t John Podesta give a server that wasn’t his to the CIA.”

Others said it was a diversionary tactic, so people wouldn’t talk about his meeting with Putin. And some just thought it was a “very 2017” moment.

2017 got Podesta saying dude on the internet https://t.co/LPYpk3OuIQ

— Rebecca Nesi (@rebecca_nesi) July 7, 2017

A lot of people on social media questioned why Trump brought up the 2016 election at all when he is at the G-20, as well as the fact that he tweeted those comments shortly before his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Exactly what Trump and Putin talked about during that meeting we don’t know, but according to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Trump did bring up the hacking of the 2016 U.S. election more than once. The meeting was supposed to take 30 minutes but reportedly lasted for over two hours.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post John Podesta Replies to Trump’s Tweets: “Get a Grip Man” appeared first on Law Street.

Washington nearly exploded on Thursday morning. Not literally, of course. But when James Comey, the now-ubiquitous former FBI Director, testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the capital was transfixed.

For an hour or so, it seemed like much of the country was fairly united–CNN dubbed the event “Washington’s Superbowl.”

But while all eyes were on Comey, all ears were certainly not. Some heard Comey all but indict Trump. Others heard him liberate the president, and take aim at the New York Times and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

The hearing centered around the FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s possible communications with Russia, and its meddling in the election, which Comey was overseeing before he was fired by the president last month.

Comey’s firing, coupled with a leaked memo Comey wrote (which he revealed in the hearing he had a hand in leaking) that detailed a questionable conversation with Trump, ignited claims that Trump could be guilty of obstruction of justice.

Among other things, here is what Comey revealed in his testimony to the committee: he firmly believes he was fired because he was leading an investigation into Trump’s campaign operatives and Russia; he kept detailed memos of every private conversation he had with Trump because he was afraid the president would later lie about their interactions; Comey believes Trump, in a February 14 conversation, asked him to scrap the FBI’s investigation into Michael Flynn, the former head of the NSA.

To everyone’s surprise, Trump did not tweet during the hearing. But his personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, released a statement soon after the proceedings ended. It reads:

Contrary to numerous false press accounts leading up to today’s hearing, Mr. Comey has now finally confirmed publicly what he repeatedly told the President privately: The President was not under investigation as part of any probe into Russian interference.

The statement denied that Trump ever demanded loyalty from Comey, as the former director said he did, or that the president ever, “in form or substance,” instructed Comey to drop the Flynn investigation.

Kasowitz also called out “those in government who are actively attempting to undermine this administration with selective and illegal leaks of classified information and privileged communications.” He added, “Mr. Comey has now admitted that he is one of these leakers.”

During the hearing, Comey said Lynch, the attorney general at the time, requested he publicly refer to the probe into Hillary Clinton’s private email server as a “matter,” rather than an “investigation.” This, he said, along with Lynch’s infamous tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton, partially informed his decision to publicly announce Clinton was under investigation.

Some observers pounced on this small nugget, raising questions as to whether or not Lynch would be charged with obstruction of justice.

Will fmr AG Lynch be charged w/ obstruction of justice after Comey revelations of demands she made? Will Dems demand it?

— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) June 8, 2017

The RNC and the DNC released two completely irreconcilable statements following the hearing.

The RNC statement read, “Today’s testimony proved what we have known all along: President Trump is not under investigation, there’s still no evidence of collusion, and he did not hinder the investigation in any way.”

In contrast, the DNC statement said Comey’s testimony “gave us the clearest and most damning evidence yet that President Trump lied to the American people and is likely under investigation for obstruction of justice–a serious and disturbing charge.”

While millions of Americas may have been united in watching Comey’s testimony, both statements illustrate the potentially unbridgeable divide in American politics.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Reactions to Comey Hearing Illustrate America’s Political Divide appeared first on Law Street.

Two Chinese labor activists investigating a factory that produces shoes for Ivanka Trump’s brand have gone missing, and a third was recently arrested. The three men work for China Labor Watch and were looking into the alleged abuse of workers at the Huajian International shoe factory. The group is based in New York but focuses on workers’ rights in China.

According to the Associated Press, Hua Haifeng was arrested for illegal surveillance after working undercover at the factory since April. The group lost touch with the other two men, Li Zhao and Su Heng, over the weekend. The parent company of the particular factory, Huajian Group, produces between 10,000 and 20,000 shoes for Ivanka’s brand every year. It also makes shoes for brands like Coach and Nine West.

According to the director of China Labor Watch, Li Qiang, his employees found evidence that workers were forced to work overtime without pay, and that workers who left were fired. They also could be fired if they took sick leave, and were forced to sign false time sheets.

JUST IN: One arrested, two missing after investigating working conditions at Ivanka Trump shoe factory in China https://t.co/nB6f48k2eh pic.twitter.com/OzCQjJjIFF

— The Hill (@thehill) May 30, 2017

Chinese police claimed that the men had used illegal surveillance technology, but according to Li Qiang they just used their cellphones to shoot video. He said he thinks the police are protecting the factory since it is affiliated with the U.S. president’s daughter, considering he has investigated hundreds of Chinese factories before without any incident like this.

The wife of the man who was arrested said that she received a phone call from the police saying that Hua had been detained, and that she didn’t need to know anything more than that. “I understand and support my husband’s work,” she said. “I feel his work is legal and meaningful, so why should they arrest him?”

Li Qiang said that his company was planning on releasing a report on the factory next month. The Democratic National Committee responded to the news by releasing a statement calling for the White House to act on China’s human rights abuses:

We deeply hope that these detained or missing human rights workers are safe and can be reunited with their families as soon as possible. For years, Ivanka Trump has ignored public reports of awful labor conditions at a factory that makes her shoes. Now, she must decide whether she can ignore the Chinese government’s apparent attempt to silence an investigation into those worker abuses.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Activists Investigating Factory Used for Ivanka Trump’s Brand Are Missing appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

People are Outraged at “Stealthing”

There’s a name for a man removing a condom during sex without his partner’s consent: stealthing. The phenomenon is reportedly on the rise in the U.S., according to a new study by Alexandra Brodsky in the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law. Rape victims’ organizations say this kind of behavior needs to be classified as rape. And a lot of people are outraged that this is a “thing.”

Given that “stealthing” puts a victim at risk of pregnancy or disease, and that many people only consent to sex with a condom, this is “experienced by many as a grave violation of dignity,” the study says. And according to Sandra Paul, who is a specialist in sexual crimes, this could amount to legal rape. “There has to be some agreement that a condom is going to be used or there is going to be withdrawal. If that person then doesn’t stick to those rules then the law says you don’t have consent,” she said.

It’s both affirming and terrible to write about an under-acknowledged form of gender violence and hear a chorus of “me, too” in response

— Alexandra Brodsky (@azbrodsky) April 24, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post RantCrush Top 5: April 26, 2017 appeared first on Law Street.

Tom Perez, the former Secretary of Labor, was elected the Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman today, beating Representative Keith Ellison in a second round of run off voting. In that second round, Perez garnered 235 votes to Ellison’s 200 to win.

Perez is the first Hispanic chair of the DNC, and was a speculated pick for Hillary Clinton’s Vice Presidential nominee. In addition to Perez and Ellison, contenders included Jehmu Greene (a Democratic strategist from Texas), Jamie Harrison (chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party), Sally Boynton Brown (president of the Association of State Democratic Party Executive Directors and Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director), Peter Peckarsky (a Wisconsin lawyer), and Samuel Ronan (a 2016 candidate for the Ohio State House of Representatives). Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, dropped out before the voting began.

After Perez won, he appointed Ellison as his deputy during his acceptance speech, saying: “I would like to begin by making a motion, it is a motion that I have discussed with a good friend, and his name is Keith Ellison.” While the role is largely symbolic, it represented a nod to the close race between the two leaders.

Some saw the competition between Perez and Ellison as symbolic of the party’s internal struggle after losing the 2016 general election. The contentious primary battle between Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders left a sour taste in many Democrats’ mouths. In this DNC race, Perez represented the establishment. In contrast, Ellison represented the more left-wing side inspired by Sanders.

But, it’s important to note that Perez and Ellison were largely complimentary of each other in most public appearances, and stayed away from anything petty. And they made sure to note that they were friends–including when they got together for dinner 10 days before the vote.

We’re friends. It’s ok. https://t.co/xdllbgFN9S

— Rep. Keith Ellison (@keithellison) February 16, 2017

Perez now has a hefty task before him–especially given the criticism and resignation of former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz during the 2016 primaries. As protests and activism against President Donald Trump’s rule continue to grow, Perez will be in charge of, at least in part, leading the Democratic Party forward.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Tom Perez Elected DNC Chair Over Keith Ellison appeared first on Law Street.

A federal judge has ordered the Republican National Committee to provide details on what kind of agreements it has with the Trump campaign for preventing voter fraud and maintaining “ballot security.” The RNC is bound by a decree from 1982 to not engage in voter fraud prevention activities without the consent of a federal court.

The judge also ordered the RNC to give an explanation of what Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and Mike Pence were alluding to when they recently said that their campaign is collaborating “closely” with the RNC to make sure there is no voter fraud going on. The order comes after a lawsuit that the Democratic National Committee filed against the RNC last week, alleging that it is supporting the Trump campaign with ballot security measures that could be illegal.

Trump has been talking at great lengths about how widespread voter fraud is and claiming that the system is rigged. On his website he urges people who see anything “suspicious” going on at the polls to personally intervene or to sign up to become a volunteer “Trump Election Observer.” This is all to prevent Crooked Hillary from rigging the election, of course.

Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2016

At a rally in Cleveland, Trump claimed that there are 24 million registered voters that are “invalid or significantly inaccurate” and 1.8 million people registered to vote who are actually dead. But there is no evidence of any widespread voter fraud in America and Factcheck.org debunked Trump’s statements.

This makes it extra ironic that it was a Trump supporter who was arrested for attempting to vote twice in Iowa last week. Terri Lynn Rote, 55, said that she hadn’t planned on voting twice, it was just a spontaneous idea. “I don’t know what came over me,” she said to the Washington Post. She also told Iowa Public Radio that the polls are rigged, and she was afraid someone would change her Trump vote into a vote for Clinton.

Des Moines woman Terri Lynn Rote arrested for voting twice #voterfraud https://t.co/snE3mz9Tn6 pic.twitter.com/uCS09WQmOp

— Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) October 28, 2016

The decree that blocks the RNC from engaging in any voter fraud prevention that is not approved by federal authorities came about after the RNC used armed guards at the polls in 1981 to intimidate minority voters. It is set to expire in December of next year, but if the DNC is correct in its suspicions, it could be extended. The RNC has until Wednesday at 5 PM to respond to the judge.

But individual presidential candidates are not bound by the decree, which means the Trump campaign is free to go ahead with whatever plans it has uphold “security” at the polls. And according to Slate, Republican officials all over the country are engaging in illegal measures to prevent Democrats from casting their votes. So why are the Republicans so sure that voter fraud exists? Maybe because in some cases they are the ones behind it.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Judge Orders the RNC to Explain What it Means by “Ballot Security” appeared first on Law Street.

Katrina Pierson is a spokeswoman for Donald Trump who has previously dominated headlines when she defended some of Trump’s most seemingly indefensible positions. She also famously wore a necklace made out of bullets on air during a CNN interview.

#Trump defender Katrina Pierson wearing bullet necklace.. #orlandoshootings make it stop! pic.twitter.com/0q1CskztmG

— #ImWithHer (@utbrp) June 12, 2016

Recently, Pierson was tasked with speaking about Khizr Khan, the Muslim American Gold Star father who spoke about his son’s death in the line of duty at the DNC. Pierson took an interesting (and inaccurate approach) by blaming Captain Humayun Khan’s death on Obama’s policies. But Captain Khan died in 2004, four years before Obama even ran. Pierson’s historically inaccurate claim sparked a lot of humor on Twitter, in the form of the hashtag #KatrinaPiersonHistory. Check out some of the best entries below:

#KatrinaPiersonHistory – Obama shot Hamilton with Hillary as his second. (Broadway’s run by liberal revisionists.)

— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) August 3, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best of #KatrinaPiersonHistory appeared first on Law Street.

Last week’s Democratic National Convention was a star-studded parade of the party’s top figures. President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, President Bill Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and an array of Hollywood celebrities delivered speeches. And of course, Hillary Clinton officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president, which gave the media much to talk about. While those speeches produced many notable moments, it appears that the speech that has reverberated the most in the days following the convention is that of Khizr Khan, the father of a fallen American Muslim soldier.

Mr. Khan, with wife Ghazala Khan at his side, criticized Trump for his Islamophobic and xenophobic rhetoric, and drew special attention for the moment he pulled out his copy of the Constitution and directly challenged Trump, saying, “Let me ask you: have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy.”

He followed up by declaring, “You have sacrificed nothing, and no one.”

These criticisms have proven to have had a powerful impact, one that the Trump campaign has been unable to effectively combat. When asked about his reaction to the speech by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Trump said that Khan “probably looked like a nice guy” but followed by saying, “If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably–maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.”

I was viciously attacked by Mr. Khan at the Democratic Convention. Am I not allowed to respond? Hillary voted for the Iraq war, not me!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2016

The backlash against Trump’s comments was immediate. In an MSNBC interview, Mrs. Khan explained that she chose not to speak because she would not be able to keep her composure, due to her immense grief. In that same interview, Mr. Khan called his wife his “coach,” and said that he was “strengthened by her presence.” Mrs. Khan then went on to publish an op-ed in The Washington Post, where she refuted Trump’s claims and discussed her son’s sacrifices for his country.

The Khans’ son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in 2004 at age 27 in Iraq after stepping into the line of fire to save his colleagues from a suicide bomb. His sacrifice reportedly saved over 100 of his fellow soldiers from death.

The speech has provoked a large public response. Major figures in the Republican Party, such as Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and John McCain, have strongly condemned Trump’s comments. The presidential candidate has also drawn ire from veterans’ groups and other Gold Star families.

On Twitter, #TrumpSacrifices hashtag used Khan’s comment to mock Trump’s (lack of) sacrifices for his country. Another hashtag, #CanYouHearUsNow, attacked Trump’s insinuation that Muslim women were not allowed to speak.

.@realDonaldTrump This is me, giving a talk at @Georgetown. Do I look oppressed to you? #CanYouHearUsNow pic.twitter.com/NVVMJDbnlJ

— Rim-Sarah Alouane (@RimSarah) August 1, 2016

Today we raise our voices for Muslim women around the world who empower their community #LLSP2016 #CanYouHearUsNow pic.twitter.com/n6bId5Usjj

— KaramahDC (@KaramahDC) August 1, 2016

Khizr Khan’s DNC speech, and the response that has followed it, has been able to do what no one has seemingly been able to do: make Trump seem vulnerable. Last December, Trump made the comment that he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and not lose any voters.” And so far, it has seemed to be true, as he has gotten away with attacking nearly every group–Muslims, African-Americans, immigrants, Mexicans, women–and yet has still been able to maintain his base of support. This unwavering support has allowed him to make flat-out false statements and be blatantly hypocritical and offensive, without fear of repercussions.

This time, however, Trump’s insensitive remarks toward a Gold Star family, and inability to take any criticism aimed against him, have brought him into a battle he cannot win. By directly challenging Trump, a Muslim immigrant man might be Trump’s most forceful opponent so far.

Mariam Jaffery

Mariam was an Executive Assistant at Law Street Media and a native of Northern Virginia. She has a B.A. in International Affairs with a minor in Business Administration from George Washington University. Contact Mariam at mjaffery@lawstreetmedia.com.

The post Are the Parents of a Fallen Muslim Soldier Trump’s Biggest Threat? appeared first on Law Street.

The internet is not convinced that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has ever sacrificed anything, after Trump criticized the Gold Star family who spoke at the Democratic National Convention last week.

Khizr Khan stole the show at the DNC Thursday, when he said Donald Trump has “sacrificed nothing and no one,” and questioned if Trump has read the U.S. Constitution. Trump responded to the speech during an interview with ABC News’ “This Week,” where he criticized Khizr and his wife Ghazala–the Muslim American parents of a soldier killed in Iraq–claiming Ghazala remained silent during the speech because she “wasn’t allowed to speak,” and that he’s “made a lot of sacrifices!“

Unfortunately, no one seems to believe him.

Twitter quickly started mocking the billionaire’s supposed sacrifices with a string of sarcastic tweets using the trending hashtag #TrumpSacrifices. Here are the top ten #TrumpSacrifices from the hashtag:

His Stock Pile of Aqua Net

Once survived an entire weekend at Mar-a-Lago with just one can of hairspray. #TrumpSacrifices

— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) July 30, 2016

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Twitter Defends Khan Family, Mocks #TrumpSacrifices appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Donald Trump’s Controversial Stance on Crimea

Here goes Trump, not understanding world politics….again. Yesterday on “This Week”  Trump firmly stated that there was no possibility that Russian president Vladimir Putin would ever enter Ukraine, seeming to ignore the fact that Russia has already seized the territory. When George Stephanopoulos asked  “Well, he’s already there, isn’t he?” Trump seemed confused and backtracked, saying that the area was a mess because of Obama and NATO. Stephanpoulos asked him if he would consider the possibility of recognizing Russia’s claim over Crimea and he replied “I’m going to take a look at it. But you know, the people of Crimea, from what I’ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were.”

This response mystified many and infuriated some, including the Ukranian Interior Minister, Arsen Avakov, who referred to him as a “dangerous fringe politician” and the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Arseny Yatsenuk, who claimed that Trump was ” violating ethical and civilizational principles.”

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: August 1, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Last week’s top stories on Law Street included North Korea possibly declaring war on the U.S., Sanders supporters taking over the DNC media tent to protest Clinton’s nomination, and a recent study showing a rise in cases of children ingesting edibles since Colorado legalized marijuana. ICYMI–Check out the top stories from Law Street below!

1. Did North Korea Just Declare War on the U.S.?

The annual joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea usually elicit ominous threats of retaliation from North Korea. But in an interview on Thursday with the Associated Press, Han Song Ryol, the North’s only diplomatic tether to the United States, effectively declared war, referencing sanctions targeting Kim Jong Un as crossing “the red line.” Read the full article here.

2. Sanders Supporters Take Over DNC Media Tent to Protest Clinton’s Nomination

Here at the DNC, there’s a cushy little area for the press. Giant tents, creature comforts like snacks and water, and (most importantly) enough charging stations for our phones/laptops/tablets/obscene amount of technology we lug around. The DNC media tent is, for many, a peaceful workspace, and a quiet respite from the complete and utter craziness that is the Democratic National Convention. Tonight it was a little less peaceful. Sanders supporters walked out of the convention in protest after Hillary Clinton became the official Democratic nominee, and ended up staging a sit in inside and around the media tent. Read the full article here.

3. Since Legalizing Marijuana, More Colorado Children Are Ingesting Edibles

A new study shows a link between recreational marijuana legalization in Colorado and the incidence of children who need medical treatment for ingesting the drug. The study, released Monday by pediatricians at Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHC) in Aurora, retroactively reviewed 163 cases involving marijuana treatment in toddlers ages zero to nine. The cases spanned between 2009 and 2015. Recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado in 2014. Read the full article here.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

This year, Law Street Media is attending both the RNC and DNC conventions, and bringing Law Street readers the inside scoop. We’ll be doing day-by-day rundowns and exclusive features. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat for even more content.

Here’s a look at the second day of the festivities, courtesy of Law Street reporters Alexis Evans and Anneliese Mahoney:

Protests Continued Around Philly

Given the divisive nature of the Democratic National Convention, protests continued around the city of Philadelphia for much of the time we were there. These events ranged from showing continued support for Bernie Sanders, to demonstrations against Israel, to protests against drone warfare. Here are some pictures from near the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where part of the convention took place:

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Image courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

Was this the Most Powerful Speech of the Convention?

Hillary Clinton was, quite obviously, billed as the headliner for the last night of the DNC. But one of the most powerful speeches came from Khizr Khan, the father of Army Captain Humayun Khan. Captain Khan, a Muslim American, died serving our country in Iraq. Khan’s powerful speech was possibly one of the strongest rebukes against Donald Trump yet–everyone particularly loved the moment when he challenged whether the Republican nominee has ever read the U.S. Constitution, and then offered Trump his own pocket version. Put simply: if you want to see one of the best moments of the convention, you need to watch this speech.

A DNC highlight: Khizr Khan spoke as a Muslim father who had lost his son in war. Here’s the full video https://t.co/EabNEsIYzX

— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) July 29, 2016

Hillary Clinton’s Speech Riled up the Crowd

Clinton’s speech seemingly started a bit slow, but quickly picked up gusto. But regardless of what you think of Clinton’s politics, it truly was a historic moment. Watching Clinton accept the Democratic nomination on the national stage was a monumental moment for many women (and men!) in the U.S. Here are some of the reactions:

@HillaryClinton we noticed the historical reference in wearing all white. We feminists thank you. #ImWithHer pic.twitter.com/bd78CDaFvb

— Laurel Davila, CPA (@laureldavilacpa) July 29, 2016

A woman’s place is in the White House. #ImWithHer

— Nev Schulman (@NevSchulman) July 29, 2016

My great grandmother walked 10 mi from her farm 2B among the first women allowed to vote. Think about that & how far we’ve come. #ImWithHer

— (((#BoycottTrump))) (@puppymnkey) July 29, 2016

My wife and two daughters watching. My youngest daughter asked, “Is she taking on that bad man?” #ImWithHerpic.twitter.com/SrdkLEwIvw

— Geoffrey Colon (@djgeoffe) July 29, 2016

We Performed a Card Stunt?

When we arrived at the arena last night, there were packages taped to all of our chairs. Was it a present?

No, it was a “card stunt.” Here were the instructions:

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Then we received instructions about what exactly we were supposed to do–which were unnecessarily long and complicated when the point was just “when we say so, hold up your card.”

When it came time to do the “card stunt” it didn’t go so well, mostly because a lot of people had opened their cards beforehand, a lot of people didn’t try, and also because honestly, trying to get about 50,000 people to hold things up in unison is very tricky.

[P] Analysts are still trying to decipher what that final card stunt at the DNC was supposed to spell.

— Paul and Storm (@paulandstorm) July 29, 2016

But, in case you were wondering, here was what it looked like to those of us who held up our cards: 

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

THERE WERE SO MANY BALLOONS

After Clinton’s speech, a bunch of balloons were released from the ceiling. This was very exciting.

THERE ARE SO MANY BALLOONS #DemsInPhillypic.twitter.com/5kEP5ocDl8

— Anneliese Mahoney (@amahoney8672) July 29, 2016

But we weren’t the only ones who were excited. The politicians down on the floor had a wonderful time playing with the massive balloons as well, particularly Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine.

Tim Kaine is just lettin’ loose! https://t.co/LIFy6wWHVG

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) July 29, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post What’s up at the DNC?: Law Street’s Day 4 Coverage appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Let The Sexist Commentary Begin!

Last night at the DNC, Hillary Clinton officially accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. Many viewers, including myself, were in awe of such a historic moment. I’m sure the opposition seized in disbelief. We all have a lot to say about what went on last night, from Katy Perry’s performance to Hillary Clinton’s killer white pantsuit (loved it!). But for some reason, the hot topic this morning is not what Hillary said during her acceptance speech, but how she sounded.

James Naughtie, a BBC commentator on the “Today Programme,” responded to a question about whether Clinton had a “woman problem” saying:

 She does. There’s something about her which puts some people off. It’s partly the history. It’s partly the slightly shrill tone which she tends to adopt sometimes in speeches.

And during her speech on Thursday night, many on Twitter couldn’t resist telling Clinton to smile and commenting about her voice. I guess we’ve got a lot of sexist coverage to look forward to.

via GIPHY

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The post RantCrush Top 5: July 29, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Dear Members of the Bernie or Bust Movement,

We’ve seen you in full force at the Democratic National Convention this week. Whether you were sobbing as the live camera coverage panned over your section of the crowd, silently sitting with duct tape over your mouth, or booing every time anyone at the DNC said something positive about Hillary Clinton, this letter is for you. Listen up, because before the November elections you all have a choice to make, and it’s an important one. Who are you going to vote for? Because, as I’m sure you all know somewhere deep down inside, doing nothing is not going to cut it.

It’s time to take a look at some of this week’s most savage Bernie or Bust attacks and hash out exactly why you all need to grow up and get on board with someone (hopefully Hillary) this election cycle.

The first big blow to Bernie babies was Sarah Silverman’s shoutout earlier this week.

In direct response to the nonsensical “Bernie!” chants that have been disrupting the convention all week, Silverman politely says what we’ve all been thinking: “to the Bernie or bust people you’re being ridiculous.” While it may sound harsh, it’s the truth. On the unity themed night of the DNC none of this Bernie nonsense should have been happening, period. If the Democratic Party wants any chance at defeating Trump, togetherness is going to be the only way to accomplish it–and that does not allow for any of your disruptive Bernie ridiculousness. Judging by the eruption of cheers after Silverman squashed the Bernie chants, I would say a lot of convention-goers agree with her.

If you want a more scripted take on why you’re being ridiculous, check out Seth Meyers’ new segment “Hey!,” which explains exactly why we need you on board with Hillary this fall.

Meyers quickly points out exactly why we need you on our side, Bernie Bros. We do not have time to fight over who should be the one to stop “racist demagogue” Donald Trump from taking office–we just need someone to do it. And, newsflash, that someone is not going to be Bernie Sanders.

Look, I know you’re Bernie or bust but the results are in. Bust won. We don’t have time for this. Donald Trump is ahead in the polls. The house is on fire; stop crying because we’re not putting it out with your hose.

Meyers also points out that you all have done a great job! Part of the reason Sanders stayed in the race as long as he did was to weave his goals for the Democratic Party into Hillary’s platform and he did just that. We now have what is perhaps the most progressive party platform the nation has ever seen. Take pride in that fact and get behind the platform, no matter who the figurehead of it happens to be.

Finally, we heard from the big man himself–President Obama. While his statements may not have been directly in response to the Bernie or Bust movement, they apply to you all oh so well. Stop booing. Stop it.

If you are out there booing, put your voice to better use! We get it. You’ve poured your heart and soul into what Sanders supported and continues to support. You’ve been with him from the beginning and it feels impossible to let go. But, quite honestly, it’s time to get over yourselves. It’s time to take off the robin hood hats, put down the nasty signs, rip off that duct tape over your mouths and let your voices be heard! Donald Trump can NOT be our next president.

If you want an even more progressive platform, fight for it. If you want Sanders’ ideas to be more prevalent in our government, fight for them. Just like Obama said in his speech at the DNC, it’s time for everyone to be as vocal, organized and persistent as you all, Bernie supporters, have been. If there’s one thing you can be certain of this election season, it’s that there is no way in hell a Donald Trump presidency is going to bring you closer to the progressive goals you so fervently seek to promote.

So, with all the love in the world (from a former Bernie lover and a hesitant Hillary supporter), it’s time to cut it out, Bernie-or-Busties. Get with the program and pick a side to be on rather than causing a ruckus. Even though you won’t have a President Sanders come November, you will have a president. Take a stand and have a voice in who that person will be and think about who is most likely to bring Americans a living wage, racial justice, and some political reform in the next few years. My bet is you may not settle on Trump.

Best of luck, both to you and, quite frankly, all of us.

Alexandra Simone

Alex Simone is an Editorial Senior Fellow at Law Street and a student at The George Washington University, studying Political Science. She is passionate about law and government, but also enjoys the finer things in life like watching crime dramas and enjoying a nice DC brunch. Contact Alex at ASimone@LawStreetmedia.com

The post An Open Letter to Members of the Bernie or Bust Movement appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Wikileaks Strikes Again With New DNC Leak

Here we go again! Wikileaks, the ever controversial leaking organization, released a series of voicemails from the recent Democratic National Committee hack showing some donors asking party officials for favors. One of the voicemails, highlighted by CNN, has a woman addressing the DNC’s financial director:

I’m furious about what you are doing for Bernie Sanders, he’s getting way too much influence. I’m on a fixed income, I spent over $300, donated to Hillary, what I see is the DNC bending over backwards for Bernie and Bernie is the worst person in the world to even be running in the Democratic Party, because he’s not a Democrat.

Other voicemails have callers, some of them ambassadors and big time donors trying to get perks or special treatment out of the DNC. Of course, these voicemails are seemingly harmless. No one can really grasp any under-the-table wrongdoing from this aspect of the leak. It’s just one piece to a very large puzzle.

Now investigators are asking whether Wikileaks has a hand in strategically leaking this information to try and manipulate the elections.

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RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: July 28, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

This year, Law Street Media is attending both the RNC and DNC conventions, and bringing Law Street readers the inside scoop. We’ll be doing day-by-day rundowns and exclusive features. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat for even more content.

Here’s a look at the third day of the festivities, courtesy of Law Street reporters Alexis Evans and Anneliese Mahoney:

Big Tech Presence at DNC

Several tech companies, including Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft, set up shop inside the Wells Fargo Center for the Democratic National Convention. The arena quickly turned into an analytics lover’s paradise, as each company seemingly competed for the award for biggest data tech screen.

Microsoft Station Courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

#TweetShop Courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

Pokémon Go Break

In between speeches I had time to quickly catch a cp 36 Rattata that was hiding in a camera guys lap. Hey, Ash told me I “gotta catch em’ all” right?

Image Courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

Bernie Protesters Take Over the Media Tent…Again

For the second night in a row, protesters took over the media tent. They were protesting the fact that Nina Turner, a Sanders’ delegate and backer, was allegedly blocked from being one of Sanders’ nominators.

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

A few celebrities even joined the protest, including Danny Glover, Susan Sarandon, and Rosario Dawson.

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Gun Violence Theme

There was a strong gun violence theme day three at the convention. Democrats called upon the mother of one of the Pulse nightclub victims in Orlando, the daughter of  the slain Sandy Hook Elementary principal, two of the three survivors from the Mother Emanuel Church shooting in Charleston, SC, and Gabby Giffords to rally support against the gun lobby.

Watch Christine Leinonen, mother of Pulse victim Christopher “Drew” Leinonen, give an emotional plea for gun control below:

Christine Leinonen’s son died in the Orlando shooting; she made an emotional plea about gun control at the @DNCinPHLhttps://t.co/OzFmhuMCWR

— Business Insider (@businessinsider) July 28, 2016

Joe Biden Loves the Word Malarkey

Biden made a clear case against Donald Trump last night, calling out the Republican nominee’s “malarkey” and “you’re fired” catchphrase.

VP Joe Biden calls out Donald Trump’s ‘malarkey,’ says he ‘has no clue.’ https://t.co/ZlJFcMn4hn #DemConvention https://t.co/CaVzWLXtob

— ABC News (@ABC) July 28, 2016

Tim Kaine Became the DNC’s Dad

When Hillary’s VP first stepped onto the DNC stage Wednesday night, he was still a relatively unknown senator from Virginia to many Americans. But thanks to some smooth Spanish, hilarious “believe me” Trump impersonations, and corny Dad jokes, Tim Kaine quickly won over the crowd–becoming the DNC’s newly appointed dad. Here are some of Twitter’s best dad jokes during Kaine’s speech:

Tim Kaine absolutely SCOURED Consumer Reports to get the BEST car seat for his kid

— Charlie Warzel (@cwarzel) July 28, 2016

Tim Kaine is your friend’s dad who catches you smoking weed at a sleepover and doesn’t rat you out but talks to you about brain development

— PJ Vogt (@PJVogt) July 28, 2016

Tim Kaine just wants one word alone with your prom date.

— Jordan Weissmann (@JHWeissmann) July 28, 2016

Tim Kaine really wants you to have a good time at this party but would ask that you just remember to use a coaster!!!!!!

— Kevin O’Keeffe (@kevinpokeeffe) July 28, 2016

Tim Kaine comes off as that super goofy high school teacher who always made terrible jokes and is also the reason you got to go to college.

— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) July 28, 2016

Obama and Hillary Hug

Unlike Monday and Tuesday, every seat in the stadium was filled in anticipation for the president’s speech Wednesday night–and he sure delivered. Obama warned the American public against electing Trump, declaring “America is already great!” Obama stated,”Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order. We don’t look to be ruled.” 

Obama then gave a strong endorsement of his formal rival saying,

I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman–not me, not Bill, nobody–more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of the United States of America.

At the conclusion of Obama’s speech, Hillary surprised the audience by joining him onstage for a warm embrace. Looks like some rivals can truly become friends.

Hillary Clinton joins President Obama on DNC stage after his speech #DemsInPhilly pic.twitter.com/fQOhrPd2aT

— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) July 28, 2016

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post What’s up at the DNC?: Law Street’s Day 3 Coverage appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Trump: Russia Should Find Hillary’s Emails

As the fallout from the DNC email leak continues and more evidence points toward Russian involvement, Donald Trump just had to involve himself in the controversy. In a press conference earlier today, Trump called on Russia to find the emails deleted from Hillary Clinton’s email server before it was turned over to the FBI. But reaching out to Russia right now might not be the best thing for Trump, as some circumstantial evidence points to ties between him and prominent Russians. Some critics went as far as to suggest a new logo for the Trump campaign:

pic.twitter.com/bvpPN83mHc

— Rick Tyler (@rickwtyler) July 27, 2016

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RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: July 27, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

For Bernie button collectors and Hillary diehards, the Democratic National Convention is the mother of all opportunities for Democrats to show their favorite politicians some love by donning their best DNC outfits. Here is a collection of  some of the best dressed attendees we found over the course of the convention.

Red, White, and Bernie

Mississippi delegate is decked out in red, white, and blue to show her support for Bernie Sanders.

Image Courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Inside the DNC: A Look at Some of the Best Dressed Attendees appeared first on Law Street.

As attention turns to the Democratic Party while it hosts its convention this week, Donald Trump made a move to take back some of the spotlight. In a bizarre press conference, often featuring Trump’s stream of consciousness speaking style, he suggested that Russia should seek out Hillary Clinton’s deleted emails–in effect, asking a foreign nation to spy on the email correspondence of a U.S. secretary of state.

“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press,” Trump said–referring to an estimated 30,000 emails that were deleted from Clinton’s email server before it was turned over to the FBI.

Here’s the clip from C-SPAN for some additional context:

Donald Trump: “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.”https://t.co/XHc9hh4gBt

— CSPAN (@cspan) July 27, 2016

His comments come at a striking time: a recent hack of the Democratic Party’s servers led to a massive release of internal emails sent by party leaders. The emails were published by WikiLeaks and although the source of the hack remains unknown, cyber security experts and American intelligence agencies strongly suspect that Russians were involved.

However, at his press conference on Wednesday, Trump noted that no one knows for sure who was behind the attack and argued that Russia probably wasn’t involved. He also took the opportunity to call the current Democratic leadership weak, noting that if Russias were involved, the hack shows that they don’t respect the U.S. government.

Interestingly, shortly after Trump made his comments at the press conference, his running mate–Indiana Governor Mike Pence–issued a statement saying, “If it is Russia and they are interfering in our elections, I can assure you both parties and the United States government will ensure there are serious consequences.” Speaker of the House Paul Ryan issued a similar statement denouncing any potential Russian involvement. “Russia is a global menace led by a devious thug. Putin should stay out of this election,” a spokesperson for Paul Ryan said.

The leak has been particularly embarrassing for the Democratic Party. The emails provided evidence that, among other things, the party failed to live up to its neutrality claims in the primary race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Shortly after the documents were released, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz resigned and the rift between the Democratic Party and many Bernie Sanders supporters deepened.

Given the timing of the DNC email leak and its potential ties to the Russian government, many are deeply concerned that it reflects an effort by a foreign government to influence the outcome of a major American election. The decision to release the emails shortly before the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia appears to have been made to have the largest political effect. Indeed, the scandal may have added to many voters dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party and its handling of the primary campaign, which recently culminated in protests at the party’s convention early this week.

Meanwhile, Trump appears to have doubled down on his call for Russia to find Clinton’s deleted emails. Shortly after his speech, Trump sent out the following Tweet:

If Russia or any other country or person has Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 illegally deleted emails, perhaps they should share them with the FBI!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2016

The Clinton campaign recently started suggesting that Trump’s relationship with Russia may be cause for concern. “He certainly has a bromance with Mr. Putin,” Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta said of Trump on Tuesday. But when asked, Trump quickly said he had no business dealings in Russia. And Paul Manafort, his campaign manager, recently labeled the implication that Trump has ties with the Russian government “absurd.”

Whether Trump’s recent comments are merely a way to steal attention away from Clinton during her party’s convention or if–to borrow a phrase from Trump–“something else is going on,” well, that’s for you to decide.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Trump Calls on Russia to Find Clinton’s Deleted Emails appeared first on Law Street.

This year, Law Street Media is attending both the RNC and DNC conventions, and bringing Law Street readers the inside scoop. We’ll be doing day-by-day rundowns and exclusive features. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat for even more content.

Here’s a look at the second day of the festivities, courtesy of Law Street reporters Alexis Evans and Anneliese Mahoney:

There was a Gender Neutral Bathroom, Without Any Fuss

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Given all the of the hubbub about gender neutral bathrooms in the U.S. this past year, it was a nice “f you” to the GOP to see a gender neutral  bathroom at the DNC.

Of course, some conservative attendees of the DNC were freaked out by the horror. Personally I went in, and wasn’t surprised to see no less than five drug-filled orgies.

I’m kidding. It was just a bathroom.

Hillary Clinton Became the Democratic Nominee After a Delightful Roll Call Vote

Have you ever wanted to see a bunch of adults–some of them famous and important politicians–grin and recite fun facts about their states? If your answer is yes, look no further than the roll call vote held today. DNC Secretary Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who is also the Mayor of Baltimore, asked each state and territory (in alphabetical order) to cast their votes for either Hillary Clinton, or Bernie Sanders.

Some delegates had passionate messages for the group assembled, like DC’s Mayor Muriel Bowser, who used the moment to rally for DC statehood.

Mayor @MurielBowser casts 5 votes for @BernieSanders & 39 votes for @HillaryClinton & full support for #DCStatehoodpic.twitter.com/RV6kCQdN9X

— John J. Falcicchio (@falcicchio) July 26, 2016

Others had deeply personal moments, like Hillary Clinton’s childhood friend Betsy Ebeling speaking for Illinois:

HRC’s childhood best friend Betsy Ebeling doing roll call for Illinois gave me all the feels ❤️ #DemConvention https://t.co/fnwC1qEByf

— Sarah Lerner (@SarahLerner) July 26, 2016

And Bernie Sanders’ brother, Larry Sanders, spoke for the Democrats abroad. He currently resides in the UK and is affiliated with the Green Party of England and Wales.

An emotional Larry Sanders cast a vote for his brother Bernie at the DNC: https://t.co/QwxtEQFo8lhttps://t.co/PqAP5Bz5dw

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 26, 2016

#DemsInPhilly even if this roll call serves no real purpose other than being endearing, it’s certainly changed the mood in here.

— Anneliese Mahoney (@amahoney8672) July 26, 2016

Hillary Officially Became the Nominee

Hillary Clinton made history today. She is the first woman to be nominated for president of the United States by a major party.

History. pic.twitter.com/1ayWTx8SPH

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 26, 2016

But Not Everyone was Happy

Image courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

As we moved through the roll call vote, many Sanders supporters decided to show their frustration by staging a walkout and then sitting down in the media tent. For a look at the protest, check out Law Street Media’s coverage here.

Mothers of the Movement Moved Arena to Tears

While the Bernie sit-in was still underway inside and outside of the media tent, the crowd inside the arena erupted into chants of “Black lives matter” as the Mothers of the Movement–a collection of black women whose children had been killed in police shootings or by gun violence–took the stage to endorse Hillary Clinton and share stories of their slain children.

This is a pretty profound moment. The “Mothers of the Movement” on stage at the DNC. pic.twitter.com/SrMyPOSGms

— Trymaine Lee (@trymainelee) July 27, 2016

The nine women included: Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin; Geneva Reed-Veal, the mother of Sandra Bland; Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis; Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner; Cleopatra Pendleton, the mother of Hadiya; Maria Hamilton, the mother of Dontre; Lezley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown; and Wanda Johnson, the mother of Oscar Grant.

Fulton dismissed concerns that the women were being used by the Clinton campaign as political pawns saying:

This isn’t about being politically correct. It’s about protecting our children. That’s why we’re here tonight with Hillary Clinton. And that’s why, in the memory of our children, we are imploring you — all of you — to vote in this election.Hillary is the one mother who can ensure our movement will succeed.

‘This isn’t about being politically correct’: Watch Trayvon Martin’s mother make an emotional plea at the DNChttps://t.co/wTZhdtmclK

— Business Insider (@businessinsider) July 27, 2016

Bill Clinton Shares Really Long Love Story

Former President Bill Clinton officially became the first man to give a first lady speech with a really, really, long retelling of his and Hillary’s love story.

“Third time was the charm”- says @billclinton on asking @HillaryClinton to marry him #DNC

— Alexis Evans (@Lex_vans) July 27, 2016

Bill documented what seemed like each year with Hillary including moving Chelsea into college in 1997 and the later events of 1999, but unsurprisingly fast forwarding over 1998’s Monica Lewinsky scandal. All in all Bill’s speech was clearly an attempt to humanize Hillary with voters, and I think he succeeded.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post What’s up at the DNC?: Law Street’s Day 2 Coverage appeared first on Law Street.

Here at the DNC, there’s a cushy little area for the press. Giant tents, creature comforts like snacks and water, and (most importantly) enough charging stations for our phones/laptops/tablets/obscene amount of technology we lug around. The DNC media tent is, for many, a peaceful workspace, and a quiet respite from the complete and utter craziness that is the Democratic National Convention.

Tonight it was a little less peaceful.

Sanders supporters walked out of the convention in protest after Hillary Clinton became the official Democratic nominee, and ended up staging a sit in inside and around the media tent.

Here are some scenes from the protest:

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Image courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

Many of the protesters were the picture of tranquility, with taped mouths, or cloths wrapped around their faces. Many clutched each others’ hands, while others held signs ranging from protesting TPP to outright animosity toward Hillary Clinton.

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Fellow Law Streeter Alexis Evans talked to a protester, 20-year-old Caitlin Gladwell, who explained that the protest was arranged via social media, around when the North Dakota delegates were announced. She explained that there wasn’t a theme to the protest, saying:  “No it was just meant to be a walkout, saying we are walking out of there, we’re not going to lie down and accept this decision by the DNC.” When asked if she could ever see herself actually voting for Hillary Clinton she stated:

I don’t know. I will have to go home and do a lot of self thought a lot of research and see what her actions are in the coming months. The number one thing she could do is come clean and take responsibility for the email scandals. And then maybe some of us might considering trusting her.

Stay updated on the conventions by following Law Street on Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat for even more content.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Sanders Supporters Take Over DNC Media Tent to Protest Clinton’s Nomination appeared first on Law Street.

Sarah Silverman Goes Off Script at DNC

Despite having declared how much she loved Bernie Sanders, Sarah Silverman is definitely “With Her.” Last night at the Democratic National Convention, Silverman and Al Franken took to the stage for convention comedy where Silverman vowed to vote for Hillary Clinton. She was loudly booed and on Twitter, she was called a traitor by some of the most ferocious Sanders supporters. However, in a completely off-script moment, the comedienne had some choice words for those #BernieOrBust people:

Watch comedian Sarah Silverman call “Bernie or bust” people “ridiculous” at the #DemConvention.https://t.co/brCGhiUyj8— AJ+ (@ajplus) July 26, 2016

DNC watchers from home were like:

via GIPHY

OH MAN SARAH SILVERMAN JUST HIT THE PARKING BRAKE AND POWER SLID THIS CONVENTION

— TALK ABOUT YR GLUTES (@edsbs) July 26, 2016

For more DNC coverage, follow us on Twitter and check out the site for our continuing coverage. Here’s our roundup from Day 1.

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: July 26, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

This year, Law Street Media is attending both the RNC and DNC conventions, and bringing Law Street readers the inside scoop. We’ll be doing day-by-day rundowns and exclusive features. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat for even more content.

Here’s a look at the first day of the festivities, courtesy of Law Street reporters Alexis Evans and Anneliese Mahoney:

A View of the Convention Center

Delegates, supporters, and press waited in lines to attend several caucus and council events throughout the day at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Image Courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Best Supporter Outfits

Image Courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

Image Courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

Convention goers in Philly got decked out in festive campaign apparel to advocate for both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. One Clinton supporter from Hillary’s hometown of Chappaqua, New York had a “Yaaas-worthy” shirt, while these Bernie supporters from Maine rocked crocheted Bernie beer caps. Check back later for more coverage on the best DNC outfits in Philly.

Who Said It: Trump Vs. Internet Troll

NARAL Pro-Choice America enticed people to its booth with this “Who Said It: Trump vs. Internet Troll” misogyny themed poster.

Image Courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

Wet Hot American Summer

Image Courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

So far this has been one wet, hot American summer, and the Democratic National Convention was no exception. The city of Philadelphia kicked off the DNC with an excessive heat warning, as temperatures climbed well above 90 degrees.  The sticky temps made waiting in line for shuttles from the Pennsylvania Convention Center to the Wells Fargo Center close to unbearable. Once the buses finally arrived, sweaty, frustrated delegates, who had been waiting for over an hour due to heavy traffic and Bernie supporters’ protests, pushed and shoved their way toward the buses. The disorganized mess lead to some heated exchanges between convention goers and volunteers. Later that evening, day one’s weather was capped off by some intense thunderstorms and flash flood warnings, which forced the media tents outside of the convention to evacuate. Philly appears to be rebelling against the democrats’ convention.

At #DNCinPHL, there’s been 95°+ weather and flash floods because nothing says “hey guys our democracy is fine” like apocalyptic weather.

— Anneliese Mahoney (@amahoney8672) July 25, 2016

What’s Next for Bernie Sanders Supporters

Walking around the Democratic National Convention today, one thing was abundantly clear–despite the fact that Hillary Clinton is the presumptive Democratic nominee, delegates that showed up to support Sanders aren’t going to take this convention sitting down. Almost everywhere we went there were people decked out in full on Bernie gear, chants erupted at the drop of a hat, and Bernie Sanders’ rally–during which he tried to push for party unity–ended with his supporters booing him for that sentiment. And observing all of that today, feeling the palpable tension in the crowd, and seeing hundreds of supporters burst into chants, it’s hard not to wonder what could possibly come next.

Here’s the scene as Sanders tried to push his fans to support Hillary:

BERNIE: “We have got to defeat Donald Trump, & we have to got to elect Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine.”
CROWD: pic.twitter.com/uYpi1yex3L

— David Mack (@davidmackau) July 25, 2016

After that response, Sanders also sent out an email to his supporters, urging them to stay calm at the convention.

Here’s the email version of the text Bernie Sanders sent to delegates this afternoon (via @kasie) #DemsInPhillypic.twitter.com/zr8ZO8uQeF

— Monica Alba (@albamonica) July 25, 2016

Yet, a handful of Sanders supporters have gotten arrested, and there are still plenty of protests going on at the DNC.

Hashtag Controversy

Twitter had trouble committing to an official DNC hashtag Monday. Hopefully Philly can figure it out before the convention’s over.

CAN WE PLEASE AGREE ON ONE HASHTAG FOR THIS THING?!? #DemConvention #DemsInPhilly #DNCinPHL

— Ellie Hall (@ellievhall) July 25, 2016

Michelle Obama’s Epic Takedown of Trump–Without Ever Saying his Name

Michelle Obama was one of the primary speakers of the night, and made a compelling argument about why we shouldn’t vote for Trump. While plenty of viewers made Melania Trump plagiarism jokes during the first lady’s speech, many others commented on the elegance and weight of her rhetoric.

She said:

That is the story of this country, the story that has brought me to this stage tonight, the story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women playing with their dogs on the White House lawn. And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.

After an evening where many of the speakers were left with some level of discontent–boos abounded during many of the earlier speeches, mostly from voters who aren’t #WithHer–Obama’s speech was almost universally beloved.

“If they go low we go high” @MichelleObama filled me with hope for people, not just this current outcome What a supreme champion. #DNCinPHL

— Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) July 26, 2016

Why can’t Michelle Obama just be the next president? She is seriously the best option

— Camilla Long (@camillalong) July 26, 2016

Incredible speech by an incredible woman. Couldn’t be more proud & our country has been blessed to have her as FLOTUS. I love you, Michelle.

— President Obama (@POTUS) July 26, 2016

Bernie Sanders Called for Party Unity

Bernie Sanders called for the party to come together to support Hillary Clinton when he gave the final speech last night. When he took the stage, a lot of people were really freaking out. 

Some Bernie Sanders supporters looking super emotional … crying in the crowd pic.twitter.com/yDhJ7CEbxO

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) July 26, 2016

Photos & Memes: Crying Bernie Sanders’ Supporters at DNC https://t.co/GRbudCDIJIpic.twitter.com/GAalZG96pZ

— PoliticsS2 (@Politic2k) July 26, 2016

Sanders speech, as expected, was a strong approval of Clinton–he didn’t have a “Ted Cruz” moment and refuse to endorse her. But Sanders is now still faced with the rather monumental task of getting his supporters to calm down. Maybe Sarah Silverman can help.

Sarah Silverman: “To the Bernie or bust people — you’re being ridiculous” https://t.co/gyUMMophnv #DemsInPhilly https://t.co/NZTj1DHUcM

— CNN (@CNN) July 26, 2016

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post What’s up at the DNC?: Law Street’s Day 1 Coverage appeared first on Law Street.

Hillary Clinton announced her running mate on Friday, going with a safe candidate who is seasoned with experience in almost every level of government and thankfully lacks a scandalous background. Despite the fact that Tim Kaine is a white, Catholic male and an insider to politics, he can do a few things that the average politician cannot: he officiates weddings, plays the harmonica, and speaks fluent Spanish.

Kaine started his political career as a city councilman in Richmond, Virginia, where he later served as mayor. He was elected Governor of Virginia in 2006, and became a senator in 2012. He also served as chairman of the Democratic National Convention during the first years of the Obama administration. He currently serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Armed Services Committee.

Kaine has been in politics for 22 years and knows a thing or two about elections, except for one thing: losing. Kaine has never lost an election during his tenure in government. Another fun fact about the next possible vice president? He is the first senator to give an entire speech on the Senate floor in a language other than English (he recited a speech entirely in Spanish in 2013).

Critics have called Kaine boring, but maybe that’s what Clinton needs to get her the presidency in November. On the big issues dominating this election, where does he stand?

Gun Control

Kaine has a personal connection with the push for stricter gun laws— he was the governor of Virginia when the Virginia Tech shooting happened, and at the time, it was the most deadly mass shooting in history. He described it as the worst day of his life:

That was the worst day of my life, and it will always be the worst day of my life — comforting the families of the victims, talking to the first responders who went into a classroom where bodies littered the floor and who heard in the pockets of deceased students and professors cell phones ringing as parents who had seen it on the news were calling their kids, just knowing they were at Virginia Tech to ask them if they were all right — calls that would never be answered.

Although a proponent of the second amendment and a gun owner himself, Kaine said he “supports common sense legislation,” and would like to see expanded background checks, restrictions on assault-style weapons, and expansion for mental health services, according to a statement on his website.

“Hillary and I will not rest…until we get universal background checks and close loopholes.” —@TimKaine on preventing gun violence

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 23, 2016

Women’s Reproductive Rights

Kaine is a pretty fervent Catholic, but when it comes to abortion rights, he believes it’s a personal matter, not a political one. He has an impressive 100 percent pro-choice voting record on abortion issues in the Senate, which garners respect from groups like Planned Parenthood and National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws.

Although Kaine does not personally agree with abortions, he said, “I deeply believe, and not just as a matter of politics, but even as a matter of morality, that matters about reproduction and intimacy and relationships and contraception are in the personal realm. They’re moral decisions for individuals to make for themselves. And the last thing we need is government intruding into those personal decisions.”

In August 2015 he voted against defunding Planned Parenthood, saying that for many women, “Planned Parenthood health centers are their only source of high quality health care.”

Planned Parenthood provides many critical, preventative services. Here’s just some #StandWithPP pic.twitter.com/TmPRd7GJ1X

— Senator Tim Kaine (@timkaine) December 2, 2015

Education 

Kaine was critical of No Child Left Behind from the get-go. When he was governor of Virginia in 2006, he said the education act was “wreaking havoc on local school districts.” He has scathed NCLB for putting so much pressure and focus on standardized testing.

The new act that replaced NCLB in December 2015, Every Child Succeeds, has parts that Kaine wrote that focused on promoting career and technical education.

Authorization of Military Force

Kaine is the father of a Marine, so creating policy that recognizes that soldiers put their lives at risk in order to protect national security is important to him. That’s why he has pushed for the Obama administration to get re-authorization from Congress in order to fight terrorist groups like ISIS. In September 2014, Kaine called on President Obama to seek authorization on the Senate floor:

During a time of war, we ask our troops to give their best even to the point of sacrificing their own lives. When compared against that, how much of a sacrifice is it for a President to engage in a possibly contentious debate with Congress about whether military action is a good idea? How much of a sacrifice is it for a member of Congress to debate and vote about whether military action is a good idea? While Congressional members face the political costs of debate on military action, our service members bear the human costs of those decisions. And if we choose to avoid debate, avoid accountability, avoid a hard decision how can we demand that our military willingly sacrifice their very lives?

Inez Nicholson

Inez is an editorial intern at Law Street from Raleigh, NC. She will be a junior at North Carolina State University and is studying political science and communication media. When she’s not in the newsroom, you can find her in the weight room. Contact Inez at INicholson@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Ariana Grande Barred From White House Because She “Hates America” 

It seems Debbie Wasserman-Schultz isn’t the only woman affected by the DNC emails released by WikiLeaks last week. When DNC Finance Chair Zachary Allen asked in an email if pop star Ariana Grande could be vetted for a performance at the White House, one of the responses he received was literally “nope, sorry.” Why? Last year, Grande was caught in a viral video licking donuts that were on display and saying “I hate America.” How immature, Ari? Even though Grande has issued multiple apologies since then, the video has come back to bite her in more ways than one.

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: July 25, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Some of the exchanges question Bernie Sanders’ faith. Some show attempts to undermine his campaign’s credibility. One describes him as an outsider with “no understanding of what we do.” Monday morning, the FBI announced they will be investigating the leak of the nearly 2,000 emails sent between top Democratic National Committee members, which were released by WikiLeaks on Friday. Hillary Clinton insists the leak is the work of Russia, in an attempt to give Donald Trump a boost.

The emails–part one of WikiLeaks’ “Hillary Leaks series”–proved so damaging that Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC chairwoman, announced her resignation on Sunday. She will address delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this week before ceding her post to Donna Brazile, the vice chairwoman of the DNC. Monday morning, Wasserman Schultz was booed at a Florida delegate breakfast in Philadelphia.

While journalists have been combing through the emails, which include over 8,000 attached documents, some shocking exchanges between key party figures have been revealed. In one, Brad Marshall, chief financial officer of the DNC suggests questioning Sanders’ Jewish beliefs as a way to dissuade pious voters in Kentucky and West Virginia from voting for him:

He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist…It’s these Jesus thing.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Sanders, who has been claiming that the DNC rigged the primary fight in favor of Clinton for months, thanked Wasserman Schultz for her years of service, but said she made the “right decision” by resigning. “The party leadership must also always remain impartial in the presidential nominating process, something which did not occur in the 2016 race,” he added.

The Democrats are in a total meltdown but the biased media will say how great they are doing! E-mails say the rigged system is alive & well!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 24, 2016

For her part, Clinton also thanked her “longtime friend” for her five years as DNC leader, and announced she will act as a Clinton surrogate in Florida, a key swing state, as well as other states. “I look forward to campaigning with Debbie in Florida and helping her in her re-election bid–because as President, I will need fighters like Debbie in Congress who are ready on day one to get to work for the American people,” Clinton’s statement read.

Trump quickly seized on the second email scandal involving his rival party during the campaign. He took to Twitter to publicize his views on the matter, firing off a round of tweets Monday morning: “Crooked Hillary Clinton knew everything that her ‘servant’ was doing at the DNC–they just got caught, that’s all! They laughed at Bernie.”

The Democratic Party will seek to show itself as unified, in contrast to the fractured Republicans, during the convention in Philadelphia this week. But the email leak could prove difficult to paper over, especially for Sanders’s supporters and delegates who remain steadfast in their support, even as the senator endorsed Clinton and ended his White House ambitions a few weeks ago.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

People Unite to #WallOffTrump

Walls are being built for Trump! No, its not what you think, the U.S.-Mexico border is unwalled for now….But protesters have begun to create blockades against everything Trump, especially in resistance to his presidency.

“The walls that they build…”

Protesters sing while they form a human blockade to #WallOffTrump at the #RNCinCLE.https://t.co/7UOhL7pmxz

— AJ+ (@ajplus) July 20, 2016

Today at Public Square in Cleveland, people are forming human blockades and the movement has officially made its way to Hollywood where Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star has been outfitted with a tiny wall complete with tiny barbed wire.

OH, this is rich. RT @imfabulous13: The #WallOffTrump is already up. pic.twitter.com/jypaOuLA9u

— Panda Montana (@MrTanPanda) July 20, 2016

People are even building walls around fake Trumps in the Sims!

My thoughts when I saw #WallOffTrump#RNCinCLE https://t.co/kJxQpd66dQpic.twitter.com/0OCSrs3Kya

— Spekt3r (@Spekt3r) July 20, 2016

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: July 20, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

On a quiet Thursday afternoon about 3,000 of Bernie Sanders’ supporters packed into a skatepark outside of RFK Stadium in Washington, DC to watch him rally once again–many likely thinking that this could be their final time to see him before he suspends his campaign.

Image Courtesy of Scott Zimmerman

What was different about Thursday’s speech was, well, nothing. Filled with his normal rhetoric and fiery and inspirational pushes for equal rights and justice for all Americans, Sanders caught the attention of the crowd and continued to push his idea of the “political revolution.”

.@BernieSanders said exactly the right thing. Get through DC, take a break, get with HRC, get to work beating Trump.

— Steve Schale (@steveschale) June 9, 2016

Unfortunately, Sanders did not stray from his talking points and discuss his Thursday meeting with President Barack Obama where he reportedly indicated that he is willing to back the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. He also didn’t bring up the president’s endorsement of Clinton, which occurred just hours before he spoke. He made no mention of any of those events and no mention that it is time to unify as Democrats…instead saying that the results from California aren’t even all in yet.

So if @BernieSanders ultimately wins California (might still happen) & then Washington DC … DNC in Philly will be interesting.

— Ben Goren (@BanGaoRen) June 10, 2016

However, amidst all of the impassioned speeches and cheers from the crowd, you could sense the feeling of denial in Sanders’ voice, and you could feel that it was his last stand.

Instead of using the time and the platform to urge his supporters toward unification of the party, he further polarized them. Chants of “Never Hillary” echoed through the crowd as he spoke about big money in politics. But he is doing his supporters a grave disservice by telling them that there is still hope. The naiveté of the situation is troubling, and is going to leave a lot of die-hard supporters left feeling even more so that the entire system was against them.

Image Courtesy of Scott Zimmerman

Of the many people I met in the crowd, few said they are willing to switch to Clinton. Some said they would even vote for Trump, and many others said they just wouldn’t vote.

Sanders stressed that women (along with other groups) did not used to have the right to vote, yet now his silence–or in some cases contradictory rhetoric–is being inferred by many of his supporters as a signal to not exercise that privilege. By not owning up to the idea that his campaign is coming to a close, he is further hurting Clinton’s chances against Trump. As the Democratic party continues to be divided, it is hard to imagine what November will look like between Clinton and Trump.

Today, as D.C. votes, it will most likely be Sanders’ last day in the race. Even if he does not drop out, it will still signify a deficit that will not be overcome no matter how many times Sanders tries to say more people voted for him. There’s a message here for Sanders: you joined the presidential race to catalyze institutional change, but that does not mean that you can just pretend that there is a secret outcome that has been robbed from you.

Bernie Sanders refuses to concede the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton https://t.co/VB3QxknsOf by @yamiche pic.twitter.com/Byh5UHccBT

— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) June 13, 2016

If Sanders chooses to stay and continues to cause division, votes will be split between the Democratic nominee and other parties, giving more power to Trump. So, if Sanders really want to see his political revolution happen, he may need to get a grip and work with Clinton this round until he gets his shot.

Image Courtesy of Scott Zimmerman

Julia Bryant

Julia Bryant is an Editorial Senior Fellow at Law Street from Howard County, Maryland. She is a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Economics. You can contact Julia at JBryant@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Bernie Sanders’ Rhetoric is a Disservice to his Supporters appeared first on Law Street.

The Democratic Party may be considering getting rid of Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the Democratic National Committee chairwoman before the party’s national convention. She hasn’t exactly been getting along with Bernie Sanders or his supporters lately, and some Clinton supporters believe she is too divisive to be able to consolidate the party.

A controversial chairperson could worsen the Democrats’ chances to defeat the Republicans in the general election, and some senior Democratic aides have (for the most part, anonymously) expressed the opinion that Wasserman Schultz is already “too toxic,” saying that the only way to have a good shot to win in November is to replace her. Critics are now using the hasthtag #DumpDebbie on Twitter to call for her removal.

Wasserman Schultz has long had a complicated relationship with the Sanders campaign. His campaign actually sued the DNC in March, saying the DNC wrongfully shut off its access to important voter data.

More recently, Wasserman Schultz criticized Sanders after his supporters went a little crazy at the Democratic convention in Nevada, stating that his lukewarm response was unacceptable and probably just added fuel to the fire, even though he did condemn the violence. Sanders started a fundraiser for her primary challenger Tim Canova last weekend.

I am proud to know that @BernieSanders is favoring our progressive campaign to #RetireDWS. https://t.co/yUyWoN5xBS #ProgressforAll #fl23

— Tim Canova (@Tim_Canova) May 21, 2016

There hasn’t been any formal action to replace Wasserman Schultz so far, and some Democrats still ardently defend her, like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Nutter pointed out that Sanders is a recent Democrat while Wasserman Schultz has been leading the party and shouldn’t just be pushed out.

At the same time, DNC spokesperson Luis Miranda denied that anything serious is going on, saying that there are a whole lot of high profile members of Congress expressing their support for Wasserman Schultz on the record, and there are just a few who disagree and want to stay anonymous.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Are the Democrats About to Drop Debbie Wasserman Schultz? appeared first on Law Street.

Yes, you read the title right.

On Monday’s episode of “The Daily Show” Trevor Noah sat down with Democratic National Conference (DNC) chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz to discuss the current presidential primary race from the Democratic side.

In between discussing the RNC’s Republican “clown car” and her party’s use of superdelegates, the conversation turned a little PG13 when Noah asked Wasserman Schultz if the DNC is conspiring to prevent Bernie Sanders (I-VT) from securing the nomination against Hillary Clinton. Noah asked,

A lot of people feel that Bernie Sanders … is being cockblocked by the DNC. Is there any merit to this?

The question comes after Wasserman Schultz has repeatedly faced scrutiny over the low number of debates the Democrats have had during this campaign cycle, and accusations that she’s acted more in the interest of Clinton due to biased favoritism.

Now my guess is, it isn’t very often that Wasserman Schultz finds herself being questioned on whether or not she’s “cockblocking” someone. That being said, she managed to handle the question pretty well firing back,

You know, as powerful as that makes me feel, I’m not doing a very good job of rigging the outcome or… “blocking” anyone from being able to get their message out.

She added,

The reality is that I have a job as national party chair that is one that requires a thick skin. It requires me to be able to absorb the body blows so our candidates can stay above the fray.

Watch the full clip below

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Trevor Noah Asks DNC’s Chair if She is ‘C*ckblocking’ Sanders appeared first on Law Street.

Primary season is upon us, and it seems you can’t scroll through your TV guide without passing a televised political debate. For political junkies, the primary debates are equivalent to Sunday Night Football, with fans watching eagerly for stand-out moments, which can be alternately career–defining, or campaign–destroying. It’s easy to feel saturated with the political back-and-forth, especially considering the GOP candidates will debate seven times in the first three months of 2016.

Amidst all the chaos of these events, however, there are some regulations the campaigns and candidates must follow. Each of the two major parties lay out a schedule and a list of restrictions–if you want to be their nominee, you have to play by their rules. Both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions forbid candidates from performing in sanctioned debates if they participate in an un-sanctioned debate. This means that the debates organized by the party are the only debates a candidate can participate in, if they want that media coverage.

When it comes to scheduling there are stark differences, however, between the parties. The DNC announced that it would organize a total of six debates from 2015-2016, down from 26 debates in the ’07-’08 election. The RNC also reduced the number of debates, from the 20 between 2011-2012 to twelve debates this season.

Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the chair of the DNC, has received criticism for limiting the number of official debates, and for scheduling the debates for time slots with low viewership. Critics of Wasserman-Schultz see the debate schedule as support for Hillary Clinton, as Clinton is a more familiar candidate, while Bernie Sanders might benefit from more airtime to introduce himself to voters and put his message forward.

One loophole used by candidates on both sides is to join a “forum” or “town hall.” These events still involve candidates answering questions live on television, but are distinct from debates in that the candidates take turns, and don’t interact with or respond to each other. The Democrats and Republicans each have four forums scheduled.  As for other debates, MSNBC and The Union Leader newspaper are considering hosting a separate, unsanctioned debate, which could disqualify participants.

Thursday’s Republican debate is already drawing headlines for the candidate who won’t be there–none other than the chief headline-drawer himself, Donald Trump. Trump asked followers on Twitter whether he should attend the debate, and eventually his campaign stated he will refuse to participate due to his discontentment with Megyn Kelly’s position as moderator. A move like this might spell trouble for the RNC’s ability to control its already anti-establishment candidates. This does not, however, bar him from participating in other official debates.

Fox News representatives fired back at Trump’s refusal, poking fun at his decision to poll his millions of Twitter followers.

We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president — a nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings

Trump didn’t take too kindly to the barb:

The statement put out yesterday by @FoxNews was a disgrace to good broadcasting and journalism. Who would ever say something so nasty & dumb

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2016

Following this refusal, Ted Cruz, Trump’s biggest rival in the Iowa caucus, challenged Trump to a “mano a mano” debate between the two. This sort of event would be right in Cruz’s wheelhouse, as during his undergraduate years he shined on Princeton’s extemporaneous debate team. But such a debate would be against the RNC’s rules, and would forbid either candidate from participating in future RNC debates.

While leadership from each party has control over the sanctioned debates, we may see more town hall forums spring up throughout primary season. If rebukes like Trump’s become more common, the control of the parties might begin to slip away, leading to an even more unpredictable primary season.

Sean Simon

Sean Simon is an Editorial News Senior Fellow at Law Street, and a senior at The George Washington University, studying Communications and Psychology. In his spare time, he loves exploring D.C. restaurants, solving crossword puzzles, and watching sad foreign films. Contact Sean at SSimon@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Debate Drama on Both Sides in 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Lawrence Lessig, a famous Harvard Law School professor and presidential candidate, announced that he is no longer pursuing the Democratic Party’s nomination because the Party recently changed the requirements to participate in the November 14 debate.

Lawrence Lessig announced his candidacy for president in early September, meeting a self-set goal of raising over $1 million in small donations. A well-known campaign finance advocate, Lessig sought to run for president in order to enact electoral reform, which he thought would increase political responsiveness and ensure everyone’s “equal right to vote.” His campaign was unique from the outset, but the support that he did have was vocal and polls suggest that campaign finance is an important issue to many. However, aside from being a longshot in the presidential race, his campaign encountered several additional obstacles.

“It is now clear that the Party won’t let me be a candidate,” Lessig said in a video (below) released on Monday. According to Lessig and his advisors, a subtle change in the debate criteria has made it impossible for him to participate in the upcoming debate. When the Democratic National Committee (DNC) initially announced the debate schedule back in August, the rules stated that participating candidates must receive, “at least 1 percent in three national polls, conducted by credible news organizations and polling organizations, in the six weeks prior to the debate.”

But recently, according to Lessig, the DNC tweaked these requirements ever so slightly in a way that precludes Lessig from participating. A memo from the DNC changed the wording from “in the six weeks prior to the debate” to “at least six weeks prior to the event,” meaning that participating candidates need to have met the threshold six weeks ahead of time, rather than in the period leading up to the debate. According to Lessig, “Under the new rule, unless we can time travel, there is no way that I can qualify.”

If what Lessig says is true, this change would exclude him from a debate that he would otherwise be participating in. One of the most significant challenges faced by the Lessig campaign is the fact that his name is not included in many national polls, but recently, he has hit the 1 percent threshold several times–meaning that he would likely qualify under the initial rules. Under the rule change, he would have already needed to qualify at the beginning of October.

Outside of polling, but also related, are Lessig’s challenges with the Democratic Party. Last month, he wrote an article for Politico Magazine titled, “I’m Trying to Run for President, But Democrats Won’t Let Me.” In the article, he outlined the challenges facing his campaign, and the unwillingness of the Democratic Party to accept him as a candidate. He argues that Party leaders don’t really view him as a legitimate candidate–noting that DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz had not yet taken the time to even speak with him.

It’s worth noting that even if Lessig was openly welcomed by the Democratic Party, his chances of receiving the Democratic nomination were extremely slim. While he would likely qualify for the upcoming debate if the rules did not change, polling at 1 percent isn’t necessarily impressive. Granted, if he was listed as an option in every poll he might rank a little higher, but it still wouldn’t materially change much.

The fact is, his candidacy is pretty peculiar–he even started out saying that, if elected, he would only serve as president until he could implement electoral reform, after which point he would resign. While he has since dropped the idea of being a “referendum president,” his nearly exclusive focus on a narrow reform agenda can limit the extent of his support. But that perspective might also miss Lessig’s point.

Sure, the best way for him to enact electoral reform would probably be to actually get elected, but it also seems like he simply wants to elevate the issue to a much higher level in the United States, particularly among policymakers. Were he able to attend the upcoming Democratic debate, he may have been able to do just that by demanding that the other candidates address the issue. Instead, he has been excluded from the debate and, as a result, the Democratic Party.

So what’s next for Lessig? He hasn’t announced whether he will pursue the presidency as an independent candidate, but in an email to the Washington Post he noted, “nothing (legal) is ruled out.” Lessig has made some unorthodox attempts to address the issue of campaign finance in the past, so we may want to keep an eye out for his next move.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Democrats Squeeze Lawrence Lessig Out of Presidential Race appeared first on Law Street.

Jim Webb, a former Virginia governor, was running for the Democratic nomination. Now he’s probably not. We should all feel overwhelmingly neutral about this.

Here are the facts you need to know: Webb was doing incredibly poorly–polling at about 1 percent. He did participate in the first Democratic debate, but the only two things that people appear to remember about his performance is that he kept complaining about not getting enough time to talk, and he had a vaguely uncomfortable answer about killing a man while fighting in Vietnam to the question “who is the enemy you’re most proud of?” Yesterday, the media was vaguely interested in the reports that he may drop out of the race and launch an Independent bid. But today, the buzz is that Webb is going to drop out of the race altogether and “mull his options.”

He’s expected to hold a press conference later today to explain his decision to the public. Whether anyone will watch who isn’t a political reporter or stuck in a doctor’s waiting room and can’t figure out how to change the station is unclear.

Webb is almost certain to rail against the Democratic party and the media for not supporting him–an argument he’s been making for a while. For example, he claimed the Democratic debate on CNN was rigged, saying: “It’s very difficult to win a debate when you don’t have the opportunity to speak the same amount of time on issues as the other two did.” He also criticized the DNC, for embracing Hillary Clinton and not aiding the other Democratic candidates.

In the end, this is sort of a shame. Webb is further right-center than the other Democratic candidates in the field. He should have been a legitimate candidate (at least more legitimate than the pretty insane Lincoln Chafee) who forced the leading candidates to talk about issues that may not have come up otherwise. Instead, he came across as uninteresting and whiny.

So, Jim Webb joins the “Scott Walker List of Candidates Who Didn’t Do Anything Interesting Until They Dropped Out.” Whether he eventually re-joins the race as a Independent is essentially irrelevant–he’s not going to suddenly inspire a wave of voters or donors by changing his party affiliation from D to I. So cheers to Jim Webb–the Democratic field is about to get a little less crowded, but honestly, it doesn’t really matter in the slightest.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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