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 Claims Obama Wiretapped His Phone

On Saturday, Donald Trump claimed, without stating any evidence, that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower throughout the month before the election. On Twitter, Trump called Obama a “Bad (or sick) guy!” He didn’t say where he got the information, but similar allegations circulated on a conservative radio show and Breitbart the day before. A spokesperson for Obama said the allegation was “simply false.” Then yesterday, the White House demanded a congressional inquiry into the matter. A statement from Sean Spicer called “reports” about it “very troubling,” but he said that the White House would make no further comment until after an investigation is concluded.

There are no credible public sources for this, only Trump’s assertions. And he seems not to have checked w 17 Intel agencies-just Breitbart https://t.co/XnP3NGNZpw

— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) March 5, 2017

These are pretty serious allegations, and it’s important to note that a president doesn’t have the power to just order a wiretapping by himself–requests would normally have to go through the FBI and be approved by a judge. Later on Sunday, FBI Director James Comey asked the Justice Department to publicly reject Trump’s claims, as he is implying that the FBI and Obama potentially broke the law. But the DOJ has been silent and now people are wondering if this is all just a way to divert our attention away from something else.

On @ThisWeekABC, Sen. Al Franken calls Pres. Trump’s wiretap assertion “a distraction.” https://t.co/I4naMV1Nfj pic.twitter.com/NaIRVI6Mew

— ABC News (@ABC) March 6, 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: March 6, 2017 appeared first on Law Street.

Donald Trump may have received a bizarre endorsement from Sarah Palin earlier this week, but now he’s receiving a lot of “anti-endorsements” as well. A number of prominent American voices, including celebrities, academics, and activists have joined together to help defeat Trump as he attempts to win the Republican Party’s 2016 presidential nomination.

The list of people who have signed on to the “Stop Hate Dump Trump” campaign is rapidly growing–it currently includes Harry Belafonte, Cornel West, Danny Glover, Jane Fonda, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, Kerry Washington, Reza Aslan, Eve Ensler, Connie Britton, Gloria Steinem, Cynthia Nixon, Rosie O’Donnell, Dylan McDermott, and many others.

The petition to “Stop Hate Dump Trump” reads:

We believe Trump is a grave threat to democracy, freedom, human rights, equality, and the welfare of our country and all our people.

We have witnessed Trump inciting hatred against Muslims, immigrants, women, the disabled. We have seen him evidencing dangerous tendencies that threaten the bedrock of democracy: unleashing a lynch mob mentality against protestors, calling for the expulsion of Muslims from the country, bullying, and fear-mongering.

History has shown us what happens when people refuse to stand against hate-filled leaders.

We pledge ourselves to speak out in every way possible against the politics of hate and exclusion he represents.

The star-studded cohort that is backing the petition collectively has a pretty large microphone, and the campaign has generated plenty of buzz since it launched yesterday. In addition to criticizing Trump’s consistently racist, xenophobic, and sexist statements, the movement also appears to be critical of the media’s willingness to cover Trump’s latest outrageous remark without real criticism. Liza Donnelley, a cartoonist for the New Yorker, has also lent her talented pen to the movement, and has created some Dump Trump-inspired cartoons for the movement–her work criticizes both Trump, and also that cyclical media coverage.

Trump scares me. I drew some #cartoons, signed this petition. See here: https://t.co/DvNCUcPy6m #stophatedumptrump pic.twitter.com/U6VckyT7Jm

— lizadonnelly (@lizadonnelly) January 21, 2016

Trump scares me. I drew some #cartoons, signed this petition. See here: https://t.co/DvNCUcPy6m#stophatedumptrumppic.twitter.com/7H2xR27EOx — lizadonnelly (@lizadonnelly) January 21, 2016

Trump scares me. I drew some #cartoons, signed this petition. See here: https://t.co/DvNCUcPy6m #stophatedumptrump pic.twitter.com/mdEy50za8S — lizadonnelly (@lizadonnelly) January 21, 2016

The celebrities, activists, and others lending their names and voices to the Stop Hate Dump Trump movement collectively have a pretty large microphone–it’s admirable that they’re using it for a worthy cause. As we get closer and closer to the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, we’ll have to see if they’re able to make any dent in Trump’s poll numbers.

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 #StopHateDumpTrump: Celebrities Team Up to Defeat Trump appeared first on Law Street.