Newly obtained documents show $157,000 in additional payments by the Secret Service to Trump properties - The Washington Post

The Trump Organization said it charges "at cost" for Mar-a-Lago rooms. Receipts show it charged taxpayers $396.15 per night.....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/newly-obtained-documents-show-157000-in-additional-payments-by-the-secret-service-to-trump-properties/2020/03/05/7da2a610-5cbd-11ea-b014-4fafa866bb81_story.html

Good News About Ex-Felons in Florida (Opening Arguments podcast OA363)

Today’s episode brings you some good news from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals with respect to Florida’s effort to restore the vote to felons who have completed their sentences — and the Republicans’ ongoing efforts to stop it. We also revisit the emoluments clause litigations pending in two jurisdictions as well as tackle a novel question from one of our listeners. You won’t want to miss it!

We begin with a brief Andrew Was Wrong / Andrew Was Right segment regarding emoluments. Friend of the show Seth Barrett Tillman writes in to correct us on two procedural issues and also to venture an opinion that any future emoluments cases would have to be brought by both houses of Congress. Find out why Andrew disagrees and stands by his original recommendation in Episode 361 that Nancy Pelosi authorize a new vote by the full House of Representatives to re-file the case originally brought in Blumenthal v. Trump.

Then it’s time for our main segment on the breaking decision out of the 11th Circuit striking down the Florida legislature’s effort to gut Amendment 4 (which was meant to restore voting rights to ex-felons). Find out why the court ruled the way it did, what happens next, and why there may be cause for optimism in the Sunshine State!

After that, it’s time for a fascinating, clever, but (sadly) wrong suggestion from a listener regarding a writ of mandamus and the current logjam in Congress.

We end, as always, with #T3BE, and Thomas’s seven-question winning streak on the line regarding a contract and an unfortunate foreman who suffers an accident prior to starting his duties. Will Thomas prevail? Listen and find out! And don’t forget to play along by sharing out the show on social media!
Interview:
https://openargs.com/oa363-good-news-about-ex-felons-in-florida/

DC Sides with Trump in Emoluments Case? (Opening Arguments podcast OA361)

Today’s episode features a quick Andrew was… something segment about the ERA. Then we talk about the recent ruling in an emoluments case against Trump. Was it devastating or was it expected? Listen and find out! Then we tackle some great listener questions at the end.
Interview:
https://openargs.com/oa361-dc-sides-with-trump-in-emoluments-case/

Trump charges Secret Service to protect him at his properties: report - Business Insider

The Trump Organization charges the Secret Service exorbitant rates to protect President Donald Trump when he travels to his properties, The Washington Post reported on Friday. ....
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-charges-secret-service-for-protection-hotel-properties-report-2020-2

Trump Has Spent $115 Million On Golf Trips ― Or 287 Years Of Presidential Salary | HuffPost

With his Thanksgiving vacation, President Donald Trump’s golf hobby has now cost Americans an estimated $115 million in travel and security expenses ― the equivalent of 287 years of the presidential salary he frequently boasts about not taking. Of that amount, many hundreds of thousands ― perhaps millions ― of dollars have gone into his own cash registers, as Secret Service agents, White House staff and other administration officials stay and eat at his hotels and golf courses. ....
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-golf-trips-millions-thanksgiving_n_5ddedbefe4b0913e6f7865cf

Fact Checker: The Trump brothers’ claims that they no longer profit from foreign deals - The Washington Post: Analysis

Four Pinocchios for one, Four Pinocchios for the other.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/11/01/trump-brothers-claims-that-they-no-longer-profit-foreign-deals/

Did George Washington run businesses as president? | PolitiFact

President Donald Trump said a precedent exists for an active businessman like himself serving as president -- his legendary first predecessor, George Washington. Trump’s remark came in response to a reporter’s question about the G-7 meeting, which Trump had recently backed off hosting at his Trump National Doral property amid concerns that he could financially benefit from it. https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2019/oct/30/did-george-washington-run-businesses-president/

Donald Trump has sold out America by putting his own interests ahead of the country’s in these 6 ways – Raw Story

One of Donald Trump’s main campaign promises was to put “America First” and defend American interests above all else. It was a theme that riled up his base at rallies across the country, but this has turned out to be yet another big lie. At every turn, he has sold out America for his own personal interest. Instead of putting America first, here are 6 ways Donald Trump has put himself first: https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/donald-trump-has-sold-out-america-by-putting-his-own-interests-ahead-of-the-countrys-in-these-6-ways/

Trump’s 9 Crimes and Misdemeanors (Opening Arguments podcast OA324)

With impeachment in full swing, today’s episode reminds you that we already have more than enough evidence to impeach & remove Donald Trump from office for the nine distinct crimes documented by Robert Mueller in Vol. II of the Mueller Report.

We begin, however, with a pre-show update: the 4th Circuit has just voted to rehear the Maryland emoluments lawsuit en banc on Dec. 12, 2019.

After that, it’s time to check in on the latest Republican argument: that Democrats need to authorize an impeachment inquiry via a full floor vote in the House of Representatives. Learn why Nancy Pelosi said “Nope!” and why that might be shots fired… at the Supreme Court.

Then, it’s time for the deep dive into the nine unambiguous, inarguable crimes that we already have proof Donald Trump has already committed, thanks to Vol. II of the Mueller Report. You will get a choose-your-own-adventure guide for how to steer your disbelieving Uncle Frank through the Mueller Report and prove that Trump acted with criminally corrupt intent to obstruct justice. “The cover-up is [still] worse than the crime”… isn’t it?

After all that, it’s time for an all-new #T3BE involving a hate crime. Is the Intellectual Dark Web correct that such things are protected by “free speech?” If not, why are they wrong? Play along on social media — remember to #T3BE with your answer!
Interview:
https://openargs.com/oa324-trumps-9-crimes-and-misdemeanors/

The Memo: Trump's sea of troubles deepens - The Hill

The swirling troubles around President Trump got deeper this week thanks to a series of missteps...
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/466545-the-memo-trumps-sea-of-troubles-deepens

Fox hosts DESTROY Trump over awarding G7 Summit to his OWN resort

BREAKING: Fox News' Neil Cavuto and Andrew Napolitano just destroyed Trump over awarding the G7 Summit to his OWN resort in Florida.....
https://youtu.be/oTyZCfMiV_U

A Trump hotel mystery: Giant reservations followed by empty rooms - POLITICO

The House is investigating whether groups tried to curry favor with Trump by booking rooms at his hotels but never using them.....
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/02/trump-hotel-empty-rooms-016763

Pence's stay at Trump's Irish hotel shows corruption has become routine

The president’s violations of the constitution’s emoluments clause prove the existing guardrails are no longer adequate....
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/05/trump-emoluments-corruption-mike-pence-hotel

In the mafia, there is a name for what Pence and Barr did - CNN

As a federal organized crime prosecutor, I learned that the mafia uses a practice known as "kicking up" or "paying tribute" to the boss, and now a political version of it seems to be catching on within the Trump administration, writes Elie Honig...
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/04/opinions/pence-barr-money-trumps-pocket-honig/index.html

Trump made the G7 a train wreck — and he plans make the next one a corruption bonanza - Raw Story

It's not clear President Donald Trump could ever get what he wants out of the G7 summits. He's torn by two conflicting desires: the desire to be loved by everyone across the world, and the desire to promote his nationalist, authoritarian, right-wing agenda, which won him power in the United States but inevitably brings him into conflict with other leading democracies...
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/08/trump-made-the-g7-a-train-wreck-and-he-plans-make-the-next-one-a-corruption-bonanza/

As Trump zigzags wildly at G-7, one ugly truth remains constant - The Washington Post: Opinion

Trump wants to host the next G-7 at Doral resort. Is that what Trump supporters voted for?....
https://beta.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/26/trump-zigzags-wildly-g-one-ugly-truth-remains-constant/

'He's giving it to himself!': Reporter explains the shameless grift behind Trump bringing G7 to his own golf course - Raw Story

Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold appeared on MSNBC to discuss President Donald Trump using the G7 summit to promote his financially struggling golf course in Doral, Florida. ....
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/08/hes-giving-it-to-himself-reporter-explains-the-shameless-grift-behind-trump-bringing-g7-to-his-own-golf-course/

Twitter, Emoluments & Labor Unions (Opening Arguments podcast OA297)

Today’s episode features a grab-bag of stories that have been making the rounds, including the recent ruling out of the Second Circuit regarding Donald Trump’s use of Twitter, a setback for our buddy Brian Frosh’s efforts to enforce the Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution, and an update on the real-word consequences of the Janus v. AFSCME decision we decry so much around here.

We begin with the Second Circuit’s ruling in Knight First Amendment Inst. v. Trump, which established that a government official may convert a social media platform such as Twitter into a “limited use public forum,” from which he may not block users on the basis of the political content of their speech — i.e., viewpoint discrimination. Almost no one understands this decision; we’ll make sure you’re one of the lucky ones who do!

Then, it’s time for a breakdown of the 4th Circuit’s ruling in In re Trump, which directs the lower court to dismiss the lawsuit (and pending discovery) against Trump in the lawsuit brought by Maryland and D.C. alleging violations of the Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses. Find out what this case is all about, whether the outcome is reasonable, and what’s next.

After that, it’s time for a quick look at the real-world implications of the Janus v. AFSCME decision allowing public-sector union employees to withhold a portion of their dues otherwise allocated for administrative duties under… some crazy right-wing theory that something something something, because Sam Alito knows diminishing the power of unions will hurt Democrats. But what else did that decision do? Listen and find out!

After all that, it’s time for the most controversial #TTTBE yet, in which we discover the answer to Thomas Takes The Bar Exam (regarding larceny and robbery) … or do we? You won’t want to miss this one!
Interview:
https://openargs.com/oa297-twitter-emoluments-labor-unions/

Democrats seek to ban federal spending at Trump businesses - The Hill

Democrats are trying to use the power of the purse to legally prevent President Trump from profiting from the federal government spending money at his businesses.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/449799-democrats-seek-to-ban-federal-spending-at-trump-businesses

Jared and Ivanka, Who “Sacrificed” Everything to Join the White House, Made $135 Million in 2018 - Vanity Fair:

Including a cool $4 million from President Daddy's nearby hotel.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/06/ivanka-trump-jared-kushner-2018-income