Tipsheet: Delayed abortion case fuels intrigue at Supreme Court

View in your browser     Delayed abortion case fuels intrigue at Supreme Court By Lydia Wheeler   After weeks of delay, the Supreme Court is expected to make a decision soon on an unusual request from the Trump administration in a politically charged abortion case.  In early November, Solicitor General Noel Francisco asked the court to toss out a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals order that allowed an unaccompanied immigrant teen in federal custody to obtain an abortion. But in a twist, the solicitor general has also asked the court to punish the opposing attorneys at the American Civil Liberties Union.   Read the full story here     In a letter to Mueller, Trump's lawyers argued he could not obstruct justice: report By Max Greenwood   President Trump's lawyers sent a confidential letter to special counsel Robert Mueller in January, arguing that the president could not have possibly obstructed justice because he has constitutional authority over all federal investigations.  Read the full story here     Giuliani threatens to go to court if Mueller subpoenas Trump By Aris Folley The warning from the newest member of President Trump's legal team arrived just hours after The New York Times revealed that Trump's lawyers sent special counsel Robert Mueller a 20-page letter in January arguing that the president couldn’t obstruct justice because he has unfettered authority over all federal investigations. Read the full story here     Trump accuses DOJ, Mueller's office of 'leaking' his attorneys' letters By John Bowden President Trump on Saturday continued his attacks on the special counsel investigation into possible Russian links to his campaign, questioning in a tweet whether officials from Robert Mueller's office or the Justice Department had released letters from Trump's attorneys to the media. Read the full story here       Defense industry braces for hit from Trump tariffs By Ellen Mitchell The 25 percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent tariff on aluminum, which went into effect Friday, is expected to raise costs for the U.S. defense industry, biting into its bottom line. Read the full story here     Threats of retaliatory tariffs prompted by Trump have cost Iowa pork industry $560M: report By Max Greenwood Iowa pork producers could take another hit if Mexico follows through on its threat to impose a 20 percent tariff on hams and pork shoulders from the U.S. Read the full story here     Economist calls Trump's new tariffs start of a 'psychopath's trade war' By John Bowden Economist Jeffrey Sachs blasted Trump's decision this week to implement stiff tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, a move that angered top U.S. allies including Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Read the full story here     Trump has spent more visiting Mar-a-Lago than Mueller has on Russia probe By John Bowden The president has repeatedly attacked special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into his campaign for racking up millions of dollars in expenditures, but that number is dwarfed by the amount required to pay for the president's numerous trips to the "Winter White House." Read the full story here     ZTE hired former Trump aide as lobbyist: report By John Bowden Chinese telecommunications company ZTE reportedly hired Bryan Lanza, a former adviser to both the Trump campaign and Trump's White House transition team, just a day after the president tweeted that he was considering helping ZTE regain access to American markets. Read the full story here     States defy Trump on ObamaCare By Nathaniel Weixel Blue states are defying the Trump administration in a bid to protect ObamaCare and keep their insurance markets stable. Several states, including California and Maryland, are looking to put limits on short-term insurance plans, even as the Trump administration is poised to expand access to them nationwide. Read the full story here     The DNC lawsuit is just what the Russians wanted By Mark S. Sparkman OPINION | The DNC alleges that Russia, the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks were involved in the hacking of the committee’s servers prior to the 2016 general election. The committee posits the subsequent leaks negatively impacted the party’s ability to successfully campaign for the election. Who will be the real winner in the lawsuit? The DNC, the Trump administration … or the Russians? Read the full story here     How Hawaii made its lava disaster worse By Malia Hill OPINION | As Hawaii residents continue to flee the Kilauea eruption, Hawaii legislators are pondering a special session to address the damage. Ironically, their past actions are partially responsible for the scope of this disaster; after all, it was a state-created insurance group that incentivized living next to an active volcano. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Trump’s pivot on North Korea echoes failures of the past By Mark Landler and David E. Sanger President Trump has vowed not to repeat the errors of his predecessors, but his apparent softening on North Korea resembles approaches taken by Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: ‘Speed dating’: Critics worry Trump is already handing propaganda victories to N. Korea By David Nakamura Ahead of a rushed Singapore summit, the president was all smiles posing with a former spy chief blamed for deaths and mass imprisonment. Read the full story here     Reuters: Relief for North Korea only after clear, irreversible steps to denuclearization: Mattis By Idrees Ali   U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday North Korea will receive relief only after it takes clear and irreversible steps to end its nuclear program, adding it would be a bumpy road to a summit between U.S. and North Korean leaders. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: US allies issue rare rebuke of American trade actions By Joshua Zumbrun   Six finance ministers, representing some of the closest U.S. allies, issued a stern rebuke of the Trump administration’s protectionist policies, signaling a deep rift in relations underpinning today’s trading system. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: China warns US trade deals off if tariffs go ahead By Joe McDonald China warned Sunday after another round of talks on a sprawling trade dispute with Washington that any deals they produce “will not take effect” if President Donald Trump’s threatened tariff hike on Chinese goods goes ahead. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.