Day 753

[matt (Matt Kiser)]

Updated 2/11/2019 11:33 AM PST

1/ Negotiations to avoid another partial government shutdown fell apart on Sunday. Democrats are demanding a limit on the number of arrests of undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, as well as a cap the number of beds in ICE detention centers to force the Trump administration to focus on detaining undocumented immigrants with criminal records instead of using indiscriminate deportation raids in local communities without valid reason. To avoid another partial shutdown – set to begin Saturday – the House and Senate must pass identical spending bills that Trump would then need to sign into law by Friday night. The 17 House and Senate negotiators had hoped to reach a deal by Monday to give lawmakers enough time to approve the deal in both chambers before the deadline. The only things being discussed at the moment are a temporary Homeland Security spending bill or a possible national emergency declaration by Trump. (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Reuters / The Guardian)

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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/02/11/day-753/

[dragonfly9]

Bringing a lawsuit is just another example of T’s bullying, and Sims is hitting back with another lawsuit.

Cliff Sims, the former White House communications aide who wrote an insider account of life working for President Trump, is suing the president in his official capacity, alleging that he used his campaign organization as a “cutout” to improperly seek retribution against former employees and keep them from invoking their First Amendment rights.

Mr. Sims was a White House aide from the beginning of the administration. But it was the campaign organization that filed an arbitration claim against him last week, accusing him of violating the nondisclosure agreement he signed with it during the 2016 presidential race with the publication of his book, “Team of Vipers,” last month.

The White House had dozens of people sign such agreements at the beginning of the president’s term. But those agreements are widely seen as likely unenforceable. In the suit, Mr. Sims says he does not recall whether he signed one when he came to the White House.

Cliff Sims, White House Tell-All Author, Sues Trump for Going After Him Over...

[Keaton_James]

Michael Cohen postpones congressional testimony for a third time

Hmmm… WTF is going on with Cohen’s testimony before Congress?

President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen has scored a hat trick when it comes to postponing congressional testimony.

For the third time this month, Cohen’s scheduled congressional testimony has been delayed, as his attorney said Monday that Cohen’s Senate Intelligence Committee appearance this week had been pushed back.

“The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has accepted Mr. Cohen’s request for postponement of tomorrow’s hearing due to post surgery medical needs. A future date will be announced by the committee,” his attorney Lanny Davis said in a statement.

Cohen has been subpoenaed to appear before the committee on February 12. A spokeswoman for committee declined to comment on Cohen’s testimony.