"A federal judge on Monday rejected an attempt by the Democrat-led House to bar President Donald Trump from spending $6.1 billion in unappropriated funds to build a border wall.

"In a 24-page opinion, D.C.-based District Court Judge Trevor McFadden said that the court lacked authority to resolve a funding dispute between the executive and legislative branches.

"'While the Constitution bestows upon members of the House many powers, it does not grant them standing to hale the executive branch into court claiming a dilution of Congress's legislative authority,' McFadden wrote.

"The ruling deals a momentary victory to Trump. A separate Oakland-based federal judge in late May issued a preliminary injunction that blocked the transfer of roughly $1 billion in Defense Department counter-drug funding to cover expansions and enhancement of border barriers."

"... I love the Department of Justice, I love the FBI, I think it's important that we not, in this period of intense partisan feeling, destroy our institutions. I think one of the ironies today is that people are saying that it's President Trump that's shredding our institutions. I really see no evidence of that, it is hard, and I really haven't seen bill of particulars as to how that's being done. From my perspective the idea of resisting a democratically elected president and basically throwing everything at him and you know, really changing the norms on the grounds that we have to stop this president, that is where the shredding of our norms and our institutions is occurring."

Read interview transcript here.

"WASHINGTON -- President Trump said Thursday that he would impose a 5 percent tariff on all imported goods from Mexico beginning June 10, a tax that would 'gradually increase' until the flow of undocumented immigrants across the border stopped.

"The announcement, which Mr. Trump made on his Twitter feed, said the tariffs would be in place 'until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP.'

"In a presidential statement that followed, he said that tariffs would be raised to 10 percent on July 1 'if the crisis persists,' and then by an additional 5 percent each month for three months. They would remain at 25 percent until Mexico acted, he said."

"If there were any doubts about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's political intentions, his unprecedented press conference on Wednesday should put them all to rest. As he made abundantly clear during his doddering reading of a prepared statement that repeatedly contradicted itself, Mueller had no interest in the equal application of the rule of law. He gave the game, and his nakedly political intentions, away repeatedly throughout his statement. ...

"In fact, DOJ guidelines expressly prohibit the actions of both Comey and Mueller in naming and shaming individuals who were never formally charged with any wrongdoing.

"'As a series of cases makes clear, there is ordinarily "no legitimate governmental interest served" by the government's public allegation of wrongdoing by an uncharged party, and this is true "regardless of what criminal charges may ... b[e] contemplated by the Assistant United States Attorney against the [third-party] for the future,"' states DOJ's formal policy manual on the duties of federal prosecutors and principles of federal prosecutions.

"Nationwide bar rules governing all practicing attorneys in the United States also explicitly prohibit Mueller's display during Wednesday's press conference.

"'The prosecutor in a criminal case shall ... refrain from making extrajudicial comments that have a substantial likelihood of heightening public condemnation of the accused,' states Rule 3.8(f) of the American Bar Association's rules of professional conduct."

Read entire article here.

"Defenders of the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran predicted that President Trump's sanctions would have little impact unless our European friends joined in. They were dead wrong.

"That same crowd is now in a frenzy over Mr. Trump deploying military assets to the Middle East to deter or, if necessary, punish attacks on Americans by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or its many proxies.

"They have been claiming -- including in paid advertisements -- that Mr. Trump is leading a 'march to war.'

"What's really happening is less dramatic but more intriguing: Iran's rulers are feeling intense pain from Mr. Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign, and they are no longer sure they can wait for what they hope will be a more conciliatory occupant of the White House in 2021."

Read entire article here.

"A Harvard-Harris poll finds that 65 percent of Americans say Congress shouldn't begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Sixty percent agree with Attorney General William Barr that 'the facts and public actions of President Trump did not amount to obstruction of justice, especially since there was no underlying collusion.' And 58 percent believe 'we should turn the page on investigations of President Trump.' ...

"When Trump declares it's time to 'get these phony investigations over with,' the American people are with him. If Democrats keep pushing to impeach him, they risk driving many of these disgusted voters into Trump's waiting arms.

"The president has given Democrats a choice -- impeachment or bipartisan progress. It's clear where the American people stand: They want Congress to stop investigating and start governing. If Democrats don't listen, they could hand Trump a second term."

"[I]n our effort to accommodate many Americans by making the last Monday in May, Memorial Day, we have lost sight of the significance of this day to our nation. Instead of using Memorial Day as a time to honor and reflect on the sacrifices made by Americans in combat, many Americans use the day as a celebration of the beginning of summer."

"President Donald Trump has directed the heads of several government agencies to cooperate with Attorney General William Barr's investigation of the origins of the Russia probe.

"In a memo sent out Thursday, Trump also authorized Barr to declassify documents related to the Russia investigation.

"The memo grants Barr the authority to 'declassify, downgrade, or direct the declassification or downgrading of information or intelligence' related to the Russia probe as he sees fit. ...

"Trump's memo directs the heads of several federal agencies, including the CIA, FBI and State Department, to 'promptly' provide assistance and information to Barr to complete his review."

"Among the most important roles of the federal courts is to serve as a check and balance on the excesses of other branches of government, including the legislature. The courts should look beneath the claimed justifications for investigations of individuals and decide whether these justifications represent the real reasons behind the issuance of subpoenas and other exercises of congressional power. There should be a balancing test to weigh the legitimate interests of Congress against the rights of those targeted by its investigations. Congress should not be given carte blanche, as the decision by Judge Mehta gives it, to investigate anyone and anything for any purpose as long as the committee chairmen can recite the correct words as purported justifications for their actions.

"All civil libertarians, whether Democrat, Republican, or independent, should indeed be concerned about abuses of power by congressional committees. Today, Donald Trump and his administration are the targets. Tomorrow, it may be Democrats. The next day, you could be the target."

"The Americans are now campaigning aggressively to contain [Huawei Technologies Co Ltd] as part of a much broader effort to check Beijing's growing military might under President Xi Jinping. Strengthening cyber operations is a key element in the sweeping military overhaul that Xi launched soon after taking power in 2012, according to official U.S. and Chinese military documents. The United States has accused China of widespread, state-sponsored hacking for strategic and commercial gain.

"If Huawei gains a foothold in global 5G networks, Washington fears this will give Beijing an unprecedented opportunity to attack critical infrastructure and compromise intelligence sharing with key allies. Senior Western security officials say this could involve cyber attacks on public utilities, communication networks and key financial centers."

Read entire article here.