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Fordham University
Jed Shugerman is a professor of law at Fordham University and the author of The People's Courts: Pursuing Judicial Independence in America. He blogs at Shugerblog.
PROFILE
Jed Shugerman
Guest
FROM Jed Shugerman
To the Point
What's next for the FBI… and the GOP? President Trump says he might appoint a new FBI Director before his first overseas trip starts on Friday. Potential nominees were interviewed over the weekend — including at least two Republicans serving in the House and the Senate. But the President's own explanation of why he fired James Comey has been called "obstruction of justice." Some conservatives are outraged at the Republicans who dominate Congress, but aren't exercising the separation of powers by considering impeachment. Trump might stem the controversy by his choice of a new FBI leader — but Democrats still want an independent investigation of Russia's campaign hacking.
To the Point
Can President Trump 'pack' the federal court system? Judge Neil Gorsuch is likely to be confirmed to the US Supreme Court, and there may be other vacancies in the next four years. In addition, 124 judicial benches are open in federal appellate and district courts all over the country, and more retirements are inevitable. As long as Republicans dominate the Senate, there's a real chance that Mr. Trump could push the system to the Right for generations. That's been the goal of so-called "dark money" spent by shadowy billionaires to make American institutions more to their liking.
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To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.