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Fordham University
Zephyr Teachout is Associate Professor of Law at Fordham University and the author of Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin’s Snuff Box to Citizens United
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Zephyr Teachout
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FROM Zephyr Teachout
To the Point
First big lawsuit against President Trump's hotel The Trump Hotel in Washington is the place to be — at least for the moment. How long will that last? Photo by Mr. Gray As the New President never tires of pointing out, his new Trump Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue is midway between the White House and Capitol Hill. Luxury suites command hundreds of dollars a night as foreign officials and business people compete for overnight bookings. Sounds like a roaring success — but that's exactly the problem, according to some of America's foremost Constitutional scholars. One member of the legal team filing suit today is Zephyr Teachout, Professor of Law at Fordham University and author of Corruption in America .
To the Point
Who will police presidential conflicts of interest? The 538 members of the Electoral College cast their votes today for a Commander-in-Chief with the most extensive potential conflicts of interest in the history of the presidency. Watchdogs say the law requires Donald Trump to sell off his holdings, but he's postponed addressing the issue until January, tweeting that his sons will run the business -- the same sons that are deeply involved in the Trump transition team. Democrats, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, have vowed to hold Trump to the standard of a little known constitutional principle, the Emoluments Clause , claiming it gives grounds for impeachment if Trump doesn't fully divest himself of his holdings. Why are Republican voters seemingly unconcerned with the blurring of the lines between the Trump Organization and the White House? With a Republican controlled Congress who can hold the President accountable?
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To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.