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"The evidence is now quite strong that Donald Trump committed obstruction of justice. Many legal scholars believe a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime. So the proper remedy for a president credibly accused of obstructing justice is impeachment."

'"If there are sinners and saints, I'm much more a sinner, that's for sure," he said with a gentle laugh.'

I'm curious to know how the discussion of positivity for prisoners in Hong Kong with the radio station contributes to the discussion of restorative justice in criminal justice reform.

Fascinating article, Akira. Also ironic that the biggest support system is from outside the criminal justice system. Thanks for posting.

The Attorney General seems to condemn the Texas abortion ban. The 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act is supposed to protect women's rights to abortions. While this statement seems to be a good initial step, it's unclear how much the federal government can/will help challenge the Texas law.

It's kind of weird that there are so many opinions about the ban. Some are just so contradictory with the law and misleading, I just wish there was clarification on it.

Good point, Julian. We should discuss why the Texas abortion law does not actually declare it to be a crime. . . why is this their strategy?

Why: "Thomas Burnett [whose wife had initiated the idea of monetary compensation for 9/11 victims,] had led the charge on the cockpit on flight 93. ---[These folks may have saved the President and the White House] --- He and his fellow passengers managed to divert the plane from its target - the White House. The cockpit flight recorder captured his now-famous last words before they stormed the hijackers: "We're going in!" Shortly after, the plane crashed, killing all 44 people on board. Burnett was 38 years old." . . . . "The suit named, among others, seven international banks [maybe we should discuss why?], eight Islamic foundations, charities and their subsidiaries, alleged individual terrorist financiers, and the government of Sudan [I did not know some of the hijackers were Sudanese. . . I thought. The plaintiffs initially described themselves collectively as the 9/11 Families United to Bankrupt Terrorism; they later became the 9/11 Families and Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism. The compensation claim filed was for $1tn. It was the largest terrorism-related civil action in history."

Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak is set to meet with President Trump this coming Tuesday. Mr. Najib is currently under investigation by the Justice Department for missing money.

There's debate in the Obama administration about how to respond to the hacks targeting Democratic Party organizations and increasing evidence that Russian hackers also were behind attacks on election registration websites. FBI and Justice Department officials believe there's strong evidence to warrant publicly naming Russia as responsible for the political organization attacks, law enforcement and intelligence officials briefed on the investigation say.

Interesting article about Saudi Arabian shifts of public opinion, especially on topics like sex, religion, and justice. Although this article highlights that reforms are very slow to come, we shouldn't overlook the fact that things ARE changing, albeit slowly.

I think its interesting that piracy is increasing throughout the world. Personally, I feel that its good that other countries are working to counter this threat.

I found it interesting that American-made American flags are lower quality than those made in China. It struck me as very similar to the situation faced by the speaker who came to talk to us about her bag business: how she had to outsource because she couldn't find a quality producer in the U.S. Something that bothered me is that many of the flags are synthetic; if the government is going to hand our hundreds of free flags that might just get thrown away, it seems as though it would be better to at least make them out of renewable materials like wood and cotton. However, I suppose that may be more expensive... Also, I visited the Jinteng factory website because I was curious if they specialized in a certain type of flag or not. It turns out that they make all different types of flags depending on the order, just as the jeans we saw in China Blue varied order by order. I suspect that although some workers feel frustrated making other countries' flags, their catalog indicates that they make flags for many countries, not just one, so any anger would perhaps be less likely to be directed toward a specific country due to constantly producing their flag.

I thought that it is sad (and ironic) that, as Matthew said, our symbols of freedom and patriotism are being paid for with people's rights (in China). I had never considered how 9/11 would have caused a drastic increase in demand for American flags, and though it shouldn't have, it surprised me that the low price of American flags from retailers such as Wal-Mart does not cover the production costs of the flags. Like Larkin, I found the juxtaposition of the symbols of the flag and where it is actually made notable. I also had the same question as Alison about whether any flags are actually made in the United States. I thought that Matthew did a nice job pointing out the odd juxtaposition and talking about the production cycle of the flag.

As EU tension around debt problems mounts, many political parties in Germany, including Merkel's advocate amending the Masstricht and Lisbon treaties to give the EU more power to punish those who disobey rules regarding deficit and debt. 

After the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, conservatives and GOP members are pushing for a quick confirmation before the November election. Nevertheless, two senate republicans have already come out against this; Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. It is important to note that in the Senate, Republicans hold a slim majority 53 to 47 and democrats would only need 4 republican votes to block the confirmation. It is also important to point out the hypocrisy in the GOP. Previously, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that a Supreme Court Vacancy in the last year of a president's term should not be filled until after the election.

Manny Pacquiao, a boxer and current Senator, is running for president, campaigning against poverty and corruption. Current president Rodrigo Duterte is ineligible to run for president again, but he is eligible to run for vice president. I think it is interesting that the president and vice president are separate on the ballot, so they may be from different parties.

I knew her was a senator but I didnt know he had further political ambitions. If he shows support for fighting the war on meth I'd support his run!

This was not on my radar, Julia, thanks. The president/vp trick is one used by Putin in Russia multiple times. As for the war on meth, yes, meth is super damaging, but Buterte's draconian response (hiring killing squads) seemed over the top. Then again, I am sure there is an interesting back story having to do with the existing justice system in the Philippines.

This story details the 9th pregnancy of Adora Perez. Her son was stillborn and tested positive for meth. Although there is no evidence that meth-use leads to stillbirths, punishment of drug-using mothers has become more common. Most of the attention is on abortion, but cases like this are another way the government tries to hijack women's (especially women of color's) reproductive rights.

Interesting, Cole!

A guest essay, naming Haiti the "kidnapping capital" of the world, and despite failed past interventions, invites international actors to assist the country in its humanitarian crisis, support Haitian law enforcement to combat the gangs, and prevent gang recruitment in marginalized communities, for example. "Until the Haitian government gets crime under control and brings the gangs to justice, the restoration of the constitutional order and the country's humanitarian and economic recovery will remain elusive."

This is an in-depth look into the next (and current) integration of climate denialism: climate "inactivism." It details how right-wing pundits, funded by oil companies, are encouraging people to accept climate change, but refrain from addressing it. They co-opt the language of social justice, calling climate activism elitist or an intentional ploy to harm working-class people. This contains an element of truth, but what started as a legitimate critique is now being used to halt any climate activism in its tracks.

This seems really concerning. I'm interested in seeing what kind of response, if any, there is in the UK.