Sparks Fly Between DeVos & Democratic Senator Over LGBT Student Protections and More in Politics Today

It’s difficult to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in this country and to break through the clutter, so we’re here to make it easier. Here’s what we at Countable are reading today:

1. Sparks fly between DeVos, Dem on private school protections for LGBT students

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) had a fiery exchange with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Tuesday over whether she will prohibit private schools that receive federal funds from discriminating against LGBT students.

DeVos said schools that receive federal funds must follow federal laws, but Merkley pointed out that the federal laws in this area are foggy, referencing the February decision DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions made to rescind Obama-era guidance directing schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

"On areas where the law is unsettled, this department is not going to be issuing decrees," DeVos said during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Education Department's proposed budget.

Read more at The Hill.

2. How Did Accused NSA Leaker Reality Winner Get Security Clearance?

"The vast majority of people who do the National Security Agency’s intercept work, who translate and analyze — most of them are fresh out of high school," said Matthew Aid, an intelligence historian who has written about the NSA. "There are thousands and thousands of 18 to 21-year-olds doing critically important and secret work around the world."

The NSA is a military intelligence agency, and many of the people who work on the front lines of intelligence gathering in the military are young enlisted personnel. If they are eavesdropping on anyone from a terrorist in Afghanistan to a Russian colonel, they need a very high security clearance. The equipment, the methods, the words they hear — are all highly classified.

Read more about the recent history of government leakers & whistleblowers at Countable.

Read more at NBC News.

3. Trump's blocking of Twitter users violates U.S. Constitution: rights institute

A free-speech institute on Tuesday sent a letter to President Donald Trump demanding the prolific tweeter unblock certain Twitter users on grounds the practice violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Trump's @realDonaldTrump account recently blocked a number of accounts that replied to his tweets with commentary that criticized, mocked or disagreed with his actions. Twitter users are unable to see or respond to tweets from accounts that block them.

The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University in New York said in its letter that the blocking suppressed speech in a public forum protected by the Constitution.

Read more at Reuters.

4. Feds fight demand for Trump campaign draft of travel ban

The Justice Department is fighting a legal attempt to force disclosure of a campaign document that may have served as the basis for President Donald Trump's travel ban executive orders.

At issue is a policy memo former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani helped to crafted last year in response to what he described as Trump's request for a way to carry out the Muslim ban he proposed, while doing so "legally."

In a court filing late Monday, Justice Department attorneys unleashed a fusillade of objections to the request, arguing that it is misdirected, that it's irrelevant to the legality of the Trump orders and that forcing government officials to search for the memo would be burdensome and intrusive.

Read more at Politico.

5. Senate GOP aiming to conclude divisive health-care push — one way or the other

Senate Republican leaders are aiming to conclude their perilous and divisive effort to rewrite the nation’s health-care laws as soon as late this month, giving themselves only weeks to resolve substantial disagreements and raising the possibility that their push will collapse.

The leadership team is eyeing a vote by the end of July on a bill to be completed by early that month, with some aspiring to wrap up even sooner, as they cast ahead to the other legislative priorities on the horizon.

The small window for action and policy disagreements has upped the chatter among Senate GOP aides and associates that making good on their often-repeated promise to undo parts of Obamacare may not be possible. Many Republicans, including top aides working on the GOP health plan, said they need to vote on health care and move on by early July, even if that means voting on a bill that fails.

Read more at the Washington Post.

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons)