Trump Has Strong Legal Argument That He Can Declare National Emergency at Border

Plus: Groups Targeted in Lerner's IRS Scandal Receive Settlement Checks

Jan 14, 2019   Good morning from snowy Washington, where President Trump seeks to convince Democrats he's serious about keeping government partially shut down until they agree to pay for a barrier at the border. The president has solid legal ground to declare an emergency, John Malcolm writes. Tea party and other conservative groups are being compensated for mistreatment by the IRS, reports M.D. Kittle. Plus: Rachel del Guidice on House Democrats' new rules, Elizabeth Slattery and Elisabeth Daigle on the absence of a Supreme Court justice, and Nolan Peterson on new hope in Ukraine for Christmas.     Commentary Trump Has a Strong Legal Argument That He Can Declare National Emergency at Border Should the president decide to act unilaterally, he would invoke the National Emergencies Act, a post-Watergate reform statute that was enacted in 1976 and signed into law by President Gerald Ford. More News Conservative Groups Targeted in Lois Lerner's IRS Scandal Receive Settlement Checks The federal government in recent days has been issuing settlement checks to 100 right-of-center groups wrongfully targeted for their political beliefs under the Obama administration's Internal Revenue Service. More Analysis What Justice Ginsburg's Absence From the Supreme Court Means—and What It Doesn't While a justice's absence is not ideal, the Supreme Court faced a much more dire situation when then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist missed 44 oral arguments throughout the 2004-2005 term. More News Democrats' New House Rules Stifle Conservatives, Critics Say "House Democrats are using parliamentary rules to consolidate power in Speaker Pelosi's hands, push forward a liberal agenda, and deny conservatives an equal voice," says Jessica Anderson of Heritage Action for America. More Analysis Podcast: A Bold Conservative Who Is Breaking News and Bringing People Together Bold founder Carrie Sheffield discusses her political activism, the importance of civility, and what it's like for a conservative living in Manhattan. More Special Feature Ukraine's Leap of Faith Is a Step Toward Ditching Russian Influence This year's Christmas was the first for Ukraine's newly unified, national Orthodox Church, independent from Russian control for the first time since the 17th century. More Commentary We Hear You: Transgender Pronouns, School Discipline, the Russia Probe, and Climate Change "As I read Rachel del Guidice's story, I became extremely proud of these two high school students. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for what you believe when it goes against the status quo," writes Keri Lynn Siegel of Delray Beach, Florida. More           The Daily Signal is brought to you by more than half a million members of The Heritage Foundation. Donate to The Daily Signal Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter How are we doing? We welcome your comments, suggestions, and story tips. Please reply to this email or send us a note at comments@dailysignal.com. The Daily Signal 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (800) 546-2843     Add morningbell@heritage.org to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us. You are subscribed to this newsletter as johnmhames@comcast.net. If you want to receive other Heritage Foundation newsletters, or opt out of this newsletter, please click here to update your subscription.

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