Law and Legislation

• Coinbase, the Biggest U.S. Crypto Company, Asserts Its Power in Washington - The top executive of the crypto exchange Coinbase scuttled a planned Senate committee vote on a major cryptocurrency bill after voicing his concerns, a sign of the company’s clout.
• Gavin Newsom Vows to Stop Proposed Billionaire Tax in California - Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was working behind the scenes to block a proposed tax on billionaires’ wealth and was committed to defeating the measure if it reached the ballot.
• A Push to Expand the Rights of Immigrants in Defiance of Trump - An effort by New Jersey Democrats is seen as a provocative statement of principle in a state with the country’s second largest percentage of immigrants, after California.
• Justice Dept. Memo Approved Military Incursion Into Venezuela as Lawful - The specifics of the memo are unclear. But Attorney General Pam Bondi told lawmakers in briefings this week that the administration would share the document with them.
• Hochul Will Back New Safeguards to Protect Children Online - In her State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul will propose that the default setting for online platforms should ban viewing or messaging minors.
• In Trump’s Second Year, Congress Weighs How to Reassert Its Power - Lawmakers head into President Trump’s second year facing questions about whether they can reclaim congressional clout in the face of his power grab.
• Dick Zimmer, N.J. Congressman Who Sponsored Megan’s Law, Dies at 81 - The landmark legislation, a response to the rape and murder of a New Jersey child, required states to disclose where convicted sex-offenders live.
• After Watergate, the Presidency Was Tamed. Trump Is Unleashing It. - In the 1970s, Congress passed a raft of laws to hold the White House accountable. President Trump has decided they don’t apply to him.
• Trump Vetoes 2 Bills, Drawing Accusations of Retaliation - The president said he blocked the bills to save taxpayers’ money. But he has grievances against a tribe in Florida and officials in Colorado.
• Can a Corporation Be Complicit in War Crimes? Sweden Is Trying to Find Out. - It’s Sweden’s longest criminal trial. I was there because of a different historic distinction.