Politics Briefly
A panel of three federal judges held Monday that North Carolina's congressional districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to aid Republicans over Democrats and said it may require new districts before the November elections, possibly affecting control of the U.S. House. The judges acknowledged that primary elections have already produced candidates for the 2018 elections but said they were reluctant to let elections take place in congressional districts that it has twice found violate constitutional standards. North Carolina legislators are likely to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to step in.
Jared Kushner's family real estate business was fined $210,000 by New York City for falsifying construction-permit applications by under-reporting the number of rent-regulated tenants in 17 buildings. Kushner Cos. filed the false data on 42 occasions since 2013, New York's Department of Buildings said Monday. The company, based in New York, is owned by family members of Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law. New York requires developers to report the number of rent-regulated occupants in buildings earmarked for renovation to prevent disruptive construction projects from being used to harass them.
Seth Frotman, the consumer protection official charged with safeguarding student borrowers, is resigning in protest of the Trump administration, claiming it is siding with predatory lenders over consumers and enacting policies that will lead to "far-reaching harm." Frotman wrote in a scathing letter that he would leave his position as student loan ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at week's end. He has held the position since the Obama administration.
Arizona Senate candidate Kelli Ward appeared to taunt Sen. John McCain in a tweet just two days after the longtime senator died of glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. "Political correctness is like a cancer!" Ward, a former state senator who is locked in Arizona's heated GOP primary to replace retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, tweeted Monday. The Arizona Senate primary is Tuesday.
President Trump endorsed Arizona's GOP governor in the state's primary. Trump tweeted his support of Doug Ducey on Monday amid endorsements of other Republicans running in primaries the next day. Ducey faces only token opposition and most ballots have already been cast in early voting. Ducey is responsible for filling McCain's seat. His pick will be enormously consequential because the new senator would become part of only a two-seat majority in the U.S. Senate.
Tiger Woods finished tied for 40th at the Northern Trust Open in New Jersey, but at least one reporter hoped Woods would talk about another topic— his relationship with President Trump — after his final round Sunday. "Well, I've known Donald for a number of years," Woods said, according to ESPN's Bob Harig. "We've played golf together. We've had dinner together. I've known him pre-presidency and obviously during his presidency." Woods also made sure to note that he also has played golf with former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Harig said Woods was asked about his seemingly friendly relationship with Trump. "Well, he's the president of the United States. You have to respect the office," he said. "No matter who is in the office, you may like, dislike personality or the politics, but we all must respect the office."
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