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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

PUSHBACK – Conservative and libertarian lawyer group Checks and Balances has condemned President Trump's racist tweets that said four Democratic congresswomen of color should “go back” to their countries, Mike Scarcella reports. Describing in a statement the president's tweets as a “rejection of those Founding principles of our Nation,” they added, “We refuse to share the silence of most of the Republican caucus in Congress, whose timidity in the face of this abhorrent behavior reflects the debased politics of the day.” In addition to George Conway at Wachtell, other signatories include John Bellinger, former State Department legal adviser in the George W. Bush administration now at Arnold & Porter, and Kirkland & Ellis partner Andrew Sagor, a former State Department official.

ANOTHER TRY – Embattled hip-hop star Meek Mill is scheduled to appear in a Pennsylvania appeals court today, seeking to overturn a decades-old conviction on gun and drug charges. Mill, who's real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, has been central to the criminal justice reform movement. Lower court judge Genece Brinkley rejected Mill's bid for a new trial last year, even though the Philadelphia DA's office said he was entitled to one. Mill's legal team also has questioned the credibility of the arresting officer in the case.

MONEY PROBLEMS – Major charities such as the Red Cross are taking advantage of cryptocurrency donations, which use blockchain's ledger technology to allow for secure payments without the involvement of a bank or intermediary. But, as Frank Ready reports, serious regulatory questions abound about tax and privacy laws that might—at least for the time being—make the endeavor more trouble than it's worth. Part of the problem is that the valuation of cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, can vary wildly depending on the fluctuating state of the market.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Judge Slashes $80M Roundup Verdict to $25.3M

Curriculum Comes Alive: How Two Law Schools Use Virtual Reality in the Classroom

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

CHINA-BOUND – Shenzhen is the latest China destination for EY's legal arm. John Kang reports that the Big Four accounting firm's affiliate, Chen & Co. Law Firm, has merged with Shenzhen-based Guangdong Allied Law Firm, which advises on corporate matters, foreign direct investment, real estate, government affairs and dispute resolution matters. Other global law firms recently have opened offices in Shenzhen, a technology hub, including  Simmons & Simmons, Brinks Gilson & Lione and Fish & Richardson.

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WHAT YOU SAID

“I did spend time thinking of some of the many days traveling to soccer games when she was young, when her jersey was too big for her and when I had to help her tie her cleats.”

—  VINCENT DUNN, PARTNER AT NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT, REMINISCING ABOUT THE ROAD TO THE SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM, OF WHICH HIS DAUGHTER, CRYSTAL DUNN, IS A MEMBER.

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