A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Sara Merken

What's going on today?

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

Maurene Comey, a former federal prosecutor who brought criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, has sued President Trump's administration over her abrupt July firing.

Comey, the eldest daughter of former FBI director and longtime Trump adversary James Comey, said in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court against the DOJ and the Executive Office of the President that she was not provided any cause for her removal.

"Defendants fired Ms. Comey solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B. Comey," Maurene Comey's lawyers wrote in the lawsuit. A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment.

Comey's lawsuit could test the administration's ability to swiftly fire line prosecutors, as the president's critics warn that he is seeking to politicize the DOJ. The department has been firing prosecutors who have worked on cases involving Trump or his political allies. Read more from Luc Cohen.

REUTERS/Charles Mostoller/File Photo

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School said it is adding full-tuition scholarships for incoming students “with the greatest demonstrated financial need" next year and unveiled a new racial and economic justice fellowship program named for its first Black female graduate, Sadie T.M. Alexander.

The announcement came a month after the elite Philadelphia law school faced backlash from students, alumni and local political leaders for suspending a racial justice scholarship program also named for Alexander and disbanding its Office of Equal Opportunity and Engagement – which supported diversity and inclusion efforts and held anti-bias programs.

Penn Law did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new fellowship or provide details on the new need-based scholarships. It said in its announcement that both programs would strengthen the school’s “commitment to access.”

Law schools across the country are attempting to strike a balance between maintaining student diversity while avoiding the crosshairs of President Trump's administration and conservative legal activists challenging diversity programs in court. Read more from Karen Sloan.

President Trump said he would call a national emergency and federalize D.C. after Mayor Muriel Bowser said its police would not cooperate with ICE … U.S. and Chinese officials said they have reached a framework agreement to switch TikTok to U.S.-controlled ownership … The USDA is working with Congress to evaluate whether economic aid might be needed for the nation's farmers this autumn amid trade disputes and record-high yields … The WHO will recommend using weight-loss drugs to treat obesity in adults, according to draft guidance from the agency. Plus, read a new Reuters special report: We set out to craft the perfect phishing scam. Major AI chatbots were happy to help.

sara.merken@thomsonreuters.com

@saramerken