Exxon Mobile wants a permit to bypass U.S. sanctions and drill for oil in Russia. Exxon, which was previously led by current Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, is seeking a permit that would allow it to resume a joint project with Russian oil company PAO Rosneft. It last applied for a permit to gain access to the Black Sea in 2015 but was denied. While Tillerson led the company, he reportedly had a close relationship with Russian leader Valdimir Putin and PAO Rosneft. Find out more from the Wall Street Journal.
The Supreme Court seems likely to rule in favor of a church in a case that centers the separation between church and state. The Supreme Court is weighing a case in which a Missouri church was denied taxpayer funds to resurface a playground because of a state constitution clause that forbids public money from going to churches, which the church called religious discrimination. Get the full story from Reuters.
A group of lawyers filed a lawsuit over Trump's tweets accusing President Obama of wiretapping. American Oversight is suing the FBI and the Justice Department, demanding evidence that either proves or disproves Trump's Twitter allegations that Obama wiretapped him. "We can get a straight, factual answer in the courts, by asking an unspinnable question: Do you have records to support the president's tweets?" the group's director, Austin Evers, told NPR. The group is also suing for records in the investigation into whether Russia interfered in the U.S. election. Get more information from NPR.
International inspectors found "incontrovertible" evidence that sarin gas was used in a chemical attack in Syria. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons took samples from 10 victims in the attack that killed 89 people on April 4, and found traces of sarin gas or a similar substance. The organization's director general, Ahmet Uzumcu, called the evidence "incontrovertible." The inspectors also found evidence that there is a stockpile of sarin that still exists in Syria. Get the full story from CNN.
Trump might not be paying his legal bills on time. A Politico analysis found Trump is still paying to defend himself against suits alleging assault, incitement, threats, and more. Though the Trump campaign has paid almost $4 million in "legal consulting" and "legal fees" to various firms, in at least four cases, however, Trump has not made any publicly disclosed payments to the lawyers defending him, paid them months late, or paid small sums that don't stack up to the work put in. Get more from Politico.
Seventeen attorneys general want a court to uphold a ruling that blocked Trump's Muslim ban. Attorneys general from 16 states and the District of Columbia filed a brief with the 4th U.S. Court of Appeals asking the court to uphold a ruling that blocked the ban. They say the ban will harm universities, medical institutions, and tourism revenue, and they added it the ban is an anti-Muslim order. The appeals court is set to hear oral arguments on the case starting May 8. Get more information from NBC News.