* President Donald Trump rejects reports that he's considered firing special counsel Robert Mueller, while offering a less-than-ringing endorsement of his relationship with Attorney General Jeff Sessions: "It is what it is." [New York Times]
* Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, whose house was the subject of a predawn raid by the FBI, parts ways with WilmerHale and goes back to his former lawyers at Miller & Chevalier. [National Law Journal]
* Meanwhile, the Trump administration files its opening brief in the Supreme Court in the travel ban litigation. [How Appealing]
* Georgetown Law launches a new con-law center, the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, led by star SCOTUS litigator Neal Katyal, former National Security Council official Joshua Geltzer, and former Justice Department official Mary McCord. [ABA Journal]
* Some Democratic senators claim that the White House isn't consulting them enough about judicial nominations. [Politico]
* The hype may exceed the reality on alternative-fee arrangements -- but not at pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, which takes an aggressive and innovative approach to AFAs. [Am Law Daily]
* Settling the "pink slime" litigation cost Disney/ABC how much? [How Appealing]
* Also not cheap: the costs of bad-faith discovery spoliation. [Big Law Business]
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