Supreme Court rules ex-presidents have broad immunity, dimming chance of a pre-election Trump trial
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts. The court on Monday extended the delay in the Washington criminal case against ex-President Donald Trump on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss. There is little chance Trump could be tried before the November election. The justices have ordered the trial judge to figure out how to apply the decision to the Republican ex-president’s case. Justice Sonia Sotomayor says the court’s decision makes a mockery of the principle no man is above the law. Trump calls it a big win.
What to know about the Supreme Court immunity ruling in Trump’s 2020 election interference case
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court’s ruling in former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case makes it all but certain that the Republican will not face trial in Washington ahead of the November election. The Supreme Court did not dismiss the indictment alleging Trump illegally schemed to cling to power after his loss to President Joe Biden. But the ruling still amounts to a major victory for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, whose legal strategy in all of his criminal cases has focused on delaying the proceedings until after the election. In a 6-3 ruling, the justices said that former presidents are shielded from prosecution for actions that fell within their official job duties, but do not have immunity for unofficial acts.
Israel orders Palestinians to flee Khan Younis, signaling likely new assault on southern Gaza city
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli army has ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from much of Gaza’s second largest city, Khan Younis. Monday’s order is a sign that Israeli troops could soon return to the southern city. It’s also an indication that Hamas has regrouped there. Israel wrapped up an offensive in Khan Younis earlier this year and withdrew most of its forces. Israel has said it is in the final stages of an offensive in the nearby Gaza city of Rafah. The new evacuation zone includes the major aid crossing to southern Gaza, along with an aid route inside the territory that Israel has said it would safeguard.
Lawsuit accuses Iran, Syria and North Korea of providing support for Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel
NEW YORK (AP) — Victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel are suing Iran, Syria and North Korea, saying their governments supplied the militants with money, weapons and know-how needed to carry out the assault that precipitated Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. The lawsuit was filed in a U.S. court on Monday. It seeks at least $4 billion in damages for “a coordination of extrajudicial killings, hostage takings, and related horrors for which the defendants provided material support and resources.” Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the allegations, while Syria and North Korea did not respond. The U.S. has deemed Iran, Syria and North Korea to be state sponsors of terrorism.
Beryl makes landfall as Category 4 hurricane on Caribbean island of Carriacou in Grenada
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Beryl has made landfall on the Caribbean island of Carriacou. The dangerous and powerful Category 4 storm is the earliest one of its strength to form in the Atlantic, fueled by record warm waters. Carriacou is one of the islands of Grenada. Officials there reported damage on Monday that included roofs being blown off in maximum winds increasing to top winds of 150 mph, or about 240 kmph, just shy of a Category 5 storm. Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, Grenada, Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines as thousands of people hunkered down in homes and shelters
French far right works to turn election win into power. Its rivals want to stop it in decisive vote
PARIS (AP) — France’s fiercely anti-immigration National Rally and opponents of the far-right party are scrambling to capitalize on a first round of voting in high-stakes surprise legislative elections. Monday’s official results showed that round one of the election the previous day produced two likely scenarios in what promises to be a torrid last week of campaigning. The National Rally and its allies could secure a working majority in parliament in the decisive final round next Sunday — or they might fall short, stymied at the last hurdle by opponents who still hope to prevent France from getting its first far-right government since World War II. Both scenarios are fraught with uncertainty for France.
Biden campaign’s reset after disastrous debate looks a lot like business as usual
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s reset after his disastrous debate performance is looking more like a return to business as usual. Even as his campaign works to quell Democratic anxiety and reassure spooked donors, Biden is trying to put the focus on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. The president is casting his Republican opponent as a threat to the nation, as he himself aims to get back to doing the job of president. Privately, there have been discussions on whether Biden should be seen more in public through town-hall style events or interviews and press conferences to counteract what Americans saw during the debate.
Florida prosecutors knew Epstein raped teenage girls 2 years before cutting deal, transcript shows
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge has released transcripts of a detailing 2006 grand jury testimony that accused the late millionaire and financier Jeffrey Epstein of sexually assaulting numerous underage teenage girls at his Palm Beach mansion. A circuit judge’s release Monday afternoon of the approximately 150 pages came as a surprise as there’s a scheduled hearing for next week on when and how to release them. Gov. Ron DeSantis had signed a bill in February allowing their release on Monday or any time thereafter that the judge ordered. One girl testified that she was paid $300 to give Epstein a sexual massage and $200 every time she recruited a friend.
House Republicans sue Attorney General Garland over access to Biden special counsel interview audio
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Merrick Garland for the audio recording of President Joe Biden’s interview with a special counsel in his classified documents case. The legal action Monday asks the courts to enforce their subpoena and reject the White House’s effort to withhold the materials from Congress. The lawsuit filed by the House Judiciary Committee marks Republicans’ latest broadside against the Justice Department as partisan conflict over the rule of law animates the 2024 presidential campaign. The legal action comes weeks after the White House blocked Garland from releasing the audio recording to Congress by asserting executive privilege.
Trump ally Steve Bannon surrenders to federal prison to serve 4-month sentence on contempt charges
DANBURY, Conn. (AP) — Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon has been taken into custody after surrendering at a federal prison to begin a four-month sentence on contempt charges for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack. A judge had allowed Bannon to stay free for nearly two years while he appealed. But the judge ordered him to report to prison Monday after an appeals court panel upheld his contempt of Congress convictions. The Supreme Court rejected his emergency appeal to stave off the sentence. Bannon’s appeal will continue to play out, and Republican House leaders have put their support behind stepping in to assert the Jan. 6 committee was improperly created.
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