Supreme Court rules ex-presidents have broad immunity, dimming chance of a pre-election Trump trial
WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice John Roberts says the nature of U.S. presidential power entitles an ex-president to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts. But Roberts said Monday there’s no immunity for unofficial acts. The Supreme Court has extended the delay in the Washington criminal case against ex-President Donald Trump on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss. The court ruled former presidents have some immunity from prosecution. The justices have ordered lower courts 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.
US Supreme Court Latest: Court sends Trump’s immunity case back to lower court
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court justices have sent Donald Trump’s immunity case back to a lower court in Washington, dimming the prospect of a pre-election trial. In a historic ruling, the justices said for the first time Monday that former presidents can be shielded from prosecution for at least some of what they do in the Oval Office. But rather than do it themselves, the justices ordered lower courts to figure out precisely how to apply the decision to Trump’s case. The court also decided to keep a hold on efforts in Texas and Florida to limit how social media platforms regulate content posted by their users, returning to cases to lower courts.
The Supreme Court keeps on hold efforts in Texas and Florida to regulate social media platforms
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is keeping a hold on efforts in Texas and Florida to limit how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. The court Monday returned the cases to lower courts in challenges to the law from trade associations representing the platforms. The cases are among several this term in which the justices are wrestling with standards for free speech in the digital age. The Texas and Florida laws were signed by Republican governors in the months following decisions by Facebook and Twitter to cut then-President Donald Trump off over his posts related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
Beryl makes landfall as Category 4 hurricane on island near 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
Israel orders Palestinians to flee Khan Younis, signaling return of troops to southern Gaza city
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli army has ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from the eastern half of Khan Younis. Monday’s order is a sign that Israeli troops could soon return to the southern city – the second-largest in Gaza. Israel wrapped up an offensive in Khan Younis earlier this year and withdrew most of its forces. The evacuation order indicates that Hamas has regrouped in the area. Israel has said it is in the final stages of an offensive in the nearby Gaza city of Rafah.
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.
Ukraine’s convicts offered release at a high price: Joining the fight against Russia
DNIPROPETROVSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is expanding its military recruiting to cope with battlefield shortages more than two years into fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion. That, for the first time, includes inmates at the country’s prisons and penal colonies. Prisoners can be granted parole after an interview, medical exam, and a review of their conviction, under a new law approved by parliament last month. Certain categories of serious offenders are excluded. Olena Vysotska, Ukraine’s deputy justice minister, told The Associated Press that more than 3,000 prisoners have already been released on parole and have been placed with military units.
The brutal killing of a Detroit man in 1982 inspires decades of Asian American activism nationwide
In 1982, Chinese American Vincent Chin was beaten to death with a baseball bat by two white Detroiters, who received no jail time. His story inspired a generation of activists who united across ethnic and cultural lines and still holds resonance for Asian Americans today. Law students reenact his trial, and Hollywood has adapted his case into a movie. Vigils were held nationwide last Sunday, on the 42nd anniversary of Chin’s death, to honor his memory. Looking forward, gaps remain in achieving equality for Asian Americans. Advocates stress the need to include Asian American history in education and to banish damaging stereotypes.
Under pressure on plane safety, Boeing is buying stressed supplier Spirit for $4.7 billion
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Boeing has announced plans to acquire key supplier Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion. It says the move will improve plane quality and safety. Boeing previously owned Spirit, and the purchase would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing key work on its passenger planes. That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit disrupted production and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners. Concerns about safety came to a head after the January blowout of a panel on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 at 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) over Oregon.
Trump ally Steve Bannon will report to federal prison to serve 4-month sentence on contempt charges
WASHINGTON (AP) — Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon is scheduled to report to a federal prison in Connecticut to serve 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 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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