The Supreme Court nears the end of another momentous term. A decision on Trump’s immunity looms
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the last 10 days of June, on a frenetic pace of its own making, the Supreme Court has touched a wide swath of American society in decisions on abortion, guns, the environment, health, the opioid crisis, securities fraud, and homelessness. The court is meeting for the final time this term on Monday, in an unusual push into July, and the most anticipated decision of the term awaits. At issue is whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The court also will decide whether state laws limiting how social media platforms regulate content posted by their users violate the Constitution.
The VP race’s Florida question: Would Rubio or Donalds have to move if Trump picks either of them?
MIAMI (AP) — Two politicians known to be on Donald Trump’s vice presidential list are from Florida, where the former president also now lives. And that’s leaving open a scenario where his running mate would have to move if the Republican ticket wins. The U.S. Constitution prohibits a president and vice president from residing in the same state. The Floridians on his list Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Byron Donalds. The 12th Amendment could prevent the 30 Florida electors from casting their vote if Republicans win the state. There are several ways for the Trump campaign to overcome this, legal experts say, though doing so might create some inconvenience for the vice presidential candidate.
Doug Burgum vetoed anti-LGBTQ measures while governor. Then he started running for president
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — For most of North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s two terms in office, he has approached the job like a CEO running a business. Burgum was laser-focused on priorities like strengthening the state’s economy and mostly steered clear of social issues that animated many fellow Republicans. Burgum vetoed a 2021 measure to ban transgender girls from playing on girls’ teams in public schools, for example. But as Burgum prepared a bid for the presidency in 2023, he also signed bills that imposed restrictions on transgender people — including two that were nearly identical to the sports ban he vetoed. Burgum is now on a shortlist to be Donald Trump’s running mate. Critics say his focus shifted as the governor entered the national stage.
The Saipan surprise: How delicate talks led to the unlikely end of Julian Assange’s 12-year saga
WASHINGTON (AP) — The abrupt guilty plea by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was the culmination of negotiations that began a year and a half ago and accelerated in recent months. Interviews by The Associated Press and a review of records make clear that the two sides had to resolve competing desires. The Justice Department was determined to get Assange to plead guilty to a felony while Assange was determined to avoid stepping foot in the United States. The compromise they reached allowed Assange to admit guilt in a federal courthouse in Saipan in the Pacific. He is now a free man.
An attacker wounds a police officer guarding Israel’s embassy in Serbia before being shot dead
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An attacker with a crossbow has wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. Serbia’s interior ministry says the officer responded by fatally shooting the assailant. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic says the attacker hit the officer in the neck. The policeman was conscious when he was transported to Belgrade’s main emergency hospital for an operation to remove the bolt from his neck. The identity of the attacker is still being determined. Israel’s Foreign Ministry calls it an attempted terrorist attack.
Ten Commandments. Multiple variations. Why the Louisiana law raises preferential treatment concerns
Christians and Jews believe in the Ten Commandments — just not necessarily the version that will hang in every public school and state-funded college classroom in Louisiana. The required text prescribed in the new law and used on many monuments around the country is a condensed version of the Scripture passage in Exodus containing the commandments. It has ties to The Ten Commandments movie from 1956, and it’s a variation of a version commonly associated with Protestants. That’s one of the issues related to religious freedom and separation of church and state that are being raised over this mandate, which was swiftly followed by a lawsuit.
Iran to hold runoff election with reformist Pezeshkian and hard-liner Jalili after low-turnout vote
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran will hold a runoff presidential election to replace the late hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi after an initial vote saw the top candidates not secure an outright win in the lowest turnout poll ever held in the Islamic Republic by percentage. The election this coming Friday will pit little-known reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian against the hard-line former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Mohsen Eslami, an election spokesman, announced the result in a news conference carried by Iranian state television on Saturday. He said of 24.5 million votes cast, Pezeshkian got 10.4 million while Jalili received 9.4 million. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf got 3.3 million. Shiite cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi had over 206,000 votes.
Dagestani Jews look to rebuild after extremist attacks in the restive region of southern Russia
Jews in the predominantly Muslim region of Dagestan in southern Russia say they are determined to regroup and rebuild following a deadly attack by Islamic militants on Christian and Jewish houses of worship in two cities last weekend. The attacks in the regional capital of Makhachkala and the city of Derbent on Sunday killed 21 people and injured at least 43 others in the restive region in the North Caucasus on the Caspian Sea. Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar said a 110-year-old Derbent synagogue, a center for Jewish life, was destroyed in a fire during the attacks. Among those slain was an Orthodox priest in Derbent, which is Russia’s southernmost city and one of its oldest.
Martin Mull, hip comic and actor from ‘Fernwood Tonight’ and ‘Roseanne,’ dies at 80
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comedian and actor Martin Mull has died. Mull’s daughter says her father died Thursday after a long illness. He was 80 years old. Mull became known for his hip, droll comic stylings in the clubs on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip in the 1970s. He had a small role in the Norman Lear-created TV series “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” and became the star of its spinoff, the satirical talk show “Fernwood Tonight.” In the 1980s he appeared in films including “Mr. Mom” and “Clue,” and in the 1990s was a regular on “Roseanne.” He later had acclaimed guest roles on “Arrested Development” and “Veep,” which got him an Emmy nomination.
Orlando Cepeda, the slugging Hall of Fame first baseman nicknamed ‘Baby Bull,’ dies at 86
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Orlando Cepeda, the slugging first baseman nicknamed “Baby Bull” who became a Hall of Famer among the early Puerto Ricans to star in the major leagues, has died. He was 86. The San Francisco Giants and his family announced his death Friday night and a moment of silence was held on the scoreboard at Oracle Park midway through a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cepeda was a seven-time All-Star who played in three World Series. One of the first Puerto Rican stars in the majors but limited by knee issues, he became Boston’s first designated hitter. He credited his time as a DH for getting him enshrined into the Hall of Fame in 1999 as selected by the Veteran’s Committee.
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