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Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Supreme Court Rules Trump Can Remain on 2024 Ballot

Wall Street Journal: The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states lack the power to reject presidential candidates on the grounds they engaged in rebellion or insurrection against the U.S., a decision that restored former President Donald Trump’s name to Colorado’s ballot and ended similar challenges to his candidacy elsewhere. The unsigned opinion effectively puts to rest a series of state-level claims that Trump isn’t eligible to be president a second time under a long dormant constitutional provision barring former officials who engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding office again (Wall Street Journal). Washington Post: Trump’s eligibility to return to office is not the only question before the justices that could affect the electability of the former president, who is facing four criminal indictments, two of them related to his efforts to block Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. The Supreme Court next month will hear Trump’s challenge to a unanimous ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that said he is not protected from criminal prosecution by presidential immunity (Washington Post).

Representative Jamie Raskin Attempts to Circumvent Supreme Court Ruling and Remove Trump From Ballot

New Republic: Representative Jamie Raskin has a message for the Supreme Court: challenge accepted. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday that Colorado can’t kick Donald Trump off its 2024 state primary ballot—and by extension, neither can any other state. Raskin noted that the House had voted in 2021 to impeach Trump for inciting insurrection. The Senate ultimately acquitted Trump, but only by a vote of 57-43 (New Republic). RNC Research: Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin immediately goes on CNN to announce he and Eric Swalwell are working to “revive legislation” to force President Trump off the ballot (X).

Poll: Clear Majority of Voters in Pennsylvania Disagree with Biden’s Ban of LNG Exports

Delaware Valley Journal: When the Biden administration announced its liquefied natural gas (LNG) export moratorium, it was seen as a boon for environmentalists in an election year. That gift, however, may end up hurting Biden in the important swing state of Pennsylvania. A new poll released by Axis Research and the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance (PEIA) shows 58 percent of Pennsylvania voters disagree with the LNG moratorium, including 57 percent of Democrats and independent voters (Delaware Valley Journal). Washington Examiner: The survey showed 41% of voters are more likely to vote against Biden based on him suspending approvals for new facilities that export liquefied natural gas, with 22% of voters are more likely to support him. In the Scranton media market, this number increases to a majority of voters, 55%, who said they are more likely to vote against Biden based on this announcement (Washington Examiner).

U.N. Acknowledges Israelis Were Raped in October 7 Attack

Jerusalem Post: A mission team led on a trip through Israel by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, found that there was substantial evidence to conclude that victims, as well as hostages and survivors of October 7, were sexually abused and raped by Hamas terrorists. This is the first instance where an international organization has confirmed what Israel has alleged since October 7. Patten, therefore, called on Hamas to “immediately and unconditionally release all individuals held in captivity and to ensure their protection, including from sexual violence.” The team, traveling and researching with Israel’s full cooperation, found “clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment has been committed against hostages” (Jerusalem Post).

Vice President Kamala Harris Chastises Israel, Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza

Daily Wire: Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Israel harshly during a speech over the weekend before she demanded that there be “an immediate ceasefire” inside Gaza as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) prepare to eliminate Hamas terrorists from their last stronghold inside the territory. Harris’ remarks come after the five-month war was ignited when thousands of Islamic terrorists from the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hamas and other Palestinian civilians stormed into Israel on October 7 and murdered 1,200 people, wounded 5,300+, took hundreds hostage, and unleashed a brutal campaign of rape (Daily Wire). Reuters: US Vice President Kamala Harris called out Israel for not doing enough to ease a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Gaza as the Biden administration faces increasing pressure to rein in its close ally while it wages war with Hamas (X). MSNBC: Vice President Kamala Harris calls for “an immediate ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war during a speech in Selma, Alabama (X).

Attorney General Merrick Garland Promises to Dismantle Voter ID Laws

Fox News: Attorney General Merrick Garland appeared alongside Vice President Kamala Harris in Selma, Alabama on Sunday where he pledged to fight voter ID laws and other election integrity measures that he deemed “discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary” (Fox News). RNC Research: Biden AG Merrick Garland, speaking at an Alabama church, says election integrity efforts — such as voter ID requirements and restrictions on ballot “drop boxes” — are “discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary” (X). Federalist: Democrats proposed radical legislation under the misnomer title “Freedom to Vote Act” that would have essentially federalized elections. Under the proposal, states would have to automatically register individuals to vote, implement early voting and same-day registration, and ban voter ID laws nationwide, among other provisions (Federalist).

Former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz Says He Never Spoke With Biden Administration

National Review: Former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said in an interview released Sunday that he never had any conversations with President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris when he worked in their administration. Ortiz appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday to discuss the illegal-immigration crisis at the Southern border and the dispute between Texas governor Greg Abbott (R) and the Biden administration over border enforcement (National Review). 60 Minutes: “I’ve never had one conversation with the president or the vice president for that matter… That’s a problem,” says Raul Ortiz, the U.S. Border Patrol chief under President Biden until he retired last year (X).

EU Fines Apple $1.95 Billion in Antitrust Penalties

Wall Street Journal: The European Union fined Apple almost $2 billion saying the iPhone maker set unfair rules for developers of music-streaming apps, one of the EU’s largest-ever antitrust penalties and a move that could mark the start of a wider battle between the bloc’s regulators and the tech giant (Wall Street Journal). CNBC: The commission said it found that Apple had applied restrictions on app developers that prevented them from informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app. Apple also banned developers of music streaming apps from providing any instructions about how users could subscribe to these cheaper offers, the commission alleged. This is Apple’s first antitrust fine from Brussels and is one of the biggest dished out to a technology company by the EU (CNBC).

U.S. Debt Has Increased $1 Trillion Nearly Every 100 Days in Recent Months

CNBC: The debt load of the U.S. is growing at a quicker clip in recent months, increasing about $1 trillion nearly every 100 days. The nation’s debt permanently crossed over to $34 trillion on Jan. 4. It reached $33 trillion on Sept. 15, 2023, and $32 trillion on June 15, 2023, hitting this accelerated pace. Before that, the $1 trillion move higher from $31 trillion took about eight months (CNBC). Washington Times: The soaring debt has affected America’s credit rating. In November, Moody’s Investors Service lowered the rating from “stable” to “negative,” citing the national debt and growing budget deficit. Another rating house, Fitch, also cut the federal government’s credit rating last year from AAA to AA+, citing “fiscal deterioration over the next three years” (Washington Times).

10.

Gangs Break Out Nearly 4,000 Inmates in Haiti’s Capital

Fox News: Armed gangs in Haiti’s capital released roughly 4,000 inmates from the country’s largest prison after a days-long gun battle with police on Sunday. The vast majority of the 4,000 men held in the Port-au-Prince jail successfully escaped, according to reports from local media. Many of the inmates were gang members charged in connection with the 2021 assassination of Hatian President Jovenel Moise. Armed gangs launched their attack against the prison earlier this weekend when Prime Minister Ariel Henry left the country on a visit to Kenya, seeking assistance in the fight against domestic gangs (Fox News). CNBC: The U.N. has warned the Haitian government’s presence “continues to erode,” with lawlessness and extreme gang violence casting a long shadow over everyday life in the crisis-stricken country. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says Haiti has faced a multitude of challenges in recent years, “encompassing political, social and economic issues, further exacerbated by recurring natural disasters.” The U.S. Embassy in Haiti on Sunday issued a security alert, urging U.S. citizens to leave the country as soon as possible by commercial or other privately available transport options. The embassy, which on Friday warned of heavy gunfire and traffic disruption near Port-au-Prince airport, said that operations would be limited on Monday and that further activity may be affected due to “gang-related violence and its effects on transportation and infrastructure” (CNBC).