The Political Thread

[Grim]

This is totally gonna stop more mass shootings and definitely not cause more problems, no siree.

 

[Chris]

Senate passes Ukraine aid, Israel funding and TikTok crackdown, sending bill to Biden's desk

The package of foreign aid and a TikTok divest-or-ban provision is expected to be signed into law by President Joe Biden in the coming days.

www.nbcnews.com

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a $95 billion package to provide critical aid to Ukraine and enact a provision that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok.

The vote of 79-18 sends the package to the White House. Fifteen Republicans and three Democrats voted against the legislation. The House passed the package on Saturday.

 

[Chris]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-weighs-idahos-strict-abortion-ban-medical-emergencies-2024-04-24/

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices, wading back into the battle over abortion access, appeared divided on Wednesday in a case pitting Idaho's strict Republican-backed abortion ban against a federal law that ensures that patients can receive emergency care.
The justices heard arguments in an appeal by Idaho officials of a lower court's ruling that found that the 1986 U.S. law at issue, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), supersedes the state's near-total ban in the relatively rare circumstances when the two conflict.

 

[Chris]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/24/arizona-abortion-ban/

The Arizona House voted Wednesday to repeal a Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions that is set to take effect as early as June 8. The measure now heads to the state Senate, which could grant final passage next week.

The 1864 abortion law, which took effect briefly after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 but was soon blocked by the courts, was revived by the state’s highest court on April 9, inciting a national uproar and political panic among Republicans who worry that the ban will hurt their chances of winning elections later this year, including the presidential contest.

 

[Grim]

 

[Chris]

E.P.A. Severely Limits Pollution From Coal Burning Power Plants

New regulations could spell the end for electric plants that burn coal, the fossil fuel that powered the country for more than a century.

www.nytimes.com

The Biden administration on Thursday placed the final cornerstone of its plan to tackle climate change: a regulation that would force the nation’s coal-fired power plants to virtually eliminate the planet-warming pollution that they release into the air or shut down.

 

[Chris]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/04/25/gdp-2024-economy-growth/

U.S. economic growth slowed in the first three months of the year, with gross domestic product growing at an annualized rate of 1.6 percent, as consumers began gradually pulling back.

GDP was down sharply from the 3.4 percent annual rate in the last quarter of 2023, and is at its lowest reading in a year and half, according to data released this morning by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

 

[Chris]

Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by New York appeals court

A New York court has overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction for rape, ordering a new trial in the landmark "MeToo" case.

news.sky.com

A New York court has overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction for rape, ordering a new trial in the landmark "MeToo" case.

The state's highest court found the judge at the trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with "egregious" improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren't part of the case.

 

[Chris]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/25/supreme-court-trump-immunity-case/

The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments over the unprecedented question of whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for actions taken while in office to try to retain power after losing the 2020 election.

 

[Chris]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/25/supreme-court-trump-immunity-case/

The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments over the unprecedented question of whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for actions taken while in office to try to retain power after losing the 2020 election.

Trump immunity case live updates: Ex-president's lawyers and DOJ argue at Supreme Court

Latest news and live updates on former President Donald Trump's arguments at the Supreme Court on presidential immunity from election interference charges.

www.nbcnews.com

• The Supreme Court heard arguments on former President Donald Trump’s claim of presidential immunity from prosecution in special counsel Jack Smith's election interference case against him.
• Trump's lawyers argue that his efforts to overturn the 2020 election were “official acts” taken in office. His attorney D. John Sauer argued Trump's case before the court. Michael Dreeben responded for the U.S.
• Arguments began at 10 a.m. ET and ran for just under three hours. Conservative justices raised concerns about going too far in restricting a president while liberals worried about what a president unrestricted by the fear of criminal prosecution might do.
• The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices appointed by Trump, has come under criticism for the delay in considering the former president's appeal as the November presidential election approaches.

 

[Grim]

I'm hoping the court does the right thing here and rules that nobody is above the law and cannot be immune from prosecution, not even the President.

 

[Samoa Looch]

Yea, let's hope they do

 

[Swamps]

If only he actually committed a criminal act.

 

[Chris]

President Biden said on Friday that he would participate in a general-election debate with former President Donald J. Trump, a striking shift after months in which he and his campaign declined to commit to appearing onstage with his Republican rival.

Biden, Asked if He’s Planning to Debate Trump, Says ‘I Am’

The president’s announcement came after months in which he and his campaign declined to say whether he would debate his predecessor.

www.nytimes.com

He changes his mind as soon as new polls show he's ahead lmao at least there's transparency I guess

 

[Grim]

LISTEN: Justice Jackson asks what stops presidents from committing crimes if they're immune from prosecution

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson questioned Trump attorney D. John Sauer's underlying assumption that official acts by a sitting president are immune from criminal prosecution while private acts are not.

www.pbs.org