The Full Belmonte, 4/25/2024
Supreme Court appears skeptical that state abortion bans conflict with federal health care law
“Conservative Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical Wednesday that state abortion bans after their sweeping ruling overturning Roe v. Wade violate federal healthcare law, though some also questioned the effects on emergency care for pregnant patients.” Read More at AP News
Abortion case divides SCOTUS
Abortion-rights supporters rally outside the Supreme Court today. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
“Oral arguments today in a high-profile abortion case didn't give a particularly clear indication of how the Supreme Court is likely to rule.
Why it matters: The outcome could have significant implications in states with the most restrictive abortion bans.
The justices heard arguments over whether Idaho's near-total ban on abortion conflicts with a federal law that requires hospitals' emergency rooms to provide life-saving care.
There are familiar ideological divisions in every abortion case. But today's arguments ‘involved complicated and overlapping issues that could divide the court's six-member conservative majority,’ the N.Y. Times' Adam Liptak writes.
Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh seemed to think doctors could comply with both laws, in which case there wouldn't be much conflict for the court to resolve, per NBC News.
A ruling is expected in late June.” [Axios]
Arizona House approves repeal of state’s near-total abortion ban and advances measure to the Senate
“Three Republicans joined in with all 29 Democrats Wednesday to repeal a law that predated Arizona’s statehood and provides no exceptions for rape or incest. If the Senate approves as expected, Arizona would allow abortions up to 15 weeks.” Read More at AP News
Members of the Supreme Court sit for a group portrait in 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The Supreme Court today will hear Trump's claims of presidential immunity
“Supreme Court justices seem to agree on a basic truth about the American system of government: No one is above the law, not even the president. But former President Donald Trump and his legal team are putting that foundational belief to the test on Thursday when the high court takes up Trump’s bid to avoid prosecution over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. Read more.
What to know:
Central to Trump’s immunity argument is the claim that only a former president who was impeached and convicted by the Senate can be criminally prosecuted. Trump was impeached over his efforts to undo the election in the run-up to the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But he was acquitted, not convicted, by the Senate in 2021.
The Supreme Court session starts at 10 a.m. EDT. Listen live here.
When will the court rule?: That’s unclear. If the court hands down its decision in late June, which would be the typical timeframe, there might not be enough time to start Trump’s Jan. 6 trial before the election.” [AP News]
Court on trial
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
“There's more on the line today at the Supreme Court than in any other court date for former President Trump, Axios court watcher Sam Baker writes.
Why it matters: The court's decision will have the power to make or break Trump, and the court as an institution.
The court will hear oral arguments at 10 a.m. on Trump's claim that he's immune from prosecution for his role in Jan. 6 — and that every president is immune from prosecution for any actions they took while in office.
It's one of the most sweeping theories of presidential power ever articulated.
In an earlier phase of the case, Trump's lawyers argued that a president couldn't be prosecuted even if they had a political rival assassinated.
The big picture: There simply isn't much precedent for how presidents interact with the civil and criminal justice systems.
Most of it stems from a small handful of cases involving former Presidents Nixon and Clinton. None of it has answered a question as sweeping as this one.
The bottom line: Whatever the court decides will shape the presidency forever.” [Axios]
Biden says the US is rushing weaponry to Ukraine as he signs a $95 billion war aid measure into law
“The announcement marked an end to the long, painful battle with Republicans in Congress over urgently needed assistance for Ukraine.” Read More at AP News
(Reuters)
Meadows, Giuliani and other Trump allies charged in Arizona 2020 election probe
“The indictments cap a year-long investigation by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) into how the 2020 pro-Trump elector strategy played out in Arizona, which Biden won by 10,457 votes.”
By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez ● Read more » Washington Post
Biden's newest climate rule takes an aggressive swing at power plants
“President Joe Biden's administration issued rules Thursday ordering power companies to cut pollution from coal plants — a major plank in his efforts to fight climate change, amid complaints from progressive green voters who say he’s done too little to curb fossil fuels.
The rules from the Environmental Protection Agency build on the administration’s long list of climate-fighting policies and are certain to draw opposition from the coal industry and Republicans. But the bigger challenge for Biden will hinge on whether they will appease progressive voters worried about climate change without losing centrist Democrats wary of the costs of his transition to clean energy.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
TikTok two-step
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
“President Biden's campaign will continue using TikTok, even though he signed a bill into law today that declares the app to be a national security threat, Axios' Sareen Habeshian reports.
It's a microcosm of Washington's broader TikTok quandary: Lawmakers from both parties are worried about the data the Chinese government may be able to access from TikTok users. But it's an extremely popular platform, and if you want to reach young people, that's where they are.
What's next: Everyone, including the Biden campaign, will likely be able to keep using TikTok without interruption for at least the next several months.
The law Biden signed today gives ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, nine months to sell its U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban.
ByteDance has said it will challenge the law in court, most likely on First Amendment grounds. And it's not clear there's a buyer out there, even if it wanted to sell. The Chinese government could also try to block the sale.” [Axios]
New arrests as pro-Palestinian protests sweep college campuses
Police and protestors face off at the University of Southern California. (CNN)
“Police clashed with protesters at the University of Southern California, and multiple arrests were made at the University of Texas at Austin, as pro-Palestinian protests spread to more U.S. college campuses.
The student standoffs have led to some violent confrontations with police, resulting in hundreds of arrests on campuses from coast to coast.
At Columbia University, student protesters have now agreed to dismantle many of their tents, and committed to keeping non-students out of their encampment, after ‘important progress’ in negotiations overnight, university officials said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, ahead of his visit to Columbia University today, said he would call on the school’s president Minouche Shafik to resign over her handling of the protests.
‘President Shafik has shown to be a very weak and inept leader,’ Johnson said. ‘They cannot even guarantee the safety of Jewish students. They’re expected to run for their lives and stay home from class. It’s just, it’s maddening.’” [NBC News]
Hamas releases video of American hostage
“Hamas has released a video that appears to show Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin alive more than six months after he was kidnapped during the Oct. 7 terror attack.
The images show the 23-year-old missing his lower arm, after it was blown off by a grenade during the assault on the Supernova music festival.
The Goldberg-Polin family has given permission to the media to share the video. NBC News has not confirmed the date or authenticity of the video.
Goldberg-Polin’s mother has campaigned tirelessly for his release, telling NBC News she repeats this mantra for him: ‘I love you. Stay strong. Survive.’” [NBC News]
Senate GOP ready to defy Trump
Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/Pool via Getty Images
“Senate Republicans are locking arms to defend the filibuster — putting them on a potential collision course with former President Trump if he wins back the White House, Axios' Stef W. Kight and Stephen Neukam write.
Why it matters: Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell rebuffed repeated demands by Trump to kill the filibuster during his presidency.
Many Republicans — even top Trump allies — are uniting to hold the line when McConnell steps aside after this year's election.
Dismantling the filibuster — a Senate rule that effectively requires 60 votes to pass legislation instead of a simple majority — would make it easier for Trump to jam through measures on the border, taxes, elections or abortion.
Zoom in: Nearly every member of current GOP leadership defends the filibuster.
Republicans recognize Democrats could use the end of the filibuster to accomplish liberal wish-list items, including making D.C. a state.”
Keep reading. [Axios]
The U.S. will require more testing of dairy cows for bird flu.
Eight states had confirmed H5N1 in dairy cows as of Monday. (Lena H. Sun/The Washington Post)
“Why? The H5N1 virus is spreading — it was found in grocery store milk, the FDA said this week. New rules, issued yesterday, will require testing for cows crossing state lines.
Don’t panic: The risk to humans remains low, experts say. But fears remain that the virus could evolve, and competing interests have slowed the government’s response.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Kyiv uses longer-range US missiles
Longer-range Army Tactical Missile Systems fired during US-South Korean military exercises. Credit: Reuters
“American officials have confirmed the US has secretly provided longer-range ballistic missiles to help Ukraine against invading Russian forces. The weapons arrived this month as part of a $300m (£240m) aid package approved by US President Joe Biden in March. The missiles, which have a range of up to 300km (186 miles), were used for the first time last week to strike a Russian airfield in occupied Crimea, according to an unnamed US official speaking to Reuters. It had been kept quiet ‘to maintain operational security for Ukraine’, a US state department spokesman said. Mr Biden said the US would send weapons and equipment ‘right away’ after he signed the much heftier $61bn aid package for Ukraine into law on Wednesday. With its arsenal depleting and Russia making steady gains, Kyiv had stepped up calls for Western assistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently warned a Russian offensive was expected in the coming weeks.
Upping the pressure: Ukraine is suspending consular services for male citizens aged 18 to 60 abroad in a bid to drive numbers joining the military.
Verified: Fires broke out at multiple oil depots in Russia after reports of Ukrainian drone strikes on Wednesday morning. My BBC Verify colleagues have a video geolocating the incident.
Space warfare: Russia has vetoed a resolution at the UN Security Council calling on all countries to prevent an arms race in outer space.” [BBC]
Hamas official says group would lay down its weapons if a two-state solution is implemented
“A top Hamas political official told The Associated Press on Wednesday the Islamic militant group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel and that it would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders. But it’s unlikely Israel would consider such a scenario as its current leadership is adamantly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state on lands Israel captured during the Mideast war. Read more.
Key points:
Khalil al-Hayya said Hamas does not regret the Oct. 7 attacks, despite the destruction it has brought down on Gaza and its people. He denied that Hamas militants had targeted civilians during the attacks — despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary — and said the operation succeeded in its goal of bringing the Palestinian issue back to the world’s attention.
Al-Hayya said Hamas wants to join the Palestine Liberation Organization, headed by the rival Fatah faction, to form a unified government for Gaza and the West Bank. He said Hamas would accept ‘a fully sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with the international resolutions,’ along Israel’s pre-1967 borders. If that happens, he said, the group’s military wing would dissolve.” [AP News]
“Israel seems ready to start moving civilians out of Rafah, a prelude to an assault on the Gazan city that would probably erode much of any remaining international sympathy over its stand-off with Iran.
Inside Israel, after weeks of protests that have seen tens of thousands take to the streets, the release of a video of an American-Israeli hostage in Gaza reignited calls for a deal to free the captives after more than six months. At least 130 are believed to be held in the coastal enclave, some already dead.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who’s vowed to wipe out the 5,000-8,000 Hamas fighters and some leaders that Israel says are holed up in Rafah, has worked to overcome US objections to the offensive.
WATCH: Paul Wallace discusses the latest on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Source: Bloomberg
Israel’s limited retaliation to a mass Iranian missile and drone attack that it largely thwarted with the help of the US and other allies almost two weeks ago won him some credit in Washington, calming fears of an all-out war.
But the US is pressing Israel on claims of mass graves found at two hospital complexes in Gaza, where Israeli forces have waged a devastating air and ground campaign in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks that killed almost 1,200 people. The Palestinian militant group is designated as a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union.
Global concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have died, according to the United Nations, has sparked mounting protests on American university campuses. That’s a problem for US President Joe Biden ahead of the November election, with younger voters angered at his support for Israel.
Israel’s army is expected to advance cautiously in Rafah, where civilians who fled fighting elsewhere in Gaza have sought refuge.
But that’s unlikely to deflect criticism and could delay bringing the hostages home.”— Henry Meyer [Bloomberg]
A Palestinian woman mourns a relative recovered from a mass grave at the Nasser Medical Hospital compound on April 21. Photographer: Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg
“Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to resign after a court opened an investigation into his wife, raising the possibility of a new general election. Sanchez canceled his public appearances through the weekend and said he’d reflect on the situation and announce his decision on Monday.” [Bloomberg]
“Emmanuel Macron wants to set the stage for more robust European defense and drive support for Ukraine, and the French president is outlining his vision at Paris’s Sorbonne University today, echoing a landmark speech he gave there in 2017. His calls then for a common European defense force, budget and doctrine seem more compelling in a world that has become more hostile.” [Bloomberg]
Emmanuel Macron. Photographer: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images
“Ukraine is receiving a longer-range version of a tactical ballistic missile system known as ATACMS as part of the $61 billion US aid package that Biden signed yesterday. Kyiv has wanted the weapons system to help strike deeper into territory occupied by Russian forces.” [Bloomberg]
“Qatar will host talks between national security advisers and senior officials from the Group of Seven and the so-called Global South countries this weekend on plans for a June summit on Ukraine’s conditions to end the war with Russia, sources say. Russia hasn’t been invited to the meeting in Doha and it’s unclear if China will attend.” [Bloomberg]
“The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government notified Apple of concerns that the company’s supply chain may be tainted by conflict minerals sourced from the central African nation.” [Bloomberg]
In Nairobi, Kenya. Daniel Irungu/EPA, via Shutterstock
“Floods across Kenya have killed at least 32 people and displaced more than 40,000.” [New York Times]
Horses loose in London
A horse bolts through the streets of London near Aldwych today. Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP
“Several of the British military's horses ran wild through the streets of London this morning after bolting from a training exercise.
Social media posts showed startling footage of horses running through central London. One managed to smash the windshield of a double-decker tour bus, CNN reports.
Several people, and some of the horses, were treated for injuries. All of the horses have been accounted for.” [Axios]
Airlines will now be required to give automatic cash refunds for canceled and delayed flights
“The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation.” Read More at AP News
“The Justice Department is investigating the consulting firm McKinsey over its role helping drug companies sell opioids.” [New York Times]
The Federal Trade Commission headquarters in Washington, D.C.
PHOTO: TING SHEN/BLOOMBERG NEWS
Top business groups and a national tax-services firm sued the FTC over its ban on noncompete agreements.
“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with other business groups, and the tax firm Ryan LLC challenged the regulation in Texas federal courts. The rule, issued by the FTC yesterday, prohibits companies from enforcing existing noncompete agreements on anyone other than senior executives. Ryan says in its lawsuit that noncompete agreements covering more than 200 partners protect the firm’s confidential information and the strategies that its employees develop. The Chamber’s lawsuit says policymakers and courts have for decades recognized the value of noncompete agreements, and the federal government has never regulated them. An FTC spokesman defended its authority to issue the measure. The agency argues that noncompete clauses hamper competition for labor and result in lower pay and benefits for workers.” [Wall Street Journal]
Just 56 companies are responsible for half of all branded plastic pollution.
“The biggest offenders: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé and Danone, according to a new study that catalogued over 1.8 million pieces of trash. See a longer list here.
It’s a problem: Plastic spills into waterways and beaches, clogging streams and the ocean. Some breaks down into tiny microplastics that enter our blood and lungs.”
Read this story at Washington Post
“Reggie Bush is getting his Heisman Trophy back after being stripped of the award 14 years ago, when an investigation found he had received improper benefits. The Heisman trust said it decided to return the trophy in light of the ‘enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years.’” [NBC News]
Everything you need to know about the NFL draft
“Beginning Thursday night, 32 teams across the league will select the next crop of future NFL stars over three days in Detroit. Proceedings kick off in Round 1 with the Chicago Bears picking No. 1 overall. USC quarterback and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams is the overwhelming favorite to be the first overall pick. Three teams are tied for the most draft picks this year with 11: the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams.” Read more at USA Today
Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans on November 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images
A portrait by Gustav Klimt has been sold for $32 million at an auction in Vienna
“A portrait of a young woman by Gustav Klimt that was long believed to be lost was sold at an auction in Vienna on Wednesday for $32 million.” Read More at AP News
“Lives Lived: Helen Vendler’s power as a poetry critic derived from her close and impassioned readings. A fellow critic called her a “colossus.” Vendler died at 90.” [New York Times]