The Supreme Court appears to uphold presidential immunity.
The Supreme Court's conservative majority appeared ready to rule yesterday that the former president enjoys some degree of immunity from criminal prosecution, allowing him to face charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. The criminal case against Donald Trump could be further delayed.
If such a ruling is made, the case will likely be sent back to the trial court with an order to distinguish between public and private actions. There appeared to be a consensus among the justices that a criminal case could ultimately proceed based on Trump's personal actions, but additional steps would prevent it from happening before the November 2024 election. It may become difficult to conduct a trial.
If President Trump wins the White House, he can order the Justice Department to drop the charges. Here are some takeaways from the discussion:
President Trump's New York trial Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker was accused of falsifying corporate records in order to buy and bury damaging articles that may have derailed Trump's 2016 campaign. He told jurors in vivid detail how dependent he was on him.
US military begins construction of floating pier off Gaza coast
U.S. Army engineers yesterday began construction of a floating pier off the coast of Gaza that could provide up to 2 million meals a day to relief workers, Pentagon officials said.
The pier is intended to allow humanitarian aid to circumvent Israeli restrictions on land convoys to besieged areas. But aid and defense officials said the maritime project was not a suitable alternative to further land aid.
Defense officials expected the project to be completed early next month. Experts say famine is likely to begin in Gaza by the end of May.
Harvey Weinstein's New York conviction overturned
New York's Supreme Court has overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction on felony sex crime charges. The reversal horrified many women who decided to speak out against Weinstein, a prominent Hollywood producer, and fueled the #MeToo movement.
The court ruled that the trial judge in charge of the sex crimes case should call as witnesses several women who said they were assaulted by Mr. Weinstein, even though none of the allegations led to charges. He said he made a grave mistake in allowing prosecutors to do so.
Weinstein is not yet a free man. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in California, and the Manhattan district attorney said through a spokesperson that he plans to retry the 2020 case.
Our critic Jason Farago writes that the 2024 Venice Biennale, which opened this week, is at best a missed opportunity and at worst an artistic tragedy.
The real question, Farago writes, is how the show tokenizes, essentializes, minimizes, and categorizes the more than 300 talented artists it showcases. There was a lot to like about this exhibition, but “the artist's human complexity is emphasized by their designation as members of a group, and the art itself is reduced to a symptom or trivialization.” he writes.
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30 years since the end of apartheid
Tomorrow South Africans will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first post-apartheid elections.
Just over a month later, on May 29th, people will vote in a potentially transformative national election. The African National Congress, which has ruled for 30 years, could lose its majority for the first time.
“It feels almost impossible to distinguish between an election year and a major anniversary year,” my colleague Lindsay Teutel, reporting from Johannesburg, told me.
“This anniversary forces not only those involved but also South Africans to think: 'What have the last 30 years meant to us?'” she added. “And how do we get that political optimism and economic strength back?”
How does the legacy of apartheid shape life in South Africa today?
Lindsey: As you walk down the streets of Johannesburg's suburbs, you can see all around you the gains made. It's a lush suburb. There is also a sidewalk cafe. People are chatting.
But the majority of those enjoying that progress are white. And the majority of people working as servers and in low-wage jobs are black. Black South Africans simply haven't caught up in terms of wealth.
Fast forward to next month's election. How's the atmosphere?
The ANC's popularity is perhaps at its lowest, and it has never had so much trouble persuading South Africans to vote for it. Some young people see this vote as vitally important as the 1994 vote. Many are deeply disillusioned. High unemployment and corruption scandals have eroded their trust in politicians.
The opposition parties are gaining momentum, saying, “We have finally reached the point where we can take the lead.''
This is a big change from 1994, when it felt like an affirmation of Nelson Mandela, his party and the end of apartheid. The mood among voters I spoke to this year was: How do we use the election to get the country back on track and capitalize on post-apartheid freedoms?
