
After an attack on Salman Rushdie, the Chautauqua Institution says its mission won't change
For 150 years, the Chautauqua Institution has prided itself as a place that invites open dialogue and freedom of expression
2023-07-29 13:20

French President Macron visits his counterpart in Sri Lanka
French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting his Sri Lankan counterpart in the first visit by a French leader to the Indian Ocean island nation
2023-07-29 12:55

Water is refreshing in the heat, right? In parts of Florida this past week, not so much
When the ocean gets really hot, it's less refreshing
2023-07-29 12:53

'God willing, we will meet again in Libya.' A migrant family's tale shows chaos at Tunisian border
A Cameroonian man who survived the desert crossing between Tunisia and Libya says his wife and daughter died and are the migrants that appear in a graphic photo widely shared on social media
2023-07-29 12:51

Election disinformation campaigns targeted voters of color in 2020. Experts expect 2024 to be worse
Community organizations are gearing up for what they expect will be a worsening onslaught of disinformation targeting voters of color as the 2024 election approaches
2023-07-29 12:28

Members of Congress break for August with no clear path to avoiding a shutdown this fall
Lawmakers broke for their August recess this week with many worried about whether they can avoid a partial government shutdown upon their return
2023-07-29 12:26

What Ukraine must do to win in its southern push -- and what Russia has in reserve
The Ukrainian military is doubling down on efforts to break through thick Russian defenses in its counteroffensive in the south, which has struggled to gain momentum since being launched at the beginning of June.
2023-07-29 12:25

Fresh charges tie Trump even more closely to coverup effort. That could deepen his legal woes
New allegations in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump deepen his legal jeopardy as he braces for possible additional indictments related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election
2023-07-29 12:19

Variety revises article on former CNN chief Jeff Zucker that was sharply criticized
Under fire this week for an investigative story on former CNN chief Jeff Zucker, the entertainment publication Variety made changes to the piece on Friday
2023-07-29 12:19

AOC claps back at Justice Alito for saying Congress can’t have oversight of Supreme Court
New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticised Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday, after the high court jurist claimed the US court was above any regulation from Congress. Democrats in the Senate have been pushing for a new law that would require the Supreme Court to adopt a binding ethics code and new enforcement regulations to assure justices stick to it, after a bruising series of ethics scandals on the nation’s top appellate court. “What a surprise, guy who is supposed to enforce checks and balances thinks checks shouldn’t apply to him,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez wrote on social media. “Too bad! Corruption and abuse of power must be stopped, no matter the source. In fact, the court should be *most* subject to scrutiny, bc it is unelected & life appointed.” The pushback was in response to recent comments Mr Alito gave in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, where the right-leaning judge said, “I know this is a controversial view, but I’m willing to say it...No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court – period.” “The court’s financial disclosure requirements are a law, passed by Congress; its recusal requirements are a law, passed by Congress; and the body that implements financial disclosure and code of conduct issues is the Judicial Conference, a body created by Congress,” Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse said earlier this month. “Please let’s not pretend Congress can’t make amendments to laws Congress has passed or oversee agencies Congress has created,” he said. Mr Alito was in the spotlight last month after ProPublica revealed the justice had travelled to a fishing trip in a remote part of Alaska onboard a private jet belonging to billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer, a wealthy Republican donor who’s had cases before the Supreme Court. The trip wasn’t disclosed on Mr Alito’s yearly financial forms, a potential violation of federal law, though he disputes he did anything wrong. Earlier this year, another Republican-appointed judge, Clarence Thomas, found himself facing similar allegations of improper conduct. ProPublica detailed longstanding ties between him and Harlan Crow, another conservative-leaning billionaire. Mr Crow took Mr Thomas around the world on lavish vacations, and bought over $133,000 dollars’ worth of property from the justice. These ties were also not disclosed. The ensuing scandal, in which Mr Thomas insisted he did nothing wrong, seemed to trigger an avalanche of issues at the court. Jane Roberts, wife of Chief Justice John Roberts, has also come in for scrutiny for her business activities. Between 2007 and 2014, she made more than $10m working as a legal recruiter, matching attorneys with top firms, at least one of which argued before her husband, Insider reported, citing information from a whistleblower complaint. The windfall made her one of the highest-paid legal recruiters in the country at the time. “When I found out that the spouse of the chief justice was soliciting business from law firms, I knew immediately that it was wrong,” the whistleblower, former colleague Kendal B Price, told the outlet. “During the time I was there, I was discouraged from ever raising the issue. And I realized that even the law firms who were Jane’s clients had nowhere to go. They were being asked by the spouse of the chief justice for business worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and there was no one to complain to. Most of these firms were likely appearing or seeking to appear before the Supreme Court. It’s natural that they’d do anything they felt was necessary to be competitive.” Ms Roberts’s firm at the time said in a statement to the outlet she maintained “the highest standards: Candidate confidentiality, client trust, and professionalism”. One of the high court’s liberals has also come under fire. Elena Kagan was a speaker at a 2017 event in Aspen, nicknamed “billionaire mountain”, where members of the Aspen Institute could pay $10,000 a year for a membership in the Justice Circle, where high-profile legal minds would speak at exclusive conclaves. At these events, corporate executives and lawyers, some of whom had business with the court, interacted with the justices, reported the outlet. Read More Harlan Crow says the Constitution bars investigation into his relationship with Clarence Thomas Senate Judiciary panel to consider ethics rules for Supreme Court Senators call for Supreme Court to follow ethics code like other branches of government Automaker Tesla is opening more showrooms on tribal lands to avoid state laws barring direct sales Justice Alito says Congress lacks the power to impose an ethics code on the Supreme Court Brazil's Indigenous chief fighting to save Amazon urges President Lula to defend people's rights
2023-07-29 12:16

Typhoon Doksuri is downgraded to tropical storm status as it leaves southern China
Typhoon Doksuri weakened into a tropical storm late night Friday after bringing heavy rain and winds that left more than a million people without power in southern China
2023-07-29 11:59

Colorado officer who placed handcuffed suspect into a vehicle that was hit by train is found guilty of misdemeanors, but acquitted of felony
A Colorado police officer who put a handcuffed suspect in a patrol SUV that was then hit by a train near Denver lat year was found guilty of two misdemeanors Friday.
2023-07-29 11:59