In a major win for Republicans, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected claims that a congressional district in South Carolina was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, clearing the way for the GOP-drawn map to remain in effect. The 6-3 ruling, with the court’s conservative justices in the majority, reinstates the Republican-friendly district lines and deals a blow to Democrats and civil rights groups who had challenged the map as improperly sorting voters based on race. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said the challengers had failed to show that race was the primary factor behind the district’s boundaries, rather than…
Author: Phil Donel
In a stinging bipartisan rebuke, the Senate voted against a sweeping border policy package for the second time on Thursday, with the legislation losing even more support from both Republican and Democratic senators compared to the first failed vote in March. The renewed border security push was led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who brought the bill to the floor again after bipartisan negotiations originally produced the deal last winter. But this time, even some of the original Republican and Democratic negotiators flipped to oppose the measure. Senators like Kyrsten Sinema, the Arizona independent who helped craft the border…
The U.S. stock market suffered significant losses on Thursday, May 23, 2024, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average recording its worst single-day performance of the year so far. The Dow plummeted 605.78 points, or 1.53%, closing at 39,065.26. The S&P 500 fell 0.74% to 5,267.84, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.39% to end at 16,736.03. Despite the broader market selloff, shares of chipmaker and artificial intelligence leader Nvidia surged 9.3%, propelling the stock above the $1,000 mark. Nvidia’s rally was fueled by its impressive fiscal first-quarter earnings report, which exceeded analysts’ expectations. The company also announced a 10-for-1 stock split.…
In a stunning display of brazen lawlessness, close to three-fourths of the humanitarian aid transported to Gaza from a newly-constructed U.S. military pier was looted on Saturday before ever reaching its intended recipients. The mass theft has sparked outrage and raised fresh concerns over the ability to effectively deliver relief supplies to the besieged coastal territory. According to reports, a convoy of 16 trucks loaded with food parcels departed the $320 million floating pier on Saturday bound for a UN World Food Programme warehouse in central Gaza. However, only 5 of those trucks made it to their destination – the…
In the circus-like atmosphere surrounding Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial, the former president made the decision to avoid taking the witness stand in his own defense. While Trump had previously claimed he would testify, his legal team ultimately rested their case without calling him on Tuesday. For Trump’s allies, it was the prudent choice given the perceived political motivations driving the prosecution’s case. By not testifying, Trump denied Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s team the opportunity to try and bait him into perjury or damaging misstatements under a likely hostile cross-examination. “You don’t subject yourself to that nonsense,” Trump’s…
A parade of top Biden administration officials has ratcheted up criticism of Israel, signaling deep frustration with the country’s anti-Hamas military campaign in Gaza that has raged for nearly eight months. The upshot, according to U.S. officials, is that Hamas still holds significant ground and capabilities in Gaza despite Israel’s large-scale conventional military operations against the militant group. This outcome risks undermining Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas, several former generals and a Democratic congressman warned. “Israel has a right and responsibility to defeat Hamas, but its current strategy of large-scale, conventional military operations will backfire and undermine that goal,” said…
The Finnish government has submitted an urgent legislative proposal to parliament that would grant it sweeping new powers to restrict asylum applications and border crossings in the event of a large-scale attempt by Russia to “instrumentalize” migration as a form of hybrid warfare. The proposed Border Security Act, announced on May 21st, comes as Helsinki accuses Moscow of intentionally facilitating migrant flows toward Finland’s eastern border in an effort to exert political pressure and destabilize the newly-acceded NATO member state. If passed, the act would allow the government, in cooperation with the president, to temporarily block asylum seekers from entering…
With the 2024 presidential election looming, California Governor Gavin Newsom appears determined to double down on policies that are exacerbating sky-high gasoline prices – not just in his own state, but in neighboring battlegrounds Nevada and Arizona as well. The potential political blowback could prove disastrous for Democrats’ prospects in those competitive states critical to deciding control of the White House and Congress. California already suffers the highest gas prices in the continental United States at over $5.21 per gallon on average, compared to the $3.59 national average. The Gulf State’s pump prices are inflated by hefty state taxes and…
In a disturbing revelation about the pervasiveness of plastic pollution, scientists have found microplastic particles present in every single human testicle they examined during a recent study. The researchers also detected microplastics in testes samples from pet dogs. The study, published in the journal Toxicological Sciences, analyzed a total of 23 human testicles obtained from postmortems conducted in 2016. The men ranged in age from 16 to 88 years old at the time of death. Shockingly, each of the 23 testicle samples was contaminated with microplastic particles. In addition, the researchers examined 47 testes samples from neutered dogs. Once again,…
A group of prominent investors and New York City’s chief investment officer are urging Tesla shareholders to vote against the electric automaker’s proposed $56 billion pay package for CEO Elon Musk, as well as the re-election of two board members seen as too closely tied to the billionaire. In an open letter released Monday, the investor group slammed Musk’s pay as “excessive” and said it lacks any meaningful incentive value given its sheer enormity. They argue Tesla’s board has failed in its duty to provide proper oversight and controls over Musk’s behavior and controversies. “Shareholders should not pretend that this…