The Supremes don’t appear to buy former President Trump’s immunity claim.

A Possible Delay

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The Supremes don’t appear to buy former President Trump’s immunity claim.

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The Supreme Court is weighing whether former presidents — one in particular — can be prosecuted for official actions taken during office. A “no” ruling could shut down Trump's federal election interference case. The justices spent a large part of yesterday’s hearing questioning whether Trump's conduct on Jan 6 were private or official acts. Trump’s lawyer conceded that some of 45’s alleged actions were private acts, suggesting he could be prosecuted for them regardless of what SCOTUS decides.

Which way is the court leaning?

It doesn’t seem likely that the justices will sign off on Trump’s broad claim of immunity, but they debated where the line for presidential immunity exists. The conservative justices questioned if taking away too much immunity could lead to politically motivated prosecutions of former presidents. Whereas the liberal justices seemed worried giving presidents too much immunity could give them free reign to commit crimes, turning the Oval Office into “the seat of criminality.” The justices could send the case back to the lower courts, which would then be responsible for deciding which of Trump’s actions are considered official. That could delay Trump’s trial until after the election — which Trump’s legal team has sought for months.

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Trump’s immunity case stands to be one of the most influential cases that the Supreme Court is taking up this year. The decision, expected in June, could set a new legal precedent regarding presidential immunity.

Whose conviction was overturned…

Harvey Weinstein’s. Yesterday, New York’s highest court overturned the disgraced Hollywood producer’s 2020 rape conviction — tossing the verdict of the landmark #MeToo trial. Dozens of women’s accusations against Weinstein in 2017 sparked the #MeToo movement, putting a spotlight on the sexual harassment that women face. In a 4-3 decision, the court found that the judge who presided over the case committed an “egregious” error by allowing women to testify on allegations that weren’t related to the case. In the dissenting opinion, one judge wrote that overturning Weinstein’s conviction is “whitewashing the facts to conform to a he-said/she-said narrative.” One accuser reportedly said “our truth isn't overturned.” Weinstein won’t be released from prison since he was sentenced to 16 years in a separate rape case in Los Angeles. New York prosecutors say they plan to take up the case again, but that means Weinstein’s accusers might have to retell their stories on the stand.

What got even bigger…

The wealth gap. New research found that white families had an average of $1.4 million compared to Black families’ roughly $211,000 in 2022 — pushing the average wealth gap to more than $1 million. Hispanic families had an average of about $227,000. The report blamed the gap between white and Black families on “the stubborn legacy of racist housing policies,” as many families’ wealth comes from homeownership. Though 2022 estimates suggest homeownership rates among Black, Hispanic, and Asian families are increasing, Black Americans remain the only racial group with a homeownership rate below 50 percent.

…Oh and speaking of dollar bills, stocks tumbled yesterday after the US reported a slowdown in the economy’s growth. It only expanded by about 1.6%, suggesting the Federal Reserve won’t cut interest rates before the end of the summer.

What 18 countries are calling for…

The release of hostages. The US and 17 other countries came together yesterday to demand that Hamas release all Israeli hostages being held in Gaza. They made the appeal after the US proposed the Palestinian militant group sign off on a cease-fire deal with Israel that would pause the fighting for six weeks in exchange for 40 hostages. The Israel-Hamas war crossed the 200-day mark earlier this week; so far, the fighting in Gaza has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

What travelers should check…

If Southwest is cutting flights at the airport near them.

Whose royal title just got longer…

Kate Middleton’s.

What Americans are doing less…

Making babies.

Who's telling her side of the story…

Sophia Bush.

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