Month: March 2024

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of former President Donald Trump in a historic case challenging his eligibility to seek the Republican presidential nomination under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment due to his actions around the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The High Court reversed the unprecedented decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that would remove Trump from the ballot under the provision after a state trial court found he participated in “insurrection” on Jan. 6 through incitement. The majority opinion is that the role of disqualifying a presidential candidate belongs to Congress:  “Permitting state enforcement of Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates would raise serious questions about the scope of that power,” it stated.

The unsigned Supreme Court opinion read: “For the reasons given, responsibility for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates rests with Congress and not the States.  The judgment of the Colorado Supreme Court therefore cannot stand. All nine Members of the Court agree with that result.”

In holding that only Congress had the power to enforce the provisions under Section 5 of the amendment, the court said its decision would apply to federal offices nationwide: “This case raises the question whether the States, in addition to Congress, may also enforce Section 3. We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency.”

The decision came one day before voters in Colorado go to the polls on Super Tuesday, where Trump is on the GOP primary ballot. The decision also ensures that Trump will remain on the ballot as Republican presidential nominee in all 50 states.  Trump quickly celebrated the ruling, writing on his social media platform it was a “BIG WIN” for the country.

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Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg has pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury Monday in connection with testimony he gave during former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial.

The charges accuse Weisselberg of committing perjury in a deposition as well as in testimony in Trump’s civil fraud trial. Bragg’s office alleged Weisselberg lied in July of 2020 in claiming he only learned Trump’s triplex apartment had been dramatically overvalued after Forbes published an article detailing the issue, when in fact he had known about the overvaluation before then.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg recommended Weisselberg, 76, be sentenced to five months in jail after entering the plea, and agreed to his release before sentencing, scheduled for April 10. Bragg’s office also said that as part of the plea, Weisselberg admitted that he committed conduct underlying other instances of perjury.

In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for the district attorney said, “It is a crime to lie in depositions and at trial — plain and simple. Allen Weisselberg took an oath to be truthful, and then committed perjury both at depositions during the New York State Attorney General’s Investigation and Proceeding, as well as at their recent trial  Today, Allen Weisselberg is pleading guilty to this felony and being held responsible for his conduct.”

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung slammed Bragg in response to Weisselberg’s plea, alleging the Manhattan district attorney “committed repeated prosecutorial misconduct in his illegal, desperate pursuit of Mr. Trump that violated federal and state constitutions and Bragg’s ethical obligations.”  Cheung added that Bragg “has been on a crusade of vindictive and oppressive pressure leading, today, to a forced plea by Allen H. Weisselberg. These are corrupt, election interference persecution tactics ripped from the playbook of Joseph Stalin, which cannot be allowed in America.”

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Blizzard conditions have continued to slam the Northern California region throughout the weekend with damaging winds and heavy snow, shutting down roads and ski resorts across the area.  Around 6.5 million people were under winter weather alerts across the Mountain West, with blizzard warnings still in effect for the Sierra Nevada, who have experienced the most extreme weather including whiteout conditions and hurricane-force winds.

The blizzard closed a 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 near the Nevada state line for more than a day, with the Weather Center adding that “extremely heavy snowfall rates of 2-6 inches an hour combined with very strong winds exceeding 100 mph at times will maintain impossible travel conditions in the Sierra Nevada” and warned of “high to extreme” avalanche danger in the Central Sierra and Greater Lake Tahoe area. About 5-12 feet of snow was forecast to fall along the crest of the Sierra with damaging wind gusts “possibly in excess of 75 mph” expected across the Intermountain West.

Numerous ski areas were closed over the weekend including at Palisades Tahoe, Sierra at Tahoe and Mammoth. The National Weather Service said on Sunday that “winds will wane in intensity, though some additional heavy snowfall is expected through the day, particularly for the southern Cascades/Sierra, Wasatch, and central Rockies.”  Extreme snowfall and roaring winds in the Sierra and parts of the northern ranges mean blowing snow and whiteout conditions making travel “impossible.”

While the storm was expected to wind down on Sunday, it will be followed by a new system on Monday, the National Weather Service said.

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According to an administrative memo that was released, the University of Florida has terminated all of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) related positions to comply with a new state law that bars state colleges from using state or federal money to fund the programs. The Florida Board of Education implemented the law January, saying that strict regulations would be put on the Florida College System about the use of tax dollars to support DEI. The board said DEI programs are “programs that categorize individuals based on race or sex for the purpose of differential or preferential treatment.” The rule will affect 28 of Florida’s state schools.

Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. said at the time of the rule’s announcement that the actions will ensure taxpayer money won’t be spent on DEI and “radical indoctrination that promotes division in our society,” adding that higher education needs to return to its “essential foundations of academic integrity” instead of “being corrupted by destructive ideologies.

The University of Florida memo states that they have closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, “eliminated DEI positions and administrative appointments, and halted DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors.”  University employees who lost their positions will receive the standard twelve weeks of severance pay and are encouraged to apply for “expedited consideration for different positions currently posted by the university.” The school’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer will reallocate about $5 million formerly funding DEI expenses like salaries and expenditures to now go to a faculty retirement fund.

The memo said: “Finally, the University of Florida is — and will always be —unwavering in our commitment to universal human dignity. As we educate students by thoughtfully engaging a wide range of ideas and views, we will continue to foster a community of trust and respect for every member of Gator Nation.”

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