The Supreme Court is headed toward a radically new vision of unlimited presidential power

As a political science scholar who studies presidential power, I believe Trump’s recent actions mark the culmination of the unitary executive theory, which is perhaps the most contentious and consequential constitutional theory of the past several decades.

The Conversation

Pastor Claims He Was Praying When ‘Laughing’ ICE Agents Shot Him in the Head with Pepper Ball During Protest

“We could hear them laughing as they were shooting us from the roof, and it was deeply disturbing,” the Rev. David Black of Chicago told CNN earlier this week in his first interview. “We got to witness a few things about these ICE agents operating in broad view, and really it has shown us how disorganized they are and how poorly supervised and trained they are.” 

People

China vows to stand firm against Trump’s 100% tariff threat

“Frequently resorting to the threat of high tariffs is not the correct way to get along with China,” the Commerce Ministry said in its online post, which was presented as a series of answers from an unnamed spokesperson to questions from unspecified media outlets.

AP News

‘A Pretext to Take Over American Cities’: JD Vance Sparks Alarm With Comments on Insurrection Act

“We have to remember why we’re talking about this, Kristen,” he said. “Because crime has gotten out of control in our cities, because ICE agents, the people enforcing our immigration laws, have faced a 1,000% increase in violent attacks against them. We have people right now who are going out there, who are doing the job the president asked them to do, who are enforcing our immigration laws, they’re being assaulted.”

Common Dreams

House Republicans Want to Force an Overhaul of Doctors’ Abortion Training

A House funding bill includes a rider that critics warn could limit abortion access and doctors’ preparedness for dealing with pregnancy complications.

NOTUS

In private audience Pope Leo XIV encourages Latino Catholics serving fearful US immigrants

‘He treated us like dignitaries. He sent a message by having us there. He lifted us,’ said Elizabeth Román, president of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry.

Religion News Service

Countering Andrew Sullivan’s Erasure:

Contrary to Sullivan’s narrative that positions transgender inclusion as a recent “radical” development, transgender people—particularly transgender women of color—were the catalysts and leaders of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The Stonewall uprising of June 28, 1969, widely recognized as the launching point of contemporary LGBTQ+ activism, was led by transgender women.​

Seasons of Pride

License to Kill: Trump’s Extrajudicial Executions

The Trump administration’s claims that it’s going after high-level drug kingpins don’t hold water, Turse says. “Trump is killing civilians because he ‘suspects’ that they’re smuggling drugs. Experts that I talk to say this is illegal. Former government lawyers, experts on the laws of war, they say it’s outright murder.” 

The Intercept

Trump Administration Carries Out Mass Layoffs at CDC, Decimating the Agency

Health officials and experts warn the layoffs leave the US dangerously unprepared to handle disease outbreaks.

Truthout

Trump’s Terminally Online DOJ Could Be Killing Its Cases Just to Own the Libs

“As a former government lawyer who litigated many cases, I can’t imagine how that helps the government’s case,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research and a former DOJ voting rights section trial attorney.

Democracy Docket

How the government shutdown is making the air traffic controller shortage worse and leading to flight delays

Before the shutdown, there was already a critical shortage of air traffic controllers. Coupled with workers calling in sick in recent days, this has led to severe travel delays at many major airports, such as those in Atlanta and Denver, and regional ones, like those serving Burbank, California, and Daytona Beach, Florida.

The Conversation

The Answer to Trump’s Anti-Worker Shutdown Is Solidarity and Labor Militancy

The GOP’s assault on federal employees amid the government shutdown is far more extreme than Reagan’s PATCO union busting. The labor movement needs a more effective response this time.

In These Times

From the pulpit to the picket line: For many miners, religion and labor rights have long been connected in coal country

The retirement of United Mine Workers of America’s longtime president is a reminder that labor and religion have always been entangled in coal country.

Religion News Service

No One Was Helping Black Transgender Youth. So These Parents Stepped In.

“In this environment that we’re in right now, it feels like an understatement to say that there’s misinformation being spread about this community,” she said. “People really forget that we’re human beings.”

Capital B News

Africa’s oldest leader isn’t ready to retire — and he’s not the only one defying age

This century, several aging African leaders have also had to reject premature reports of their deaths, like Cameroon’s Paul Biya last year when rumours of his demise spread on social media after he wasn’t seen in public for a month.

NPR

I Have Hope for This Ceasefire, But It Can’t Undo Two Years of Genocide

U.S. President Donald Trump said the ceasefire deal marked “a wonderful day for everybody.” Why did it take two years to arrive?

The Intercept

China Signals Firm Stance amid New U.S. Tariff Threats

Chinese officials have criticized the new tariffs as hypocritical and a sign of double standards. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce accused the U.S. of ratcheting up restrictions while undermining the atmosphere for economic dialogue.

Onest

Gender Clinic Files: Two-thirds of adults waiting for transgender healthcare in UK are under 25

17-25 year-olds make up 61% of new referrals and 66% of people on a waiting list for a first appointment at a UK gender clinic, according to data obtained through a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

We Are Queer AF

Afghanistan says it has killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations

“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control, and illegal activities have been largely prevented,” Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul. There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan about casualties.

NPR

Madagascar’s president says attempted coup is underway

Madagascar has been shaken by three weeks of the most significant unrest in years in the nation. The protests are led by a group calling itself “Gen Z Madagascar,” and the United Nations says the demonstrations have left 22 people dead and dozens injured. The government has disputed this number.

PBS

US Sending 200 Troops to Israel Amid Ceasefire Deal in Gaza

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release, said U.S. Central Command is going to establish a “civil-military coordination center” in Israel that will help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance into the territory wracked by two years of war.

Mississippi Free Press

In 2 Years of Gaza Genocide, Sunday Shows on NBC, ABC and CNN Have Not Featured a Single Palestinian Guest

In a microcosm of the U.S. coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, since Oct. 7, 2023, influential Sunday news shows have not seen fit to book any Palestinians.

In These Times

María Corina Machado’s peace prize follows Nobel tradition of awarding recipients for complex reasons

Machado has been in hiding since the fraudulent vote. And her courage in having participated in an unfair contest and in exposing Maduro’s fraud by publishing the true vote tallies on the internet, surely made Machado stand out to the Nobel committee.

The Conversation

As child abductions rise in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado, churches serve as safe spaces

Villagers often bring children who have been kidnapped and released to churches, which have become safe hubs for finding their relatives with the help of local authorities and aid agencies.

Religion News Service

Nobel Prize winner Machado says Venezuela is in ‘chaos’ under current regime

“The narrative of the regime right now is that if Maduro goes, chaos will come to Venezuela. That’s absolutely false,” she said. “Venezuela is in profound, total chaos right now.”

NPR