As an original copy of the Declaration of Independence fades [National Archives] and we approach its 250th anniversary, The Hustings is asking citizen pundits (readers) and contributing pundits from the right and left what you think about its resulting democratic republic’s condition. Email your thoughts to editors@thehustings.news.
Trump Appeal Declined – The US Supreme Court declined to consider President Trump’s appeal of a jury verdict that found he sexually abused and defamed writer and former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll (The Wall Street Journal). This leaves in place a $5 million judgment against Trump, who was found liable by a federal jury in Manhattan.
Mail In Your Ballot – Perhaps the most important US Supreme Court decision this term so far is the 5-4 ruling that federal election law does not pre-empt Mississippi’s election law allowing the counting of absentee ballots up to five days after the federal election date. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the 5-4 majority opinion joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, Sonya Sotomayor, Elena Kagen and Ketanji Brown Jackson, SCOTUSblog reports, in reversing the Fifth Circuit District Court’s finding in Watson v. Republican National Committee.
Trump Can Fire Independent Agency Members – In Trump v. Slaughter SCOTUS in a 6-3 vote gave the president “sweeping authority” (SCOTUSblog) over approximately two dozen multi-member agencies to fire individual members.
But Trump Cannot Fire a Fed Governor – The president cannot fire Federal Reserve member Lisa Cook of the Board of Governors, SCOTUS ruled 6-3 in Trump v. Cook (ibid SCOTUSblog).
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State of MOU – At Iran’s request, Iranian and US diplomats are to meet in Qatar Tuesday, NPR reports, following a weekend of military strikes from both sides in the region surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
Negotiations over the memorandum of understanding, which will reach its two-week mark in a couple of days started out rather strong with Secretary of State Marco Rubio late Friday announcing the US and Iran had reached an agreement to suspend attacks in the Strait and allow commercial vessels to enter and exit freely (per The New York Times).
Then Iran struck two ships over the weekend, prompting the US to strike back at multiple done missile and radar bases, according to NPR’s Morning Edition. Iran fired missiles at US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
This is the “new normal,” Jake Sullivan, national security advisor for the Biden administration who was instrumental in reaching the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for the Obama administration, told Morning Edition’s Leila Fadel Monday.
“Neither side wants to go back to full-scale war, but Iran wants to show it has control of the Strait of Hormuz,” Sullivan said.
So President Trump may not have to take responsibility for a “forever war” in such a “new normal,” but it appears his administration has handed long-term control of the Strait of Hormuz over to Iran.
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More Gas Ease – AAA’s national average price for a gallon of unleaded regular is down 3.9 cents from Friday to $3.86 as of Monday. That’s 89.1 cents higher than February 28. Diesel is $4.859 Monday, a break for truck drivers of 7.5 cents per gallon from Friday, up $1.036 since the beginning of the war. – Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa