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Apr 30, 2025 - World

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett gave no explanation for why she recused herself from a religious charter school case that was set to begin oral arguments Wednesday, The New York Times reported.The case revolves around whether taxpayers should pay for a public school in Oklahoma that teaches Catholic doctrine.With her recusal, Justice Barrett's Supreme Court seat will remain empty since she won't participate in oral arguments, deliberations, or a final vote. "Although justices sometimes provide reasons when they recuse themselves, they are not required to," according to the report.That means the court's 6-3 conservative majority will be 5-3 for the vote on this case.During his first term, President Donald Trump appointed Barrett, as well as Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh to give conservatives the upper hand.The Times postulated that the recusal "may have to do with her close friendship with Nicole Stelle Garnett, a professor at Notre Dame Law School who was an early adviser for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, the school involved in the dispute."Also read: 'This is our shot': Dems believe MTG's new job gives 'golden opportunity' to destroy GOP"The two clerked together on the Supreme Court in the late 1990s, and then became neighbors in South Bend, Ind., and colleagues for many years at Notre Dame. Their families are close, and Justice Barrett is the godmother to one of Ms. Garnett’s children," The Times reported.Reporters Abbie VanSickle and Sarah Mervosh cited a provision in the court's first ethics code, enacted in 2023, over how justices determine when they "must step away from a case because of an actual or perceived conflict of interest."They described the policy as "far looser than that for lower court judges," with each Supreme Court Justice deciding for themselves when they should step away from a case.The ethics code was enacted after revelations that Justice Clarence Thomas had failed to disclose luxury travels and gifts from billionaire friends.Neither Garnett nor Justice Barrett commented for The Times's report.Read The New York Times report here.

Apr 30, 2025 - World

The pro-environment group Greenpeace has targeted President Donald Trump's golf course south of Glasgow, Scotland. Trump Turnberry dealt with protesters on Wednesday morning from the sandy beach, a few hundred yards from the green. Protesters used rakes to create a portrait of the U.S. leader along with a message targeting Trump and other global oligarchs, Reuters reported. "Time to resist - fight the billionaire takeover," the message said, marking Trump's first 100 days. ALSO READ: Will we let this orange-faced death-cult leader finish the job he started?The group released photos from the air showing the image created by an arts organization overnight. Thus far, Trump has abandoned the Paris Climate Agreement and continued his advocacy for coal-power plants and additional oil drilling projects, the report noted. "During his first 100 days President Trump has been actively working to dismantle and weaken environmental protections and attack those who fight to protect nature and our shared climate," said Areeba Hamid, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, in a statement.Pro-Palestinian protesters targeted the golf course last month, with graffiti reading "Gaza is not for sale." See the images and videos below or at the link. — (@) — (@) Read the full report here.

Apr 30, 2025 - World

A Republican lawmaker stunned CNN's John Berman when he referred to news that the economy shrunk by 3% due to President Donald Trump's machinations as "a good thing." Berman presented Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) with Wednesday morning's news that the economy has gone into reverse. "So, GDP down 0.3% in the first quarter. It was a growth rate of 2.4% in the final quarter of last year, the first contraction since 2022. What do you think this data is telling us?" Berman asked. Kiley said he thought it was "natural" to have short-term disruption "when you have a lot of change." "But, I think that when you dig deeper into the data, you see a foundation for medium- and longer-term growth," Kiley said. Also read: 'Never so scared': Furious pastor berates cops after witnessing tasing of MTG constituent Berman continued, "This report doesn't even cover really the impacts of tariffs. The president's announcement wasn't until the beginning of April. People think that there could be even more headwinds in the second quarter there." Kiley dodged the question of Trump's tariffs, instead, citing "the relaxation or the lower amount of government spending." "And, so, that's actually a good thing, in some sense, as we're cutting waste, fraud and abuse. And Americans broadly agree that we need to reduce the size of government...So, those numbers, those kind of top-line numbers that you're citing are partially a reflection of that." Kiley repeated that "when you dig deeper, you see an increase in exports, you see an increase in investment. And we have this huge runway now where we're going to be taking action very soon as a congress to extend the prior tax cuts and to provide new forms of tax relief, which is going to be an added fuel for investment and jobs." Berman pushed back, "You keep saying, 'If you dig deeper, this looks okay.' Are you saying this is a good report?" Kiley answered, "I'm saying that the signs are there for significant economic growth going forward, and I think that we have all the tools at our disposal and, and are on the track to do just that." Watch the clip below via CNN or click here.

Apr 30, 2025 - World

Mohsen Langarneshin is accused of being ‘senior spy’ for Mossad, but human rights groups say he was innocentIran has executed a 36-year-old man it accused of helping the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, kill a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Tehran in 2022. Iranian state media said Mohsen Langarneshin was hanged, the usual method of execution in Iran, at Ghezel Hesar prison early on Wednesday morning.Langarneshin’s family and human rights groups insisted the former IT consultant was innocent of the charges against him and that any reported confessions were obtained by torture or blackmail. Continue reading...

Apr 30, 2025 - World

At least 16 civilians and security officials killed in Druze-majority areas around capital on WednesdayMiddle East crisis – live updatesAt least 16 civilians and security officials have been killed in clashes in a town near Damascus, Syria’s interior ministry reported, the second consecutive day of fighting in Druze-majority areas around Syria’s capital.Reports on Wednesday said fighting had started overnight in the town of Ashrafiah Sahnaya, south-west of Damascus, after unknown gunmen attacked a security checkpoint. An attack on the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana a day earlier left at least 10 people dead, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Continue reading...