Supreme Court Declines To Fast-Track Trump Case

Special Counsel Jack Smith had asked the nation's highest court to take up the immunity case on an expedited basis, bypassing the federal court of appeals.

The US Supreme Court declined on Friday to immediately hear former President Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution, potentially delaying his 2020 election interference trial.

Special Counsel Jack Smith had asked the nation’s highest court to take up the immunity case on an expedited basis, bypassing the federal court of appeals.

The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices nominated by Trump, denied the request in a one-line order that did not provide any reason for the decision.

The 77-year-old Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is currently scheduled to go on trial on March 4, 2024 on charges of conspiring to overturn the November 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly sought to delay the trial until after next year’s election, including with the claim that a former president enjoys “absolute immunity” and cannot be prosecuted for actions he took while in the White House.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is to preside over Trump’s March trial, rejected the immunity claim on December 1, saying a former president does not have a “lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”

“Defendant’s four-year service as Commander in Chief did not bestow on him the divine right of kings to evade the criminal accountability that governs his fellow citizens,” she added.

Trump’s lawyers appealed Chutkan’s decision to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and Smith, the special counsel, asked the Supreme Court to step in and hear the case itself.

“This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office,” Smith said in a filing to the Supreme Court.

“It is of paramount public importance that respondent’s claims of immunity be resolved as expeditiously as possible — and, if respondent is not immune, that he receive a fair and speedy trial on these charges,” he said.

– Appeals court hearing on January 9 –

With the Supreme Court’s rejection of Smith’s request, the appeals court will now first hear the immunity case.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said this could make it difficult to maintain the March trial date.

Tobias noted the Supreme Court had agreed to “fast-track” appeals in 19 cases over the past four years and it was unclear why the justices had declined to do so here.

Trump welcomed the Supreme Court’s move and said he was looking forward to presenting his arguments before the appeals court.

“Of course I am entitled to Presidential Immunity,” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“I was President, it was my right and duty to investigate, and speak on, the rigged and stolen 2020 Presidential Election,” he said, repeating his baseless claims to have won the election.

The DC appeals court has scheduled arguments for January 9 and its ruling is expected to eventually reach the Supreme Court, whose current session ends in June.

Trump’s lawyers are also expected to ask the nation’s highest court to rule on a decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that would keep the former president off the Republican primary ballot in the western state.

The Colorado court ruled Tuesday that Trump had incited an insurrection — the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters — and was therefore ineligible to hold office again.

The US Supreme Court has already agreed to hear a challenge to the use of a law behind one of the charges lodged against Trump and hundreds of his supporters who took part in the attack on the Capitol.

Trump was indicted in Washington in August for conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction for his efforts to upend the results of the 2020 election.

He faces similar election-related charges in Georgia and has been indicted in Florida for alleged mishandling of top secret documents after leaving the White House.

Trump was impeached by the Democratic-majority House of Representatives following the attack on the Capitol for “incitement of insurrection” but was acquitted by the Senate.

Taiwan Detains One For ‘Fabricated’ Election Polls

Taiwan Detains One For ‘Fabricated’ Election Polls

Citing bank account transactions as evidence, they detained Hsu, a man identified only by his family name, "for violating election and anti-infiltration laws".

Taiwan’s authorities have detained one person for “fabricating” opinion polls, which prosecutors said Saturday were intended to influence next year’s elections.

Democratic Taiwan will hold presidential and parliamentary elections in January, which will be closely watched from Beijing to Washington as results could shape future relations with China.

Taiwan’s officials have repeatedly warned of instances of election interference linked to China, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory.

In Taiwan’s southern city of Kaohsiung, prosecutors questioned four people on Friday for allegedly spreading “fabricated presidential polls” through various news outlets and social media platforms.

Citing bank account transactions as evidence, they detained Hsu, a man identified only by his family name, “for violating election and anti-infiltration laws”.

The candidates and parties that the fabricated opinion polls favoured were not identified.

Prosecutors also said Hsu was a chief consultant of a “new residents” association, a community organisation for newcomers to Taiwan.

The association was accused by prosecutors earlier this month of arranging free trips to China for dozens of voters in a bid to “influence” elections.

“They aimed to use Taiwan’s large new resident population to develop organisations that could be controlled by these hostile foreign powers… to influence the current election, thereby endangering national security,” prosecutors said Saturday.

Last month, Premier Chen Chien-jen warned the Taiwanese public to “be mindful of the methods used in election interference” and not to “fall into China’s trap”.

Relations have plunged in recent years as China has stepped up pressure on self-ruled Taiwan, sending in near-daily incursions of warplanes and naval vessels, while trying to isolate the island internationally by poaching its diplomatic allies.

Residents Return To Iceland Town As Volcano Eruption Eases

Residents Return To Iceland Town As Volcano Eruption Eases

The eruption, which began on Monday evening, opened a fissure in the ground about four kilometres (2.5 miles) long, spewing glowing fountains of orange lava into the sky only three kilometres from Grindavik.

Evacuated residents of the town of Grindavik in Iceland began returning Thursday for daytime visits as the volcano decreased in intensity, though their hopes of spending Christmas at home were dashed.

The eruption, which began on Monday evening, opened a fissure in the ground about four kilometres (2.5 miles) long, spewing glowing fountains of orange lava into the sky only three kilometres from Grindavik.

By Thursday, the eruption had declined in intensity and on live video feeds the lava flow could no longer be seen.

“The likelihood of a new eruption forming without warning near Grindavik has decreased,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said late Wednesday.

But it said the “hazard level in that area is nevertheless considered substantial” as “the magma can reach the surface quickly, leaving little time to issue warnings”.

Authorities therefore allowed Grindavik’s 4,000 residents access to the small fishing port between 7:00 am and 4:00 pm.

Local resident watch smoke billow as the lava colour the night sky orange from an volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula 3 km north of Grindavik, western Iceland on December 19, 2023. A volcanic eruption began on Monday night in Iceland, south of the capital Reykjavik, following an earthquake swarm, Iceland’s Meteorological Office reported.

They were evacuated on November 11 after a series of earthquakes, considered a possible precursor to an eruption.

First responders were present in the town on Thursday in case an emergency evacuation was required.

Streets of the town were still largely empty on Thursday morning, with Christmas decorations the only lights coming from the abandoned houses.

But some residents were quick to get back to work, including the staff at fishing company Thorfish who rushed to save the catch caught just before the eruption.

“Now they are trying to pack it and prepare it so it won’t get damaged, and then clean up the whole place for Christmas,” Jon Emil, purchasing manager for Thorfish.

‘Very Different’ Christmas

Authorities still say it is unsafe to stay in the town overnight, and on Wednesday they said residents would not be able to return to stay in their homes before Christmas.

Bergsteinn Olafsson, a 59-year-old municipal worker from Grindavik,  “different, very different”.

“But if you have your family, everything is ok.”

In an update early Thursday, the IMO said the “power of the eruption has decreased with time as well as the seismicity and deformation”.

It said just one crater showed activity overnight.

Volcanic eruptions are common in Iceland, which is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe.

But until 2021, the Reykjanes peninsula had not experienced an eruption for eight centuries.

Since then, eruptions have struck in 2021, 2022 and earlier this year — all in remote, uninhabited areas. Volcanologists say this could be the start of a new era of activity in the region.

UEFA’s Bid To Block Super League Broke EU Law, Court Rules

UEFA’s Bid To Block Super League Broke EU Law, Court Rules

The written judgment stressed that its ruling doesn't necessarily mean that the Super League project should now be authorised, just that FIFA and UEFA have been "abusing a dominant position" in the football market.

Europe’s top court ruled on Thursday that moves by football governing bodies UEFA and FIFA to stifle the creation of a rival Super League had broken EU law.

“The FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful,” the European Court of Justice ruled.

The summary of the written judgment stressed that its ruling doesn’t necessarily mean that the Super League project should now be authorised, just that FIFA and UEFA have been “abusing a dominant position” in the football market.

A22 Sports, the company promoting the Super League project, claimed victory.

“We have won the right to compete. The UEFA monopoly is over. Football is free,” the firm’s CEO Bernd Reichart declared in a social media post from the A22 account.

Port Harcourt Refinery Recommences Operation After Years Of Shutdown

Port Harcourt Refinery Recommences Operation After Years Of Shutdown

The development is coming after many years of underperformance and turnaround maintenance of the facility.

The Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State has recommenced operation in line with the Federal Government’s promise to ensure the production of refined products at the facility in December 2023. 

The development is coming after many years of underperformance and turnaround maintenance of the facility. Four of Nigeria’s refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna have a combined capacity to process 445,000 barrels per day (bpd). But they were shut down in 2019.

However, in August, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said the Port Harcourt refinery will recommence operations in December.

Lokpobiri said this during an inspection tour of the rehabilitation work at the PHRC Ltd. plant

“Our objective in coming here today is to ensure that in the next few years, Nigeria stops fuel importation. From what we have seen here today, Port Harcourt Refinery will come on board by the end of the year,” he said in August.

The recommencement of operations at the Port Harcourt refinery comes over two years after the Federal Government approved funding of $1.5 billion (1.2 billion euros) to repair one of its biggest oil refineries.

The government chose an Italian firm Maire Tecnimont to carry out the repair work at the Port Harcourt facility which has a capacity of some 210,000 bpd.

“We are happy to announce that the rehabilitation of productivity refinery will commence in three phases,” the then-Minister of Petroleum (State) Timipre Sylva told reporters.

“The first phase is to be completed in 18 months, which will take the refinery to a production of 90 percent of its nameplate capacity,” said Sylva, adding that the second phase would be completed in 24 months and the third in 44 months.

Despite being Africa’s number one oil producer, Nigeria has relied on imports of petroleum products because of a lack of domestic refining capacity. Fuel shortages are commonplace.

But as part of moves to overhaul the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the government has been working to improve capacity at the country’s under-performing state-owned refineries.

It is hoped that the resumption of refinery activity in the facility and the commencement of a similar exercise at the Dangote Refinery will improve the supply of fuel in Africa’s largest oil producer and allow the country to make savings on refined fuel and other petroleum products.

With the removal of subsidy on fuel, the move is also expected to impact on the cost of the product.

Cash Crunch Another Test Of Nigerians’ Patience, NLC Warns FG

Cash Crunch Another Test Of Nigerians’ Patience, NLC Warns FG

Describing the cash crunch as another test to try the patience of Nigerians and Nigerian workers, Ajaero said the prevailing scarcity of the naira is unacceptable.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed concerns over the lingering cash scarcity in the country, saying that the situation has serious implications for citizens.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, warned the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria that a mass public protest was imminent if nothing was done to address the naira shortage.

Describing the cash crunch as another test to try the patience of Nigerians and Nigerian workers, Ajaero said the prevailing scarcity of the naira is unacceptable.

“We are worried that by this action and others, the government may be inciting the people and mobilising them to seek alternative routes for protecting themselves from these perverse policies. We believe that the elastic limit of the patience of Nigerians is being breached and no government inflicts this level of pains on its citizenry and expects them to keep quiet for a long time,” Ajaero said in a statement on Tuesday.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, warned the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria that a mass public protest was imminent if nothing was done to address the naira shortage.

Describing the cash crunch as another test to try the patience of Nigerians and Nigerian workers, Ajaero said the prevailing scarcity of the naira is unacceptable.

“We are worried that by this action and others, the government may be inciting the people and mobilising them to seek alternative routes for protecting themselves from these perverse policies. We believe that the elastic limit of the patience of Nigerians is being breached and no government inflicts this level of pains on its citizenry and expects them to keep quiet for a long time,” Ajaero said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Forcing Nigerians into revolt by continuously taking actions that deny them basic access to survival will not augur well for our nation. This cash crunch is indeed another test of the already worn patience of Nigerian masses and workers.”

Ajaero said the NLC recognised the importance of a vibrant economy and believed that it was in the interest of the nation to ensure that the citizens could enjoy the festive season without undue financial strain.

He urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to take “immediate and decisive action to alleviate the cash crunch and mitigate its impact on the people.”

See the full statement below:

CASH CRUNCH: AN INCITEMENT OF NIGERIANS

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is deeply concerned about the recent cash crunch that has gripped the Nigerian economy, particularly as the nation approaches the festive season. This economic challenge has far-reaching implications for the citizens of our great nation, and urgent steps must be taken to address this issue to prevent further hardships for the already suffering Nigerian populace.

Fresh in the minds of every Nigerian is the excruciating conditions that we were all subjugated to as a result of the last Cash crunch earlier this year that was orchestrated by the ill-conceived and ill-implemented currency redesign policy of the immediate past. The sorrow that botched exercise foisted on us is not what Nigerians wish to witness again in one year.

This time, there is no discernible reason by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) neither any explanation from the Government on why Nigerians should be subjected to this level of suffering once again in 2023. Though we have heard reasons like; the increase in fake notes in circulation and the hoarding of the Naira. These reasons are clearly unacceptable as we cannot see anything that will make any Nigerian hoard the Naira. In any case, it is not the ordinary Nigerian that hoards money in their houses.

If the CBN is saying that those with ill-gotten wealth are stashing cash in their houses to avoid detection, it becomes a heavy indictment on the government anti-corruption agenda. This is because what the CBN is saying is that since the assumption of office of this Government, that the level of graft has increased resulting in the creation of hideouts for the slush funds. The question then is; should the ordinary citizens be made to suffer the apparent incompetence of government in prosecuting the anti-corruption war or is it that there is actually no anti-corruption war going on?

Nigerians are spending more time in the Banks trying to source for cash not for monies that are not in their accounts but for their own money. This is undermining confidence of the public in the banks and may discourage the citizenry from participating actively in Banking. It is shameful that Nigerians would have to spend a lot of money to gain access to their hard-earned income. We are creating another avenue for economic rentiers such as the POS operators and their collaborators in the Banks to fleece Nigerians.

Subjecting us again to spend our meagre salaries buying our money automatically devalues our income. POS operators currently charge around N400 to access N10,000. This is about a 4% reduction in the value of the income of poor Nigerians who hardly make use of electronic platforms to perform their transactions. For citizens who are already impoverished by the same policies of Government, foisting this on them again, amounts to gross insensitivity and double jeopardy.

We are worried that by this action and others, the Government may be inciting the people and mobilizing them to seek alternative routes for protecting themselves from these perverse policies. We believe that the elastic limit of the patience of Nigerians is being breached and no government inflicts this level of pains on its citizenry and expects them to keep quiet for a long time. Forcing Nigerians into revolt by continuously taking actions that deny them basic access to survival will not augur well for our nation. This cash crunch is indeed another test of the already worn patience of Nigerian masses and workers.

During this Yuletide season which is traditionally a time of joy, celebration, and familial gatherings, but the current cash shortage threatens to cast a shadow over the festivities for many Nigerians. The unavailability of cash has led to increased difficulties in meeting daily needs, exacerbating the economic challenges faced by ordinary citizens.

The Nigeria Labour Congress recognizes the importance of a vibrant economy, and we believe that it is in the interest of the nation to ensure that our citizens can enjoy the festive season without undue financial strain. We call on the government to take immediate and decisive action to alleviate the cash crunch and mitigate its impact on the people.

Government should therefore explore measures to inject liquidity into the economy, ensuring that there is sufficient cash flow to meet the demands of businesses and individuals. It is fairly tale to continue brandishing cash hoarding as an excuse. Nigerians want their money and it should be made available to them. Excuses are not what Nigerians want to hear but access to their money.

We urge Government to collaborate with other financial institutions to improve banking services, such as ensuring the availability of cash at ATMs and bank branches to facilitate easy access for the public. We urge the CBN to Provide clear and transparent communication to the public regarding the steps being taken to address the cash crunch and reassure citizens about the stability of the financial system.

The Nigeria Labour Congress is not unmindful of the complexities of managing an economy, especially during challenging times. However, it is crucial for the government to prioritize the well-being of its citizens and take immediate action to alleviate their suffering.

Comrade Joe Ajaero

President

Court Disqualifies Trump From 2024 Presidential Race

Court Disqualifies Trump From 2024 Presidential Race

The court placed its ruling on hold until January 4, anticipating an appeal to the US Supreme Court, which Trump's campaign immediately said it would seek.

Donald Trump is ineligible for the US presidency because of his involvement in the January 2021 assault on the Capitol, Colorado’s supreme court ruled Tuesday, setting off a political earthquake that could upend next year’s election.

The stunning legal decision — which Trump’s campaign said it would appeal — drew immediate condemnation from Republicans across the spectrum, and looked set to light a fire under the former reality TV star’s claim to political persecution.

The ruling, which only applies to the Colorado primary ballot, is the first of a number of legal actions across the country to successfully invoke the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which bars from office anyone formerly sworn to protect the country who later engages in insurrection.

“A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the Colorado high court wrote.

“Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.

“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the 4-3 majority wrote.

“We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”

An earlier ruling by a lower court found that while Trump had clearly given succor to the January 6 riot, the office of president was not included in the list of federal elected positions affected by the 14th Amendment.

Noah Bookbinder of campaign group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which brought the original case, took to social media to hail Tuesday’s ruling, calling it “a huge moment for democracy.”

“It is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country.

“Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government.”

Supreme Court

 

The court placed its ruling on hold until January 4, anticipating an appeal to the US Supreme Court, which Trump’s campaign immediately said it would seek.

“We will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision,” campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

Cheung said the “all-Democrat appointed” panel in Colorado was doing the bidding of a “(George) Soros-funded, left-wing group’s scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden.”

“Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls.

“They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November.”

The judgment brought swift rebukes from senior Republicans, including Trump’s one-time rival for the 2016 nomination, Senator Marco Rubio.

“The US has put sanctions on other countries for doing exactly what the Colorado Supreme Court has done today,” he wrote on social media.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — who is running against Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination but has closely aligned himself with many of the former president’s political positions — said the US Supreme Court “should reverse” the Colorado ruling.

“The Left invokes ‘democracy’ to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal ground,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Even as swathes of the traditional Republican Party are becoming increasingly exasperated with Trump and his brand of grievance-filled isolationism, a vocal grassroots movement continues to support him enthusiastically.

Failure to stand behind the presumed frontrunner against what he paints as a “witch hunt” can have dire consequences for even senior party figures.

Trump’s historic indictments for allegedly leading a criminal conspiracy to steal the 2020 election — one at the federal level and another in Georgia — have opened a frenzied legal debate over his eligibility for future office.

The Colorado action is one of multiple 14th Amendment lawsuits against Trump proceeding nationwide. Minnesota’s top court threw out a similar move last month.