How the Supreme Court Should Respond to Trump’s Fed Probe Surrender
The Justice Department dropped its criminal probe into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell after a federal judge ruled the investigation was a pretext to pressure the Fed on interest rates. The case underscores a broader clash between President Donald Trump and the Fed over the central bank’s statutory independence. Simultaneously, Senate Republicans stalled Trump’s preferred replacement, Kevin Warsh, linking the probe’s demise to a political trade. The Supreme Court’s pending decisions on board member Lisa Cook signal a potential affirmation of the Fed’s insulation from presidential removal.
The Supreme Court Just Twisted Its Cop Immunity Doctrine in an Even More Violent Direction
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a one‑paragraph, unsigned order vacating the 9th Circuit’s decision that allowed a civil rights claim over the death of Roy Scott, a Black man who died after officers restrained him during a mental‑health crisis. The Court’s...
Trump’s $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget Could Be Political Suicide for Republicans
President Donald Trump is pushing a $1.5 trillion defense budget for FY 2027, roughly a 50% jump from the current level. The plan earmarks an 85% increase for weapons procurement and a 64% rise in research and development, while personnel costs grow...
The Clever New Lawsuit That Could Finally End ICE’s Reign of Terror in Blue States
Civil rights lawyers, led by the ACLU, have filed a lawsuit in Maine on behalf of Juan Sebastián Carvajal‑Muñoz, a lawful resident who was allegedly abducted, shackled and detained by ICE agents. The suit sidesteps the Supreme Court’s narrow Bivens doctrine...
Trump Just Automated Draft Entry. It’s Time for the Supreme Court to Step In.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has issued a proposed rule that would automatically register all U.S. men ages 18 to 26 for the draft, a move tied to a December National Defense Authorization Act provision. While President Trump...
Trump DOJ Refuses to Rule Out Second Amendment Right to Nuclear Weapons
The Trump administration’s Department of Justice filed court briefs arguing that any weapon deemed in "common use" by law‑abiding citizens could fall under the Second Amendment, even hypothetically extending that protection to nuclear arms. The stance builds on the Supreme...
Sonia Sotomayor Warns That Texas May Execute an Innocent Man
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of Texas death‑row inmate Rodney Reed, who maintains his innocence in the 1998 murder of Stacey Lee Stites. Reed has asked for DNA testing of the victim’s belt, arguing that modern...
In Atoms, Electrons Arrange Themselves in Quantum Levels Known by Which Name?
Slate’s daily science quiz asks readers to name the quantum levels where electrons arrange themselves, a fundamental concept in atomic physics. The question highlights the term “electron shells” or “energy levels,” though the article itself is locked behind a Slate...
The Supreme Court Just Heeded One of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Sharpest Dissents
The Supreme Court halted the Trump administration’s attempt to instantly revoke Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian nationals, keeping protection for over 350,000 immigrants while the case moves to the merits docket. The shift follows Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s pointed dissent...
A Top Official Just Quit in Protest of the Iran War. His Resignation Letter Reveals One of the Biggest Fallacies...
Joe Kent, the Senate‑confirmed director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on Tuesday, citing conscience objections to the Trump administration’s war in Iran. His departure, the most high‑profile protest resignation of the second Trump term, underscores a growing rift within...
Maine Could Determine Abortion Rights for the Nation. Why Aren’t Reproductive Rights Groups Acting Accordingly?
Maine’s 2026 Senate race has become a bellwether for the Democratic quest to regain a Senate majority, with Governor Janet Mills positioning herself as the party’s most viable challenger to incumbent Susan Collins. Reproductive‑rights groups such as EMILY’s List and...
I Underwent “Conversion Therapy” As a Kid. As a Psychiatrist, I Can’t Believe the Supreme Court Might Approve This.
The Supreme Court is set to decide Chiles v. Salazar, a case challenging Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors. The dispute centers on whether talk‑based treatments aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity constitute protected speech or regulated...
Where Is the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the World’s Largest Space Launch Facility?
The Baikonur Cosmodrome, the world’s largest space launch facility, sits in southern Kazakhstan about 200 km west of the city of Baikonur. Operated by Russia’s Roscosmos under a 1994 lease, it has supported more than 400 orbital launches since its first...
One of Trump’s Earliest Authoritarian Moves Is Starting to Explode in His Face
President Trump’s second‑term administration issued executive orders that punished law firms representing liberal causes or the Mueller investigation, prompting four firms to sue. Federal judges declared the orders unconstitutional, and the Department of Justice briefly moved to dismiss its appeals...