Supreme Court to Hear Trump's Appeal on Presidential Immunity [Full News Memo]

Putin’s Nuclear Threat, Trump Wins Michigan Primary, Multiple U.S. Cities Strained For Resources Amid Migrant Influx, Dune Part Two

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Newsbites

• Gaza Aid Convoy Disaster: Chaos broke out on Thursday as a convoy of aid trucks brought flour and other supplies to Gaza City, ending in the deaths of more than 100 people and hundreds of injuries. As the aid caravan entered the city, thousands of people rushed to get supplies, triggering a panic among the crowd, fleet operators, and the Israeli military which was escorting the convoy (aerial footage). There are conflicting reports about what ensued and how so many deaths occurred. Some witnesses said Israeli soldiers opened fire into the mass of people. Others testified that people were trampled or run over by the trucks amid the chaos.

  
  More: The U.N. has said more than 550,000 people (roughly 25% of the population) in the Gaza Strip are “facing catastrophic levels of deprivation and starvation.”

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• Texas Wildfires: The largest wildfires in Texas history have burned more than 1M acres in the state’s panhandle this week (video footage), along with thousands of acres in Oklahoma. For perspective, the fires have burned an area roughly the size of the state of Delaware thus far, and the largest one was only 3% contained as of Thursday (map). Windy conditions are forecasted in the coming days, increasing the containment challenge. Two people have died thus far, along with thousands of cattle and other livestock. The majority of cattle in Texas are raised in the panhandle. Officials have not given a cause for the outbreak.

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• Putin’s Nuclear Threat: In his annual “state of the union” speech this week, Vladimir Putin made it clear that if NATO were to send troops into Ukraine, he would consider using nuclear weapons against the West. “They must realize that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?,” Putin said. 
  
  More: Putin’s remarks come after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested NATO send ground troops to aid Ukraine instead of merely supplying financial assistance. The suggestion was quickly rejected by the U.S., UK and Germany.

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• Trump Wins Michigan Primary: President Trump handedly won the Michigan Republican primary this week, receiving 68% (758,892) of the vote to Nikki Haley’s 26% (296,328). President Biden also won the Democratic primary, receiving 81% (623,500) of votes, although a significant minority of Democrats voted “uncommitted” as a protest against Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza and support for Israel. Map of the Michigan results.
  
  Coming up: Michigan is the last major primary before Super Tuesday on March 5, when 15 states hold primaries and ⅓ of delegates are distributed, practically solidifying the eventual candidates for the 2024 election.

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• Court Denies Delay of Trump Fine: Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron denied President Trump’s request to delay payment of his $355M fine. Trump was found guilty in a civil trial case of inflating his wealth to banks and other financial institutions to secure more favorable interest rates on loans. The $355M fine, with interest accruing, could reach up to half a billion dollars if not paid on time. N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James said her office would seize his properties in New York if payments are not made, stating: "If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets."

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• Dune Part Two: The second installment of the sci-fi classic, Dune, is premiering in theaters this weekend. The film is an adaptation of the novel written by Frank Herbert. In a tweet this week, Brian Herbert, son of the author, wrote, “When the new movie is combined with Dune: Part One it is by far the best film interpretation of Frank Herbert’s classic novel DUNE that has ever been done.”

  
  More: The film has a 95% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 83% for Dune Part One.

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Main Stories

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Supreme Court to Hear Trump Appeal on Presidential Immunity

Some context
In August 2023, Donald Trump was indicted on felony charges for attempting to block the peaceful transfer of power to President Joe Biden after the 2020 election. The charges referenced Jan. 6 when Vice President Mike Pence handed over the certified election results to Congress and chaos erupted at the nation's Capitol. 

Here were the specific charges:

• One count of conspiracy to defraud the United States 

• One count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding 

• One count of obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding 

• One count of conspiracy against rights 

Since August, Trump has been seeking to delay the trial as long as possible as he looks to secure the Republican nomination for president, for which he’s the clear front-runner. Recently, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote a lengthy ruling stating that Trump is not immune from prosecution and should face trial. Trump’s team has argued he acted under presidential authority and is immune from being prosecuted. The upcoming Supreme Court ruling will shed light on whether U.S. presidents are granted total immunity from prosecution.

What happened?
On Wednesday the outlook changed as the Supreme Court (6-3 conservatives to liberals) accepted to hear Trump's appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. This means not only that Trump is more likely to be cleared of the charges by the conservative-leaning Court, but also pushes the trial date back far enough that Trump may have already secured the Republican nomination for President and could potentially avoid a trial.

The highest court in the land is scheduled to hear arguments from Trump’s legal team beginning in late April. A ruling is expected by June 2024. 

Trump’s team argues his acts were under presidential authority and can’t legally be prosecuted as crimes. Trump posted on his social media network moments after the news broke: 

"Presidents will always be concerned, and even paralyzed, by the prospect of wrongful prosecution and retaliation after they leave office…this could actually lead to the extortion and blackmail of a President."

Trump on/off state ballots in 2024?
In addition to the question of immunity, the Court will also address whether states can remove Trump’s name from the ballot. Multiple judges across the country have ruled Trump ineligible to run for president, citing the 14th Amendment. One clause of the 14th Amendment banned those who “engaged in insurrection” against the United States from holding any civil, military, or elected office without the approval of two-thirds of the House and Senate.

As of today, three states have taken Trump’s name off the ballot: Colorado, Illinois and Maine. 

Stories you miss WITHOUT a premium subscription:

• Multiple U.S. Cities Strained For Resources Amid Migrant Influx

• + GetSmart: 😁 The Happiest Cities in America

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