Source: Law & Liberty
by Paul Moreno
“The belief that the Court has the last word in constitutional interpretation is a relatively late development.” (06/03/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/save-the-last-branch-for-me/
Source: The American Prospect
by Jacob S Hacker, Zoltan Hajnal, G Agustin Markarian, & Mackenzie Lockhart
“It has been just one month since the 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court effectively nullified Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), making it lawful for states to draw congressional districts that systematically dilute the votes of Black and Latino Americans. Within hours, Southern states responded. Florida legislators passed a GOP gerrymander the day the decision was announced. Alabama moved to eliminate majority-minority districts even after primary-election votes had been cast, though an appellate court has temporarily blocked the state from proceeding. (UPDATE: The Supreme Court waved the gerrymandered map through last night.) In Tennessee, the district representing Memphis—majority-Black—was cracked into three, all now majority-white, all expected to turn red. By 2028, South Carolina will likely gerrymander out of existence the district that has elected the state’s only Black congressman, civil rights icon James Clyburn.” (06/03/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/03/return-of-dixiecrat-south-voting-rights-act-racial-gerrymandering/
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Thailand’s divisive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was freed from parole on Wednesday after receiving a royal pardon from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, as the 76-year-old billionaire businessman’s plans remain unclear. Thaksin, who stood at the heart of a two-decade power struggle with rival sections of the Thai elite, served eight months of a one-year jail term for corruption and abuse of power. He was released from jail early last month due to his advancing age, with his term originally set to end by September. A royal decree pardoning him at the king’s discretion became effective on Wednesday, the birthday of Queen Suthida. Royal birthdays and other symbolic dates are often marked with pardons of jailed prisoners.” (06/03/26)
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Push to Jail Foes Takes Darker Turn — and GOP Senators Are Rattled.” (06/03/26)
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“A new book from Eyck Freymann offers a questionable path forward for US-China relations.” (06/03/26)
Source: Associated Press
“A federal court in Nigeria on Wednesday sentenced four gunmen to death in the killing of at least 50 people during a 2022 attack on a church in a southwestern part of the country. Children were among those killed in the assault just as mass was ending at the St. Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo in Ondo State on June 5, 2022. Scores of people also were wounded, overwhelming hospital workers. The four men were convicted of terrorism charges. A fifth defendant was acquitted for lack of evidence. Prosecutors said the defendants were members of the al-Shabab militant group and operated from a cell in Kogi State in north-central Nigeria, about 200 kilometers from the country’s capital.” (06/03/26)
Source: The Dispatch
“Live From the Watergate Hotel! | Interview: Sarah Isgur.” (06/03/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/live-from-the-watergate-hotel-interview-sarah-isgur/
Source: Antiwar.com
by Joseph D Terwilliger
“Jan Marco Müller, the European Commission official who drafted the EU’s new science diplomacy framework, just said the quiet part out loud: ‘Science diplomacy is not about being nice to each other.’ Yes, it is, dumbass. That was the whole point. For centuries, science diplomacy worked precisely because it allowed ordinary human beings to humanize one another on neutral ground while governments were busy failing.” (06/03/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/joseph_terwilliger/2026/06/02/stop-weaponizing-everything
Source: CounterPunch
by Kevin Martin
“This should not be a news flash to anyone, but the Trump Administration is out of control when it comes to war (and many other things, like ruining the economy, our judicial and electoral systems, as well as the landscape of the nation’s capital). Congress needs to do its job and rein in the executive branch. In the next few days, the House of Representatives needs to, ahem, represent the interests of the American people and vote in favor of two War Powers Resolutions, on Iran and Lebanon.” (06/03/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/06/03/congress-needs-to-end-these-illegal-wars/
Source: WPTV News
“Florida lawmakers on Tuesday passed a property tax cut proposal that would create a $250,000 homestead exemption, securing it on the November ballot. On the second day of the special session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Senate passed House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1-F, creating a $250,000 homestead exemption on non-school levies for homeowners. The Joint Resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to increase the current exemption for owner-occupied homestead property to $250,000 over two years and creates a framework for full exemption over time. The amendment will appear on the November 2026 General Election Ballot for approval by Florida voters.” [editor’s note: The current homestead exemption, not increased since 2008, is $50,000 – TLK] (06/02/26)