SCOTUS takes up major elections dispute over counting of late-arriving mail ballots

Source: CBS News

“The Supreme Court on Monday said it will decide whether federal law prohibits states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. The legal battle before the court involves Mississippi’s procedures for counting late-arriving absentee ballots …. In Mississippi, state law allows for absentee ballots postmarked by the day of the election to be counted so long as they’re received up to five days after. Mississippi’s measure was initially enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic and then made permanent. Sixteen states in all will accept and count a mail-in ballot if it arrives after election day but is postmarked on or before it, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.” (11/10/25)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-late-arriving-mail-ballots-election-day/

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump’s drug boat bombings are just capital punishment by a wannabe king

Source: The Hill
by Austin Sarat

“The death penalty is a travesty when it is used against anyone. It is called the ultimate penalty for a reason. In the American legal tradition, it is only to be imposed after a careful weighing of evidence and consideration of the appropriateness of taking someone’s life as a punishment for crime. That is why news of the Trump administration’s campaign of bombing boats off the coast of Venezuela and in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico should be so disturbing to all Americans. It is a glaring example of the president’s ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ approach to the world.” (11/10/25)

https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/5595706-trump-capital-punishment-drug-boats/

Thomas L. Knapp

Cool heads douse a hot shutdown

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“This year in Washington so far has been one of gloves-off politics rather than handshake compromises. More than 150 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration’s actions. Then, starting Oct. 1, Democrats in the Senate voted 14 times not to fund the government until a key demand on health care was met. The shutdown has been the longest in United States history. On Sunday, however, a gaggle of three former governors (Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire along with independent Sen. Angus King of Maine) were able to broker a deal and achieve a 60-40 Senate vote that is expected to end the shutdown in coming days.” (11/10/25)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/1110/Cool-heads-douse-a-hot-shutdown

Steve Trinward

France: Sarkozy given early jail release

Source: United Press International

“France’s former President Nicolas Sarkozy will be released from jail as he seeks appeal of his recent conviction for alleged criminal conspiracy attempt. In September, Sarkozy was convicted of conspiracy stemming from campaign finance funding from the late Libyan strongman leader Moammar Gaddafi. He could be set free as early as Monday from La Sante prison while awaiting a pending appeal trial in March, according to the BBC and CNN. … Sarkozy is barred from leaving France as part of his release, is forbidden from contacting French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin in addition to other names implicated in the ongoing criminal case. … Sarkozy is the first French leader to be imprisoned since Nazi collaborator Philippe Pétain in 1945 for treason.” (11/10/25)

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/11/10/France-Nicolas-Sarkozy-jail-free-released-conspiracy/3581762783187/

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump threatens BBC with frivolous lawsuit

Source: New York Post

“President Trump threatened the British Broadcasting Corporation with a $1 billion lawsuit in Florida Monday if it did not retract a news program that featured doctored footage of Trump’s remarks ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. In a letter from Trump’s outside counsel obtained by The Post, the BBC was given until 5 p.m. ET Friday to ‘retract the false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements made about President Trump’ in its ‘Panorama’ program that aired Oct. 28, 2024, titled ‘Trump: A Second Chance?’ … On Monday, BBC Chair Samir Shah conceded in a statement to a UK parliamentary committee that “we accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action.” (11/10/25)

https://nypost.com/2025/11/10/us-news/trump-lashes-out-at-corrupt-dishonest-bbc-after-bosses-resign-over-doctored-jan-6-speech-footage/

Thomas L. Knapp

Why I Cut Ties With T-Mobile

Source: Common Dreams
by Tony Andrews

“With everything that the Trump administration is doing to militarize our cities and neighborhoods, it can be easy to forget about all of the damage that Elon Musk has done, and continues to do. He and his Department of Government Efficiency minions destroyed the US Agency for International Development, resulting in incredible misery and thousands of deaths in countries around the world. They fired thousands of dedicated civil servants and embedded themselves in all major government agencies, and combined our personal data in illegal ways that make us all more vulnerable. … he continues to use his vast wealth to subvert democracy both here and around the world, and will continue to do so unless we fight back. One of the pillars of his empire is Starlink, which leverages Musk’s relationship with President Donald Trump to help it acquire additional spectrum licenses and crush its competition.” (11/10/25)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/boycott-t-mobile-2674282011

Steve Trinward

SCOTUS rejects bid to overturn same-sex marriage ruling

Source: The Hill

“The Supreme Court rejected a long-shot effort Monday to overturn its ruling guaranteeing same-sex marriage nationwide. Former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis directly asked the justices to overrule the 2015 landmark decision after a jury awarded damages to a couple whom Davis refused to issue a marriage license. … In a brief order, the justices declined to take up Davis’s appeal, alongside dozens of other petitions up for consideration at the justices’ weekly closed-door conference. There were no noted dissents.” (11/10/25)

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5597353-supreme-court-rejects-davis-appeal

Thomas L. Knapp