Tuesday Briefing
Supreme Court has granted Trump significant immunity
The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Donald Trump was entitled to substantial immunity from prosecution on charges of trying to overturn the last election, a major ruling on presidential power that could have long-term implications. Read the full ruling.
The crux of the ruling, which was 6-3 on party lines, is the distinction between a president’s official actions, such as policy changes or military decisions, and private conduct. Broad immunity for official conduct is needed, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority, to protect “a vibrant, independent executive branch.”
The liberal justices warned in their dissent that the ruling expanded a level of immunity that could undermine democracy, saying the decision made the president “a king above the law.”
What’s next: The ruling will almost certainly delay Trump’s trial on charges of plotting to undermine the 2020 election until after this year’s vote. The case now returns to the lower court, which will decide whether Trump’s actions were in an official or private capacity. If Trump is reelected, he could simply order the Justice Department to drop the charges.
Biden: The president warned last night that the decision meant there were “virtually no limits” to what Trump could do if returned to power.
France reels after far-right victory
France felt like a different place to many yesterday after the far-right Rassemblement National party won a record number of votes in the first round of early elections. The frenetic campaign for Sunday’s second round has already begun. Only 76 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly were won outright, and a battle for the remaining seats will be fought over this week.
The big question is whether the Rassemblement National can win an absolute majority after the second round. If it does, French President Emmanuel Macron will be forced to appoint a political opponent as prime minister, which will change domestic politics and muddy foreign policy. If it doesn’t, the National Assembly will likely be ungovernable, with Macron’s centrist party and its allies caught between the right and the left.
Israel releases director of Gaza’s largest hospital
Israel has released Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital, after holding him for more than seven months, Palestinian health officials said. The move sparked immediate outrage in Israel, even though no charges against him had been made public.
Human rights groups have said his prolonged imprisonment is a sign of Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners. Some Israeli officials have condemned the decision to release him, seeing it as an example of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mismanagement of the war.
Just a few decades ago, many researchers considered pets to be unserious subjects of study. Today, companion animals such as cats and dogs are scientifically fashionable. The research, sometimes based on data from tens of thousands of pet owners, promises to inform human medicine as well.
Lives lived: Ismail Kadare, an Albanian novelist and poet who indirectly criticized his country’s totalitarian government in dark, allegorical works, has died at the age of 88. Here is a guide to his books.
A culture war over stately homes
Dozens of properties owned by the National Trust, the nearly 130-year-old charity that manages many of Britain’s best-loved historic houses, have deep links to colonial exploitation and slavery.
But when the organisation highlighted these links in displays, it sparked a conservative backlash. Right-wing columnists and academics accused the trust of being “woke” and “anti-British”, and they launched a campaign to reverse some of the changes. For three years, the battle played out on social media and in British right-wing newspapers.
Hilary McGrady, the fund’s chief executive, said she could understand how the changes could be “nerve-wracking”. But she disputed claims the fund was “waging a mad campaign to undermine history”.
That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha
Contact Natasha and the team via briefing@nytimes.com.
