Headline

Court Rejects Bid To Bar Trump From 2024 Ballot

Published

2 years ago

December 28, 2023

The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an attempt to remove Donald Trump from the crucial swing state’s primary ballot next year over his role in the 2021 storming of the US Capitol.

It was the latest in a series of bids to block Trump from appearing on ballots in multiple states under the 14th Amendment, which says officials who take an oath to support the US Constitution are banned from future office if they “engaged in insurrection.”

But Michigan’s high court said in a brief ruling it was “not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this court” ahead of the state’s February 27 presidential primary.

The ruling came a week after Colorado’s Supreme Court removed Trump from the state’s primary ballot over his role in the Capitol riot, which he is accused of inciting.

Trump, 77, hailed the Michigan decision, slamming a “Desperate Democrat attempt” to stack the deck against him as he seeks another term in the White House.

“This pathetic gambit to rig the Election has failed all across the Country, including in States that have historically leaned heavily toward the Democrats,” he posted on Truth Social, his social media platform.

Colorado’s highest court issued a stay, or freeze, of its bombshell ruling until January 4 pending an expected appeal by Trump’s lawyers to the US Supreme Court.

Granting the Colorado case for review would thrust the country’s top court into the center of the White House race, as any determination it makes on whether Trump engaged in insurrection and on his eligibility could be binding on lower courts nationwide.

⁠’Disappointing’ –

The Michigan lawsuit was filed in September by liberal-leaning Free Speech For People, a pro-democracy advocacy group that also pursued an unsuccessful 14th Amendment challenge against Trump in Minnesota and has filed a case in Oregon.

“The court’s decision is disappointing but we will continue, at a later stage, to seek to uphold this critical constitutional provision designed to protect our republic,” election lawyer Mark Brewer, who joined the group in the lawsuit, said in a statement.

“Trump led a rebellion and insurrection against the Constitution when he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election and he is disqualified from ever seeking or holding public office again.”

Michigan’s lower courts dismissed the case on procedural grounds early in the process, a decision upheld on appeal, meaning the question of whether Trump engaged in insurrection was never addressed.

Justice Elizabeth Welch, one of four Democratic-nominated justices on the seven-member panel, acknowledged the Colorado decision but said that state’s election law differed from Michigan’s “in a material way” in requiring candidates to be “qualified” to run.

“The appellants have identified no analogous provision in the Michigan Election Law that requires someone seeking the office of President of the United States to attest to their legal qualification to hold the office,” Welch wrote.

Meanwhile Maine’s top elections official, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, is considering challenges to Trump’s eligibility for the March 5 primary in the Democratic-leaning northeastern state.

Trump’s legal team called Wednesday for Bellows to recuse herself, describing her in a statement as a “completely biased Democrat partisan and a Biden supporter who is incapable of making a fair decision.”

Secretary of state is an elected, political position in Maine, as it is in 34 other US states.

AFP

Headline

Oil Prices Drop After Iran Reopens Strait Of Hormuz

Published

5 days ago

April 17, 2026

Editor

Global oil prices dropped sharply on Friday after Iran signalled that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to commercial shipping during a temporary ceasefire in the Middle East.

Benchmark crude prices fell by more than 10 per cent, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) slipping below $85 per barrel, while Brent crude declined to about $89 per barrel.

The decline follows comments by Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, who said commercial vessels would be allowed to transit the strait for the duration of a 10-day ceasefire involving Israel and Lebanon.

The truce, which began on Thursday, is reported to include the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

Oil prices had surged above $100 per barrel in recent weeks amid heightened tensions in the region, with WTI reaching nearly $113 per barrel earlier this month and Brent climbing above $119 in late March.

Analysts say the reopening of the key shipping route has eased supply concerns in global energy markets.

Brian Therien, a senior investment strategist at Edward Jones, noted that oil futures are now trending lower, with projections suggesting prices could fall to the low $70 range by the end of the year. He added that a sustained drop in prices could help reduce inflationary pressures globally.

The Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, is one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes, accounting for roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Shipping through the passage had been disrupted during the conflict due to security concerns, including threats of attacks and the presence of naval mines.

An Iranian official told Reuters that vessels moving through the strait during the ceasefire would be required to use designated safe lanes approved by Iranian authorities, while military ships would not be permitted to pass.

Despite the announcement, some shipping firms remain cautious. German carrier Hapag-Lloyd said it is still reviewing the situation before resuming operations in the area.

Meanwhile, Knut Arild Hareide of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association welcomed the development but warned that uncertainties remain, particularly regarding maritime safety, operational guidelines, and the potential risks posed by unexploded sea mines.

Headline

You Can’t Go To US With Good Feelings Since Trump Returned To Power – Sports Legend

Published

5 days ago

April 17, 2026

Editor

Germany legend, Oliver Kahn, has insisted that one cannot go to the United States with ‘good feelings’ since President Donald Trump returned to the Presidency.

Kahn stated this while speaking to Sky Sport Germany about the upcoming World Cup, which is to be held in the US, Mexico and Canada.

According to the former Bayern Munich goalkeeper, there are so many things happening in the US at the moment that are no longer compatible with ‘values’.

“There are simply so many things happening in the USA right now that are no longer compatible with our understanding of values,” Kahn said.

“One example was the war, but I don’t want to list everything Donald Trump has been doing there since he returned to the presidency.

“You can’t go there with a good feeling at the moment.”

Headline

Trump Bows To Pressure, Deletes Post Depicting Self As Jesus

Published

1 week ago

April 13, 2026

Editor

United States President, Donald Trump, has deleted a social media post that appeared to portray him as Jesus, following backlash and rising tensions with Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war.

The image, shared on Truth Social late Sunday, showed Trump as a Christ-like figure healing the sick, surrounded by American flags and eagles.

The post came shortly after the president criticised the pope for opposing the war with Iran.

By Monday morning, the image had been removed from his account. A previous link to the post now leads to a notice stating the “content is no longer available.”

Speaking later at the White House, Trump denied the interpretation of the image and said he believed it depicted him differently.

“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross,” he told reporters at the White House.

He dismissed claims that the image portrayed him as Jesus, blaming the media for the narrative.

“Only the fake news” could come up with the idea that it depicted him as Jesus.

“I just heard about it, and I said, ‘How did they come up with that?’ It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better. And I do make people better,” he said.

The development comes amid an ongoing public disagreement between Trump and Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war.

The pope said Monday he has “no fear of the Trump administration” and would continue to speak out, despite criticism from the president, who described his stance as “terrible for foreign policy.”

Leo, the first American pope, has intensified his criticism of the war in recent days, condemning Trump’s remarks about the Iranian people as “truly unacceptable.”

(CNN)