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Power Line

Newspaper | United States | Centre-Right

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Discussions from Power Line

Politics

What are the potential effects of a mayor's decision to consider arresting a foreign leader on local and international relations?

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is in talks over whether to try to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an upcoming UN summit, he said in an interview published Saturday -- prompting a sharp rebuke from Netanyahu's camp. "I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani told The New York Times

United States
Politics

What should be the rules for deporting immigrants with criminal records, and how do we balance safety and fairness?

Every now and again, justice prevails. As John noted earlier, Tou Lue Vang, pardoned child rapist and Laotian national, has been deported: Some backstory here. There are a handful of southeast Asian men who arrived in Minnesota as refugees decades ago who went on to be convicted of serious felony crimes. As a result, they lost their legal immigration status and were ordered deported back to their home countries. But

United States
Politics

What does the Supreme Court's decision about presidential power to fire officials mean for the independence of government agencies?

The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for President Trump to freely fire officials from the Federal Trade Commission and most — though not all — agencies that have long been politically independent. Why it matters: It is a historic unraveling for agencies that have long been shielded from politics. The ruling will vastly expand presidential power and influence. The big picture: The ruling overturns Humphrey's Executor, a nearly century-old precedent that says independent agency commissioners cannot be fired without specific cause. What they're saying: "If anything more is left of Humphrey's, we overrule it," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court. Trump celebrated the ruling on Truth Social, calling it a "BIG WIN" that confirmed he had the power to remove officials. "It is such an Honor to be the sitting President who won this Historic and Unprecedented Ruling, one of the most important ever given with respect to Presidential Powers." Yes, but: The 6–3 ruling came with a carve-out for the Federal Reserve, in line with earlier signals that Supreme Court sees the central bank in a different light. The ruling was released alongside a separate 5–4 decision blocking Trump from immediately firing Fed governor Lisa Cook.Roberts emphasized the ruling does not necessarily apply to the Federal Reserve, citing the central bank's "distinct historical tradition." Zoom out: The case centers on Trump's firing of two Democratic appointees, Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya. Trump said that allowing Slaughter to remain at the regulatory agency would be "inconsistent with my Administration's policies," according to the letter that announced the firing. Zoom in: With no Democrats set to return to the Republican-led agency, regulatory decisions will be made without real pushback or checks within the building. Democrats had a minority at the FTC to start with, but historically, dissents from the minority over major decisions were a transparent way to peek into decision-m

United States
Geopolitics

What changes might happen in Iran if the current government ends?

Our friend Roger Kimball, an optimist, describes the Last Days of the Iranian Regime. As Roger argues, the regime’s condition is indeed dire: The war is over. If this were a novel, we’d be in epilogue territory where we tie up some loose threads in the plot and learn about the fates of various characters. *** The naval blockade, which interdicts shipping to and from Iranian ports, is costing the

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