A judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s countersuit against E Jean Carroll, who previously won a $5m defamation judgment against Trump for sexually assaulting her. Trump had filed a counterclaim accusing Carroll of defamation, but the judge ruled that his argument was not valid.
The Biden administration and electrical utilities in the US are heading towards a confrontation over policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The main lobbying group for electric utilities, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), plans to oppose the Biden administration’s proposal to curb emissions from existing gas power plants, claiming that the policies are too strict and complicated. However, this opposition contradicts the commitments made by many of EEI’s members to reduce emissions.
There has been a debate among Republicans about a supposed link between asylum seekers and the fentanyl crisis in the US. Critics argue that Republican politicians are exploiting the fentanyl crisis by falsely blaming Joe Biden’s immigration policies for the rise in deaths caused by the drug. Fentanyl, which is responsible for about 70,000 deaths in the US annually, is primarily smuggled into the country by drug cartels from China and Mexico. The Republicans’ attempt to blame the Biden administration for the issue is based on increasing fentanyl seizures at the US-Mexico border.
John Eastman, who served as Trump’s attorney and played a role in the legal strategy to challenge the 2020 election results, is seeking to postpone his disbarment proceedings in California. Eastman’s lawyers argue that recent developments in the investigation against him could lead to criminal charges, and they are concerned that his testimony during the proceedings could be used against him.
Supreme Court justices have faced scrutiny in recent months regarding their connections to parties involved in their cases. While most of the justices under scrutiny have been from the court’s conservative majority, it was reported last month that liberal justice Sonia Sotomayor’s staff had encouraged institutions where she appeared to buy her book. However, an organizer of an event where Sotomayor spoke in 2019 refuted claims of any improper conduct, stating that Sotomayor declined a stipend and did not push for book sales. The organizer emphasized that there is no moral equivalency between minor ethical concerns and more serious ethical issues involving private jet trips and conflicts of interest.