Author: Olive Metuge
When the conversation ended, I simply stared into space, stunned. I must have misheard the official from the U.S. Agency for International Development. This can’t be happening to me, I thought. “We would like you to accompany Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on her trip to Mongolia this fall to support democratic reforms,” he said. It was summer 2000, and I had just returned from Mongolia, where I helped develop the country’s first justice system strategic plan. I was astonished and elated by the opportunity—but not intimidated—as I had first met Justice O’Connor in Bulgaria in 1994, where I was serving…
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ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. The Pentagon issued a “letter of concern” to Microsoft documenting a “breach of trust” over the company’s use of China-based engineers to maintain sensitive government computer systems, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced this week. At the same time, the Defense Department is opening an investigation into whether any of those employees have compromised national security. The actions came in response to a recent ProPublica investigation that exposed Microsoft’s “digital escort” system, in which U.S. personnel with security clearances…
The US says it will deny or revoke visas for Palestinian officials wishing to travel to New York next month to attend the UN General Assembly session.Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed them for undermining peace efforts and for seeking “the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state”. The decision is unusual – the US, as host country, is expected to facilitate travel for officials of all countries wishing to visit the UN headquarters. The ban comes as France spearheads international efforts to recognise a state of Palestine at the GA session. Donald Trump’s administration has fully backed Israel in…
President Donald Trump wants to prosecute flag burning, but can he make that happen without violating Supreme Court precedent? Trump contends it’s possible in an Aug. 25 executive order that instructs the attorney general to consider litigation that would “clarify the scope of the First Amendment exceptions in this area.” Specifically, Trump’s order puts a spotlight on the court’s 1989 ruling in Texas v. Johnson, raising questions about possible loopholes in that case’s defense of flag desecration under the Constitution and about whether current justices would stand by their predecessors’ conclusions. Here’s a brief explainer on free speech, flag burning,…
Home Daily News Trump’s plan to penalize states using cashless… Criminal Justice Trump’s plan to penalize states using cashless bail is unconstitutional and unnecessary, critics say By Debra Cassens Weiss August 28, 2025, 9:36 am CDT Critics are raising questions about the constitutionality and wisdom of President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to pressure states to require cash bail for defendants charged with a variety of crimes. (Image from Shutterstock) Critics are raising questions about the constitutionality and wisdom of President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to pressure states to require cash bail for defendants charged with a variety of…
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ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. Reporting Highlights Failure to Alert: Local officials can tap a federal warning system to send targeted alerts with evacuation orders and other actions. Many don’t use it. Lack of Access: To use the system, local governments must purchase software from vendors that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Many communities lack the money to pay for that. On Their Own: Local emergency managers cite a lack of training…
Jonathan HeadSouth East Asia correspondent in BangkokGetty ImagesPaetongtarn ShinawatraThailand’s Constitutional Court strikes again, removing yet another prime minister from office.The country’s notoriously interventionist panel of nine appointed judges has ruled that Paetongtarn Shinawatra violated ethical standards in a phone call she had in June with the veteran Cambodian leader Hun Sen, which he then leaked.In it, Paetongtarn could be heard being conciliatory towards Hun Sen over their countries’ border dispute, and criticising one of her own army commanders.She defended her conversation saying she had been trying to make a diplomatic breakthrough with Hun Sen, an old friend of her father…
I was born and raised in New Jersey, and I live there now (not off of any exit, thank you very much). And, although I resided in the Big Apple for many years, I will always be a Jersey boy. Even the most passionate New Jerseyan, however, may be unaware of the long history of legal battles between their home state and New York, several of which have taken place before the Supreme Court. In this article, I explore the most important of these cases and what, exactly, can be learned from New York’s bullying of its kindly neighbor. …