Tuesday morning news: July 2, 2024

SCOTUS » Washington is sharply divided over the Supreme Court’s historic ruling Monday on presidential immunity.

Republican Sen. John Kennedy says the court got it right.

KENNEDY: The Constitution and common sense demonstrate that the Justice Dept. can’t prosecute a president, not criminally, for an official act. It can for a personal act.

But Democrats, like former Obama adviser Van Jones, say the court is giving presidents too much power.

JONES: What is Trump going to do? If Trump gets elected, and there’s this idea that he can get away with even more stuff, that’s really, really, scary for the public.

But what the ruling means for Donald Trump remains to be seen. We’ll have much more on that later in the program.

Bannon reports to prison » Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is now serving a 4-month prison sentence. He reported to prison on Monday, but he did not go quietly.

BANNON: I am a political prisoner of Nancy Pelosi. I’m a political prisoner of Merrick Garland. I am a political prisoner of Joe Biden and the corrupt Biden establishment.

Bannon was found guilty in 2022 on contempt of Congress charges. He was charged for defying a subpoena by the House panel that investigated the Capitol Riot and for refusing to provide certain documents to that panel.

House Republicans sue Garland for Biden recordings » The House of Representatives has also found Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. But the Justice Department that Garland leads said it would not prosecute him.

Now, House Republicans are suing. Speaker Mike Johnson:

JOHNSON: All the House Republicans are in 100% agreement that we have to be aggressive in enforcing the subpoenas of the House. This is about our Article One authority in the Constitution, and we cannot allow the Executive branch to defy that.

The House voted along party lines last month to hold Garland in contempt for refusing to turn over recordings of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur. The interview centered on Biden’s mishandling of classified documents.

The House Judiciary Committee lawsuit against Garland asks the courts to enforce their subpoena and reject the White House’s effort to withhold the recording.

Hurricane » Hurricane Beryl tore through the southeastern Caribbean yesterday leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Vichelle King is a shop owner in Barbados:

KING: Right now, I am really heartbroken because this is a lot of work. This is more than a week’s work here. We must bring out everything first and and use a shovel and take all the sand out and then to wash it out.

The Category 4 storm was fueled by record warm waters and was the earliest of its kind to form in the Atlantic.

Winds in excess of 130 miles per hour ripped off roofs in St. Vincent, tossed debris into streets, and snapped banana trees in half.

There were no early reports of any fatalities.

U.S. military heightens security alert at European bases » The U.S. military has heightened its security alert level at European bases.

The Pentagon is reportedly asking service members to be more vigilant and keep a lower profile due to a combination of threats across the region.

A Pentagon official would not say whether bases in the Middle East or other regions are also on higher alert.

State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters:

PATEL: We of course closely monitor and evaluate threat information and adjust our security and operating postures accordingly. We have a pretty strong track record of adjusting swiftly when needed.

The Associated Press reports that the threat level has been raised at European bases to the second-highest of five levels.

But Patel said it is business as usual at State Dept. facilities.

Christian man sentenced to death » A court in Pakistan sentenced a Christian man to death for allegedly insulting the Muslim faith. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: In August last year some residents claimed that they saw two Christian men tearing pages out of the Quran while writing insults on other pages.

A short time later, a mob of Muslim men burned dozens of homes and churches in the city of Jaranwala. Terrified Christians fled their homes to safer areas. Police arrested more than 100 arson suspects, but it’s unclear if any were convicted.

Newly condemned Christian defendant, Ehsan Shan, was not among those accused of defacing the Quran. But he allegedly reposted pictures of those defaced pages on his TikTok account. And for that, he has been sentenced to die.

His lawyer said he is appealing the decision.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: The Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity. Plus, the legacy of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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