Tuesday morning news: March 5, 2024

Super Tuesday preview » Today is Super Tuesday, the biggest election day of the year until November. Sixteen states or territories will vote today with almost 900 delegates up for grabs. That’s just over one-third of the roughly 2,400 delegates needed to win the GOP presidential nod.

But Saint Anselm College political scientist Chris Galdieri says there isn’t much suspense heading into today’s vote.

GALDIERI: We’re not even wondering what states Haley might win because there don’t appear to be any of those on the board.

Donald Trump’s lone GOP rival Nikki Haley won the District of Columbia, but everything else has gone Trump’s way.

And he now enjoys a lead of more than 60 points in recent national polls.

SCOTUS Trump » And Trump’s name will appear on every state’s presidential ballots the rest of the way.

TRUMP: I want to start by thanking the Supreme Court for its unanimous decision today. It was a very important decision.

The court ruled that states do not have the authority to remove his name from presidential ballots. The justices said only Congress has that power.

Several states had sought to kick Trump off of their ballots, citing the insurrection clause of the Constitution accusing him of inciting the Capitol riot in 2021.

Monday’s ruling reversed a decision by Colorado’s state Supreme Court asserting the state could erase him from the ballot. Trump charged that that effort was politically motivated.

TRUMP: Essentially, you cannot take somebody out of a race because an opponent would like to have it that way.

Trump told Biden to fight his own fight.

The incumbent’s campaign responded saying, Trump’s “chaotic musings” remind voters “why they voted him out of office.”

The Supreme Court next month will take up another case involving Trump to determine whether the Justice Dept can prosecute him for alleged election interference while in office. His lawyers argue Trump had presidential immunity.

Cease-fire update » The White House is pushing hard to nudge a cease-fire deal in Gaza across the finish line. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby:

KIRBY: Hamas just has to take it. It’s a deal that the Israelis have signed up to. It’s forward leaning. It will get us a 6-week cease-fire so that we can get all those hostages out. Yes, we want that temporary cease-fire in place right now.

Negotiators from Egypt and Qatar are meeting with Hamas leaders in hopes of finalizing a deal before the start of the Muslim Ramadan observance.

Vice President Kamala Harris:

HARRIS: We are in a window of time right now where we can actually get a hostage deal done.

A major sticking point has reportedly been the unwillingness of Hamas to provide information about the remaining hostages the terror group has been holding, and whether they’re still alive.

France abortion » Abortion is now protected under the French constitution after a landslide vote of approval from both houses of Parliament.

Many abortion advocates celebrated in the streets after the vote.

Opinion polls highlight the pro-life minority in the country with opinion polls reporting that over 80 percent of French citizens support the amendment.

Texas Wildfires » Firefighters battling historic wildfires in the Texas Panhandle got a bit of a break yesterday. WORLD’s Travis Kircher has more.

TRAVIS KIRCHER: More firefighters and favorable weather conditions helped authorities keep the ongoing wildfires in check on Monday.

Officials say cooler temperatures brought the winds down and the humidity up.

That meant first responders were able to hold off the flames from threatening more homes and communities.

Two people have died and well over one million acres have already been burned since the fires started last week.

At least three-thousand head of cattle have also perished. The state’s head of agriculture says that number is expected to rise dramatically as more livestock have to be put down due to their injuries.

For WORLD, I’m Travis Kircher.

Court rejects Biden administration’s trans employer mandate » A federal court has ruled that the Biden administration cannot force religious employers and healthcare providers to pay for or perform transgender surgeries, procedures, or treatments.

The administration introduced mandates in 2021 that sought to force religious organizations and providers to do just that or face charges of discrimination.

The Christian Employers Alliance sued, saying the mandates violate First Amendment liberties. And on Monday, a U.S. district court in North Dakota found that the mandates would substantially burden the religious beliefs of those employers.

AUDIO: 3-2-1, ignition, engines full-power, and liftoff. Go SpaceX, and go NASA!

SpaceX launch to International Space Station » The Space X Falcon rocket blasting off from Kennedy Space Center taking four astronauts to the International Space Station where they’re scheduled to arrive today. They’re expected to be on board the orbiting lab for six months.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Analysis of the Colorado ballots case. Plus, Classic Book of the Month for March.

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