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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Have Presidents Grown Too Powerful To Be Removed From Office?
The cover-up of President Joe Biden's cognitive decline is a scandal "maybe worse than Watergate," CNN's Jake Tapper opined recently. In this case, the key question is: "What didn't the president know and when didn't he know it?" Last week the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ramped up its efforts to answer these questions. Citing Tapper and Alex Thompson's book, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, The committee's chairman, Rep. James Comer (R–Tenn.), issued demand letters to five senior Biden aides and subpoenaed the White House doctor who certified that the president was fit for duty. He clearly wasn't. Even in 2020, Biden struggled to feign lucidity in tightly scripted Zoom town halls. "He couldn't follow the conversation at all," said top Democrats who saw the raw footage; it "was like watching Grandpa who shouldn't be driving." The four Cabinet members who spoke with Tapper and Thompson described equally scripted Cabinet meetings with a president incapable of answering pre-screened questions without the aid of a teleprompter. One recounted being "shocked by how the president was acting" at a 2024 meeting: "'disoriented' and 'out of it,' his mouth agape." One campaign adviser asked himself after a post-debate conversation with Biden: "What are we doing here? This guy can't form a fucking sentence." Put more politely, the president was "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office"—just cause for removal. "This is why we have the 25th Amendment," Sen. Josh Hawley (R–Mo.) said recently, "it's clear now that it probably should have been invoked from the beginning." That key players instead propped up a semiconscious figurehead, hoping to gaslight their way to reelection, isn't just a scandal—it's a constitutional failure. That failure reveals an uncomfortable truth: As the presidency has grown ever more powerful, even manifestly unfit presidents have become nearly impossible to remove. Ratified in 1967, the 25th Amendment provides two ways the vice president can get the keys from a nonfunctioning president. Under Section 3, the president hands them over voluntarily; under Section 4, the VP can take them away when he or she and a majority of the Cabinet determine that the president is incapacitated. Section 4 was meant to cover cases of "mental debility," as one of the amendment's architects, Rep. Richard Poff (R–Va.), explained, where the president "is unable or unwilling to make any rational decision…particularly the decision to stand aside." Top of mind was avoiding a replay of the Woodrow Wilson debacle. Leveled by a pair of strokes in 1919, the 28th president spent the remainder of his term bedridden and incommunicado while first lady Edith Wilson essentially ran the executive branch of the government. "We dare not let that happen again," Rep. Emanuel Celler (D–N.Y.) warned during the House debate over the 25th amendment. Yet it arguably just did. In the six-decade life of the amendment, Biden's presidency is as close as we've come to the paradigmatic Woodrow Wilson case, complete with a latter-day Edith Wilson—Jill Biden—and a clique of advisers the Biden staff dubbed "the Politburo." An inert president may sound like a libertarian dream. Alas, it's not as if nothing gets done while he's checked out. The New York Times calls concerns about heavy use of the autopen a "conspiracy theory." But if reports from the Heritage Foundation's Oversight Project are accurate, it's at least interesting that, from mid-July 2022 on, most executive orders issued by the administration were signed remotely, even when Biden was in Washington. Despite the Politburo's efforts to conceal the president's decline, the Cabinet knew. At any point, the vice president and eight Cabinet-level "principal officers" could have moved to replace him via Section 4. Why didn't they? For one thing, the 25th Amendment's "eject button" is almost impossible to trigger: Even broaching the possibility risks crashing the plane. Any single Cabinet member who disagrees could "short-circuit the process by informing the President, potentially triggering a cascade of firings." (Something similar happened in 1920, when Wilson's secretary of state, Robert Lansing, was forced out for suggesting a transfer of power to Vice President Thomas Marshall.) Another problem is that even with the support of the Cabinet, it was unclear whether Vice President Harris could garner enough GOP votes in Congress to ratify the switch. Without a supermajority of both Houses, Biden would come back from time-out and the firing frenzy would begin. According to Tapper and Thompson, the 25th Amendment solution was never even considered. Instead, the Politburo's reigning calculus was that Biden "just had to win and then he could disappear for four years—he'd only have to show proof of life every once in a while." Meanwhile, the same people hoping to defraud the electorate subjected the rest of us to lectures about threats to "our democracy." Worse still, it isn't just the 25th Amendment that's broken. The Constitution provides another method for ejecting an unfit president before his term is up: the impeachment process. In the last five years, we've pressure-tested both failsafe mechanisms. Neither one worked. In his first term, President Donald Trump was impeached twice, the second time for provoking a riot while trying to intimidate Congress and his own vice president into overturning the results of an election he lost. Even that enormity didn't earn him conviction and disqualification in the Senate trial. The fact that we've never managed to eject a sitting president via the impeachment process suggests that the framers set the bar for removal—conviction by two-thirds of the Senate—too high. For Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, which requires a supermajority of both houses, the bar is even higher. Lowering the bar to an impeachment conviction—say, to 60 votes—would better protect the public from an abusive president. It would also provide security against a future Biden/Wilson scenario. Though impeachment aims primarily at abuse of power, it was designed as a remedy for presidential unfitness generally: "defending the community against the incapacity, negligence, or perfidy of the Chief Magistrate," as James Madison put it. Properly understood, that covers cases of "mental debility." Of course, that reform faces a dauntingly high bar of its own: It would take a constitutional amendment, the prospects for which are dim. But making presidents easier to fire is only one way to tackle our fundamental problem; the other is to shrink the job. "Incapacity, negligence, and perfidy" in the presidency are bigger threats than ever, because presidents now have the power to reshape vast swaths of American life. They enjoy broad authority to decide what kind of car you can drive, who gets to use which locker room, who is allowed to come to the United States, and whether or not we have a trade war with China—or a hot war with Iran. That's more power than any one fallible human being should have. Making the presidency safe for democracy will require a reform effort on the scale of the post-Watergate Congresses: reining in emergency powers, war powers, the president's authority over international trade, and his ability to make law with the stroke of a pen. It's a heavy lift, but worth the effort. If we're worried about the damage unfit presidents can do, we should give them fewer things to break. The post Have Presidents Grown Too Powerful To Be Removed From Office? appeared first on
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
241 Dead In Air India Crash, PM Modi Visits Site In Ahmedabad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ahmedabad on Friday and visited the site of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash that killed 241 people a day earlier, one of the worst air disasters in recent times. The Prime Minister arrived at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport and drove straight to the crash site in the Meghaninagar area, officials said. He was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. PM Modi, who served as Gujarat Chief Minister for 12 years, earlier said he was "stunned" by the tragedy. "It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected," he said on X on Thursday. On Thursday Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu had visited the site to take stock of the situation. The Centre has formed a high-level committee to probe the crash, Mr Kinjarapu said. Only one person - an Indian-origin British national - survived the crash that took place seconds after AI 171 took off for London Gatwick airport from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Officials said the flight lost altitude soon after taking off at around 1.30pm, before crashing into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College doctors in Meghaninagar area and going up in flames, sending plumes of thick black smoke spiralling up in the air. The pilot had issued a 'Mayday' distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after takeoff, the Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad said. Aviation experts said that going by the available visuals, lack of thrust in both engines and a bird hit could be among the probable causes. Visuals from the wreckage area showed bodies being pulled out and the injured, many with burns, wheeled into the city civil hospital close by.
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Golf-Spaun tames Oakmont for US Open lead while big names struggle
OAKMONT, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -Unheralded J.J. Spaun outshined the game's top players and led the U.S. Open by one shot after the first round on Thursday at steamy Oakmont Country Club where the big names like Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy all struggled. Much of the talk this week has been how the notoriously challenging course would keep scores in check, and while the layout did bare its teeth Spaun managed the day's only bogey-free round and eighth ever in a U.S. Open at Oakmont. Spaun, who lost to McIlroy in a playoff at The Players Championship in March, fired a four-under-par 66 that marked his lowest round in a major and left him one shot clear of South African Thriston Lawrence. "I hit a lot of good shots and tried to capitalise on any birdie opportunities, which aren't very many out here," said Spaun. "But I scrambled really well, too, which is a huge component to playing well at a U.S. Open, let alone shoot a bogey-free round." South Korean Kim Si-woo, whose birdie attempt at his final hole just missed the cup, was two shots off the pace and in a three-way share of third place with five-times major champion Brooks Koepka and Im Sung-jae. Spaun, who started on the back nine, made his move early and reached the turn with four birdies on his card to become the first player ever to play his first nine holes in the opening round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont at 31 strokes or fewer. From there, Spaun, whose previous best position after a major championship round was a share of 16th (2022 Masters), drained a number of big putts while stringing together nine consecutive pars to reach the clubhouse in control. 'BRUTAL TEST' Defending champion DeChambeau, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field and looking to become the first repeat U.S. Open winner since Koepka in 2018, spent too much time in Oakmont's penal rough and opened with a 73. "It was a brutal test of golf. But one that I'm excited for tomorrow," said DeChambeau. Im, who went off with the late starters from the back nine, roared out of the turn with two consecutive birdies to grab the outright lead from Spaun but handed it back just as quickly after bogeying his next two holes. Koepka, who counts two U.S. Open titles among his majors, cancelled out an early eagle with two bogeys on the back nine but birdied his final two holes to move up the leaderboard. For Koepka, who missed the cut at the year's first major, being back on the leaderboard at one of the game's biggest events was a welcome relief. "I would say from the first weekend in April until about last week, you didn't want to be around me," said Koepka. "It drove me nuts. It ate at me. I haven't been happy. It's been very irritating ... I wouldn't have wanted to be around me." 'SILLY MISTAKES' McIlroy, still looking to regain the form that helped him complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters in April, started on the back nine and made two early birdies to reach the turn just two shots back of Spaun before a wayward second nine. World number two McIlroy made four bogeys over a seven-hole stretch out of the turn followed by a double-bogey at the par-three eighth where he left his tee shot in the thick rough and failed to get out on his first attempt. He signed for a 74. World number one Scheffler, the pre-tournament favourite who counts the PGA Championship among his three wins in his last four starts, opened with a 73 that would have been higher had he not made up for errant drives with a decent putting game. "I made some silly mistakes out there, but at the same time, I made some key putts and some good momentum saves in my round, but overall just need to be a little sharper," said Scheffler. Twice major winner Jon Rahm, who started on the back nine, eagled the par-five fourth en route to a 69 that left him part of a five-way group sitting three shots back of leader Spaun. Former Masters champion Patrick Reed made only the fourth albatross in recorded U.S. Open history when his second shot at the 621-yard, par-five fourth hole trickled into the cup. (Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Ken Ferris and Christopher Cushing)
Nahar Net
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Nahar Net
Trump booed and cheered at Kennedy Center while attending 'Les Misérables'
by Naharnet Newsdesk 12 June 2025, 16:54 The drama in the audience rivaled the spectacle on stage on Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, where President Donald Trump went to the opening night of "Les Misérables" as he tightens his grip on the venerable performing arts institution. It was his first time attending a show there since his election, and he was booed and cheered as he took his seat alongside first lady Melania Trump. Near the end of the intermission, someone loudly cursed his name, drawing applause. Several drag queens were in the crowd, their presence a protest against Trump's complaints that the Kennedy Center had hosted too many drag shows in the past. Despite the condemnation, the event had a MAGA-does-Broadway feel. Ric Grenell, the Trump-appointed interim leader of the Kennedy Center, was there, as were Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha. Before the show began, Attorney General Pam Bondi chatted with guests and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took selfies. Laura Loomer, the conspiracy theorist who has advised Trump on personnel decisions, posted a video from a seat near the stage. Trump walked the red carpet with the first lady when they arrived at the Kennedy Center, which he's been remaking in his image while excising what he describes as liberal ideology. "We want to bring it back, and we want to bring it back better than ever," Trump said. The Republican president has a particular affection for "Les Misérables," the sprawling musical set in 19th-century France, and has occasionally played its songs at his events. One of them, "Do You Hear the People Sing?," is a revolutionary rallying cry inspired by the 1832 rebellion against the French king. The three-hour production featured singing and dancing, with the sounds of explosions and gunfire filling the theater as protesters and soldiers clashed on stage. For Trump's critics, it was an unnerving echo of what's unfolding in Los Angeles, where Trump has deployed National Guard troops in response to protests over his deportation policies. "Someone explain the plot to him," California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, wrote on social media. Terry Gee, a bartender, bought his ticket for the show in November and didn't mind Trump's presence. It's his sixth time seeing "Les Misérables," and he said, "I'm going to enjoy the show regardless." Hannah Watkins, a nurse, only learned that Trump would be there when the Kennedy Center distributed information about extra security and she searched online to see what was happening. "I've seen a lot of famous people so far, which is exciting," said Watkins, who had claimed a spot near the VIP entrance with her mother. "Honestly, we just like 'Les Mis' and are excited to be here." Before Trump, presidential involvement in the Kennedy Center's affairs had been limited to naming members to the board of trustees and attending the taping of its annual honors program in the fall. But after returning to office in January, Trump stunned the arts world by firing the Kennedy Center's longtime director and board and replacing them with loyalists, who then named him as chairman. Trump promised to overhaul its programming, management and even appearance as part of an effort to put his stamp on the national arts scene. His latest moves have upset some of the center's patrons and performers. In March, the audience booed the Vances after they slipped into upper-level seats to hear the National Symphony Orchestra. Trump appointed Usha Vance to the Kennedy Center board along with Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Fox News Channel hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham, among other supporters. Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined since Trump's takeover, and several touring productions, including "Hamilton," have canceled planned runs at the center. Actor Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens scrapped scheduled appearances, and Kennedy Center consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Understudies may have performed in some roles Wednesday night because of boycotts by "Les Misérables" cast members, but Trump said he wasn't bothered by anyone skipping the performance. "I couldn't care less," he said. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has adopted a more aggressive posture toward the arts. The White House has taken steps to cancel millions of dollars in previously awarded federal humanities grants to arts and culture groups, and Trump's budget blueprint proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Trump has also targeted Smithsonian museums by signing executive orders to restrict their funding and by attempting to fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery. The president characterized previous programming at the Kennedy Center as "out of control with rampant political propaganda" and said it featured "some very inappropriate shows," including a "Marxist anti-police performance" and "lesbian-only Shakespeare." The Kennedy Center, which is supported by government money and private donations, opened in 1971 and for decades has been seen as an apolitical celebration of the arts. It was first conceived in the late 1950s during the administration of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, who backed a bill from the Democratic-led Congress calling for a National Culture Center. In the early 1960s, Democratic President John F. Kennedy launched a fundraising initiative, and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law a 1964 bill renaming the project the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Kennedy had been assassinated the year before.
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Gavin Newsom ‘siding with the cartels' as investigation launched into LA riots funding
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has agreed with claims that California Governor Gavin Newsom is 'siding with the cartels" over the LA riots. "Whether he knows it or not he is (siding with the cartels) – certainly," Gabbard told Fox News on Wednesday. Her remarks come as an investigation is being launched into the funding behind LA's anti-ICE protests. Republican Senator Josh Hawley has launched an investigation into a California-based left-wing group he claims may be funding the violent protests in Los Angeles. Senator Hawley sent a letter Wednesday to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), accusing the group of potentially 'financially and materially supporting' what he called 'coordinated' protests and riots in Los Angeles. It comes as Los Angeles has endured a sixth day of demonstrations against targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the city.
