All posts tagged: presidential

Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. Slaughter turbocharges presidential power

Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. Slaughter turbocharges presidential power

Published by Sam Flores

The U.S. Supreme Court – with its six conservative justices, three of whom were nominated by President Donald Trump – has recently reversed landmark decisions that have long guided American government and society. Over the last few years, the court has stripped federal protection of abortion rights, affirmative action, gun control, and a significant portion of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. In its highly anticipated decision on June 29, 2026, in the case of Trump v. Slaughter, the court has added the political independence of nominally independent agencies to that list, allowing the president to fire members of the Federal Trade Commission. The ruling overturns a case that had held sway for 91 years. The court’s 6-3 decision in Slaughter also effectively endorses the unitary executive theory, thereby greatly expanding the power of the president. As a political science scholar who studies presidential power, I believe the unitary executive theory is perhaps the most contentious and consequential constitutional theory of the past several decades. And its judicial approval threatens to upend much of American governance. …

Supreme Court lets Trump fire FTC member, boosts presidential power

Supreme Court lets Trump fire FTC member, boosts presidential power

Published by Sam Flores

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that President Donald Trump did have the authority to fire Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. The 6-3 ruling gives Trump and future presidents the power to remove members of supposedly independent federal agencies that carry out functions under the executive branch of government. The majority, comprised of all six conservative justices, found that the FTC’s provision that commissioners could be removed by a president only for cause “is contrary to the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution.” “Independent agencies are not so independent after all,” conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a concurring opinion to the majority decision. The ruling effectively overturns a key Supreme Court precedent known as “Humphrey’s Executor,” which had served as a protection for members of independent agencies from firing by a president. Trump, in a Truth Social post on the ruling, called it a “BIG WIN.” “This Decision was long sought by United States Presidents, dating all the way back to the 1930s,” Trump wrote. “It is such an Honor to be the …

Supreme Court Lets Trump Fire Agency Heads, a Dramatic Expansion of Presidential Power

Supreme Court Lets Trump Fire Agency Heads, a Dramatic Expansion of Presidential Power

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump has won and lost some as the Supreme Court wraps its final week of a term focused on executive power. More than 100 Venezuelans deported from the US hours before earthquakes are missing after their hotel collapses The people were being held in a hotel when earthquakes struck Venezuela, setting off a scramble to find survivors and bodies buried in the rubble, according to survivors. A deportation flight from Miami arrived in Caracas hours before Wednesday’s earthquakes. On board were 146 Venezuelans, including 19 women and seven children, according to ICE Flight Monitor, an initiative of Human Rights First, which tracks deportation flights. Lisbeth Portillo, 58, said she escaped the rubble from the hotel with about 20 other deportees who walked the streets looking for help. They saw people running, some naked and others barefoot as they emerged from the rubble of the building in La Guaira, one of the areas that was hardest hit in Wednesday’s 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes. Portillo was caught up in the Trump administration’s drive for mass …

The Obama Presidential Center opening gave a glimpse at a more hopeful future

The Obama Presidential Center opening gave a glimpse at a more hopeful future

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — I had the opportunity and, really, the blessing to be invited to the official opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago last week. From the high standing tower above to the participants, speakers and musicians, the day was impressive indeed. And it was clearly a moment to reflect on the moral and civic legacy of Barack Obama’s presidency, which stands in stark contrast to the current presidential ethos. Both Michelle and Barack delivered extraordinary speeches that are well worth a listen. Yet what stayed with me most was not any single speech or performance, but the spirit of the day itself and the values that kept surfacing in conversation after conversation. I was pleased that the day was not about nostalgia. The primary focus was about values, many of which seem absent in our present political circumstance, but values that existed long before the Obama presidency and can come again in the future. Perhaps the word most associated with Obama is hope. It was often seen and heard during Obama’s campaign and presidency, yet …

2023 Eastern Division Presidential Address: Does Thought Require Sensory Grounding? From Pure Thinkers to Large Language Models

2023 Eastern Division Presidential Address: Does Thought Require Sensory Grounding? From Pure Thinkers to Large Language Models

Published by Jenni Sidey

Below is the audio recording of David Chalmers’s presidential address, “Does Thought Require Sensory Grounding? From Pure Thinkers to Large Language Models,” given at the 2023 Eastern Division Meeting. The full text is available on the APA website (member sign-in is required). The audio of the lecture is available here: “Does Thought Require Sensory Grounding? From Pure Thinkers to Large Language Models” by David Chalmers David Chalmers is University Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at New York University, where he is also co-director of the center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness. He is also Honorary Professor of Philosophy at the Australian National University and co-director of the PhilPapers Foundation. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy and cognitive science from Indiana University. Prior to joining the faculty at NYU, he taught at Australian National University, the University of Arizona, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research interests include the philosophy of mind, philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of language, metaphysics, and epistemology. He has authored three books and many articles on consciousness, meaning, …

Trump-backed candidate wins razor-tight Colombia presidential election

Trump-backed candidate wins razor-tight Colombia presidential election

Published by Sam Flores

BARRANQUILLA, Colombia: A flamboyant US-backed lawyer who has never held public office narrowly won Colombia’s presidential runoff on Sunday (Jun 21), swinging the country hard right with a promise to wage war against drug-running guerrilla groups. With almost all polling centres reporting, Abelardo de la Espriella won 49.66 per cent of the vote versus left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda’s 48.70 per cent. The 47-year-old’s victory is set to improve strained relations with Washington and extends a wave of rightist candidates who have swept to power across Latin America promising “iron fist” security policies. “We are beginning a new era!” he told supporters in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla from behind bullet-proof glass. “For those who have sown violence, terror, drug trafficking, and corruption all these years, their time is up!” he said. US President Donald Trump and a host of right-wing leaders from across the Americas have clamoured to offer congratulations and support. UNREST After a campaign marred by guerrilla bomb attacks and the murder of a leading conservative presidential candidate, there was a quick sign …

“Hope is not blind optimism”: Obama opens presidential center in Chicago

“Hope is not blind optimism”: Obama opens presidential center in Chicago

Published by Sam Flores

Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama dedicated the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side this weekend, using the opening of the long-awaited campus to champion civic engagement, community service and the enduring power of hope. Before a crowd that included family members, former presidents, civic leaders and thousands of supporters, the Obamas described the center not as a monument to a presidency but as a place designed to inspire future generations to participate in public life and strengthen their communities. “I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious our democracy truly is,” Obama said during his remarks. The ceremony drew an audience that reflected both the personal and political chapters of the Obamas’ lives. Their daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama, joined them on stage, while former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Joe Biden; former Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton; and former First Ladies Laura Bush and Jill Biden. The event also doubled as a cultural celebration, featuring …

Obama Presidential Center opening ceremony 

Obama Presidential Center opening ceremony 

Published by Sam Flores

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