Thursday, September 26, 2024

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1/ Federal prosecutors charged New York City Mayor Eric Adams with bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations as part of months-long federal investigation into whether his campaign illegally conspired with Turkish entities to collect foreign donations. According to the five-count indictment, Adams accepted free travel on Turkish Airlines, illegal campaign contributions, and other perks from his “corrupt relationships” with rich foreigners connected to the Turkish government. In exchange, prosecutors allege that Adams used his position as incoming mayor to influence the opening of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan by expediting the fire safety inspection despite safety concerns, as well as not releasing a statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day – the annual observance of the estimated 1.5 million Armenians, who were systematically exterminated through mass deportations, forced marches, and mass killings. Adams, meanwhile, said he would not resign. (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / Associated Press / Axios / Wall Street Journal / NBC News)

2/ Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden introduced legislation to add six justices to the Supreme Court, require supermajorities to overturn any law passed by Congress, require justices to undergo audits, and more. “The Supreme Court is in crisis and bold solutions are necessary to restore the public trust,” Wyden said in a statement. “More transparency, more accountability and more checks on a power hungry Supreme Court are just what the American people are asking for.” The bill would increase the number of justices from nine to 15 over 12 years to prevent one political party from packing the courts with its nominees. In addition, the legislation would require Supreme Court nominees to be automatically scheduled for a vote in the Senate to prevent senators from refusing to hold a vote on a nominee – like what Mitch McConnell did to Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016. “It’s not an atomic secret that the process for selecting justices is politicized,” Wyden said. “You’ve got this thoroughly politicized process resulting in a Supreme Court that now frequently issues sweeping rulings to overturn laws and upend precedents. We are proposing a way to restore some balance between the three branches of government.” The bill, however, stands little chance of passing in the Republican-controlled House. (Washington Post / Salon / The New Republic)

3/ Rudy Giuliani was disbarred from practicing law in Washington, D.C., over his efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss. An ethics panel recommended Giuliani be disbarred, saying: “He sought to disrupt a presidential election and persists in his refusal to acknowledge the wrong he has done.” Giuliani was also recently disbarred in New York. (

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