Plus: US prisoner speaks from Russian prison, and French parliament passes controversial immigration law.
| | | | | | | Hello. You'll be excused if you don't know Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. I won't lie - I certainly didn't before yesterday. Thankfully my colleagues in Washington are telling us what it is, and why it is playing a role in the legal challenges to Donald Trump's presidential campaign. We also have updates from Egypt, where Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has arrived for talks, and Russia, from where US prisoner Paul Whelan speaks to Sarah Rainsford. More reports are coming from Mediterranean olive groves and South Korean exam rooms. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | Colorado Supreme Court kicks Trump off ballot | | | | Donald Trump's messages before the 6 January riot were a "call to his supporters to fight and… his supporters responded to that call", judges said. Credit: Reuters |
| | Understanding US politics often requires delving into the intricacies of its constitution. Today's lucky number is Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars Americans who have "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the country from holding federal office. This was the provision cited by Colorado's Supreme Court on Tuesday to disqualify Donald Trump from running for president in the state next year. In a shock legal victory for Trump opponents who brought the case, judges found that the former president had participated in an insurrection in the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021. The Trump campaign called the ruling "completely flawed" and said it would appeal to the US Supreme Court. The ruling is limited to Colorado, which Mr Trump lost by a wide margin in the last presidential election. So, even if it's upheld, it is unlikely to change his prospects for next year. But if courts in more competitive states followed suit, Mr Trump's White House bid could face serious problems. Tom Geoghegan has more on what this all means for next year's general election. | | • | A rarely used article: The 14th Amendment was ratified after the American Civil War, and Section 3 was deployed to bar secessionists from returning to previous government posts. It has seldom been invoked since, explain Sam Cabral and Kayla Epstein. | | • | Trump reaction: The former president did not mention the Colorado ruling during a campaign speech on Tuesday, but said he considered indictments against him "a badge of honour". Here's a clip. | | • | Another case: A federal appeals court ruled earlier this month that Donald Trump could be sued in civil court for his alleged role in inciting the riot on Capitol Hill in January 2021. |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | Israel-Gaza: Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, has arrived in Cairo for talks on a fresh ceasefire in Gaza, where the Hamas-run health ministry says the death toll from the war with Israel is approaching 20,000. Our live page has all the developments. | | • | Divisive bill: The French parliament has passed legislation toughening immigration policy, with the backing of President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance party and Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally. But the debate to get there has thrown Mr Macron's coalition into crisis. | | • | Election day: Some 44 million people are being called to the polls to pick the next president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the process has been already marred by lengthy delays and long queues at stations. Here's a quick guide to the election in the largest country of sub-Saharan Africa. | | • | Epstein connections: The names of more than 170 associates of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could be made public next month after a ruling from a US judge. | | • | Playing for time: A group of South Korean students are suing the government because their notoriously arduous college admission exam ended 90 seconds earlier than scheduled. |
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| | FROM THE SCENE | Russia | | In Russian detention, five years on | | Five years ago, former US Marine Paul Whelan travelled to Moscow on a two-week holiday that ended in a Russian labour camp. In a rare phone interview, the captive says he feels "abandoned" by Washington. | | | | Sarah Rainsford, Eastern Europe correspondent |
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| | In all the years we've spoken, I've never heard Mr Whelan so pessimistic or so frustrated. "I know the US have all sorts of proposals, but it's not what the Russians want. So they go back and forth, like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks," he said. "The problem is, it's my life that's draining away while they do this. It's been five years!" The US State Department won't confirm the details of sensitive negotiations. But the US government spokesperson described Secretary Blinken as "personally committed" to securing Mr Whelan's release. |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | | | | | There's been an uptick in standing ovations since the pandemic. Credit: Getty Images |
| | Have standing ovations become more common in theatres in your country? In the UK, industry insiders are noticing the trend. People are quick to stand on their feet, even midway through performances. Some say the shift is coming from the US, where audiences tend to be "more demonstrative". But a British etiquette adviser has a note of caution. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | Green gold | | Why olive oil prices are soaring - and what to do about it. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | When workers dug up a skeleton along a main road in the east of England, little did they know the young man whose remains they had found had travelled hundreds of miles from the far reaches of the Roman Empire. But examination of DNA from the bones traced the man's roots to a region that makes up modern-day Russia, Armenia and Ukraine. Read how scientists unravelled the mystery. |
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– Jules |
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