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Opinion: Will voters get the message that our judicial system is on the 2024 ballot too?

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Opinion: Will voters get the message that our judicial system is on the 2024 ballot too?

Democrats will be lucky to keep control of the U.S. Senate after November’s elections. Yet Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. lately has shown again why that’s imperative: A Republican-run Senate would confirm more far-right ideologues like him to the federal bench if Donald Trump is once again choosing the nominees, or block many of Joe Biden’s picks if the president is reelected.

First for the Alito story: An upside-down U.S. flag flew in his front yard for days in January 2021, the New York Times first reported. That such a thing would happen at any time at a Supreme Court justice’s home is abhorrent. That it did so when the inverted flag served as a banner for the mobs who’d just besieged the Capitol and tried to subvert an election is not only arguably unethical (the Supreme Court was hearing cases related to the Trump-inspired “Stop the Steal” effort, and still is) but downright seditious. No matter if the hoisting was his wife’s doing, as Alito ignobly claimed.

Opinion Columnist

Jackie Calmes

Jackie Calmes brings a critical eye to the national political scene. She has decades of experience covering the White House and Congress.

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Then on Monday, Chris Geidner, in his Substack publication Law Dork, disclosed that Alito last year appeared to have joined the Bud Light boycott protesting that brand’s advertised support for transgender people.

According to federal disclosure reports that Geidner posted, Alito sold shares in Bud Light’s maker, Anheuser-Busch, at the height of the controversy last summer and bought stock in competitor Molson Coors. The transactions didn’t involve large amounts of money, but here again, cases related to transgender rights were — and are — making their way through the courts to the Supremes.

To make matters worse, on Wednesday, the New York Times reported that another protest flag associated with right-wing, pro-Trump sentiment flew from the Alitos’ New Jersey vacation home last summer.

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Alito’s apparent blindness to conflicts of interest and his penchant for peevish shows of right-wing partisanship are second only to those of his Republican-appointed colleague Justice Clarence Thomas, spouse of “Stop the Steal” schemer Ginni Thomas. Both justices reject calls to recuse themselves from pending cases stemming from Jan. 6. Both are complicit in, and perhaps responsible for, the court’s unconscionable delay in deciding whether Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for his role in the insurrection attempt. We might get its ruling by July, likely too late for a trial before November.

Also, both justices are in their mid-70s. And that’s where political calculations about the Senate come in.

It’s widely believed among court watchers and pundits that Alito and Thomas might well retire if Trump wins another term, so he could nominate much younger versions of themselves who could serve for many more decades to come alongside Trump’s trifecta of 50-somethings: Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Trump could elevate younger judges such as those he tapped for lower federal courts say, 40-something district court judges Aileen Cannon, who helpfully suspended his classified documents trial indefinitely, and Matthew Kacsmaryk, whose ruling outlawing a pill used for most abortions is currently before the Supremes.

A Republican-controlled Senate presumably would fast-track Trump’s high court nominees, and perhaps more than a couple hundred others for the lower federal courts — just as it did the first time around for Trump. A Senate still under Democrats’ control, however, could presumably force a reelected Trump to tap more moderate judicial candidates, and, if he refused, could slow-walk, shelve or reject extremists. Like more Alitos and Thomases.

Lest anyone doubt that Republican senators would be a conveyor belt for right-wing judges under Trump, or a blockade against Biden nominees if he wins a second term, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell offered a reminder of their MAGA-apologist mindset on Wednesday. When a reporter asked him to weigh in on the Alitos’ flag, McConnell snapped, “I’m not going to dignify that with a response.”

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Talk about misplaced indignation.

More voters, Democrats as well as independents and moderate Republicans who oppose right-wing activists throughout our judiciary, must cast ballots for the Senate as well as for president with the composition of the courts in mind — as conservative voters did for decades, successfully. Democratic candidates, including Biden, are doing more to raise awareness. But it’s not enough. The message has to be explicit, and frequent: The courts are on the ballot too.

A big test is in Democratic-blue Maryland, of all places. Larry Hogan, the popular former governor and probably the only Republican in the state who could get elected to the Senate, last week won his party’s nomination to fill the seat that Democratic Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin is giving up. The Democrats have to defend that seat along with those of incumbents in red states Ohio and Montana, and swing states Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The party, with just a two-vote majority now, has already written off the Senate seat that Democrat Joe Manchin III is vacating in Trump-loving West Virginia, so every seat is crucial.

Hogan, a personable pragmatist and Trump critic, appeals to some Maryland Democrats despite his party label, and to moderate Republicans and independents who’ve otherwise soured on the Republican Party in the Trump era. Many of them backed him for governor, and might for senator. To entice them, the former “pro-life” governor has flipped to declare himself a “pro-choice” Senate candidate.

Yet because the Senate stakes are so much bigger than just Maryland, Hogan’s Democratic and other anti-MAGA fans should resist his charms this time. His victory would make it that much more likely that Republicans will capture control of the chamber with power to confirm federal judges and justices. His Democratic opponent, widely respected county executive Angela D. Alsobrooks, shows early signs of hammering that point.

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Her challenge is to get voters who like Hogan to instead think strategically and do their part to help keep the Senate out of MAGA-fied Republicans’ control. The makeup of that other branch of government — the Supreme Court and the rest of the federal bench — could depend on it. That should be the thumb on the scale.

@jackiekcalmes

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Report: Conditions at immigrant detention centers in California have worsened under Trump

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Report: Conditions at immigrant detention centers in California have worsened under Trump

A new report by the California Department of Justice found that conditions at immigrant detention facilities in the state have worsened as surging arrests under the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign led to overcrowding and insufficient medical care.

For the report, which was released Friday, California Justice Department staff, along with correctional and healthcare experts, toured all seven facilities that existed in 2025 (an eighth facility, the Central Valley Annex in McFarland, began receiving detainees in April). The team analyzed internal documents and detainee records, and interviewed detention staff and 194 detainees.

“The Trump Administration’s mass deportation campaign has led to a shocking increase in detainee populations — and facilities have been alarmingly unprepared to meet this new demand,” said Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta in a statement. “During their inspections, my team found evidence of inadequate medical care and heard countless reports of disturbing, unsafe, and unsanitary conditions and a lack of basic necessities.”

Bonta was scheduled to discuss the report’s findings at a news conference Friday morning.

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The inspections were possible because California enacted a law during the first Trump administration requiring state oversight and public reports detailing the conditions of immigrant detention facilities. This is the fifth report released by the California Department of Justice since 2019.

Such reports have taken on outsized significance as the Trump administration has whittled down the Department of Homeland Security’s own oversight mechanisms; for example, it has gutted staff at the offices of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Immigrant Detention Ombudsman.

According to the report, the detainee population in California grew 162%, from 2,300 to more than 6,000 detainees, between site visits in 2023 and those in 2025. Most detainees had no criminal history and were classified as low security.

Collectively, the facilities have capacity to hold up to nearly 8,200 detainees. Six people have died in ICE custody in California since the start of 2025.

Inspectors found that staffing levels failed to keep pace with the growing numbers of detainees, particularly at the California City and Adelanto facilities. The Trump administration has limited access to bond, including for vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women and people with serious medical conditions.

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The intake process for new detainees, which includes a medical and mental health screening, is supposed to take place within 12 hours of their arrival. But detainees at several facilities reported waiting days or weeks before receiving their classification, housing assignment and medical screening, the report says. While waiting, some slept on the floor without access to water and other basic necessities.

At the Adelanto facility, detainees said water coolers remained empty for hours. Justice Department staff saw murky drinking water come out of the tap in the women’s housing unit.

At the Golden State Annex in McFarland and at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, detainees said they spent at least $50 per week on commissary items so they wouldn’t go hungry. Across most facilities, detainees reported improperly cooked food, a lack of dietary or allergy accommodations and irregular mealtimes.

Detainees at all facilities reported delays in medical treatment, including emergency care, which led to preventable crises. At Mesa Verde, for example, the report says that “Medical care delays, including specialty care and referrals, were widespread and appeared to be caused by delays in approvals by ICE Health Service Corps and cancelled or dropped referrals due to transfers between facilities.”

Basic necessities are also an issue, according to the report. At the California City facility, detainees said they got so cold that they cut the ends off socks to make improvised sleeves and covered the air vents in their cells with sheets of paper.

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According to the report, Otay Mesa is the only detention center in California with a policy requiring that detainees be strip searched after being visited by anyone other than their attorney. Detainees there have long said the practice is dehumanizing and invasive.

The state law requiring the detention facility inspections expires next year. A bill by State Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) would make the inspections permanent. Another state bill, by Sen. Steve Padilla (D-San Diego), would prevent the excessive markup of products sold at detention center commissaries, where many items are sold at an inflated value.

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C.I.A. Director Visits Cuba as Tensions Rise and Island Runs Out of Oil

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C.I.A. Director Visits Cuba as Tensions Rise and Island Runs Out of Oil

The C.I.A. said Mr. Ratcliffe had met with Raúl G. Rodríguez Castro, known as “Raulito” or “El Cangrejo” (the Crab), the influential grandson of former president Raúl Castro. Mr. Ratcliffe also met with Lázaro Álvarez Casas, the minister of the interior, as well as the head of Cuba’s intelligence services, a C.I.A. official said.

At the same time, federal prosecutors in Miami were working toward securing an indictment of the elder Mr. Castro, who remains a force in the country’s politics, according to several people familiar with the matter. The scope of the indictment and the number of defendants is being debated, but it could include drug trafficking charges and accusations connected to Cuba’s downing in 1996 of planes run by the humanitarian aid group Brothers to the Rescue, two of the people said.

Mr. Ratcliffe arrived in Cuba the day after Vicente de la O Levy, the minister of energy and mines, announced that oil supplies for domestic use and power plants had been exhausted.

“We have absolutely no fuel oil, absolutely no diesel,” he said. “In Havana, the blackouts today exceed 20 or 22 hours.”

The lack of oil has forced people to rely on charcoal or even wood to cook, and some people have taken to the streets, banging on pots and pans to express their frustration.

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The Cuban government has been grappling with a severe energy crisis for more than two years because of crumbling infrastructure and a dwindling oil supply from Venezuela, its longtime benefactor.

Venezuelan fuel stopped flowing to Cuba entirely in January, after the United States seized Venezuela’s leader and took control of its oil industry. Later, the Trump administration imposed an effective blockade barring all foreign oil from reaching Cuba, which had also received shipments from Mexico.

A delivery of an estimated 730,000 barrels of oil from Russia last month permitted by the Trump administration provided a brief reprieve.

The administration also has been working on the Castro indictment for months. The effort is being led by Jason A. Reding Quiñones, a Trump ally who serves as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

The Cuban government said the United States had requested Thursday’s meeting. Cuban officials stressed that their country did not constitute a threat to U.S. national security and should not be included on a list of state sponsors of terrorism, Cuba’s state-controlled newspaper, Granma, reported.

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“Once again it was made clear that the island does not harbor, support, finance or permit terrorist or extremist organizations; nor are there any foreign military or intelligence bases on its territory, and it has never supported any hostile activity against the U.S. nor will it allow any action to be taken from Cuba against another nation,” the Cuban government said.

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Trump touts ‘fantastic trade deals’ in final Xi meeting amid tariff standoff

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Trump touts ‘fantastic trade deals’ in final Xi meeting amid tariff standoff

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President Donald Trump held his final meeting with Chinese President Xi touting a big win on one of the central focuses orf the high-stakes summit after the two leaders held a bilateral tea at the Zhongnanhai compound.

“This has been an incredible visit,” Trump said to reporters. “I think a lot of good has come of it, and we’ve made some fantastic trade deals. Great for both countries.” 

The announcement comes against the backdrop of a yearslong tariff standoff between the U.S. and China, with Trump arguing aggressive duties are needed to force fairer trade terms while Beijing has repeatedly pushed back. While it is unclear which deals were reached, it was shared that China agreed to order 200 Boeing jets.

TRUMP MEETS US AMBASSADOR TO CHINA AS TENSIONS FLARE AHEAD OF XI SHOWDOWN

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Trump said summit produced “fantastic trade deals.” (Evan Vucci/Pool Reuters via AP)

U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were present for the meeting.

America’s top business leaders traveled with Trump to Beijing and met with Premier Li Qiang Thursday to discuss U.S.-China economic and trade cooperation.

“China is willing to work with the United States to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strive for more positive outcomes, achieve mutual success and promote common prosperity, and better benefit the people of both countries and the world,” reads a press release about the meeting from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

TRUMP AND CHINA CLOSE IN ON TRADE DEAL AFTER PRODUCTIVE TALKS, BESSENT SAYS

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While it is unclear which deals were reached, it was shared that China agreed to order 200 Boeing jets. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

The ministry stressed that both countries should “meet each other halfway” and “safeguard bilateral economic and trade relations.”

The White House and Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on the matter.

During an interview Thursday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump said China was interested in investing “hundreds of billions of dollars” alongside the American business leaders visiting Beijing.

“Those business people are here to make deals and to bring back jobs,” Trump said.

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TRUMP PUSHES XI ON TRADE AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING DENTS KEY CHINA PRESSURE TOOL

A major piece of Trump’s “America First” agenda has focused on leveling the global trade playing field by holding other countries accountable for trade deficits. One of his first moves after returning to office was rolling out the “Liberation Day” tariffs in April 2025, which were designed to serve as leverage in trade negotiations while also generating new revenue.

“This has been an incredible visit. I think a lot of good has come of it, and we’ve made some fantastic trade deals. Great for both countries, ” said Trump. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

Tariffs have been at the center of Trump’s China strategy since his first term, when he imposed duties on Chinese imports and Beijing retaliated with tariffs of its own. The fight has remained one of the defining pressure points in the relationship between the world’s two largest economies. 

Trump’s first visit in 2017 produced more than $250 billion in announced commercial deals and cooperation pledges, but it did not prevent trade relations from deteriorating in 2018.

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Most notably, Trump announced a $12 billion deal for cellphone chips from Qualcomm and $37 billion for Boeing commercial jets, AP reported at the time.

Trump said that Xi and his wife will visit the U.S. in September. 

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