House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Monday on CNN’s The Situation Room that the Supreme Court had “enabled” President Donald Trump to act like a king, calling the situation shameful.
You know, one thing to understand, as people who are flirting with the Trump administration or doing the bidding of the Trump administration or engaging in the pay-to-play schemes of the Trump administration, the statute of limitations is five years,” the House’s top Democrat said.
“Donald Trump and this toxic administration will be long gone, but there will still be accountability to be had. And that process, of course, begins now. But it will not be complete until perhaps there is an independent Department of Justice, certainly an independent House of Representatives in Democratic hands,” he claimed.
It should be noted that Democratic attorneys general and prosecutors, as well as Joe Biden’s Justice Dept., all went after Trump during his four-year hiatus from the White House, engaging in unprecedented actions against a former president.
“The Department of Justice is one of the great institutions in law enforcement in the history of this country and Donald Trump and these extremists have been destroying its integrity,” Jeffries continued. “And we should also blame the conservative justices on the Supreme Court for all of the things that we see happening, because they basically gave this president blanket presidential immunity in a country where the framers of the Constitution said, we don’t want a king.
“They’ve effectively enabled Donald Trump at times to behave just like a king. That needs to be revisited as well. The Supreme Court, shame on them for what they’ve done to this country and unleashing this out-of-control behavior that needs to be reversed,” he said, without acknowledging the fact that even liberal justices on the court have regularly sided with the president and his administration.
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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who faced criticism earlier this year for siding with Republicans to keep the government open, now says he is prepared to risk a shutdown at month’s end if GOP leaders reject Democratic demands.
Schumer said he and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are aligned in opposing any spending measure that excludes key health care provisions or allows for their rollback. He argued the political landscape has shifted since March, when he pressed to avoid a shutdown, and predicted Republicans and President Donald Trump would bear the blame if they refuse to strike a bipartisan deal.
“Things have changed” since the March vote, Schumer said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. He stated that Republicans have since enacted Trump’s significant tax cuts and spending reduction legislation, which has led to cuts in wasteful Medicaid spending and other government programs.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, noted that his party is now united, in contrast to March, when he voted alongside Republicans while Jeffries voted against the legislation to fund the government. Schumer argued that a shutdown would not significantly worsen the current climate, with Trump already challenging Congress’s authority.
“It will get worse with or without it, because Trump is lawless,” Schumer told the AP, though Trump’s administration has faced an unprecedented amount of lawsuits since he took office and began issuing executive orders, many of which have been blocked by courts.
Schumer’s warning comes as Republicans weigh a short-term stopgap spending bill to avert a Sept. 30 shutdown. Without a bipartisan agreement, Democrats face two difficult options — join Republicans to keep the government open or allow it to close with no clear path forward, the AP
Republicans argue Democrats will bear responsibility if they refuse to vote to keep the government open. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has stressed that Schumer must present a concrete proposal on health care, including extending expanded tax credits under the Affordable Care Act for millions of Americans.
The Aftermath of the Earthquake: Bridge Support Collapse
The recent earthquake has left a significant mark on the infrastructure of the affected area, with one of the most notable incidents being the collapse of a bridge support. While the initial images of the scene were alarming, it became evident that the collapse involved primarily the outer concrete layer, sparing the structural integrity to some extent. This fortunate outcome prevented a more catastrophic scenario.
Emergency responders were quick to the scene, assessing the damage and ensuring that no vehicles were trapped underneath the debris. The bridge, a vital link for the community, had seen a decrease in traffic due to warnings issued prior to the earthquake. This preventive measure undoubtedly lessened the potential for casualties or injuries.
As reconstruction plans are underway, engineers are focusing on reinforcing the remaining structure to withstand future seismic activities. The disaster has sparked a broader conversation about the need for improved construction standards and regular maintenance checks for public infrastructure in earthquake-prone regions.
In the wake of the event, community resilience is shining through as local authorities and residents collaborate on recovery efforts. The incident serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of natural disasters and the importance of preparedness at both an individual and structural level.
For more visual insights into the situation and efforts being made, watch the video below which captures the immediate aftermath and ongoing recovery work.
Event Overview
A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Kamchatka early on July 30, 2025, initially estimated at 8.0 then upgraded twice to 8.8 by the USGS Al Jazeera+15Anadolu Ajansı+15AP News+15.
The epicenter was located approximately 119–136 km east‑southeast of Petropavlovsk‑Kamchatsky, at a shallow depth between 19 and 20.7 km Reddit+14The Week+14Anadolu Ajansı+14.
The quake occurred along the Kuril–Kamchatka arc, one of the Pacific Ring of Fire’s most seismically active zones Al Jazeera.
Historic Significance
This is the strongest earthquake in the region since 1952, when a magnitude ~9.0 event off Severo‑Kurilsk produced 9 m tsunamis (killing over 2,300 people) WTOP News+15Wikipedia+15The Wall Street Journal+15.
Globally, it’s among the top ten most powerful recorded earthquakes, comparable to the 2011 Tōhoku quake (M9.0) The WeekSky News.
Local Impacts (Kamchatka & Kuril Islands)
Severo‑Kurilsk on Paramushir Island saw heavy tsunami flooding; residents were evacuated and around 2,000 people moved to safety
The Aftermath of the Earthquake: Bridge Support Collapse
The recent earthquake has left a significant mark on the infrastructure of the affected area, with one of the most notable incidents being the collapse of a bridge support. While the initial images of the scene were alarming, it became evident that the collapse involved primarily the outer concrete layer, sparing the structural integrity to some extent. This fortunate outcome prevented a more catastrophic scenario.
Emergency responders were quick to the scene, assessing the damage and ensuring that no vehicles were trapped underneath the debris. The bridge, a vital link for the community, had seen a decrease in traffic due to warnings issued prior to the earthquake. This preventive measure undoubtedly lessened the potential for casualties or injuries.
As reconstruction plans are underway, engineers are focusing on reinforcing the remaining structure to withstand future seismic activities. The disaster has sparked a broader conversation about the need for improved construction standards and regular maintenance checks for public infrastructure in earthquake-prone regions.
In the wake of the event, community resilience is shining through as local authorities and residents collaborate on recovery efforts. The incident serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of natural disasters and the importance of preparedness at both an individual and structural level.
For more visual insights into the situation and efforts being made, watch the video below which captures the immediate aftermath and ongoing recovery work.
Event Overview
A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Kamchatka early on July 30, 2025, initially estimated at 8.0 then upgraded twice to 8.8 by the USGS Al Jazeera+15Anadolu Ajansı+15AP News+15.
The epicenter was located approximately 119–136 km east‑southeast of Petropavlovsk‑Kamchatsky, at a shallow depth between 19 and 20.7 km Reddit+14The Week+14Anadolu Ajansı+14.
The quake occurred along the Kuril–Kamchatka arc, one of the Pacific Ring of Fire’s most seismically active zones Al Jazeera.
Historic Significance
This is the strongest earthquake in the region since 1952, when a magnitude ~9.0 event off Severo‑Kurilsk produced 9 m tsunamis (killing over 2,300 people) WTOP News+15Wikipedia+15The Wall Street Journal+15.
Globally, it’s among the top ten most powerful recorded earthquakes, comparable to the 2011 Tōhoku quake (M9.0) The WeekSky News.
Local Impacts (Kamchatka & Kuril Islands)
Severo‑Kurilsk on Paramushir Island saw heavy tsunami flooding; residents were evacuated and around 2,000 people moved to safety