May 12
seen from Moldova
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Brazil
seen from Argentina
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from China
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Bulgaria
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Saudi Arabia
Democrats now have a big chance to fortify their power on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. Annette Ziegler, the arch-conservative justice on the s
Lisa Needham at Daily Kos:
Democrats now have a big chance to fortify their power on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. Annette Ziegler, the arch-conservative justice on the swing state’s high court, announced Monday that she won’t run for her seat in 2027. This comes after conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley announced last year that she wouldn’t run, with the race to replace her just around the corner. Ziegler is … a lot. When the court’s composition flipped to a liberal majority in 2023, she seemed genuinely surprised that they could vote internally to do things Ziegler didn’t like, such as replacing the director of state courts. Ziegler also has the distinction of being the only justice in Wisconsin ever to be disciplined by her peers. Apparently, she handled cases as a circuit court judge where her husband was a director for one of the parties, West Bend Savings Bank. Whoopsie. Meanwhile, Bradley announced her resignation last year, teeing up an election for her seat on April 7.
Bradley was wildly unhappy that the partisan balance of the court shifted, which seems to be part of why she stepped down. Her farewell statement complained about how the court had shifted from “principled judicial service toward bitter partisanship, personal attacks, and political gamesmanship.” That’s rich coming from Bradley, who is so partisan that she publicly attacked two liberal candidates about their campaigns in the recent past. For both Ziegler and Bradley, it’s clear that now that conservatives no longer have a stranglehold on the state’s highest court, it’s no fun any longer. Don’t let the door hit you, etc. Democrats have worked for years to flip the court for two big reasons, both of which inevitably drew national attention—and money.
[...] Conservatives made a decades-long project of capturing the federal courts to impose their unpopular agendas on everyone. It’s time Democrats made the same multiyear commitment to state court seats in order to have courts that genuinely reflect the rule of law.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court could become even more liberal, as right-wing justice Annette Ziegler won’t run for reelection.
J'ai hâte de voir Bardella se faire éclater la gueule dans tous ses débats en 2027 ça va être le prime du divertissement
The ruling could mean that the French far right's leader will not be able to stand for president in the 2027 elections, though she has appea
Le Monde/AFP:
A Paris court on Monday, March 31, sentenced far-right leader Marine Le Pen to a five-year ban on running for public office with immediate effect, throwing into doubt her bid to stand for president in 2027. She was also given a four-year prison term but will not go to jail, with two years of the term suspended and the other two to be served outside jail with an electronic bracelet, the court ruled. Le Pen's lawyer said two hours after the decision that she would appeal. Including Le Pen, nine current or former MEPs from the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party were convicted. Twelve assistants were also convicted of concealing a crime, with the court estimating the scheme was worth €2.9 million. All the RN officials, including Le Pen, were banned from running for office, with the judge specifying that the sanction should come into force with immediate effect even if an appeal is lodged. Le Pen had left the courtroom before the judge announced how long the electoral ban would last and before rulings on a potential prison sentence and fine. She is due to give a primetime TV interview on Monday evening.
The three-time presidential candidate was accused of having hired four fictitious assistants when she was a member of the European Parliament (2004-2017). In reality, they were working for her party, the Front National (FN, now RN). The assistants, who were paid by the European Parliament, carried out tasks linked to the management of the party rather than work related to European parliamentary activity, as is normally required of such positions. In addition to the suspicions of fictitious employment, the court suspected Le Pen of having been at the heart of an organized and centralized "embezzlement system" of money paid by the European Union to her party between 2004 and 2016. [...] RN party leader Jordan Bardella, 29, said French democracy was being "executed" with the "unjust" court decision, which is "a democratic scandal," according to him. He also called for a peaceful "mobilization" in a post on X: "With our popular and peaceful mobilization, let's show them that the will of the people is stronger."
Far-right French political leader Marine Le Pen got handed down a 5-year political office ban and a 4-year prison sentence that won’t mean a single day of prison for her on embezzlement charges. With her 5-year ban on political office, Le Pen is ineligible to run for the 2027 elections in which she had great odds to make the runoff and decent odds of winning the election in the runoff.
See Also:
AP, via HuffPost: French Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Barred From Seeking Public Office For Embezzlement
The Guardian: Marine Le Pen attacks ban on French presidency run as a ‘political decision’
President Donald Trump’s top loyalists are angling to climb the political ladder to help secure the future for his ultra-MAGA movement—and p
David Badash at NCRM:
President Donald Trump’s top loyalists are angling to climb the political ladder to help secure the future for his ultra-MAGA movement—and position themselves for greater influence. House members like far-right U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) are looking at the U.S. Senate, and far-right U.S. senators like Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) reportedly see hope in governors’ mansions. Some critical U.S. senators on both sides of the aisle are retiring, like Republican former Majority and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and the second-highest-ranking Democrat senator, Dick Durbin of Illinois. “Democrats anxious to deny Donald Trump and his Republican Party a governing trifecta as soon as possible are feeling pretty good about their prospects for flipping the House in 2026, given the GOP’s fragile margin of control and the historical pattern of sizable midterm losses for the president’s party,” New York magazine’s “Intelligencer” reported last month. “But the Senate, which has the power to confirm Trump’s executive branch and judicial nominations, is really going to be a reach. Democrats would need to flip four Senate seats to win control of the chamber. And an already difficult landscape is being made even tougher by the retirements of Democratic incumbents Gary Peters of Michigan, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and now Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. All three of these open seats could potentially trigger competitive races in 2026.” Enter Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican who went from a freshman stripped of all of her committee assignments over incendiary language, to becoming chair of the Delivering on Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) subcommittee. She also sits on the House Committee on Homeland Security. Congresswoman Greene is now thinking about becoming Senator Greene. If successful, her controversial tactics could have a dramatic impact on what is supposed to be the “world’s greatest deliberative body.”
Rep. Greene is reportedly eyeing a run to unseat Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, and believes she would “crush” any GOP primary opponent—except Governor Brian Kemp, should he choose to enter the race—according to the right-wing website Daily Caller. [...]
Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville is reportedly mapping out a run for the Alabama Governor’s mansion. “Tuberville told a group of donors at a private event on Wednesday night that his mind is officially made up,” the conservative website Yellowhammer News reported. “Rather than seeking re-election to the U.S. Senate, he is ready to run his next race in Alabama, and serve the people of the state in Montgomery instead of Washington. An official campaign announcement is imminent in the coming weeks, but latest reports offer insight into a finalized decision by Tuberville, who has been privately discussing jumping into the 2026 gubernatorial race for quite some time.” Senator Tuberville reportedly is “furious” at the leak, according to an opinion column at Alabama Political Reporter.
“Tuberville melted down like a plastic lawn chair in July. By Thursday morning, the whispers had turned into headlines. Then Tuberville took to Facebook — and things got weird.” “While I appreciate all the interest,” Tuberville wrote, “Suzanne and I are still praying about how to best serve the people of Alabama. When I have an official announcement about my future, you’ll hear it directly from me.”
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, a top “Trump loyalist,” is “strongly looking” at a run for the Tennessee governor’s mansion. The Tennessean reports that “early polling suggests she would likely be the Republican frontrunner. Some politicos across the state consider her success a foregone conclusion: at a Tennessee Chamber of Commerce event in January, attendees called her ‘Gov. Blackburn.'”
And U.S. Rep. Jim Comer (R-KY), the chair of the powerful House Oversight Committee, has also said he would be interested in running for governor.
Far-right MAGA hardliners Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tommy Tuberville, and Marsha Blackburn are seeking promotions to higher offices.
Kwankwaso Predicts Setback for Governors Seeking Re-election in 2027
Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has warned that political control and access to government machinery may not be enough to guarantee victory for governors seeking another term in office in the 2027 elections. Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), made the prediction during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series in Abuja on…
Kebbi 2027: APC Replaces Deputy Governor Tafida as Gov Idris’ Running Mate, Picks Ibrahim Augie
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi State has named former Commissioner for Finance, Ibrahim Muhammad Augie, as the new running mate to Governor Nasir Idris for the 2027 governorship election, replacing the incumbent Deputy Governor, Senator Umar Abubakar Tafida, on the party’s proposed ticket. The decision was announced on Sunday at the Presidential Lodge in Birnin Kebbi by APC…
Olurinde Receives Osun Poly Set, Takes Unity Message to APC Ward 7 Yemi Bernard Olurinde continues his grassroots engagements in Egbeda, receiving his Osun Poly ’02/’03 set and meeting APC stakeholders in Ward 7.