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Jury Says Greenpeace Owes $660M in Damages for Dakota Pipeline Protest (Maria)
The authors write, “A jury in North Dakota has found Greenpeace liable for defamation, trespassing and a suite of other infractions in a case that pitted the environmental advocacy group against Energy Transfer, the company that built the Dakota Access oil pipeline. On Wednesday, the jury awarded the pipeline company hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Greenpeace says the total judgment, approximately $660 million, could significantly damage the organization and represents an attack on free speech within the country.”
John Roberts’s Rebuke of Trump Isn’t What It Seems (Russ)
From The New Republic: “The chief justice’s response to the president’s recent rants has been read as a defense of federal judges. But what if it wasn’t?”
Presidents Have Used Autopens for Decades. Now Trump Objects to Biden’s Use of One (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “President Donald Trump claimed Monday that pardons recently issued by Joe Biden to lawmakers and staff on the congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot have no force because, Trump says, the-then president signed them with an autopen instead of by his own hand. … Trump asserted in his all-caps post that the pardons are void and have no effect in his estimation. But presidents have broad authority to pardon or commute the sentences of whomever they please, the Constitution doesn’t specify that pardons must be in writing and autopen signatures have been used before for substantive actions by presidents.”
Tesla Stock Slapped Down by Chinese Rival’s ‘Game Changer’ Tech (Sean)
The author writes, “Tesla Inc. has gone from Wall Street’s hottest trade to most hated in a matter of months. Compounding the stock’s woes this week, a rival out of China has one-upped the company on what’s supposed to be Elon Musk’s forte: EV innovation. Shares of Tesla tumbled 5.3% Tuesday, while BYD Co. shot to an all-time high after unveiling an electric car that can be charged as quickly as a gas vehicle is refueled. It’s the latest blow for Tesla where a sky-high valuation is pinned on the company’s ability to constantly innovate and stay ahead of rivals. Sentiment was already souring over the past month on reports that sales of its electric cars have plunged in key markets. And Musk’s rising political prominence — that late last year was widely expected to provide a boost to Tesla’s business — has instead become a problem for shares.”
I’m the Canadian Who Was Detained by ICE for Two Weeks. It Felt Like I Had Been Kidnapped (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “There was no explanation, no warning. One minute, I was in an immigration office talking to an officer about my work visa, which had been approved months before and allowed me, a Canadian, to work in the US. The next, I was told to put my hands against the wall, and patted down like a criminal before being sent to an Ice detention center without the chance to talk to a lawyer.”
The Environmental Toll of the M23 Conflict in Eastern DRC (Laura)
From Mongabay: “The resurgence of the M23 (March 23 movement) rebel group has once again drawn global attention to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The humanitarian crisis … rightly dominates headlines. Yet the conflict is having another significant and often overlooked impact: on the environment. The Kivu provinces, where the fighting is concentrated, are part of one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots, the Albertine Rift. Home to endangered species such as eastern lowland and mountain gorillas, as well as two UNESCO World Heritage Sites — Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega National Parks — the region is under increasing environmental pressure. Its protected areas, with resource-rich and rugged terrains, have historically served as ideal rear operating bases for non-state armed groups.”
The Sudden Weirdness of TV Presidents (Dana)
From The New York Times: “Today’s political dramas have conspiracy, murder and supervolcanoes. But their conventional White House protocols and procedures might be the most disorienting aspects.”
