Given at the end is an article. Analyze it and output in the following JSON format.
{
"analysis": {
"bias": {
"score": "1-10, where 1-10 measures UNFAIR or UNHELPFUL bias.
As the AI analyst, you must judge:
1. Fairness of Bias:
- Is the tone/alarm proportional to events?
- Is criticism warranted by facts?
- Are similar actions judged equally?
2. Utility of Bias:
- Does the bias help readers understand real implications?
- Does it highlight genuine concerns that neutral language might minimize?
- Does it provide valuable context through its perspective?
Example: An article about climate change might use emotional language
and scary scenarios. While this is technically 'bias', it might be
USEFUL bias if it helps readers grasp real dangers that cold, neutral
language would understate.
A high bias score should only be given when bias is both unfair AND unhelpful.",
"description": "Explain both unfair and useful bias found. For each biased element:
1. Is it fair/warranted?
2. Does it serve a valuable purpose for readers?
3. Should it be removed or retained?"
},
"missing_context_misinformation": {
"score": "1-10",
"points": [
"", # DIRECTLY provide essential context the reader needs without ANY phrases like "the article lacks/doesn't/fails to mention/omits" etc. Simply state the relevant facts. Each point up to 5 sentences as needed. Up to 10 points. NEVER refer to the article itself or what it's missing - just supply the information directly. The missing context should try to compensate for the bias in the article, and not just add related information.
]
},
"disinformation_lies": {
"score": "1-10",
"points": [
"" # Provide corrections for verifiably false statement. These lines should be brief. Upto 10 points.
# Use Wikipedia (via the search tool) to verify events and dates up through 2025-07-01. Any event dated ≤ 2025-07-01 should not be marked as disinformation if it matches Wikipedia. Only flag statements you can not verify or that Wikipedia contradicts as of 2025-07-01.”
]
}
},
"summary": [], # A list of 2 to 5 paragraphs. Provide a version that: * Retains key facts and proportional concerns, * Removes unfair bias while keeping warranted criticism, * Adds critical missing context, * Corrects any inaccuracies. Remove author attribution. Maintain article's POV - no meta-references. You can decide the most appropriate length based on the article.summary can be longer than the article if needed.
"title": "Provide an Appropriate Title Based on the Article's Content.",
"changes_made": [
"List significant changes made in the summary",
"Include both removals and additions",
"Note bias adjustments"
],
"key_words": [
"3-10 relevant terms to help identify related articles",
"Focus on major themes and topics"
],
"keywords_update": {
"keyword-to-add-or-update": "new summary or updated to replace the previous"
}
}
KEYWORDS UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS:
- We want to save new information from beyond your knowledge cutoff of Mar 2024.
- Information can come from the provided article or Wikipedia.
- Pick up to 3 keywords of highest importance to update with new information.
- If a keyword lacks a summary, write one from scratch.
- For each keyword, list one line per new fact (up to 50 sentences per keyword).
- Each fact must:
1. Be one or two sentences long.
2. End with 1-3 references in brackets, e.g. [apnews], [nytimes,wikipedia].
3. Immediately after the reference(s), append a hyphen and the date of the event or when the fact was reported, in ISO format:
`Statement. [source] - [YYYY-MM-DD]`
- If you update an existing keyword's source (e.g. [foxnews] → [apnews]), ensure the replacement is supported by an article.
- Ensure each keyword is specific enough that its new facts warrant inclusion.
<example>
ARTICLE TOPIC
Raiding of 100+ immigrants allegedly illegal alients and alleged members from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and the Hells Angels for deportation. Authorities also found drugs at the underground nightclub at a strip mall in Colorado Springs. President Donald Trump praised the raid, saying on TruthSocial it had targeted some of the worst people in the US, whom he alleged judges are reluctant to deport.
keywords worth updating:
tren-de-aragua (I am sure this gang has a big list of information, but this deportation will be worth a mention)
tren-de-aragua+deportation (a more specific keyword that can take more detail about this incident)
trump+illegal_deportation (add this to the list of illegal deportations conducted by trump administration)
colorado_springs (this is a unique event for this town. an update here will add some trivia.)
trump+immigration (a key fact worth mentioning about how trump is implementation his immigration policies)
keywords to not update:
trump (too broad. not one of top 50 facts related to trump.)
illegal_deportation (depending upon existing content, may be too crowded for this incident to be added)
colorado (too broad, unlikely to fit this event in top 50)
drug_raids (too broad, unlikely to fit this event in top 50)
</example>
<existing_keywords_summaries>
state-secrets-privilege : The Trump administration invoked the state secrets privilege in March 2025 to avoid providing a federal judge with information about deportation flights that allegedly violated court orders. [CNN] - 2025-03-17. Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Justice Department officials argued that disclosing operational details about deportation flights would harm national security and foreign relations. [CNN] - 2025-03-17. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that revealing details about removal operations, which he characterized as counterterrorism operations, would make foreign partners less likely to cooperate with the United States. [CNN] - 2025-03-17.
trump+separation-of-powers : The Trump administration's invocation of state secrets privilege in March 2025 created a constitutional confrontation with federal courts over deportation operations. [CNN] - 2025-03-17. Justice Department officials argued that further judicial intrusions would present 'dangerous and wholly unwarranted separation-of-powers harms' regarding diplomatic and national security concerns. [CNN] - 2025-03-17. The dispute arose when the administration allegedly violated federal court orders to halt deportation flights under the Alien Enemies Act. [CNN] - 2025-03-17.
congressional-budget-office-credibility : The Congressional Budget Office projected that the House-passed Republican border, energy and tax bill would add around $2.8 trillion to the deficit over a decade. [politico] - 2025-06-18. Republicans are challenging the CBO's credibility and methodology, favoring White House estimates that assume vastly greater economic growth than the CBO's models. [politico] - 2025-06-18. The dispute represents the latest instance of partisan criticism of CBO projections when they conflict with preferred policy outcomes. [politico] - 2025-06-18.
due-process+deportation : US District Judge Brian Murphy ruled that the deportation of O.C.G. to Mexico likely lacked due process, ordering his return to the United States. [CNN] - 2025-06-04
white-house-power-dynamics : Stephen Miller is considered second only to Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in Trump's inner circle, fueling speculation about whether he could succeed her if she steps down. [CNN] - 2025-01-27. The Trump-Musk feud has created complications for Miller's position since his wife Katie works for Musk, though some officials maintain Trump's trust in Stephen remains unaffected. [CNN] - 2025-01-27. Musk unfollowed Stephen Miller on X during the height of the Trump-Musk conflict, though both Millers continued following Musk on the platform. [CNN] - 2025-01-27.
dhs+court-orders-violation : The Department of Homeland Security attempted to deport migrants to South Sudan despite a lower court injunction that required giving migrants meaningful advance notice and opportunity to raise objections before third-country deportations. [cnn] - 2025-06-23. Justice Sotomayor wrote that DHS's assertion that these deportations could be reconciled with the injunction was 'wholly without merit.' [cnn] - 2025-06-23. The Supreme Court's conservative majority granted DHS's emergency appeal 6-3, allowing the deportations to proceed despite the lower court restrictions. [cnn] - 2025-06-23.
icc+judicial-independence : The ICC condemned U.S. sanctions on four judges as an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution. [reuters] - 2025-06-05. Human Rights Watch called the sanctions a 'flagrant attack on the rule of law' coinciding with domestic rule of law concerns. [reuters] - 2025-06-05. The sanctions severely hamper judges' abilities to conduct routine financial transactions due to U.S. banking system dominance. [reuters] - 2025-06-05. The ICC stated the sanctions attack an institution that provides hope and justice to millions of victims of atrocities. [reuters] - 2025-06-05.
trump+wrongful-deportation : The Trump administration acknowledged in court filings that Kilmar Abrego Garcia's deportation to El Salvador in March 2025 was in error because it violated a 2019 immigration court order. [ABC News] - 2025-06-06
Despite acknowledging the wrongful deportation, the Trump administration argued Abrego Garcia should not be returned because he is allegedly an MS-13 member. [ABC News] - 2025-06-06
The Justice Department launched a criminal investigation in April 2025 and indicted Abrego Garcia for human smuggling as the most aggressive step to gather incriminating information about his background. [ABC News] - 2025-06-06
federal-judiciary+trump : Federal courts issued orders requiring the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador after his wrongful deportation in March 2025. [CNN] - 2025-06-06
supreme-court+third-country-deportation : The Supreme Court on June 23, 2025, lifted a federal judge's injunction that had restricted the Trump administration's ability to deport immigrants to third countries where they have no previous ties. [politico] - 2025-06-23. The justices granted the Trump administration's emergency request to put U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy's nationwide injunction on hold. [politico] - 2025-06-23. Murphy's original injunction had required the administration to give immigrants 'meaningful' advance notice and a chance to raise objections before deportation to so-called third countries. [politico] - 2025-06-23.
trump+independent-agencies :
presidential-removal-power :
independent-agency-firings :
trump+regulatory-capture :
separation-of-powers+agencies :
trump+independent-agencies :
presidential-removal-power :
independent-agency-firings :
trump+regulatory-capture :
separation-of-powers+agencies :
</existing_keywords_summaries>
<wikipedia_requested_titles>
TITLE Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American businessman, media personality, and politician who is the 47th president of the United States since 2025. Before, he was the 45th president from 2017 to 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party. Trump was also the chairman of The Trump Organization from 1971 to 2017.
Trump is a billionaire. Much of his money was made in real estate in New York City, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City. From 2004 to 2015, Trump was the host of his own reality television show The Apprentice.
Trump became the Republican Party nominee for president in 2016. He won that year's presidential election against Democrat Hillary Clinton. He was inaugurated as the 45th president in 2017. Trump lost a second term to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. He did not agree with the result and said he won the election by a "big amount". He tried but failed to change the election results.
In 2022, Trump announced another presidential campaign for the 2024 presidential election, where he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to be elected the 47th president.
In 2023, Trump became the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. In 2024, he became the first former U.S. president convicted of a felony. He is the first felon to serve as president.
== Early life ==
Donald John Trump was born at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, New York City. He is the son of Fred Trump and his wife Mary Anne (née MacLeod). They married in 1936. His mother was born on the Isle of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland. Donald was one of five children. Donald's oldest brother, Fred Jr., died in 1981 at the age of 43, due to an alcohol addiction. Trump's sister, Maryanne, is a judge in New York. Trump's father's parents were German immigrants.
His grandfather, Frederick Trump, immigrated to the United States in 1885. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1892. Frederick married Elisabeth Christ (October 10, 1880 – June 6, 1966) at Kallstadt, State of Bavaria, Germany, on August 26, 1902. They had three children. He studied at Fordham University until transferring to the University of Pennsylvania.
Trump was not drafted during the Vietnam War. This was due to four college deferments and one medical deferment. In an interview with The New York Times, he said his medical deferment was because of heel spurs.
== Career ==
=== Hotel developments ===
Trump began his career at his father's real estate company, Elizabeth Trump & Son. He later renamed the company The Trump Organization, which has its headquarters at 40 Wall Street. The company focused on middle-class rental housing in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. One of Trump's first projects, while he was still in college, was the revitalization of the foreclosed Swifton Village apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father had purchased it for $5.7 million in 1962. Trump became closely involved in the project. With a $500,000 investment, he turned the 1200-unit complex with a 66 percent vacancy rate to 100 percent occupancy within two years. In 1972, the Trump Organization sold Swifton Village for $6 million.
Trump has developed many real estate projects. They include Trump International Hotel and Tower in Honolulu, Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, Trump International Hotel and Tower in Toronto, and Trump Tower in Tampa. In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, one Trump construction project was put on hold in favor of another (Trump International Hotel and Tower in Fort Lauderdale). Trump Towers in Atlanta was being developed in the housing market, however the project fell after the 2008 recession and instead buildings that didn't belong to Trump were built.
In its October 7, 2007 Forbes 400 issue, "Acreage Aces", Forbes valued Trump's wealth at $3 billion. Since 2011, his net worth has been estimated from $2 billion to $7 billion. Forbes estimated his net worth at $3.1 billion in 2019.
=== Beauty pageants ===
From 1996 until 2015, Trump owned part or all of the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants.
=== Wrestling support ===
Trump is a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) fan, and a friend of WWE owner Vince McMahon. In 1988–89 he hosted WrestleMania IV and V at Boardwalk Hall (dubbed "Trump Plaza" for storyline purposes) and has been an active participant in several of the shows. Trump was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 at Madison Square Garden for his contributions to the promotion. He made his sixth WrestleMania appearance the next night.
=== The Apprentice ===
In 2003, Trump became the executive producer and host of the NBC reality show The Apprentice, in which a group of competitors battled for a high-level management job in one of Trump's commercial enterprises. In 2004, Trump filed a trademark application for the catchphrase "You're fired!"
For the first year of the show, Trump earned $50,000 per episode (roughly $700,000 for the first season), but following the show's initial success, he was paid $1 million per episode. In a July 2015 press release, Trump's campaign manager said that NBCUniversal had paid him $213,606,575 for his 14 seasons hosting the show.
On February 16, 2015, NBC announced that they would be renewing The Apprentice for a 15th season. On February 27, Trump stated that he was "not ready" to sign on for another season because of the possibility of a presidential run. On June 29, after a widespread negative reaction stemming from Trump's campaign announcement speech, NBC released a statement saying, "Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump." Trump was replaced by former Governor of California and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
=== Political activity before 2015 ===
Trump switched between political parties a number of times. He registered as a Republican in 1987, a member of the Independence Party in 1999, a Democrat in 2001, a Republican in 2009, with no political party in 2011, and a Republican in 2012.
In 2011, Trump said that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya; Obama was actually born in Hawaii. If Obama had been born in Kenya, he would not have been allowed to run for president. Trump repeatedly said that Obama was lying about where he was born, an idea called "Birtherism". Even after Obama shared his birth certificate with the public, Trump suggested that it could be fake.
== 2016 presidential campaign ==
=== Announcement ===
Trump made a formal announcement of his candidacy for president of the United States for the 2016 elections on June 16, 2015. He made the announcement at 11am EST from his headquarters in Trump Tower in New York City. Trump launched his campaign saying, "We are going to make our Country Great Again" with a commitment to become the "greatest jobs president." Trump's official campaign slogan was "Make America Great Again." That was first used by Alexander Wiley, but Donald Trump trademarked it.
On May 4, 2016, Trump became the presumptive nominee after his only challengers, Texas United States senator Ted Cruz and Governor of Ohio John Kasich, dropped out.
=== Border security and illegal immigration remarks ===
During his announcement speech he stated in part, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." On July 6, 2015, Trump issued a written statement to clarify his position on illegal immigration, which drew a reaction from critics.
=== Ideology ===
Trump has described his political leanings and positions in many ways over time. Politico has called his positions as "eclectic, improvisational and often contradictory". He has listed several different party affiliations over the years, and has also run as a Reform Party candidate. The positions that he has revised or reversed include stances on progressive taxation, abortion, and government involvement in health care.
He has supported Christian groups in the U.S., claiming that he will reverse unfavorable tax treatments preventing them from expressing themselves in the political arena and promising to revive a more widespread use of the phrase "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" in department stores. Other issues he highlighted include taking care of military veterans, making the military "strong", aggressive bombing of the Mideast terrorist group ISIS, surveillance of certain mosques in the U.S., and making trade agreements more favorable to American workers.
=== Primaries ===
Trump entered a large field of candidates consisting of 16 other Republican candidates campaigning for the nomination, the largest presidential field in American history. By early 2016, the race had mostly centered on Donald Trump and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. On Super Tuesday, Trump won the majority of the delegates and remained the front-runner throughout the primaries.
Finishing in June 2016 with nearly 14 million votes, Trump broke the all-time record for winning the most primary votes in the history of the Republican Party.
=== General campaign and election ===
After becoming the presumptive Republican nominee, Trump's focus shifted to the general election, urging remaining primary voters to "save [their] vote for the general election." Trump began targeting Hillary Clinton, who became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 6, 2016 after beating Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries, and continued to campaign across the country. Clinton had established a significant lead in national polls over Trump throughout most of 2016. In early July, Clinton's lead narrowed in national polling averages following the FBI's conclusion of its investigation into her ongoing email controversy.
On September 26, 2016, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton faced off in the first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Lester Holt, an anchor with NBC News, was the moderator. This was the most watched presidential debate in United States history.
On November 8, 2016, Trump won the presidency with 306 electoral votes to Clinton's 232 votes, even though Trump won a smaller part of the popular vote than Clinton. He is the fourth person to become president without winning the popular vote. The final popular vote difference between Clinton and Trump is that Clinton finished ahead by 2.86 million or 2.1 percentage points, 48.04% to 45.95%, with neither candidate reaching a majority. Trump's victory was considered a big political upset, as nearly all national polls at the time showed Hillary Clinton with a modest lead over Trump, and state polls showed her with a modest lead to win the Electoral College. In the early hours of November 9, 2016, Trump received a phone call in which Clinton conceded the presidency to him. Trump then delivered his victory speech before hundreds of supporters in the Hilton Hotel in New York City.
Trump's presidential transition team was led by Chris Christie until November 11, 2016, when Vice President-elect Mike Pence took over.
== First presidency, 2017–2021 ==
=== Inauguration ===
On January 20, 2017, Trump was sworn in by Chief Justice John G. Roberts as President of the United States at his inauguration ceremony at the United States Capitol Building. Within his first hour as president, he signed several executive orders, including an order to minimize "the economic burden" of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
On the Saturday following Trump's inauguration there were massive demonstrations protesting Trump in the United States and worldwide, including the 2017 Women's March.
=== Cabinet and staff ===
The following people were part of Donald Trump's cabinet. They are the most senior officers of the executive branch.
Secretary of State: Rex Tillerson (2017-2018), Mike Pompeo (2018-2021)
Secretary of the Treasury: Steven Mnuchin
Secretary of Defense: James Mattis (2017-2019), Mark Esper (2019-2021)
Attorney General: Jeff Sessions (2017-2018), William Barr (2019-2021)
Secretary of the Interior: Ryan Zinke (2017-2019), David Bernhardt (2019-2021)
Secretary of Agriculture: Sonny Perdue
Secretary of Commerce: Wilbur Ross
Secretary of Labor: Alexander Acosta (2017-2019), Eugene Scalia (2019-2021)
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Price (2017), Alex Azar (2018-2021)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Ben Carson
Secretary of Transportation: Elaine Chao
Secretary of Energy: Rick Perry (2017-2019), Dan Brouillette (2019-2021)
Secretary of Education: Betsy DeVos
Secretary of Veterans' Affairs: David Shulkin (2017-2018), Robert Wilkie (2018-2021)
Secretary of Homeland Security: John F. Kelly (2017), Kirstjen Nielsen (2017-2019)
The following people held other important jobs in the executive branch. They are also selected by the president.
White House Chief of Staff: Reince Priebus (2017), John F. Kelly (2017-2019), Mark Meadows (2020-2021)
United States Trade Representative: Robert Lighthizer
Director of National Intelligence: Dan Coats (2017-2019), John Ratcliffe (2020-2021)
Ambassador to the United Nations: Nikki Haley (2017-2019), Kelly Craft (2019-2021)
Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Mick Mulvaney (2017-2020), Russell Vought (2020-2021)
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency: Mike Pompeo (2017-2018), Gina Haspel (2018-2021)
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Scott Pruitt (2017-2018), Andrew R. Wheeler (2019-2021)
Administrator of the Small Business Administration: Linda McMahon (2017-2019), Jovita Carranza (2020-2021)
=== First days ===
On January 23, 2017 Trump signed the executive order withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement between the United States and eleven Pacific Rim nations—Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam that would have created a "free-trade zone for about 40 percent of the world's economy." Two days later, he ordered the construction of the Mexico border wall. He reopened the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline construction projects.
On January 27, an order suspended admission of refugees for 120 days and denied entry to citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, citing security concerns about terrorism. Later, the administration seemed to reverse a portion of part of the order, effectively exempting visitors with a green card. Several federal judges issued rulings that curtailed parts of the immigration order, stopping the federal government from deporting visitors already affected.
On January 30, 2017, Trump fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates because of her criticisms of Trump's immigration suspension. On January 31, 2017, Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
=== Allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election ===
Trump claimed there was no collusion and no obstruction and on May 9, 2017, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey after he reportedly asked for more information and funding for the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. The White House stated that this was not true, and that Trump fired Comey in order to end the investigation. After The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump's National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn was under investigation by U.S. counterintelligence agents for his communications with Russian officials, Flynn resigned on February 13, 2017. Two days later on February 15, Trump's Secretary of Labor-nominee Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination due to not having support from Democrats or Republicans to confirm his nomination.
As of March 2018, Trump is reportedly a "subject" of the Robert Mueller investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, meaning his conduct is being looked at, but not a "target" which would indicate the likelihood of criminal charges.
=== Military actions ===
On April 7, 2017, Trump ordered the launch of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea into Syria, aimed at Shayrat Airbase as a reaction to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack.
=== Healthcare ===
On May 4, 2017, the American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) was passed narrowly to replace and repeal Obamacare by the United States House of Representatives with a vote of 217 to 213, sending the bill to the Senate for voting. This is the second time the AHCA was voted in the House as the first version was not approved by the House in March 2017.
=== Paris Agreement withdrawal ===
On June 1, 2017, he announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate agreement, making the United States one of only three nations, including Syria and Nicaragua, to do so. On June 16, 2017, President Trump announced that he was "cancelling" the Obama administrations deals with Cuba, while also expressing that a new deal could be negotiated between the Cuban and United States governments. In response to President Biden's rejoining of the Paris Climate agreement, President Trump withdrew once again after being inaugurated on January 20, 2025.
=== First actions to impeach ===
On July 12, 2017, California Representative Brad Sherman formally introduced an article of impeachment, H. Res. 438, accusing the president of obstructing justice regarding the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
=== LGBT rights ===
On July 26, 2017, Trump tweeted that the "United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail." Trump cited the alleged "disruption" and "tremendous medical costs" of having transgender service members.
=== Unite the Right rally ===
Between August 11 and 12, 2017, there was a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia regarding the removal of Confederate statues. Trump did not speak out against white nationalists explicitly, instead condemning "hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides" leading people to think he did not take a harsh approach on racism.
=== North Korea ===
In late August, Trump dramatically increased tensions against North Korea, warning that more threats against the U.S. will be responded to with "fire and fury like the world has never seen." North Korean leader Kim Jong-un then threatened to direct the country's next missile test toward Guam. Trump responded in his war-related service that if North Korea took steps to attack Guam, "things [would] happen to them like they never thought possible."
In March 2018, Trump fired United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replaced him with Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Mike Pompeo. Later that month, the White House confirmed that President Trump would accept a meeting invitation from Kim Jong-un. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that "in the meantime, all sanctions and maximum pressure must remain."
In May 2018, Trump announced on Twitter that he will meet with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un on June 12, 2018, in Singapore for peace talks.
=== Immigration ===
In September 2017, Trump controversially oversaw the rescinding of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or "DACA" which removed protections for children immigrants and removed benefits. The decision was announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Two injunctions in January and February 2018 allowed renewals of applications and stopped the rolling back of DACA, and in April 2018 a federal judge ordered the acceptance of new applications; this would go into effect in 90 days.
=== Hurricane Maria ===
On October 3, Trump visited Puerto Rico after it was damaged by Hurricane Maria and the next day visited Las Vegas to visit the victims from the Las Vegas shooting.
=== Economy ===
In December 2017, Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which cut the corporate tax rate to 21%, lowered personal tax brackets, increased child tax credit, doubled the estate tax threshold to $11.2 million, and limited the state and local tax deduction to $10,000.
In February 2018, Trump praised the bill for increasing pay for millions, after announcements of bonuses from many companies. These bonuses have been criticized by the bill's opponents as publicity stunts, and economists have said many of them would have happened anyway due to low unemployment.
=== First impeachment ===
On December 18, 2019, the House of Representatives voted to have Trump impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. On February 5, 2020, the Senate found Trump not guilty of all charges.
=== 2020 re-election bid ===
Trump announced his plans to run for a second term by filing with the FEC within a few hours of assuming the presidency. This transformed his 2016 election committee into a 2020 reelection one. Trump marked the official start of the campaign with a rally in Melbourne, Florida, on February 18, 2017, less than a month after taking office.
By January 2018, Trump's re-election committee had $22 million in hand, and it had raised a total amount exceeding $67 million by December 2018. $23 million was spent in the fourth quarter of 2018, as Trump supported various Republican candidates for the 2018 midterm elections. He made an official re-election campaign launch on June 18, 2019 in Orlando, Florida.
In the 2020 primaries, Trump faced primary challenges from former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld and former U.S. Representatives Joe Walsh. Former South Carolina Governor and former U.S. Representative Mark Sanford also campaigned against him but withdrew from the race.
Trump lost re-election and refused to concede.
=== Defeat and attempts to overturn results ===
On November 7, Trump was defeated by former Vice President Joe Biden after Trump lost Pennsylvania and Nevada. Trump claimed voter fraud through the mail-in voting and threatened to use the United States Supreme Court to stop the states from counting the vote. He had unsuccessfully sued many states trying to make him the winner in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin and Georgia.
Many Republican representatives and senators planned to object the United States Congress's formally recognizing Biden's electoral college victory on January 6, 2021. In early January 2021, Trump made a phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in an attempt to find "11,780 votes" trying to remove Biden's victory in the state.
=== U.S. Capitol riots ===
On January 6, 2021, while the United States Congress were certifying the election results, rioters stormed the United States Capitol in violent protests across Washington, D.C..
After this, Trump got his Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts deleted. On January 8, 2021, Trump was banned from Twitter. The events from the Capitol riots led to new efforts to impeach Trump from the presidency.
=== Second impeachment ===
His actions towards the Capitol riots, led to the U.S. House to impeach Trump for a second time, making him the only President to be impeached twice.
=== Court appointments ===
During his presidency, Trump appointed three justices to the Supreme Court: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.
== First post-presidency, 2021–2025 ==
=== Election obstruction case (in federal court) ===
Trump is being prosecuted (as of 2024), "for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election". About when the case can go to trial: "it almost certainly" cannot happen before the presidential election in November, according to Politico.com; Furthermore, about the chances of the case going to trial: "there’s still [a possibility, or] a narrow window" for that to happen. The case is being handled by a lower court in the federal court system.
Media said that the Supreme Court’s decision in July, says "that former presidents have “absolute” immunity from criminal prosecution over actions that fall within their “core constitutional powers,” and that they are also entitled to immunity for many other “official” acts."
The indictment was [made narrow, or] narrowed by the supreme court's decision (in July), according to media.
Earlier (August 1, 2023) a Washington D.C. federal grand jury indicted Trump on four counts related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election:
Conspiracy to defraud the United States
Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding
Obstruction of an official proceeding - and trying to obstruct that proceeding
Conspiracy against rights
This Election obstruction case, is sometimes called the "federal election case in Washington D.C." Trump is charged with conspiring to subvert the 2020 election, according to media.".
Trump is charged with conspiring to subvert the 2020 election, according to media".The judge (in the trial) "has scheduled a Sept. 5 hearing to set a course for the case", according to media. Furthermore, during the previous month, a new "indictment [... removed] some specific allegations against Trump".
==== 2024 hearing in U.S. supreme court ====
The supreme court made (July 2024) its decision about its hearing about Trump's claim of immunity from prosecution. The decision says, according to media, that "Trump is immune from prosecution for some [things, or] acts in" at least one of the court cases, the federal election case; Furthermore, "The opinion leaves much [without a decision, or] unresolved; Furthermore, the court has sent "the case back to trial court for further proceedings".
Some of the decisions (by the court), are called an opinion.
Earlier (April 2024), the U.S. supreme court started to hear (ideas or) arguments about immunity against prosecution.
The hearing is sometimes called Trump v. United States (2024).
=== Falsifying business records (trial in state court) ===
In May 2024, Trump was convicted by a jury; The judge (in the case) is supposed to hand down a sentence, on November 26; Earlier, Trump "had a probation interview as part of the sentencing process for his criminal conviction", according to media; Furthermore, he "did the interview [by video link, or] virtually from his Florida home ... with a probation officer at the Manhattan court"; Trump's lawyer was alongside Trump. From the day of getting his sentence, Trump will have 30 days to make an appeal. Trump is not detained (as of the beginning of July). He has not been ordered to (pay or) post bail (in this case.)
A (theory about Law, or a) "legal theory [was used in the court case,] that [made it possible or] enabled prosecutors to [change or] transform 34 misdemeanor counts [...] into a felony case against" Trump, according to Politico.com.
Earlier, Michael Cohen [gave] his testimony; He is "prosecutors’ key witness against" Trump, according to the media. Earlier, Stormy Daniels gave her testimony.
Earlier (April 15, 2024), the trial started.
Earlier (March 30, 2023) the Manhattan district attorney's office confirmed that a New York grand jury had indicted Trump.
Media wrote (September 3, 2024) that the judge is "weighing requests from Trump to toss out the verdict or postpone the sentencing hearing until after Election Day".
=== Classified documents case (in federal court) ===
There is no date for the trial in Florida [as of July 5]; Trump's lawyers have asked the judge, if Trump can get a "chance to argue the immunity issue", in front of the judge "between now and early September, [... and that will delay or pause] all other proceedings in the case by two months". Earlier (March 1, 2024) a hearing was held; The judge "did not [make or] issue any rulings", during the hearing.
Earlier (June 8, 2023) the Justice Department indicted Trump in Miami federal court, for
on purpose, keeping "national defense information under the Espionage Act"; He has been charged with doing those 31 times.
"One count of making false statements, and"
(together with or) "jointly with a personal aide ... conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding government documents, corruptly concealing records, concealing a document in a federal investigation and scheming to conceal [the efforts of those two people, or] their efforts".
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges. The judge in the court case tried to find out in court if the U.S. attorney general "is supervising Jack Smith" [as of June 2024]; The judge did not get information about how much contact there is between the special prosecutors and the U.S. attorney general.
On July 15, 2024, the judge at Donald Trump's trial for withholding classified documents after his departure from the White House annuls the entire procedure, considering that the appointment of special prosecutor Jack Smith was illegal.
The case is sometimes called the Government and classified documents case.
==== Background ====
On December 19, 2022, (a committee of the U.S. Congress, or) the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack recommended criminal charges against Trump for obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and inciting or assisting an insurrection. Earlier (August 8, 2022) FBI agents searched Trump's residence, office, and storage areas at Mar-a-Lago to find government documents and material Trump had taken with him when he left office in violation of the Presidential Records Act. The items taken in the search included 11 sets of classified documents; Four of those had the tag "top secret" and one had the tag "top secret/SCI", the highest level of classification. The search warrant (was signed by, or) was approved by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
=== Other trials and cases ===
==== Georgia election interference case (in state court) ====
The state of Georgia has criminal charges against Trump. A trial "will not come before a jury in 2024", according to media (in June). Furthermore, an appeals court made a decision (early June 2024), to stop pretrial proceedings while a panel (of three) judges thinks about having the lead prosecutor kicked off the case; She is also the district attorney of Fulton county.
Earlier (May 2024), an appeals court made a decision to hear the [ demand] that the district attorney should be kicked off the case against Trump. Three "of the 13 felony counts [that] Trump faces in the case", have been taken away, according to media (on March 13, 2024); Furthermore, "the central charge of a racketeering conspiracy aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state", is still in place. (A count, is an offence that a defendant gets charged with, in an indictment.)
As of 2024's first quarter, there are allegations that there has been (wrong behavior or) prosecutorial misconduct in that case. The judge ruled (March 15) that the district attorney "can continue" in the case against "Trump and his co-defendants ... if one of her top prosecutors on the case ... is removed from the team"; That prosecutor resigned that day. In regard to the court hearings about taking the district attorney off the case (or disqualifying her): On March 1, there was a court hearing. Earlier (February 27) one of those that witnessed at an earlier hearing, testified again; He had been ordered to testify again. Media said earlier (February 23) that a new affidavit from a private investigator, says that phone records show that the district attorney and Nathan Wade had more than 2,000 phone calls and more than 11,000 text messages during an 11 month period of 2021; The district attorney and Wade have testified that they were not in a romantic relationship during that time; Earlier (February 15) a hearing started; Earlier (February 12), the judge in the case said that he will consider taking district attorney Fani Willis off the case, if there was a financial conflict-of-interest between Willis and the man that she gave a job to (as special prosecutor in the Trump case); That man is Nathan Wade.
Earlier (February 2), Willis said in a document to the court, that she has been in a personal relationship with Wade since 2022.
As of the beginning of March 2024, trial dates for 15 defendants have not been set; Four other defendants have earlier made a guilty plea.
The court case is in Fulton County Superior Court, a state court. Georgia election racketeering prosecution, is one of the names of the case.
==== New York State's fraud case (trial in civil court) ====
In September 2022, the New York State Attorney General filed a fraud case (a civil lawsuit) against Trump, his three oldest children, and the Trump Organization.
In February 2024, the court found Trump (responsible according to law, or) liable. Trump said he would appeal the verdict. In March, the court system said that he "can post a bond of $175 million while he appeals the verdict". On April 1, he posted bond. A U.S. authority has asked [the court] (and "filed notice"), "for evidence that the company, which backed the bond ... can pay up if" necessary.
The case is sometimes called New York civil investigation of The Trump Organization.
==== E. Jean Carroll's lawsuits (trial in civil court) ====
In February 2024, there was a verdict against Trump. The next month, Trump got "a bond that will prevent E. Jean Carroll from immediately enforcing [a c. $83 million, or] an $83.3 million defamation verdict while Trump" is appealing (or asking for another trial, in a higher court).
=== Cases with a final decision (or verdict) ===
==== Case about being on the ballot (March 2024) in Illinois ====
Trump won a case in March 2024; He gets to have his name on the ballot in Illinois. During the previous month, Trump appealed a court ruling in Illinois, that says that the Illinois Board of Elections must remove Trump's name from the ballot of the (March 19) primary election.
=== 2024 presidential campaign ===
On November 15, 2022, Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 United States presidential election and created a fundraising account.
He has won 995 delegates, as of March 6, 2024. He needs to have 1,215 to win the primary elections (or the Republican presidential caucus).
Trump won in Utah, Alaska, California, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Maine, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Massachusetts and Minnesota. Those elections were held on Super Tuesday.
He lost Vermont and American Samoa (March 6, 2024).
Earlier (March 4) he lost Washington D.C.
Earlier Trump won 4 states: Missouri, Michigan, South Carolina, and Iowa. He won a landslide victory in the 2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses.
On July 15, 2024, the first day of the Republican National Convention, Trump announced JD Vance as his nominee for vice president.
==== Attempted assassination ====
On July 13, 2024, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump. People at the rally and in videos have shown that Trump was bleeding from his right ear after the shooting. He put his fist into the air for a few seconds. He was quickly brought to a vehicle afterwards. He was brought to the hospital. The shooter and a spectator were killed. Trump and two others were injured.
== Second presidency, 2025–present ==
=== Presidential transition ===
Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States in November 2024. He beat vice president Kamala Harris. He became the second president in U.S. history elected to serve non-consecutive terms after former president Grover Cleveland. The Associated Press and BBC News described it as a comeback for a former president. At age 78 at the time of the 2024 election, Trump is the oldest person to be elected U.S. president, and the first convicted felon to become U.S. president. He was also set to become the first Republican in twenty years to win the popular vote in the U.S. presidential elections. Trump received congratulatory messages from politicians all over the world.
== Personal life ==
Trump has five children by three marriages and has ten grandchildren. Trump is a Presbyterian. As a child, he began going to church at the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens.
=== Marriages ===
Trump married his first wife, Czech model Ivana Zelníčková, on April 7, 1977, at the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan. They had three children: son Donald Trump Jr. (born December 31, 1977), daughter Ivanka (born October 30, 1981), and son Eric (born January 6, 1984). Ivana became a naturalized United States citizen in 1988. By early 1990, Trump's troubled marriage to Ivana and affair with actress Marla Maples had been reported in the tabloid press. They were divorced in 1992.
Trump married his second wife, actress Marla Maples in 1993. They had one daughter together, Tiffany (born October 13, 1993). The couple were separated in 1997 and later divorced in 1999.
In 1998, Trump began a relationship with Slovene model Melania Knauss, who became his third wife. They were engaged in April 2004 and were married on January 22, 2005, at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, in Palm Beach, Florida. In 2006, Melania became a naturalized United States citizen. On March 20, 2006, she gave birth to their son, whom they named Barron Trump.
=== Health ===
A medical report by his doctor, Harold Bornstein MD, showed that Trump's blood pressure, liver and thyroid function were in normal range. Trump says that he has never smoked cigarettes or consumed other drugs, including marijuana. He also does not drink alcohol, a decision after his brother's death caused by alcoholism. His BMI, according to his December 2016 visit on Doctor Oz, is just under 30, which is "high".
In February 2019, a new medical test found Trump to be clinically obese. He was later diagnosed with coronary artery disease.
On October 1, 2020, Trump announced on Twitter that he and his wife tested positive for COVID-19. He was briefly hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
== References ==
== Other websites ==
Donald J. Trump for President campaign website
Bio of Trump at the Trump Organization
Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
Profile at Project Vote Smart
Donald Trump on IMDb
Trump Appearances on C-SPAN
Donald Trump at the Open Directory Project
TITLE Article One of the United States Constitution
Article One of the United States Constitution establishes the legislative branch of the federal government, the United States Congress. The Congress is a bicameral legislature consisting of a House of Representatives and a Senate
Section 1: Legislative power vested in Congress
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.
Section 1 gives federal legislative power exclusively to Congress. Similar clauses are found in Articles II and III. The former gives executive power to the President. The latter grants judicial power to the federal judiciary. These three articles create a separation of powers among the three branches of the federal government. The separation of powers was intended to limit Congress to making law, the President to enforcing the law and the courts as interpreting the law in different cases.
There is no provision in the Constitution that gives Congress the power to investigate. However, before the adoption of the Constitution, assemblies| in the American colonies exercised that power. Before them, the British Parliament had investigative powers. Congress has always considered it an implicit power in the Constitution. In McGrain v. Daugherty (1927), the Supreme Court held that Congress did have the power to investigate.
== Section 2: House of Representatives ==
=== Clause 1: Composition and election of Members ===
The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
Section Two provides for the election every two years of members of the House of Representatives by the people of the respective states. The "electors" (voters) in the state are those who the state decides are eligible to vote for "the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature" are eligible to vote for members of the House of Representatives from that state.
=== Clause 2: Qualifications of Members ===
No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.
The Constitution provides three requirements for Representatives. A Representative must be at least 25 years old. He or she must live in the state in which he or she is elected. A Representative must also have been a citizen of the United States for the previous seven years.
=== Clause 3: Apportionment of Representatives and taxes ===
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse [sic] three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.
After much debate, the framers of the Constitution compromised and made population the basis of determining the number of seats (called apportionment) in the House of Representatives. It also used apportionment to determine the tax liability among the states. To accomplish this, the Constitution requires that a census be conducted every ten years. This is to determine the population of each state and of the nation as a whole. It also establishes a rule for who should and who should not be included in the count. Because the Constitution would go into effect before the completion of a national census, it provides for a temporary apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives.
Originally, the population of each state and of the nation as a whole was determined by adding to the whole number of free Persons, three-fifths the number of all other persons (slaves), but excluding non-taxed Native Americans. This Constitutional rule was known as the three-fifths compromise. It was used to determine the number of Representatives in the House. Larger states contributed more money and would have more seats in the House of Representatives.
The Fourteenth Amendment removed the three-fifths rule and ordered the census to count everyone regardless of skin color. It stipulated that males over the age of twenty-one could vote. The Sixteenth Amendment removed the connection between apportionment and direct taxes. The 19th Amendment removed the restriction by sex allowing women to vote. The 26th Amendment reduced the voting age requirement to those 18 years of age and older. But none of these amendments changed congressional apportionment.
Since enactment of the Reapportionment Act of 1929, Congress set the number of House seats at 435, except in 1959 when Alaska and Hawaii were admitted as states. Then the number became 437 temporarily.
=== Clause 4: Vacancies ===
When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.
Section two, Clause four, provides that when vacancies occur in the House of Representatives, it is not the job of the House of Representatives to arrange for a replacement. It is the job of the State whose vacant seat is up for refilling. In addition, the Constitution does not authorize a State Governor to appoint a temporary replacement. He is to arrange for a special election to fill the vacancy. The original qualifications and procedures for holding that election are still valid.
=== Clause 5: Speaker and other officers; Impeachment ===
The House of Representatives shall choose [sic] their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.
Section Two also provides that the House of Representatives may choose its Speaker and its other officers. The Constitution does not require it but every Speaker has been a member of the House of Representatives. The Speaker rarely presides over routine House sessions. Instead he chooses to deputize a junior member to accomplish the task.
Finally, Section Two grants to the House of Representatives the sole power of impeachment. Although the Supreme Court has not had an occasion to interpret this specific provision, the Court has suggested that the grant to the House of the "sole" power of impeachment makes the House the exclusive interpreter of what constitutes an impeachable offense.
This power, which is analogous to the bringing of criminal charges by a grand jury, has been used only rarely. The House of Representatives has initiated impeachment proceedings 62 times since 1789, and nineteen federal officials have been formally impeached as a result, including: three Presidents (Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump), one Cabinet Secretary (William W. Belknap), one Senator (William Blount), one Supreme Court Associate Justice (Samuel Chase), and fourteen federal judges.
The Constitution does not specify how impeachment proceedings are to be initiated. Until the early 20th century, a House member could rise and propose an impeachment, which would then be assigned to a committee for investigation. Presently, it is the House Judiciary Committee that initiates the process. It does this only after investigating the allegations, prepares recommendations for the whole House's consideration. If the House votes to adopt an impeachment resolution, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee recommends a slate of "managers," whom the House subsequently approves by resolution. These Representatives then become the prosecution team in the impeachment trial in the Senate (see Section 3, Clause 6 below).
== Section 3: Senate ==
=== Clause 1: Composition; Election of Senators ===
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.
The first Clause of Section Three provides that each state is entitled to have two Senators. It states they would be elected by its state legislature and serve six-year terms. Each Senator has one vote. By these provisions, the framers of the Constitution intended to protect the interests of the states as states. However, this clause has been superseded by the Seventeenth Amendment, ratified in 1913. Due to problems in the Senate, it was changed to Senators would now be elected by the people instead of the state legislatures.
=== Clause 2: Classification of Senators; Vacancies ===
Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.
Approximately one-third of the Senate is up for re-election every two years. But the entire body is never up for re-election in the same year. The Seventeenth Amendment changed how vacancies would be filled. Under the Seventeenth Amendment, if a Senator dies or has to leave office, his state governor may appoint a temporary Senator until a special election can be held.
=== Clause 3: Qualifications of Senators ===
No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.
A Senator must be at least 30 years of age, must have been a citizen of the United States for at least nine years before being elected, and must reside in the State he or she will represent at the time of the election. As with Representatives in the House, the Constitution sets the qualifications to be a Senator.
=== Clause 4: Vice President as President of Senate ===
The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.
Section Three provides that the vice president is the President of the Senate. When serving in this capacity, the vice president, who is not a member of the Senate, may cast a vote to break a tie. Early in the nation's history, vice presidents frequently presided over the Senate. In modern times, the vice president usually does so only during ceremonial occasions or when a tie in the voting is anticipated. A tie-breaking vote has been cast 243 times by 35 different vice presidents.
=== Clause 5: President pro tempore and other officers ===
The Senate shall choose [sic] their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of the President of the United States.
Clause five provides for a President pro tempore of the Senate (meaning temporary), a Senator elected to the post by the Senate, to preside over the body when the Vice President is either absent or exercising the Office of the President.
The Senate's current practice is to elect a full-time President pro tempore at the beginning of each Congress, as opposed to making it a temporary office only existing during the Vice President's absence. Since World War II, the senior (longest serving) member of the majority party has filled this position. As is true of the Speaker of the House, the Constitution does not require that the President pro tempore be a senator, but by tradition, a senator is always chosen.
=== Clause 6: Trial of Impeachment ===
The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.
The House of Representatives votes to impeach a president, vice president or other civil officer, but the Senate serves as judge and jury. The defendant in the trial can be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Senate. Only three times has the Senate brought impeachment charges against a president still in office. This was in 1868 against Andrew Johnson, in 1998 against Bill Clinton, and in 2020 against Donald Trump. In each case, the president was not convicted and allowed to serve out his term of office.
=== Clause 7: Judgment in cases of impeachment; Punishment on conviction ===
Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.
If any officer is convicted on impeachment, he or she is immediately removed from office. He or she may be barred from holding any public office in the future. No other punishments may be used. Any person removed from office may still be criminally prosecuted. They may also be subject to lawsuits.
== Section 4: Congressional elections ==
=== Clause 1: Time, place, and manner of holding ===
The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing [sic] Senators.
State legislatures have the task of deciding how congressional elections are held. They may decide the scheduling of an election, where voters may cast ballots and how voters are to register. Congress has the right to change these rules.
=== Clause 2: Sessions of Congress ===
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.
Clause 2 fixes an annual date upon which Congress must meet. By doing so, the Constitution gives Congress the power to meet, whether or not the President called it into session.
== Section 5: Procedure ==
=== Clause 1: Qualifications of Members ===
Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.
Section Five states that a majority of each House constitutes a quorum to do business; a smaller number may adjourn the House or compel the attendance of absent members. In practice, the quorum requirement is all but ignored. A quorum is assumed to be present unless a quorum call, requested by a member, proves otherwise. Rarely do members ask for quorum calls to demonstrate the absence of a quorum; more often, they use the quorum call as a delaying tactic.
=== Clause 2: Rules ===
Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.
Each House can determine its own Rules (assuming a quorum is present), and may punish any of its members. A two-thirds vote is necessary to expel a member. Section 5, Clause 2 does not provide specific guidance to each House regarding when and how each House may change its rules, leaving details to the respective chambers.
=== Clause 3: Record of proceedings ===
Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the desire of one fifth of those present, be entered on the Journal.
Each House must keep and publish a Journal, though it may choose to keep any part of the Journal secret. The decisions of the House—not the words spoken during debates—are recorded in the Journal; if one-fifth of those present (assuming a quorum is present) request it, the votes of the members on a particular question must also be entered.
=== Clause 4: Adjournment ===
Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.
Neither House may adjourn, without the consent of the other, for more than three days. Often, a House will hold pro forma sessions every three days. Such sessions are held just to fulfill the constitutional requirement. They are not for the purpose of conducting business. Neither House may meet in any place other than that designated for both Houses (the Capitol), without the consent of the other House.
== Section 6: Compensation, privileges, and restrictions on holding civil office ==
=== Clause 1: Compensation and legal protection ===
The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.
Senators and Representatives set their own compensation. Under the Twenty-seventh Amendment, any change in their compensation will not take effect until after the next congressional election.
Members of both Houses have certain privileges, based on those enjoyed by the members of the British Parliament. Members attending, going to or returning from either House are privileged from arrest, except for treason, felony or breach of the peace. One may not sue a Senator or Representative for slander that may happen during Congressional debate, nor may speech by a member of Congress during a Congressional session be the basis for criminal prosecution.
=== Clause 2: Independence from the executive ===
No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.
Senators and Representatives may not simultaneously serve in Congress and hold a position in the executive branch. This restriction is meant to protect legislative independence by preventing the president from using patronage to buy votes in Congress. It is a major difference from the political system in the British Parliament, where cabinet ministers are required to be members of parliament.
== Section 7: Bills ==
=== Clause 1: Bills of revenue ===
All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.
This establishes the method for making Acts of Congress that involve taxation. Accordingly, any bill may originate in either House of Congress, except for a revenue bill, which may originate only in the House of Representatives.
This clause of the U.S. Constitution stemmed from an English parliamentary practice that all money bills must have their first reading in the House of Commons. This practice was intended to ensure that the power of the purse is possessed by the legislative body most responsive to the people, although the English practice was modified in America by allowing the Senate to amend these bills.
=== Clause 2: From bills to law ===
Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.
This clause is known as the Presentment Clause. Before a bill becomes law, it must be presented to the President, who has ten days (excluding Sundays) to act upon it. If the President signs the bill, it becomes law. If he disapproves of the bill, he must return it to the House in which it originated together with his objections. This procedure has become known as the veto, although that particular word does not appear in the text of Article One. The bill does not then become law unless both Houses, by two-thirds votes, override the veto. If the President neither signs nor returns the bill within the ten-day limit, the bill becomes law, unless the Congress has adjourned in the meantime, thereby preventing the President from returning the bill to the House in which it originated. In the latter case, the President, by taking no action on the bill towards the end of a session, exercises a "pocket veto", which Congress may not override. In the former case, where the President allows a bill to become law unsigned, there is no common name for the practice, but recent scholarship has termed it a "default enactment."
What exactly constitutes an adjournment for the purposes of the pocket veto has been unclear. In the Pocket Veto Case (1929), the Supreme Court held that "the determinative question in reference to an 'adjournment' is not whether it is a final adjournment of Congress or an interim adjournment, such as an adjournment of the first session, but whether it is one that 'prevents' the President from returning the bill to the House in which it originated within the time allowed." Since neither House of Congress was in session, the President could not return the bill to one of them, thereby permitting the use of the pocket veto. In Wright v. United States (1938), however, the Court ruled that adjournments of one House only did not constitute an adjournment of Congress required for a pocket veto. In such cases, the Secretary or Clerk of the House in question was ruled competent to receive the bill.
=== Clause 3: Presidential veto ===
Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.
In 1996, Congress passed the Line Item Veto Act, which permitted the President, at the time of the signing of the bill, to rescind certain expenditures. The Congress could disapprove the cancellation and reinstate the funds. The President could veto the disapproval, but the Congress, by a two-thirds vote in each House, could override the veto. In the case Clinton v. City of New York, the Supreme Court found the Line Item Veto Act unconstitutional because it violated the Presentment clause. First, the procedure delegated legislative powers to the President, thereby violating the nondelegation doctrine. Second, the procedure violated the terms of Section Seven, which state, "if he approve [the bill] he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it." Thus, the President may sign the bill, veto it, or do nothing, but he may not amend the bill and then sign it.
Every bill, order, resolution, or vote that must be passed by both Houses, except on a question of adjournment, must be presented to the President before becoming law. However, to propose a constitutional amendment, two-thirds of both Houses may submit it to the states for the ratification, without any consideration by the President, as prescribed in Article V.
== Section 8: Powers of Congress ==
=== Enumerated powers ===
Congress's legislative powers are enumerated in Section Eight:
The Congress shall have power
To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And
To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.
Many powers of Congress have been interpreted broadly. Most notably, the Taxing and Spending, Interstate Commerce, and Necessary and Proper Clauses have been deemed to grant expansive powers to Congress.
Congress may lay and collect taxes for the "common defense" or "general welfare" of the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court has not often defined "general welfare," leaving the political question to Congress. In United States v. Butler (1936), the Court for the first time construed the clause. The dispute centered on a tax collected from processors of agricultural products such as meat; the funds raised by the tax were not paid into the general funds of the treasury, but were rather specially earmarked for farmers. The Court struck down the tax, ruling that the general welfare language in the Taxing and Spending Clause related only to "matters of national, as distinguished from local, welfare". Congress continues to make expansive use of the Taxing and Spending Clause; for instance, the social security program is authorized under the Taxing and Spending Clause.
Congress has the power to borrow money on the credit of the United States. In 1871, when deciding Knox v. Lee, the Court ruled that this clause permitted Congress to emit bills and make them legal tender in satisfaction of debts. Whenever Congress borrows money, it is obligated to repay the sum as stipulated in the original agreement. However, such agreements are only "binding on the conscience of the sovereign", as the doctrine of sovereign immunity prevents a creditor from suing in court if the government reneges its commitment.
=== Commerce Clause ===
The Congress shall have Power [...] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
The Supreme Court has seldom restrained the use of the commerce clause for widely varying purposes. The first important decision related to the commerce clause was Gibbons v. Ogden, decided by a unanimous Court in 1824. The case involved conflicting federal and state laws: Thomas Gibbons had a federal permit to navigate steamboats in the Hudson River, while the other, Aaron Ogden, had a monopoly to do the same granted by the state of New York. Ogden contended that "commerce" included only buying and selling of goods and not their transportation. Chief Justice John Marshall rejected this notion. Marshall suggested that "commerce" included navigation of goods, and that it "must have been contemplated" by the Framers. Marshall added that Congress's power over commerce "is complete in itself, may be exercised to its utmost extent, and acknowledges no limitations other than are prescribed in the Constitution".
The expansive interpretation of the Commerce Clause was restrained during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when a laissez-faire attitude dominated the Court. In United States v. E. C. Knight Company (1895), the Supreme Court limited the newly enacted Sherman Antitrust Act, which had sought to break up the monopolies dominating the nation's economy. The Court ruled that Congress could not regulate the manufacture of goods, even if they were later shipped to other states. Chief Justice Melville Fuller wrote, "commerce succeeds to manufacture, and is not a part of it."
The U.S. Supreme Court sometimes ruled New Deal programs unconstitutional because they stretched the meaning of the commerce clause. In Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, (1935) the Court unanimously struck down industrial codes regulating the slaughter of poultry, declaring that Congress could not regulate commerce relating to the poultry, which had "come to a permanent rest within the State." As Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes put it, "so far as the poultry here in question is concerned, the flow of interstate commerce has ceased." Judicial rulings against attempted use of Congress's Commerce Clause powers continued during the 1930s.
In 1937, the Supreme Court began moving away from its laissez-faire attitude concerning Congressional legislation and the Commerce Clause, when it ruled in National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Company, that the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (commonly known as the Wagner Act) was constitutional. The legislation under scrutiny, prevented employers from engaging in "unfair labor practices" such as firing workers for joining unions. In sustaining this act, the Court, signaled its return to the philosophy espoused by John Marshall, that Congress could pass laws regulating actions that even indirectly influenced interstate commerce.
This new attitude became firmly set into place in 1942. In Wickard v. Filburn, the Court ruled that production quotas under the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 were constitutionally applied to agricultural production (in this instance, home-grown wheat for private consumption) that was consumed purely intrastate, because its effect upon interstate commerce placed it within the power of Congress to regulate under the Commerce Clause. This decision marked the beginning of the Court's total deference to Congress' claims of Commerce Clause powers, which lasted into the 1990s.
United States v. Lopez (1995) was the first decision in six decades to invalidate a federal statute on the grounds that it exceeded the power of the Congress under the Commerce Clause. The Court held that while Congress had broad lawmaking authority under the Commerce Clause, the power was limited, and did not extend so far from "commerce" as to authorize the regulation of the carrying of handguns, especially when there was no evidence that carrying them affected the economy on a massive scale. In a later case, United States v. Morrison (2000), the justices ruled that Congress could not make such laws even when there was evidence of aggregate effect.
In contrast to these rulings, the Supreme Court also continues to follow the precedent set by Wickard v. Filburn. In Gonzales v. Raich it ruled that the Commerce Clause granted Congress the authority to criminalize the production and use of home-grown cannabis even where states approve its use for medicinal purposes. The court held that, as with the agricultural production in the earlier case, home-grown cannabis is a legitimate subject of federal regulation because it competes with marijuana that moves in interstate commerce.
=== Other powers of Congress ===
Congress may establish uniform laws relating to naturalization and bankruptcy. It may also coin money, regulate the value of American or foreign currency and punish counterfeiters. Congress may fix the standards of weights and measures. Furthermore, Congress may establish post offices and post roads (the roads, however, need not be exclusively for the conveyance of mail). Congress may promote the progress of science and useful arts by granting copyrights and patents of limited duration. Section eight, clause eight of Article One, known as the Copyright Clause, is the only instance of the word "right" used in the original constitution (though the word does appear in several Amendments). Though perpetual copyrights and patents are prohibited, the Supreme Court has ruled in Eldred v. Ashcroft (2003) that repeated extensions to the term of copyright do not constitute perpetual copyright; also note that this is the only power granted where the means to accomplish its stated purpose is specifically provided for. Courts inferior to the Supreme Court may be established by Congress.
Congress has several powers related to war and the armed forces. Under the War Powers Clause, only Congress may declare war, but in several cases it has, without declaring war, granted the President the authority to engage in military conflicts. Five wars have been declared in United States' history: the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the Spanish–American War, World War I and World War II. Some historians argue that the legal doctrines and legislation passed during the operations against Pancho Villa constitute a sixth declaration of war. Congress may grant letters of marque and reprisal. Congress may establish and support the armed forces, but no appropriation made for the support of the army may be used for more than two years. This provision was inserted because the Framers feared the establishment of a standing army, beyond civilian control, during peacetime. Congress may regulate or call forth the state militias, but the states retain the authority to appoint officers and train personnel. Congress also has exclusive power to make rules and regulations governing the land and naval forces. Although the executive branch and the Pentagon have asserted an ever-increasing measure of involvement in this process, the U.S. Supreme Court has often reaffirmed Congress's exclusive hold on this power (e.g. Burns v. Wilson, 346 U.S. 137 (1953)). Congress used this power twice soon after World War II with the enactment of two statutes: the Uniform Code of Military Justice to improve the quality and fairness of courts martial and military justice, and the Federal Tort Claims Act which among other rights had allowed military service persons to sue for damages until the U.S. Supreme Court repealed that section of the statute in a divisive series of cases, known collectively as the Feres Doctrine.
Congress has the exclusive right to legislate "in all cases whatsoever" for the nation's capital, the District of Columbia. Congress chooses to devolve some of such authority to the elected mayor and council of District of Columbia. Nevertheless, Congress remains free to enact any legislation for the District so long as constitutionally permissible, to overturn any legislation by the city government, and technically to revoke the city government at any time. Congress may also exercise such jurisdiction over land purchased from the states for the erection of forts and other buildings.
=== Necessary and Proper clause ===
The Congress shall have Power [...] To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.
Finally, Congress has the power to do whatever is "necessary and proper" to carry out its enumerated powers and, crucially, all others vested in it. This has been interpreted to authorize criminal prosecution of those whose actions have a "substantial effect" on interstate commerce in Wickard v. Filburn ; however, Thomas Jefferson, in the Kentucky Resolutions, supported by James Madison, maintained that a penal power could not be inferred from a power to regulate, and that the only penal powers were for treason, counterfeiting, piracy and felony on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations.
The necessary and proper clause has been interpreted extremely broadly, thereby giving Congress wide latitude in legislation. The first landmark case involving the clause was McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), which involved the establishment of a national bank. Alexander Hamilton, in advocating the creation of the bank, argued that there was "a more or less direct" relationship between the bank and "the powers of collecting taxes, borrowing money, regulating trade between the states, and raising and maintaining fleets and navies". Thomas Jefferson countered that Congress's powers "can all be carried into execution without a national bank. A bank therefore is not necessary, and consequently not authorized by this phrase". Chief Justice John Marshall agreed with the former interpretation. Marshall wrote that a Constitution listing all of Congress's powers "would partake of a prolixity of a legal code and could scarcely be embraced by the human mind". Since the Constitution could not possibly enumerate the "minor ingredients" of the powers of Congress, Marshall "deduced" that Congress had the authority to establish a bank from the "great outlines" of the general welfare, commerce and other clauses. Under this doctrine of the necessary and proper clause, Congress has sweepingly broad powers (known as implied powers) not explicitly enumerated in the Constitution. However, the Congress cannot enact laws solely on the implied powers, any action must be necessary and proper in the execution of the enumerated powers.
== Section 9: Limits on Congress ==
The ninth section of Article One places limits on Congress' powers:
The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.
The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.
No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.
No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken.
No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.
No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.
No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
=== Slave trade ===
The first clause in this section prevents Congress from passing any law that would restrict the importation of slaves into the United States prior to 1808. Congress could however, levy a Per capita duty of up to ten dollars for each slave imported into the country. This clause was further entrenched into the Constitution by Article V, where it is explicitly shielded from constitutional amendment prior to 1808. On January 1, 1808, the first day it was permitted to do so, Congress approved legislation prohibiting the importation of slaves into the United States.
=== Civil and legal protections ===
A writ of habeas corpus is a legal action against unlawful detainment that commands a law enforcement agency or other body that has a person in custody to have a court inquire into the legality of the detention. The court may order the person released if the reason for detention is deemed insufficient or unjustifiable. The Constitution further provides that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus may not be suspended "unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it". In Ex parte Milligan (1866), the Supreme Court ruled that the suspension of habeas corpus in a time of war was lawful, but military tribunals did not apply to citizens in states that had upheld the authority of the Constitution and where civilian courts were still operating.
A bill of attainder is a law by which a person is immediately convicted without trial. An ex post facto law is a law which applies retroactively, punishing someone for an act that was only made criminal after it was done. The ex post facto clause does not apply to civil matters.
=== Apportionment of direct taxes ===
Section Nine reiterates the provision from Section Two that direct taxes must be apportioned by state populations. This clause was also explicitly shielded from constitutional amendment prior to 1808 by Article V. In 1913, the 16th Amendment exempted income taxes from this clause. Furthermore, no tax may be imposed on exports from any state. Congress may not, by revenue or commerce legislation, give preference to ports of one state over those of another; neither may it require ships from one state to pay duties in another. All funds belonging to the Treasury may not be withdrawn except according to law. Modern practice is that Congress annually passes a number of appropriations bills authorizing the expenditure of public money. The Constitution requires that a regular statement of such expenditures be published.
=== Titles of nobility ===
The Title of Nobility Clause prohibits Congress from granting any title of nobility. In addition, it specifies that no civil officer may accept, without the consent of Congress, any gift, payment, office or title from a foreign ruler or state. However, a U.S. citizen may receive foreign office before or after their period of public service.
== Section 10: Limits on the States ==
=== Clause 1: Contracts Clause ===
No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.
States may not exercise certain powers reserved for the federal government: they may not enter into treaties, alliances or confederations, grant letters of marque or reprisal, coin money or issue bills of credit (such as currency). Furthermore, no state may make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts, which expressly forbids any state government (but not the federal government) from "making a tender" (i.e., authorizing something that may be offered in payment) of any type or form of money to meet any financial obligation, unless that form of money is coins made of gold or silver (or a medium of exchange backed by and redeemable in gold or silver coins, as noted in Farmers & Merchants Bank v. Federal Reserve Bank). Much of this clause is devoted to preventing the States from using or creating any currency other than that created by Congress. In Federalist no. 44, Madison explains that "... it may be observed that the same reasons which shew the necessity of denying to the States the power of regulating coin, prove with equal force that they ought not to be at liberty to substitute a paper medium in the place of coin. Had every State a right to regulate the value of its coin, there might be as many different currencies as States; and thus the intercourse among them would be impeded." Moreover, the states may not pass bills of attainder, enact ex post facto laws, impair the obligation of contracts, or grant titles of nobility.
The Contract Clause was the subject of much contentious litigation in the 19th century. It was first interpreted by the Supreme Court in 1810, when Fletcher v. Peck was decided. The case involved the Yazoo land scandal, in which the Georgia legislature authorized the sale of land to speculators at low prices. The bribery involved in the passage of the authorizing legislation was so blatant that a Georgia mob attempted to lynch the corrupt members of the legislature. Following elections, the legislature passed a law that rescinded the contracts granted by the corrupt legislators. The validity of the annulment of the sale was questioned in the Supreme Court. In writing for a unanimous court, Chief Justice John Marshall asked, "What is a contract?" His answer was: "a compact between two or more parties." Marshall argued that the sale of land by the Georgia legislature, though fraught with corruption, was a valid "contract". He added that the state had no right to annul the purchase of the land, since doing so would impair the obligations of contract.
The definition of a contract propounded by Chief Justice Marshall was not as simple as it may seem. In 1819, the Court considered whether a corporate charter could be construed as a contract. The case of Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward involved Dartmouth College, which had been established under a Royal Charter granted by King George III. The Charter created a board of twelve trustees for the governance of the College. In 1815, however, New Hampshire passed a law increasing the board's membership to twenty-one with the aim that public control could be exercised over the College. The Court, including Marshall, ruled that New Hampshire could not amend the charter, which was ruled to be a contract since it conferred "vested rights" on the trustees.
The Marshall Court determined another dispute in Sturges v. Crowninshield. The case involved a debt that was contracted in early 1811. Later in that year, the state of New York passed a bankruptcy law, under which the debt was later discharged. The Supreme Court ruled that a retroactively applied state bankruptcy law impaired the obligation to pay the debt, and therefore violated the Constitution. In Ogden v. Saunders (1827), however, the court decided that state bankruptcy laws could apply to debts contracted after the passage of the law. State legislation on the issue of bankruptcy and debtor relief has not been much of an issue since the adoption of a comprehensive federal bankruptcy law in 1898.
=== Clause 2: Import-Export Clause ===
No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's [sic] inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress.
Still more powers are prohibited of the states. States may not, without the consent of Congress, tax imports or exports except for the fulfillment of state inspection laws (which may be revised by Congress). The net revenue of the tax is paid not to the state, but to the federal Treasury.
=== Clause 3: Compact Clause ===
No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.
Under the Compact Clause, states may not, without the consent of Congress, keep troops or armies during times of peace. They may not enter into alliances nor compacts with foreign states, nor engage in war unless invaded. States may, however, organize and arm a militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress. (Article I, Section 8, enumerated powers of Congress.) The National Guard, whose members are also members of the militia of the United States as defined by 10 U.S.C. § 311, fulfill this function, as do persons serving in State Militias with federal oversight under 32 U.S.C. § 109.
The idea of allowing Congress to have say over agreements between states traces back to the numerous controversies that arose between various colonies. Eventually compromises would be created between the two colonies and these compromises would be submitted to the Crown for approval. After the American Revolutionary War, the Articles of Confederation allowed states to appeal to Congress to settle disputes between the states over boundaries or "any cause whatever". The Articles of Confederation also required Congressional approval for "any treaty or alliance" in which a state was one of the parties.
There have been a number of Supreme Court cases concerning what constitutes valid congressional consent to an interstate compact. In Virginia v. Tennessee, 148 U.S. 503 (1893), the Court found that some agreements among states stand even when lacking the explicit consent of Congress. (One example the court gave was a state moving some goods from a distant state to itself, it would not require Congressional approval to contract with another state to use its canals for transport.) According to the Court, the Compact Clause requires congressional consent only if the agreement among the states is "directed to the formation of any combination tending to the increase of political power in the States, which may encroach upon or interfere with the just supremacy of the United States". The congressional consent issue is at the center of the current debate over the constitutionality of the not yet effective National Popular Vote Interstate Compact entered into by several states plus the District of Columbia.
== Notes ==
== References ==
TITLE Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an agency of the United States government. It was established by President Barack Obama in 2011.
== What do they do? ==
It is responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. They work within banks, credit unions, securities firms, payday lenders, mortgage-servicing operations, foreclosure relief services, debt collectors and other financial companies operating in the United States.
== Creation ==
The CFPB's creation was made by the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, whose passage in 2010 was a legislative response to the financial crisis of 2007–08 and the eventual Great Recession. The CFPB was established as an independent agency, but this status is being reviewed by the U.S. Court of Appeals.
== Leadership ==
The CFPB is headed by a director who is appointed by the President for a five-year term. The bureau is also assisted by a Consumer Advisory Council, which is composed of at least six members who are recommended by regional Federal Reserve presidents.
The first director of the CFPB was Ohio politician Richard Cordray who served from 2012 through 2017. The current Acting Director is Russell Vought since February 7, 2025. On February 11, 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Jonathan McKernan to serve as director.
== 2020 Supreme Court decision ==
The Supreme Court of the United State (SCOTUS), in a 5-to-4 decision, ruled June 29, 2020, that the structure of the CFPB violates the separation-of-powers clause of the constitution since the bill directed that the CFPB director could be removed by the president only for "cause," defined as "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.
== List of directors ==
Status
== Notes ==
== References ==
TITLE Executive order
An executive order or executive decree is a rule or order, or a law made by a head of state (president or monarch) who has this power given to him by the constitution of the country. The order tells ministries, agencies, the civil service and the military of a state the things that they must do.
Executive orders can be stopped by the courts in a process called judicial review. They may be stopped by the courts or the legislature if they are against laws or against the constitution.
However, in countries where there is no real separation of powers and the head of state is actually a dictator, the executive order cannot be stopped by the courts or the legislature, which as a result have no powers and are controlled by him. In many cases, the head of state with dictatorial powers often rules the country by making executive orders rather than making laws in the legislature which he also controls.
Executive orders have a big effect on the internal affairs of the government and on the citizens. They decide how and to what degree legislation will be enforced. They also deal with emergencies and wars.
TITLE Christopher A. Wray
Christopher Asher Wray (born December 17, 1966) is an American lawyer. He was the 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from August 2, 2017 until January 19, 2025. From 2003 to 2005, he served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division under the George W. Bush administration. He was previously a litigation partner with the law firm King & Spalding.
In December 2024, Wray announced his resignation as FBI director. He left office on January 19, 2025.
== Early life ==
Wray was born in New York City. He was raised in Andover, Massachusetts. He studied at Yale University.
== Early career ==
In 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Wray as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Wray was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Wray was Assistant Attorney General from 2003 to 2005, working under Deputy Attorney General James Comey. While heading the Criminal Division, Wray oversaw prominent fraud investigations, including Enron.
== Director of the FBI (2017–2025) ==
On June 7, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Wray to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On July 20, 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to confirm Wray to be the next director of the FBI. Wray was officially confirmed by the Senate with bipartisan support on August 1, 2017; the vote was 92–5. He was sworn in by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a private ceremony on August 2.
In the aftermath of the Douglas High School shooting in Parkland on February 14, 2018, it was found out that the FBI ignored a tip that shooter Nikolas Cruz had a desire to "kill people". Florida Governor Rick Scott called for Wray to resign, with the earliest tip received by the FBI dating back to September 2017 in which a YouTube user with the same name commented, "I'm going to be a professional school shooter."
In December 2020, it was announced that President-elect Joe Biden would keep Wray as FBI director under his administration.
In November 2024, NBC News reported that after Donald Trump was elected to another term, Wray was getting ready for the event Trump fires him. On November 30, 2024, Trump named Kash Patel as his nominee to replace Wray as FBI director.
On December 11, 2024, Wray announced that he would resign as Director of the FBI in January 2025, at the end of the Biden administration.
== Personal life ==
Wray married Helen Garrison Howell in 1989. They have two children. He is registered as a Republican.
== References ==
== Other websites ==
Department of Justice biography page
Wray Appearances on C-SPAN
TITLE Jeff Sessions
Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney. He was the 84th United States Attorney General serving from February 9, 2017 to November 7, 2018.
Before being Attorney General, he was the junior United States Senator from Alabama. He is a member of the Republican Party. At the time of his senate career, he ranked 15th in seniority in the United States Senate. He was the most senior junior Senator upon the retirement of Barbara Boxer in January 2017 to February 2017.
In November 2019, Sessions announced that he would run for his old Senate seat in 2020. He lost the Republican nomination to Tommy Tuberville.
== Early life ==
Sessions was born in Selma, Alabama on December 24, 1946. He was the son of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, Jr., and the former Abbie Powe. He was raised in Camden, Alabama. Sessions earned B.A. Degree from Huntingdon College and a J.D. Degree from the University of Alabama.
== Early career ==
From 1981 to 1993, he was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. Sessions was elected Attorney General of Alabama in 1994.
== United States senator (1997–2017) ==
Sessions was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 and re-elected in 2002, 2008, and 2014. Sessions was considered one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate.
As a senator, he is known for being against illegal immigration and for reducing legal immigration. He supported the major legislative efforts of the George W. Bush administration, including the 2001 and 2003 tax cut packages, the Iraq War, and a proposed national amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
He opposed the establishment of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the 2009 stimulus bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act. As the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, he opposed all three of President Barack Obama's nominees for the Supreme Court.
An early supporter of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Sessions was considered as a possible Vice Presidential nominee, but Trump finally chose Indiana governor Mike Pence.
Sessions resigned from the senate to become the United States Attorney General on February 8, 2017.
== United States Attorney General (2017–2018) ==
On November 18, 2016, it was announced that President-elect Donald Trump planned to nominate Sessions for United States Attorney General.
On January 10, 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on his nomination began. The committee approved his nomination February 1 on a straight party-line vote, 11 to 9. The senate narrowly confirmed his nomination on February 8, 2017. He was sworn-in by Vice President Mike Pence on February 9. On May 7, 2018 he announced a new morally questionable policy that separated children from their mothers at the border.
As U.S. Attorney General, Sessions overturned a memo delivered by Eric Holder to reduce mass incarceration by avoiding mandatory sentencing, and ordered federal prosecutors to begin seeking the maximum criminal charges possible. Sessions allowed law enforcement to seize the property of those suspected but not charged with crimes. A critic of illegal immigration, Sessions adopted a hard-line on so-called sanctuary cities and told reporters that cities that did not follow federal immigration policy would lose federal funding, but failed. As Attorney General, Sessions supported allowing the Department of Justice to prosecute providers of medical marijuana.
On November 7, 2018, President Trump fired Sessions as Attorney General in a tweet.
== 2020 United States Senate race ==
In October 2019, Sessions began exploring a potential candidacy for his old Senate seat in the 2020 election. He announced his Senate run on November 7, 2019.
Sessions lost the Alabama Senate Primary to Tommy Tuberville on July 14, 2020. A Washington Post headline read, "Sessions loses runoff in Alabama as Trump helps end career of key supporter he came to despise."
== Personal life ==
Sessions and his wife Mary have three children and six grandchildren. The family is United Methodist. He teaches at Sunday School to children in Mobile, Alabama.
== References ==
== Other websites ==
Senator Jeff Sessions Archived 2009-07-29 at the Wayback Machine official U.S. Senate site
Jeff Sessions for Senate Archived 2020-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
Jeff Sessions at the Open Directory Project
Appearances on C-SPAN
Collected news and commentary Archived 2010-06-20 at the Wayback Machine from Politico
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President Donald Trump has tried to consolidate power over federal agencies by firing Democratic-appointed leaders, despite laws that protect the officials from being summarily dismissed. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
By Hassan Ali Kanu
06/30/2025 05:55 AM EDT
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President Donald Trump has fired a host of Democratic appointees at independent boards and commissions across the government. There’s just one catch: Some of them are still working.
More than a dozen leaders of independent federal agencies received terse emails from the White House purporting to fire or demote them shortly after Trump’s inauguration, despite the fact that their roles are governed by laws that bar termination without cause. Many of them decried Trump’s summary termination notices as illegal and made various attempts to remain in their posts, including suing.
Their efforts have proven largely futile against the administration’s brute force strategy: The overwhelming majority have in fact left, accepted new jobs, dropped their lawsuits, or been otherwise forced out — quite literally locked out of their former agency offices in some cases. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has signaled that it will continue to expand the president’s power to fire board members who run regulatory agencies.
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