News of the World

[kyonides]

Peru’s Socialist President Removed From Office After Attempting to Dissolve Congress

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was detained and removed from office on grounds of “permanent moral disability” on Dec. 7 after attempting to dissolve Congress and implement a nationwide curfew.

Legislators unanimously denounced the former head of state’s decree as a coup against democratically elected officials.

A few hours before his interception by local authorities, Castillo announced his plans to disband Congress in a televised broadcast.

With visibly shaking hands, the president said he planned to disband the legislative body, which would be replaced by a newly elected assembly with “constituent powers to prepare a new constitution within a period not exceeding nine months.”

During the speech, Castillo declared that a nationwide curfew of 10 p.m. would be effective immediately. He said that from Dec. 7, “we will only rule by decree.”

Both public and political outrage arrived swiftly on the heels of the president’s announcement. Social media exploded with demands for Castillo’s removal from office.
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Ironically, Castillo’s attempt to dissolve Congress was a last-ditch effort to stall another impeachment vote, which was set to take place only hours before his public decree. The vote would have been Congress’ third attempt since July 2021.

The national curfew was another 11th-hour measure meant to stem the growing tide of public rebellion against Castillo spreading throughout the nation.
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Inflation rates have risen steadily under Castillo’s leadership, topping out at more than 8 percent. This has greatly affected Castillo’s supporters, most of whom are working class.

Shortly after his attempted consolidation of power, police intercepted Castillo as he tried to flee the government palace in Lima with his family.
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In a speedy decision, 101 legislators voted to remove Castillo immediately.

Supreme Court Hears Case That Could Empower State Legislatures, Not Judges, to Regulate Elections

North Carolina Republicans told the Supreme Court on Dec. 7 that the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures preeminent authority to make the rules for presidential and congressional elections without interference from the courts.

The case is important because, if the high court finds for North Carolina, the rules governing how states regulate federal elections could change dramatically.
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At issue is the once-obscure independent state legislature doctrine, under which Republicans argue that the Constitution has always directly authorized state legislatures alone to make rules for the conduct of federal elections in their respective states.

Democrats say this doctrine is a fringe conservative legal theory that could endanger voting rights, enable extreme partisan gerrymandering in the redistricting process, and cause upheaval in election administration.

Liberal law professor Richard Hasen has called the doctrine the “800-pound gorilla” of election law because of its potentially disruptive effect on election administration norms.

Conservatives, on the other hand, say the doctrine is derived from the plain text of the Constitution and would restore reasonable rules on the electoral playing field and allow elected state officials, instead of judges, to make election rules.

The Supreme Court hasn’t ruled on the doctrine directly, but some justices have said that it could have been argued in the Bush v. Gore case, which resolved the disputed 2000 presidential election.

The doctrine, if endorsed by the high court, could in theory allow state legislatures to select presidential electors in disputed elections, something critics decry as a threat to democracy.

McDonald’s Franchisee Hit With Fine for Over 100 Child Labor Violations, Including Exceeding Time Restrictions

A McDonald’s franchisee in Pennsylvania was hit with a large fine for over a hundred child labor violations.

Santonastasso Enterprises LLC, which operates out of the Pittsburgh area, was accused by the Department of Labor (DOL) for the alleged violations at their 13 locations on Dec. 5.
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The franchisee was fined $57,300 for 101 alleged child labor violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which restricts the amount of hours minors are legally allowed to work.

Santonastasso was the employer of 101 minors at the restaurants in question.

One of the violations allegedly involved a worker under the age of 16 of being “allowed to operate a deep fryer, which was not equipped with a device to automatically lower and raise the baskets.”

The company has been accused by the DOL of allowing 14- and 15-year-olds work over the three hour limit and work beyond the law’s 7 p.m. cut-off time while school was in session.

In some cases, employees under 16 were working more than eight hours a day on non-school days.

Santonastasso is also accused of allowing minors to work beyond the legally permittable 18 hour cap, during school weeks or past 9 p.m. between June 1 and Labor Day.

All of these practices are considered illegal.

AOC Under Investigation by House Ethics Committee

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is under investigation for ethics violations, the House Ethics Committee announced on Dec. 7.

The brief announcement said only that “the Acting Chairwoman and Acting Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics have jointly decided to extend the matter regarding Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which was transmitted to the Committee by the Office of Congressional Ethics on June 23, 2022.”
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It gave no explanation about the reason for the investigation.

Still, there are indications that give some clues as to possible reasons for the case: specifically, Ocasio-Cortez’s attendance of the Met Gala in September 2021.

At the gala, an annual event attended by the wealthy and well-connected, Ocasio-Cortez made splashes when she wore a designer dress that read “Tax the Rich.” The statement was instantly mocked by conservatives, who noted that the Met Gala costs tens of thousands of dollars to attend—a figure well out of reach for everyday Americans.

Following the event, Thomas Jones, founder of the conservative-leaning American Accountability Foundation (AAF) argued in an ethics complaint that he believes Ocasio-Cortez, a self-described socialist who represents areas of Queens and the Bronx, broke House rules by accepting the gift.