Bribery, murder, and political assassination...

These are a few things a president can now do with immunity Problems viewing this email? [View it in your browser]( [Center for American Progress]( InProgress from the Center for American Progress To make sure you never miss an email from us, please add progress@americanprogress.org to your contacts or safe senders list. Thanks for staying connected with us! Authoritarian actions a president can now commit with impunity [The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 2020. Photo credit: Getty/Phil Roeder.]( Photo credit: Getty Images On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the U.S. president is above the law. In the Trump v. United States ruling, the court radically expanded the powers of U.S. presidents—allowing them to use “official acts” to shield illegal actions from prosecution—and laid the foundation for authoritarianism in America. Here are a few examples of actions the president could take that would plausibly be covered by immunity under this far right-wing decision: - Have members of their cabinet murdered - Assassinate their political opponents - Accept bribes in exchange for vetos or pardons - Use the official U.S. Department of Justice for their own political aims - [And more]( This drastic, radical shift in power to the executive branch is dangerous for the functioning of American democracy under any president. In response to the extreme decision, President Joe Biden took the unprecedented step of [calling]( for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the blanket immunity the Supreme Court granted presidents. This case also demonstrates the dire need for significant Supreme Court reform, including 18-year term limits and a binding code of ethics, as well as potentially limiting the appellate jurisdiction of the court in some cases. [Read More]( Say no to presidential immunity We cannot have a rogue Supreme Court declaring that the president can act like a king. This is not what the United States was founded on, and we must demand Supreme Court reform now. Our Supreme Court needs a binding ethics code and term limits. Now. [DEMAND TERM LIMITS]( [DEMAND AN ETHICS CODE]( The dangers of presidential immunity, explained [Thumbnail from a tik tok, text reads "With presidential immunity, a president can accept bribes for pardons."]( [SHARE Now]( Project 2025 would take control away from Medicare beneficiaries [A man prepares the daily pills his wife will need for the week, January 2020, in Florida. (Getty/Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis)]( Photo credit: Getty Images Medicare is a critical government program that provides health coverage for more than [67 million]( older and disabled Americans. For decades, it has [improved and extended]( the lives of countless Americans and is an indispensable and popular institution in American life. Yet the far-right extremists behind Project 2025 would push the United States toward a future of fully privatized Medicare and give corporations more power over medical care than doctors and patients. How? Project 2025 would put more control in the hands of corporations by making Medicare Advantage (MA)—the privatized option for Medicare coverage—the default enrollment option for everyone in Medicare. Initially established to [save money]( and improve the quality of care, the MA program has done the exact opposite. MA does not save money and, in fact, has been associated with significant wasteful spending for the Medicare program. MA plans have also harmed patients by [limiting their choice]( of physicians and hospitals and even [denying]( doctor-recommended care. If the extreme plans in Project 2025 become reality, corporations—instead of doctors or patients—will have control over health care, enriching their bottom lines and threatening Medicare’s future. [Learn More]( This plan to make MA the default option for all Medicare beneficiaries represents just one of several Project 2025 policies that could pull the rug out from under seniors in America. Dig into the specific ways that this new authoritarian playbook would harm American seniors. [HOW PROJECT 2025 HARMS SENIORS]( ICYMI: The ramifications of shutting down Meta’s CrowdTangle Despite numerous calls from the government, civil society, and academia to delay the shutdown of its transparency tool CrowdTangle until after the U.S. election, Meta discontinued it on August 14. Two days earlier, on August 12, the Center for American Progress hosted an online conversation on what this means for the technology policy landscape during this critical period. The event featured opening remarks from Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), followed by a panel discussion with Davey Alba, Brandi Geurkink, Nathan Doctor, and Priyanjana Bengani. [Watch the recording]( Follow us on [Follow us on Twitter]( [Follow us on Facebook]( [Follow us on YouTube]( [Follow us on Instagram]( [Support CAP]( [Manage Email Preferences or Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( [Center for American Progress]( Center for American Progress 1333 H Street NW Washington, D.C. 20005 [supporter]