The Short List

Mon Mar 4 2024

Laura L. Davis | Audience Editor

@lauradavis

Donald Trump can stay on Colorado's ballot, the Supreme Court ruled. Haiti is in a state of emergency as gangs overtake prisons. And why Miami Beach is breaking up with spring break.

👋Hey, Monday! Laura Davis here. Let's catch you up on what's happening in the news.

But first: Don't be fooled! 👀🔍 Add a third entry to the list of inevitable things in life: Death, taxes and baseless claims of election fraud. Here's our guide to spotting election misinformation.

Trump can stay on ballot, SCOTUS rules

Super Tuesday is almost upon us: 15 states and one territory will cast their vote in presidential primaries tomorrow. And in a Supreme Court ruling on Monday, Donald Trump will remain on the ballot in all of the states, leaving it up to voters to decide whether the former president should be returned to the White House. 📍 Here's what to know.

How we got here: The Colorado Supreme Court in December ruled that Trump is disqualified from running for president under an anti-insurrectionist provision of the Constitution. Monday's unanimous Supreme Court ruling reversed that decision, saying Congress, not the states, is responsible for enforcing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The ruling did not evaluate whether the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was an insurrection and whether Trump engaged in it.

But some justices have concerns: The three liberal justices criticized the conservative majority's opinion and said the court went further than necessary. And in a rare note of disagreement, one conservative justice − Amy Coney Barrett − also raised some concerns, saying ''the court should turn the national temperature down, not up."

•	Supreme Court's ruling lets voters decide. Why are Democrats mad? \| Opinion
•	Each president gets one free insurrection, SCOTUS ruling affirms. \| Opinion
•	Former Trump Organization CFO pleads guilty to perjury in Trump's fraud trial.
•	Nikki Haley says her campaign isn't anti-Trump. Her supporters say otherwise.

Is your state voting tomorrow? Everything to know about Super Tuesday.

Protestors gather outside the United States Supreme Court as the court reviews a ruling by a Colorado court that barred former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state's Republican primary ballot due to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.

Jasper Colt, Jasper Colt-USA TODAY

🗳️📱 Text with USA TODAY politics: Elections news right on your phone. Text 301-888-6791 to sign up.

Scores of inmates escape as gangs overtake prisons in Haiti

In an effort to regain control of the streets, Haiti's government declared a state of emergency and nighttime curfew late Sunday after an explosion of violence over the weekend saw armed gang members storm the country's two biggest prisons.

What happened? Almost all of the estimated 4,000 inmates fled in the jailbreak at the National Penitentiary as gangs stepped up coordinated attacks on state institutions in Port-au-Prince. The government said it would "use all legal means at their disposal" to find the killers, kidnappers and other violent criminals who had escaped from the prison. 👉 Here's what we know.

•	Haiti is spinning out of control, from gangs to kidnappings, migration to murder.

A demonstrator holds up an Haitian flag during protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 1, 2024.

Odelyn Joseph, AP

Real quick

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VP Harris meets Netanyahu rival, signaling growing Israel frustration

In a sign of growing White House frustration with the Israeli government, Vice President Kamala Harris met Monday with Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's wartime Cabinet and a political rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The White House meeting marked a major test for President Joe Biden's relationship with Netanyahu as the U.S. becomes increasingly at odds over Israel's refusal to scale back the war in Gaza. 👉 Take a closer look at the situation.

📍 Latest coverage: U.N. says Oct. 7 victims, hostages were subjected to sexual violence.

Miami: 'It's not us, it's y'all.'

Just as the "cold" weather warms up and schools let out on vacation, spring breakers will soon be flocking to Florida in droves, prompting seasonal restrictions for crowd control. But while Fort Lauderdale is welcoming "organized fun," Miami Beach wants to "break up" with spring break. Last year, back-to-back shootings left two dead and brought unruly crowds to the streets prompting a state of emergency. This year, officials said enough is enough. ❌ How Florida is bracing for the influx.

Fort Lauderdale Mounted Police officers escort revelers off the beach in March 2022.

CHANDAN KHANNA, AFP via Getty Images

A break from the news

•	😎 What's a Mob Wife? Check out our TikTok trend report.
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•	🎠 Why parents take young kids to Disney World, even if they won't remember it.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to leaking Pentagon secrets on social media

Joshua Levy, acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, speaks at a press conference, after Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty, in Boston, Massachusetts on March 4, 2024. The U.S. Air National Guardsman, who was charged with leaking top secret Pentagon documents online, pleaded guilty in federal court to six counts of willfully retaining and distributing national defense documents under the Espionage Act.

Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member, pleaded guilty to leaking hundreds of classified documents on the Discord social media site.

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