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Can a president commit crimes?

Laura L. Davis   Paste BN

The Supreme Court ruled that presidents have immunity for official acts. The Biden campaign is in full-on damage control after that messy debate. And Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Grenada.

👋Hey, Monday! Laura Davis here. Hope you had a good weekend! Now, let’s get going with the news.

But first: Will travel for rolls. 🍞🧈 A Virginia couple is on a very American quest to visit every Texas Roadhouse in the country.

SCOTUS grants Trump some immunity

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that former President Donald Trump cannot be tried for any of his efforts to overturn his 2020 loss that were taken in his "official" capacity, a win for Trump as he seeks to avoid prosecution over steps he took to overturn the 2020 election results.

The specifics: Deciding for the first time whether presidents are immune from criminal prosecution, the court's 6-3 conservative majority said “official” acts taken by a president are protected, but not unofficial acts. The time it took the court to make the decision means a trial is unlikely to be completed before Election Day.

The dissent: Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissent joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, said the majority’s decision “makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of Government, that no man is above the law.” 🔎 Take a closer look at the historic ruling.

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Buckle up: Beryl makes landfall

Hours after strengthening to a fierce Category 4 storm, Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Grenada's Carriacou Island on Monday, roaring through with devastating sustained winds of 150 mph.

'Potentially catastrophic': Forecasters said Beryl is expected to remain an "extremely dangerous major hurricane" as its core slams through the eastern Caribbean. The storm will likely have some impacts on Puerto Rico, home to more than 3 million American citizens. 👉 See the latest developments.

📌 Tracking the storm: See Hurricane Beryl's projected path.

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Debate damage control

After that debate? It's all hands on deck. Joe Biden's reelection campaign is engaged in full-on damage control after the president's disastrous debate performance, seeking to assure top donors Biden can still win the election, rejecting calls that he bow out and trying to convince voters that he's up for another term.

What he's saying: A new campaign ad on Monday featured footage of Biden saying, "I know I’m not a young man," and accusing Trump of lying throughout the debate. Biden told donors on Saturday he understood the concerns about his performance and would not be running again if he wasn't fully committed. 🚪 What's going on behind the scenes?

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Dolphins stranded off Cape Cod freed

Rescue efforts were winding down Monday after teams freed more than 100 dolphins stranded in dangerously shallow waters off Cape Cod in one of the largest mass stranding events ever witnessed in the area.

What to know: As of Monday, there were no more reports of stranded dolphins along the "Gut," a maze-like expanse of gently sloping sand and mud flats west of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, a global hot spot for sea life strandings.

Like herding sheep: Herding dolphins into deeper water is tricky because the social animals tend to follow one another − like into dangerously shallow waters, which is how the 125 Atlantic white-sided dolphins got stuck in the first place. 🐬 See more about the rescue.

A break from the news

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

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