Nelson Mandela at 95  …

On July 18, 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed the Presidential Succession Act. This act revised an older succession act that was passed in 1792 during George Washington’s first term.

The original Succession Act designated the Senate president pro tempore as the first in line to succeed the president should he and the vice president die unexpectedly while in office. If he, for some reason, could not take over the duties, the Speaker of the House was placed next in the line of succession. In 1886, during Grover Cleveland’s administration, Congress removed both the Senate president and the Speaker of the House from the line of succession.

From that time until 1947, two cabinet officials (their order in line depended on the order in which the agencies were created) became the next in line to succeed a president should the vice president also become incapacitated or die. The decision was controversial. Many members of Congress felt that those in a position to succeed the president should be elected officials and not, as cabinet members were, political appointees, thereby giving both the Republican and Democratic parties a chance at controlling the White House.

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In 2026, Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against the IRS that was anything but ordinary. According to multiple news reports, the lawsuit was paired with a pre‑negotiated settlement that would have granted Trump sweeping personal benefits. The agreement would have blocked IRS audits of Trump, his family, and his companies, released him from future government claims, and created a nearly $1.8 billion “Anti‑Weaponization Fund” — all without a real legal dispute ever being litigated.

But U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams stepped in.

In a detailed 56‑page ruling, she found that Trump and the IRS were not genuinely adverse parties. She wrote that the lawsuit was collusive, filed for an improper purpose, and engineered to give judicial legitimacy to a deal that the IRS had no authority to grant. Because the case lacked a true constitutional controversy, she voided the entire settlement and barred it from being used in any future proceeding.

Her decision prevented a massive shift in IRS power and stopped an agreement that could have insulated Trump from oversight for years. Judge Williams’ ruling stands as one of the clearest examples of the judiciary blocking an attempt to misuse federal agencies for personal benefit — and it remains a critical reminder of why independent courts matter.

The cost to taxpayers? or possible grift

The deal he tried to push through would have:

• Blocked IRS audits of Trump, his family, and his companies
• Released him from future government claims
• Created a $1.8 billion “Anti‑Weaponization Fund” paid by taxpayers
• Tied the IRS’ hands for years

All of this was negotiated before any real litigation happened.

Hopefully, Judge Williams’ ruling will set a precedent for other judges. It wasn’t just about one settlement — it was about preventing a structural shift toward unchecked executive authority.

Voters need to read her opinion

Sources: X.com, internet news, AI, Yahoo, Reuters, US News, PBS news

~ Nativegrl77

(Please confirm details with trusted sources, as political reporting can evolve.)

The draft riots enter their fourth day in New York City in response to the Enrollment Act, which was enacted on March 3, 1863. Although avoiding military service became much more difficult, wealthier citizens could still pay a commutation fee of $300 to stay at home. Irritation with the draft dovetailed with opposition to the Emancipation Proclamation of September 1862, which made abolition of slavery the central goal of the war for the Union. Particularly vocal in their opposition were the Democratic Irish, who felt the war was being forced upon them by Protestant Republicans and feared that emancipation of formerly enslaved people would jeopardize their jobs. 

Discontent simmered until the draft began among the Irish New Yorkers on July 11. Two days later, a mob burned the draft office, triggering nearly five days of violence. At first, the targets included local newspapers, wealthy homes, well-dressed men, and police officers, but the crowd’s attention soon turned to African Americans. Several Black people were lynched, and businesses employing Black people were burned. A Black orphanage was also burned, but the children escaped.

Not until July 17 was the violence contained by the arrival of Union troops, some fresh from the battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. More than 1,000 people died and property damage topped $2 million. The draft was temporarily suspended, and a revised conscription began in August. As a result of the riots and the delicate political balance in the city, relatively few New Yorkers were forced to serve in the Union army.

Citation Information

Article Title

Draft riots continue to rock New York City

AuthorHistory.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/draft-riots-continue-to-rock-new-york-city

Access Date

July 15, 2022

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

July 13, 2020

Original Published Dat