☕ The ruling on ghost guns

It’s Thursday.

In today’s newsletter, we look at yesterday’s ghost gun ruling, and the latest from Brazil. There’s plenty happening in the world of ‘Signalgate’ - if you need to catch up on this story, I recommend reading the story itself in The Atlantic. Nothing beats a primary source.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• The Atlantic magazine has published the full text thread from the Trump administration’s Signal group where a military strike against Houthi forces was discussed, inadvertently including a journalist in the group. It comes after a number of senior figures in the group, as well as President Donald Trump, denied that anything discussed in the group was confidential. Editor Jeffrey Goldberg, who had avoided revealing the entire chat to protect US forces overseas, said that the full transcript needed to be released after the administration “downplayed the importance” of the security breach.

• Any car made outside the US will be subject to a 25% tariff from April 2, as part of new measures announced by the White House yesterday. The tariff will also apply to American auto manufacturers who build their cars outside the country. To incentivise more production with the US, President Trump emphasized that cars built in the US would be excluded from the tax. According to media outlets, the tariffs could increase the average cost of cars by several thousand dollars. The announcement was condemned by the European Union, Canada and a number of Asian nations who are major car exporters.

• The European Union has urged its 450 million citizens to stockpile 72 hours of food and other essential supplies in an updated strategy for dealing with future disasters released yesterday. The announcement comes as Europe increases the capacity of its defense forces after the Trump administration refused to confirm if they would support future European military activity. The strategy advises that food, water, flashlights, ID papers, medicine and shortwave radios are included in any stockpile. The report also recommends that countries build reserves of firefighting planes, crisis equipment, and protective equipment against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

• President Trump has passed a new executive order that requires voters to show proof of citizenship before they cast their vote. The order also disqualifies mail-in votes that arrive after election day, requires non-citizens to be removed from the roll, encourages federal and state cooperation to prosecute election crimes and allows federal agencies (including Elon Musk’s DOGE) to access state electoral rolls to check for compliance with federal law. The changes come after the Trump campaign last year raised concerns about non-citizens voting in elections and influencing outcomes. Legal analysts are evaluating whether the order contradicts current federal election law passed by Congress.

I’ve got 1 minute

The Supreme Court has ruled that a Biden-era regulation on ‘ghost guns’ does not contravene US law, and should remain in place.

The regulation was challenged by gun-rights activists who said that requiring ghost-gun kits to have a registration number and other identifiable features breached a 1968 law.

Ghost gun kits became a focus of the gun control debate last year when one was used to kill United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson in New York City. Here’s the latest.

What are Ghost Guns?

A ghost gun is built by the user, sometimes in under 30 minutes, and is untraceable mainly because it often lacks serial numbers and does not require a background check to purchase.

Police usually can use serial numbers on guns in an investigation to identify suspects. If a gun is connected to a crime, police can then connect the gun to its owner.

Before the regulations were enforced, crimes involving ghost guns sharply increased. In 2023, 27,000 ghost guns were linked to crimes across the country, a massive jump from the 1700 linked in 2017.

Since the regulations, ghost gun use has stabilized or declined in several major cities.

In this current appeal, this Supreme Court was asked to evaluate whether the regulation of ghost gun kits was able to be regulated by the Gun Control Act of 1968, as the kits themselves weren’t actually guns.

What did the Supreme Court say?

Gun rights groups challenged the regulation in the case of Garland v. VanDerStok, saying the government overstepped its powers under the 1968 Act. The group argued it was legal to build a gun at home, and the risks of ghost guns were negligible as most crime was committed with conventional guns.

Ultimately, the court voted 7 to 2 that it was appropriate for government agencies to regulate the space and that ghost gun kits posed a significant threat to society.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Brazil's highest court has determined former President Jair Bolsonaro will face trial on five charges, including attempting a coup.

It’s alleged Bolsonaro and seven co-conspirators planned to forcibly take control of the country after losing the 2022 election.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly sought President Donald Trump’s help over the years, including to pressure the Brazilian government into dropping the charges.

Background

Bolsonaro was elected President in 2019, after serving in the army during Brazil’s decades-long military dictatorship, and in the country’s Congress. His socially conservative policies and populist campaign style have led to him being known as the ‘Trump of the Tropics’. As president, Bolsonaro relaxed gun laws, pared back climate change initiatives, and intensified abortion regulations.

Throughout his presidency, Bolsonaro openly criticised the court and voting processes. He later refused to accept the results of the 2022 election, which he lost to left-wing rival Lula da Silva.

Following the election, Bolsonaro’s supporters tried to convince the military to overturn the result by camping outside army barracks.

Then, after Lula’s inauguration in January 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil's Congress, Presidential Palace and Supreme Court. .

Bolsonaro was in the U.S. at the time.

The coup

Last year, investigators revealed an 884 page report which detailed allegations that Bolsonaro and seven members of his inner circle had planned a coup. It allegedly involved assassinating then-president-elect Lula, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Investigators detailed a multi-step plan which involved stoking public distrust for the electoral system, announcing Bolsonaro was the rightful president, securing the army’s cooperation, and inciting a riot in the capital city of Brasília.

Allegedly, the plan had to be abandoned at the last minute because the group could not secure military support.

What’s next?

Bolsonaro will fight charges of attempting a coup, involvement in a criminal organization, attempting to abolish democracy, and damaging state assets and heritage.

Regardless of the outcome of the trial, Bolsonaro is already banned from running for President until 2030 due to his actions in office the first time, including abuse of power.

All five justices, led by de Moraes, said there was sufficient evidence for a trial. Prosecutors have also secured the cooperation of one of the alleged co-conspirators.

The former president has denied all allegations.

In a post to X, Bolsonaro said: “Those in power are focused on ensuring I spend the rest of my life in prison so I can never run for president again… Everyone knows that if I were allowed to run, I would win.”

Meanwhile, Bolsonaro and his family have lobbied President Trump for support. Bolsonaro’s son has previously said he plans to flee to the U.S, alleging persecution in Brazil.

Earlier this year, Trump’s media company sued Judge de Moraes in a U.S. court. The company alleged the judge breached freedom of speech protections by shutting down social media accounts operated by a U.S-based Bolsonaro suppor