VOUX MAG

By Thomas Mukoya and Monica Mwangi

Aftermath of heavy rainfall at Grogan area, in Nairobi

NAIROBI, March 7 (Reuters) - Aid workers pulled bodies from floodwaters across Nairobi ‌on Saturday after overnight flash floods killed at least ‌10 people, swept away dozens of cars and disrupted flights at East ​Africa's biggest airport, authorities said.

In the industrial neighbourhood of Grogan, security guard John Lomayan, 34, looked at the body of an elderly man he recognised - a roadside egg seller - trapped ‌beneath a car that ⁠had been washed away when the Nairobi River burst its banks.

"I saw him being carried ⁠by the water from up there," he said, gesturing up the road. "We didn't know where he had gone. It is ​only now ​that we see him under ​the car".

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A Reuters reporter ‌saw three bodies pulled from underneath cars. Police said 10 people had been confirmed dead so far.

Scientists say global warming is worsening floods and droughts across East Africa by concentrating rainfall into shorter, more intense bursts. A 2024 World ‌Weather Attribution study found climate change ​had made devastating rains in the ​region twice as likely ​as before.

Kenya Airways said the rains had ‌disrupted flights to Nairobi and ​forced some to ​divert to the coastal city of Mombasa.

"So many cars, so much stuff, I don't know. Everything was just (washed ​away). All of ‌the water (came) ... from that river," shocked resident Cedric Mwanza ​said, referring to the Nairobi River.

(Writing by Tim ​Cocks. Editing by Mark Potter)

March 7 (Reuters) - Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office last year, he and his allies have derided federal judges who ruled against his policies as "rogue," "crooked," "lunatic" and more, casting their actions not only as incorrect but illegitimate as well.

Beyond the Republican president's vitriol in speeches and social media posts, his administration has launched a more systematic effort at the U.S. Supreme Court to diminish the power of the federal judiciary, a Reuters analysis shows.

The administration in the past year has raced to the Supreme Court with dozens of emergency requests to green-light policies impeded by lower-court judges who questioned their legality.

The administration includes in ‌its written filings multiple legal arguments, but to a remarkable degree it has used these requests to question the very authority of the judges whose decisions are being challenged.

Of the 31 emergency requests Trump's Justice Department has filed at the Supreme Court since February 2025, nearly all - 97% - claim the judge is improperly interfering with the president's ‌power under the U.S. Constitution and various laws, according to the analysis.

By contrast, in the 19 emergency requests filed by Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden's administration over four years, just 26% suggested judicial interference with presidential authority.

'MORE UNILATERAL POWER'

The Trump administration's approach reflects a concerted effort to diminish the power of judges to restrain the president and his agenda, according to legal experts and former judges.

The arguments go beyond outlining why a judge reached what the administration considers ​an incorrect legal conclusion, according to Payvand Ahdout, an expert on presidential power and the federal courts at the University of Virginia School of Law.

"The administration is attacking the ability of federal judges to question or review the executive actions," Ahdout said.

"As the administration seeks to assert more unilateral power, robust judicial review is a problem for them," Ahdout added.

Trump has aggressively tested the limits of presidential powers during his second term in domestic affairs and foreign policy, drawing hundreds of legal challenges on numerous fronts.

The Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices Trump appointed, has backed him in most of these emergency cases, letting him fire federal employees, take control of independent agencies, ban transgender people from the military and deport migrants to countries where they have no ties, among other actions. Unlike its usual work, the court typically handles emergency requests quickly, without extensive written briefing or oral arguments.

'NO SURPRISE'

A Justice Department official with knowledge of the legal strategy, speaking on condition of anonymity, said any suggestion that its arguments are unusual is misleading.

Pointing to its high win rate at the Supreme Court, the official noted that many of the department's requests involve areas where the justices traditionally have deferred to the ‌president, such as immigration and the federal workforce.

"It should come as no surprise that this department is more forceful in defending Article ⁠II prerogatives," the official said, referring to the constitutional provision vesting executive power in the president.

In addition to claiming judicial interference, Trump's emergency requests challenge the power of judges in other ways.

Among these requests, 68% argue that the judge had no power to review Trump's action or jurisdiction over the case, according to the analysis. Among Biden's emergency requests, only 16% made such an argument.

And 71% of Trump's requests argue the judge had no power to provide the relief - such as a court order freezing a policy - granted to the plaintiffs. Under Biden, that figure was 63%, reflecting frustration by ⁠presidents of both parties with judicial orders they consider overbroad.

The Justice Department under both Biden and Trump urged the Supreme Court to curtail so-called "universal" injunctions that blocked their policies nationwide. The court finally tackled that issue last June in a case brought by Trump, not Biden, handing him a landmark victory reining in judges.

Though that case involved Trump's bid to restrict automatic birthright citizenship, the ruling did not involve the legality of that directive. The court will hear arguments on that question on April 1.

LITTLE EXPLANATION

The Supreme Court's decisions in emergency cases often come with little explanation, making it hard to assess which of the administration's arguments, if any, have carried the day.

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For example, Trump sought Supreme Court intervention after judges at the district court level blocked his firings of multiple Democratic members of independent federal agencies, including two labor boards, a consumer-safety ​watchdog and ​the Federal Trade Commission. The Justice Department argued that those judicial actions intruded on the president's power and that courts cannot review the firings or reinstate the officials.

The court's conservative majority allowed the removals but provided ​little reasoning, briefly referencing in one of the cases its prior rulings endorsing a president's authority to fire agency officers wielding executive power.

In three ‌5-4 decisions in which they provided a rationale, the justices lifted decisions by lower courts that blocked federal grant cuts and Trump's use of an 18th-century law meant for use during wartime to speed deportations. In doing so, the justices appeared to agree with the administration that the judges lacked jurisdiction to review the dispute because it should have been before a different court.

The Justice Department's bid to undermine the power of judges comes amid concerns by Trump's critics and some judges that administration officials are sometimes defying district court orders, as well as continuing verbal attacks on the judiciary. Trump has even directed his ire at the Supreme Court, last month calling justices who ruled against his sweeping global tariffs "lapdogs" swayed by foreign interests.

"The administration's position stated in briefs and argument is for a very narrow view of judicial review and judicial power. And that then manifests itself in the public square as: if judges move out of that more limited role, they're crooks and corrupt," said Barbara Lynn, a former federal judge in Texas who retired last year.

"That is a sad, inappropriate development, and runs the risk of there being, essentially, no checks and balances in this country if that view prevails," said Lynn, an appointee of Democratic former President Bill Clinton.

'POWER GRAB'

The administration's claims of judicial interference variously describe judges as seizing, usurping or grabbing power rightfully belonging to the president.

For instance, in a case concerning Trump's effort to fire thousands of federal employees, the Justice Department warned of an "ongoing assault on the constitutional structure," telling ‌the Supreme Court: "Only this court can end the interbranch power grab."

When a judge blocked Trump's bid to cut teacher-training grants as part of his campaign against diversity initiatives, the administration asked the Supreme Court to end ​judges' "unconstitutional reign as self-appointed managers of executive branch funding."

A judge's moves restricting the administration's plan to deport migrants to countries where they have no ties were "wreaking havoc" and "usurping the executive's authority over immigration policy," the Justice Department said.

Some ​legal experts said it is not surprising that Trump's administration would seek to extend to novel disputes the kind of deference that the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice ​John Roberts, has already given to presidents in areas such as immigration, foreign affairs and firings.

"They are trying to accelerate things that the Roberts court itself had already started, which is to narrow judicial involvement in ... the president's management of the executive branch," said University of California, Berkeley law professor John ‌Yoo, who worked as a Justice Department official during Republican George W. Bush's presidency.

The administration's arguments reflect a change in approach for the ​Justice Department, Georgia State University College of Law professor Eric Segall said.

"They make it sound like ​every case is a five-alarm fire that will destroy the presidency of the United States if judges get involved," said Segall, who worked in the department during Republican George H.W. Bush's presidency.

Philip Pro, a retired federal judge from Nevada, said the administration's legal strategy appears to view judges as an obstruction.

"If I don't agree with you as a member of the judiciary, then you're an obstruction because I want to do what I want to do, whenever I want to do it, wherever I want to do it, and you can't tell me otherwise," said Pro, an appointee of Republican former President Ronald Reagan.

LISA COOK FIRING

In the case involving Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa ​Cook, the justices signaled the administration's views on judges may go too far.

Despite protections provided by Congress for Fed officials, Trump has sought ‌to remove Cook - an unprecedented move that threatens the independence of the world's most important central bank - based on unproven mortgage fraud allegations that she denies. A federal judge blocked the firing. The Supreme Court scheduled a rare oral argument in January before it decides Trump's emergency request to lift the judge's order.

During the arguments, ​some justices balked at the administration's contention that courts are limited in their ability to review Trump's stated cause for the termination, or to reinstate her.

"If there is any level of cause ... then you can't be right about the idea that courts can't order anybody who's been removed to be reinstated," Roberts told ​Solicitor General D. John Sauer, arguing for the administration.

A decision in the Cook case could come at any time.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Amy Stevens and Will Dunham)

Eian Elmer scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as No. 19 Miami (Ohio) completed the first undefeated regular season in the 80-year history of the Mid-American Conference with a wild 110-108 overtime win over Ohio on Friday in Athens, Ohio.

Trey Perry added 21 points off the bench, Brant Byers chipped in with 15 and Peter Suder added 13 as Miami (31-0, 18-0 MAC) joined Wichita State (2013-14), Kentucky (2014-15) and Gonzaga (2020-21) as the only teams this century to head into their conference tournament with a perfect record.

Jackson Paveletzke had a career-high 37 and Javan Simmons added 30 for Ohio (15-16, 9-9), which lost to Miami at home for the first time since a 92-88 triple-overtime setback on Jan. 9, 2011, snapping a string of 14 straight wins over their MAC archrival in Athens.

Ohio's Ajay Sheldon sank a 30-foot 3-pointer with 6:18 left in regulation to tie the game 88-88. Miami would take a 93-88 lead before the Bobcats rallied. Simmons found Aidan Hadaway on a cut to the basket to make it 95-93 in favor of Miami with 3:27 left. Paveletzke drained a rainbow trey from 5 feet beyond the arc to get Ohio within 97-96 with 2:33 left.

Simmons' dunk with 40.8 seconds remaining finally brought Ohio even at 100-100. Simmons blocked Suder's drive and the ball went out of bounds with 23.9 seconds left. After video review, possession was awarded to Miami with 12 seconds left on the shot clock. Luke Skaljac's 3-point shot was short from the right baseline and Ohio grabbed the loose ball with 13 seconds to go.

Paveletzke's floater in the lane just fell off the rim as regulation expired. Paveletzke's layup 45 seconds into overtime gave Ohio its first lead since midway through the first half before Suder's layup and free throw on a three-point play put Miami back on top 58 seconds into the frame.

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After Miami took a 107-104 lead, Paveletzke hit a spinning layup and was fouled with 1:12 remaining. He missed the free throw and Miami clung to a one-point lead. Simmons put Ohio up 108-107 with 22 seconds left on a layup before Suder answered with two free throws 12.6 to put Miami up 109-108.

Paveletzke missed a layup with five seconds remaining and Justin Kirby grabbed the rebound to seal the game with 4.7 seconds left. Kirby hit 1 of 2 free throws before Paveletzke's trey was off the mark as time expired.

Miami claimed a 61-50 lead with just under 17 minutes remaining when Paveletzke led an Ohio charge, aided by Miami's second technical of the game. Brant Byers was called for the technical with 15:16 left and Paveletzke converted both free throws to draw Ohio within 65-62. Paveletzke then drained a mid-range jumper in the paint to cap a 14-4 run and cut the Miami lead to 65-64 with 15 minutes remaining.

But Miami answered with a Perry jumper in the paint to begin a 9-1 RedHawks spurt. Miami built its lead back to 10, 77-67, when the RedHawks were called for their third technical of the game, as Antwone Woolfolk and Ohio's Simmons exchanged shoves. After Ohio drained 3 of 4 free throws, Sheldon knocked down a 3 to complete the six-point possession and cut Miami's lead back to four.

Moments later, Elmer was called for a flagrant foul and Ohio hit 3 of 4 free throws to cap a nine-point surge in 50 seconds.

--Field Level Media

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) —Olympic champion Lucas Pinheiro Braathenwas fastest in the first run of a World Cup giant slalom on Saturday with Marco Odermatt almost one second back in fifth.

Slovenia World Cup Alpine Skiing

Pinheiro Braathen'shistoric gold-medal win for Brazillast month pushed Odermatt down to silver, and he is the Swiss star's closest challenger in theseason-long giant slalom standings.

On a sunny 4 Celsius (39 Fahrenheit) day in Slovenia, Pinheiro Braathen took a 0.14-second lead over Stefan Brennsteiner. Olympic bronze medalist Loïc Meillard was third with 0.35 to make up in the afternoon run.

Odermatt got the best snow conditions wearing the No. 1 start bib, but his time was 0.92 back.

The 28-year-old Swiss is chasing a fifth straight title in the giant slalom standings and started Saturday with a 103-point lead over Pinheiro Braathen and two races left.

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Pinheiro Braathen is on track to earn 100 points for the win with just the season-ending race March 25 at Hafjell, Norway, left on the giant slalom calendar. Odermatt's fifth place would be worth 45 points, leaving him 48 ahead.

Odermatt already has effectively won a fifth straight overall World Cup title.

He began racing Saturday with a huge lead of 687, over Pinheiro Braathen, and his rivals don't compete in enough disciplines to close the gap over the next 2½ weeks.

AP skiing:https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

Chappell Roan, known for her drag-queen and camp fashion style, drew attention with a new, unique outfit:a muted purple high slit skirt and sheer topcombination. She wore this dress and shared snaps onInstagramfrom the Rick Owens Online Show, where attendees and models wore varying, stunning outfits. Upon seeing her new outfit, Roan's followers flocked to the comments to shower her with praise and compliments.

Chappell Roan stuns in new pictures

Take a look at Chappell Roan's stunning high slit skirt and sheer top in the Instagram post below:

As seen in the photos, Roan's skirt has two thigh-high slits. Meanwhile, her sheer purple top has a slight ruched look, with a matching shawl draped around her chest, midriff, and upper arms.

The "Pink Pony Club" songstress topped off her look with beige strappy heels with gold circular wedges that had a slight lustre. Further, she accessorized with a bunch of thin beige wristbands and red hoop earrings.

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Typical of her fashion style, the 28-year-old went all heavy on her makeup. She donned white face paint, brown lipstick, and purple eyeshadow that complemented her predominantly purple look. Meanwhile, she styled her red hair in a high, voluminous ponytail, adding a dramatic twist to her overall appearance.

Roan's look received positive reactions, with some comparing her appearance to Megara from Disney's animated movie, Hercules. "GORGEOUUUSSS," one user wrote. "You look amazing!" Another added. "Serving megara realness," yet another commented.

Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad onMandatory

The postChappell Roan Rocks a Skirt With High Slits on Both Sides in Parisappeared first onReality Tea.

Christina Aguilerarocked a silver, translucentstrapless bodysuitamid tour performances. The 45-year-old singer shared a carousel of photos showcasing her best high-fashion outfits. However, her strapless bodysuit made entirely out of plastic certainly has the internet in a chokehold.

Christina Aguilera stuns in silver outfit

Christina Aguileraenthralls fans in a silver strapless bodysuit made entirely out of plastic. The 45-year-old shared a gorgeous rollout of photos, soundtracked to Lucille Croft's "Post Human." Aguilera shared the photos with the caption, "loading…" Unsurprisingly, the post garnered 119K likes, 8,788 shares, 5,632 comments, and 2,468 retweets.

The "Reflection" crooner wore dark glasses and translucent heels to complete the overall stylish, high-fashion look. She wore a choker made out of some plastic, adding an extra oomph factor to her look. Not only that, Aguilera covered her hair in plastic like a unique hair scarf.

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The 45-year-old singer opted for glam makeup with metallic eyeshadow and plump burgundy-brown lip gloss. Her alluring poses and scintillating photoshoot in the plastic-wrapped strapless bodysuit have won over the internet.

One fan commented, "Whatever is loading, I am already streaming it, gorgeous," followed by a heart-eyes emoji. A second fan wrote, "OMG OMG OMG OMG IT's HAPPENINGGGGGG," accompanied by multiple emojis.

Originally reported by Anwaya Mane onMandatory

The postChristina Aguilera Steps Out in Bold Strapless Bodysuit Amid Tour Buzzappeared first onReality Tea.

Sofía Vergarastuns in goddess mode in a risquélacy dressduring a Paris outing. The 53-year-old shared a mini carousel showcasing her gorgeous outfit during the trip. However, despite just a few snaps and no solo photos, Vergara still has the internet in a chokehold.

Sofía Vergara stuns in brown dress

Sofía Vergara makes heads turn in a brown lacy dress during a Paris outing with her loved ones. Vergara shared a mini rollout of photos with the caption, "(heart emoji) Paris." She soundtracked the post to Nuit d'Elise's "Sous la Lune." Unsurprisingly, the post garnered 50.9K likes, 368 shares, 593 comments, and 98 retweets.

The Modern Family alum donned a brown lace dress with a plunging neckline. She paired it with matching brown stilettos and a dark clutch to add an extra oomph factor to the look. Vergara let her silky red-brown hair cascade down her shoulders, elevating her overall look to another level.

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The Hot Pursuit star opted for glam makeup with smoky eyes, defined lashes, a contoured face, and lips done in a nude-brown matte finish. One fan commented, "SOFIA WE ARE OBSESSED WITH YOU IN THIS DRESS." A second fan wrote, "You iconic queen!!!!!!!!"

Originally reported by Anwaya Mane onMandatory

The postSofía Vergara's Delicate Thin-Strap Lace Dress Draws Eyes in Parisappeared first onReality Tea.