“WASHINGTON — The Affordable Care Act on Thursday survived a third major challenge as the Supreme Court, on a 7-2 vote, turned aside the latest effort by Republicans to kill the health care law.
The legislation, former President Barack Obama’s defining domestic legacy, has been the subject of relentless Republican hostility. But attempts in Congress to repeal it failed, as did two earlier Supreme Court challenges, in 2012 and 2015. With the passing years, the law has gained popularity and has become woven into the fabric of the health care system.
On Thursday, in what Justice Samuel Alito called, in dissent, ‘the third installment in our epic Affordable Care Act trilogy, ‘the Supreme Court again sustained the law. Its future now seems secure and its potency as a political issue for Republicans reduced.” Read more at Boston Globe
“WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that a Catholic social services agency in Philadelphia could defy city rules and refuse to work with same-sex couples who apply to take in foster children.
The decision, in the latest clash between antidiscrimination principles and claims of conscience, was a setback for gay rights and further evidence that religious groups almost always prevail in the current court.
The court’s surprising consensus on a case that pitted gay rights against religious rights masked deep divisions, with the three most conservative justices issuing caustic concurring opinions criticizing the decision as excessively timid and so narrow as to be meaningless.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for six members of the court, focused narrowly on the terms of the city’s contract with foster care agencies, which forbids discrimination based on, among other things, sexual orientation. But the contract allows city officials to make exceptions, he wrote, and that doomed the requirement that the Catholic agency must screen same-sex couples.” Read more at New York Times
“Senate Republicans vowed Thursday to block voting legislation from advancing later this month, rejecting a key Democratic senator’s compromise offer that adopted some GOP ideas in a bid to break partisan gridlock on the issue.
The pledge from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) all but guarantees that Republicans will filibuster a sweeping voting bill that Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) is sending to the floor Tuesday.
Parts of the bill are meant to overrule provisions contained in a host of GOP-passed state laws that have placed restrictions on early voting, mail-in voting, ballot drop boxes and other policies that make it easier to cast a ballot, in response to former president Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen 2020 presidential election.
‘I’ve taken a look at all the new state laws — none of them are designed to suppress the vote,” McConnell said Thursday. ‘There is no rational basis for the federal government to take over all of American elections.’” Read more at Washington Post
“The Biden administration has announced it will invest more than $3 billion for the discovery, development and manufacturing of Covid-19 antiviral medicines, like a pill someone could easily take at home early in an illness. Meanwhile, the US is still trying to reach a goal, set by President Biden, of at least partially vaccinating 70% of the adult population by July 4. Experts continue to sound the warning of possibly dangerous consequences if the US doesn’t meet such thresholds. In Indonesia, hundreds of health workers have been sickened with Covid-19 even though they received the Sinovac vaccine, raising even more questions about the efficacy of some vaccines against more infectious variants.” Read more at CNN
“A coronavirus outbreak in a powerful shipping region in China could end up snarling holiday shopping, even though the holidays are half a year away. Last month, authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong -- home to some of the world's busiest container ports -- canceled flights, locked down communities and suspended trade along its coastline to bring a rapid spike in Covid-19 cases under control. Things have improved, but the shipping damage is already done. The shutdown created a huge backlog of shipping containers and vessels waiting to dock. This congestion has led major shipping companies to warn clients of delays, changes to vessel routes and destinations and spikes in fees. The whole situation could take months to clear.” Read more at CNN
“WASHINGTON — The House voted on Thursday to revoke the authorization it gave in 2002 to invade Iraq, a step that would rein in presidential war-making powers for the first time in a generation.
The bipartisan action reflected growing determination on Capitol Hill to revisit the broad authority that Congress provided to president George W. Bush following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks through measures that successive presidents have used to justify military action around the world.
The 2002 authorization was repeatedly applied well beyond its original intent, including in a campaign much later against the Islamic State group in Iraq and for the killing of the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani last year.
The vote was 268-161, with 49 Republicans joining 219 Democrats in favor of the bill. The debate now moves to the Senate, which is expected to take up similar legislation as the US military completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly two decades of fighting there.
‘To this day, our endless war continues costing trillions of dollars and thousands of lives in a war that goes way beyond any scope that Congress conceived, or intended,’ Representative Barbara Lee, Democrat from California, who has fought for nearly two decades to remove the authorizations, said on the House floor.” Read more at Boston Globe
President Biden points to Opal Lee, a 94-year-old Texan who campaigned for a Juneteenth holiday, after signing the bill yesterday. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
“Two branches of government haven't acted in concert this speedily in at least 10 years:
The Senate passed a Juneteenth national holiday on Tuesday, the House followed Wednesday, President Biden signed it yesterday, and today is an official federal holiday (although the Postal Service will operate, saying there wasn't time to shut down).
The annual holiday will be June 19. Because that falls on Saturday this year, the government is observing it today.
Why it matters: The holiday is a way future generations will remember America's year of racial reckoning.
Juneteenth National Independence Day is a permanent marker of a cultural shift that was swifter and surer than we could have imagined before the police killing of George Floyd mobilized millions.
Niala Boodhoo, host of our ‘Axios Today’ podcast, talked with Harvard law professor Annette Gordon-Reed, who attended yesterday's East Room ceremony, and other historians about the dizzying pace of passage.
‘All of a sudden, I was getting texts, messages — and an invitation to the White House,’ said Gordon-Reed, author of the historical memoir ‘On Juneteenth,’ a current New York Times bestseller.
‘It really matters to young people, who will grow up seeing Juneteenth alongside July 4, Memorial Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.’
The newest federal holiday commemorates June 19, 1865 — the day Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, with word that the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed by President Abraham Lincoln more than two years before.
Ibram X. Kendi, Boston University professor and author of ‘How To Be an Antiracist,’ told Axios he was elated that the holiday has finally come to fruition, but added: ‘I think we'll be in a battle over how we celebrate Juneteenth and how we utilize this day.’ Read more at Axios
“GENEVA (AP) — War, violence, persecution, human rights violations and other factors caused nearly 3 million people to flee their homes last year, even though the COVID-19 crisis restricted movement worldwide, the U.N. refugee agency said in a report Friday.
In its latest Global Trends report, UNHCR said the world’s cumulative number of displaced people rose to 82.4 million — roughly the population of Germany and a new post-World War II record.
Filippo Grandi, the United Nations’ high commissioner for refugees, said conflict and the fallout from climate change in places such as Mozambique, Ethiopia’s Tigray region and Africa’s Sahel area were key drivers of refugees and internally displaced people in 2020.
Such factors added hundreds of thousands to the overall count, the ninth consecutive annual increase in the number of forcibly displaced people. The millions who have fled countries such as Syria and Afghanistan due to protracted wars or fighting have dominated the U.N. agency’s tally for years.” Read more at AP News
“After months of speculation over whether a lack of public support in Japan for the Olympics would lead to their cancellation, the country moved to end its state of emergency (which required bars and restaurants to close early) and has sped up its vaccination campaign to more than one million shots a day. The Covid-19 infection rate there has fallen by 70% since the emergency order was imposed in Tokyo in late April, and public opposition to the Games has softened. Surveys earlier this spring found a strong majority of residents didn't want the Games to happen, and major business leaders came out against the event. The Olympics, set to start July 23, will still feature many restrictions for the approximately 11,000 athletes and the tens of thousands of journalists, officials and dignitaries attending. Foreign visitors have been barred, eliminating most of the financial upside of the event. Japan said it would decide later this month whether those already living in the country can watch the events in stadiums.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Scouts near deal with largest victims group. The Boy Scouts of America is nearing a settlement with the largest group of lawyers for sex-abuse victims, marking a breakthrough for the youth group after 16 costly months in bankruptcy.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“A St. Louis couple who gained notoriety for waving guns at racial justice protesters last summer pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor charges and agreed to give up the guns they used during the confrontation.
Video and photographs of rifle-wielding Mark McCloskey and pistol-toting Patricia McCloskey in front of their mansion on June 28 captured the attention of the country, including then-President Donald Trump, who spoke out in defense of the couple. Trump and other Republicans considered the McCloskeys law-abiding homeowners defending their property. Others saw the couple as overly aggressive toward protesters who were marching through the gated community to the home of then-Mayor Lyda Krewson amid nationwide protests after a police officer killed George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The couple, both personal injury attorneys, faced felony firearm charges after the menacing display in front of their marble-faced palazzo home but ultimately pleaded guilty to lesser charges.” Read more at Washington Post
“A Florida GOP congressional candidate was recently secretly recorded threatening Republican rival Anna Paulina Luna with ‘a Russian and Ukrainian hit squad’ that would make her ‘disappear.’
That’s according to a recording obtained by Politico that comes from a conservative activist who says she taped her conversation with William Braddock over concerns about his ‘unhinged’ dislike of his competitor.
In the recording, a man identified by Erin Olszewski as Braddock tells her she should not support Luna, one of several candidates vying for the seat in 2022 being vacated by Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.). Braddock has declined to say if he is the man who was recorded.” Read more at Washington Post
“7% — The share of the nation's bridges that are deemed to be in poor condition. One such bridge, in Memphis, was forced to close last month due to a cracked beam, snarling traffic between Tennessee and Arkansas. The U.S. trucking industry is losing an estimated $2 million a day because of the closure, which began on May 11, highlighting the urgency of infrastructure plans being debated in Washington.
$19.68 million — The sum spent by Facebook on federal lobbying last year, a record for the company. Many Big Tech lobbyists are veterans of the Obama White House, which was welcoming of large tech companies. As Congress works to rein in the industry, though, the lobbyists are suddenly facing a tough crowd.
$211 billion — The amount in pandemic-related Economic Injury Disaster Loans issued by the Small Business Administration since last March, more aid distributed than in the prior 68 years combined. The SBA’s job was to help rescue the 75% of small businesses that sought aid amid the pandemic, but the agency was overwhelmed by the demand and struggled to distribute money in a timely manner.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Lives Lived: Janet Malcolm of The New Yorker produced deeply reported, exquisitely crafted articles and books about literature, biography, photography, true crime and, most provocatively, journalism itself. She died at 86.” Read more at New York Times
“Democrats are considering including major health-care reforms in a massive package that could pass without Republican votes, teeing up a grueling fight with the industry, Caitlin Owens reports for Axios Vitals.
Why it matters: Expanding coverage and lowering drug prices have long been top priorities for Democrats. This may be their best chance.
Democrats are preparing a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure package to pass through budget reconciliation, allowing legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority.
They're considering including measures that would lower Medicare eligibility from 65 to 60, expand benefits and lower drug prices, The Washington Post reported.
Between the lines: The prescription-drug industry is opposed to giving Medicare the ability to negotiate prices. Providers and insurers hate the idea of lowering the Medicare age.
So Democrats could face simultaneous pressure campaigns from some of the most powerful industry groups in the country.” Read more at Axios
“DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranians voted Friday in a presidential election that a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seemed likely to win, leading to low turnout fueled by apathy and calls for a boycott.
Opinion polling by state-linked organizations and analysts indicated that judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi — who is already under U.S. sanctions — was the dominant front-runner in a field of just four candidates. Former Central Bank chief, Abdolnasser Hemmati, is running as the race’s moderate candidate but hasn’t inspired the same support as outgoing President Hassan Rouhani, who is term limited from seeking the office again.
By mid-day, turnout appeared far lower than Iran’s last presidential election in 2017. State television offered tight shots of polling places, several of which seemed to have only a handful of voters in the election’s early hours.
Those passing by several polling places in Tehran said they similarly saw few voters. In some images on state TV, poll workers wore gloves and masks due to the coronavirus pandemic, with some wiping down ballot boxes with disinfectants.” Read more at AP News
“An ominous weather system slowly rolling toward the Gulf of Mexico was threatening to strengthen into Tropical Storm Claudette before slamming onto shore across four states. The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for southeast Louisiana to the Alabama-Florida border. Coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida panhandle could faceheavy rains and flooding Friday and into the weekend . AccuWeather meteorologists pinpointed late Friday to Saturday as the most likely time frame, and the Louisiana coastline is the most likely place for landfall, though it may occur anywhere from near the Texas-Louisiana border to the western part of the Florida Panhandle.” Read more at USA Today
In September, Portland police use chemical irritants and crowd control munitions to disperse protesters. Photo: Noah Berger/AP
“Portland officers on the crowd control unit, the Rapid Response Team, resigned from the unit after one was indicted for fourth-degree assault due to a baton strike against a protester's head last summer, The Oregonian reports.
Why it matters: The 50 officers, detectives and sergeants voted to disband their volunteer team ‘due to perceived lack of support ... The indictment of one of the team's officers appeared to be the last straw.’” Read more at Axios
“Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the end of the state's COVID-19 emergency declaration will come Friday. ‘We've come to the conclusion it really does not impact what we need to do in this pandemic based on this point’ in time, DeWine said. The governor had declared the emergency on March 14, 2020, which allowed the state to suspend competitive bidding, draw down assistance and make emergency rules. DeWine said state requirements on visits to nursing homes, such as limiting the number of visitors, will also be lifted Friday. Most of the state's health orders, including the state mask mandate, ended June 2.” Read more at USA Today
“Rafael Nadal, a 20-time Grand Slam tournament winner, will not go for No. 21 at Wimbledon this year, he announced on Thursday. He also pulled out of the Olympics, and in doing so became the latest top athlete to suggest that compressed sports schedules after the pandemic were asking too much of their biggest stars.” Read more at New York Times
“China plans further shift toward encouraging childbirth. Concerned about falling birthrates, policy makers are discussing the possibility of fully doing away with birth restrictions by 2025, according to a person familiar with the matter.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Far-right advance | As France prepares to hold regional elections starting Sunday, Thierry Mariani is leading the race to take control of the area around Marseille, France’s second-most populous city, and the French Riviera. Should he win, Ania Nussbaum writes, it would show the less hardline message being adopted by Marine Le Pen’s far-right movement is gaining support, with a presidential vote due in April.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Three years after heralding an end to authoritarian rule and with plans to open up Ethiopia’s economy to foreign businesses, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is alienating allies and frightening investors. Reforms the once-feted Nobel Peace Prize laureate began implementing in 2018 have sparked ethnic clashes and a civil war in its northern Tigray region that has spawned a famine.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Hidden issue | With females aged between 45 and 54 making up 11% of the workforce in G-7 nations, governments and companies are increasingly taking action on something that drives scores of women out of the workforce each year — menopause. As Lizzy Burden writes, menopause-related productivity losses plus costs to the healthcare system could put the global price tag above $810 billion a year.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives suffered a shock defeat in a special parliamentary election to the Liberal Democrats in a wealthy district northwest of London that had been a stronghold for the U.K.’s ruling party.” Read more at Bloomberg
“The European Union lifted travel restrictions for U.S. residents, the latest step toward a return to normalcy despite concerns over the spread of potentially dangerous coronavirus variants.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Sweden’s prime minister, Stefan Lofven, is battling an onslaught from parties from all sides united in their bid to topple him in a no-confidence motion scheduled for Monday.” Read more at Bloomberg
“North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country should ‘get prepared for both dialogue and confrontation’ with the U.S., and ‘especially to get fully prepared for confrontation,’ AP reports.
Why it matters: Kim's statement indicates he’ll push to strengthen his nuclear arsenal, and increase pressure on Washington to give up what North Korea considers a hostile policy — but also wants talks.” Read more at Axios
“A Chinese academic has been suspended by his university after appearing to advocate for polygamy on his private social media account in a case that has divided public opinion. Bao Yinan of the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai posted that Chinese authorities ‘should give university professors special treatment, for example allowing them to have multiple spouses and provide them permanent subsidies.’ Bao later deleted the post, an action he said was due to pressure from the university.
Bao is just the latest academic this month to advocate for unorthodox relationship arrangements. In his regular Weibo column, Yew-Kwang Ng, an economics professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, made the case for polyandry—or multiple men sharing the same wife—as a solution to China’s lopsided male to female population ratio.” Read more at Foreign Policy
No posts