The Full Belmonte, 7/1/2022
“WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants, making it much tougher for President Biden to achieve his goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade.
The vote was 6 to 3, with the court’s three liberal justices in dissent, saying that the majority had stripped the E.P.A. of “the power to respond to the most pressing environmental challenge of our time.”
In ruling against the E.P.A., the Supreme Court again waded into a politically divisive issue on the final day of a blockbuster term, adding to the conservative supermajority’s decisions to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion, vastly expand gun rights and further erode the wall separating church and state.
The implications of the ruling could extend well beyond environmental policy. It also signals that the court’s newly expanded conservative majority is deeply skeptical of the power of administrative agencies to address major issues facing the nation and the planet.
The decision set off criticism from the left, but voices from the coal industry and conservative states praised the ruling.
Mr. Biden, left with far fewer tools to fight climate change, said the ruling was ‘another devastating decision that aims to take our country backwards.’ He vowed to take action even as the court limited his ability to act, adding: ‘We cannot and will not ignore the danger to public health and existential threat the climate crisis poses.’
Patrick Morrisey, the attorney general of West Virginia and one of the leaders of the challenge to the E.P.A.’s authority, welcomed the decision.
‘E.P.A. can no longer sidestep Congress to exercise broad regulatory power that would radically transform the nation’s energy grid and force states to fundamentally shift their energy portfolios away from coal-fired generation,’ he said.” Read more at New York Times
“WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Biden administration may rescind a Trump-era immigration program that forces certain asylum seekers arriving at the southwestern border to await approval in Mexico.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority in the 5-to-4 ruling, said an immigration law gave the president discretion to return migrants arriving by land to the country from which they came. But that discretion, he continued, did not amount to an obligation.” Read more at New York Times
“WASHINGTON — Ketanji Brown Jackson took the judicial oath just after noon on Thursday, becoming the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
Justice Jackson, 51, was confirmed in April, when the Senate voted 53 to 47 on her nomination. She is replacing Justice Stephen G. Breyer, 83, who stepped down with the conclusion of the court’s current term.
Justice Jackson took both a constitutional oath, administered by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., and a judicial oath, administered by Justice Breyer, making her the nation’s 116th justice and sixth woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. The brief swearing-in ceremony took place in the West Conference Room at the Supreme Court, before a small gathering of Judge Jackson’s family, including her two daughters. Her husband, Dr. Patrick G. Jackson, held the two Bibles on which she swore: a family Bible and a King James Version that is the property of the court.” Read more at New York Times
“WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced on Thursday that it would hear a case that could radically reshape how federal elections are conducted by giving state legislatures independent power, not subject to review by state courts, to set election rules in conflict with state constitutions.
The case has the potential to affect many aspects of the 2024 election, including by giving the justices power to influence the presidential race if disputes arise over how state courts interpret state election laws.
In taking up the case, the court could upend nearly every facet of the American electoral process, allowing state legislatures to set new rules, regulations and districts on federal elections with few checks against overreach, and potentially create a chaotic system with differing rules and voting eligibility for presidential elections.
‘The Supreme Court’s decision will be enormously significant for presidential elections, congressional elections and congressional district districting,’ said J. Michael Luttig, a former federal appeals court judge. ‘And therefore, for American democracy.’
Protections against partisan gerrymandering established through the state courts could essentially vanish. The ability to challenge new voting laws at the state level could be reduced. And the theory underpinning the case could open the door to state legislatures sending their own slates of electors.
It is one thing to agree to hear a case, of course, and another to rule on it. But four justices have already expressed at least tentative support for the doctrine, making a decision accepting it more than plausible. The court will probably hear arguments in the fall and issue its decision next year.
Currently, Republicans have complete control over 30 state legislatures, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and were the force behind a wave of new voting restrictions passed last year. And Republican legislatures in key battleground states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina have used their control over redistricting to effectively lock in power for a decade.
Democrats, in turn, control just 17 state legislatures.
The case concerns a voting map drawn by the North Carolina legislature that was rejected as a partisan gerrymander by the State Supreme Court. Republicans seeking to restore the legislative map argued that the state court was powerless to act under the so-called independent state legislature doctrine.” Read more at New York Times
“The markets posted the worst first half of a year in decades.
The S&P 500 has fallen 21%, its worst first half since 1970, while investment-grade bonds lost 11%, their least favorable start to a year in history. Stocks and bonds in emerging markets tumbled, and crypto came crashing down. About the only thing that has risen since Jan. 1 was commodities prices.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“MADRID — President Biden on Thursday condemned what he called the ‘outrageous behavior’ of the Supreme Court in overturning Roe v. Wade and said for the first time that he supported ending the filibuster to protect a woman’s right to an abortion and a broader constitutional right to privacy.
It was a striking assertion from a president who is steeped in the traditions of the Senate and has resisted calls from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party to scrap the longstanding Senate practice of requiring a 60-vote threshold to pass legislation. But in chiding the justices for a decision he called ‘destabilizing’ for the country, the president said it was time to push Congress to act.
‘We have to codify Roe v. Wade in the law, and the way to do that is to make sure the Congress votes to do that,’ Mr. Biden said. ‘And if the filibuster gets in the way, it’s like voting rights, we provide an exception for this, or an exception to the filibuster for this action.’” Read more at New York Times
“MADRID — President Biden vowed on Thursday that the United States and NATO would support Ukraine for as long as necessary to repel Russia’s invasion, despite waves of economic pain rolling through world markets and voters’ homes, saying it was the Kremlin that had miscalculated in its aggression, and not the West in opposing it.
Speaking at a news conference at the close of a NATO summit in Madrid, Mr. Biden said that Americans and the rest of the world would have to pay more for gasoline and energy as a price of containing Russian aggression. How long? ‘As long as it takes, so Russia cannot in fact defeat Ukraine and move beyond Ukraine,’ he said.
But his remarks underscored the kaleidoscope of problems that he and other NATO leaders face in keeping their people committed to backing up Ukraine with money, weapons and sanctions against Russia, despite the damage it is doing to Western economies and an uncertain outcome on the battlefield.” Read more at New York Times
“WASHINGTON — Former President Donald J. Trump's political organization and his allies have paid for or promised to finance the legal fees of more than a dozen witnesses called in the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack, raising legal and ethical questions about whether the former president may be influencing testimony with a direct bearing on him.
The arrangement drew new scrutiny this week after Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide in his White House, made an explosive appearance before the House panel, providing damning new details about Mr. Trump’s actions and statements on the day of the deadly riot.
She did so after firing a lawyer who had been recommended to her by two of Mr. Trump’s former aides and paid for by his political action committee, and hiring new counsel. Under the representation of the new lawyer, Jody Hunt, Ms. Hutchinson sat for a fourth interview with the committee in which she divulged more revelations and agreed to come forward publicly to testify to them.
It is not known whether Ms. Hutchinson’s change in counsel led directly to her willingness to appear at a televised hearing and provide a more detailed, wide-ranging account of what she witnessed, but some members of the panel believe that it played a role, according to two people familiar with the committee’s work.
Mr. Trump claimed that Ms. Hutchinson’s new lawyer could have prompted her to make false statements. ‘Her story totally changed!’ he complained on his social media site, Truth Social.
The episode raised questions about whether Mr. Trump and his allies may, implicitly or explicitly, be pressuring witnesses to hold back crucial information that might incriminate or cast a negative light on the former president. Mr. Trump and his advisers have been accused before of trying to influence witnesses in past investigations involving him. The committee is known to ask witnesses frequently during closed-door interviews whether anyone has tried to influence their testimony.
Ms. Hutchinson has told the Jan. 6 committee that she was among the witnesses who have been contacted by people around Mr. Trump suggesting that they would be better off if they remained loyal to the former president. Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and the vice chairwoman of the panel, quoted two witnesses making such claims on Tuesday and suggested that the committee was looking into the possibility that the former president or his allies were trying to obstruct its inquiry, saying that, ‘most people know that attempting to influence witnesses to testify untruthfully presents very serious concerns.’
Unlike witness tampering, which is a crime, there is nothing illegal about a third party covering legal fees for a witness. Aides to former President Bill Clinton reported being overwhelmed with legal bills because of the various inquiries into his and his family’s personal and business affairs, and were dismayed when a legal-defense fund set up by Mr. Clinton’s allies to help the first family pay its multimillion-dollar legal debts did not help them. Mr. Clinton later pledged to help raise money to cover his former aides’ legal expenses, but did not make any major effort to do so.” Read more at New York Times
“WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruling in the Environmental Protection Agency case on Thursday was a substantial victory for libertarian-minded conservatives who have worked for decades to curtail or dismantle modern-style government regulation of the economy.
In striking down an E.P.A. plan to reduce carbon emissions from power plants, the court issued a decision whose implications go beyond hobbling the government’s ability to fight climate change. Many other types of regulations might now be harder to defend.
The ruling widens an opening to attack a government structure that, in the 20th century, became the way American society imposes rules on businesses: Agencies set up by Congress come up with the specific methods of ensuring that the air and water are clean, that food, drugs, vehicles and consumer products are safe, and that financial firms follow the rules.
Such regulations may benefit the public as a whole, but can also cut into the profits of corporations and affect other narrow interests. For decades, wealthy conservatives have been funding a long-game effort to hobble that system, often referred to as the administrative state.” Read more at New York Times
“MIAMI — In a welcome but likely brief victory for supporters of abortion rights, a judge in Florida blocked a state law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday, the latest in a flurry of activity in state courts and legislatures following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The Florida law, scheduled to take effect on Friday, violates privacy protections in the State Constitution, ruled Judge John C. Cooper of the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Tallahassee, handing a defeat to Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, who enacted the restrictions in April.
But in a complication emblematic of the chaotic past week of legal and legislative action in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, the temporary statewide injunction Judge Cooper issued from the bench will not be binding until he signs a written order. The delay will leave Florida’s 15-week ban in place for a short time — perhaps a few days, because of the Fourth of July holiday — until the paperwork is completed.” Read more at New York Times
Texas migrant tragedy: Two people linked to truck's registration to appear in court
“The death toll after a hot and unventilated tractor-trailer was found abandoned in San Antonio has reached 53 people in what officials are calling likely the deadliest smuggling incident in U.S. history. Records show two Mexican citizens – 23-year-old Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez and 48-year-old Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao – are scheduled to appear in court Friday, with both facing a charge of possessing a weapon while in the U.S. illegally. Neither has been charged in the suspected smuggling conspiracy, court records show. The criminal complaints for both men say federal authorities linked the men to the truck by tracing the address on the vehicle's registration. Authorities say both men admitted to possession of illegal firearms not manufactured in the state of Texas and to overstaying their visas, according to the complaints.” Read more at USA Today
“A team of researchers including relatives of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black boy who was abducted and murdered in Mississippi in 1955, has discovered an unserved arrest warrant for the white woman whose accusations led to his gruesome death.
The document was found last week in the basement of a courthouse in Greenwood, Miss. It does not constitute major new evidence in the case, which horrified but galvanized Black Americans at the time and helped lead to the civil rights movement.
But those still working on Emmett’s behalf said that the discovery added to their understanding of the legal drama surrounding his death, and that they hoped it would provide a basis for a new investigation. The woman, Carolyn Bryant Donham, was never charged in the case. She is now in her 80s and was living in North Carolina as recently as May, according to public records. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.” Read more at New York Times
At least 18 killed in Russian missile attack on Odesa apartment building
“At least 18 people were killed and 30 wounded in a missile strike on an apartment building in southern Ukraine's Odesa region, authorities said Friday, a day after Russian troops abandoned their positions on Snake Island off the coast of Odesa that has become a symbol of stiff Ukrainian resistance to Russia's invasion. Sergei Bratchuk, a spokesman for Odesa's military administration, said the strike on the nine-story apartment building was launched by aircraft in the Black Sea. At least two of the dead were children and three kids were rescued from the rubble. On Monday, at least 18 people were killed and dozens were injured in a missile strike on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, in central Ukraine. One-thousand people were in the mall when the missile struck and at least 20 people remain missing. Russian President Vladimir Putin denied Wednesday that Russian forces targeted the mall, claiming his country doesn't hit civilian facilities and alleging the airstrike was directed at a nearby weapons depot.” Read more at USA Today
“MANILA — Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the former dictator, was sworn in Thursday as the 17th president of the Philippines, praising his father’s legacy and pledging to confront an array of challenges as Rodrigo Duterte, the outgoing president, concluded a six-year term.
In a ceremony that capped a remarkable comeback for a family once forced into exile, Mr. Marcos, 64, presented himself as a leader who would help the Philippines improve its economy and secure a more prosperous future.
‘You will not be disappointed, so do not be afraid,’ Mr. Marcos said, speaking to thousands of supporters — including his 92-year-old mother, Imelda Marcos — at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila.” Read more at New York Times
WNBA star Brittney Griner to go on trial in Russia with long sentence looming
“American basketball star Brittney Griner is set to go on trial in a Moscow-area court Friday, about 4 1/2 months after she was arrested on cannabis possession charges at an airport while traveling to play for a Russian team. The seven-time WNBA All-Star center for the Phoenix Mercury and two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs. Fewer than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and unlike in the U.S., acquittals can be overturned. Griner was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport less than a week before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, which aggravated already-high tensions. On Monday, the court in the Moscow suburb of Khimki extended Griner's detention for another six months after she appeared for a preliminary hearing held behind closed doors. In May, the U.S. State Department reclassified Griner as being "wrongfully detained" by the Russian government.” Read more at USA Today
The Big Ten’s leadership voted unanimously on Thursday to add USC and UCLA for the 2024-25 academic year PHOTO: KEITH BIRMINGHAM/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Southern California and U.C.L.A. moved Thursday to defect to the Big Ten Conference from the Pac-12, sparking another seismic remaking of the competitive and economic landscapes of college sports.
The Big Ten said that the presidents and chancellors of its current schools, 14 universities in a predominantly Midwestern footprint running from Nebraska to New Jersey, had unanimously agreed to accept U.C.L.A. and U.S.C. The schools said Thursday that they intended to join the league in 2024.
The maneuvering came as the Big Ten closed in on a new television contract that was expected to be among the richest in college sports history.
The Big Ten’s further concentrate influence in an industry bombarded by political and legal pressures over athletes’ rights. The exodus of U.C.L.A. and U.S.C. also imperils the Pac-12 Conference, a proud league that has counted the schools within its ranks since the 1920s but has struggled in recent years to keep pace financially and on the field with the Big Ten and the SEC.
It was not even a year ago that Oklahoma and Texas decided to depart the Big 12 Conference for the SEC, which has lately been the premier college football league. Their moves sparked a round of realignment around the country.
The membership rolls of the Big Ten and the Pac-12, though, remained unchanged through the tumult. The leagues, long tied to one another through the Rose Bowl and urgently searching for a check on the SEC’s swelling might, even joined forces with the Atlantic Coast Conference, another Power Five league, on some issues.
Then came Thursday’s defections, discussed in secret for months and made official just hours after The Mercury News reported the possibility of altered allegiances.” Read more at New York Times
“The Nets’ latest foray into the world of superteams might be over.
Kevin Durant, a 12-time All-Star, has asked the Nets to trade him, according to a person familiar with the request who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. Rich Kleiman, Durant’s business manager, told ESPN that the Nets had given him permission to find a trade partner. Durant’s request came three days after Kyrie Irving opted into the final year of his four-year contract with the Nets.
Durant and Irving signed with the Nets in 2019 on four-year deals, but last year Durant signed an extension that goes through the 2025-26 season. Irving can be traded in the final year of his contract.
Durant, 33, is widely thought of as one of the best scoring forwards in N.B.A. history. He won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award in 2014, which was one of the four seasons in which he led the N.B.A. in scoring.” Read more at New York Times
“Columbia University will not participate in the next U.S. News & World Report rankings of colleges across the country, after a Columbia math professor questioned the accuracy of the data that secured its No. 2 spot in the influential rankings, the university announced on Thursday night.
The deadline to submit data for the rankings is Friday, and a university spokesman said officials needed more time to analyze the data and address the criticisms raised by the professor, Michael Thaddeus.
In a 21-page stinging critique Dr. Thaddeus posted on his website in February, he not only challenged the data behind the rating but added fuel to the debate over whether college rankings — used by millions of prospective college students and their parents — are valuable or even accurate.” Read more at New York Times
“Sonny Barger, who as the charismatic face of the Hells Angels grew the hard-charging motorcycle club from its roots in the San Francisco area into a global phenomenon, in the process making it an emblem of West Coast rebellion — and, federal authorities said, criminal enterprise — died on Wednesday at his home outside Oakland, Calif. He was 83.
His former lawyer and business manager, Fritz Clapp, said the cause was liver cancer.
The Hells Angels were both a defining part of the postwar counterculture and a sharp deviation from it. While the beats, hippies, yippies, diggers and other groups skewed far to the left and generally eschewed violence, the Angels reveled in attacking antiwar protesters, warring with rival clubs and targeting enemies for revenge killings.
By the time Mr. Barger (the name is pronounced with a hard “G”) solidified his position as the de facto leader of the club’s various chapters, in the mid-1960s, those idiosyncrasies had already made them something of a legend, helped along by a long list of writers who found their story — and Mr. Barger’s allure — irresistible.” Read more at New York Times