Army Guard vaccine dismissals looms: https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-army-government-and-politics-bd5631ebc71875f6edeb0e8eb34103fb . This remains an important part of troop readiness.
Alameda County rescinds most recent mask mandate: https://www.aol.com/news/alameda-county-ends-short-lived-232139029.html .
Supreme Court officially issues opinion overturning Roe v. Wade: https://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-ruling-three-key-takeaways-from-the-decision-to-overturn-roe-v-wade-192820111.html . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-overturns-roe-v-wade-eliminates-constitutional-right-to-abortion-11656080124 . Despite the advance notice via the leak, this remains a horrifying misstep for the Court. The article does not really get to the key reasons it is horrifying. As stated here repeatedly, precedent (stare decisis) is the bedrock of the rule of law. Precedent can be overturned, certainly, but it typically happens when new circumstances illuminate the limits of the prior rule, or when prior rules conflict with each other.
Roe gained its status as a “super-precedent” for several reasons. Not only has it stood for almost 50 years, it has been previously reaffirmed by the Court. Roe is one of the most widely cited cases of all time, and other key rights flow from the long line of cases of which Roe is perhaps the most important member. Critically, it is the only Supreme Court case most Americans know by name. The Court’s reversal here says to the average American, this is not an independent body of reasoning and learning, it’s just 9 out-of-touch people exercising their political will.
On this last point, I agree with the public. This is a terrible day for the Court, for the rule of law, and for the reputation of the United States. We are no longer a reliable or forward-thinking ally: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/trudeau-johnson-macron-aghast-at-abortion-rights-reversal-in-us/ar-AAYQdcG?cvid=5c5ea53378d74e2eb07a90b731667a61 .
Reaction to the Court’s misstep from the Court’s liberals/dissenters: https://news.yahoo.com/roe-wade-scotus-liberal-justices-dissent-overturn-172434373.html . From the Obamas: https://news.yahoo.com/obamas-supreme-court-overturns-roe-horrifying-decision-155935882.html .
Getting some value out of the joke that is Clarence Thomas: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/clarence-thomas-calls-for-supreme-court-to-reconsider-gay-marriage-contraception-after-roe-v-wade-falls/ar-AAYPJwu?cvid=85ceac1acb2f41a3bf1878770e58f8f2 . Note that the liberals point out that miscegenation (interracial marriage) certainly would have not been acceptable to the founders (well, except for Jefferson, who was guilty of it). The obvious central point: The Constitution must operate as a living document, reinterpreted to current circumstances, or it will lose relevance. The conservatives took a big step in that direction, and they do not understand its consequences.
A path toward national medication abortions?: https://news.yahoo.com/merrick-garlands-mention-fda-hints-014427921.html .
House approves Senate gun control deal: https://apnews.com/article/congress-gun-violence-bill-live-updates-20f7c9738fee4eba1d7fed155301ee25 . “Landmark compromise” pretty much tells you what you need to know.
Uh-oh for the Oath Keepers: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/oath-keepers-defense-ordered-to-disclose-if-sidney-powell-is-funding-attorneys/ar-AAYQe3R?cvid=e4e671e325bc4bb0898b6299022d2626 . Defense complaints about the government’s filing is a strong sign that Powell is funding the defense, and with monies raised by promoting the Big Lie. So this just makes the conspiracy ongoing and deeper. While Mehta is a well-respected judge, it is unfortunate that he used the phrase “all deliberate speed”. Surely Mehta knows that phrase is code in the law for “slow”, after its crucial use in Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/all-deliberate-speed/ .
Ukrainians withdraw from key Donbas city: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-politics-donetsk-0537bf3613c45dc9aec283752ccf9ca6 . Indiscriminate shelling may be a war crime and brutal, but it is effective until anti-artillery weapons silence the gunners. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-orders-withdrawal-from-severodonetsk-to-avoid-encirclement-11656056814 .