Supreme Rulings by Subtraction

English: West face of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Español: Edificio de la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos en Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The United States Supreme Court ended its 2015-16 session minus one justice with the death of Antonin Scalia, but still managed to make some important decisions.  Here are some of the most recent:

• On a 5-3 vote, the Court voided a Texas law that said abortion providers and their doctors had to adhere to hospital-like standards for admitting patients.  Similar laws that made getting abortions more difficult for the sake of women's health are on the books in several states.  This is the biggest win for pro-choicers since Roe v. Wade.
• On a 4-4 vote, the justices failed to decide on President Barack Obama's immigration policy, thus letting stand a lower court's ruling that could mean difficulty getting work permits and possible deportation for five million undocumented immigrants.  While this is a major defeat for Obama's legacy, this serves as a major campaign issue (if it isn't one already) for Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.  However, the vote in Britain to get out of the European Union may have changed things as far as feelings about keeping the border open is concerned.
• On a 6-2 vote, the Court ruled that those convicted of domestic violence charges could not own firearms.  That doesn't mean they won't be able to acquire them illegally and do harm, but it's a start.

As we mentioned, the Supreme Court is currently working with one justice short.  It's likely to remain that way for most of the next term because Merrick Garland, Obama's choice to be the ninth justice, is in limbo while the GOP-controlled Senate twiddles its thumbs awaiting the election of a new President.  Preferably someone from their own party, even if it turns out to be Trump.

Until then, though, the remaining eight justices of the Supreme Court (unless there's another death or retirement) will just have to do their jobs with what they've got.  

The Sun Rises on Brexit

English: 25px| European Union as a single entity (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They used to say that the sun never set on the British Empire, given its worldwide network of colonies and territories that existed before World War II.  Now, in the wake of British voters pulling the plug on their membership in the house of cards known as the European Union, there is just as much sunlight as an Alaskan winter.

Great Britain has been in the Union since the 1970s, meaning its borders and trade agreements have allowed Europeans to cross without much in the way of red tape.  But the British were never really comfortable with it, especially these days with economic slowdowns and fears of terrorism coming from immigrants.

There's been extensive fallout thus far from the Brexit vote:  Worldwide economic markets are down sharply.  British prime minister David Cameron says he is stepping down after new elections are held.  Separation proceedings are being negotiated, though the true breakup won't take place for years.  And already people in Britain are having second thoughts, especially the younger voters who chose to stay in the union, believing the older ones who voted to leave are screwing them over on their future.

In the United States, Brexit is having an effect on the presidential race, if not the economy.  Republican nominee-to-be Donald Trump benefits from this because (A) Brexit fits in with his views on economic policy and immigration, and (B) he can make new deals with the British whether he's President or not.  This presumably includes items other than hotels and golf courses.

Trump trails Democratic nominee-in-waiting Hillary Clinton in the latest polls, though it must be said that they were taken before the Brexit vote.  The result seems to make Clinton and the Democrats seem out of step with those who think this country is being sold out from under them, though the U.S. is a lot more diverse than either Britain or Trump's supporters.  How Clinton and the Democrats respond to this latest challenge will say a lot about what happens in the campaign.

As the sun rises on a new era in a not-so-Great Britain, there's one more thing to add insult to injury.  Britain's national soccer team was defeated by Iceland at the European Championships in France by a 2-1 score.  It seems the sun is setting on that empire, too.

It Gets Worse, Not Better

English: Orlando Skyline at night (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Once again, the course of American history is changed by a lone gunman seeking to make a statement by killing as many people as he could.

In Orlando, Florida during the early morning hours of June 12, fifty people were shot down at a gay/lesbian nightclub including the person who did the shooting.  He claimed allegiance to the Islamic State in a phone call before the massacre, even though the FBI said they had no evidence that he was ever a member.

As what usually happens in situations like these, the finger pointing starts once the shock over the news wears off.  In a presidential election year, that goes double.  Republican nominee-in-waiting Donald Trump was his classy self, congratulating himself on being right about immigration and its consequences, berating President Barack Obama for not saying the words "radical Islamic terrorists" and calling for his resignation.  Democratic nominee-in-waiting Hillary Clinton, backed into a corner by Trump and other far-right conservatives, finally uttered the words the President wouldn't as though her years as a diplomat meant nothing.

The finger pointing also extends to gun laws vs. gun rights, background checks, the mental health of the shooter, radical vs. moderate Islam, etc.  As long as the country is politically divided and the National Rifle Association is in charge of the gun issue, nothing will change much.

Despite (or because of) strides the LGBT community have been making to gain acceptance in society, there's still a lot of homophobia out there.  It was gays and lesbians out looking for a good time on a Saturday night who were killed in Orlando.  Not school children, moviegoers or office workers.  Chances are, there might be those who secretly have more sympathy for the shooter who said he hated to see two men kissing than they do with the victims.  But they're not going to take an assault weapon to places where LGBTs gather just to prove their point.  Why do that when out-of-context religious verses posted on placards will do?

You'll notice that we have yet to mention the name of the shooter, and we're not going to.  Some news organizations are doing the same thing in the belief that the person who did the crime doesn't deserve the publicity.  Blogs like this one are under no obligation to deny history to its readers.  But broadcast and print media are obligated to provide the facts, no matter how distasteful they are to its readers and viewers.  Also, shouldn't there be some kind of care taken in showing the names and faces of victims after shootings like this one, if only to protect the privacy of families and to not sensationalize their deaths?

Orlando is the latest whistle stop in the never-ending tour of death and destruction in the Age of the Mass Shooter.  America is at war, all right.  Not just with terrorists and lone gunmen, but with each other.  What's it going to take to achieve a cease-fire?

Clinton Makes History, Trump Dominates The News

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton introduces President Barack Obama before he delivered a policy address on events in the Middle East. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady, U.S. Senator from New York and Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, has secured enough delegates through victories in Tuesday's primaries to earn the Democratic presidential nomination--the first of her gender to do so.

But Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont says he's not going away, even after winning only two primaries (North Dakota and New Mexico) as opposed to Clinton's four (including California and New Jersey).  He vowed to take his fight to the convention, albeit with less staff and Clinton making conciliatory gestures toward his campaign.

Meanwhile Donald Trump, the nominee-apparent of the Republican Party, continues to make headlines by finding new ways to tick people off.  And all the GOP leaders who have reluctantly expressed support for the real estate mogul/reality TV star could only stand by and watch, wondering what has happened to their party.  Some recent examples:

• Trump considers Gonzalo Curial, the federal judge who's overseeing two class action lawsuits involving Trump University, "biased" for being of Mexican descent.  (As you know, Trump wants to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexican border to keep undocumented workers and other bad guys out.)  Curial, whose parents emigrated from Mexico, was born in Indiana.
• Trump is not much of a fan of the news media, especially when they ask him tough questions.  But that's the price you have to pay for all the free air time the TV networks are giving you.
• The PGA Tour moved its World Golf Championship from Miami--where Trump owns the Doral course that's hosted golf events for more than 50 years--to Mexico City.  The reason given was that Cadillac was dropping its sponsorship of the tournament.  Could it also be that advertisers and networks don't want anything to do with Trump, which is why he no longer hosts TV's "The Apprentice" or owns the Miss Universe beauty pageant?

Clinton has her own albatrosses, to be sure--Benghazi, the FBI's investigation into those pesky State Department e-mails, and her low poll numbers on trustworthiness.  Her biggest challenge, as we see it, is in getting in a word edgewise against Trump.  He's a master at sucking the air out of the room, publicity-wise, as the other GOP candidates learned to their dismay.  And the media are attracted to him like a moth to the flame.  Every time Trump belches, he makes news.

For Hillary Clinton to smash the final glass ceiling that leads to the White House, she must go beyond making history and create her own headlines.  She must also show skeptical voters that she can be a more effective leader than Donald Trump, and in the process prove that the presumptive emperor isn't wearing any clothes.

Muhammad Ali (1942-2016): The Last Champion

English: Bust portrait of Muhammad Ali, World Journal Tribune photo by Ira Rosenberg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Muhammad Ali liked to tell anyone who would listen that he floated like a butterfly, stung like a bee, and was the Greatest of All Time in the boxing ring.  More often than not, he backed it up by winning the heavyweight boxing championship three different times (1964, 1974 and 1978).  He was also one of the most polarizing figures of his era, whose beliefs nearly cost him his career and his freedom.

Almost everyone knows the story of how Ali, born Cassius Clay, rocked the boxing world in much the same way The Beatles rocked the music world:  Gold medalist at the 1960 Olympics in Rome as a light heavyweight.  Taking the world heavyweight title from Sonny Liston at age 22 in 1964.  Announcing shortly after the fight that he was converting to Islam and changing his name.  Verbal jibes and predictions with opponents and reporters, especially with Howard Cosell, the ABC sportscaster who covered many of Ali's fights.

That all came to a halt in 1967 when, at the height of the Vietnam War, Ali refused to be inducted into the Army because of his Muslim beliefs.  For the next three and a half years until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor, Ali was banned from boxing, his titles were taken away, and faced the possibility of going to prison on draft evasion charges.  Through his actions as a conscientious objector, Ali helped show the folly of America's involvement in Vietnam and every other war since.

After his exile ended in 1970 and The Powers That Be let him box again, Ali regained the heavyweight title in a series of memorable bouts with Joe Frazier and George Foreman.  They fought in such places as New York's Madison Square Garden, the Philippines and Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of Congo).  Once again, Ali took his brand around the world, entertaining the locals and more verbal jousting with Cosell.

But those fights took a toll.  Ali was no longer the boxer he was before his enforced layoff, but he did fool enough people to regain and defend his title again and again.  Until he no longer could.  After retiring from boxing in 1981, Ali claimed he took 29,000 punches during his career.  If that's so, then it's what led to his diagnosis of Parkinsons and his long twilight.  He died Friday in a Phoenix hospital at age 74.

The Greatest of All Time?  There's always going to be debates about that from his fans and detractors.  But if there was ever a man who had such an impact in and out of the ring--and considering what we have now as far as role models go--Muhammad Ali could very well be The Last Champion.

Politics '16: Is Hillary Clinton Getting Berned?

Bernie Sanders (I-VT) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While Republicans are going through the grief process in accepting Donald Trump as their 2016 standard-bearer, Hillary Clinton is counting the days (and the delegates) until the Democrats anoint her as their presidential nominee.  In fact, she's already getting started in bashing Trump over several issues including gun control and how a bully shouldn't be allowed a pulpit, as she put it.

Not so fast, Hillary.  Coming down the backstretch is Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who's been dismissed by the media (including blogs like this one), the Democratic Party and anyone who has a brain.

Sanders has won almost as many states' primaries and caucuses as Clinton, but the delegate count currently favors the former Secretary of State.  According to CNN, Clinton has 2297 delegates (including superdelegates), and needs 86 more to win the nomination.  Sanders has 1527 delegates, and needs 856 more.

Sanders is still fighting the good fight against Wall Street and the big money that's been dominating politics.  But lately, the attacks against Clinton and the Democrats have gotten a lot more personal and sometimes violent.  The Sanders campaign has accused the Democratic National Committee of not only rigging the debates, but also in the use of superdelegates (mainly party regulars) to favor Clinton.  They have also called for the removal of committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is also a Florida congresswoman and allegedly in the tank for Clinton.

But some of Sanders' supporters, who are as fervent as any, have turned to Trump-like tactics to express their displeasure with what's going on.  In Nevada recently, the Democrats' state convention was marred by chair-throwing, Senator Barbara Boxer of California getting booed and fearing for her life, and alleged death threats to the state's party chair.  All that over party officials' refusal to change its rules to accommodate Sanders.  The Senator has since come out and deplored the ruckus his supporters have been causing, but it didn't sound all that convincing.

So how's all this affecting Clinton?  By failing to put away the nomination like Trump did with his own party, she's lost her double-digit leads in the national polls, which now show a dead heat between the two candidates.  It may be only May and the conventions are two moths off, but all signs point to a tight race that could last until November.

Bernie Sanders is not done yet.  He and his supporters have vowed to take their campaign all the way to the convention, never mind that Clinton could wrap this thing up after California votes in two weeks.  And when she does, Clinton could learn a few things from Sanders and his loyal supporters.  She needs them more than Sanders needs her to win in November.

Morley Safer (1931-2016): Making a Quiet Impact

60 Minutes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the golden age of "60 Minutes", one of the longest-running programs in TV history, Morley Safer was the least bombastic of his fellow correspondents.  He didn't have a confrontational reporting style like Mike Wallace, nor was he a complainer about everyday life like Andy Rooney.  Instead, Safer's reports tended to be quieter than the latest interview with a government administrator or a Middle East leader.

Safer came to CBS News from Canada's CBC in the mid-1960s as an international correspondent, and made an immediate impact.  His reporting from the Vietnam War, which included his watching U.S. soldiers torch a village with the cameras rolling, earned him the lasting enmity of President Lyndon Johnson, who tried to get Safer fired.  It was also the kind of reporting you'll probably never see again, since the Pentagon has gotten a lot savvier about how war news is covered on TV, and the networks aren't as committed to international news as they once were.

Safer joined "60 Minutes" in 1970.  His most significant story there was about an African-American man from Texas named Lenell Geter, who was spending years in prison falsely convicted for holding up a restaurant.  After the broadcast aired, Geter was released.  Safer also raised eyebrows when he reported that, based on a study, French citizens had a lower rate of heart disease because of their steady intake of red wine with meals.  Which made it OK to drink red wine, sort of.  But mostly, Safer's reporting centered on travelogues, historical mysteries and pieces on people he's met along the way.

Morley Safer died Thursday at 84, just days after he announced his retirement and CBS aired a special "60 Minutes" broadcast devoted to him.  In the nearly half-century since "60 Minutes" went on the air, Safer had served as correspondent for 46 years, longer than anyone else.   "60 Minutes" will likely keep on ticking into the future, but it will do so without the men who made the broadcast what it was--Wallace, Rooney, Harry Reasoner, Ed Bradley, Bob Simon, and now Safer.  A toast to Morley Safer with a glass of red wine seems appropriate right now, don't you think?