06/26/26

Good morning! It’s Friday, June 26th

Cream Tea Day

A day about cuppas? During the World Cuppa? I’m sorry… am I an influencer or what??

And now, the news.

Venezuela

-via NPR and Project Hope

Starting in Venezuela,

Where the death toll is rising after Wednesday saw back-to-back earthquakes in in the country. 

As of this recording, there are 188 people dead, 1,520 injured, 157 still missing, and more than 200 people trapped in the rubble with rescue workers around, and against, the clock to get them out. 

Those numbers will rise, with modeling suggesting it could grow to thousands or tens of thousands. 

More than 100 buildings have collapsed.

In short – this is a nightmare, which a 40% chance that the next week could bring a 6.0 or larger earthquake in the follow week, but an almost certainty that an earthquake measuring at least a 5 will hit the region.

What was originally noted as a 7.1 but was actually a 7.2 magnitude foreshock hit the country at around 6 PM and then, literally seconds later, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake followed. The epicenters are about 3 miles apart.

This is referred to as a “doublet” and it’s incredibly rare. The last time one happened this badly in Venezuela, the year was 1900.

I’m linking to Project HOPE in show notes. Between 80-89% of their donations go to actually doing on-the-ground work. They’re already there right now, with emergency medical personnel and search and rescue pups ready to help. 

Delcy Rodríguez, who… I don’t really know how to describe her – she’s the Acting President which actually is a pretty good description for someone taking over for someone that was acting like a president (and not a horror show of a fraction of a human) has announced an initial $200 million reconstruction fund. Best I can say there is… only a monster would NOT give the money to the victims of these earthquakes. So.

But again, a link to Project HOPE will be in show notes.

And just… thinking about everyone in Venezuela, who certainly didn’t need this on top of everything else. 

Supreme Court Hands Down Rulings

-via NPR (asylum seekers), NBC News (TPS), AP News (gun law), Washington Post (RoundUp), and AP News (Louisiana man)

Moving to the Supreme Court where June is… doing its thing! The Supremes (that’s just a nickname, certainly not a comment on their behavior this week) handed down a series of rulings on Thursday as they prepare to head out for their summer vacation. Let’s run through em!

In a 6-3 vote (uh oh!), the Court voted that, although the US law says anyone who arrives in the United States is entitled to apply for asylum and, for the most part, they can’t be ordered to leave the country until that application is processed.

Now, however, the government can stop asylum seekers from ever stepping a toe into this country. You gotta be able to be here, physically you must be in the US or at a US port of entry (like an airport) to apply for asylum. 

The Obama administration was the first that put this into play, which wasn’t great then either (see, Republicans? See how that works – you can REALLY like someone and still think something they did stinks and the world will somehow move on). When Obama tried it, a lower court blocked it, because it violated the federal law because it prevented legitimate asylum seekers from being able to apply for asylum.

The Trump administration brought it back though, saying the lower court ruling deprives the Executive Branch of its desire to do white nationalism.

Writing for the majority, Justice Aleeko ruled that since asylum seekers are not in the U.S. when they are turned away at the border, they did not "arrive in" the country. Therefore, the legal protections for asylum seekers have not kicked in.

Ah yes, the “I’m not touching you” legal argument.

That’s… so dumb. And! Devastating. GREAT.

Along those same times, the Supreme Court also handed down a 6-3 ruling to the Trump administration that allows them to remove the temporary protection status (aka TPS) to the more than 350,000 Haitians and Syrians who are in this country under the legal protection of the government because it was decided that it’s too dangerous for them to go back to their country of origin. 

But Trump’s been trying to remove that status for a while now (I don’t know if you know this, but Haitians and Syrians aren’t white. So, he’s not a fan.) and Thursday’s decision means he gets to.

This ruling actually goes back to the ruling that says presidents are kings because writing, again, for the majority, Aleeko said the lower court overstepped their authority in second-guessing the president.

And then he gave him a little tiny forehead kiss. Just like… a little one.

The court also said the ruling isn’t discriminatory. They’re not saying they only want THESE Haitians and Syrians gone. They actually want them ALL gone. These are just, you know, the only ones they can get out of here right now. Give them time though…

These are people who fled their home countries and, looking at the entire world, chose, as the place that they believed they would be safe and welcomed and believed they could make a home and a future, they chose America. And instead of being honored… we are sending them back, very likely, in many cases, to die. 

Speaking of… the high court also struck down a Hawaiian law that required people to get permission to carry guns into privately-owned places like malls, stores, and hotels, unless they put a sign that specifically says guns are banned at their establishment. 

It follows another ruling that says using pot, which is legal in some states but illegally federally, is not a good enough reason to prevent someone from having a gun… even in states where pot is illegal.

Just legalize the pot nationwide. This is so embarrassing at this point.

But also… going back to the guns (what a totally American saying) – Hawaii still restricts guns in places like parks and beaches, and places where they serve alcohol. Fear not – they’re being challenged in court. Because gun plus alcohol has never caused an issue anywhere before!

In another decision, this time it was 7-2!, the court ruled that the pesticide Roundup cannot be sued in state courts for a failure to warn about any possible link between cancer and their products because federal regulators found a link to be unlikely and didn’t require it. 

This ruling came from the court reading the law as saying that federal law bars states from imposing additional or different label requirements.

But, as Justice Jackson noted, they could have still stuck a label on there anyway without breaking the law. 

The company says they’ll continue with their $7.25 billion class-action settlement.

And finally, this ruling was actually handed down on Tuesday but the court ruled that a former Louisiana inmate cannot personally sue the prison officials who had his religious rights violated when he was transferred to the prison with dreadlocks and knew it would be an issues so he carried a copy of an appeals court ruling in another inmate’s case that held that cutting a religious prisoner’s dreadlock’s violated federal law. He was fine until the last three weeks of his sentence, when he was transferred to a third correctional center. A prison guard took the copy of the ruling and threw it away. Then the warden ordered guards to cut hair. Two guards held him down while a third shaved his head. 

In a 6-3 decision, the justices held that what happened to Damon Landor was a violation of his religious rights but even when an inmate’s rights are violated, they can’t sue for money damages against individuals.

Because he was an inmate.

Stunning.

Stunning work all around.

We’re in the last few weeks of school for the Supremes so more rulings will come. They like to hand their opinions out and then leave for a cute little summer break. Some of them have earned it. And some of them… are Chief Justice Roberts.

Senate Changes its Mind

-via PBS

After trying ten times to pass the war powers resolution, and finally getting it done, and then following that up with having a very loud and awkward lunch the next day when Trump cancelled a bipartisan housing bill signing so he can do voter suppression… Republican Senators changed their mind and rejected the war powers resolution!

This is the funniest thing!

Big loser energy! Big loser energy!

It’s a memo! It’s political fan fiction! It’s a moo point!

The war powers resolution holds no weight whatsoever, and STILL, after finally passing it, these absolute feckless losers couldn’t even hold him to it for a full 24 hours. 

Suddenly Bill Cassidy, who said he voted no FOUR TIMES because he was just never briefed on the war, voted yes.

And Rand Paul, who once was big mad at Trump because he didn’t get invited to a picnic, his vote was worse. He voted present. That’s worse. Say it with your chest!

Anyway, I just thought I’d let you know that that really embarrassing thing happened.

Nothing will change, because the war powers resolution never held any actual power but still… mortifying. 

Say what you want about Democrats, but at least they’re not that embarrassing. They don’t do much, but at least they don’t do that.

Reflecting Pool

-via ABC Pool

…I don’t want to talk about this stupid Reflecting Pool story anymore. I really don’t.

But let me just say this: Because now the Deputy Director for the National Park Service, whose name is, for real, Frank Lands (lol) came out and said someone took a sharp knife or razor to cut the caulk, and then 70 fence posts tops were thrown into the pool.

Okay.

Let me see it.

Show it to me.

Show me a video. 

There is a camera on that thing 24/7. Show it to me. 

They have a grainy video of someone reaching into the pool. It looks like nothing. And it’s during the day. Be real. 

What we do have pictures of, though, is the time The Beast, that’s Trump’s presidential limo, plus 8 other SUVs and a cop drove over the Reflecting Pool when it was drained, but not yet cured. 

I’m sure that did nothing to it though. 

He’s a man! 

And that’s it. That’s the news.

This Reflecting Pool thing is by far the dumbest thing. Do you understand what a sacrifice I make for you, every time I cover it?

I’m proud of… okay I looked this up. I forgot that Cream Tea Day is actually a day to have warm scones, clotted cream and jam (tea I guess if you want it) and then get together with your friends and talk about causes that are important to you.

It takes place on the last Friday of June. It’s a Bri’ish tradition and I think it’s lovely but the name, as I’m remembering now, is trash.

It doesn’t describe the day at all!

But otherwise it’s nice. But more than Cream Tea Day. Because causes are great and all but beCAUSE you’re the greatest of them all… I’m proud of you.