Supreme Court Decisions, Netanyahu Plus Debate Prep

The Supreme Court announced two rulings today and let another one slip out.

Snyder v. United States:  

The conservative branch legalized bribery for state and local officials, perhaps preparing to defend Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and any other unethical justice who like the gifts provided them for their support. Snyder was brought by a small-town lawyer who made $13,000 for awarding $1 million of city contracts to a company. Six justices ruled that a statute banning people from giving gifts to officials before the favor doesn’t cover those who do it afterward. To the conservatives, “gifts” are different from gratuities” although “illegal gratuities” are illegal and bring two years in prison. Author of the opinion, Brett Kavanaugh, also used states’ rights, used when it benefits conservatives.  

In her strong dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stated, “Snyder’s absurd and atextual reading of the statute is one only today’s Court could love,” pointing out the flaw for the justices who take great pride in being “originalists” using the Constitution’s words. Alito and Thomas have taken millions in “gratuities.” Writing for the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh “worried that allowing the anti-corruption statute to cover gifts would create chaos and confusion.

Murthy v. Missouri:

In an amazing about face, the Supreme Court supported President Joe Biden in the latest reversal of the 5^th Circuit Court. Justice Amy Cony Barrett wrote that Missouri, Louisiana and several individuals had no standing, proof they were harmed, in challenging government messages to social media platforms during the 2020 election and pandemic to limit lies about vaccines, election fraud, etc. The ruling by both conservatives and progressives disagreed with the claim from conservatives the left wing is censoring them. Again Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch dissented.

Barrett said the lower court was wrong when it blamed the Biden administration for every company decision to remove or moderate content. Alito, who complained about people using free speech rights in discussing his flying far-right flags at his residence and vacation home, declared that the Biden administration was violating free speech rights of social media platforms. For his conclusions, he relied on an unreliable report from Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) weaponization committee.

Moyle v. United States; Idaho v. United States:

A decision about whether Idaho’s law can block a 1989 federal law requiring healthcare for pregnant patients in hospitals’ emergency rooms even if that care requires an abortion was briefly posted on the Supreme Court website on Wednesday. The court stated that the final decision had “not been released” but would be presented in due course. Idaho is one of 14 states completely banning abortions. The opinion, written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, was 6-3 that the case be sent back to the federal appeals court. The three progressive women wanted to dismiss the case although Jackson also wants a solid ruling rather than a movement back to another court. She wrote:

“Today’s decision is not a victory for pregnant patients in Idaho. It is delay. While this court dawdles and the country waits, pregnant people experiencing emergency medical conditions remain in a precarious position, as their doctors are kept in the dark about what the law requires.”

In April, at least six pregnant women had to be airlifted out of Idaho for emergent healthcare after the law came into effect in January. Because of the Idaho’s new law, physicians are leaving the state. Forty-one states restrict abortions, and 14 have total bans. A federal district judge had temporarily prohibited the state from enforcing its ban in a conflict with federal law, and the 9^th Circuit Court allowed that order to remain during litigation.

A Supreme Court spokesperson confirmed the opinion allowing emergency abortions in Idaho, a decision impacting all the states. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Alito, and Thomas dissented from the reinstatement of the court order to allow emergency healthcare for pregnant patients. The minority wanted Idaho’s law to prevail, and Alito said the federal law doesn’t permit abortion but has language to protect an “unborn child” from Harm.

Update from the June 25 election in New York: Rep. Alexander Ocasio-Cortez, nicknamed AOC, won her Democratic primary against a Wall Street banker with 82 percent of the vote.

Update from investigation into Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX):  After criticism from his GOP colleagues for wearing a Combat Infantry Badge after it was rescinded, Nehls removed the badge, blaming the media and calling reporters “vultures.” Veterans in his House caucus had called Nehls’ behavior “stolen valor.”

While trying to put Democratic AG Merrick Garland in prison, Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson (R-LA) is trying to keep GOP adviser to DDT Steve Bannon out of prison for committing the same “sin.” The House decided to prepare an amicus brief, “a friend of the court” statement, in a secret, party-line vote. It stated that the bipartisan House January 6 investigative committee was “wrongfully constituted,” according to Johnson.  

Trying to elect DDT, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to attack President Joe Biden with the lie that he won’t sent them weapons. Laura Blumenfeld, a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University and a former senior policy adviser on the State Department’s Israeli-Palestinian negotiating team under Barack Obama, said:

“When you have one friend in the world, you don’t pick a fight with that friend, unless there’s a better friend coming along. Part of this is about Netanyahu anticipating a Trump presidency and working with the Republicans in Congress to kind of box Biden in and embarrass him during the national presidential campaign.”

In Haaretz, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert blasted current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for extending the war in Gaza, escalating tensions with Hezbollah, and empowering Israeli thugs terrorizing Palestinians in the West Bank. He wants Netanyahu to be removed from office. In addition, Olmert called Netanyahu’s public criticism of the U.S. an “irresponsible provocation” that risked shattering the complex relationship between the countries. Only 3,500 high-payload bombs are being held up over concerns about their use in killing more Gazans.

DDT always wants the biggest of everything, and the audience for Thursday’s presidential debate with Biden may satisfy his desire for “big.” According to Data for Progress, 56 percent of voters, 61 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of Republicans, report they plan to watch the debate with 32 percent saying maybe and 12 percent saying no. The first debate in 2016 with Hillary Clinton drew 84 million viewers, and 73 million watched DDT’s first battle with Biden in 2020.

Biden has been largely quiet about his prep for two weekends at Camp David with his personal lawyer, Bob Bauer, as a stand-in for DDT. With no practice for the event, DDT claims that he has “policy discussions,” and he’s spent an inordinate amount of time lambasting Biden for his energy, replacing his earlier image of the president as a weak, confused man, part of his “pre-denial” strategy if he loses. DDT repeatedly calls for a drug test for Biden but doesn’t mention one for himself. Another tactic are DDT’s frequent lies about CNN’s debate facilitators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, saying they are prejudiced against him and are “rigging” the debate.   DDT so hates to lose that he can never blame himself.

Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson (R-LA) has echoed DDT’s “pre-denial” complaints  in his regular appearance on This Week on the Hill, a new show by Tony Perkins, president of the far-right religious Family Research council. (Johnson appears on every newly-launched series of shows.) On Kaitlan Collins’ CNN show, The Source, Johnson finally admitted that Biden wasn’t on cocaine although she had to ask several times. One House Republican, Ronny Jackson, is insisting on a drug test for Biden. The representative from Texas so freely distributed drugs while he was White House doctor that he was called “the Candyman” and just as freely used them himself.

For his September 29, 2020 debate against Biden, DDT hid the fact that he had Covid and infected Chris Christie who had to be hospitalized; DDT announced he had Covid three days later when he went to the hospital. entourage refused to wear masks for the debate.

In Mother Jones, David Corn writes:

“Like most bullies, Trump cannot bear humiliation. His whole act is an act. He pretends to be strong and the best in everything—with the “best words” that come from a “very, very large brain.” But his malignant narcissism is clearly interlaced with deep insecurity. Real stable geniuses don’t have to brag about being stable geniuses.”

The biggest question is whether DDT will show up. If he does, the debate begins at 9:00 pm ET and is broadcast on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox. It will also be streamed on MSNBC.com and CNN.com.