We all knew it was coming, but it’s still disappointing. On Friday, the Supreme Court officially ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion in the United States of America.
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, some analysis of the recent cataclysmic decision by the Supreme Court, and a look at what Zander has been reading this past week. Plus, a couple of the top headlines from the past week to keep you in the know.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 67 features a recap of the NBA Finals and a look at what the Republican Party is up to in Texas. Plus, with inflation surging and gas prices rising, an in-depth investigation into what is causing the current economic troubles and who is to blame. Download and listen to the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Zander’s Weekend Facts is here to give you the facts about what has been going on in the world around us this past week. You’ll just have to read these facts, instead of listening to them on the Zander’s Facts podcast.
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, June 26, 2022:
ZANDER’S ANALYSIS
A Court hurdling towards dystopia
This week’s ZWF headline was going to be about the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to rule against the state of New York in a case regarding gun rights. Just over one month after 21 people, including 19 children, were murdered by an assault rifle in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, the Supreme Court ruled that no reason is required to allow individuals to obtain a license to conceal carry a gun in public. That was the biggest story of the week. Until Friday.
On Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its ruling in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The Jackson Women’s Health Organization filed a lawsuit against Mississippi state health officer Thomas E. Dobbs after Mississippi enacted a law in 2018 that banned most abortions after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court sided with Dobbs and the state of Mississippi, saying not only that the Mississippi law was constitutional, but also finding that abortion was not protected in the constitution. This ruling overturned the 1971 Roe v. Wade case, which found that a women’s right to have an abortion was constitutional. The ruling has also allowed any other state to impose any restrictions on abortion.
What has been feared for many months and years has now become a reality. In many states across the country, obtaining an abortion will now be considered an illegal act when it wasn’t just one week ago.
The Zander’s Facts podcast dedicated an entire episode to this issue a couple of weeks ago. This came after the infamous leak of a draft opinion in this case that appeared to signal the Court was ready to overturn Roe. If you haven’t listened, there is a lot of information you’ll need to know to be informed on the hottest issue of the moment. Take some time to listen below if you haven’t already.
I’ll talk about this issue again on this Wednesday’s brand-new episode of the podcast, but there are some points worth repeating so that the facts are well-known.
This ruling will not stop abortions in the United States. Before Roe v. Wade was decided in 1971, abortions occurred across the U.S. in states where they were not legal. What the ruling does do, is stop safe abortions. This ruling will put many more lives of women in danger than were previously. While many will be able to cross state or country lines in order to obtain an abortion, that option will not be available to many others.
Additionally, it’s important to actually take a look at the decision and the text that the six conservative justices agreed upon. The majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, appears very similar to the leak draft opinion that was circulated in May. Included is the argument that abortion is a state issue as it is not specifically mentioned in the constitution. This article from The New York Times includes the full text of the ruling, but with annotated portions that allow you to view the most important pieces of text. The New York Times - The Dobbs v. Jackson Decision, Annotated
It’s also important to know what the abortion laws in you state are, now that the Supreme Court has left the right to an abortion up to each individual state. This article from Politico breaks down the laws state-by-state so you know what the laws are where you live. Politico - Abortion laws by state: Where abortions are illegal after Roe v. Wade overturned
President Biden addressed the nation on Friday to respond to the Supreme Court’s decision. He remarked that Friday was “sad day for the court and for the country.” “The health and life of women of our nation are now at risk… Make no mistake. This decision is the culmination of a deliberate effort over decades to upset the balance of our law." Watch President Biden’s fill remarks here:
Ultimately, the case is just another (albeit, major) bullet point in a long list that presents how the Supreme Court is actively failing the American people.
To find additional items on that list, we only have to go back to Thursday. When the Supreme Court overruled a New York State gun control law and is now loosening gun restrictions as individuals continue to kill more and more people with guns in this country. Because clearly the answer to mass shootings is more guns, right?
But also remember that it was former President Trump and his party that tipped the balance of the court to make this decision possible. At the time Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland in 2016 after Justice Antonin Scalia had passed away. The election of Trump in 2016 allowed for Trump to appoint three justices to the court, including Amy Coney Barrett, who was confirmed in a rush just days before the 2020 election after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death. All three of those justices that Trump appointed voted to overturn Roe.
It’s even more stunning to read what Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurring opinion. While agreeing with the decision the court made, Thomas said in his separate opinion, “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.” Griswold protects the right to buy and use contraceptives, such as birth control. Lawrence legalized sexual relations between same-sex partners, and Obergefell legalized gay marriage in the United States. It’s remarkable to see a Supreme Court Justice who is so out of touch with the country he is supposed to represent. If you’ve ever seen a case for reforming the court, just look at the outdated views of Clarence Thomas.
No matter the fact that stark majorities of Americans consistently believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, a record 71% of Americans believe that gay marriage should be legal. An unfathomably-large majority of 92% believe that birth control is morally acceptable, while 91% said in May that birth control should be free and widely accessible if Roe is overturned. Conservatives fighting for the removal of these rights are on the wrong side of majority opinion in this country and they know it. They also know that they will not stop at overturning Roe, the fight to remove other first-world accepted rights will continue.
Clearly, the fight to regain rights for women in this country is going to be long, hard, and cruel. Because of this ruling, more and more women are going to die in the U.S. each year because a lack of access to a safe abortion. Minority rule continues to be relevant, and until we undertake any serious reforms with our major institutions, nothing is likely to change.
Unless the political environment takes a drastic turn and abortion becomes a major issue in the upcoming midterm elections, Democrats look set to score major losses in November. We can talk about the many ways change can come, but the ballot box trumps all. Those who support the rights of women being taken away need to be sent a clear message in November. And if you’re voting Republican in November because of the economy, you might just want to listen to the latest edition of the Zander’s Facts podcast.
What has become crystal clear ever since the last change to the court in late 2020, and likely well before if you’ve been paying attention, is that the Supreme Court could not care less about the will of the American people. Yes, Ketanji Brown Jackson will take her rightful seat on the bench next month, but the court’s liberal bloc will still stand at only three members. How is it that a country that hasn't voted for a Republican for President with the majority of its votes since 2004 has a 6-3 conservative majority on its highest court? The answers can be found in the terms of deceit, manipulation, and pure evil.
We often remark that our country is falling apart, two sides of a ravine that seem to be widening by the day. The Supreme Court has played an active part in that. Now, defying the majority of the people by removing a fundamental women’s right from millions of American women, it has become clear the Supreme Court of the United States has failed the American people.
It’s time for some new ideas, some new reforms, some new solutions. Because what we have as an excuse for the judicial branch in the United States of America is a joke. As the Supreme Court, and the Republican Party at-large, continue to hurdle toward a theocratic, church state dystopia, it is more important than ever to reject the false, radical ideals of the far-right that has taken over the Republican Party in the United States. And the only way to do that, is vote.
What Zander’s been reading this week
Moving on to a lighter topic, this week’s featured story involves a potential breakthrough in the technology for electric vehicles. Mercedes-Benz recently test-drove a concept electric vehicle that drove for 747 miles without needing a charge. The Vision EQXX is currently not for sale, but shows that the future of electric vehicles could have much longer distances between charges. The lack of range in many electric vehicles is one of the primary reasons for the low adoption rate of EVs worldwide.
Check out this week’s featured article in Business Insider - Electric Mercedes completes 747-mile drive without charging (Link for article on Apple News)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Time for some of the top headlines in sports in Zander’s Facts Sporting Club:
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has agreed to settle 20 lawsuits that accused him of sexual misconduct. In total, 24 lawsuits have been filed against Watson, who has been accused of inappropriate behavior during message appointments by several message therapists. Watson has denied any wrongdoing since the first lawsuits were filed in spring 2021. Watson did not play for his previous team, the Houston Texans, last season and was traded to the Cleveland Browns this offseason. However, settlement talks between the NFL and NFL Player’s Association have reportedly collapsed regarding potential punishment for Watson. Reporting indicates that the NFL is prepared to suspend Watson from playing in the league for one year, or indefinitely.
The 2022 NBA Draft took place on Thursday night, with basketball’s next brightest stars learning which teams they will be playing for next season. With the first pick in the draft, the Orlando magic selected Paolo Banchero, who helped lead Duke to the Final Four in his freshman season. Chet Holmgren from Gonzaga was picked second by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Jabari Smith Jr. from Auburn was chosen third by the Houston Rockets. In total, 60 players were chosen in the Draft, with many players who did not go draft signing free agent deals later on.
Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder was found by Congress of conducting a “shadow investigation” in order to hide the findings of an official probe into the culture of the franchise. The U.S. House Oversight Committee is currently investigating allegations against Snyder that he fostered a toxic culture inside the Commanders’ organization. On Wednesday, the Committee held a public hearing in which Snyder and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell were invited to testify. Snyder declined, but Goodell appeared virtually, saying he has no control over whether to remove Snyder as owner or not. The Committee has now subpoenaed Snyder, a process that could draw out past the November 2022 midterm elections.
The NHL’s Stanley Cup Final now heads to a game six after the Tampa Bay Lightning staved off elimination on Friday night. With the Lightning down 3-1 in the series to the Colorado Avalanche entering Friday night, Tampa took care of business winning 3-2 on the road. With the Avalanche now up 3-2 in the series, game six will take place tonight on 8:00 pm et on ABC and ESPN+. If the Avalanche win, they win the Stanley Cup. If the Lightning win at home, they will force a game seven on Tuesday night at 8:00 pm et on ABC and ESPN+.
Quarterback Arch Manning, the number one recruit in the class of 2023 in football, has committed to the University of Texas. Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the brother of NFL quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning and is the grandson of NFL quarterback Archie Manning. Manning will join the Longhorns in 2023, after his senior year of high school that begins this fall.
Rapid-fire Facts
Here are the top stories from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on Saturday. That is the bipartisan gun safety bill that was developed by Democrats and Republicans in the Senate after the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting last month. The bill is the most significant enhancement to gun safety in 30 years in the United States. Included in the bill are enhanced background checks for those ages 18-21, incentives for states to implement “red-flag laws” which allow guns to be removed from dangerous individuals, close the “boyfriend loophole” by prohibiting dating partners who are domestic abusers from purchasing guns, and provides hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for school safety and mental health. The bill falls short of proposals Democrats have been seeking, many that have passed the House, including raising the minimum age to buy an assault rifle to 21, banning assault weapons, and implementing universal background checks.
The Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of e-cigarettes from Juul Labs, Inc. in the U.S. on Thursday. After a two-year review of the company, the FDA concluded that Juul hadn’t proven that the sale of its products would be appropriate for public health. Then on Friday, a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the ban, saying that it needed time to review Juul’s appeal of the decision.
The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol held their fourth and fifth public hearings this week. On Tuesday, the Committee focused on former President Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure state and local officials to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Committee heard testimony from two Georgia state officials, Arizona House speaker Rusty Bowers (R) and former Atlanta election worker Wandrea Moss. Then on Thursday, the Committee held their most recent hearing focusing on Trump’s efforts to involve the Justice Department in his plan. Among those testifying were former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue. After new footage came out from a documentary that followed Trump before and after the insurrection, the Committee has postponed the remaining hearings until July.
The Prime Minister of Israel announced on Monday that he will be stepping down. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he will leave the position after Bennett lost his parliamentary majority. When parliament votes to dissolve the government next week, it will mark the fifth time in the last three years that Israel will hold parliamentary elections. Current Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is set to assume the Prime Minister position once the vote is held. Elections are tentatively set to take place in October, with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to take back his old position.
Nearly 1,150 people were killed by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday. The quake struck the Khost and Paktika provinces, where nearly 3,000 homes were severely damaged or destroyed altogether. While tough terrain has played a hinderance in recovery efforts, a financial cutoff by most of the world since the U.S. removed all troops from the country last year has also played a significant factor in the slow clean-up process.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to Episode 67, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Zander’s Facts’ Linktree page for more on anything Zander’s Facts related: Zander's Facts on Linktree
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That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, July 03, 2022.