06/12/24

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, June 12th. National Loving Day!

On this day in 1967, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mildred and Richard Loving and made interracial marriage legal in all 50 states.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Warren said this: “Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.”

One day we’ll have to explain to our kids that we used to have a Supreme Court, and sometimes they were actually good. The youths will not believe it.

And now, the news.

Atlanta Food Court Shooting

-via CNN

We start how we start here in America. With three people shot after a 34-year-old with a criminal record opened fire in an Atlanta, Georgia food court.

The man was shot by a police officer before he was taken into custody.

His connection to the victims is currently unknown, but it sounds like the incident started when the shooter got into an altercation with someone at the mall, physically assaulting him before shooting him and then two others.

The shooter is a convicted felon, so it’s also unknown how he came to illegally possess the gun.

America!

Hunter Biden Verdict

-via AP News

But of course, the big story of the day is…

Years ago, in the midst of grief and addiction, a private citizen made the dumb decision to buy a gun and lie on his application about his drug use.

That’s right – on Tuesday the jury in the Hunter Biden trial came back with a guilty verdict. As a reminder, it was never about whether Hunter was on drugs at the time of the purchase, that’s an indisputable fact. The defense claimed that he didn’t consider himself to be an addict or user at the time of the application. Because of how he was on drugs.

He had the gun for eleven days, during which he did not commit any crimes with the gun. He didn’t even fire the gun. He just had it. Not that he should have, but it is important to note that he didn’t do additional crimes with it. The only crime was the actual purchase of the gun.

To be honest, not that it matters at all, but I can certainly wrap my head around someone being in that mental state and still being in denial. Whether it’s actually true or not is another story.

None of that matters though, not really, because the jury has come back with a guilty verdict as, quite frankly, most suspected.

I’ve maintained this entire time that this wouldn’t even be a case at all, certainly not a national case where the news of the verdict popped up through six different notifications on my phone, if he wasn’t the president’s son.

He’s a private citizen who made some bad choices. Good thing he’s not the president or an elected official or a former candidate who is also the current Republican frontrunner with 34 felony charges.

A sentencing date has not yet been set. The three guilty counts carry up to 25 years in prison, and now it’s up to a Trump-appointed US District Judge to decide what, if any, time he will get. Probation and home detention are also options.

It sounds like an appeal is likely, to which I say… Hunter, if you’re listening… please don’t. Please just be done.

His tax evasion trial is due to start in September.

On Tuesday, President Biden said he would accept the verdict and respect the process. Unsurprisingly, he will not be pardoning his son.

That’s right – President Biden has promised not to pardon his son, while it’s just kind of accepted that Trump will absolutely pardon himself if he gets back into office.

But okay, tell me again how there’s no difference between the two.

House Holding a Vote on Contempt

-via CBS News

And while we’re already rolling our eyes about the Republicans and how they pretend like they’re super in Law and Order (as a concept. We don’t know how they feel about the show at-large, though I would have to assume some like it and some are ambivalent about it) – but then they just, you know, exist and that’s how we know they’re lying…

(What an intro to this story! Is that even followable?)

Today the House will vote on holding AG Garland in contempt of Congress.

So what’s going on?

As you may remember, last October special counsel Robert Hur interviewed President Biden about the confidential documents he had at this Delaware house from his time as Veep.

That’s the interview that prompted Hur to put out a report saying President Biden was so impossibly old. In Democrat’s eyes, it was super inappropriate because he injected opinion about things like Biden’s age. In Republican’s eyes, it was super inappropriate because it didn’t end in crimes for the President.

A classic lose-lose.

Following that, Republican-led House Judiciary and Oversight committees have asked for the audio recordings of the interview. They have the transcript, but they want the audio, which the President has asserted executive privilege over.

So now, the House will vote on whether Garland is in contempt of Congress. If the House votes that he is, Speaker Johnson could refer the case to the US Attorney for DC, for criminal prosecution. With the Republican’s lead in the House so incredibly tight, it is unclear whether there is a path to success for this vote.

Federal Judge Blocks Florida Law

-via NPR

And hey, it’s June, it’s pride, let’s end with some good news…

A federal court has blocked Florida’s cruel-for-the-sake-of-being-cruel law that bans gender-affirming care for minors in the state.

It’s important to note here that gender-affirming care for both minors and adults is supported by all major U.S. medical and mental health associations.

And that’s it. That’s the news.

I’m proud of LGBTQIA+ teens, who are just trying to live authentically while a bunch of hateful bullies attempt to pass laws so bad that they get overturned.

I’m also proud of Mildred and Richard Loving.

But more than red roses, because yeah it’s Red Rose Day and also I’m no dummy… because you are also a beautiful treat to find while going for a little walk outside… I’m proud of you.