5 things you should know by June 30: Coronavirus, SCOTUS, White House, China, social media

The Supreme Court has blocked a controversial Louisiana law that critics say would have effectively banned abortion in the state. Court President John Roberts sided with liberal judges in decision 5-4, once again signaling that he has subverted an expected result from the conservative majority court. The ruling is a great victory for abortion rights advocates who asserted that the law was not medically necessary and that it was simply a veiled attempt to restrict access to the procedure. The law would have prohibited doctors from performing abortions unless they had admission privileges at a nearby hospital (the Supreme Court struck down a similar Texas law four years ago). However, even those who celebrate the ruling are concerned that the drafting of a footnote by Roberts may leave the door open for states to try their luck in similar laws, thus keeping the controversial issue front and center. in the foreseeable future. Judge Clarence Thomas, in his dissent regarding yesterday’s ruling, wrote: “Our abortion records are seriously wrong and must be expunged.” In his rebuttal, Thomas said that the historical case of Roe v. Wade who paved the way for legalized abortion in the United States is “without a shred of support” from the Constitution.

In hundreds of highly classified phone calls with foreign heads of state, President Trump was not so prepared to debate serious problems, so often outdone in conversations with powerful leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Erdogan, and so abusive to the leaders of America’s top allies, that the calls helped convince some top American officials, including his former secretaries of state and defense, two national security advisers, and his longest serving chief of staff, that the President himself posed a danger to the national security of the United States. This is according to the White House and intelligence officials intimately familiar with the content of the talks, in a report by CNN’s Carl Bernstein. We are learning this at the same time that a US official with direct knowledge of the latest information tells CNN that intelligence that evaluated that there was an effort by a Russian military intelligence unit to pay the Taliban to kill US soldiers was included. in one of the presidents Trump’s daily briefings on intelligence matters sometime in the spring.

Beijing has reportedly passed such a broad national security law for Hong Kong that critics say could erode the autonomous city’s political and civil liberties. The law penalizes activities such as secession, subversion against the Chinese central government, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. Human rights groups and world leaders fear that the law could be used to attack activists, journalists, political dissidents and basically anyone who opposes the Beijing government. The law is expected to fuel further eruptions of protests in Hong Kong, which has already withstood months of unrest due to resistance over China’s control of the city. The United States also announced that it will end exports of defense equipment of American origin to Hong Kong, citing the need to protect American security. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo specifically mentioned Hong Kong’s new law when announcing the decision.

More social media companies are making moves to curb the spread of hate speech and disinformation. YouTube has banned white supremacist Richard Spencer and former KKK leader David Duke a full year after the site first announced that it would not allow supremacist content on its platform. Reddit has expanded its hate policy and has banned nearly 2,000 forums (known as subreddits) that promote hate based on “identity or vulnerability.” This includes r / The_Donald, a massively popular subreddit for Trump supporters that was an incubator for bigotry memes, conspiracy theories, and trolling campaigns. Trump-related accounts are also being launched elsewhere. Twitch, the video game streaming platform, suspended an account belonging to the Trump campaign and said it violated its hate policies. Twitch, owned by Amazon, said the campaign account recently broadcast a video of the 2016 Trump campaign rally in which he looked down on Mexicans.

India says the application represents a “threat to sovereignty and integrity.”

The summer boys are making tough decisions.

Beavers, don’t betray us like this.

You will need to fix your summer air conditioner elsewhere.

It is the end of an era (very delicious).

That’s what a five-day course of Covid-19 drug remdesivir through private US insurance companies will cost, according to drug maker Gilead Sciences. The cost amounts to around $ 520 per vial, with a complete course consisting of six vials.

Notice how a layer fish appears on a delicately painted resin layer. The talent! (Click here to see.)