Need-to-Know | July 4th, 2022
Your top five stories this week...
At the outset of The Good Report, making news accessible, simplified, and nuanced is a goal we want to reach for you. Weekly, you will receive a Need-to-Know Report of the top five stories this week.
Ready??? It’s been a wild week! Here we go...
Meltdown Over SCOTUS Ruling Continues
A week since the Supreme Court handed down its earth-shaking ruling which voided Roe v. Wade, the fallout continues across America. Politicians and commentators from a wide perspective have given much input. Democrat Representatives Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Maxine Waters were seen in street protests soon after the announcement, both calling for aggressive protesting and to “go into all the streets” to fight for change.
While many on the right are hailing this larger-than-life ruling as just the beginning, the left side of the aisle is looking for ways to get around it. Claims that the Constitution is outdated and should be replaced, that the Supreme Court should be disbanded or “packed”, and direct attacks on Justice Clarence Thomas have been consistent. The rebukes and aggression have only been exacerbated by the flurry of conservative-leaning rulings surrounding the ruling of highest concern. One such ruling this week went in favor of religious liberty, involving a man who was fired by a school for praying on a football field.
As a side note, Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in Thursday as a United States Supreme Court Justice. Appointed by President Biden, Jackson is the first black woman to sit on the highest court in the land. She replaces the retired Justice Stephen Breyer and is fully expected to lean on the left side of opinions.
40+ Immigrants Found Dead
On Monday, a large truck was discovered near a highway on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, containing more than 50 dead or dying immigrants. By Wednesday, the death toll had reached 53. The truck had been found 160 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, and was confirmed to have passed through a border patrol checkpoint. It is believed that the truck was not boarded until after crossing through the checkpoint.
Officials described the scene of discovery in harrowing detail, and have moved quickly in charging multiple people responsible for the tragedy, including the suspected driver.
Controversy Over Jan. 6th Hearings
The House January 6th Committee have attempted to breathe new life into their public televised hearings this past week, following the news take-over by Supreme Court rulings.
A “surprise” witness was announced on Tuesday with “newly discovered information.” The witness was revealed to be Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Both Hutchinson and Meadows served and were in direct interaction with President Trump during the Jan. 6th breach of the capitol and in the months before. Hutchinson’s answers to the committee proved to be dramatic and controversial. Stories were told of Trump throwing dinnerware at the wall in anger, Rudy Giuliani foreshadowing a storming of the capitol, and the President demanding to be taken to the capitol (supposedly being turned down by the Secret Service for security reasons). But the story that garnered the most attention was one told by Hutchinson about Trump physically assaulting a Secret Service officer. According to her testimony, after an officer turned down his demand to be taken to the capitol, the President lunged toward the driver’s seat, attempting to grab the steering wheel, and began to choke the agent.
While the former aide’s questioning lit off a media firestorm in the days following, backlash rolled in swiftly. Multiple Secret Service agents have come forward, willing to testify that Trump _did not_ lunge at an agent. The Service has also added that the Jan. 6th Committee never reached out to confirm any details before the testimony was presented.
Biden Says Americans Must Endure High Gas Prices
At a recent NATO summit press conference, a reporter asked President Biden how long it’s fair “to expect American drivers and drivers around the world to pay that premium for this war,” in reference to the battle in Ukraine.
“As long as it takes, so Russia cannot, in fact, defeat Ukraine and move beyond Ukraine,” Biden said.
The National average gas prices have risen to $5 per gallon in the month of June, representing a new record. Throughout the rising prices and inflation, Biden has insisted that it can all be attributed to Putin and the war in Ukraine. But it seems Americans know better. According to a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released on Wednesday, a majority of the country - 60% of Americans - disapprove of Biden’s leadership.
The AP asked Biden who is really responsible.
“If it’s my fault, why is it the case in every other major industrial country in the world that inflation is higher? You ask yourself that?” he said. “I’m not being a wise guy.”
R. Kelly Receives Sentence Following Conviction
R&B singer R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after a conviction of charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. After a three-hour hearing in which victims spoke emotionally and pointedly about the singer and his actions, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly handed down the sentence, to which Kelly showed no outward reaction and did not address the court in response. Prosecutors had been seeking at least 25 years in prison.
It was reported shortly afterward that Kelly had been placed on suicide watch at a federal detention facility in New York, primarily because of his fame.
Comedic relief for the win:
Don’t worry, Howard Stern is running for president…
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