Zorro
Zorro's JournalNorth Carolina's Governor Says a Fringe Claim Before the Supreme Court Would Upend Democracy
Over the past six months, the United States Supreme Court has handed down one misguided ruling after another, stripping Americans of the constitutional right to an abortion, curtailing the regulation of guns and industrial emissions, and muddying the divide between church and state. The people have protested. They’ve organized. And in 2022, they voted.
In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the June decision on abortion, the majority wrote that “women are not without electoral or political power.” That’s one thing they got right, and Republicans found that out the hard way in the November midterm elections that they expected to win big. Now, however, the very ability to exercise electoral and political power at the ballot box is hanging in the balance in a case the court is scheduled to hear on Wednesday.
Moore v. Harper is a case from North Carolina that state and national Republicans are using to push an extreme legal premise known as the independent state legislature theory. While the United States Constitution delegates the authority to administer federal elections to the states, with Congress able to supersede those state decisions, proponents of this theory argue that state legislatures are vested with the exclusive power to run those elections. This view would leave no room for oversight by state courts and put the ability of governors to veto election-related legislation in doubt.
The court’s decision on this alarming argument could fundamentally reshape American democracy. Four justices have suggested that they are sympathetic to the theory. If the court endorses this doctrine, it would give state legislatures sole power over voting laws, congressional redistricting and potentially even the selection of presidential electors and the proper certification of election winners.
https://tinyurl.com/yc7nyem2
Trump Calls for Termination of Constitution Except Fifth Amendment
PALM BEACH (The Borowitz Report)—Donald J. Trump clarified his call for the termination of the United States Constitution by indicating that he would abolish the entire document except for the Fifth Amendment.
“I haven’t read the Constitution, but, from what I’ve been told, most of it is a waste of paper, quite frankly,” he told the One America News Network. “The Fifth Amendment is the only part worth saving.”
Trump said that the Fifth Amendment was “maybe the most beautiful amendment ever written,” and noted that he had used it “many, many times.”
“When I left office, I took a lot of documents with me, but I had no interest in taking the Constitution,” he said. “If I could have cut the Fifth Amendment out of the Constitution and put it in my pocket, I would have done that, but the rest of it was written by a bunch of dummies. A bunch of dummies.”
Republican leaders were noticeably silent on the former President’s latest remarks, except for Representative Kevin McCarthy, who said, “Hunter Biden’s laptop.”
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/trump-calls-for-termination-of-constitution-except-fifth-amendment
Which states have the highest living standards? (And more!)
It’s time to take a few steps back, build up a head of steam and dive headfirst into our favorite descriptive data sets and reader questions. Here’s the latest Data Dive!
States with the highest living standards
Two economists recently undertook the herculean effort of comparing living standards across all 50 states, and we here at the Department of Data are enormously grateful. Partly because it means we don’t have to do it ourselves. But mostly because the results are mesmerizing.
It turns out that the sultans of standards, the lords of living, are none other than … Massachusetts and Minnesota!
Those of you with a borderline-unhealthy addiction to state stats (which is to say probably our entire readership) may find this a bit surprising. After all, neither state has the highest income (that’s Connecticut). Nor do they have the highest life expectancy (California and Hawaii). Or even the most leisure time (Mississippi and West Virginia work the least). But Massachusetts and Minnesota have the best balance across a panel of metrics that, combined, give people a holistic sense of well-being.
https://wapo.st/3Fp5AG7
Manatee County's Nick Bollettieri, who coached tennis' Williams sisters and Andre Agassi, dies at 91
SARASOTA — He coached some of tennis' biggest stars, making him famous outside the sport as well. Indeed, Nick Bollettieri, who died Sunday at age 91 at his Bradenton home, was as consequential as the players he mentored.
The founder in 1977 of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, the forerunner to the IMG Academy, the native of Pelham, New York, coached the likes of Andre Agassi, the Williams sisters, and Maria Sharapova with a demanding style that fostered success.
Even late in his life, Bollettieri continued working with students and interacting with the IMG staff.
"With the same passion and enthusiasm as he did in his 20s," Tim Pernetti, president of IMG Academy Bradenton, said in a statement.
https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/sports/tennis/2022/12/05/nick-bollettieri-img-academy-tennis-coach-venus-serena-williams-andre-agassi/10838663002/
Explosion at Nuclear Airbase Just 150 Miles From Moscow Opens Stunning New Phase of War
Source: Daily Beast
Deadly explosions rocked two bases deep inside Russia in a blistering new setback for Putin, who is already sustaining huge losses on Ukrainian territory.
Two explosions at major Russian military bases, including the Dyagilevo base near Ryazan just 150 miles from Moscow, mean the war in Ukraine has come right to Vladimir Putin’s doorstep.
The explosions—which may have been missile or drone strikes but that has yet to be confirmed—suggest that whoever is behind them wanted to strike fear right in the heart of Russia.
The second explosion struck the Engels-2 base, from which Tu-95 bombers have been pummeling Ukraine’s infrastructure over the last month.
A fuel truck explosion at the base near Ryazan killed at least three and wounded half a dozen and reportedly damaged Tu-95 bombers and Tu-22M long-range missile bombers, which have nuclear capability.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/explosion-at-nuclear-airbase-just-150-miles-from-moscow-opens-stunning-new-phase-of-war
How much do you need to earn annually to afford a house in Los Angeles?
The annual income needed to buy a home in Los Angeles skyrocketed past $220,000, a recent study found, with higher mortgage rates and inflation cutting deeper into household incomes.
That means the ability to own a home is a goal inching further and further away from more families and households in Los Angeles, where the median annual household income in 2020 was just over $65,000.
According to the residential real estate firm Redfin, the yearly salary needed now to buy a median-priced home in the city and comfortably make the mortgage payment is now $221,592, up nearly 41% from last year.
In Los Angeles, the high cost of housing has also played a role in making it the most overcrowded large U.S. county.
Across the U.S., home buyers need to earn $107,281 a year, or 45.6% more, in 2022 compared with the previous year to buy a typical home, the study conducted by Redfin found.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-01/you-need-earn-more-than-220000-year-buy-house-in-los-angeles
'It's Not Too Bad,' Says Man As Hot Sauce Begins Disintegrating Jaw
MITCHELL, SD—After assuring his dinner companions at Blarney’s Sports Bar and Grill that he was more than capable of handling a little spice, area man Jared Perkins was overheard saying “It’s not too bad” as the hot sauce he was eating began to disintegrate his lower jaw.
According to sources, the 29-year-old choked out the words “I’ve definitely had spicier” as the corrosive, 500,000-Scoville-unit condiment in which his chicken wing had been doused ate away at his lips, gums, and tongue.
Though the smell of burning flesh filled the air the moment his fingertips touched the sauce, and the tears streaming from his eyes evaporated with a sizzle upon the heat of his cheeks, Perkins is said to have declined multiple offers of water.
Witnesses confirmed he did this by shaking his head, his ability to speak having been compromised once the wing dressing had dissolved enough muscle tissue to leave his jawbone dangling from a single, thinning tendon.
Shortly before suffering multiple organ failure, Perkins reportedly wrote on a napkin that if the restaurant didn’t have anything hotter, he would simply have to pour more sauce onto his next bite to compensate for “this weak shit” he had been served.
https://www.theonion.com/it-s-not-too-bad-says-man-as-hot-sauce-begins-disint-1849797274
Herschel Walker Quietly Asking Around For D.C. Abortion Clinic Recommendations
WRIGHTSVILLE, GA—In a display of confidence ahead of the Georgia Senate runoff, Republican candidate Herschel Walker has begun quietly asking around about recommendations for Washington, D.C. abortion clinics, sources confirmed Thursday.
“It needs to be close to my office at the Capitol, but not too visible—something with a back entrance, for sure,” said Walker, who noted he was looking for a place that “wouldn’t break the bank,” as he anticipated he might be paying for dozens and dozens of the procedures.
“If they have any discounts for public servants, that would be awesome. I would just hate to get fooled by one of those so-called ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ that look like abortion clinics but are secretly staffed by pro-life crazies. I’m not falling for that again. Abortion is legal in Virginia, right? Or is it Maryland? Where’s D.C. again?”
At press time, Walker had reportedly gotten a couple of great recommendations from Donald Trump.
https://www.theonion.com/herschel-walker-quietly-asking-around-for-d-c-abortion-1849827215
DeSantis' office relied on GOP sheriffs, others in inquiry of Andrew Warren
“You can’t give me the name of a single Democrat you talked to besides the sheriff of Orange County?” the judge asked.TALLAHASSEE — On the first day of the trial in which ousted Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren is trying to get his job back, a top official for Gov. Ron DeSantis testified that he did a thorough job figuring out that Warren was a troublingly progressive prosecutor who was “hostile and antagonistic” to law enforcement and needed to be booted from office.
On Wednesday morning, however, Warren’s attorneys pounced during their cross-examination of public safety czar Larry Keefe to point out holes and omissions in his research, including the fact that, outside of the Orange County sheriff, he talked to only Republicans while doing his research on DeSantis’ behalf.
The questioning at one point prompted U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle to ask Keefe: “You can’t give me the name of a single Democrat you talked to besides the sheriff of Orange County?”
That’s correct, Keefe replied, but he clarified that he didn’t know, and didn’t try to find out, anyone’s political affiliation.
“My wife is a Democrat,” Keefe added.
Keefe said one of his first calls was to the Florida Sheriff’s Association — a political organization that regularly sides with Republicans, including DeSantis. (The association filed a brief supporting Warren’s suspension.) He also spoke with Republican sheriffs and prosecutors across the state and Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/11/30/andrew-warren-desantis-trial-keefe-republican-suspension/
"I pretty much interviewed only Republicans, and they agreed that DeSantis should fire this Democratic State Attorney."
Mom of Club Q Massacre Suspect Now Facing Charges Too
Laura Lea Voepel, 45, is facing two misdemeanor counts over a meltdown she allegedly had when police showed up at her home hours after the Colorado Springs shooting.The mother of the suspect accused of fatally gunning down five people and wounding 18 at a Colorado Springs gay bar was herself arrested in the hours after the deadly shooting, according to a summons obtained by The Daily Beast.
Laura Lea Voepel, 45, is facing two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest over a meltdown she allegedly had when police showed up at her home around 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 20. Roughly three-and-a-half hours earlier, authorities say 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich opened fire on patrons and staff at Club Q, a local LGBTQ nightspot.
Aldrich, whose lawyers say he identifies as non-binary but whose mother used male pronouns in text messages to him on the day of the shooting, was born Nicholas Franklin Brink in 2000 to Voepel and MMA-fighter-turned-porn-actor Aaron Franklin Brink. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Aldrich, who is listed as male in jail booking records, changed their name in 2016 to escape their father’s criminal past, court filings show.
After the Club Q massacre, officers with the Colorado Springs Police Department showed up at Voepel’s North Union Boulevard apartment building, the summons states, noting that cops warned Voepel “multiple times to stop yelling” or she would be arrested.
“Subject continued to make unreasonable noise directly next to multiple apartments,” the summons, which was first reported by Denver Fox affiliate KDVR and Denver NBC affiliate KUSA, continues. “While I attempted to place subject into custody, she became combative by physically resisting officers’ control by force.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/laura-voepel-mom-of-colorado-springs-suspect-anderson-lee-aldrich-facing-charges-after-club-q-shooting
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