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Biden Takes On Supreme Court

Your unbiased daily news brief

Good Tuesday morning. If you have any old jeans lying around, take them to Target next week. The retail chain will give you a 20% coupon on new purchases as part of a denim take-back promotion. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

  • Iowa: Chicken protest

  • Erdogan: Provocative claim

  • Arizona: Harris support

  • Wells Fargo: Fraud lawsuit

  • MLB: Trade deadline

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Legacy play

President Joe Biden is proposing significant, albeit unlikely, changes to the Supreme Court.

  • The pitch: Biden announced his support to place 18-year term limits on justices, establish an enforceable ethics code for the high court and a push for a constitutional amendment that strikes the Supreme Court's recent ruling granting broad immunity to former presidents regarding former President Donald Trump's federal election interference case. Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said she supports the proposals.

  • Likely non-starter: Biden's proposals have no shot to pass through a divided Congress before he leaves office. And even if they did, the constitutionality of two branches of government altering the other is in doubt. All three concepts may require constitutional amendments, which need two-thirds votes in the House and Senate or three-fourths support from state legislatures at a constitutional convention.

  • Court packing? Biden's plan would eventually create a system where a new justice is appointed every two years. He argues that would prevent any president from having an outsized impact on the court's composition. But three sitting members of the current 6-3 conservative majority have been on the bench for over 18 years, leading critics to argue Biden's plan is an attempt to swing the court into a liberal majority.

2) Horror in England

At least two children were killed in a knife attack on a British dance studio.

  • What happened: A 17-year-old boy allegedly entered a Taylor Swift-themed dance, yoga and friendship bracelet workshop for ages 6-11 and began stabbing its participants. The attack occurred near the end of the event in Southport, which sits on the Irish Sea northwest of Manchester.

  • The aftermath: Two kids died while nine others were injured. Six were in critical condition. Two adults were also critically injured; police believe they were attacked while trying to protect the children. Cops called the attack "ferocious" while a witness compared it to a horror movie scene.

  • The reaction: Police arrested the alleged knifeman on suspicion of murder and attempted murder charges. King Charles said he and Queen Camilla were "profoundly shocked" while Prime Minister Keir Starmer thanked emergency services for their response. Police said the incident was not considered terror-related.

3) Thin green line

The nation’s first all-electric vehicle police fleet has hit the road.

  • What happened: The city of South Pasadena, California, bought 20 Teslas for its police force for a total of $2M (grants also went toward the project). The city has also invested in 34 chargers, solar panels and a backup battery system. Officials expect to save at least $4K a car in annual energy costs.

  • Going green: Police cars are considered a significant greenhouse gas emissions source, as they are often idling for extended periods to power lights, radios and other necessary equipment. While current California green laws exempt emergency and law enforcement vehicles, the city said it hopes to create a precedent.

  • Big picture: A handful of other cities already utilize EVs for police, but South Pasadena is going much further. Its success, or lack thereof, will likely dictate if it becomes a national trend. Cops have expressed concern about vehicle range, novel technology and preparedness if local power grids fail, but city officials believe secondary power plans are a failsafe.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • Chicken owners conducted a protest parade in Des Moines, Iowa, to demonstrate against limits on raising birds in residential neighborhoods. A proposal would reduce the fowl cap from 30 to 12 and ban roosters; advocates say it will reduce mess, noise and smell (More)

  • Former President Trump will sit for an FBI victim interview. The bureau wants to get his perspective as it probes the assassination attempt against him; law enforcement is still working to establish the gunman's motive (More)

  • Congress passed a law requiring all federally-purchased American flags be 100% made in the U.S. President Biden is expected to sign the legislation in the coming days; the current law only requires half a flag's materials be domestically produced (More)

World News

  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested he would send troops into Israel to assist Palestinians. The NATO member leader has been highly critical of the Gaza war; Turkey previously intervened in conflicts in Azerbaijan and Libya (More

  • The U.S. and other regional and European nations are questioning the validity of Venezuela's presidential election. Protests have broken out after strongman Nicolas Maduro declared victory over a robust opposition coalition; the Biden Administration has demanded voting data be made public (More)

  • France's government believes far-left extremists are behind recent sabotage attacks on the nation's high-speed rail system. Vandals caused outages and significant disruptions last week as the Paris Games formally opened; the alleged culprit is noteworthy given recent Russian hybrid attacks in Europe (More)

Campaign News

  • Over 20 current and former Arizona mayors endorsed Vice President Harris ahead of the battleground state's primary contests today. Mesa Mayor John Giles, a Republican, was among the group (More)

  • Michigan Sen. Gary Peters has reportedly emerged as a dark horse to be Harris' running mate. Labor groups are pushing the Democratic lawmaker and military veteran; the state is considered critical to Harris' electoral hopes (More)

  • Harris' campaign has pledged she will not ban fracking if elected. The vice president had expressed support for a prohibition on the technology while seeking the Democratic nomination in 2020 (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed mixed yesterday. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 had slight gains while the Dow Jones slipped a tad (Dow -0.12%, Nasdaq +0.07%, S&P 500 +0.08%).

  • Wells Fargo must face a federal lawsuit alleging it defrauded shareholders with dishonest hiring diversity claims. The filing accuses the bank of conducting sham interviews with female and non-white job applicants (More)

  • J.M. Smucker hopes to divest from Voortman Bakery. The jam and jelly maker is aiming to sell the cookie brand for over $350M after acquiring Hostess Brands last year fort $5.6B (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • The Major League Baseball trade deadline is at 6 p.m. ET tonight. Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could be the biggest name on the move (More)

  • Canada's women's soccer team appealed its six-point deduction at the Paris Olympics following its spying scandal. A decision is expected tomorrow; the Canadians can still reach the knockout round with a win over Colombia in their final group match (More)

  • Manchester United will decide whether to proceed with a new $2.6B stadium that seats 100K by the end of the year. Co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has said he wants to construct a Wembley Stadium equivalent for northern England (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Real Hero: An 18-year-old volunteer firefighter was off duty but swung into action when disaster struck. Colleen Knull helped evacuate over a dozen people last week when a raging wildfire hit Canada's Jasper National Park.

  • Weird Stuff: Yes, this caterpillar is a real creature. And yes, it is very creepy looking.

  • Political Pledge: An honest politician? That seems like an oxymoron. But Wales is trying to make it illegal for candidates and lawmakers to tell fibs.

  • Take Note: The "girl math" concept is not just a humorous social media trend. An economist argues there are some real-life merits to thinking about commerce through that lens.

  • Life Hack: Scent diffusers can create a pleasant atmosphere inside your home, but you need to be smart about they are utilized. Here is a look at the best and worst places to place them.

Imagine risking your life hundreds of times a day at work.

Looking Ahead …

The world's largest rubber duck will be in the New York area this weekend -- and maybe a city near you soon.

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