SCOTUS Confirmation Locked In | Virus Takes 200,000 Americans
important
1. Republicans Lock in Supreme Court Votes
It’s “appropriate.” That’s how Republican Sen. Mitt Romney sees his party’s effort to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. A “center-right” nation, he argued yesterday in explaining his decision to back a Senate vote to confirm a justice of President Donald Trump’s choosing, should have a similarly-minded court. Democrats had fleeting hopes that Romney, who’s no Trump fan, might defect because the GOP’s Senate leader blocked Barack Obama’s court pick in advance of 2016’s election. But now his declaration virtually assures a 6-3 conservative court majority long after this November’s contest.
They will be saying her name. The question hanging over Louisville, Kentucky, today is whether state Attorney General Daniel Cameron will take action, possibly by launching a grand jury probe against the officers who fatally shot Breonna Taylor during a mistaken police raid in March. Anticipation of unrest following the decision has prompted the city’s mayor to declare a state of emergency and the governor has expressed willingness to deploy National Guard troops if needed. In the wake of nationwide protests over police killings of Black Americans, other cities, such as Chicago, are also preparing for possibly violent demonstrations.
Is it too late? During a virtual U.N. summit yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that his nation, the world’s largest source of carbon dioxide emissions, would stop adding CO2 to the atmosphere by 2060. The surprising declaration to the General Assembly followed U.S. President Trump, who assailed China’s “rampant pollution.” But before China arrives at zero, Xi said, it will reach peak emissions within a decade, and scientists say climate change is already beyond reversal. One expert, referring to storms, fires and other damaging effects, predicts things will get “twice as bad” as they are now.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 359-57 to approve a budget package last night, hours after Democratic leaders reached a deal with the White House over spending priorities. The bill would avert a partial government shutdown and keep the government running until Dec. 11. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to approve the bill this week, as it’s now backed by the president and includes $21 billion sought by the administration to stabilize farm incomes. It also satisfies Democrats’ requirements that the money not go to oil producers and that $8 billion be added for food aid for disadvantaged Americans.
For nearly 25 years, the Sphinx Organization has promoted diversity in the arts. The social justice organization, based in Detroit, empowers the voices of young artists and leaders shaping the world of classical music. You can help ensure this great work continues by attending their inaugural virtual gala, Lift Ev’ry Voice, on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. ET, where you’ll see world-class performances. To support the cause, RSVP or pledge your donation today.
Black Leadership in Corporate America: A new LinkedIn interview series called “Leading in the B-Suite,” led by Adam Bryant, a former New York Times columnist, and Rhonda Morris, a Chevron executive, goes deep with Black business leaders, who talk about the obstacles they encountered and how the system can change. Check it out today!
intriguing
1. US Passes 200,000 Deaths From the Virus
It’s “a shame,” the president said, when confronted with the reality that America’s COVID-19 death toll had passed 200,000 yesterday. The night before, he’d marveled at how fewer young people get sick, saying “it affects virtually nobody.” While America’s home to a fifth of the world’s 980,000 deaths, Trump used a virtual U.N. summit to blast China, where the coronavirus originated, for unleashing it. One of the states that’s seen a recent surge in infections is Wisconsin, where Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday declared a public health emergency and required people to wear masks indoors.
And then he’ll land it on Mars. Tesla founder Elon Musk yesterday promised an affordable version of his legendary electric car brand, while also predicting his company would be cranking out 20 million a year to bring sustainable transportation to the masses. Thanks to improved batteries costing a tenth of what they did a decade ago, the mercurial carmaker said his affordable model with prices on par with gasoline-fueled vehicles would be available in three years. But he’s failed to realize similar promises in the past, and for now buyers still need to shell out at least $38,000 for a Model 3.
Get yourself a job already. In the pandemic economy, the choice is often freelancing or insolvency. That’s seen a flood of interest in sites like Twitch and Patreon, which signed up 30,000 members in the early weeks of pandemic lockdowns, and other sites that connect content and service providers with paying customers, OZY reports. There’s also been a surge at Substack, which today boasts top talent like former Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi putting out subscription-based newsletters. What that means for lesser-known freelancers’ income potential is uncertain, but it could help break the stigma of self-employment.
They’ve paid their dues and still can’t sing the blues — for money, at least. Thirty-four percent of Musicians’ Union members surveyed recently are mulling an end to their careers. The pandemic’s crowd limitations have crippled their industry to the point where 70 percent say three-quarters of their gigs aren’t happening. Instead they’re “working in supermarkets, being Deliveroo drivers,” said a union official. “Anything but music.” The U.K. has helped out with self-employment relief, but 87 percent of union members say they’ll face hardship when that stops at the end of next month.
5. Bryant’s Widow Sues Over Deputies’ Grisly Photos
Have some respect. That’s what Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, is saying with a lawsuit reported yesterday. The filing accuses eight deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department of photographing the remains of her husband and daughter with personal smartphones after a Jan. 26 helicopter crash. “They created a harm that cannot be undone,” says the suit, which seeks unspecified damages “appropriate to punish … and make an example” of the defendants. The department didn’t comment on the suit, but noted that Sheriff Alex Villanueva sponsored legislation to make taking such photos a crime.
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