More Trump News
Steve Vladeck in his weekly SCOTUS Substack:
I wanted to use today’s “Long Read” to bring folks up to speed on the series of ongoing cases involving efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to revoke “Temporary Protected Status” (TPS) on a country-by-country basis for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Haiti, Syria, Venezuela, and elsewhere—two of which have reached the Supreme Court through the Trump administration’s 33rd and 34th emergency applications.
(He also references the racism involved.)
SCOTUS took the matter for review later in the day. The oral argument will be in late April.
Eugenio Suárez’s hit in the top of the ninth later in the week provided the deciding run to allow Venezuela to win the World Baseball Classic over the United States. He earlier spoke out about how immigrant baseball players worry about current policies. He noted a family member lost TPS status.
Another Execution
It also rejected a final appeal in a capital case.
Michael Lee King, 54, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. King was sentenced to death in 2009 after being convicted of first-degree murder, sexual battery, and kidnapping.
(The death sentence is not patently outrageous. The system can be arbitrary and overall, not helpful to the public welfare, without each and every case being similarly bad.)
Florida apparently is moving on to executing one or more people who haven't been on death row for over twenty years. The final appeal basically addressed red flags regarding the state's lethal injection procedures.
Sotomayor recently referenced the matter. She didn't comment this time, but there is a comparable reason why a SCOTUS stay of execution is questionable without erasing the problems with the procedures.
Chief Justice Roberts Speaks Out
"The problem sometimes is that the criticism can move from a focus on legal analysis to personalities. And you see from all over, I mean, not just any one political perspective on it, that it's more directed in a personal way, and that, frankly, can be actually quite dangerous," Roberts said.
I saw people respond with an expletive. It's understandable. First, it sounds like he is upset about the justices being criticized. Second, the conservative justices were hoisted on their own petard by enabling Trump. And, yes, his criticism is specifically at issue.
Trump repeatedly, in personal ways, attacked judges for ruling against him. The problem also arose during his civil and criminal trials. Judges repeatedly criticized him or even sanctioned him for crossing the line. He is back to using such rhetoric to attack judges for the 2020 elections. We know how that went.
There has been a dangerous uptick in harassment of judges. People send pizzas to their homes in the name of a murdered son of a judge. Judges get harassing phone calls. A few judges in the past were physically attacked or even killed.
Strong criticism is part of the program. Some will be fair, some unfair. But, especially when people like Trump (or other members of the government) attack judges personally, sometimes targeting other people along the way (family members, prosecutors, etc.), a line begins to be crossed. The unjust delegitimizing of the court system alone is a problem. It can get worse.
A new article flagged some lower court judges addressing the problem. It notes that the pizza thing might have, in some sense, been a foreign job.
I didn't catch that aspect before. It should be carefully checked out. It surely would not be the only attempt at foreign interference with our institutions.
Another way to look at this is to examine a major reason lower court judges have received some strong criticism. Conservative justices have, at times, with little or no explanation, overturned their rulings.
This effectively is a big "fu" to lower court judges, who regularly are just doing their jobs, provided extended explanations when doing so. The judges come off as "judicial activists" who deserve strong criticism. As the article notes, "thanks a lot, John."
When you flag this, some people think you are just making it about Trump. He obviously has significant influence and has used it in unhinged ways.
But it isn't just him. So "what about Schumer" won't be much of a comeback. Put aside his comments and influence simply are not comparable. If you can find something bad liberals say, fine.
We need to protect our institutions. This should not be a partisan issue. Too often, it seems that it is.
Justice O'Connor
There was a special event on Thursday to honor Justice O'Connor. The Supreme Court website provided a rare livestream video link.
There were two parts. There was a bar event, and then they had a special court session. The livestream only covered the first part. A ceremonial occasion would be an ideal situation to provide SCOTUS video.
Some documentary materials were supplied, including an extended biographic statement. O'Connor was a moderate conservative from another age.
Her role in Bush v. Gore for some is disqualifying. But she's no Justice Alito. She was, as noted, a reasonable conservative who carefully and pragmatically (influenced by her legislative experience) applied the law. She also supported civics education, making it her focus after leaving the Court.
Opinions
The justices were back for opinions and a conference on Friday. There will be oral arguments next week.
They handed down a single opinion, by Kagan, which unanimously allowed someone to sue to protect his free speech rights. The person feared future prosecution. The case is not about damages.
Kagan handles things, tossing in some Kagan-esque colloquial "let's chat about this" phrasings (e.g., "For anyone who has followed along this far") quickly in a Roberts Court special. It's a good, limited opinion.
(Robert Court specials unite the justices, often with short opinions, by opinions of limited reach that avoid divisive questions. Sometimes, they clearly paper over certain disputes, the seams at times fairly blatant.)
Other Stuff
The Court also dropped a housekeeping order.
They will hear oral arguments next week after dropping an Order List on Monday.
I discuss the moral argument against Trump. Something to Talk About isn't just a good film. (Her second romance is good as well and has a lot more sex. Maybe too much!) Yippee. Good luck, Blue Jays.
The final MLB weekend has drama, including the Mets (months of bad play, leading to much scorn) doing their thing. Bad game, fantastic game, final game (their playoff spot will turn on Game 162). I blame mediocre competition. The Mets should be done by now.
I discussed in more detail a possible botched execution last week.
After there were women officials in other sports (including football), we finally had the first woman umpire in a MLB game.
Mets wound up a half game back of the Phils after basically breaking even in the final few series. Both teams have had some horrible baseball. Time to start fresh. The Mets component did well overall in the All Star Game. Diaz blew the save. This set up a new home run tiebreaker. Alonso was the third guy but wasn't needed. NL won.
I provide an answer to a liberal's defense of Chuck Schumer's vote for the continuing resolution here. Again, I respect it is not a simple issue.
Spring has begun. The weather already has been warm. There is not much "lion" this March so far. I heard the birds chirping outside my window now.
March 17-19 also involves my personal holidays from St. Patrick's Day (mom) and St. Joseph's Day (dad). You can find a discussion of Joseph, father of Jesus, from a historian's perspective on this website.
The middle day is one of my own creation, St. JP Day (Joseph Paul), a holiday for Irish/Italian mutts.
And, it's about time to play real baseball!
It was a mixed New York sports weekend.
Helped by some dubious calls, the Yanks won a close one. Detroit had a horrid first inning and lost its opener. Dodgers up 1-0 so far. (Now, it's 1-1.)
The Mets fought through some bad calls to win late with their ace Senga (who pitched one game during the season) serving as an "opener." He went two innings. Blew a lead and a two-run homer that tied it in the 9th in Game Two. Big sigh. Citifield next.
The optimistic take -- which is sort of fake -- is that you would have taken a 1-1 split when you came to Philly. But, that changes when you are ahead mid-game and your closer lays an egg. And, then you come back to tie, and you lose it a strike away from the 10th. Just my take. I don't find this "fun."
Jets played mediocre but still had a chance late against one of their old QBs. Aaron Rodgers is here to win games like this. He didn't. I didn't want him here and haven't changed my mind. If the supporting staff around him is raw, well, you should be playing for the future. He's a win-now sort of player.
Bills lost at the buzzer via a 59-yard field goal. The Giants, after being bitten by a 101/2 fumble return earlier, decided not to be the "same old Giants," down to blocking a FG and taking it in for basically the clincher. It was the second time a blocked FG was returned in the NFL today.
So on Sunday, to summarize: Bills and Jets lost. Giants won. Mets lost. Giants beat one of their old QBs (who also played for the Jets/Geno Smith). Seattle is a team "good enough" to make the playoffs.
The Giants played well enough today.
Sunday was the first day of fall. The New York teams redeemed themselves over the weekend (Th-Sunday).
The Mets had a four game series. They had another mini-laugher (Phils scored some runs late), had a stinker, but then won the next two. This includes a Sunday Night Game with Megill v. Wheeler.
The Jets took care of business against the Patriots, now with a credible QB. Then, the Giants won against the Browns, who have their own problems, particularly an albatross of a QB.
The Giants quickly were down 7-0. Then, they scored 21 unanswered. The offense decided to take a rest for the rest of the game. The defense -- except for one score -- did the rest. The Giants aren't quite dead.
The Yanks did okay, especially since the Orioles slipped while the Yanks did not, making the division race a bit of a joke. The Tigers and Mariners (less likely) also sneaked into the Wild Card race.
If the Mets win the series at Atlanta (at least 2-1), they are in. They are two ahead of the Braves (the series is currently tied) and tied with the tiebreaker now with the Diamondbacks. So, with six left, they are the #2 wild card seed. Oh, so close.
The Mets beating the Phils three out of four also allowed the Mets to avoid the Phils celebrating winning the division at Citi Field. It would be nice for the Mets to seal the deal at Atlanta.
ETA: Bills have a good Monday Night.
They have one of the easier schedules in the second half. The person who was supposed to be their best pitcher should be back soon. It's no gimme, especially with the Diamondbacks now breathing down their necks. But, why not?
I thought that they had a reasonable shot at the beginning of the season with a good line-up and just enough pitching. The line-up started poorly. It shifted into gear with the help of a few key additions (OMG!).
The rotation did badly. They are suddenly doing well, with multiple seven-inning games. The pen is still a problem (Houser has suddenly had a couple bad performances) but a new pick-up and few arms are reliable. They need more. Another reliever and an OF bat would be helpful.
2024 was in my eyes supposed to be a development year with some chance of a wild card spot. How they have been playing, it would be disappointing if they don't get it. Once they do, it's house money time.
BTW, I'm just waiting for the Astros to pass the fairly middling Seattle Mariners in the NL West. Not quite there yet.
I might eventually post an extended discussion that is inspired by this book. The book covers the usual suspects along with Yoruba religions (Santeria is an offshoot) with the "three ways" of China and atheism included.
The book suggests various definitions of religion. One basic rule would be that each religion sees a problem, a solution, a path, and people who are guides on the path. Atheism is quickly examined; the other chapters are around 35 pages each. So, not comprehensive, but you get a good general sense of Hinduism, Confucianism, and other religions.
The title also references the author's argument that there is not just one God that is expressed differently. People have strongly different ideas of what God entails. These differences matter in the real world. It's best to understand this, even if the other path seems idealistic and charming.
A couple of additional bits. The author argues not everyone who is a member of a religion is a "believer." Religion can often be about a community or practices. Jews can be atheists. Also, "sin" is largely a Christian concept. Muslims do not believe in original sin. Jews have some concept of sin but original sin is not a general Jewish belief.
I continue to think religion and belief in God is a form of poetic metaphor for our concerns as humans. The overall conceit of Jesus dying for our sins to me is rather ridiculous and primitive. Eastern religion has some interesting philosophies. OTOH, some of the mystical stuff, including reincarnation, is not for me. I am also with the "friendly" atheists.
Some liberals look at how conservatives use religion and treat it with disdain. I think we should have more empathy for the billions who have religious beliefs. Plus, again, I do not think they all are treating their beliefs quite as literally as some people think. And, there are a lot of non-assholes among them.
Religion continues to be a fascinating and fundamental part of humanity.
This book is a collection of three Christmas romance novellas from popular authors. Political rivals fall in love during a plane crash, a divorced dad's teenage daughter plays matchmaker, and a woman's aunt does so from the grave (so to speak).
Each speeds things along, two especially, the desire. People want to get married after a few days or something. It's a bit ridiculous at times. I might not like one or more of these as full-length books. But, for a hundred pages or less, things go along pleasantly enough.
Christmas on Cherry Lane is the newest Hallmark Channel film.
There is a ridiculous number of holiday films (there is a Hanukkah film tonight) on multiple channels now. I found out I have three Hallmark Channels though one often has dramas or mysteries instead of films. I found out I have the Great American Family Network. Lifetime has some Christmas films. As do others. There were at least four options at the same time last night.
This film does stand out. It comes out that the film actually takes place over three time periods with somewhat (at least one is a bit of a surprise) interrelated families. Thus, a woman has a child in 1973, who takes in for Christmas in 1999 a young foster boy, who grows up to be the husband of a guy and they are getting their own foster daughter. A policeman helps deliver that baby. His two children are part of the family involved in the main 1999 story. The daughter does become a singer, who becomes friends with that couple. And so on. I might have missed something!
The film has a large cast (three storylines & that 1973 family has to deal with a bunch of family members coming in). Overall, the three storylines work out well and do not seem too thin or something. There are a few familiar faces, including Catherine Bell (Good Witch, etc.)
With so many films, it is good that they try to mix it up some. Hallmark may try to have more people of color as main characters! Also, there are so many films (on different channels) with royalty. Not only do they have mostly males as the royal love interest, but the characters tend to be from some imaginary European nation. Why not toss in some from other areas? Oceania is filled with possibilities alone!
Oh well. I DVR'ed two more films. Will see how they go. One doesn't appear to be a Christmas film! And, darn, Grammarly makes me feel like an incompetent writer with so many suggestions!
ETA: The Amish Bakery movie on Up TV was a Christmas film.
I liked it -- it was the less polished, somewhat more natural, and roughly acted film that is often found on that channel. It gently taught its morals, including noting that Amish life is a matter of choice. Perhaps, other religions should have a formal process for young adults to take to determine if they want to continue some of the aspects of the faith.
The Hanukkah film where a woman gets caught in a time loop tied to both her self-confidence and romance was overall pleasant. It had some good supporting characters. It tied together, pacing-wise, generally well. A dreidel plays an important role as does fried jelly donuts.
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The big baseball news is that the two-way phenom signed for the Dodgers (10 years/700M). I find that ridiculous. I assume that baseball being a business and all (often with teams, including the Mets, with extremely rich ownership), they are not just throwing money away.
There was a rumor (it would have been nice) that he was going to Toronto, owned by some deep pockets. The idea there was he would be an "event." I do not know how much that translates into. Does it translate into THAT much revenue? Anyway, it turned out to be a bad tip, and he went to a much more expected team. I figured he would stay on the West Coast.
It somewhat depresses me that the Dodgers just have one more reason to shine. It does make it somewhat easier for the Mets to sign the big Japanese pitcher on the market. Still, Ohtani is not due to pitch in 2024 with his injury. How long could he pitch when he does? And, who wants just to see a very good outfielder? I know. He's extremely good. 70M good?
And, what if he gets hurt, as players do? I know the deal. But, do wish they share a microscopic fraction of the wealth with me somehow!
Texas Rangers, ending a drought, won the World Series in five games. Arizona came out tough, getting to their ace in Game 1.
Unfortunately, former Mets journeyman and now apparent ace playoffs closer Paul Sewald turned into a pumpkin. He blew the save. Arizona bats came out in force late in Game 2 to make that a laugher. They lost a close one and then their bullpen game did not go well this time.
Down 3-1, Arizona tried to make at least a series of it. Nonetheless, it is hard to get out an ace twice. This time he bent but did not break. Arizona's starter finally gave up a single run. Arizona's shot at a late comeback was basically ended when Sewald threw in another egg, four runs being given up in the end.
So, overall, Arizona did somewhat better than their record suggests. If you want to try to look on the bright side. I did not really see much of the series. If I did, it would have been a mixture of nailbiting and turning off that game where they were losing 10-0 (wound up 11-7 with two late garbage time innings) early. I wanted them to win but am not that upset, except that I would have liked a more competitive overall result.
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I wrote some thumbnail reviews of books on my Substack page.
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This refusal to grant relief to someone who is not only likely innocent but who the victim's own family accepts should be released is a travesty.
The problem is not merely "Republicans." You can find Republican governors who would act differently. Yes, even in Texas once in a blue moon. The Texas courts recently held up an execution and not on innocence grounds. They have their moments.
It also was just bad taste that a few people made it personal. It is quite easy not to like Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Nonetheless, making fun of her weight or appearance is tasteless. You are left with that unpleasant feeling where you want to defend someone you rather not defend.
The system in place, including where even very strong cases for relief are blocked, is very problematic. Yes, there are many frivolous appeals in the mix as there are frivolous lawsuits of all kinds. Life and death warrant allowing an opening. Commutations and pardons are supposed to be one outlet here. They are an imperfect one up to and including the presidential process in place. Yes, Democrat or Republican, that needs to be reformed.
I also continue to think that people should not be in prison for thirty years except in a tiny number of cases. Not this one, even if the guy did murder someone. Charles Manson? Yes, I can see keeping him locked up. Ditto a small number of very dangerous defendants. Someone who committed a heinous crime? Not for that reason alone. Decades in a little cage is enough.
These snapshots of injustices also bother me in a different way. They provide a chance for people to say "How horrible!" and "The system sucks!" or "Police are bad!" The system (whatever it is) has problems. However, it rarely totally sucks. Police engage with people thousands upon thousands of times a year. They have a legitimate job.
These takes nearly never address those things. When they do flag a "good arrest" or whatever, they still don't note (even in small print or in a footnote) that "at times the police have a role." It's a bit like when people hate lawyers, except when they need one.
[I grant some hate them there too.]
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Daylight Saving Time is a bit stupid. I think we should probably just end the thing. It isn't way up there. We are used to it.
But, not having to worry about changing the time twice a year would be nice. Am I one of the few still still has a digital clock where you have to go all around to "fall back"? One also skips a few minutes at a time so it rarely is the right time. Both are of limited use but still use the radio at times. I actually have one on my phone too but that needs a headphone.
Anyways, remember, "fall back, spring forward."
Some teams spent a lot of money and their seasons went badly, including the Mets and Padres (didn't quite make it with a late run). The Texas Rangers spent a lot of money and did. They along with the Diamondbacks (much more of a surprise) are going to the World Series.
After the first two rounds often did not seem competitive, both leagues took seven games in the last round. Texas blew a perfect opportunity in Game 6 with a blown save. The Phils went up 0-2 and 3-2 but lost in seven. Former Mets journeyman, Paul Sewald, suddenly is a master closer. I wanted the Orioles, but not a bad match-up. Good luck, Arizona!
With Love, From Cool World is not a great title but the book does have a nice cover. It is also an overall good read, a well written romance that juggles various serious issues, including foster care and LGBTQ+ acceptance.
New York has a couple state constitutional ballot measures on the ballot. I think it's stupid since the average person really has little knowledge on these issues. But, a vote is necessary, and this provides some useful info.
Jim Jordan, the insurrectionist, unhinged, sexual abuse ignoring guy, got 200 votes for Speaker of the House. A travesty, but not quite enough. Better luck tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Rangers are up 2-0, and the Diamondbacks (hoping to win at least a game or two) are down 1-0. Not too excited about most of the MLB teams left. Phils have talent. Yippee.
A brief sports update. The Jaguars like playing in London (or as Joey on Friends might say IN LONDON!), including beating the Bills today. The Bills seemed jet lagged. The Jags was refreshed and already played in London last week.
One entertaining game today was the continuing rivalry game between the Ravens and Steelers (with a young QB). Somehow, the Steelers managed to have enough offense, the theme constantly being defensive stops with no offense. Five points basically arose from a safety and free kick. Scored late and enough.
Giants had Miami and a loss. Who knew that even with Rodgers out after four plays, the Giants would be the worse team? The Jets won against the Broncos, who are a mess themselves. The Orioles are 0-2 in a five-game series. A few baseball analysts are pushing the Twins. Well, that's better than the Rangers/Astros!
The baseball season is about over. But, don't worry if you think you will have Mets withdrawal (a suspended game on Friday night -- though the Cubs keep on losing, so maybe not -- require a Monday cameo appearance). Or, baseball withdrawal after October baseball. The strike is over. So, there will be more television content.
I wanted to replace my Friday post since there have been new developments. The Marlins won, ending the Padres' very slim remaining hopes. The Mariners decided to find a way to beat Texas two times in a row. This gives them a fighting chance (still are likely to miss it by a game) for a playoff spot. Two more wins can even get them a division title and bye!
The Rays, Blue Jays, and Astros or Rangers are still the likely AL wild cards, but we will see. The Phils, Diamondbacks, and Marlins are also the likely NL wild cards. But, as with the final two AL slots, not quite. Reds and Cubs retain a bit of life at the moment, the Cubs requiring the most help. Including the Mets on Monday.
Saturday Night Update: The Mets swept a doubleheader, which appears to erase any shot at them getting a better pick by being among the bottom six in the baseball standings (Nats being a repeat player does not qualify). Daniel Murphy, who is retiring for real now [if not as a Met like Big Sexy], was on hand to throw out a first pitch. Good luck, Roger Ramjet.
Teams, for people who care about such things, are playing for statistics like being at or over .500. More importantly, the Marlins won and the Reds lost, so the NL wild cards are in place. The question then becomes what seeding the Marlins and Diamondbacks have. For now, this still can turn on that suspended Marlins/Mets game. The Cubs did win, after blowing a six-run lead, but needed the Marlins to lose out.
Seattle can play spoiler: the NL West and a bye is still up for grabs. Just not for them. They are done. Their loss helped the Blue Jays, who now are in. It first eliminated Seattle as the NL West leader. Then, the Astros won, eliminating them totally.
The last day will determine seeding. A bye and playing the Twins over the Rays is not nothing.
Sunday: The big news is that the new head of baseball operations decided that Buck should no longer be manager of the Mets. I think he was partially to blame for their failure to get to the promised land last year (if you praise a manager for the good stuff ...) but was not the reason this season.
How about getting rid of the GM, who made some questionable moves that influenced their current situation (as well as last season, such as not getting a key piece to put them at the deadline over the hump like in 2015)? I'm okay with them moving on with new leadership. The players really like Buck. It would been fine to keep him too. But, not just him!
Anyway, Seattle won again -- they won 3/4 vs. Texas, but the Astros swept the Diamondbacks. In the end, Seattle being able to beat Texas (finally) merely helped the Astros win the division and first-round bye. Yippee. Marlins/Diamondbacks both lost so that last game wouldn't matter. So, the Mets will wound up completing 161 games.
The Mets wound up 1.5 games ahead of the Angels so came in 7th in the race for the bottom six in MLB for a better draft pick. A tie would have gone to the Angels since the Mets did so well last year. Oh well. One more low pick would be nice but it's still a lot of guesswork and who knows what would have come out of it. Really comes out of the Angels doing so bad. They had the potential to do better than they did
BTW, I have for a while complained about Vogelbach still being around to take at-bats from others. I haven't actually seen him in the lineup for a while. Small favors. D.J. Stewart, who for a while was hitting very well with DH vibes (and being able to play the field), has struggled.
NY Jets need a new QB ("back-up" if you wish). They got Rodgers since they didn't trust the guy they have now. One good series doesn't change it. They again lost to the Patriots, the final (aside from the desperation toss at the end) drive underlining the simple inability for this guy to do anything. It was embarassing. As is Dallas' loss to Arizona.
The Astros being swept by the Royals is too, less so the Mets being swept by the Phillies. But, Seattle is struggling too, now 1/2 game out of wild card contention. The last slot now is held by the Astros, who would lose a tiebreaker with Seattle.
Chris Geidner's latest on the Supreme Court has an updated paragraph that is especially useful link-wise. Decent YA book on chocolate.
I re-read The Cabinet about George Washington's creation of that institution. I plan to write a longer review for another website. It covers the usual ground (a bit redundant at times; some stuff is standard history, not really Cabinet focused) but also stuff more focused to the topic. Overall, it is a good, but not great book.
Penny Singleton again is the best thing in Blondie Goes To College, but there is really not enough plot. Early on, almost gratutiously it seems, she tells Mr. Dithers that she is pregnant. It is a curious bit of news since it doesn't really affect the plot much at all. Mr. Dithers is mad Dagwood wants to stay in college, firing him, but then decides he wants him back. Basically to drive the plot to a conclusion. Eh. Blondie has some amusing bits.
NY Giants lost on Thursday. Mets keep on losing but still have a shot to spoil the Marlins' still alive playoff hopes. The Phils are basically set, the Mets helping them with three losses so far. Toronto keeps blowing it but Orioles finally eked out a 2-1 win today. Texas actually is the division leader now. Tough schedule though so not sure if Astros will blow it. One hopes so.