Covid Nation: Across the country, Covid deaths are up 27 percent over the past two weeks as the US struggles to recover from a resurgence of the pandemic. The US will hit the mark of 660,000 deaths today. 

  Some cities and school systems are trying to return to normal. A million New York City school children return to the classroom today for the first time since March 2020. Remote learning will not be offered as New York hopes that the latest spike of Covid-19 is passing.

  But in Lowville, NY, about 60 miles northeast of Syracuse, Lewis County General Hospital will stop delivering babies after September 24th because of a high number of resignations following the state’s vaccine mandate for medical workers.

  Intensive care wards in some states are still filled with Covid patients. The Washington Post reports on a 73-year-old Alabama man with heart trouble who was unable to get a bed in his local ICU. The hospital contacted 43 other hospitals before finding him a bed 200 miles from home. He died a few days shy of turning 74.

  The Post reports that as of yesterday, Alabama had 768 Covid patients in the ICU.

Stare Decisis: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told a crowd of more than 100 in Louisville that “My goal today is to convince you that this court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks.” 

  The court has been accused of exactly that, particularly after its recent refusal to put a hold on the new Texas abortion law.

  Barrett said that although decisions appear to split along political lines … Conservative vs. Liberal … it’s based on judicial not political philosophy. “Judicial philosophies are not the same as political parties,” she said. 

  Barrett is what’s called an “originalist” — the Constitution says what it literally says and she decides accordingly. She noted that Justice Stephen Breyer, on the other hand is from the school of “pragmatism.” He applies the law according to the world as it is today, not in the 18^th century.

  Barrett blamed the media, in part, for reporting court decisions as partisan. She said, “Sometimes, I don’t like the results of my decisions. But it’s not my job to decide cases based on the outcome I want.”

The Admissions Department: The first two parents to face trial in the college admissions scandal go before the jury starting today.

  Gamal Abdelaziz, a former hotel and casino executive, is accused of paying $300,000 to get his daughter admitted to the University of Southern California as a basketball player.

  John Wilson, a private equity executive, is charged with paying $220,000 to get his son into USC as a water polo player as well as conspiring to pay another $1.5 million to Harvard and Stanford to take his daughters.

  On trial as well is the college admissions system, which evidently can be greased.

  Rick Singer, the mastermind of the scheme, has already pleaded guilty to racketeering and other charges. Thirty-three parents and coaches, including the actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman have already pled out.

Center Court: Daniil Medvedev upset Novak Djokovic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, in the US Open final, ending Djokovic’s quest to become the first man in 52 years to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a calendar year.

  On Saturday, Britain’s 18-year-old Emma Raducanu came from tennis nowhere to win the women’s at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. She became the first player from any country to win a Grand Slam title by climbing up from the  qualifying rounds and the first Brit to win a Grand Slam singles title since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977.

The Spin Rack: — West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who’s vote is vital, says President Biden’s $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill needs to be trimmed by half to win his support. His fellow Democrats are introducing their draft today. —  Singer Britney Spears, 39, got engaged to her 27-year-old boyfriend, Sam Asghari. — Two Florida middle-schoolers are being held after being accused of planning a mass shooting inspired by the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. — The Times Free Pressnewspaper in Chattanooga will stop delivering a printed newspaper by mid 2022, except the Sunday edition. The paper says it has bought thousands of Apple iPads to give to subscribers for reading the news. — A woman who claims to be the celebutante Tori Spelling but looks nothing like her is denying that she had plastic surgery.

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