New Search Area, Supremes Rule
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Vol. 3, No. 177
Still Looking: Australian authorities have designated a new 23,000 square mile area in the southern Indian Ocean to search for the remains of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. The new zone selected on the basis of satellite information, about 1,100 miles west of Perth, is further south than previous search zones. The new search area is 58 miles by 400. A seafloor search to begin in August will take one year.
The Supremes: The Supreme Court gave a big win to the major television broadcasters, ruling against a streaming service that re-directed television signals to its own customers for a fee. The Court ruled that the startup Aereo violated copyright laws by capturing television signals with miniature antennae and re-selling the programming without paying the networks. Traditional networks and even cable and satellite services are under challenge by alternate technologies. This could be death for Aereo.
>The Court also ruled 9-0 that the police need a warrant to search the cellphones of people they arrest. Cellphones have given police officers a trove of information about criminal suspects, but the cops have also dug into cellphones for details on the private lives of motorists who ran a red light.
Sub-Supremes: A federal judge ruled yesterday that Indiana’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and marriage licenses are already being issued in the Hoosier state.
Further west the 10th Circuit Court of appeals ruled that Utah cannot ban same-sex marriage. The 2-1 ruing said, “A state may not deny the issuance of a marriage license to two persons, or refuse to recognize their marriage, based solely upon the sex of the persons in the marriage union.” That and several other state bans are moving up the legal ladder for a confrontation in the Supreme Court.
Gonna Sue: House Speaker John Boehner says he will seek legislation allowing him to sue President Obama for over reaching his executive powers. We’ll get back to you when it actually happens.
World: At least 21 people were killed in a bombing at an upscale shopping mall in the Nigerian Capital Abuja. Seventeen more people were wounded. The Boko Haram Islamic group is the prime suspect, but has not claimed responsibility. Two bomb attacks in Abuja earlier this year already killed 120 people.
Nation: Gun sales, particularly of assault rifles, are beginning to taper off as potential buyers realize the federal government is not about to impose tighter regulations or take anyone’s guns away. Shares in Smith & Wesson, the country’s second largest 2nd Amendment company, are off nearly 9 percent. One analyst says long gun sales will decline 25 percent in 2015.
Little Rhody: The felonious former mayor of Providence, RI says he’s answering the call and running for mayor again. Buddy Cianci resigned after an assault conviction the first time he was mayor in the 1980s, and went to jail on corruption charges the second time. He is one of the brightest and at the same time one of the most troubled people who ever served in public office. The political showman said on his radio show, “I must yield to my conscience and to the urging of a host of my fellow citizens that I run for office.”
The Sports Page: US soccer fans have high hopes today as the American team faces Germany, one of the best soccer teams in the world. The Americans need to win or tie to advance the next round, although there are a hundred other potential scenarios depending on who beats whom and how many goals they score.
Anchors Away: ABC’s Diane Sawyer announced she’s stepping down as anchor of World News Tonight to be replaced in September by weekend anchor David Muir. At the same time GMA’s George Stephanopoulos was named the network’s “Chief Anchor,” a novel job description in which he will continue to host GMA while leading election and special events coverage. ABC split the duties of the traditional evening anchor between the two. In short, George didn’t get the top anchor job at World News and neither did David Muir.
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