Chief Among Them

Judicial Branches Out, The Emmys

Fewer than half of Americans can name the three branches of government. But there's little doubt that the judicial has been branching into our lives in a big way lately. And it's not just the extreme, ethical-boundary pushing judges like Alito and Thomas. The NYT (Gift Article) provides an inside look at How Chief Justice John Roberts Shaped Trump’s Supreme Court Winning Streak. It's notable that the topic of SCOTUS appointments has been almost entirely absent among the issues being debated in this election (while a make believe story about people eating pets has been at the forefront). Meanwhile, it turns out that SCOTUS justices might be just as out of touch about Americans as Americans are about the branches of government. "In his writings on the immunity case, the chief justice seemed confident that his arguments would soar above politics, persuade the public, and stand the test of time. His opinion cited 'enduring principles,' quoted Alexander Hamilton’s endorsement of a vigorous presidency, and asserted it would be a mistake to dwell too much on Mr. Trump’s actions. 'In a case like this one, focusing on ‘transient results’ may have profound consequences for the separation of powers and for the future of our Republic,' he wrote. 'Our perspective must be more farsighted.'" (Farsight is not 20/20.)

2

Plot Against Trump Foiled

"Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, has been charged with two counts, including possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number." Obviously, more charges are coming as Routh was caught after planning to attack Trump as he played golf on Sunday. Sadly, this kind of political violence has become par for the course in America. Thankfully, no one was hurt and it appears that the suspected gunman never had a clear shot at Trump. Here's the latest from CNN.

+ NPR: Here's what we know about the suspect in Trump's apparent attempted assassination. (Here's one other thing we know about the suspected gunman: He should have never had access to high-powered weapons. Especially since he had been previously convicted of possessing a machine gun).

+ Elon Musk posted then deleted this to X: "And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala 🤔" He argued that it was a joke. It was not funny. Even less so because it is coming from someone spending millions spreading the same kind of garbage via his PAC. WaPo: Elon Musk’s pro-Trump super PAC ramps up swing state operations.

3

Mickey Mouse Club's Expansion

"One is a colossus spanning theme parks, merchandise and movies, with 150 Academy Awards, 225,000 employees and annual revenue of nearly $90 billion. The other is a third-generation family firm with 280 workers that packages hot sauce, soy beans, multicolored sprinkles, a herb called horsetail, six varieties of panettone and seven kinds of salt for sale in Paraguayan supermarkets." Yet, they both have a cartoon mouse as a mascot. And both of those mice look exactly like Mickey. NYT: Paraguay Loves Mickey, Its Cartoon Mouse. Disney Doesn’t. M-I-C ... see you in court real soon... K-E-Y ... Why? Because that's our damn mouse.

4

Special Fx

Max. Amazon. Apple. Netflix. Which of these deep-pocketed streamers would take home the most Emmys? None. "FX claimed the title of most wins by a network at the Emmy Awards, thanks in large part to the night’s biggest winners, Shogun' and The Bear." Baby Reindeer also scored big wins. Here are all the winners.

+ The Hollywood Reporter: Emmys Analysis: How ‘Hacks’ Beat ‘The Bear,’ ‘Shogun’ Changed the Game and Peacock Got on the Map. Hacks and The Bear are both excellent shows. They are notboth comedies. There were some snubs and surprises. The show itself was a little slow. The pre-written set-up bits that prefaced each major award ran on for several minutes while the actual award recipients were played off after brief remarks. Thankfully, no one played off producer Greg Berlanti as he accepted the Governors Award. His speech is well worth a watch.

5

Extra, Extra

If You Lie With Dogs, Someone Else Gets Fleas: "Springfield is a town on edge. It’s been five days since it was thrust into the national spotlight by baseless — and to many, racist — rumors of Haitian residents killing and eating wildlife and pets, and its economic comeback has been dramatically overshadowed by tensions that once rarely reached beyond city council meetings. The city has been forced to close schools, City Hall and other municipal buildings because of bomb threats and safety fears tied to the rumors, and Haitian immigrants are afraid to leave their homes because of anger directed at them. On Saturday, nearby Wittenberg University canceled all on-campus activities for the following day after receiving a threat of a potential shooting targeting the Haitian community." Five days in Ohio: False immigrant rumors threaten to unravel an American town on the upswing. Meanwhile, what does JD Vance have to say about the damage his lies have done? "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do."

+ Fat Chance: I finally found a fitness level I'm willing to try to level up to. Healthy Fat. NPR: People who exercise have healthier belly fat, new study finds.

+ Algorithm and Blues: "After more than two hours of oral argument between TikTok and a group of content creators on one side, and the US government on the other, it remains uncertain how the judges may rule. Today wasn’t the slam dunk that TikTok needed as all three judges asked some very skeptical questions about the ByteDance relationship, but they didn’t let the government off easy, either." TikTok just had the most important two hours of its life. (Now someone just needs to cut that into 15 second chunks so we can focus on it.)

+ Brawl in the Family: "The stakes and arc of the family’s struggles are Shakespearean and inspired the HBO drama Succession; the pettiness can sometimes seem Seinfeldian. The court battle is about money and power, but also whether Fox News should remain relentlessly partisan and right-wing as part of a business plan to yield the best results. Lachlan’s siblings appear to be less enamored of the hard-right line. His only brother, James, has become increasingly critical of the pro-Trump and often anti-news populism embraced by the network." Rupert Murdoch is set to face his kids in court, with Fox News’ fate in the balance.

+ Lease Extension: "When his heart gave out and he died alone 30 years later, he was entitled to a burial with military honors. Instead, without his consent or his family’s knowledge, the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office gave his body to a state medical school, where it was frozen, cut into pieces and leased out across the country." Cut up and leased out, the bodies of the poor suffer a final indignity in Texas.

+ Shirt Happens: "A man in Hong Kong has pleaded guilty to sedition for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan, becoming the first person to be convicted under the city’s controversial national security law known as Article 23."

+ Bird Vision: "A shy yellow-eyed penguin has come out on top of one of New Zealand's most contested competitions to win Bird of the Year." Maybe the shyness was just an act.

6

Bottom of the News

"Instead of throwing the football – as is common on third and long – Willis took off and ran, gaining around three yards before being tackled. According to Packers head coach Matt LeFleur, Willis explained that he elected to run because Myers had actually thrown up on the football itself." Which led to the headline of the day: Green Bay Packers QB Malik Willis opts not to throw on key down after center throws up on the ball. Luckily, I bet the (all) Over.

+ Drone Awards 2024 – in pictures.