Trump turns to Supreme Court to save tariffs
Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to rule on the trade tariffs he put into effect that have been knocked down by a federal appeals court. Trump wants the Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority, to overturn the lower court ruling that found his administration acted unlawfully when it used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act as the authority for imposing many of his sweeping import taxes. The Trump administration has requested that the justices decide by Sept. 10 on hearing the case and then schedule arguments for early November. A federal court in New York in late May ruled in favor of the companies and states who challenged Trump’s imposition of the tariffs. An appeals court upheld that decision. However, the appeals court let the tariffs remain in place temporarily while the litigation continues.
Harvard wins against Trump in court
Harvard University has won a landmark victory in its battle against the Trump administration. A federal judge sided with Harvard and ordered the restoration of more than $2 billion in federal funding for research at Harvard that was frozen by the White House. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs rejected the administration’s argument that it was targeting the university due to antisemitism on campus. “A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,” Burroughs wrote. She also noted that the administration’s actions had jeopardized decades of research and the “welfare of all those who could stand to benefit from that research.” The White House said it plans to appeal.
Governors form alliance on health guidelines
The governors of California, Washington and Oregon announced that they have formed a West Coast Health Alliance to coordinate public health guidelines separate from new guidelines put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The alliance will ignore new CDC guidance on vaccinations pushed by Trump’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is anti-vaccine and anti-science. Instead, the governors will promote guidance from national medical associations, like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which recently broke from the CDC’s recommendations on Covid-19 vaccines. The move by the governors came just one day after more than 1,000 current and former HHS employees signed a letter demanding that Kennedy resign. The employees claimed Kennedy had “put the health of all Americans at risk.”
Lawsuit in Maine mass shooting
Survivors of Maine’s deadliest mass shooting and relatives of the victims are suing the U.S. government, alleging its conduct “directly and proximately caused” the attack. In October 2023, U.S. Army reservist Robert Card opened fire at a Lewiston bowling alley and bar and grill, killing 18 people. Two days later, he was found dead by suicide. An independent commission concluded that there were numerous opportunities for intervention by both Army officials and civilian law enforcement as Card’s mental health deteriorated. “By March 2023, the United States and its personnel knew Card was paranoid, delusional, violent, and lacked impulse control. The Army knew he had access to firearms. The Army promised to remove his guns but did not fulfill that promise,” the lawsuit states.
Trump administration jeopardizes aviation safety with personnel cuts
Fewer meteorologists are working with air traffic controllers due to burnout, fatigue and low morale, as well as other factors, including the Trump administration’s hiring freeze and deferred resignations, a new report said. National Weather Service meteorologists support air traffic command centers and air route control centers by providing updates about weather events that could impact operations and safety. Currently, only eight of the country’s 21 “weather service units” are fully staffed with four meteorologists. Oakland, California; Boston; Washington, D.C. and Jacksonville, Florida, have two or fewer meteorologists on staff. As of June, five of these units were also missing a local meteorologist-in-charge. According to the Government Accountability Office, urgent actions are needed to address these staffing issues.
Fashion icon Armani dies
Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani has died at age 91. Armani’s death was announced by his company, the Armani Group. Armani had built his company into a leader in the fashion world with annual sales of about $2.7 billion. He had been ill recently and missed a scheduled appearance at a fashion week held in Milan, Italy, in June. A private funeral was being planned according to the Armani Group.
