Afternoon News Briefing: Stunning Supreme Court ruling, backlash roars; New Christian movie trailer, much more…

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Below are important excerpts from some of the top stories in the news this afternoon:

STUNNING SUPREME COURT RULING

1 – BIG STORY: Supreme Court issues ruling on White House colluding with social media companies to squash free speech

From the Washington Post: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a Republican-led effort to sharply limit White House officials and other federal employees from pressuring social media companies to remove posts from their platforms that the U.S. government deems problematic.

State leaders in Missouri and Louisiana, in addition to individual social media users, filed a lawsuit accusing the Biden administration of violating the First Amendment by operating a sprawling federal “censorship enterprise” to improperly influence platforms to modify or take down posts related to public health and elections.

In a 6-3 ruling, the court said the challengers did not have legal grounds — or standing — to bring the case against the Biden administration because the states and individuals could not show they were directly harmed by the communication between federal officials and social media platforms.

Writing for the majority, Justice Amy Coney Barrett said companies like Facebook and YouTube have longstanding content-moderation policies that place warning labels on certain posts and delete others. The challengers, Barrett wrote, did not demonstrate that the companies’ actions to remove posts were traceable to the government.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil M. Gorsuch, dissented.

2 – Justice Alito blasts Barrett’s opinion in case involving Biden admin’s influence on social media

From Fox News: Alito blasted the majority opinion in his written dissent, which Thomas and Gorsuch joined. He said the Court’s opinion “unjustifiably refuses” to intervene on behalf of the “victims” of COVID-era censorship.

“For months in 2021 and 2022, a coterie of officials at the highest levels of the Federal Government continuously harried and implicitly threatened Facebook with potentially crippling consequences if it did not comply with their wishes about the suppression of certain COVID–19-related speech,” Alito wrote.

“I assume that a fair portion of what social media users had to say about COVID–19 and the pandemic was of little lasting value. Some was undoubtedly untrue or misleading, and some may have been downright dangerous. But we now know that valuable speech was also suppressed. That is what inevitably happens when entry to the marketplace of ideas is restricted,” he continued.

“These victims simply wanted to speak out on a question of the utmost public importance,” he added.

3 – FALLOUT over the Supreme Court decision

Below are just some of the many comments pouring in on social media from outraged conservatives after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the federal government colluding with social media networks to remove posts it does not agree with:

CAMPAIGNS

4 – Washington Post poll gives Biden team some really bad news

From Breitbart: Former President Donald Trump is the stronger candidate to protect democracy, a Washington Post poll found Wednesday, undercutting the Biden campaign’s leading reelection pitch. Polling of six swing states that President Joe Biden won in 2020 shows that voters believe Trump is a greater defender of democracy than Biden, outpacing the current president by 11 points.

“Which candidate do you think would do a better job handling each of the following? Threats to democracy in the U.S.,” the Post and the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University poll asked respondents:

  • Trump: 44 percent
  • Biden: 33 percent
  • Neither: 16 percent
  • Both: 7 percent

The poll sampled 3,515 registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin from April to May with a ± 2.9 percentage point margin of error.

5 – GOP former Rep. Adam Kinzinger endorses Biden

From ABC News: Republican former congressman Adam Kinzinger endorsed President Joe Biden on Wednesday, giving the Democrat a prominent new ally in his high-stakes campaign to win over moderate Republicans and independents this fall.

Kinzinger, a military pilot who emerged as a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump after the U.S. Capitol was attacked by Trump’s supporters, described Trump as “a direct threat to every fundamental American value” in a video announcing the Biden endorsement.

6 – Cori Bush challenger surging as first ‘Squad’ member falls

From the Washington Examiner: A challenger to “Squad” member Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) could be making strides, according to a new poll, highlighting broad pushback from centrist Democrats this primary season.

A poll from The Mellman Group shows challenger Wesley Bell making strides against Bush in the race for the Democratic nomination for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, which includes most of St. Louis and nearby cities such as Ferguson and University City. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) lost to his primary challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Tuesday in the first blow to any of the “Squad” Democrats for their liberal stance toward Israel.

Bell is polling at 43%, one point ahead of Bush compared to her 42%. Eleven percent were undecided. The internal poll conducted was for Democratic Majority for Israel by its CEO and pollster Mark Mellman, both of whom have been critical of the anti-Israel positions of “Squad” members. The poll included 400 voters in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District between June 18-22 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.9%.

(NOTE: Bell is also a progressive Democrat.)

SOCIETY

7 – Top Pediatric Org Quietly Colluded With Trans Ideologues To Push Child Sex Changes, Emails Show

From the Daily Caller: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the nation’s preeminent pediatric medical organization, worked “very closely” with a transgender medical activist group to advocate for children to receive sex changes, according to emails obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Numerous Republican-led states have recently passed protective legislation banning minors from accessing experimental procedures, such as puberty blockers and genital surgery, as more and more evidence emerged challenging the justification for child sex changes. To combat these bans, the AAP quietly partnered with the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH), a group that’s been widely criticized for pushing transgender ideology over sound medical science.

WPATH is a small but influential transgender medical organization that publishes clinical guidance for the sex change industry, called the Standards of Care. Their controversial guidance recommends children receive sterilizing and irreversible sex change interventions such as puberty blockers, cross sex hormones and sex change surgery.

8 – NEW MOVIE TRAILER: God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust

God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust – Official Trailer
In Theaters beginning September 12th, 2024
http://GodsNotDead.com

In a time of profound political, civil, and spiritual turmoil, Reverend David Hill grapples with the crucial question: Does God still have a place in politics? Compelled to enter a congressional race after the sudden death of a favored incumbent, David faces off against state senator Peter Kane, a formidable opponent determined to push religion out of the public square and cause greater divide. With relentless scrutiny and immense challenges, David’s campaign becomes a beacon of hope and optimism for many people yearning for spiritual and moral leadership. As he navigates the treacherous waters of modern politics, David’s faith and principles are put to the ultimate test. “God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust” explores the enduring relevance of faith in public life and the critical fight to keep religious values at the heart of governance. Featuring a star-studded cast and powerful message, this film calls on believers to stand firm in faith and make their voices heard.

WATCH:

9 – ‘America’s Got Talent’ judges caught off guard by 10-year-old girl’s heavy metal performance

From Fox News: The contestants on “America’s Got Talent” just keep getting better and better. During Tuesday’s episode of the talent competition show, judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel were completely caught off guard once 10-year-old Maya Neelakantan took the stage and performed Papa Roach’s hit “Last Resort” on her electric guitar.

The young girl from India began her act by stringing a slower, more traditional song before rocking out to the heavy metal tune.

10 – Fifth tourist in four days dies in waters off same popular US beach town

From the NY Post: The fifth tourist in just four days died in the waters off the same Florida beach town on Sunday. A 60-year-old woman visiting the Sunshine State from Missouri was the latest victim of the sea’s dangerous riptides in Panama City Beach. Her death came after three men drowned on Friday — one day after a teen died in the Gulf waters.

In the latest tragedy, Debbie Szymanski of St. Louis was enjoying the beach near the Carillon neighborhood with her family when they realized she was not responding after going out for a swim around 11:30 a.m., the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said. Family members grabbed her and began bringing her to shore as sheriff’s deputies and EMS rushed in. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

 

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