Supreme Court gives Indiana another chance to argue for abortion laws The supreme court gave Indiana a second chance to revive two restrictive abortion laws - one imposing an ultrasound requirement and the other expanding parental notification when minors seek abortions - by throwing out a lower court’s rulings blocking them, Reuters reported. The justices directed a lower court to reconsider both cases in light of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling on Monday invalidating a Louisiana law that imposed restrictions on doctors who perform abortions. Indiana will now get another shot at arguing for the legality of its two Republican-backed laws that the 7th Circuit court of appeals had prevented from going into effect. GOP strategists: Tucker Carlson could run for president in 2024 Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s repeated racist comments have prompted major advertisers, including Disney, T-Mobile and Papa John’s, to pledge that they will no longer advertise on his show. Meanwhile, high-profile Republicans are publicly speculating that Carlson could run for president in 2024, “as the next-generation leader of Donald Trump’s movement.” Politico interviewed 16 prominent Republicans who gushed about Carlson as a “formidable” presidential candidate. Business Insider reported that conservative donors are taking the idea seriously. In 2019, Carlson responded to a white nationalist mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, by calling white supremacy a “hoax” and a “conspiracy theory.” His show lost 70 advertisers in less than a year, GQ reported. Report: Billionaire Peter Thiel is skeptical Trump can win After backing Donald Trump with $1.25 million in the 2016 election and speaking at Trump’s nomination, tech billionaire Peter Thiel has been telling friends that he is going to sit the 2020 election out, because he thinks Trump’s re-election is “increasingly a long shot,” the Wall Street Journal reported. A Trump spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that Thiel remains a supporter of the president. A spokesman for Thiel did not comment. Kansas governor said schools may not reopen if surge does not reverse Kansas’ governor said she is worried the state won’t be able to reopen its K-12 schools for the new school year in August if it doesn’t reverse a recent surge in reported coronavirus cases, the Associated Press reports. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly told legislative leaders Thursday that a desire to reopen schools is a key reason she issued an executive order requiring Kansas residents to wear masks in public and at their workplaces, effective Friday, with a fine of up to $2,500 possible for violators. Decisions about pursuing violations left up to prosecutors in each of the state’s 105 counties. A California state lawmaker is sharing a striking photo from the 1918 pandemic in California, in which even the family’s cats are wearing masks. It’s an image from an Atlas Obscura article from this April, about fears about pets transmitting the disease, and also about pets in masks as a much-needed dose of pandemic humor. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti faced questions today about why he is allowing outdoor restaurants to stay open for business, even as coronavirus cases surge and he is recommending that residents stay home if possible. “Outdoor spaces properly spaced are very safe,” the mayor said, defending his decision. “I, personally, I’ll be ordering in.” From Dakota Smith of the Los Angeles Times: Proposed "special inspector general" would investigate white supremacy in the military California congresswoman Jackie Speier is pushing for the appointment of a new “Special Inspector General” to investigate the extent of white supremacy in the military. The California Democrat included an amendment creating the new inspector general in the current version of the House’s annual defense spending bill. “We’ve known about problems of white supremacy and violent extremist groups in the U.S. military for decades, yet this problem that threatens our national security – not to mention retention and recruitment of troops – seems to be getting worse,” Speier said in a statement to The Guardian. “The DoD and Pentagon have proven that they do not have the ability to address these issues on their own.” Speier cited three incidents in the past month alone that highlight the need for more action: an Army solider charged with plotting with a neo-Nazi group to launch an attack on his own unit an Air Force sergeant charged with killing two law enforcement officers in California in an attempt to launch a second civil war Three Nevada men with varying military experience arrested on terrorism-related charges for trying to spark racial violence during protests in Las Vegas California Sen. Kamala Harris is expected a similar amendment in the Republican-controlled senate. A more in-depth look at the US military’s long problem with white supremacy: California National Guard investigating sergeant’s ties to Proud Boys The California National Guard is investigating a member’s possible ties to the Proud Boys, an extremist group, the Huffington Post reports. The sergeant involved has not been suspended during the investigation, a spokesperson told the Huffington Post. Family of man killed by LA sheriffs say deputies harassed them My colleague Sam Levin has more on troubling allegations from the mother and sister of Paul Rea, an 18-year-old shot to death by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies in 2019, about being harassed by sheriff’s deputies in the wake of Paul’s killing. Jaylene is just one of the family members of people killed by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department who has publicly spoken out about being harassed as a result. Fish fry: a ‘previously unknown problem for the future of fish’ By the end of the century, the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes will likely be too hot for about 40% of the world’s fish species, based on just a “medium-level” estimate of expected human-caused climate change, according to a study in Thursday’s journal Science, the Associated Press reports. In a worst-case climate change scenario, which some scientists said is increasingly unlikely, the figure for species in trouble jumps to 60%. The new research focuses on fish in their spawning or embryonic life stages, rather than on adult fish. Using this new approach reveals a previously unknown problem for the future of fish, scientists said. Some of the fish likely to be hardest hit by this phenomenon include the Alaska pollock the biggest fishery in the United States and the source of fast food fillets — and well-known species such as sockeye salmon, brown trout, bonito, barracuda and swordfish. Soldiers mobilized to DC during Floyd protests were issued bayonets Speaking of America’s cherished freedoms, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed an Associated Press report that some of the soldiers who were mobilized to Washington, D.C., last month in response to protests over the killing of George Floyd were issued bayonets. Two members of Congress who had pushed for more details about soldiers being issued bayonets to us on American civilians said they were disappointed Gen. Mark Milley would not commit to banning the practice. “It is difficult for us to imagine a circumstance which could necessitate or justify the deployment of bayonets against American civilians,” the lawmakers wrote. “While we are grateful for General Milley’s responses to our questions concerning the arming of troops with bayonets for potential deployment against protesters, we were disappointed he was not willing to commit to banning the practice,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, and Rep. Ted Lieu of California said in a statement. Coronavirus cases rising in 40 out of 50 states: ‘very disturbing’ This is Lois Beckett taking over our live news coverage from our West Coast bureau in Oakland. As we head into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the number of coronavirus cases is rising in 40 out of 50 states, the Associated Press reports: An alarming 36 states are seeing an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus. “What we’ve seen is a very disturbing week,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said in a livestream with the American Medical Association. The surge has been blamed in part on Americans not covering their faces or following other social distancing rules as states lifted their lockdowns over the past few weeks. Fauci warned that if people don’t start complying, “we’re going to be in some serious difficulty.” Summary That’s it for me. Here are the major developments today: Republican Herman Cain tested positive for coronavirus. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the Trump administration has no regrets about urging states to reopen. Prosecutors with the Southern District of New York arrested and charged Ghislaine Maxwell, a friend of financier Jeffrey Epstein. Texas governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order requiring people to wear masks in public. Thursday was Audrey Strauss’s first major appearance as acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Texas governor orders all Texans to wear masks Texas governor Greg Abbott today issued an executive order requiring all Texans to wear face masks at public gatherings. Here’s the announcement from Abbott’s office: AUSTIN - Governor Greg Abbott today issued an Executive Order requiring all Texans to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases, with few exceptions. The Governor also issued a proclamation giving mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of over 10 people, and making it mandatory that, with certain exceptions, people cannot be in groups larger than ten and must maintain six feet of social distancing from others. “Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Abbott. “We have the ability to keep businesses open and move our economy forward so that Texans can continue to earn a paycheck, but it requires each of us to do our part to protect one another—and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces. Likewise, large gatherings are a clear contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases. Restricting the size of groups gatherings will strengthen Texas’ ability to corral this virus and keep Texans safe. We all have a responsibility to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep our communities safe. If Texans commit to wearing face coverings in public spaces and follow the best health and safety practices, we can both slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep Texas open for business. I urge all Texans to wear a face covering in public, not just for their own health, but for the health of their families, friends, and for all our fellow Texans.” Here’s the executive order. As the Dallas Morning News notes, the move is a reversal from earlier this year when Abbott blocked local lawmakers from requiring people to wear masks. The leaders of some of the nation’s major business organizations all signed a letter urging the White House and the National Governors Association to establish mandatory mask guidelines. Here’s the key part of the letter (bold additions mine): For the sake of public health and our economy, we request that the White House Coronavirus Task Force and the National Governors Association work together to: Establish guidance on the appropriate metrics (e.g. positive tests, hospitalizations) for imposing location-based mandatory mask requirements in all public spaces; Develop model mandatory mask policies that are simple and do not impose the enforcement burden on organizations without such expertise, such as businesses and non-profits; and Make clear that businesses and non-profits will not be held liable for refusing entry or services to an individual who is not complying with face covering requirements. To be clear, the decision to impose face covering requirements should remain at the state or local level but be informed by clear and consistent guidance based on data. We believe that a national mask standard, implemented locally, offers the surest way to protect public health and promote economic recovery. As there’s been an uptick in coronavirus cases across the country even governors in conservative leaning states have increased their pleas for everyone to wear masks. South Carolina governor Henry McMaster once again urged citizens to wear a mask. The Associated Press reported that the curve of infection rates have been rising in 40 out of 50 states. Per the Associated Press: The U.S. recorded 50,700 new cases, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. That represents a doubling of the daily total over the past month and is higher even than what the country witnessed during the deadliest phase of the crisis in April and May. Almost 24 hours before news broke that Herman Cain had tested positive for COVID-19 he sounded a supportive note about an upcoming Independence Day celebration at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota featuring Donald Trump. South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has been one of the biggest opponents among governors of forcing people to take steps to prevent spreading coronavirus. She recently said masks would be made available at the Independence Day event but social distancing would not be enforced. Over on the West Coast, California governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday that COVID cases have jumped over the past week. A reader called attention to this Guardian article from August 2019 about Ghislaine Maxwell and her father, Robert Maxwell. The article, “The murky life and death of Robert Maxwell – and how it shaped his daughter Ghislaine” offers more insight into Ghislaine and her background. Here is a snippet: For Oxford-educated Ghislaine, the youngest of his nine children, Maxwell’s money had provided status and a ticket to the elite. She was dispatched to New York initially as a meeter-and-greeter, to pave her father’s way when he bought the Daily News. After his death, she made it her home. She soon became part of Epstein’s inner circle and remained there for more than a decade. The two were reportedly briefly an item; they remained close. The Southern District of New York is pushing to keep Ghislaine Maxwell in jail for her arrest.