Incumbent Vice President and Democratic nominee for President, Kamala Harris, has repeatedly expressed openness to expanding the number of Supreme Court justices. As Harris faces increasing scrutiny after being confirmed as the Democratic nominee, many have turned their attention to comments she made in 2019 where she refused to rule out supporting the practice known as ‘court-packing’. Harris’s Court-Packing Comments Wikimedia Commons In 2019, while running for President, Harris was asked by a New Hampshire voter about whether she would support adding more justices to the Supreme Court. “I’m open to this conversation about increasing the number of people on…
Author: Tom Williams
On Saturday, accounts on the social media application X (formerly Twitter) began to go dark after a court order banning the site was issuued by Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes. de Moraes ordered the blocking of accounts in the country of 200 million after site owner Elon Musk refused to comply with court orders demanding certain accounts be suspended. Musk Fanned The Flames Viralyft/Pexels Last week, Musk closed X’s office in Brazil after de Moraes threatened to make arrests because of the company’s failure to comply with court orders. Musk has since taken a defiant approach against the…
On Monday, a UK tech entrepreneur with a net worth of $1 billion, died alongside six other when his superyacht sunk. The entrepreneur, Mike Lynch, had recently been found not guilty of fraud, alongside his business partner Stephen Chamberlain who died two days before after being hit by a car. The strange circumstances in which both men have died has sparked conspiracy theories online, and now Italian investigators have said they are look into manslaughter as a possible cause of Lynch’s death. How Did Lynch die? Dan Kitwood/Getty On Monday, Lynch was celebrating his acquittal with friends, family and colleagues…
A town in Massachusetts has gone into a lockdown due to a rare, deadly disease known as EEE that spreads from mosquitoes to humans. The lockdown has seen the town close it’s parks and fields every evening. Meanwhile, four other towns are asking their residents not to go outside at night. What is This Deadly Disease? Pixabay via Pexels Local health experts are concerned about eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). Last week, state officials announced that a man in his 80s had caught the disease – marking the first recorded case in the state since 2020. Where is The Lockdown? Wikimedia…
In June, astronauts Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Butch Wilmore were launched into space as part of the joint ‘Starliner’ mission between NASA and Boeing. Since then, however, the planned 10 day mission has lasted months as issues with the spacecraft have prevented a return to Earth. Now, NASA have said they won’t return until 2025. What Problems Has The Starliner Faced? NASA/Unsplash Helium leaks emerged before and after the Starliner’s lift-off. During docking, some RCS jets from the service module failed off. But, most of them were turned back on. However, leaks have persisted in space and NASA have continued…
A little over 17,000 AT&T workers in the Southeast have gone on strike, accusing the company of “unfair labor practices”. The strikes, which come after unsuccessful contract negotiations, involve technicians, customer service representatives and wire installation workers. Striking Workers Release Statement nappy/Pexels The Communications Workers of America (CWA) – the union representing the employees on strike – released a statement on Friday. The CWA accused AT&T of not bargaining in good faith, and said the organization sent negotiators who were not authorized to make key decisions. What The CWA Says? Christina Morillo/Pexels CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt said,…
On Friday, the US Supreme Court voted to continue to block enforcing rules from the Education Department intended to protect transgender students. The protections had been challenged by a number of Republican states. Parts of the Supreme Court ruling were unanimous, while other parts split the court 5-4; with conservative Neil Gorsuch joining all three liberal justices in the dissent. What The Ruling Means Ted Eytan/Flickr The emergency order from the Supreme Court upholds rulings by lower courts in Kentucky and Louisiana that pause federal guidelines that were enacted in nearly half of America on August 1st. The Supreme Court…
In recent weeks, hospitalizations and deaths owing to deli meat contaminated with listeria have prompted concern from consumers and regulators alike. Linked to Boar’s Head deli meats, the company’s deli meat has now claimed another life – pushing the death toll up to three, and the number of non-fatal illnesses many times higher. Where Have People Fallen Ill? Matthew Moloney/Unsplash As of August 8th, 43 people had been hospitalized across 13 states, with the age of patients ranging from 32 to 94. However, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the number of people who have fallen…
Two astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, went into space aboard the Starliner for an eight-day mission in June. 63 days later, the two remain stranded in space with no return date in sight. This week, NASA admitted that the astronauts may not be able to return to Earth until 2025. Meanwhile, experts have warned that staying in space until then could leave the duo with “life-altering” damage to their bodies. SpaceX To The Rescue Sven Piper/Unsplash NASA, who worked with Boeing to send the Starliner into space, have been discussing plans to use a SpaceX spacecraft to save Williams…
The Chevron Corporation announced on Friday that it would be relocating its headquarters from San Ramon, California to Houston, Texas before the end of 2024. The oil giant has been in a feud with California Governor Gavin Newsom and other state politicians over climate change concerns. In 2023, the Golden State sued the company. Why Were Chevron Sued? Ifer Endahl/Unsplash In 2023, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against five big oil companies, including Chevron, for misleading the public about climate change and engaging in harmful environmental policies. Bonta argued that Chevron had known for decades that burning…