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Two questions the US Supreme Court has decided to take on
This week, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear cases on two important questions.
The first: the court will decide whether it’s illegal under federal law for employers to discriminate against gay and transgender workers.
What this is about: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bans discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. The Supreme Court will determine whether “sex” applies to sexual orientation and gender identity as well.
The stakes: LGBT advocates have been advocating for protections under the Civil Rights Act for decades.
The second: the court will decide if the Trump administration can ask if you’re a citizen on the 2020 census.
What this is about: The Trump administration argues the question will help enforce voting rights. Challengers say the Census Bureau’s own experts concluded the question would hurt the accuracy of the count.
The stakes: Experts worry some households would either provide false information or not return their surveys at all.
These scientists are radically changing the way they live to cope with climate change
There’s pressure on all of us to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle as climate change alters our planet. But what if you’re a climate change scientist? Are the stakes higher for you?
We spoke with scientists who are taking dramatic steps to reduce their carbon footprint. They’re making major changes like reducing flying and driving, choosing not to have children, or giving up meat.
Still, others point out that without strict laws to curb carbon emissions, no individual’s choices matter all that much.
SNAPSHOTS
President Donald Trump is going to the UK in June and people are promising big protests. Trump will be hosted by Queen Elizabeth, and he will also attend major D-Day commemoration events in Britain and France. Campaign groups are planning massive protests in London.
An armed militia detaining migrants at the border has been forced out of its campsite. The United Constitutional Patriots, a ring-wing group who came under scrutiny last week for detaining hundreds of migrants at gunpoint, was removed from its campsite near the border.
A federal court ruled that it’s unconstitutional for parking officials to chalk your tires. The long-held practice is for officials to put a chalk mark on tires in order to track how long a vehicle has been parked. A court ruled the practice violates the Fourth Amendment.
Half of marijuana users in the US think it’s fine to drive stoned. In a national survey, most users added that they’d be comfortable in a car driven by someone high on cannabis. Some of those surveyed may be reading this, so I’ll take the opportunity to say: don’t be like this.
Beyoncé just made Lemonade available for streaming everywhere, and fans are rejoicing. The album, which came out in 2016, is full to the brim with bangers, but it was not available on streaming services. Now it is, and the excitement is real.
Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth revealed how much they cried during Avengers: Endgame and none of us are really ready for this. Evans said he cried six times, while Hemsworth said he cried more than six times. No word yet on the rest of the Chrises involved in the movie.
Meghan Markle is taking her pregnancy into her own hands
Earlier this month, it was announced that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will keep the news of the arrival of their baby under wraps until they’ve “had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family.”
This, to put it mildly, is not the way the royals do things. The tradition for 42 years has been for a swaddled baby to be carried down the steps of the Lindo wing of St. Mary’s hospital.
But this change is not the only shift that Harry and Meghan brought to the monarchy. Sandi Rankaduwa writes that keeping the pregnancy private is a part of a larger strategy for the royal couple to control their own narrative, while the media stands idly by.
This Muslim woman took a photo in front of an anti-Muslim protest and people want it in a museum
Shaymaa Isma’eel was attending the Islamic Circle of North America convention on Saturday when she noticed a group of men standing outside the venue, protesting with signs.
She noticed that the young people attending the event were upset and didn’t know how to navigate their presence.
Ismaa’eel said she wanted to combat their hatred with kindness and smiles. She decided to take a photo in front of the angry protesters, and now, that photo has gone viral.
Here’s the picture:
