Pork’s Got Beef & Burger King’s Making A Comeback
October 11, 2022
The Debate Is Up For Debate
Conservatives (cautiously) rejoiced when now-Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson declared herself to be an originalist during her confirmation hearings in March. Originalism is a way of interpreting the Constitution typically associated with the right side of the aisle, and involves, in Justice Jackson’s words, “look[ing] at the text to determine what it meant to those who drafted it.” As the Supreme Court resumes hearing cases, many were eager to see how Jackson’s new spot on the bench would play out, including just how liberal she would prove to be.
She spoke during an argument over the meaning of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, specifically about whether a congressional map drawn by Alabama lawmakers had violated the act by diminishing Black voters’ power in violation of the 14th Amendment. Many conservatives say the clause forbids the government from drawing distinctions based on race, but Jackson said that’s a misinterpretation. Justice Jackson said those who drafted the amendment did so “to secure rights of the freed former slaves,” adding, “I don’t think that the historical record establishes that the founders believed that race neutrality or race blindness was required.”
Justice Jackson isn’t the only justice to adopt the name “originalist” – Justice Kagan agrees with the title as well. Justice Alito questioned if this is an applicable label, arguing that while many judges agree that the Constitution “should be interpreted in accordance with its original public meaning,” he noted, “there is a lot of disagreement about how that meaning should be found.” Justice Kagan said, “Sometimes [the founders] laid down very specific rules, sometimes they laid down broad principles. Either way, we apply what they say, what they meant to do. So in that sense, we are all originalists.” What does all of this mean? Basically, the highest court in the land is now disagreeing over what their disagreements are about. (NYT, $)
Some Good News
- Drag was taboo. Now these queens are registering voters. (WaPo, $)
- REI dumps Black Friday — permanently (CNN)
Protests Will Continue Until The Situation Improves
- Protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini at the hands of morality police in Iran have not slowed down, with violence sparking in cities and towns all across the nation Monday. Unfortunately for Iran’s government, protests have even reached oil industry refineries key to lining the state’s coffers.
- One demonstration took place at a natural gas refinery in Asaluyeh, a city roughly 925 kilometers (575 miles) south of the Iranian capital of Tehran. There, workers walked off the job and took up chants of “shameless” and “death to the dictator.” Others shouted “This is the bloody year Seyyed Ali will be overthrown,” pointedly not referring to Iran’s Supreme Leader as “ayatollah,” a title reserved for high-ranking Shiite clerics.
- Iran is home to the second-largest supply of natural gas in the world, just after Russia. The Asaluyeh protests mark the first time that the holiest of holies – the country’s gas industry – has been involved in the nationwide uprising. While the Iranian government has not acknowledged any protests at the refinery, the semi-official Tasnim news agency referred to the incident as a salary dispute. (AP)
Making A Tough Call
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that he had an “urgent call” with French President Emmanuel Macron after Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine. Zelenskyy tweeted that the two leaders “discussed the strengthening of our air defence, the need for a tough European and international reaction, as well as increased pressure on the Russian Federation.”
- President Vladimir Putin declared an explosion on the bridge to Crimea to be a terrorist attack committed by Ukraine. In an apparent act of revenge, Russia struck multiple Ukrainian cities, timing the attacks to take place during rush hour when they’d cause the most fatalities. (Reuters)
Additional World News
- Germany’s cybersecurity chief faces dismissal, reports say (Reuters)
- Trump speaks via video at rally of global far-right in Spain (ABC)
- Mozambique: ISIS-linked militants are threatening huge natural gas reserves (CNN)
- Air France, Airbus face angry families in AF447 crash trial (Reuters)
- WATCH: Video shows Stomboli volcano eruption in Italy (CNN)
- Taiwan politicians dismiss Elon Musk’s ‘ill-informed and belittling’ China comments (Guardian)
- Venezuela landslide kills at least 25 people, 50 missing (CNN)
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain
As Happy As A Pig In A Slightly Larger Enclosure
- The Supreme Court will hear arguments today from the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation, who are trying to get a 2018 California law thrown out that barred sales in the state of pork, veal, and eggs from animals whose confinement failed to meet minimum space requirements. The pork industry says their cages are set up for animal safety, while animal rights activists say they’re inhumane.
- The pork promoters say the California law violates the Commerce Clause. A legal doctrine called the “dormant” Commerce Clause bars states from passing laws discriminating against commerce in other states, and Proposition 12 would require producers in other states to comply with the state’s laws or forfeit their ability to sell.
- California produces only 0.1% of the entire nation’s pork, so the law would crack down on a huge swath of farms. Proponents of the law say the state has the right to set standards for products sold to its consumers. “There’s a long history of state laws that have to do with protecting public health, food safety and animal welfare,” said Josh Balk, vice president of farm animal protection at the Humane Society of the United States. (Reuters)
Attack Of The Mild Nuisances
- An attacker within the Russian Federation carried out a cyberattack against major airports on Monday that can only be described as “inconvenient.” Rather than going after air traffic control, internal airline communications and coordination, or transportation security, the hacker brought down the public’s ability to view wait times and congestion reports of major airports.
- Over a dozen airports were hit by what’s called a “denial of service” hack, which just means sites were overloaded by jamming them with artificial users. “Killnet,” a pro-Russian hacker group, is believed to be behind the attack. Among those hit were LaGuardia, Des Moines, LAX, Atlanta, and O’Hare. All sites appear to be back online as of Monday afternoon. (ABC)
Additional USA News
- Exxon illegally fired two scientists suspected of leaking information to WSJ, Labor Department says (CNN)
- Details emerge about Virginia plane crash that killed 23-year-old flight instructor and injured student pilot (CBS)
- Nury Martinez: Los Angeles City Council president resigns after audio leaked of her racist remarks (CNN)
- Steele dossier source heads to trial, in possible last stand for Durham (WaPo, $)
- Trump campaigns for Arizona election deniers in a state that will test his power in 2022 and beyond (CNN)
- Conservative Budd challenges N.C.’s purple tradition in Senate battle (Politico)
- Kevin McCarthy told 2 officers in private meeting that Trump had no idea his supporters were attacking Capitol on January 6, newly obtained audio shows (CNN)
Have It Your Way – Please, We’re Begging You
- In 2020, Burger King lost their silver medal, slipping from the Number 2 burger chain in the U.S. by sales. Burger King has long been bested by McDonald’s, but it seems they simply cannot abide losing to Wendy’s. Chick-fil-A also has them beat (though this writer would argue a chicken sandwich shouldn’t even be in the running).
- Jose Cil, chief executive of Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International Inc., said, “We made some bad decisions in the last couple of years,” but “We’ve made some significant changes as a result.” They’ve brought in new leadership and dedicated a whopping (get it? Whopping?) $400 million to revamp their image.
- They’ll do away with complicated menus, speed up operations, and remodel some outdated locations, while also boosting advertising and even changing the way their burgers are constructed. Hopefully they can recover some of their lost pride – the company ended 2021 with $10 billion in sales, trailing Wendy’s despite Burger King having 1,200 more locations. (WSJ, $)
Additional Reads
- Which Indigenous lands are you on? This map will show you (NPR)
- Ben Bernanke, Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig Win Nobel in Economics (NYT, $)
- How California’s Bullet Train Went Off the Rails (NYT, $)
- Infographic: Which countries still have the death penalty? (Al Jazeera)
- A Comedian Who Chugged A Beer That Was Thrown At Her After She Was Heckled By A Trump Supporter Is Being Called “Brave” And A “Class Act” (BuzzFeed)
- This brilliant pink diamond sold for about $60 million (CNN)
- These fast food restaurants have the best drive-thrus, study says (CNN)