(WASHINGTON) — As the cry “Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!” rang out just after 10 a.m. Monday in Washington, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court emerged from behind a 44-foot velvet curtain wall, walking into their vaulted marble chamber for the first time in 18 months.
They entered a world — a courtroom, a docket, an American society — dramatically changed and charged with anticipation since they last convened in-person as major decisions loom on abortion, guns, the death penalty and religious freedom.
A chamber normally packed with hundreds of spectators is now limited to an audience of just five dozen clerks and members of the press — all covid-tested, N95-masked, and seated 6-feet apart. The lectern for attorneys, once 3 feet from the bench, now positioned 10-feet away.
Proceedings that for years were shielded from much of the public in real-time are now livestreamed on the Supreme Court website.
The justices took their seats in a new array for the first time since the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Chief Justice John Roberts, in the middle of the iconic mahogany bench, is now flanked by senior conservative Justice Clarence Thomas and senior liberal Justice Stephen Breyer.
Thomas, 73, who was famously silent for years during oral arguments before the pandemic, asked the first question of the new, in-person term and remained loquacious throughout. A sprightly Breyer, 83, repeatedly whispered to the chief with a smile from his new center-stage spot.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired from the court in 2018, was seated in a front box as special guest — a show of solidarity for the institution at a time when the court faces its lowest public approval rating in decades and a brewing crisis of credibility.
On the wings of the bench, the newest justices: Amy Coney Barrett on the right, appearing in-person for arguments for the first time; on the far left, an empty seat for Brett Kavanaugh, who dialed in by phone from home due to a COVID-19 diagnosis last week. (There were no audible signs of his illness; the court has said he is asymptomatic.)
Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the only justice to don a face mask. Justice Samuel Alito was seen slumped back in his chair sipping from a stainless-steel thermos; he was the only justice to remain silent for the entire first case.
For nearly two-and-a-half hours, the justices heard arguments in two opening disputes: the first, a suit brought by Mississippi against Tennessee over the pumping of groundwater from a massive aquifer that stretches across eight states. The second case addressed a criminal procedural matter involving the Armed Career Criminal Act.
Free-for-all questioning among the justices, which had been sidelined during virtual sessions, was back in full force but remained civil and polite. Chief Justice Roberts has implemented a new procedure at the conclusion of each round, calling on each justice by name to see if they have any additional questions.
The court was gaveled in and out by newly-sworn Court Marshal Gail Curley, a recently retired Army colonel and judge advocate general officer who joined the court this summer as its 11th marshal in history. She is responsible for court security and operations.
Meanwhile, outside the court building protests raged over abortion. That issue will get its first public hearing of the term next Tuesday Oct. 12, in a procedural case out of Kentucky. The marquee abortion case of the year out of Mississippi — which asks the justices to squarely consider nearly 50 years of precedent since Roe v. Wade — is set for December.
The reports are true: Coldplay and Selena Gomez have indeed teamed up for a song called “Let Somebody Go.”
The track is one of the songs on the band’s upcoming album Music of the Spheres, and you can listen to a snippet of it now on Selena’s Twitter account.
Coldplay has also revealed that in addition to Selena Gomez and BTS, Music of the Spheres will include appearances by Grammy-winning British producer and musician Jacob Collier and We Are KING, the Grammy-nominated R&B duo featuring twin sisters Amber and Paris Strother.
Meanwhile, Coldplay will do a week-long residency on CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden starting October 18 and running through October 21. Selena will perform “Let Somebody Go” with the band during that time, while Collier and We are KING will join Coldplay for a song called “Human Heart.”
When Tyrese and his girlfriend, Zelie Timothy, announced Wednesday on Instagram that they had broken up, some fans suspected a scam. They were right.
The couple admitted they faked the split to promote her YouTube channel. The Fast & Furious star made the admission in a nine-minute Instagram video, with Timothy laughing behind him.
“It was my idea,” Tyrese confessed. “We just want to apologize. We broke up for a good three-and-a-half minutes. We did it for the ‘Gram.'”
On Wednesday, Tyrese posted a video of Zelie naked, covered with soap suds in a bathtub. The singer/actor commented, “We had so much potential. We really did. I wish you well, ending on a good note is a good thing….. I will forever love you @zelietimothy cheers to you!!”
She reposted the video on her page and responded, “You can’t force a man to respect you. But you can refuse to not be disrespected. I wish the very best for you I hope you figure it out.”
On the same day, Zelie posted a 24-minute video of their recent vacation in Cancun with Tyrese. She commented, “I’m FINALLY back on Youtube with my first ever Baecation Vlog. My baby Tyrese really made this 6 Day Baycay special and I want you guys to join us. Enjoy.”
When Gibson encouraged his followers to view the video, using Bible quotes, a few suggested that the breakup announcement was a publicity stunt to promote Timothy’s YouTube channel.
One person commented, “People who see through the smoke signals won’t hit the link because why TF are u lying and faking it to make it. Just a simple follow my girl would be sufficient enough. It’s the corny lies and acting then using scriptures smh come on u better than this.”
Bullet for My Valentine has premiered the video for “Rainbow Veins,” a track off the band’s upcoming self-titled album.
In keeping with the song’s name, the visual is certainly colorful, although less in a sunshine-and-rainbows way and more in a Requiem for a Dream hallucination sequence way.
“‘Rainbow Veins’ is out now and we couldn’t be happier for you guys to finally hear it,” Bullet says.” It is one of our favorite tracks from the upcoming album and we’re sure it’ll be one of yours too. Turn it up!”
You can watch the the “Rainbow Veins” video streaming now on YouTube.
Bullet for My Valentine the album is due out November 5. It also includes the previously released songs “Knives,” “Shatter” and “Parasite.”
(ORLANDO, Fla.) — Loved ones of Miya Marcano are demanding justice after a body believed to be the 19-year-old college student was found slain in a wooded area of Orlando. Investigators allege a maintenance man at her apartment complex is the “prime suspect” in her disappearance.
Family members are accusing the management of Arden Villas apartments where Marcano lived and worked of negligence for allowing Armando Caballero, 27, a maintenance man at the complex, to possess a master key fob that allowed him to access Marcano’s unit on the day she vanished. They claimed that several residents had complained of Caballero, who investigators said was found dead from suicide.
Marcano had told family members that Caballero made romantic advances toward her and she rebuffed him.
“You shouldn’t feel unsafe where you live,” Marcano’s cousin, Caili Sue, said during a news conference on Sunday in the parking lot of the Arden Villas apartments.
The family’s lawyer, Daryl K. Washington, said Marcano’s relatives are concerned that other residents of the apartment complex are in jeopardy due to what they describe as lapses in security.
“Death is something that is very difficult. But what makes death even more difficult is when it’s death that could have been prevented,” Washington said.
A body believed to be Marcano, a student at Valencia College in Orlando, was discovered around 10:45 a.m. on Saturday in a wooded area near the Tymber Skan apartment complex in Orlando, about 17 miles from where she lived.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said investigators were led to the area based on Caballero’s cellphone records.
Mina said the records showed Caballero was near the Tymber Skan apartments around 8 or 9 p.m. on Sept. 25, the day Marcano went missing.
He said Marcano’s purse containing her identification was found near the body. While the Orange County medical examiner has yet to positively identify the remains as those of Marcano, Mina said investigators are “very certain” it’s her.
A key fob Caballero had to access apartments was used at Marcano’s unit just before her disappearance, authorities said. Following her disappearance, Marcano’s relatives said they found her usually tidy apartment a mess and that there were signs of a struggle.
Mina said police served a search warrant on Caballero’s apartment and vehicle within 24 hours of Marcano’s family reporting her missing. Police found Caballero dead in his apartment on Sept. 27 from an apparent suicide.
Washington said tenants of the Arden Villas apartment complex that he and family members spoke to expressed concern over alleged inappropriate behavior by Caballero. But the management of the Arden Villas complex said in a statement that it had received no complaints about Caballero “from any parties involved directly or indirectly with the situation.”
“The only way he was able to get access to (Marcano’s) apartment without permission was with the key fob. There need to be changes. We’re going to make sure another young girl doesn’t have to deal with what Miya had to deal with,” Washington said. “We feel had this apartment complex taken the proper steps, this person should not have even been employed at the complex.”
In its statement, the management of Arden Villas apartments said “all employees are vetted using a national background check service” and that Cabellero had “no record of burglary or sexual assault.”
The apartment complex, according to the statement from management, plans to beef up security, including posting a guard at the front gate.
“Additionally, we have upgraded our maintenance procedures to allow for appointment-only bookings,” the statement reads. “We are in the process of reviewing our entire security apparatus and will make changes or upgrades as warranted.”
(NEW YORK) — Starting Tuesday, PC owners who run Windows 10 will be eligible to download Windows 11 for free. But the ability to use Microsoft’s latest operating system will largely depend on your computer’s age, and what type of processor it uses.
When Microsoft first showed off Windows 11 over the summer, it also announced some restrictions on what types of PCs can run the new operating system. The company says your PC will need a special processor known as a Trusted Platform Module, or “TPM,” chip to run the new operating system.
“It’s a little chip the size of your fingernail that lives on the motherboard, sometimes it’s on the CPU,” says Digital Trends Managing Editor Nick Mokey. “It’s there for security purposes, there’s a good reason Microsoft wants it.”
In a June 25th blog post, Microsoft’s Director of Enterprise and OS Security David Weston wrote that the purpose of the company’s TPM requirement is to “help protect encryption keys, user credentials, and other sensitive data behind a hardware barrier so that malware and attackers can’t access or tamper with that data.”
Windows 11 launches against the backdrop of a rise in ransomware attacks. Some of those attacks, such as the SolarWinds hack, specifically targeted Microsoft code.
Mokey says newer computers are more likely to include the TPM chip.
“The exception would be some people who built their own computers might not have the chip that you need. Also some gaming computers don’t come stock with them,” says Mokey. “But if you have something within – that you bought sort of out of the box within the last few years it’s quite likely you’ll be able to run Windows 11.”
To figure out if your computer can run Windows 11, Mokey recommends using Microsoft’s “PC Health Check” app.
“It takes a couple seconds to download, it’ll run on your PC, look at the specs and tell you with no ambiguity whether you can run Windows 11.”
Windows 11 brings a number of non-security related updates to PC users as well. Microsoft has moved the Start menu from the bottom left corner of the home screen to the bottom center (though the system also gives users the option to move it back to the traditional location). And Mokey says that’s only the start of the design updates to the new OS.
“It’s definitely a very different look than Windows 10,” says Mokey. “I think it’s a cleaner look. Microsoft has implemented these, sort of, rounded, glassy-looking menus. Some of the animations are more fluid.”
He adds Windows 11 makes some under-the-hood changes as well.
“Microsoft has also promised some better performance. So that means both better battery life, better security… and there’s actually some perks for gamers in there as well, performance-wise,” says Mokey.
One of the buzzier features Microsoft is touting with Windows 11 is the ability to run Android apps on the desktop. That would allow users to download and run apps like TikTok through the Microsoft Store – just not right away.
“I think that was one of the features people were most excited about and Microsoft kind of threw a wet blanket on that,” says Mokey. “At launch that will not be available.”
Microsoft has not said when the feature will launch on Windows 11.
Hear ABC News Radio’s Cheri Preston report on Windows 11:
Jason Aldean is lashing out against California Governor Gavin Newsom‘s recent vaccine mandate, which requires school children to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before attending in-person learning.
“So let me get this straight! It is no longer our decisions as parents (or free Americans) to make decisions about our kids, Gavin Newsom makes those decisions for us now,” said Aldean in an Instagram post on Sunday. “You gotta be kidding me!”
The 44-year-old “Dirt Road Anthem” singer continued, “People in California should be outraged and people everywhere else better start standing up and speaking out NOW. This is not how America and being free works.”
While Aldean garnered the support of celebrities such as Candace Owens, Jon Pardi, Gavin Degraw and Parker McCollum, others have challenged the singer about schools mandating vaccinations against other highly contagious illnesses, such as polio and chickenpox.
Last Friday, California became the first state in the nation to require children between the ages of 12 and 17 be vaccinated against COVID-19, pending full FDA approval, before they can attend schools for in-person learning.
Americans aged 12 and up are already eligible for the Pfizer vaccine under an emergency use authorization. Full approval, which is a longer process, has been granted by the FDA for those over 16.
Newsom made the announcement as the nation surpassed 700,000 COVID-19-related deaths, which is more than Vermont’s entire population, according to census data.
(WASHINGTON) — Two weeks before the “calamity” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen predicts could strike by Oct. 18, President Joe Biden on Monday blasted Republicans for “playing Russian roulette with the U.S. economy” in refusing to join Democrats to raise the debt ceiling so the U.S. does not default on its debt for the first time ever.
“The Republicans in Congress — what they are doing today is so reckless and dangerous in my view. Raising the debt limit is It’s about paying what we already owe, what has already been acquired. Not anything new,” Biden said. “The United States is a nation that pays its bills and always has. From its inception, we have never defaulted.”
“Not only are Republicans refusing to do their job, they are threatening to use their power to prevent us from doing our job, saving the economy from a catastrophic event. Frankly, I think it’s hypocritical, dangerous, and disgraceful. Their obstruction and irresponsibility knows no bounds, especially as we are clawing our way out of this pandemic,” he continued.
Biden’s amping up the pressure on the GOP to get on board comes ahead of Senate Republicans planning to block another bill down this week to raise the debt limit — an issue lawmakers have historically come together on for years.
Democrats are trying to pass a straightforward debt limit hike on their own with 50 votes — and no Republican support. But Republicans are filibustering the Democratic strategy — requiring 60 votes to move forward — and insisting that Democrats raise the debt ceiling through the much more complicated process of budget reconciliation that Biden says could involve hundreds of votes that could mean it wouldn’t get in time to avoid catastrophe.
Republicans have said they won’t support spending on Biden’s agenda, while Democrats are reiterating the point that raising the debt ceiling does not authorize new government spending but allows the government to pay for spending that previous politicians have already OK’d — including former President Donald Trump and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Biden seized on that point.
Pres. Biden: “The reason we have to raise the debt limit is, in part, because of the reckless tax and spending policies under the previous Trump administration. In four years, they incurred nearly $8 trillion in additional debt.” https://t.co/UkSrTz2XPzpic.twitter.com/9Y6Yh0Vphj
“Raising the debt limit is usually a bipartisan undertaking. And it should be. That is what is not happening today,” Biden said. “The reason we have to raise the debt limit is in part because of the reckless tax and spending policies under the previous Trump administration.”
“Republicans in Congress raised the debt three times when Donald Trump was president. Each time the Democratic support. Now they won’t raise it. Even though they are responsible for more than $8 trillion in bills incurred in four years under the previous administration,” he claimed.
He called on Republicans to allow Democrats to hold a vote this week without “procedural tricks,” he said, because at this point, “We are not expecting Republicans to do their part.”
“We are simply asking them not to use procedural tricks to block them from doing the job they won’t do. A meteor is headed for our economy,” Biden said. “You don’t want to help save the country? Get out-of-the-way so you don’t destroy it.”
Asked following his remarks if it’s possible the U.S. will not pay its debt, Biden said he couldn’t guarantee it.
“I can’t believe that will be the end result because the consequence is so dire. I don’t believe that. But can I guarantee it? If I could, I would, but I can’t,” he said, before leaving the room.
Biden gave a warning to Americans on the effects they could feel in the coming days.
“In the days ahead, even before the default date, people may see the value of their retirement accounts shrink. They might see interest rates go up, ultimately raising their mortgage and car payments. The American people, look, just say it this way. As soon as this week, your savings and your pocketbook could be directly impacted by this Republican stunt,” he said.
The impassioned plea echoed the treasury secretary’s at a hearing last week, where she warned raising the debt ceiling is “necessary to avert a catastrophic event for our economy.”
“It has nothing to do with future programs of payments, it’s entirely about paying bills that have already been incurred by this Congress, in previous Congresses, and it’s about making good on past commitments — as you said, paying our credit card bill,” Yellen said in a hearing last week.
While lawmakers came together and voted to avoid a government shutdown, Democrats were forced to remove language from that bill that would have also raised the debt ceiling as Republicans argue they’ll have to go at it alone through the budget reconciliation process.
McConnell, in a letter to Biden ahead of his remarks, reiterated his party’s opposition to helping Democrats and warned the president that it is time for him to “engage directly” with Democrats in Congress on raising the debt limit by themselves.
“Your lieutenants in Congress must understand that you do not want your unified Democratic government to sleepwalk toward an avoidable catastrophe when they have had nearly three months’ notice to do their job,” McConnell wrote.
“Bipartisanship is not a light switch that Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer may flip on to borrow money and flip off to spend it,” he continued. “We have no list of demands. For two and a half months, we have simply warned that since your party wishes to govern alone, it must handle the debt limit alone as well.”
The party standoff comes in an extremely polarized environment, when lawmakers are also debating passing one of the largest government spending packages in history, Biden’s approximately $2 trillion Build Back Better agenda and the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal.
Biden reiterated in his remarks that raising the debt limit has “nothing to do with my plan for infrastructure or building back better — zero.”
As the negotiations on Capitol Hill have become intertwined, Republicans insist that if Democrats want to pass such a major spending bill through special budget rules that would require no Republican support, they can raise the debt ceiling on their own, too.
And if lawmakers remain deadlocked on raising the debt ceiling, the government could go into default — essentially, unable to pay bills, directly impacting the wallets of millions of Americans.
“It would be disastrous for the American economy, for global financial markets, and for millions of families and workers whose financial security would be jeopardized by delayed payments,” Yellen warned lawmakers in a hearing last week.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a “Dear Colleague” letter to his caucus on Monday said a deal must be reached “by the end of the week,” an exceedingly ambitious timetable in the partisan environment.
“Let me be clear about the task ahead of us: we must get a bill to the President’s desk dealing with the debt limit by the end of the week. Period. We do not have the luxury of waiting until October 18th,” he wrote.
Schumer also threatened to scrap the Senate’s recess next week if the GOP doesn’t help them rase the debt limit.
Currently, the federal debt is at $28.43 trillion, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s tracker. The current debt ceiling is actually $28.4 trillion — underscoring the pressure Yellen is under to continue paying the bills through “extraordinary measures.”
(NEW YORK) — Freeform and ice cream shop Carvel conjured up a sweet collaboration to celebrate the 31 Nights of Halloween.
Carvel added three limited-edition shakes, each one inspired by the Sanderson Sisters of Disney’s hit holiday movie “Hocus Pocus,” to get in the spirit for the network’s highly anticipated month-long movie lineup.
Sarah’s Chilling Churro Shake is a blend of crunchy churro pieces and cinnamon-sugar churro ice cream that’s topped with whipped cream and yellow sprinkles.
Winnie’s Glorious Cake Batter Shake is cake batter ice cream that’s blended then topped with whipped cream and orange sprinkles.
Mary’s Divine Cookies and Cream Shake combines classic vanilla soft serve with cookies and cream pieces that’s topped with violet sprinkles.
“Much like enjoying a Carvel ice cream treat, watching Freeform’s ‘31 Nights of Halloween’ and Disney’s ‘Hocus Pocus’ delivers a true sense of nostalgia and traditions,” Delia Wong, Carvel’s director of marketing, said in a statement. “With these shakes inspired by everyone’s favorite witchy sisters, Halloween and ice cream fans alike will have plenty of opportunities to soak up spooky season memories and create new ones.”
The custom treats are served in limited-edition cups with corresponding spoons for $4.79 available through Oct. 31.
This marks Carvel’s third year of partnership with Freeform. New to the festive collab is Ryan Porter’s Candier, which crafted a “Mostly Dead on the Inside” fall-scented candle line to light up the “31 Nights of Halloween.”
