PrairiePundit

IBD: From the tone of his Obama-Care opinion, Chief Justice Roberts seems to believe he's spared a law that's working just fine. Wrong. With or without the court's help, ObamaCare is in desperate shape. On the very first page of Robert's King v. Burwell opinion is a glaring mistake about ObamaCare. The chief justice explains how states that tried ObamaCare-like market changes — called "guaranteed issue" and "community rating" — saw their insurance markets caught in a death spiral as young and healthy dropped coverage and premiums shot up. Roberts then claims that in 2006 "Massachusetts discovered a way to make the guaranteed issue and community rating requirements work" by adding an individual mandate and premium subsidies. Since ObamaCare is modeled on Massachusetts law, ipso facto ObamaCare must also be working. And so the court had an overriding reason to protect it, even if it meant twisting the law into pretzels. Before Roberts wrot...

The Hill: Iranian hackers may have stolen the Saudi government documents that were later released by WikiLeaks, The Washington Post reported Friday . The pro-transparency group last week published roughly 70,000 documents it claimed were from Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry. WikiLeaks says it has at least half a million documents in total from the ministry, and that more will be released soon. The group may have gotten its hands on the documents from Tehran-backed digital thieves. “These events fit a pattern that looks and smells like Iranian-proxy actors,” Jen Weedon, manager of threat intelligence at security firm FireEye, told The Post. The intrusion could be tied to the ongoing discussions between Iran and six countries, including the United States, to limit Tehran’s nuclear program. Negotiators face a June 30 deadline in the talks. The Saudis are also battling rebels in Yemen who are allied with Iran. The digital invaders appear to be part of an Iranian hacking group, dubbed Op...

NY Times: Dozens Are Killed in Terror Attacks on 3 Continents The bloody toll prompted new concerns about the spreading influence of jihadists. Tunisia Attack Kills at Least 37 at a Beach Resort Hotel It was the second major attack on Tunisia’s tourist industry in just over three months. Obama's retreat from the war with radical Islamist has become a death sentence for those caught it its wake.  The three attacks does not apparently include the mass murder of around 164 in Kobani by ISIL forces.  We may find that ISIL was behind the attacks in Kuwait, France and Tunisia too. These attacks fit a pattern with ISIL.  When it is under attack it tends to lash out with terror attacks elsewhere in an attempt to relieve the pressure it is under.  Currently its main base at Raqqa is being threatened by Kurdish forces that have pushed ISIL forces from their main supply route.  It is what happens when they are given breathing room. That apparently i...

James Taranto does a nice job of presenting the various rationales for this decision and the attempts, unsuccessfully I believe, to deal with the issues that arise when proponents of the ruling bump up against dissenters, be they in commercial situations or religious ones. Clarence Thomas and Antoine Scalia I think have the better arguments but they are unfortunately in the role of dissenters.  I think there will continue to be a problem with the cake police and a threat to people in religious affiliated institutions who find gay marriage objectionable.  I think it will lead many people who provide wedding services to leave that field. There is one area that will probably be a growth industry.  Lawyers who specialize in gay divorces.  Their potential client list is likely to be filled with couples with dual income and very few kids.  Dealing with two people who are angry with each other and have the resources to fight it out makes them dream clients.

Mona Charon: The less racist the South gets, the more Republican it becomes. Liberal Democrats have held a grudge against the South ever since  the Dixiecrat wing of the Democrat party lost favor.

NY Times: New Hampshire Poll Shows Bernie Sanders in Dead Heat With Hillary Clinton While Mrs. Clinton has been popular in New Hampshire, her favorable ratings have dropped since February, while Mr. Sanders’s have been climbing, and a CNN/WMUR poll released on Thursday has them in a statistical tie. Sanders is from neighboring Vermont, but his rise is another demonstration of what a weak candidate Hillary Clinton is.  If she can't defeat an avowed socialist she is in trouble.

NY Times: Terrorist Attack at Factory in France Leaves at Least 1 Dead Attackers on Friday stormed a factory near Lyon that is operated by Air Products, a United States-based company. One of the attackers reportedly waved an Islamic State flag. This is more evidence of the futility of gun control laws when people are determined to engage in mass murder.  Hopefully, the French will be able to thwart the attackers and bring them to justice. The Washington Post also reports on the attack: Decapitated body found in ‘terrorist attack’ in France

Observer: Whatever deal Iran gets, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf States will get the deal, too. Actually, Saudi Arabia and friends may actually get an even better deal. France recently signed a $12 billion deal with Saudi Arabia. France will provide Saudi Arabia with two new generation nuclear reactors.That’s just for starters. In addition to the reactors, France will supply Saudi Arabia with 23 helicopters, 50 Airbus planes and a number of patrol boats. Safety and operational training for the nuclear reactors will, of course, be part of the deal. The deal making came to light in a joint press conference held in Saudi Arabia with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. In Fabius’ official statement he said that his country wanted “to enhance the capability of the Saudi Coast Guard, which is today facing growing threats.” Mr. Fabius was, of course, referring to tensions in Yemen and indirectly with Iran. As if there was any question about it...

Washington Free Beacon: Sens. Mark Kirk (R., Ill.) and Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) revived on Thursday long-stalled legislation to impose and extend sanctions on Iran for a period of at least 10 more years, according to sources familiar with the move. The bipartisan bid to extend economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic comes ahead of a self-imposed June 30 deadline for Western powers to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran. Iranian leaders in recent days have demanded greater concessions from the United States and are insisting that economic sanctions must be completely lifted on day one of any agreement—before international inspectors are able to verify that Iran is not building nuclear weapons. The Obama administration has been fighting congressional attempts to extend and impose new sanctions on Tehran, going so far as to lobby sympathetic legislators to kill these efforts. However, Menendez and Kirk have tried multiple times to impose greater sanctions against the White House’s ...

KSAT: Amazon will hire 300 people to staff its fulfillment center in Schertz, the online retail giant announced Thursday. Workers at the facility will help fill customer orders. The positions will be full time. ... This is in addition to the 450 already employed at the facility.  Amazon has also added jobs at its facility near Dallas recently.

Fuel Fix: For every investor who sees opportunity in a post-sanctions Iran, there are others who see the same old legal morass. The Islamic Republic is banking on a nuclear accord with world powers to unleash a flood of foreign cash into an economy crippled by decades of sanctions. Companies including Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc and Total SA say they’re willing to invest in the OPEC member. Major investments, however, may take years as companies weigh the risk of Iran violating the agreement, which would bring sanctions back, according to analysts and former officials. Decades of hostile relations with Western powers and tight scrutiny by the U.S. Congress and Treasury could also make many investors reluctant to jump back right away. “Businesses have become terrified about doing business with Iran, and it’s not easy to un-terrify them,” says Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council. Iran and six world powers led by the U.S. are holding talks in Vienna to reac...

Daily Mail: Apple pulls Confederate flag-bearing apps from its Store - but Nazi imagery remains It follows a similar decision by a number of retailers this week, including Ebay and Amazon, in the wake of last week's mass shooting at a black South Carolina church. They can sell what they choose, but they are certainly making an interesting choice when it comes to things they will carry.

AP: A U.S. Marine Corps unit equipped with tanks, light armored vehicles and artillery will be sent to Bulgaria this fall as part of American plans to help reassure NATO allies worried by Russia's involvement in Ukraine, a top commander said Thursday. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said this week that more American military equipment would be positioned in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Germany as NATO seeks to bolster its forces in Eastern Europe.Brig. Gen. Norman Cooling, deputy commander of U.S. Marine Corps Europe and Africa, told The Associated Press that 155 Marines equipped with four Abrams main battle tanks, six light armored vehicles and three howitzers are scheduled to be in place at the Novo Selo training area by early September. He spoke as NATO defense ministers met Thursday in Brussels. "It's certainly our intent to convince the Russians and Mr. Putin to refrain from aggression and return to the community of peaceful nations,...

The Hill: A House Republican on Thursday proposed forcing the Supreme Court justices and their staff to enroll in ObamaCare. Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) said that his SCOTUScare Act would make all nine justices and their employees join the national healthcare law’s exchanges. “As the Supreme Court continues to ignore the letter of the law, it’s important that these six individuals understand the full impact of their decisions on the American people,” he said. “That’s why I introduced the SCOTUScare Act to require the Supreme Court and all of its employees to sign up for ObamaCare,” Babin said. Babin’s potential legislation would only let the federal government provide healthcare to the Supreme Court and its staff via ObamaCare exchanges. “By eliminating their exemption from ObamaCare, they will see firsthand what the American people are forced to live with,” he added. ... I would support this bill.  It would stay in effect until this awful law is repealed.

Fox News: Intel chief labels Iran top terror sponsor as nuke talks hit final phase The US has a President with an overrated intellect who is endangering not only US national security by that of our allies around the world.

Washington Times: Ted Cruz, angered by Obamacare ruling, tells ‘rogue justices’ to resign and run for Congress The court has postponed the demise of this bad law until after the next election and I don't think the court is going to take Ted Cruz's advice, but the voters will have a chance to elect a Republican President who will sign a repeal of this monstrosity.  Those who think this puts an end to the fight about this bad law are clearly mistaken.

Fox News: The lead government watchdog for the IRS revealed Thursday that computer evidence was erased during the investigation into the agency's targeting scandal, months after the IRS was told to preserve documents. J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, testified to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that IRS employees erased computer backup tapes shortly after officials discovered thousands of emails related to the tax agency's Tea Party scandal had been lost. As many as 24,000 emails were lost because 422 backup tapes were "magnetically erased" around March 4, 2014. George said his office found no direct evidence the tapes were destroyed to hide information from Congress or law enforcement. But the destruction nevertheless defied a preservation order, and is sure to raise suspicions over motive. ... I think the IRS has lost any presumption of good faith in the production of materials in this matter.  If the c...

Fox News: Court upholds ObamaCare subsidies The healthcare law appears to have survived the Democrats sloppy draftsmanship.

Reuters: Islamic State fighters launched simultaneous attacks against the Syrian government forces and Kurdish militia, moving back onto the offensive after losing ground in recent days to Kurdish-led forces near the capital of their "caliphate". After losses to the Kurds backed by U.S.-led air strikes, Islamic State sought to retake the initiative with incursions into the Kurdish-held town of Kobani at the Turkish border and government-held areas of Hasaka city in the northeast. In a separate offensive in the multi-sided Syrian civil war an alliance of rebels in the south of the country also launched an attack with the aim of driving government forces from the city of Deraa. The attacks by Islamic State follow a rapid advance by Kurdish-led forces deep into the hardline group's territory, to within 50 km (30 miles) of its de facto capital Raqqa, hailed as a success by Washington. The dual assaults on government forces in Hasaka and Deraa - both provincial capitals - ar...

Reuters: If the United States does not lift its 40-year ban on crude exports, Iran could soon be competing in global markets that would be mostly shut to U.S. oil companies, a report prepared for the head of the Senate energy committee said on Tuesday. The United States and five other global powers could reach a deal with Tehran over its nuclear program in early July. If a deal is reached, the OPEC member could be producing significantly more oil by the end of 2016, pushing down global crude prices. The United States is in the midst of a six-year oil boom, but Washington has banned most crude exports since the Arab oil embargo of the early 1970s sparked fears of shortages. "The general prohibition on exporting domestic crude oil amounts to a de facto sanctions regime against U.S. producers," the report by Senator Lisa Murkowski's staff said. In the absence of lawmakers passing a bill to overturn the ban, or President Barack Obama relaxing the trade restriction, a return...