| | June 21, 2012 | | THE NINE As the Supreme Court prepares to drop major decisions on Obamacare and Arizona’s controversial immigration law, conservative complaints about the court’s “judicial activism” are hollower than ever. The Daily Beast’s Michael Tomasky shows why the Roberts court is one of the most radical in American history, and how its decisions are dividing the country. $*%& YEAH! Lewd, crude, and SCOTUS-approved—the Supreme Court tossed out Federal Communications Commission prohibitions on nudity and naughty words on Thursday in a decision that avoided ruling on what some saw as First Amendment issues tied to the case. Broadcasters including Fox and ABC had been found in violation of FCC regulations dating back to 2002 and 2003. In the court’s opinion written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the FCC “failed to give Fox or ABC fair notice prior to the broadcasts in question that fleeting expletives and momentary nudity could be found actionably indecent.”Kennedy said that the FCC remained “free to modify its current indecency policy.” EVIDENCE “I shot him.” In a video released Thursday, George Zimmerman gives the most detailed telling yet of his side of what happened the night Trayvon Martin died. Sanford Police investigator Chris Serino questions Zimmerman in the tape made only hours after the shooting, telling the neighborhood watchman that Martin “was not doing anything bad.” Serino went on to warn Zimmerman that he would receive criticism for “the profiling aspect” of following and then shooting Martin. “I got to ask,” Serino said. “Like I said this kid has no criminal record whatsoever. Good kid. Mild mannered kid.” Serino also mentions that Martin had many video files on his cell phone, and that “there’s a possibility that whatever happened between you and him was caught on videotape.” CIVIL DISCUSSION Mitt Romney offered his own approach to immigration, saying he'd “replace and supersede” President Obama’s plan, while speaking to Latino elected officials in Florida on Thursday. The Republican presidential hopeful declared “bipartisan and long-term immigration reform” a “moral imperative” and emphasized his belief for increased immigration to aid business and family reunification. He also claimed, as president, he'd make legal immigration easier, especially for immediate family members of green-card holders, and would complete a high-tech fence along the boarder. He vowed to address the issue in a “civil” manner and would work with Republicans and Democrats alike. QUIET DEPARTURE Can’t say we didn’t see this one coming. Commerce Secretary John Bryson, who recently went on medical leave following two bizarre car crashes earlier this month, one of which has been under investigation “as a felony hit and run,” resigned Thursday. In a letter to Commerce Department employees, Bryson wrote that he needed to “step down to prevent distractions” from the department’s “critical mission.” Bryson reportedly rear-ended a Buick on June 9, spoke to three men in the car that he hit, and then drove away after hitting the car again. Police say he hit another car five minutes later and was subsequently found unconscious in his own vehicle. | |
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