| | June 26, 2012 | | POLITICIAN IN A ROBE Supreme Court justices usually avoid engaging in political combat when issuing opinions on matters that might come before the court—or they recuse themselves. But Antonin Scalia thinks the rules don’t apply to him, writes Michael Tomasky. Break Up News Corp. is reportedly considering dividing into two companies to separate its publishing companies, like The Wall Street Journal, from its entertainment business, which includes Fox News and 20th Century Fox. Rupert Murdoch has previously opposed such a split but is reportedly showing support now. The Murdoch family would still have effective control over both businesses. The company’s entertainment holdings are far more valuable than its publishing side. The entertainment assets made up three quarters of the company’s $25.34 billion in revenue for the first nine months of the fiscal year, while contributing roughly 90 percent of the company’s profit during that period. MONSTERS? Are juvenile killers monsters of their own making—or victims themselves? In its 5–4 decision declaring mandatory life in prison unconstitutional for young murderers, the Supreme Court seemed to fall in the latter camp. Michael Daly reports. SABER RATTLING The Turkish government on Tuesday condemned attacks on its military planes by Syria, with the prime minister saying Turkey's forces are now on high alert. "The rules of engagement of the Turkish Armed Forces have changed given this new development," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. On Friday, Syria downed a Turkish jet but quickly apologized, saying the jet had been shot down due to mistaken identity. NATO has agreed to discuss the incident on Tuesday, but diplomats said the meeting is unlikely to lead to any military response. NATO has been wary about intervening in Syria, where activists say 14,000 have been killed in the bloody crackdown. Confusion Arizona police, who hoped that the Supreme Court ruling might clarify what role they should play in immigration enforcement, were left sorely disappointed on Monday. The Supreme Court upheld the state’s “show me your papers” law, but struck down laws that would allow local police to arrest people for federal immigration violations and to detain those who do not have proper immigration documents. In the city of Tucson alone, the ruling is expected to result in an additional 50,000 calls a year to federal immigration authorities. And police have been left unclear on how to proceed when immigration authorities fail to respond or even what justifies suspicion that someone is in the country illegally. To make matters even more unclear, White House officials announced that the federal government will not enforce the “show me your papers” law. | |
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