1 Historic Victory For LGBTQ Community At Supreme Court
To call the timing ironic is an understatement...the day after the Trump administration rolled back healthcare protections for trans people, the LGBTQ community scored a historic win at the Supreme Court. In short, the high court says federal law prohibits workplace discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender persons. In other words, workers can no longer be fired over sexual orientation and gender identity. The ruling was 6-3 with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch ruling with the high court's four liberals. In fact, Gorsuch wrote the landmark majority opinion. He was President Trump's first Supreme Court appointee in 2017. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented. "I’ve read the decision, and some people were surprised," Trump offered during a White House photo op. "But they’ve ruled and we live with their decision. That’s what it’s all about. We live with the decision of the Supreme Court. "Very powerful. Very powerful decision actually, But they have so ruled." The ruling expands the meaning of the 1964 Civil Rights Law's ban on sex discrimination in the workplace. The Trump administration has argued against that premise.
2 Trump Says He'll Sign Exec Order On Police Reforms Today
President Trump says he will sign an executive order on police reforms today. In a White House photo-op, Trump noted that law enforcement representatives will be on hand. And while he didn’t elaborate, he did say he’ll be offering solutions in a comprehensive order that is about justice and safety. Trump was pressed about the deadly weekend police shooting of a black man in Atlanta, which he called it a "terrible situation" and "very disturbing." “We're going to be talking about things we've been watching and seeing for the last month,” Trump offered. “And we're going to have some solutions — I think some good solutions." One thing everyone’s sure won’t be included? Ending what’s called “qualified immunity” – something Trump has called “a non-starter.”
3 UCSF And Stanford Researchers Isolating Super Coronavirus Antibodies
Researchers at UCSF and Stanford say work on isolating so-called super antibodies could be the key to a coronavirus vaccine. They say antibodies that completely neutralize the virus have been found in fewer than five-percent of COVID-19 patients and several studies have shown their blood plasma could inoculate others. Scientists are trying to figure out exactly how the super antibodies work and how to produce enough of them. So far, they’ve found that between ten and 20% of patients show no measurable antibodies while 75% or more develop high numbers of antibodies. The problem? They aren’t the neutralizing kind, so they might only provide temporary immunity. UCSF infectious disease specialist Dr. George Rutherford, a likens these neutralizing antibodies to preventing “the key from going into the lock” and causing infection.