Wrapping up today’s live US politics coverage, but you can continue to follow breaking news on our global coronavirus blog. Some of today’s highlights:
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchinsaid the Trump administration has no regrets about urging states to reopen.
Supreme Court gives Indiana another chance to argue for abortion laws
The supreme court gave Indiana a second chance to revive two restrictive abortion laws - one imposing an ultrasound requirement and the other expanding parental notification when minors seek abortions - by throwing out a lower court’s rulings blocking them, Reuters reported.
The justices directed a lower court to reconsider both cases in light of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling on Monday invalidating a Louisiana law that imposed restrictions on doctors who perform abortions.
Indiana will now get another shot at arguing for the legality of its two Republican-backed laws that the 7th Circuit court of appeals had prevented from going into effect.
GOP strategists: Tucker Carlson could run for president in 2024
Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s repeated racist comments have prompted major advertisers, including Disney, T-Mobile and Papa John’s, to pledge that they will no longer advertise on his show.
Report: Billionaire Peter Thiel is skeptical Trump can win
After backing Donald Trump with $1.25 million in the 2016 election and speaking at Trump’s nomination, tech billionaire Peter Thiel has been telling friends that he is going to sit the 2020 election out, because he thinks Trump’s re-election is “increasingly a long shot,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
A Trump spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that Thiel remains a supporter of the president. A spokesman for Thiel did not comment.
Kansas governor said schools may not reopen if surge does not reverse
Kansas’ governor said she is worried the state won’t be able to reopen its K-12 schools for the new school year in August if it doesn’t reverse a recent surge in reported coronavirus cases, the Associated Press reports.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly told legislative leaders Thursday that a desire to reopen schools is a key reason she issued an executive order requiring Kansas residents to wear masks in public and at their workplaces, effective Friday, with a fine of up to $2,500 possible for violators. Decisions about pursuing violations left up to prosecutors in each of the state’s 105 counties.
It’s an image from an Atlas Obscura article from this April, about fears about pets transmitting the disease, and also about pets in masks as a much-needed dose of pandemic humor.
Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti faced questions today about why he is allowing outdoor restaurants to stay open for business, even as coronavirus cases surge and he is recommending that residents stay home if possible.
“Outdoor spaces properly spaced are very safe,” the mayor said, defending his decision. “I, personally, I’ll be ordering in.”
Mayor on why outdoor restaurants allowed to operate if he's also recommending people stay home if possible. "Outdoor spaces properly spaced are very safe...So, we don't discourage people from dining out." Ended his answer by saying, "I, personally, I'll be ordering in."
Proposed 'special inspector general' would investigate white supremacy in the military
California congresswoman Jackie Speier is pushing for the appointment of a new “Special Inspector General” to investigate the extent of white supremacy in the military.
The California Democrat included an amendment creating the new inspector general in the current version of the House’s annual defense spending bill.
“We’ve known about problems of white supremacy and violent extremist groups in the U.S. military for decades, yet this problem that threatens our national security – not to mention retention and recruitment of troops – seems to be getting worse,” Speier said in a statement to The Guardian. “The DoD and Pentagon have proven that they do not have the ability to address these issues on their own.”
Speier cited three incidents in the past month alone that highlight the need for more action:
Three Nevada men with varying military experience arrested on terrorism-related charges for trying to spark racial violence during protests in Las Vegas
California Sen. Kamala Harris is expected a similar amendment in the Republican-controlled senate.
A more in-depth look at the US military’s long problem with white supremacy:
California National Guard investigating sergeant’s ties to Proud Boys
The California National Guard is investigating a member’s possible ties to the Proud Boys, an extremist group, the Huffington Post reports.
The sergeant involved has not been suspended during the investigation, a spokesperson told the Huffington Post.
NEW: California National Guard is investigating a sergeant's ties to the Proud Boys.
He was among troops sent to LA for the protests & posted a photo of himself there standing in front of a military vehicle inscribed with the neo-fascist group's slogan. https://t.co/sRB8zKUWMD
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) July 2, 2020
Family of man killed by LA sheriffs say deputies harassed them
My colleague Sam Levin has more on troubling allegations from the mother and sister of Paul Rea, an 18-year-old shot to death by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies in 2019, about being harassed by sheriff’s deputies in the wake of Paul’s killing.
Hours after Jaylene Rea, 22, spoke at a rally last year, deputies repeatedly drove by the memorial site and taunted them, the family says. Eventually officers got out of their car and moved to handcuff and arrest two of Paul’s friends. Jaylene started recording the interaction. pic.twitter.com/eArhnq1Qub
Jaylene is just one of the family members of people killed by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department who has publicly spoken out about being harassed as a result.
Fish fry: a ‘previously unknown problem for the future of fish’
By the end of the century, the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes will likely be too hot for about 40% of the world’s fish species, based on just a “medium-level” estimate of expected human-caused climate change, according to a study in Thursday’s journal Science, the Associated Press reports.
In a worst-case climate change scenario, which some scientists said is increasingly unlikely, the figure for species in trouble jumps to 60%.
The new research focuses on fish in their spawning or embryonic life stages, rather than on adult fish. Using this new approach reveals a previously unknown problem for the future of fish, scientists said.
Some of the fish likely to be hardest hit by this phenomenon include the Alaska pollock the biggest fishery in the United States and the source of fast food fillets — and well-known species such as sockeye salmon, brown trout, bonito, barracuda and swordfish.
