Supreme Court appears to favor upholding voting laws that might hurt minorities
The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed inclined to make it more difficult to challenge widely used voting laws that in practice might be more of a burden to minority voters.
The justices spent two hours in a teleconference hearing reviewing the protections provided by the
Voting Rights Act, first passed in 1965 to forbid laws that result in discrimination based on race.
The cases involve two Arizona voting regulations that are in common use across the country. One throws out the ballots of those who vote in the wrong precinct. The other restricts who may collect ballots cast early for delivery to polling places, a practice that then-President Donald Trump denounced as “ballot harvesting.”
In an unusual letter, the Biden administration reluctantly agreed that Arizona's laws do not violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which is the section at issue.
But the greater impact will be the test that the increasingly conservative court develops for proving violations, as new laws are proposed and state legislatures begin redrawing congressional and legislative districts after the 2020 Census.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked Washington lawyer Michael Carvin, representing the Republican Party of Arizona and defending the laws, why the Republican Party had an interest in defending Arizona’s laws, such as throwing out all ballots cast out of precinct.
Carvin replied: “Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats. Politics is a zero sum game, and every extra vote they get through unlawful interpretations of Section 2 hurts us.”
Inter Miami opened voluntary preseason training, and new coach Phil Neville is encouraged by what he has seen. The club is ain talks with veteran fullback Kieran Gibbs.
Voluntary group training officially beganMonday for Inter Miami; but it really began nearly a month ago, when most of the players started trickling into the practice facility. Some were back at work as early as Christmastime.
New coach Phil Neville, who was hired Jan. 18, has been struck by how many players were working out weeks before the voluntary reporting date. Mandatory preseason training begins March 8.
“Because the players have shown incredible professionalism by coming into market straight away, we’ve virtually got no players — maybe two — going through [the league’s COVID-19] quarantine period,” Neville said. “So, ultimately, we can be ahead of the game, ahead of most teams and that excites me. The players are ready to perform and work, and I’m ready to get into the work ahead.”
The team has six weeks to prepare for its season opener, which is expected to be April 17 at home. Four or five preseason matches are in the works, including at least one at home, one in Tampa, and a closed-door game April 3 against Nashville SC at IMG Academy in Bradenton.
The core of the 2020 team is back, including Argentine star Gonzalo Higuain (sporting a full beard), French midfielder Blaise Matuidi, Scottish winger Lewis Morgan,
Mexican midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro, Argentine defenders Leandro Gonzalez Pirez and Nico Figal, and midfielders Victor Ulloa and Brek Shea.
New players include English center back Ryan Shawcross from Stoke City, Brazilian midfielder Gregore, first-round draft pick Josh Penn, and local teens Edison Azcona, Ian Fray and Felipe Valencia, who were promoted from the youth academy. Fray underwent knee surgery last week and is out indefinitely. Valencia turned 16 on Monday.
Ulloa said Neville is “an intense guy” and made it clear at Monday’s opening training session that “last year wasn’t good enough, that we need to set a higher standard for
ourselves, the fans and the club.”
Neville, along with team co-owner David Beckham, who has been at the training facility every day since Christmas, are encouraged by the players’ commitment.
“I think the most important thing from Day One is how hungry they are,” Neville said.
“People talk about systems and tactics, but they’re just a small percentage of what we want to see on the field. When the fans come to games, I want there to be a clear identity about the way we play. When you talk about successful people in life, in sports, business, there is that togetherness, fight and character. Those are the things we want to implement in preseason. I want to see what kind of discipline they’ve got. What kind of sacrifices they’re prepared to make for the team, for the badge.”
PURSUIT OF KIERAN GIBBS
Chris Henderson, Inter Miami’s new sporting director, confirmed that the team is in talks with veteran fullback Kieran Gibbs of English club West Bromwich Albion about a transfer. He likely would not come until the summer transfer window, but Henderson said other players are also in the mix.
“Kieran is a possibility,” Henderson said. “We have had some initial talks with him. We are also looking at other players, but it could be that it plays out that if he’s the one we land on, he could come after [the European] season.”
AGUDELO LANDS IN MINNESOTA
Former Inter Miami forward Juan Agudelo was picked up by Minnesota United.
“He was going to go to England, Stoke City, and he was trying to get the paperwork through. He came in and asked if he could train for a week,” said Minnesota coach Adrian Heath. “Six weeks later he was still training for us, so we have got a little bit of a connection there. We just think he’s going to be another really valuable squad player for us to bring somebody in who we know can play in the MLS, play three or four positions... Nothing is going to faze him. He had a really good impact last year when he played for Inter Miami. I think it’s a really good pick up for us.”
Stocks closed broadly lower on Wall Street on Tuesday, giving back some of their big gains from a day earlier.
For weeks, investors have been focused on the bond market, where a swift recent rise in interest rates is threatening one of the main reasons for the stock market’s run to records through the pandemic. Bond yields eased across the board Tuesday, but expectations for stronger economic growth in coming months continue to fuel worries that interest rates will head higher.
Higher rates force investors to rethink how much they’re willing to pay for stocks, making each $1 of profit that companies earn a little less valuable. That’s making Wall Street reconsider the value of technology stocks, in large part because their recent dominance left them looking even pricier than the rest of the market.
The S&P 500 fell 31.53 points (0.8%) to 3,870.29. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 143.99 (0.5%) to 31,391.52. The techheavy Nasdaq composite dropped 230.04 (1.7%) to 13,358.79. The Russell 2000 small-cap index gave up 43.81 (1.9%) to 2,231.51.
If you want to try Michael Schwartz’s latest creations, now you don’t even need to leave the house.
The chef behind Michael’s Genuine, Amara, Traymore and Tigertail + Mary has just partnered with REEF NBRHD Kitchens to start his first delivery-only option concept, Genuine Burger.
The timing was right to delve into delivery of the ultimate comfort food, Schwartz said.
“Takeout and delivery has just skyrocketed like crazy, but it was on a pretty good trajectory before COVID,” he said. “But there’s an art to doing it well. Partnering with a company solely focused on delivery gave us a platform to figure that out.”
One of the first steps was the menu. There was only one burger on the Michael’s Genuine menu, so that meant getting creative and coming up with new recipes.
“We had fun with it,” he said. “We came up with a great bun with a little bit of sour to it. We’ve got our own meat blend and grind.”
Here are a few choices the team dreamed up: The Secret Burger, with melted American cheese, crispy fried onion rings, applewood bacon, ranch dressing, heirloom tomato, half sour pickle slices, lettuce, and red onion. The BBQ Brisket Burger with caramelized onions, melted American cheese and smoked brisket with a barbecue glaze. There’s even a Pork Belly Genuine Burger with a beef patty, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, barbecue-glazed pork belly and fried egg cooked over easy.
And if you don’t eat meat, don’t worry — the menu includes an Impossible Burger, too.
Sides include truffle fries, onion rings and tahini sweet chili wings, with stuffed chocolate chip cookies for dessert because if you’re going to splurge? Splurge.
You order via your favorite delivery app (DoorDash, GrubHub,
Postmates, etc). On Uber Eats, for example, the burgers range from
$9.50 to $14; you can also get two burgers, two drinks and a side and dessert to share for $32.
Though he thinks the popularity of delivery will continue after the pandemic, Schwartz isn’t worried about diners losing interest in eating out.
“I don’t think delivery is going to take over for restaurants,” he said. “There’s always a place for restaurants. Restaurants are going to come back strong because of the social aspect. Dining out is never going to go away.”
A well-cooked pot of beans can be summed up in two words — humble and hearty.
Dried or canned beans don’t need many frills to provide warmth and comfort or extra trips to specialty stores. Toss in aromatics like garlic and onion along with herbs, if you have any, and seasonings like salt, paprika, ground turmeric or garam masala.
To bulk up the dish, please vegetarians by adding carrots, peppers, tomatoes and/or greens. For a double dose of protein and flavor, simmer the beans with smoky ham hock. If you add ground meat or chunks of chuck roast or sausage, you would have a pot of chili. For a more wholesome meal, scoop the beans over some