Wednesday, June 28 top stories
Hello! I’m Renca and I will be taking Alex’s place for today’s top news. Today is Wednesday, June 28. Here are the stories.
Supreme Court rules against NC Republicans in "Moore v. Harper"
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court made an important ruling about whether state legislatures can have total power over how elections are run in their states. The Supreme Court in a 6-3 vote said "no."
The case is called Moore v. Harper. What is the case specifically about? The North Carolina legislature, which has a Republican majority, drew a congressional map that made it very easy for Republican candidates to win. This is called gerrymandering.
Those who opposed the new congressional/election map in North Carolina filed a lawsuit. The North Carolina Supreme Court sided with those who sued the NC Republicans by saying the map was no good because it violated the state's constitution.
The North Carolina Republicans disagreed and asked the Supreme Court to make it clear if they can do this or not. Now the Supreme Court said state legislatures do not have this kind of power.
State legislatures have to follow state law, state constitutions, and accept their states' court decisions about election-related rules and issues.
Actor’s body found in Southern California
Human remains have been found in the San Gabriel mountains in Southern California and it belonged to a British actor Julian Sands who had been missing since January.
Sands was known for his role in many movies and TV Shows such as “A Room with a View,” “Smallville” and Netflix’s “What/If.”
Sands went hiking on January 13th and never returned. Due to bad weather, it became more challenging for the search efforts. This recent month, the officials mentioned that they would put effort again into searching for Sands. Finally, they found his body and pronounced him dead.
Sands’ family said they will continue to hold him in their hearts with wonderful memories of him as a father, husband, explorer, lover of the natural world, and more.
Former NFL quarterback died from apparent drowning
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett (35) died yesterday from an apparent drowning incident along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
First responders were called to a beach in Destin because it seemed that a group of people in the water were struggling to make it to shore. The sheriff’s office said that Mallett went under the water and he was not breathing when the lifeguards pulled him out and he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Mallett was a star with Arkansas Razorbacks then he was drafted third round by the New England Patriots. He spent 7 years with the NFL with the Patriots, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens. His career ended in 2017. He became the head football coach for the White Hall Bulldogs in White Hall, Arkansas and he also taught P.E.
People are responding with grief for the loss of Mallet’s life. In one article, it mentioned that at least 11 people have died in less than two weeks along the Gulf Coast due to rip currents.
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Summer Olympics 2024 will not sell alcohol to fans
The Summer Olympics 2024 will be held in Paris, France from July 16th to August 11th. A spokesperson for Paris 2024 announced that fans will not be able to drink alcohol at competition venues unless they are VIPs. This decision stems from Evin’s Law, a French law prohibiting the sale or distribution of alcohol in “stadiums, physical education rooms, or gymnasiums” and others.
This spokesperson mentioned that Paris 2024 organizers have not tried to ask for an exemption. Evin’s Law offers up to 10 exemptions for up to 10 events per organizer per year, but the Summer Games will have over 700 competitions within 15 days.
The 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo also did not sell alcohol too in their stadiums, but it was because there were no fans due to COVID-19.
Not related to the Olympics, but for the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year, a similar thing happened with selling alcohol to VIPs only and not fans.
New host for the “Wheel of Fortune”
If you are a fan of the “Wheel of Fortune,’ you will know that Pat Sajak (76) has been the host for over 40 years and he is retiring this summer.
Yesterday, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest will be the new host. He will be working alongside the other famous half of the “Wheel of Fortune,” and that is Vanna White.
However her contract continues for another year, and she has not signed a new deal yet. So, we do not know what White will decide after this year.
The new host, Seacrest, is known for being the host of various singing competitions and talk shows such as “Live with Kelly and Ryan.” He did leave “Live with Kelly and Ryan” earlier this year, but he will continue to host “American Idol”.
Seacrest expressed that he is very excited to start this new journey with the “Wheel of Fortune” and looks forward to learning a lot from Sajak. Several articles mention that Sajak will continue to consult with the “Wheel of Fortune” show. The show started back in 1975 and Sajak joined in 1981. It seems there is a positive reaction from people that Seacrest is the new host.
That’s all for now. See you tomorrow and don’t forget to stay with the light.
Supreme Court:
https://news.yahoo.com/clarence-thomas-isnt-happy-supreme-153029400.html
Sands: https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/27/entertainment/julian-sands-death/index.html
Mallet: https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/27/football/nfl-player-ryan-mallett-dies/index.html