| By Derek Caney
It was President Donald Trump's most important appointment so far, and one that could have the most far-reaching consequences. He picked Neil Gorsuch, a reliable and well-respected conservative, to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court left by Antonin Scalia when he died nearly a year ago. If confirmed, he will tilt the current 4-4 balance on the bench to 5-4 in favor of conservatives. Among the most important cases he's likely to face include transgender rights; First Amendment and religious freedoms; and most likely a number of abortion and immigration cases that will churn their way through the system. At age 49, he will be the youngest justice appointed to the bench since George H.W. Bush named Clarence Thomas. Quote of the day: "It is the role of judges to apply, not alter, the work of the people's representatives. A judge who likes every outcome he reaches is very likely a bad judge, stretching for results he prefers rather than those the law demands." – Judge Neil Gorsuch Can Senate Democrats stop him from being confirmed? They can try to filibuster. But Republicans, who control the Senate, could change the rules to remove that strategy. In legislative parlance, it's called the "nuclear option." Democrats used it in 2013 when Republicans were holding up Obama's non-Supreme Court appointments. Gorsuch's confirmation will be particularly tense, since President Obama nominated a replacement for Scalia, Merrick Garland. But Senate Republicans refused to take up confirmation hearings until after the election, which of course, Trump won. We have more Supreme Court nomination coverage for you:
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Florence Lutje Spelberg and Nicolas Mouchart drink champagne while sitting inside "The Pearl", a spheric dining room placed 5 meters underwater in the NEMO33 diving center, one of the world's deepest pools built to train professional divers, in Brussels, Jan 30, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Around the country Digits of the day: 49 percent That's the percentage of Americans who agree with Trump's travel ban on citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, compared with 41 percent who disagree, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Trump says the temporary ban is necessary to protect the country. But only 31 percent of respondents believe that the ban makes them safer. - About 900 State Department officials signed an internal dissent memo protesting the travel ban in a rebellion against the new president's policies.
- Senate Democrats postponed votes on several of President Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees, citing their responsibility to do a "thorough vetting," while Republicans accused them of unreasonable delays in considering the picks.
Around Wall Street - Tokyo has secured about $100 million in cost cuts on support equipment for its next batch of six U.S. F-35 stealth fighter planes. The deal represents a rare case of Tokyo negotiating down the price of military hardware from its U.S. ally and underscores progress for the Lockheed Martin -run F-35 program, which has faced criticisms over cost overruns and other problems, namely from President Trump.
- Apple reclaimed the throne as the world's top smartphone seller for the first time in five years, beating out rival Samsung, whose Galaxy Note 7 phones were found to occasionally burst into flames. Apple's iPhone sales and profit beat Wall Street estimates, sending shares up 3 percent in after-hours trading.
- Volkswagen will pay at least $1.26 billion to fix or buy back nearly 80,000 polluting 3.0 liter diesel-engined vehicles. And the automaker could be forced to pay up to $4.04 billion if regulators don't approve fixes for all vehicles.
Around the world - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Trump should be more specific about his proposal to set up safe zones in Syria, adding that attempts to implement a similar policy in Libya had been tragic.
- Iran's defense minister, Hossein Dehghan, confirmed that the country tested a new missile, adding that the test did not violate the deal it forged with Western powers over its nuclear program.
- Retired Marine General James Mattis' first trip as head of the Pentagon will be to South Korea and Japan, where he is expected to reassure them that the United States will keep its security commitments, as concerns mount over North Korea's nuclear ambitions and the mounting influence of China in the region.
Today's reason to live Father John Misty – Pure Comedy |
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