Shooting in Toronto Leaves 2 Dead, 13 Injured

A shooter in Toronto, Canada shot 15 people, leaving 2 dead and 13 injured before police killed him in an exchange of gunfire. The shooting took place 10 PM local time on Sunday. The shooter, who has not been identified personally but has been identified as a 29 year old male, opened fire at a plaza and was claimed by a witness to have shot around 30 shots before police were able to intercept him. Toronto Mayor John Tory called the shooting “despicable” and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his support for the victims and the city.

Toronto has experienced incidents of violence in the past. Back in April, a man committed a van attack, which killed 10 people and injured 16 more. The perpetrator, 24 year old Alek Minassian, was arrested and is still awaiting trial. His motives remain unclear, though a Facebook post mentioning that he was part of the “incel rebellion,” the first word meaning someone who has been unable to lose his virginity, may give clues. If this were his motive, it hearkens back to the 2014 shooting spree in California by Elliot Rodger, who expressed similar frustrations in his over 100 page long manifesto.

Trump, Putin Summit Leads to Political Controversy

President Trump’s recent Helsinki summit on July 16 with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed to calm relations between the two countries, though the political response to it in the US has been often critical of the tone Trump took with Putin, especially during the joint press conference.

During the press conference, Trump did not explicitly reject the findings of several US intelligence agencies which said that the Russian government had meddled in the 2016 US Presidential election by purchasing advertisements and astroturfing rallies with the intent to help Trump win over Clinton. However, Trump emphasized Putin’s denial of any meddling, calling his denials “powerful.” He also said, “President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be.” He later walked back that comment, saying that he should have said “wouldn’t” rather than “would,” which would imply that he was more inclined to believe the Russians had meddled than had not. In addition, Trump had said that both countries were to blame for deteriorated relations, which faced heavy blowback in the American media which highlighted Russia’s 2008 and 2014 invasions of Georgia and Ukraine respectively, as well as its support for dictator Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) both expressed their agreement with the US intelligence communities findings, but did not criticize Trump directly. Democrats took a much more combative tone, with some accusing the president of treason. One lawmaker, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) seemed to suggest a coup against Trump is warranted, tweeting, “Where are our military folks ?(sic) The Commander in Chief is in the hands of our enemy!” Cohen has denied such an intent.

Shooting at Maryland Newspaper Leaves Five Dead

A shooting at an Annapolis-area newspaper, Capital Gazette, left five dead and two more injured. The suspect, Jarrod Ramos, is believed to have had a long-running dispute with the newspaper over their coverage of a stalking case in which he was a suspect. Ramos had sued the paper, but had lost the case. Ramos had continually threatened the newspaper since the feud began in 2011. Ramos is currently being held on five charges of first degree murder.

The five killed were Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters.

Kennedy’s Retirement Sets Up Battle over Future of Court

The retirement announcement of Justice Anthony Kennedy from the Supreme Court sent shockwaves throughout the political world on Wednesday. Kennedy, who had been rumored about possibly retiring sometime during Trump’s first term, will leave the court on July 31.

Kennedy was known for much of his tenure as the swing vote on the court, was still considered a conservative justice, though he voted with the liberal bloc on issues such gay rights and abortion. On controversial issues, his vote usually determined the outcome of the case given the two blocs of normally liberal and normally conservative blocs (one major exception were the Obamacare cases, in which Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal bloc to uphold it, while Kennedy voted with the conservatives to overturn it).

If Trump manages to get his nominee confirmed, assuming the nominee is in the mold of his first nominee, Neil Gorsuch, who often votes with the conservative bloc and holds to the idea of interpreting the constitution as written, it could move the court further to a more conservative direction on most issues, such as abortion and labor issues. Democrats in Congress are expected to near-unanimously oppose whoever the nominee is, though some senators from states Trump won, such as Joe Donnelly from Indiana, Joe Machin from West Virginia, and Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota, may vote for the eventual nominee; all three voted to confirm Gorsuch last year. However, Trump could lose support from moderate, pro-choice Republicans, such as Lisa Murkowski from Alaska and Susan Collins from Maine. In addition, John McCain’s possible absence because of brain cancer may mean one fewer Republican vote.

Supreme Court Rules in Labor, Travel Ban Cases

The Supreme Court issued two rulings this past week that delighted many conservatives and angered as many liberals. In the first case, the Supreme Court ruled that public sector unions could no longer involuntarily collect fees from non-union members for their bargaining services. Labor unions argued that these fees prevented free-riding from non-union members, as unions must represent all employees equally in their bargaining, not just their own members. At the heart of this case were the political activities of unions, which overwhelmingly support and donate to Democratic candidates, with which many public employees took issue. The ruling this week will likely mean less money in union coffers and thus less funding for political activities.

The second case dealt with Trump’s travel ban on people from several countries, most of them Muslim-majority. The Supreme Court argued in their decision that the President had the power to ban certain nationalities to protect national security, while the dissenting justices argued that the ban stemmed from prejudice given Trump’s campaign promise to ban Muslim immigration.