Supreme Court Bombshells, LeBron's Exit, and a Heatwave to Watch

Maya: Morning, everybody. Welcome back to the morning rundown. David: Big one today. The Supreme Court basically cleaned house. Maya: Right? A 6-3 ruling against Trump's birthright citizenship order, but then a win on keeping transgender athletes out of women's sports. David: And they just agreed to take up a huge Second Amendment case on assault weapons bans. Split decision, mixed bag. Maya: Plus, House Republicans are fighting amongst themselves, so that agenda's stuck in traffic. David: Yeah, we'll follow the money on that one. Maya: Oh, and sports. LeBron's come the Lakers, he's out. David: And the Warriors might scoop him up. Wild stuff. Maya: Plus Taylor and Travis apparently taking over Madison Square Garden this week. David: We're also asking whether Dwayne Johnson staying quiet on politics is smart business or a mistake. Maya: And before we go anywhere near the heat wave and NASA's satellite rescue mission... David: We got to start with the court, so let's get into it. Maya: Okay, so big one right out of the gate. Supreme Court says no on birthright citizenship. David: Yeah, 6 to 3. That's not a squeaker. That's a real rebuke. Maya: So walk me through it. Trump signs this executive order back on January 20th, day one basically, trying to say if your parents are here without documentation or on temporary status, your kid doesn't automatically get citizenship. David: Right, and the court just said, no, that's not how the 14th Amendment works. Al Jazeera is reporting on this today calls it a major blow to his whole immigration approach. Maya: And look, I get why he tried it. There's a real argument about incentives, you know? People crossing specifically so their kids American. But you don't get to rewrite a constitutional amendment with a pen. David: That's the thing, though. Presidents test the edges of their power constantly. That's kind of the game. But this was the court drawing a hard line and saying, not this way. Use Congress. Maya: Which, good luck with that, given what's happening in the... happening in the House right now, we'll get there. David: No, we'll get there. Maya: So Washington Post had a Rundown, five takeaways from this whole term, and the theme was basically Trump got more power, just not as much as he wanted. David: Right. And I think that's the honest read. It's not a total loss for him this term. Maya: Speaking of which, flip side, actual win for him. BBC's reporting the court upheld state bans on transgender athletes in girls' and women's school and college sports. sports David: Idaho and West Virginia specifically both required teams to compete based on sex recorded at birth. Maya: And honestly, I think that's the right call. If you're a parent with a daughter running track, you want a level playing field. That's not complicated. David: BBC quoted an LGBT group calling it heartbreaking and Trump calling it a big win, so exact opposite reactions, same ruling. Maya: Which tells you everything about where the country split right now. David: What's interesting to me, though, the court's willing to check him hard on birthright citizenship but sides with the more conservative... conservative position on the sports cases. It's not one team winning everything. Maya: Right, it's case by case, which, I mean, isn't that supposed to be the point? David: Supposed to be, yeah. And there's a third one brewing that's going to be huge. AP's Lindsay Whitehurst reported the court just agreed to hear a Second Amendment case on semi-automatic rifle bans. Maya: Wait, the AR-15 bans? Like, actual assault weapons bans? David: Yeah, Connecticut, the Chicago area, about a dozen states have similar bans, and New York, Los Angeles, D.C. E Maya: That's a huge case. That could reshape gun law nationwide. David: It could. The national ban expired back in 2004 and never came back. This is the court deciding whether states even get to do this on their own. Maya: I'll be honest, given how this court's leaned on gun rights before, I wouldn't bet on those bans surviving. David: I wouldn't either. File that away, that's a next term headline easily. Maya: So, anyway, you'd think with wins like that, Republicans in the House would be writing. Writing high this week, David: You would think. Maya: but no. The New York Times is reporting a GOP revolt basically froze the whole House. Speaker Johnson pulled the floor agenda and sent everyone home early. David: Yeah, conservatives blocked the rule that would have advanced the NDAA, and there's infighting over an elections overhaul, too. So Trump gets these big court wins, and his own party can't get out of its own way. Maya: It's almost funny. The third branch of government is out here making decisive... They have six three calls, and the House can't even hold a vote before a holiday weekend. David: Honestly, that's the frustrating part for anyone who actually wants this agenda to move. The Court did its job. Congress is the one stalling. Maya: At least somebody in Washington is willing to make a real decision this week, because it sure isn't the House. David: Low bar, but here we are. Maya: All right, speaking of people making bold, decisive moves, unlike Congress. David: Oh, I see where this is going. Maya: Let's just say the Lakers had a rough week, too. Okay, switching gears completely, because if the Supreme Court is the only decisive body in this country, the NBA just proved it too. David: Low bar these days, but sure. Maya: LeBron James told the Lakers he's out, playing elsewhere next season. ESPN's Shams Charania got that straight from Rich Paul, his agent. David: Wait, seriously? After all these years? Maya: I know. And get this, Yahoo Sports is reporting the Warriors are circling. David: Killing LeBron and Steph Curry on the same team? That's a lot of championship rings in one locker room. Maya: Right? I mean, come on. At some point, don't you just want to see how that ends? David: I'll believe it when I see a jersey. Front offices leak the stuff all the time to gauge reaction. Maya: Fair, fair. But it's not the only shakeup. Yahoo Sports also has Kawhi Leonard reportedly traded to the Raptors. David: Back to Toronto? Didn't he leave there for a reason? Maya: That's the wild part. Wild part. Whole free agency board just got flipped in like 24 hours. David: Teams are clearing max slots left and right this summer. Maya: Totally. Okay, so anyway, less basketball, more... Wedding bells. David: Here we go. Maya: CNN's Gloria Pazmino and her team are reporting Taylor Swift and Kelce's wedding celebration is happening at Madison Square Garden this week. David: Madison Square Garden for a wedding? Maya: I mean, go big or go home, right? And TMZ caught Kelce out on a run through New York just getting his cardio in before the big day. David: Nothing says I'm about to marry the most famous woman on earth like a nice jog! dog. Maya: Honestly, respect it. Calm nerves, whatever works. David: So speaking of celebrities and what they choose to say or not say, Maya: Oh, Dwayne Johnson. David: Yeah, Variety's Zack Sharf reported he's getting backlash. George Takei, Wil Wheaton, other names in Hollywood for staying quiet on politics. Maya: See, I get why people want him to speak up. He's got the platform. David: Sure, but, and I'll push back here, staying quiet as a As a business decision, not a cop-out, The Rock's brand is built on appealing to literally everybody. Maya: Right. He doesn't want half his audience mad at him by Thursday. David: Exactly. Every actor Maya: Every celebrity who's picked a hard political lane has watched their audience shrink. He's just not playing that game. David: I mean, I don't blame him. Not everybody has to be a pundit. Maya: Nope. Some people just want to sell movie tickets. David: Fair enough. Okay, so speaking of things people can't avoid. Maya: Like the sky, literally, because it's about to get brutal out there. David: Oh no, what now? Maya: We'll get into the heat wave BBC's covering for the holiday weekend. end and some stuff NASA's watching way above all of it. David: Shifting gears from Malibu drama to something a little more life-or-death, this heat wave coming. Maya: Yeah, this one's no joke. BBC's Sareen Habeshian reported it today. Dangerous heat settling over the U.S. right as everybody's headed out for the 4th. David: Of course, the one weekend everybody wants to grill and sit outside and the sky's like, nope. Maya: Time for the 250th birthday of the country, no less. David: Wait, that's actually America's 250th this year? Maya: Yep. Yep, big anniversary, brutal heat. Habeshian's piece basically says check on elderly neighbors, don't leave pets in cars, hydrate before you're thirsty. David: Classic stuff, but people forget it every single year. I mean, come on. Maya: Every year. Anyway, from heat on Earth to actual space news, because NASA's got a rescue mission happening. David: A rescue mission? Like astronauts? Maya: No, a satellite. NBC's Sophia Koman and Denise Chow reported the Swift Observatory is literally... a sinking, losing altitude could fall into the atmosphere. David: Whoa, wait, falling out of the sky? That's dramatic. Maya: Right? So a spacecraft is set to launch Wednesday just to nudge it back into a stable orbit, basically an orbital tow truck. David: An orbital tow truck. I love that. And separately, NASA's floating a plan to send a backup nuclear-powered Mars rover to the moon instead, according to Ars Technica's Eric Berger. Maya: Huh. Recycling a Mars rover for the moon. Soon. Practical, honestly. Don't let good hardware go to waste. David: Okay, but the one that got me? This super Earth thing. Maya: Oh, GJ 3378b. Phys.org's Emily Howard covered this. Astronomers using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope found it's more Earth-like than they thought. David: And it's close, right? Maya: 25 light years out, orbiting a small red dwarf star, and it sits in the habitable zone, David: Wow. Maya: where liquid water could actually exist. David: 25 light years is basically next door in space terms. Maya: Relatively speaking, yeah. And there's a new telescope too, isn't there? David: The largest digital camera ever built, Adithi Ramakrishnan and the AP reported it just started a 10-year survey of the whole universe. Maya: A 10-year-long survey. That's commitment. David: That's the kind of patience real science takes. Maya: All right. Heat wave outside, telescopes overhead. Cover your bases this weekend. Water, shade, sunscreen, and maybe look up at some point too. two. David: Happy almost Fourth, everybody. Maya: Stay cool out there. We'll catch you next time. David: OK, so that's the Rundown. Real quick, that Supreme Court term was a big one. Maya: That 6-3 rebuke on birthright citizenship, plus their taking up that assault weapons case next term, that could reshape gun law nationwide. David: Meanwhile, the House can't agree on lunch. At least somebody in Washington's willing to make a real decision this week. Maya: Fair. And LeBron possibly teaming up with Steph? I'm still not over that one. David: Filed that one away for next time. All right, that's a wrap on this one. Maya: If you're enjoying the show, hit subscribe and leave us a review. It helps. David: Thanks for spending your morning with us. Maya: See you next time.