The impact of a leak
ZWF #13: Sunday, May 08, 2022
You may not have heard, but a draft opinion leaked from the Supreme Court this week. The Monday night news drop sent shock waves through the political world, with the Supreme Court appearing to signal the reversal of the court’s decision in the case of Roe v. Wade.
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, a quick look at the topic on the top of everyone’s mind, and an update on the NBA Playoffs. Plus, some of the top headlines from the past week you’ll want to check out.
Also, you should go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 61 features ZF expert Dr. Bobby, Director of the Russian Program at Virginia Tech, joining the pod to break down the latest developments regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Download and listen to the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Zander’s Weekend Facts is here to give you the facts about what has been going on in the world around us this past week. You’ll just have to read these facts, instead of listening to them on the Zander’s Facts podcast.
Here is Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, May 08, 2022:
The leak that changed politics
By now you most likely know that a leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade has surfaced. On Monday night, Politico released a draft they had obtained of a Supreme Court opinion penned by Justice Samuel Alito. The opinion was written as a decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which was heard by the court in December 2021.
The case revolves around a 2018 Mississippi law, which prohibited abortions in the state after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which operates the only abortion clinic in the state, is suing the state, which is represented by Thomas E. Dobbs, the State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health. The organization claims the law is unconstitutional, and that is the question that was before the Supreme Court in this case.
In the draft opinion, Justice Alito wrote that “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start.” Speaking for the potential majority, “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled.” “Casey” refers to the 1992 case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld the right to an abortion found in the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade.
While the authenticity of the document was questioned at the start, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts confirmed its legitimacy on Tuesday. Justice Roberts decried the leak and noted that no final decision has been made in the case. The leak is an extremely rare look inside the Supreme Court, one of the most secretive institutions in the United States. A final decision is not expected to be released to the public until June.
You can read the draft and the Politico article that broke the story here: Politico - Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows
Those are only the basics, but to get the full scope on abortion in America, tune into this week’s upcoming edition of the Zander’s Facts podcast. On Episode 62, the history of abortion, the arguments on both sides, the impact of the decision, and more will be discussed. Make sure to listen to the latest episode of the podcast when it drops this Wednesday to get the facts you need regarding this hot topic in the United States.
Controversy in the postseason
The second round of the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, and so is more physical play in the postseason, at least in one series. The Golden State Warriors-Memphis Grizzlies conference semifinal series has been marked by physical play so far that has led to the ejections of one player on each side. In game one of the series, Draymond Green of the Warriors appeared to pull down Brandon Clarke of the Grizzlies by the jersey and was charged with a Flagrant 2 foul, which results in ejection from the game. Green’s Warriors teammates and many on social media criticized the call, saying it should not have been a Flagrant 2.
In the next game, Dillon Brooks of the Grizzlies ran down Gary Payton II of the Warriors, aggressively fouling Payton and leading Payton to hit the ground on his left elbow, fracturing it. Even Brooks’ Grizzlies teammates condemned the Flagrant 2 foul as unnecessary, and Brooks was additionally suspended for the next game of the series. Despite those two incidents, the series has also had some close games and great play.
It hasn’t just been the Warriors-Grizzlies series that has been highly entertaining from a game standpoint. At least every team in the second round has won at least one game in their series. The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics series features two of the league’s budding superstars, the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat series has gotten the 76ers’ best player back from injury against the east’s deepest team, and the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns series features another budding superstar fighting the league’s best regular-season team.
Here is a look at the NBA Playoffs bracket as things stand before today’s games:
The Conference Semifinals continue this afternoon with two matchups. At 3:30 pm et, the Dallas Mavericks face the Phoenix Suns in Dallas, Texas with the Suns leading the series two games to one. That game will air on ESPN. Then at 8:00 pm et on TNT, the Miami Heat are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to take on the 76ers with the Heat leading the 76ers two games to one in the series.
Tomorrow, the other two playoff series resume action. The Boston Celtics face the Milwaukee Bucks with the Celtics up two games to one in the series at 7:30 pm et. Then at 10:00 pm et, the Golden State Warriors face the Memphis Grizzlies with the Warriors up in their series two games to one. Both games on Monday will air on TNT.
Each series will last until a team wins four games, with the winners advancing to the Conference Finals. The Conference Semifinal round begins today and will last a maximum of two weeks. The NBA Playoffs continue through the end of the NBA Finals in mid-June and are available on ABC, ESPN, and TNT.
For more on the NBA Playoffs: NBA - NBA Playoffs
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
A look at the top moments in sports in ZF SC:
Formula 1 is taking over South Florida, as the inaugural Miami Grand Prix is set for this afternoon. The race, which is the first of two Formula 1 races to take place in the United States this year, is taking place on a newly constructed track around Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. In Saturday’s qualifying session, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc recorded the fastest time to start the race in pole position. His fellow Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, will start the race in second while defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen is third. Later this year, the United State Grand Prix is set to take place in Austin on Sunday, October 23. Formula 1 announced earlier this year that a third U.S. Grand Prix, the Las Vegas Grand Prix, would join the schedule in 2023. The Miami Grand Prix is set to begin later today at 3:30 pm et and can be seen on ABC.
The off-the-pitch drama surrounding Chelsea F.C. appears to have reached a conclusion. It was announced by the club on Friday that a consortium led by American billionaire Todd Boehly has won the race to purchase the club. The announcement ends a roughly three-month process since it was announced current owner Roman Abramovich would sell the club after he was sanctioned by the British government due to his Russian ties. Boehly is the co-owner of MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers, NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, and WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks. While the consortium is led by Boehly, private equity firm Clearlake Capital will own the majority of the club. With Boehly in the stands at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Chelsea drew Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2.
The semifinals of the UEFA Champions League were filled with drama, suspense, and tremendous play this past week. Both second-leg semifinal matchups took place, with two trips to the UEFA Champions League final on the line. On Tuesday, Liverpool went on the road to Villarreal up 2-0 on aggregate. That lead was quickly gone as Villarreal scored two first-half goals to even up the overall scoreline. However, another masterful Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp halftime adjustment allowed Liverpool to score the winning goal in the second half, sending them to the final. On Wednesday, Manchester City went to Real Madrid with Man City leading 4-3 on aggregate after an eventful first leg. Most of the second leg was uneventful, with Manchester scoring an early second-half goal to go up two goals. Magic struck when Madrid’s Rodrygo finally broke through with a goal in the 90th minute, before scoring another just two minutes later to send the match to extra time. Karim Benzema sent a penalty into the net to give Real Madrid the improbable 6-5 win and a trip to the final. After the incredible semifinals, the final of Europe’s biggest club prize is finally set. Liverpool will face Real Madrid on Saturday, May 28 in Paris, France. To get you ready, the Zander’s Facts podcast will have some expert analysis on the final and everything going on in soccer in the next few weeks.
With name, image, and likeness (NIL) taking over college athletics, some in the business have gone to Washington to ask for assistance. The commissioners of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Pac-12 Conference went to Washington, D.C. on Thursday to meet with U.S. Senators. After NIL policies were enacted last summer allowing college athletes to financial benefit from their name, image, and likeness, money has poured into college sports. With the NCAA offering little help, leaders in college athletics are turning to Congress to enact restrictions that will allow the playing field to balance.
The National Football League’s schedule for the upcoming fall season will be revealed this week. However, the NFL has unveiled when a couple of notable games will be played early. During last month’s NFL Draft, the league announced that the Los Angeles Chargers will face the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, September 15, in the first Thursday Night Football game that will air exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. The league also announced five international games that will take place this year. Three games will take place in London, England: Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints on Sunday, October 2; New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers on Sunday, October 9; Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, October 30. The league also announced a return to Mexico, with the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals facing off in Mexico City on Monday, November 21. Finally, the first-ever NFL game in Germany was announced, as the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play in Munich on Sunday, November 13. The Broncos vs Jaguars game will also be the first game exclusively aired on the ESPN+ streaming service. The rest of the schedule will be unveiled on Thursday at 8:00 pm et on NFL Network and ESPN2.
Rapid-fire Facts
A look at some of the top headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
The federal government will pay down the national debt this fiscal quarter, President Biden announced on Wednesday. This would mark the first time in six years that the U.S. would make payments directed towards decreasing the national debt. Biden said that increased tax revenues from nationwide job gains will allow the government to make the deficit reduction payments. The Treasury Department also estimates that the budget deficit will decrease this year by $1.5 trillion.
In an assertive effort to fight inflation, the Federal Reserve is increasing its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point. The federal funds rate now sits at a range from 0.75-1.00%. In a statement on Wednesday, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, noted that this is not the end of aggressive rate hikes as the Fed attempts to fight the largest inflation the U.S. has seen in 40 years. This could result in rates in the 2.75-3.00% range by the end of the year. While stocks responded well to the news on Wednesday afternoon, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 1,063 points on Thursday on its worst day since 2020.
Karine Jean-Pierre will become the new White House Press Secretary when current Press Secretary Jen Psaki steps down later this month, the White House announced this week. Jean-Pierre has served as Principal Deputy Press Secretary for the Biden administration since Biden’s inauguration. She will be the first black White House Press Secretary in history. Psaki is expected to join MSNBC as a host for a cable news show when she leaves the White House on May 13.
The European Union has proposed a ban on all oil imports from Russia by the end of the year. The E.U., which is comprised of 27 nations, has also proposed removing Sberbank, the largest bank in Russia, from the SWIFT international payment network by the end of 2022. The proposal represents yet another round of sanctions against Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine. The proposal must be agreed to by every E.U. nation and has run into opposition. Several countries, including Hungary, raised concerns that the timetable was too short and that more time and money would be needed.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to Episode 61 wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Zander’s Facts’ Linktree page for more on anything Zander’s Facts related: Zander's Facts on Linktree
The Zander’s Facts podcast returns with an all-new episode this Wednesday! Listen in to Episode 62 as Zander lays down everything you need to know about abortion in America. If you have any questions regarding abortion, hit Zander’s Facts up on social media to get your questions answered on Wednesday’s podcast! Remember to check out the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast, coming out this Wednesday morning!
Do remember to check out the next edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts next Sunday! If you haven’t already, make sure to sign up with the link below to get Zander’s Weekend Facts in your email inbox every Sunday so you don’t miss anything!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, May 15, 2022.
