Friday morning news - June 18, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Democrats celebrate another legal win for Obamacare » Democrats on Capitol Hill are celebrating another legal win for Obamacare.

The Supreme Court ruled for the third time on Thursday to let the Affordable Care Act stand.

SCHUMER: The ACA is here to stay. And now, we’re going to try to make it bigger and better.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer heard there.

In the 7-2 decision, four conservative justices sided with the majority … including Amy Coney Barrett. Democrats painted her as a threat to the healthcare law during confirmation hearings last year.

The Republican-led challenge claimed the individual mandate, which required most Americans to obtain health insurance or face a penalty, was unconstitutional. The court upheld the mandate in 2012 because Congress has the power to levy a tax on people without insurance.

During President Trump’s administration, Congress reduced that tax penalty to zero. Republican states renewed their objection to the law saying it did not pass constitutional muster anymore because it didn’t include a tax.

But the justices said the states did not have standing to sue because they could not prove the law harmed them.

High court sides with Catholic agency in foster care dispute » Religious liberty advocates are also celebrating a big win in a separate case on Thursday. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has more.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: The Supreme Court unanimously sided with a Catholic foster care agency who’s religious values prevent it from working with same-sex couples as foster parents.

The justices said the city of Philadelphia violated first First Amendment rights of Catholic Social Services by limiting its work with the group over its policies.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that CSS—quote—“seeks only an accommodation that will allow it to continue serving the children of Philadelphia in a manner consistent with its religious beliefs; it does not seek to impose those beliefs on anyone else.”

A lawyer with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty who argued on behalf of Catholic Social Services cheered the ruling. In a statement, Becket’s Lori Windham said “It’s a beautiful day when the highest court in the land protects foster moms and the 200-year-old religious ministry that supports them.”

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

Chirstian baker to appeal discrimination ruling in religious liberty case » Meantime in Colorado, Jack Phillips is still locked in a legal struggle over his First Amendment rights.

The Christian owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop won a U.S. Supreme Court case after declinging to back a wedding cake for same-sex couple. But he’s now battling another case in which he’s been accused of discrimination after declining bake a cake celebrating a gender transition.

District Court Judge A. Bruce Jones ruled this week that Phillips discriminated against transgender attorney Autumn Scardina, who requested the cake.

Phillips is appealing the ruling. Alliance Defending Freedom, which is defending Phillips issued a statement, saying “Every American should have the freedom to live and work according to their beliefs without fear of government punishment.”

State of Texas planning to go it alone on border wall » Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says his state will spend up to $250 million to build more barriers along the southern border in Texas.

ABBOTT: We will build the wall. We will secure the border. But most importantly, we will restore safety to the citizens who live in the Lone Star State.

The governor’s office is also crowdsourcing funds for more barriers … setting up a website and post office box where people can donate money to the effort.

The governor said the Biden administration is choosing not to enforce the nation's immigration laws, and that Texas communities are paying the price in the form of increased crime and drug trafficking. That, he said, has forced the state to act on its own.

Questions remain over how far the state can take a project whose total cost, length, and timeline are unclear. And the effort could face legal challenges, including from the federal government.

Abbott said he wants the U.S. government to return land obtained for the border wall and return it to private citizens who can allow Texas to finish the job.

Editors of Hong Kong newspaper arrested under security law » Hong Kong police used China’s new so-called national security law Thursday to arrest five editors and executives of a pro-democracy newspaper. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Thursday’s arrests mark the first time the Chinese government has used the legislation against the press in yet another crackdown on fading liberties in Hong Kong.

Police said they had evidence that more than 30 articles published by Apple Daily played a “crucial part” in what they called a conspiracy with foreign countries to impose sanctions against China and Hong Kong.

Apple Daily has long been one of the most outspoken defenders of Hong Kong's freedoms. Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai is currently serving a 20-month prison sentence after being convicted of playing a role in pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019.

Those arrested Thursday included Apple Daily’s chief editor, the CEO of its publisher Next Digital, and multiple top editors.

Police also froze millions of dollars in assets belonging to three companies linked to Apple Daily.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

I'm Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.