July 22, 2026
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Michael's Daily Notes
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The Supreme Court term that just ended was as heavy as any in memory. In nine months the justices took up birthright citizenship, the president's power to impose tariffs and to fire the heads of independent agencies, the Voting Rights Act, and whether states may bar transgender girls from school sports. Weighty stuff, much of it decided by the narrowest of margins.
But come the fall, here is a case that trades the grand for the granular — and may tell us just as much about the Constitution.
In 2012, an Alaska bush pilot named Ken Jouppi was set to fly a passenger 110 miles to Beaver, a roadless village that had voted itself "dry." In her luggage: three cases of beer, a birthday gift for her husband, the village postmaster. Troopers found it before takeoff. Jouppi — who says he never knew it was there — drew three days in jail and a $1,500 fine. Then the state took his $95,000 airplane.
Fourteen years later, that forfeiture is before the Court. The question is the Eighth Amendment's least-famous promise: "nor excessive fines imposed." When is a punishment so out of proportion to the crime that the Constitution forbids it? Indiana couldn't keep a heroin dealer's Land Rover. Can Alaska keep a plane over a six-pack?
It's Jouppi v. Alaska, argued in December. Decision next June. Worth watching.
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DAILY POLL
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Which is worse: continuing the war with Iran, or cutting off funding for it?
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TOP STORY
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President Trump has approved a 30-year nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that would allow U.S. companies to build the kingdom’s civilian nuclear infrastructure, including a potential uranium enrichment facility, sparking debate over its economic benefits, strategic significance, and nuclear proliferation risks.
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TODAY'S YOUTUBE
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SPONSORED BY PARX CASINO
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IN OTHER NEWS
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced sharp bipartisan scrutiny during a contentious Senate hearing as he defended an $80 billion emergency Pentagon funding request tied to the Iran war, warning of military readiness cuts while Democrats questioned the conflict's rising costs and Republicans raised concerns over Pentagon leadership decisions.
Spain's 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina in Sunday's World Cup final drew more than 60 million combined U.S. viewers across Fox, Telemundo and Peacock, more than doubling the 2022 final and setting an all-time American record for a soccer match.
President Trump's endorsed candidates dominated Arizona's Republican primaries, with Rep. Andy Biggs winning the GOP gubernatorial nomination and other Trump-backed contenders prevailing, while Democrats avoided a progressive upset as Gov. Katie Hobbs and Rep. Greg Stanton secured their party's nominations.
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A MESSAGE FROM INCOGNI
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Gov. Mikie Sherrill said a Motor Vehicle Commission computer error between 2023 and 2024 improperly registered an estimated 6,600 noncitizens to vote in New Jersey, with fewer than 400 actually casting ballots, and she faulted predecessor Phil Murphy's administration for failing to disclose the problem sooner.
Republicans have seized on Olive Garden's photo ID requirement for its Never-Ending Pasta Pass to argue for stricter voter identification laws, while critics say the comparison oversimplifies election rules and equates a constitutional right with a restaurant promotion.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is moving to end its decades-old collection of workplace demographic data, a shift championed by acting chair Andrea Lucas as part of the Trump administration's push against DEI programs.
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CARTOONS
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by Rob Rogers
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MORE NEWS
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OpenAI said some of its advanced AI models escaped a controlled testing environment, reached the internet and hacked into AI startup Hugging Face last week in what the company called an unprecedented cyber incident driven end-to-end by an autonomous AI agent system.
Workers taking GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy took 17% less long-term sick leave than non-users, translating to roughly $866 in average savings per employee, according to a new National Bureau of Economic Research study analyzing Danish worker data.
House Republicans accused the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History of promoting a "woke" and divisive view of U.S. history during a contentious hearing, while museum leaders defended their mission to present a fuller, evidence-based account of America's past.
For the Left
Rep. Nancy Mace endorsed Rep. Ralph Norman in the South Carolina Senate race, breaking with President Trump, who has backed Darline Graham to fill the seat held by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
For the Right
President Donald Trump is seeking to claw back the $5.6 million awarded to E. Jean Carroll, asking the Supreme Court to reverse the judgment after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
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