6.23.25 Legal Docket on gender medical interventions, Moneybeat on Middle East risk, and History Book on the Korean War

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It WORLD Radio | Release Date: June 23, 2025

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Introduction

In the June 23, 2025 episode of The World and Everything In It, hosted by Mary Reichardt and Nick Eicher, WORLD Radio delves into three major segments: a pivotal Supreme Court decision on gender medical interventions, an economic analysis of the national debt, and a historical recount of the Korean War. This comprehensive episode combines in-depth legal analysis, financial insights, and historical narrative to inform and engage listeners on critical contemporary and historical issues.

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1. Legal Docket: Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee's Ban on Gender Affirming Care for Minors

Timestamp Reference: [00:05] - [18:40]

Overview: The episode opens with a significant Supreme Court ruling permitting states to protect children from gender medical interventions, distinguishing these regulations from sex discrimination. This controversial decision centers on Tennessee's law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

Key Points & Discussions:

• Court's Decision: The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of Tennessee, stating that the law does not violate the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause.

  • Mary Reichardt notes at [00:05], "The U.S. supreme Court says states can protect children from gender interventions because it's simply not the same thing as sex discrimination."
  • Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissent at [08:26], criticized the majority for undermining protections for transgender youth: "Law did not violate the Constitution's equal protection clause."

• Legal Analysis:

  • Sharif Girgis, an associate professor of law at Notre Dame, explains at [11:17], "The Supreme Court said that that law is okay under the equal protection clause of the Constitution," emphasizing that not all differential treatments constitute discrimination.
  • The court applied a rational basis review, determining that Tennessee's law serves legitimate state interests related to health concerns and potential regret from medical interventions.

• Implications:

  • The ruling may set a precedent affecting other states and policies, such as excluding biological males from women's sports.
  • Mary Reichardt highlights concerns about the precision of legal language and the cultural impact of the court's decision.

• Political and Social Reactions:

  • Democratic Opposition: Democrats criticized President Trump for acting without Congressional approval and expressed concerns over increased risks and costs.
  • Republican Support: Most GOP lawmakers defended the decision, citing the War Powers Act and presidential authority.
  • International Response: Allies like Russia and China condemned the strikes but refrained from military support. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the action a "dangerous escalation."

Notable Quotes:

• Sharif Girgis [11:55]: "Whether you're a male or female minor, you're subject to the same rule."
• Justice Sonia Sotomayor [14:37]: "I can't provide a definition for the word woman."

Conclusion: The Supreme Court's decision marks a significant moment in the ongoing national debate over transgender rights and state authority. By upholding Tennessee's ban, the court has influenced how gender identity issues are approached legally, potentially affecting future legislation and societal norms.

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2. Moneybeat: The Perils of Inaction on the National Debt

Timestamp Reference: [24:02] - [32:43]

Overview: In the Moneybeat segment, financial analyst David Bonson discusses the ramifications of Washington's continued inaction on the national debt. The conversation explores the potential long-term consequences and the urgency of implementing structural reforms to mitigate economic decline.

Key Points & Discussions:

• Current Market Climate:

  • David Bonson observes at [25:01], "There's a little bit of indication that there was some movement into safety, but equities didn't sell off."
  • The geopolitical tensions, particularly the U.S. strike on Iran, have introduced market uncertainties, though immediate impacts have been somewhat contained.

• National Debt Concerns:

  • Bonson emphasizes that inaction won't lead to a sudden fiscal catastrophe but will result in a gradual erosion of economic growth. At [27:16], he states, "The most likely scenario is one we're already experiencing, and that is a slow effect in growth over time."
  • He warns of "downward pressure on economic growth," comparing the situation to a household struggling with significant monthly expenses.

• Long-Term Consequences:

  • Without addressing the debt, essential programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will face forced, abrupt changes, causing greater pain and instability.
  • Bonson argues that entitlements are the "low hanging fruit" and prioritizes reforms in these areas to manage unfunded liabilities effectively.

• Potential Solutions:

  • While acknowledging there is no "silver bullet," Bonson suggests combining a balanced budget amendment with comprehensive spending reforms as initial steps to contain the deficit.
  • He underscores the importance of starting serious conversations around entitlement reforms to ensure sustainable economic policies.

Notable Quotes:

• David Bonson [27:16]: "The most likely scenario is one we're already experiencing, and that is a slow effect in growth over time."
• David Bonson [30:26]: "If you're talking about what it's going to take to deal with the debt and unfunded liabilities of our country, then it has to start with a serious conversation around Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid."

Conclusion: David Bonson paints a sobering picture of the national debt's trajectory, emphasizing that gradual economic decline is imminent if proactive measures are not taken. He advocates for immediate and structural reforms, particularly targeting entitlement programs, to prevent more severe economic repercussions in the future.

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3. History Book: The Outbreak and Conclusion of the Korean War

Timestamp Reference: [33:07] - [38:40]

Overview: The History Book segment, presented by Emma Eicher, chronicles the sudden outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, the strategic military maneuvers that ensued, and the lasting impact of the conflict on the Korean Peninsula and global geopolitics.

Key Points & Discussions:

• Initial Invasion:

  • On June 25, 1950, North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel, swiftly overrunning Seoul and signaling the start of the Korean War.
    • Emma Eicher narrates, "North Korean soldiers attack strategic spots along the border called the 38th parallel."

• U.S. and UN Response:

  • President Harry Truman authorized military intervention under the auspices of the United Nations, sending General Douglas MacArthur to lead the troops.
    • Truman’s address emphasized peace aspirations: "The only reason for the action was hoping, always hoping that we'll finally arrive at the peace in the world..."

• Turning the Tide:

  • In September, MacArthur executed the daring amphibious Incheon Landing (Operation Chromite), which successfully flanked North Korean forces and reversed the initial setbacks.
    • Emma Eicher details, "Marines clamber out of warships, surprising North Koreans in the assault. And the tide finally turns in favor of South Korea."

• Armistice and Legacy:

  • After three years of intense conflict, an armistice was signed, restoring the status quo ante bellum with the 38th parallel remaining the de facto border. The division persists to this day, symbolizing enduring geopolitical tensions.

• NASA's IRIS Mission:

  • Transitioning to a contemporary historical note, NASA's IRIS spacecraft investigates solar phenomena to understand their effects on Earth, highlighting ongoing scientific advancements.
    • Audio from NASA reveals, "The sun is vibrating at lots of different frequencies. We can use those vibrations in the sun to look inside the Sun."

Notable Quotes:

• President Harry Truman [34:38]: "Gentlemen, we face a serious situation. We hope we face it in the cause of peace..."
• Justice Sonia Sotomayor [35:35]: "And the tide finally turns in favor of South Korea."

Conclusion: The Korean War segment provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of one of the pivotal conflicts of the 20th century. It underscores the rapid escalation from diplomatic tensions to full-scale war, the strategic ingenuity employed by U.S. forces to alter the war's course, and the enduring division of Korea as a legacy of Cold War-era geopolitics.

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Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with a preview of upcoming topics, including the dangers of abortion pills and initiatives aimed at revitalizing American values through movements like Fidelity Month. The hosts reaffirm WORLD Radio's commitment to delivering "biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires," inviting listeners to continue supporting their mission through listener contributions.

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Notable Closing Quote: Mary Reichardt [38:55]: "The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires."

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This episode of The World and Everything In It effectively blends legal analysis, economic insights, and historical recounting to provide listeners with a nuanced understanding of pressing issues shaping the world today and reflections on historical events that continue to influence contemporary geopolitics.

Transcript

[Mary Reichardt]

Good morning. The U.S. supreme Court says states can protect children from gender interventions because it's simply not the same thing as sex discrimination.

[Sharif Girgis]

Whether you're a male or female minor, you're subject to the same rule.

[Nick Eicher]

Expert analysis is coming right up on Legal Donken. Also today, the Monday Money Beat. What happens if our lawmakers do nothing about the national debt? You're not going to like it. David Bonson, standing and the World history book. Today, the start of the Korean War. While the world wondered communism marched again.

[Mary Reichardt]

It's Monday, June 23rd. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Mary Reichardt.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Good morning.

[Mary Reichardt]

Up next, Kent Covington has today's news.

[Kent Covington]

The Pentagon has positioned a massive show of force in the Middle east to send a strong message to Iran. Do not retaliate for weekend airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery with the foundation for Defense of Democracies.

[David Bonson]

There's a carrier strike group just south.

[Nick Eicher]

Of the Straits of Hormuz.

[David Bonson]

There's a second carrier strike group coming through from the Pacific, the Nimitz strike group to join them. And then through the Red Sea we have several destroyers.

[Kent Covington]

He says the Red Sea destroyers are designed to guard against attacks by the Iran backed Houthi rebels. And he adds that another five destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean are tasked with helping to shoot down ballistic missiles fired into Israel. More on that momentarily. President Trump made clear in remarks on Saturday after those airstrikes, Iran, the bully.

[David Bonson]

Of the Middle east, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.

[Kent Covington]

But the president stresses that the strikes were limited strictly to Iran's nuclear facilities and that the US does not want to have to fire on any other Iranian targets. Iran did quickly retaliate after those strikes against Israel, launching dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities. Air defenses, including those US Destroyers took out most of the incoming threats, though more than 20 people were wounded. But Iran is also threatening a response against the United States. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakji the US.

[David Bonson]

Administration holds sole and full responsibility for.

[Kent Covington]

The consequences of its actions, including the.

[David Bonson]

Islamic Republic of Iran's right to self.

[Nick Eicher]

Defense under the principles of the United Charter.

[Kent Covington]

He said Iran reserves all options in responding to the U.S. strikes. American troops and bases in the Middle east are on high alert and the State Department has taken precautions to better safeguard personnel abroad. And with smoke still rising from several key nuclear sites in Iran, the US Military is working to determine exactly how much damage it achieved. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Kane said Sunday final battle damage will.

[Nick Eicher]

Take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.

[Kent Covington]

Seven B2 stealth bombers dropped a total of 14 so called bunker buster bombs. Those are also known as MOPS, short for Massive Ordinance Penetrators. They each weigh 30,000 pounds and are the only conventional weapons in the world capable of threatening facilities buried under hundreds of feet of rock and concrete.

[Nick Eicher]

This was the largest B2 operational strike in US history and the second longest B2 mission ever flown, exceeding the bombers.

[Kent Covington]

Departed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Only the U.S. air Force B2s can be equipped with those particular bombs. On Capitol Hill, opinions are sharply divided on President Trump's decision to order those strikes. Democrats immediately criticized the move. Congressman Ro Khanna now you're going to.

[David Bonson]

Force Iran to go covertly in developing this nuclear material. Now you put American troops at risk. Now you're wasting billions of our dollars because we're sending more troops to the Middle East.

[Kent Covington]

Many Democrats also say the president was constitutionally obligated to seek authority from Congress, and at least two Republicans have said the same. But most GOP lawmakers say the War Powers act gave the president all the authority he needed. Congressman Greg Stubby he has the authority to protect our service members to be.

[David Bonson]

Able to take military action when he deems authorized under the US Constitution.

[Kent Covington]

Reactions have also been mixed around the world. Iran's two biggest allies, Russia and China, strongly condemned the airstrikes, but notably, they have signaled absolutely no interest whatsoever in coming to Iran's defense militarily. And UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also criticized the strikes as a dangerous escalation and a perilous turn.

[Mary Reichardt]

We now risk descending into a rat.

[Nick Eicher]

Hole of retaliation after retaliation.

[Kent Covington]

A number of European leaders have stopped short of criticizing the move outright, but called for restraint and de escalation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was also serving as acting national security adviser, responded. He said even countries that are publicly critical of the strikes, privately, they all.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

Agree with us that this needed to be done.

[Nick Eicher]

They got to do what they got.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

To do for, you know, their own public relations purposes.

[Kent Covington]

But the only people in the world.

[David Bonson]

That are unhappy about what happened in.

[Nick Eicher]

Iran last night is the regime in Iran.

[Kent Covington]

But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer seemingly voiced support, affirming after those strikes that Iran, his words, can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, though he too is now calling for de escalation And Israel, of course, is expressing gratitude. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he asked President Trump for help in destroying those key nuclear facilities in Iran.

[Nick Eicher]

I told him of our need to act. He understood it very well. And I knew that when push comes to shove, he would do the right thing. He would do the right thing for America, he would do the right thing for the free world. He would do the right thing for civilization.

[Kent Covington]

Israel had assessed that Iran could have been merely weeks away from a nuclear weapon, a fear supported by recent reports from the UN's nuclear watchdog agency. In Michigan, police say a security guard at a church in suburban Detroit stopped a gunman who had rammed his pickup truck into the church and then opened fire. The Wayne Police Department says officers responded to an active shooter Sunday morning at Cross Point Community Church. Arriving officers discovered that the security guard sustained a gunshot wound to the leg, but had shot and killed the suspect. No one else was hurt. Police are still investigating the incident. The Thunder made history last night in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

[Nick Eicher]

For the first time, the NBA champion resides at Oklahoma City. The storybook season is complete.

[Kent Covington]

The last time the Franchise Captured Larry O' Brien Trophy was in 1979, but the team was then the Seattle SuperSonics. The Oklahoma City Thunder got it done in front of the home crowd last night, beating The Indiana Pacers 103 to 91. I'm Kent Cuffington. And straight ahead, the Supreme Court releases more opinions, plus the Monday Money beat with David Bonson. This is the world and everything in it.

[Mary Reichardt]

It's the world and everything in it for this 23rd day of June, 2025. We're so glad you've joined us today. Good morning. I'm Mary Reichert.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Icker.

[Kent Covington]

Good morning.

[Mary Reichardt]

We are coming on the air with.

[Sharif Girgis]

Breaking news from the U.S. supreme Court.

[Mary Reichardt]

Breaking news, the Supreme Court has just released a major decision upholding a Tennessee.

[Kent Covington]

Ban on gender affirming care for transgender minors. It's an important decision.

[Mary Reichardt]

This is a heartbreaking ruling for transgender young people.

[David Bonson]

The ruling was 6 to 3 decision.

[Mary Reichardt]

Today, the justices ruled that the state's.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

Law did not violate the Constitution's equal protection clause.

[Kent Covington]

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent.

[Nick Eicher]

The outcome in this case, quote, authorizes without second thought untold harm to transgender children and the parents and families who love them.

[David Bonson]

If everybody starts following suit, then we're just stuck.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

I mean, I don't know what that.

[David Bonson]

Would mean for us.

[Mary Reichardt]

The states get to do what they want, if they want to pass bans, if they want to keep things just as they are, they're able to do it. But we as the court are not going to be the final arbiters of that.

[Nick Eicher]

The White House released a statement saying in part, quote, today's landmark ruling by.

[Kent Covington]

The Supreme Court is a victory for.

[Nick Eicher]

Our Constitution and common sense.

[Mary Reichardt]

Tennessee, not alone here, roughly half of states have a ban that is similar to the one in Tennessee. And this focuses on access to certain medications that can facilitate.

[Nick Eicher]

That is one of the monumental cases of the Supreme Court term. And as resounding as it was and as alarmed as the three dissenting justices were, Mary's analysis of this case does come with a bit of a cause for concern. Chief Justice John Roberts majority opinion in the case does accept some of the assumptions of gender ideology. And she will tell you about that in just a few minutes. We've got quite a bit to cover.

[Mary Reichardt]

We do. But before we do, let's give a quick update on the June giving drive. If you remember, back in the first week, we had an initial challenge gift and it took you just three days to exceed it. And then the next week came a second larger challenge gift. And, and guess what? We can report it was just another three days and you exceeded that. So it's going great. Thank you for your support. And if you haven't given yet and you've been thinking you want to, well, we're down to our last week of the drive and we do still need your gift.

[Nick Eicher]

Yeah, we do. And every gift goes to journalism, more strong analysis, more in the field reporting more daily news, in print, online and on the air. In other words, more of what you rely on from World now for our part, we simply rely on you. So when we say listener supported, well, that's exactly what we mean. Please go to wng.org junegivingdrive and if you benefit from the kind of analysis you get with legal docket, if you benefit from the wisdom of people like David Bonson and John Stonestreet, if our reporting from Washington and around the world, frankly, if that reporting is worth supporting, then please make that known in this June giving drive. Well, time now for legal doc at the case US V. Scormetti. It drew attention as the most significant ruling on how the Constitution applies to laws about transgender medical interventions.

[Mary Reichardt]

I called up an associate professor of law at Notre Dame Law School to talk about the decision. Sharif Girgis focuses on constitutional law and served as clerk for Justice Samuel Alito.

[Sharif Girgis]

The Supreme Court said that that law is okay under the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

[Mary Reichardt]

Gerkus explained what that clause means.

[Sharif Girgis]

So it shows up in the 14th Amendment, which was adopted after the Civil War. It says that no state shall deny to any person equal protection of the laws.

[Mary Reichardt]

But not every law that treats people differently violates that clause. And that's because some classifications, like those based on race or sex, require a higher bar to justify infringing on the rights of people based on those traits. Gurgis says this case turned on whether Tennessee's law changes used one of those so called suspect classifications.

[Sharif Girgis]

You're allowed to apply those to minors for all kinds of reasons, for example, puberty blockers to deal with precocious or early puberty. But you're not allowed to apply them to any minors if the goal of the treatment is to relieve the distress of gender dysphoria or to help the minor approximate the physical characteristics of the opposite sex. In other words, whether you're a male or female minor, you're subject to the same rule.

[Nick Eicher]

And that's the difference. Medical purpose, not gender identity to return a body to normal physiology, not to change it for reasons of asserted mental health. The decision says the law merely regulates a specific use of treatment for gender transition. That's the argument made by Tennessee's lawyer Matthew Rice back in December. The equal protection clause does not require.

[David Bonson]

The states to blind themselves to medical.

[Nick Eicher]

Reality or to treat unlike things the same. Justice Alito raised a key question during oral argument in this exchange with Chase Strangio, the lawyer, arguing to strike down Tennessee's law.

[Kent Covington]

Are there individuals who are born male.

[David Bonson]

Who at one point identify as female but then later come to identify?

[Nick Eicher]

Are there not such people? There are such people.

[Sharif Girgis]

I agree with that. Justice so it's not an immutable characteristic, is it?

[Mary Reichardt]

Gurga says that exchange goes to the heart of the court's reasoning, whether gender identity is an immutable trait. And the court has a test for that.

[Sharif Girgis]

And that test looks to a couple different factors. So whether, as the case law puts it, a discrete and insular minority based on an immutable characteristic, and whether that group lacks political power where there's a history of discrimination against the group, and whether the trait in question has any reasonable connection to policy concerns. And on those fronts, the justices said transgender status should not trigger heightened scrutiny.

[Nick Eicher]

Just as Elena Kagan dissented. She thought heightened scrutiny was appropriate here, but said lower courts should sort out the facts first. Justice Sonia Sotomayor went further in dissent, joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. In full, that dissent faults the state for approving a law that relies on sex stereotypes. And that raises the question of the meaning of words. Recall this infamous exchange between Senator Marsha Blackburn and then Judge Jackson during her confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court. Can you provide a definition for the word woman?

[Kent Covington]

Can I provide a definition?

[Mary Reichardt]

No.

[Nick Eicher]

Yeah.

[Kent Covington]

I can't.

[Mary Reichardt]

You can't? Not in this context. I'm not a biologist. Meaning of the word woman is so.

[Nick Eicher]

Unclear and controversial that you can't give me a definition.

[Mary Reichardt]

If a judge must be a biologist to define the sexes, how can a justice rely on arguments about sex stereotypes? That aside, the majority pointed out the law is not about sex stereotypes. It's about health concerns and potential regret. And that is a legislative call, not a judicial one.

[Sharif Girgis]

The fact that there's uncertainty is an extra reason, in the court's view, for the courts to defer to lawmakers. So lawmakers have all kinds of means at their disposal to try to wade through the empirical, medical, other sorts of evidence on both sides of an issue. They can hold hearings. They can bring in experts to testify. They can question the experts. They can commission studies. They can do all kinds of things. Courts are more limited in the resources they have to examine those factual issues.

[Mary Reichardt]

And then there's the matter of states rights.

[Sharif Girgis]

And in the court's view, in general, it's for the states to make the kinds of controversial, empirical and medical judgments that are involved in regulating health and the state's origin of deference from the courts on that front. So the fact that there's controversy and change and flux on these issues just makes it that much harder for the court to overcome its default of deferring to the states on health policy.

[Mary Reichardt]

I asked Gergis what this ruling might mean going forward in other contexts. For example, if women's sports can exclude biological males as a matter of policy.

[Sharif Girgis]

It'Ll be hard for people to say those other policies are unconstitutional because they discriminate against transgender identifying people. And then, as we've discussed, at least three of the justices are on the record now saying, we don't even think that laws that do discriminate based on gender identity should trigger heightened scrutiny. And so that might influence how lower courts think about that question in other cases.

[Mary Reichardt]

Gerkis studies the intersection of law and religion. So I asked him about that.

[Sharif Girgis]

People do also have religious beliefs about these issues based on a genesis vision of male and female being kind of original parts of the created order and valuable and. And complementary and equal. And from those angles, then, you know you'll face a question if you're an employer, if you are running a school. If you're in these other capacities in civil society where you want to honor your own beliefs about men and women in the public square, I think there's a cultural impact to the Court saying those distinctions are reasonable.

[Mary Reichardt]

One other note we referenced at the top on page 12 of the opinion, and you can read this for yourself. The chief justice, justice referred to a biological female as a he. I'll read it. When, for example, a transgender boy whose biological sex is female takes puberty blockers to treat his gender incongruence, he receives a different medical treatment than a boy whose biological sex is male who takes puberty blockers to treat his precocious puberty. So two kinds of boy, and one of them is a girl. In a Supreme Court opinion upholding a state law protecting children from this kind of confusion. And that's a problem because laws and the judges who interpret them need to be precise in language. It's a false premise to just take a person's subjective feeling as reality. Accepting ideological language moves the culture in directions for which courts are not well suited. Still, the key legal takeaway is the Court's rational basis standard of review. And that will be useful in future cases involving gender ideology, greenlighting legislatures, and not just at the state level.

[Nick Eicher]

All right. In a 5, 4 opinion in Pertu v. Richards, the Supreme Court ruled that when there is a fact dispute over whether a prisoner completed the prison's internal grievance procedure, that is for a jury to decide, not a judge. The dispute centers on a 1996 law called the Prison Litigation Reform Act. It aimed to reduce frivolous lawsuits filed by inmates. But inmate Kyle Richards alleges the process failed him. He filed a grievance, but the prison staff allegedly destroyed it.

[Mary Reichardt]

Mike Fox with the libertarian Cato Institute supported Richards.

[David Bonson]

So you wind up with a situation where the person who is responsible for taking the reports or the claims just destroys them, and then the prisoner never gets his day in court.

[Mary Reichardt]

Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority, said the 7th Amendment guarantees the right to a jury trial.

[David Bonson]

Justice Roberts, in his opinion, did note that increased litigation concerns cannot override constitutional right.

[Mary Reichardt]

The decision means Richards case can proceed, but it doesn't necessarily mean it'll succeed in the end.

[Nick Eicher]

Fox says he would have preferred a unanimous opinion instead of a split, but it doesn't matter.

[David Bonson]

It's just like if you pass the bar exam by 1 point versus 100 points, you're still a lawyer.

[Nick Eicher]

The four dissenters argued that the law does not mention jury trial, so courts Ought not read that into it. Well, we'll end today with four more decisions in brief.

[Mary Reichardt]

Yeah. And this opinion had court watchers laughing, including me, because it's 2025 now and this case is about faxes. One 24 year old commenter on a Supreme Court blog had to ask, what is a fax? While the replies poured in. For example, it's when an email and a phone call have a baby. In another, a fax is a big paper tweet. And then I would tell you, but first you'd have to know what a landline is.

[Nick Eicher]

Well, anyway, it was a 6 to 3 ruling in which the court sided with a small medical practice that sued the McKesson Corporation for sending out these unsolicited big paper tweets, as it were. The majority saying that trial courts don't have to follow the FCC's definition of what counts as a fax under this law.

[Mary Reichardt]

Next, a 7 to 2 decision about sentencing limits for people on supervised release. Edgardo Estaraz had served time for heroin possession while out on release. He fired a gun during a domestic dispute. The judge gave him more time, citing the need to promote respect for the law.

[Nick Eicher]

But the court said no, judges don't get to use that as a sentencing factor. The law lays out what they can consider and promoting respect is not one of them. Justice Sotomayor said as much during oral argument.

[David Bonson]

What you are basically saying is you can use anything you want. District Court Judge.

[Mary Reichardt]

You just can't use it for this purpose.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

Correct?

[Mary Reichardt]

Next, a loss for disabled workers who retire early. Karen Stanley fought fires in Florida for 19 years. Parkinson's forced her to retire early. She thought she'd keep health insurance coverage until age 65. But a policy change meant it would end after just two years and she hadn't known that. So she sued, claiming disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

[Nick Eicher]

But the court ruled 7 to 2 against her. The ADA doesn't cover retirees, only qualified individuals and qualified in quotation marks. The court said she was no longer a qualified individual, so she loses about $1,000 per month in health benefits.

[Mary Reichardt]

Finally today, a unanimous decision that closes American courts to terror victims seeking justice from foreign entities. Ari Fold was an American Israeli stabbed to death in the West Bank. His family sued the PLO under a US Anti terror law, but the court said, not so fast. PLO's lawyer Mitchell Berger had the winning argument back in April.

[David Bonson]

Nobody likes pirates, right? Pirates have been bad from the founding. Nobody ever thought that even though piracy is a crime against humanity or It's a crime that fits in the define and punish clause that certainly the United States can define piracy as an offense, but the United States does not try pirates in absentia.

[Nick Eicher]

Same goes for foreign terror groups. No U.S. trial with no U.S. ties.

[Mary Reichardt]

And that's this week's legal docket.

[Kent Covington]

Additional support comes from Water's edge Kingdom.

[Nick Eicher]

Investments, personal investments that build churches.

[Kent Covington]

5.05% APY on a three month term.

[Nick Eicher]

Watersedge.com investor.

[Mary Reichardt]

Coming up next on THE WORLD and everything in it, the Monday MONEY beat.

[Nick Eicher]

Time now to talk business, markets and the economy with financial analyst and advisor David Bonson. David heads up the wealth management firm the Bonson Group, and he is here now. Good morning to you, David.

[David Bonson]

Well, good morning, Nick. Good to be with you.

[Nick Eicher]

Hey, I do want to spend some time on the national debt. I did appreciate the work that you put into the Dividend Cafe on that topic. And honestly, I just don't think that we can talk about it too much. But that said, David, the US Direct strike on Iran, that's going to have massive implications even if we can't anticipate all of them at this moment. So taking that into account, taking into account the spike in oil prices that followed Israel's initial strike on Iran, and then all of the usual noise we hear around the Fed around interest rates and earnings season being right around the corner, it feels like there's a lot swirling around. How are the markets handling the mix?

[David Bonson]

Well, it's difficult in a week like this that was so captivated by the geopolitical foreign policy stories playing out in the Middle east and obviously the impact on oil markets. That story had sort of begun a week ago. We talked about it last week. But then kind of the ongoing uncertainty paused a bit of market activity. So there's a little bit of indication that there was some movement into safety, but equities didn't sell off. And I don't think that you're looking at a big risk factor. The Fed did exactly what we knew they would do, which was not raise rates and kind of, you know, hold out a status quo kind of approach that they think they're going to cut a couple times by the end of the year. But I think that, you know, right now trying to figure out what, how the Senate is going to get this big beautiful bill through. And then of course, where President Trump is going to go with some of the decisions around Iran, those are big issues. In the meantime, we'll get into the month of July soon enough enough, and then we'll have A new quarterly earnings season. You know, we'll start reporting, companies will start reporting how they did in Q2, and they'll start doing that in the middle of July. That is probably the next thing I'm focused on to find out what companies are saying. The impact was from that uncertainty we had during April when President Trump was first threatening the real draconian tariffs. So there's a few things lingering out there, Nick, that are all interesting, but that's kind of why they they say markets never sleep.

[Nick Eicher]

Well, David, let's return to the question that I intended to start with. And that's basically this. What if Washington does nothing to address the national debt? Given the political incentives and given the track record of Congress, clearly inaction seems not only likely, it seems almost inevitable that that will be the approach Congress takes. So what does it mean if Washington continues down this path of doing essential nothing to fix the debt mess? What happens next? What are the long term consequences of that?

[David Bonson]

Well, I think that the problem is that the way in which they do nothing is not necessarily totally clear either, because there's different ways you can do nothing. And I know that sounds kind of counterintuitive, but along the way, certain things will become more evident and the question is how they respond to those things that don't all happen at one time. That's one of the big criticisms I have of this whole entire issue, is that a lot of people have this view in their mind that there's this big buildup of national debt and then one day there's kind of an explosion like a bomb going off. And then the question is, what are we going to do when this bomb has gone off? And I don't think that reflects a real careful understanding of history or the way that debt fueled financial problems come to bear. It isn't often that there's just sort of one big moment. There's kind of an eroding effect over time. And my argument I make in Dividend Cafe is that the most likely scenario is one we're already experiencing, and that is a slow effect in growth over time. In other words, downward pressure on economic growth. And it doesn't come at one moment. It comes, as T.S. eliot talked about, as a whimper, not a bang. And I think that this has really not been as bad as some would have predicted yet. But I consider it a really significant development in American economic growth that we are all just used to growing 30 to 40% less per year than we were used to growing for 70, 75 years after World War II. That impact over time becomes really problematic for the opportunities that our kids and grandkids will have. But in terms of the eventual things that I think are all but inevitable, changes to Social Security, changes to Medicare changes, what I'm arguing is that if nothing is done, those things become forced changes, then they're of a higher magnitude, then they're of a quicker speed, and then they become more painful. What I don't argue is that there's some scenario that if we just act now, we can avoid pain. Pain is definitely unavoidable at this point.

[Nick Eicher]

Yeah, and that's just it, isn't it? I mean, we go to great lengths and perhaps I shouldn't speak for everyone or presume to just speak for myself. And as a Thomas Sowell devotee who understands the maxim that there are no solutions, only trade offs, we still find ourselves wanting some kind of silver bullet solution, even though we know rationally that one doesn't exist. But that said, David, if you could implement a single structural reform, what would it be? Would it be something like a balanced budget amendment? And suppose in the unlikely event Washington ever were to be inclined to act, what would be the one change that you would prioritize?

[David Bonson]

Well, I don't believe that there is one silver bullet, and I don't believe that even that one addresses the national debt. All that one does, which is most definitely the first thing and most important thing I would suggest doing, but it's still just simply dealing with not adding to the problem. It's basically a way to say, okay, before we fix, you know, the damage from this, let's at least stop the digging. And so yes, I think that some form of balanced budget amendment combined with other spending reforms, but it's still not dealing with the present level situation. It's just trying to contain the annual deficit. But if you're talking about silver bullet, like, what do we do to really deal with this significant issue? Anything that isn't starting with entitlements, with Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid is a complete waste of time. That's the issue. That's where it has to start. That's the low hanging fruit. And you know, I could give an analogy. I try it all the time. A household that is, you know, 40% of their expenses each month are their house payment and they're a few thousand dollars a month over budget and they're trying to deal with their Wi Fi bill instead of their House payment. Most of us would just laugh at it like, like what are you, what are you really doing by trying to address, you know, $20 and $40 bills when your thousands of dollars overextended In a way, that's kind of what our national fiscal situation is. Our big screaming obvious issue is to deal with Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. But we talk about as if we could, you know, turn the knob a little here, a little there and make a difference. I want to turn all the knobs we can. I don't want to waste any money. But if you're talking about what it's going to take to deal with the debt and unfunded liabilities of our country, then it has to start with a serious conversation around Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

[Nick Eicher]

All right. David Bonson, founder, managing partner and chief investment officer at the Bonson Group. He writes regularly for World opinions [e-mail] David, thank you again. We will see you next time.

[David Bonson]

Thanks so much, Nick. Good to be with you.

[Nick Eicher]

Today is Monday, June 23rd. Good morning. This is the WORLD and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Nick Eicher.

[Mary Reichardt]

And I'm Mary Reichard. Up next, the world history book. NASA investigates unpredictable space weather to see how it affects us on earth. But first, the sudden outbreak of the Korean War leaves the Western world scrambling to respond. Here's World's Emma Eicher.

[Nick Eicher]

CLOSE on the heels of discussions of far strategy by Generals MacArthur and Bradley comes news that communist troops have invaded Southern Korea.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

In 1950. Tensions are running high. The end of World War II splits Korea into two distinct the communist north with its Soviet occupiers and the southern republic. There are goals to unify the country, but negotiations turned sour between Russia and the West. Even the United nations has no solution. Then on June 25, the simmering unrest bursts into all out war. AUDIO from British PATHE While the world.

[Nick Eicher]

Wondered, Communism marched again.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

North Korean soldiers attack strategic spots along the border called the 38th parallel. They advance south and easily overtake the southern capital of Seoul. On June 28, the United States immediately joins forces with the UN and South Korea to repel the invasion. President Harry Truman appears in front of the army of Reserves to make the announcement.

[Nick Eicher]

He quietly speaks of the momentous decision to defend Corel. Gentlemen, we face a serious situation. We hope we face it in the cause of peace. The only reason for the action was hoping, always hoping that we'll finally arrive at the peace in the world which we anticipated when we created the United Nations. That's the only reason for the action. Thank you very much.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

Truman sends his best general Douglas MacArthur to command the troops. But the Communist forces are relentless, eventually pushing the Western army up against the tip of the peninsula. There's nowhere else to go, and it seems like the north might eke out a victory. Then, in September, MacArthur launches an amphibious land behind enemy lines at Incheon Beach. It's called Operation Chromite.

[Nick Eicher]

As the first wave lands, carrier aircraft, guns and rockets shift their attack to the mainland.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

Marines clamber out of warships, surprising North Koreans in the assault. And the tide finally turns in favor of South Korea. The army gains ground and pushes the enemy back to the border.

[Nick Eicher]

And so the biggest landing since D Day races to its successful climax. Planned and mounted in secrecy, whilst the cause on land seemed lost. The invasion to end the war quickly is pulled off. The daring trap is sprung. The rest is time.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

And time it would take. After three more years of war, north and South Korea sign an armistice where both countries are left much the same as they were at the end of World War II. And 75 years later, the 38th parallel still divides the free south from the authoritarian North. Next, NASA gets curious about the sun. Audio from the Goddard Space Flight Center.

[Sharif Girgis]

You're actually hearing the vibration of the sun. It almost has a warmth to it. It's just enough where I can almost feel the sound on my skin or on my clothes.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

As part of its deep dive into heliophysics, or sun science, NASA launches the iris spacecraft on June 27, 2013. The craft's real name is the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, so IRIS for short. The sun has a thin layer around it called the chromosphere, between the Sun's visible atmosphere and the surface. As it orbits the star. IRIS takes images of the chromosphere, gathering data. That data, called spectra, is sent back to engineers on the ground. IRIS specific mission is to examine solar flares so scientists can find out how they affect us on Earth. How, for example, do they cause radio blackouts, damage satellites and knockout power grids? And IRIS leads to even more scientific knowledge after that.

[Sharif Girgis]

The sun is vibrating at lots of different frequencies. We can use those vibrations in the.

[Nick Eicher]

Sun to look inside the Sun.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

This year, on June 11, another sun orbiting mission captured the first ever images of the Sun's north and south poles. The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter spacecraft uses data from the poles to examine the star's magnetic field, among other things. Audio from Space.com we're going to places.

[Nick Eicher]

Where no other solar telescopes have been before. We're going to be very close to the sun to take very high resolution images of the sun unprecedented.

[Justice Sonia Sotomayor]

Scientists are hopeful that the best is yet to come, as the orbiter is already unraveling many of the Sun's mysteries. That's this week's World History Book. I'm Emma Eicher.

[Nick Eicher]

Tomorrow, a new study reveals how dangerous abortion pills really are for women. And can Fidelity Month help to move Americans back toward God and family? We'll talk with the founder of the movement. That and more tomorrow. I'm Nick Icker.

[Mary Reichardt]

And I'm Mary Riker. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires. The psalmist writes, with my voice, I cry out to the Lord. With my voice, I plead for mercy to the Lord, I pour out my complaint before him, I tell my trouble before him. Verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 142. Go now in gorgeous grace and peace.