| WORDS OF WISDOM | | “A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.” | | —Thomas Jefferson | |
Good morning! Today, we’re covering the key takeaways from the Supreme Court’s ruling on so-called gender-affirming care, Iran’s response to President Donald Trump’s call for unconditional surrender, and a staggering drop in the number of illegal immigrants released into the United States.
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5 Takeaways From Supreme Court Decision on ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ The Supreme Court has issued a major decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on so-called gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, for minors. Its decision on June 18 will likely influence how states craft legislation and how other gender-related cases unfold in the legal system.
In the case United States v. Skrmetti, a majority of the justices disagreed with the Biden administration’s argument that Tennessee’s law should undergo more rigorous scrutiny in the courts. Instead, Chief Justice John Roberts said in his majority opinion that courts should apply a less rigorous standard known as rational basis, under which states have to show that their law is rationally related to a state interest.
The Tennessee law forbids all medical treatments intended to allow “a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex” or to treat “purported discomfort or distress from a [disagreement] between the minor’s sex and asserted identity.” Here are some key takeaways from the decision and what to expect from future cases. (More) |
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Iran’s Leader Rejects Trump’s Call for ‘Unconditional Surrender’ Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected a call by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran to unconditionally surrender amid the regime’s aerial war with Israel. Trump earlier this week called for the “unconditional surrender” of Iran’s regime, led by Khamenei, as Israel launched airstrikes against Iranian infrastructure, including its nuclear facilities, in the past five days. Iran has responded by firing hundreds of missiles at Israel.
“The US President threatens us. With his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn’t frightened by such threats,” Khamenei wrote in a post on X on Wednesday morning in response to Trump.
Iranian state television also aired footage of Khamenei giving a statement that was read out by a TV anchor on Wednesday, including a warning to the United States that joining the Israeli strikes targeting his country will “result in irreparable damage for them.” (More) |
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Zero Illegal Immigrants Released Into US in May Border Patrol did not release any illegal immigrants into the country in May, a “staggering drop” from the more than 62,000 illegal immigrants whom Border Patrol was “forced to release along the southwest border” during the same period in 2024, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said.
Border Patrol encountered just 8,725 illegal immigrants crossing the southwest border in May, down from 117,905 illegal immigrants encountered in May 2024. “Border numbers continue to trend at historic lows, reinforcing the sustained success of our enforcement efforts in securing the homeland and protecting American communities,” acting CBP Commissioner Pete Flores said.
CBP’s total nationwide encounters, including at ports of entry, averaged roughly 952 per day in May, which is the “second lowest average daily number of CBP encounters in history,” according to the agency. (More) |
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 | | The Best of Bach: 10 Great Baroque Compositions | | Donald Jay Grout’s “A History of Western Music,” first published by W.W. Norton in 1960, is considered the definitive single-volume book on the subject.
Grout is gospel among music historians, and, in the eighth edition, we encounter this proclamation: “Posterity has raised Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) to the pinnacle of composers of all time.”
Bach was also one of the most prolific composers. The Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, or Bach Works Catalogue (BWV), currently ascribes 1,176 pieces of music to him (the most recent 50 of which were only added in our century).
Among so many works, choosing the 10 “best” pieces is difficult. But we can at least give it a shot.
Toccata and Fugue in D minor (BWV 565)—This is probably the most recognizable piece of any that Bach wrote, which is mostly due to its association with Halloween.
The “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” displays Bach’s virtuoso organ skills, the instrument for which he was most famous in his lifetime. It begins with fast arpeggios in a free style, then transitions to the more structured Fugue where the main theme is overlapped and repeated in different melodies.
“Air on the G String” (BWV 1068)—This is one of the most serene and relaxing pieces in the entire classical repertoire. The version that most listeners are familiar with is August Wilhelmj’s 1871 arrangement.
Originally, in the second movement of Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3, the violin plays on a higher register. Wilhelmj dropped the violin part down to the instrument’s lowest pitch—the G string. | | | |
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