Decision here.

Discuss.

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court today upheld the Affordable Choices Act. The opinion in King v. Burwell is here.

The 6-to-3 ruling means that it is all but certain that the Affordable Care Act will survive after Mr. Obama leaves office in 2017, and will give it a greater chance of becoming an enduring part of America’s social safety net

Dissenters: Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr.

The Court upheld the Act's tax subsidies intended to assist the ability of the poor and middle-class to buy health insurance. [More...]

Our last open thread is full, so here's a new one, all topics welcome.

Here is the full text of Dzhokhar's statement at his death penalty trial.

THE DEFENDANT : Thank you, your Honor, for giving me an opportunity to speak. I would like to begin in the name of Allah, the exalted and glorious, the most gracious, the most merciful, "Allah" among the most beautiful names. Any act that does not begin in the name of God is separate from goodness.

This is the blessed month of Ramadan, and it is the month of mercy from Allah to his creation, a month to ask forgiveness of Allah and of his creation, a month to express gratitude to Allah and to his creation. It's the month of reconciliation, a month of patience, a month during which hearts change. Indeed, a month of many blessings.

[More...]

Dzhohkar Tsarnaev has been sentenced to death for the Boston Marathon bombings. From live tweets of reporters Jim Armstrong and Patricia Wen in the courtroom.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev spoke for about 4 minutes. He expressed remorse. "I would like to now apologize to the victims and to the survivors." ..."I am sorry for the lives I have taken....for the suffering I have caused and the terrible damage I have done."

He left no doubt about his guilt:

"I am guilty of the bombing, let there be no lingering question about that."

He thanked his attorneys and said "I cherish their company." He said they have done a lot for his family. His defense attorney, Judy Clarke, told the Court he had tried to settle the case before trial. [More...]

ISIS continues to shock the world with atrocity killings. Its latest video, filmed in or around Mosul and released by the Nineveh Wilayat, is titled "If You Promised We Came Back." I won't link to it, but I did watch it.

In the 7 minute video, orange-clad prisoners are divided into three groups. Each makes a statement. The first group is put inside a vehicle. An ISIS member fires a grenade missile launcher at the car, blowing it up and setting it on fire. The prisoners burn to death inside the vehicle.

The second group are put in a cage, suspended over water. The cage is lowered and they drown to death. There's a camera underwater filming their painful drowning.[More...]

Ali Awni al-Harzi, a suspect in the 2012 Benghazi embassy attack, has been killed by a U.S. drone strike in Mosul.

Ali, a Tunisian, was arrested in 2012 for his suspected role in the embassy attack, and freed by Tunisia in January, 2013. [More...]

Time for a new open thread. All topics welcome.

In entertainment news, Netflix' new releases for July have been announced. On July 1, it will add both La Reina del Sur and El Senor de los Cielos, Seasons 1 and 2. Watching on Netflix is much better than the networks' internet sites or You Tube. No commercials, they have good subtitles and they don't stop every 10 minutes to play the show's theme song. I just finished watching all 80 episodes of En La Boca del Lobo. It's the story of the former security chief for the Cali Cartel who turned on them and led to their arrest and the demise of the cartel. (Of course that just led to the rise of the Norte Valle cartel, but that's another story, told in El Cartel de los Sapos.) He's now living with his family in the U.S. under an assumed name. [More...]

Back in December, 2014, Lebanon claimed to have arrested Saja Abdul Hamid al-Dulaimi, the wife or ex-wife of ISIS leader al Baghdadi. She was caught using a fake passport at the border, along with one of her small children.

Lebanon news is now reporting she has just given birth. She was three weeks pregnant when arrested. Her current husband is Kamal Khalaf, a Palestinian.

The baby was born in a military hospital and she and the baby are now at a General Security detention center. [More...]

It's 1 poll, but a good one for Hillary Clinton:

Looking ahead to the general election, Clinton also leads Bush by eight points (48 percent to 40 percent), Rubio by 10 points (50 percent to 40 percent) and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker by 14 (51 percent to 37 percent).

Clinton is supported by 75% of Dem voters in the primary race, with Sanders at 15, Webb at 4, and O'Malley 2.

Lebanon's Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi has announced the arrest of five members of the Internal Security Forces allegedly responsible for the torture of Islamist prisoners at Roumieh prison. Videos of the torture were leaked Saturday, enraging the world.

Families of the inmates have been protesting conditions and treatment of the inmates for months. A Lebanese political leader said in April Romieh was worse than Abu Ghraib.

ISIS fanboys on Twitter are very upset about the torture. They urge retaliation and have posted the photos and names of the guards allegedly responsible.

Convicted drug offender Frenchman Serge Atlaoui has lost his appeal challenging the denial of clemency. He was scheduled to be executed with Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan and six others in April, but the date was pushed back because of his pending appeal.

Indonesia says it will schedule his execution after Ramadan is over in mid July. [More...]