Vox Sentences: Let them eat cake (except in Colorado)

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The Supreme Court issues some key rulings; a volcano erupts in Guatemala, with deadly results.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too

Sarah Silbiger/CQ Roll Call

• The US Supreme Court issued a highly anticipated ruling today in the case of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. [NYT / Adam Liptak]
• On a 7-2 vote, the Court sided with the baker, Jack Phillips, but the ruling is so narrow that it doesn’t set much precedent for future cases. [Vox / German Lopez]
• Basically, the Court ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which ruled against Phillips decision in the first place, showed clear bias against the baker and did not afford him a neutral place to have a hearing. [SCOTUSblog / Amy Howe]
• Two of the Supreme Court’s liberal justices, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer, sided with the rest of the conservatives deciding the matter. [CNN / Ariane de Vogue]
• But the Court essentially punted on the larger question at play here: whether religious business owners can in fact be exempt from anti-discrimination laws. That’s a much bigger issue, and one the justices shied away from, choosing instead to focus on the particulars of the Colorado case. [Washington Post / Paul Waldman]
• The ruling is a bit of a blow to LGBTQ advocates who hoped the case would set up more protections, but for the most part, it leaves existing anti-discrimination laws untouched. [Vox / German Lopez]

Guatemala’s deadly Mount Fuego erupts

• At least 62 people are dead in Guatemala after a dramatic eruption of Mount Fuego, which sits about 30 miles away from the capital of Guatemala City. [NYT / Elisabeth Malkin]
• The volcanic eruption went on for more than 16 hours, spewing ash, lava, and gas, according to the country’s national disaster response agency. Ash spewed more than 30,000 feet into the air. [NPR / Scott Neuman and Colin Dwyer]
• This volcano was different — and deadlier — than the Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii because the flow of lava moved much faster and caused devastation more quickly. [CNN / Susannah Cullinane, Holly Yan, and Flora Charner]
• Mount Fuego is a very active volcano that has erupted in previous years but hadn’t caused fatalities. The deadliest previous volcanic eruption in the country happened back in 1902, when the Santa Maria volcano killed thousands. [BBC]

Miscellaneous

• EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt apparently really loves Trump-brand mattresses ... so much that he made an aide inquire about purchasing a used one. [Washington Post / Juliet Eilperin, Josh Dawsey, and Brady Dennis]
• There are two men named Ron Estes running for Congress in Kansas. One is incumbent Rep. Ron Estes; the other one is calling himself “the real Ron Estes.” [Wichita Eagle / Jonathan Shorman]
• When it comes to campaign dress, women candidates in 2018 know they’re going to be judged for their clothes. So they’re keeping their outfits conservative. [Racked / Magdalena Puniewska]
• Apple is unveiling a new app to try to get us less addicted to our phones. Color me skeptical. [WSJ / Tripp Mickle]

Verbatim

“Once you say those words and the sky doesn’t fall down, or the earth doesn’t open up, a lightning bolt doesn’t zap you. You really can be anything.” [Angels in America actor Lee Pace on recently coming out as gay, to NYT / Matthew Schneier]

Watch this: How noise pollution is ruining your hearing

Our ears are exposed to dangerous levels of noise every single day. [YouTube / Dean Peterson]

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