Daily Digest: Britain votes to leave
Good morning, and welcome to the official first Friday of summer. It's been an extremely busy 24 hours, so let's get right to the news.
1. People in Great Britain surprised most of the experts Thursday by voting to leave the European Union. The vote caused Prime Minister David Cameron to announce his departure, and caused financial markets around the world to plunge. Leaders in Scotland quickly called for another independence vote, and some other European countries were openly considering their own votes to leave the union. (Washington Post)
2. The short-handed Supreme Court effectively blocked President Obama's effort to shield five million illegal immigrants from deportation by deadlocking on a lower court decision that had previously blocked the plan. Obama called the decision “frustrating to those who seek to grow our economy and bring a rationality to our immigration system. It is heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who have made their lives here.” The plaintiffs in the case said Obama had overstepped his authority. The issue is likely to now loom even larger in this year's campaign. (New York Times)
3. Another Supreme Court ruling involved a Minnesota case, and it was not a tie vote. The bottom line is that state can penalize people suspected of drunk driving for not taking a breath test, but police need a warrant to test someone's blood. (AP via Star Tribune)
4. The state's largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has decided to stop selling health plans to individuals and families in Minnesota starting next year. The insurer explained extraordinary financial losses drove the decision. Blue Cross and Blue Shield says the change will affect about, "103,000 Minnesotans [who] have purchased Blue Cross coverage on their own, through an agent or broker, or on MNsure." (MPR News)
4. Sen. Al Franken is ready to campaign for Hillary Clinton, and Clinton may ask him to use his sarcastic wit against Donald Trump. It's a role Franken seems ready to accept after years of trying harder to be known as a politician than a comedian. One role Franken says he's not so eager to play is that of running mate. "If Hillary Clinton came to me and said, 'Al, I really need you to be my vice president, to run with me,' I would say yes, but I'm very happy in the job that I have right now," he said. (AP)
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