World News: Supreme Court takes on school prayer

Monday, June 27

A police officer leads a K9 around steel fencing and barricades surrounding the Supreme Court, Friday, June 24, 2022, in Washington. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Another big SCOTUS ruling.

The Supreme Court backed a religious freedom claim, siding with a high school football coach who lost his job for praying on the field. Twenty-two teens were found dead in a South Africa tavern. And the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup (then immediately dropped it).

👋 Hey! Laura Davis here, and this is Monday's news, with a side of ugly dogs.

But first: Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the ugliest of them all? 🐶 It's Mr. Happy Face! A bunch of hideous dogs got together in California to compete for the title of World's Ugliest Dog. I'm sure they're nice. Here's the one crowned ugliest pup: Meet Mr. Happy Face, a 17-year-old Chinese Crested who fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Check out all the winners here.

Mr. Happy Face rests before the start of the World's Ugliest Dog Competition in Petaluma, California on June 24, 2022. - Mr. Happy Face, a 17-year-old Chinese Crested, saved from a hoarder's house, won the competition taking home the $1500 prize.

Josh Edelson, AFP

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SCOTUS sides with coach over postgame prayer

In a decision with sweeping implications for the separation of church and state, the Supreme Court on Monday sided with a former high school football coach who lost his job for offering prayers at the 50-yard line after games despite objections from the school district because students felt compelled to take part. Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the 6-3 majority opinion that said Joseph Kennedy's prayers were a private matter and did not amount to the school district's endorsement of Christianity. The court's three liberal justices dissented, asserting the majority had effectively abandoned a 1971 precedent that had set the standard for how such cases should be resolved. The ruling could change how courts review religious actions by government employees. Keep reading.

•	Supreme Court sides with praying football coach. We break it down.
•	Landmark abortion ruling sparks debate about legitimacy of Supreme Court.

Ukraine shopping mall hit by Russian missile strike

Russia intensified its campaign of terror in Ukraine on Monday with a missile strike on a crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk. At least 11 people were dead, said regional Gov. Dmytro Lunin. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the number of possible victims was "unimaginable," adding that the target presented "no threat to the Russian army." It was one of at least 60 missiles Russia launched into Ukraine over the weekend, a barrage that killed civilians and destroyed and damaged apartment buildings. The latest updates from Ukraine.

•	📸 Gallery: Scores feared dead, injured in missile strike on shopping mall.

This handout picture taken and released by the Ukraine's State Emergency Service on June 27, 2022, shows firefighters putting out the fire in a mall hit by a Russian missile strike in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk.

STR, UKRAINE EMERGENCY MINISTRY PRESS

What everyone's talking about

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G-7 leaders meet in Germany

President Joe Biden is in Germany for the Group of Seven summit, an annual economic meeting between leaders from the U.S., France, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan. The G-7 leaders spent Monday morning discussing ways to help Ukraine beat back a Russian offensive. They were addressed virtually by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose remarks were expected to jump-start conversations about additional artillery shipments. G-7 leaders are also discussing a price cap on Russian oil. Catch up: Everything that's happened at the G-7 summit.

•	What is the G-7? And what is the Group of 20, or G-20? Answers here.

President Joe Biden waits for the start of a lunch with the Group of Seven leaders at the Schloss Elmau hotel in Elmau, Germany, on June 27, 2022, during the annual G-7 summit. Joining the Group of Seven are guest country leaders and heads of international organizations.

Susan Walsh, AP

What happened in South Africa?

A celebration for end-of-school exams turned deadly – but officials aren't sure why. The bodies of 22 teenagers were discovered at a nightclub in South Africa. Reports said they had no visible signs of injury. Most of the victims, ages 13-17, were discovered lying on tables, slumped over chairs and sprawled on the floor of the club, police said. Their cause of death remained under investigation Monday, South African police officials said. Forensic samples were being sent to a toxicology laboratory, police said, not ruling out the possibility the victims were poisoned or ingested a toxin. Keep reading.

Real quick

•	Amtrak train carrying 243 passengers to Chicago derails in Missouri.
•	Louisiana court blocks enforcement of trigger law outlawing abortion.
•	Norwegian Cruise Line ship hits iceberg on its way to Alaska glacier.
•	Black bear dies after locking self inside hot car while sniffing for food.
•	Woman suing Deshaun Watson now also suing QB's former team.
•	Subway worker shot dead by customer over sandwich with 'too much mayo'.

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That'll buff out 😉

It took the Colorado Avalanche 21 years to bring the Stanley Cup back, and about five minutes for them to make their mark on it. With the team gathered on the ice Sunday night in the aftermath of their Cup-clinching Game 6 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, right wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel skated toward the scrum for a team photo with the Cup in hand, only to lose his footing and slam the trophy on the ice as he fell, denting the base. "I don't even know if they had it five minutes and there's a dent in the bottom already. Right in the middle of the team photo," said Phil Pritchard, the Hockey Hall of Fame's keeper of the cup. The Avalanche prevented the Lightning from completing a Stanley Cup three-peat. It was the third Stanley Cup title in the franchise's history and the first since 2001. But don't worry – they'll get the cup repaired. Read more.

•	Avalanche end Lightning's reign, win Stanley Cup for first time since 2001.
•	Nazem Kadri told his critics to 'kiss my [expletive]' after Avalanche won the Stanley Cup.

Colorado Avalanche players react as right wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel (16) falls and drops the Stanley Cup trophy on the ice after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Stanley Cup in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

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A break from the news

•	🧘‍♀️ Make a safe space: Products to ease PTSD and anxiety during July 4th.
•	💰 Does the 4% retirement rule still hold true? How to make it work.
•	🙇‍♀️ Feeling blue? You aren't alone. 4 in 10 people are still unhappy two years into the pandemic.

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