“DREAMERS” – immigrants brought illegally into the U.S. as children – won a legal victory Thursday in the Supreme Court (Shutterstock photo/Sheila Fitzgerald).

Children of parents who came illegally into the United States got a surprising victory Thursday as the U.S Supreme Court blocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the DACA – Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals – program.

The court voted 5-4 to protect the Obama-era policy. Chief Justice John Roberts was the swing vote, allying with four liberal justices. He wrote the majority opinion, saying that the action by the Department of Homeland Services “infringed on the equal protection guarantee of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause,” according to United Press International.

DACA was intended to shield from deportment young immigrants brought into the U.S. by their families.

Thursday’s action upheld a lower federal court’s ruling.The four conservative justices – in a minority opinion – described the ruling as “an effort to avoid a politically controversial but legally correct decision.”

The number of people – called “Dreamers” – potentially affected by the decision is estimated at between 700,000 and 800,000 people, according to Wikipedia.

Pull on those masks and bandannas.

WEARING face coverings is now statewide policy (Shutterstock).

Who was that masked man? In California, it is now supposed to be just about everyone. On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he will require face coverings in most public settings as coronavirus cases rise.

According to the California Department of Public Health, people must wear masks when they are in what’s described as “high risk situations” such as:

• Inside, or in line to enter, any indoor public space;
• Getting services in medical settings including hospitals, pharmacies, medical or dental offices;
• Waiting for or riding on a public transportation or while in a taxi, private car service or ride-sharing service;
• Working when interacting in-person with any member of the public and working in any space visited by the public, regardless of whether any member of the public is present.

There are exceptions, so go to www.cdph.ca.com for details.

U.S. coronavirus cases up by over 25,000

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States is at 2,188.037 cases as of Thursday afternoon, a daily increase of 25,186. Worldwide, the count is 8,461,037, an increase of 112,396.

According to the Johns Hopkins University tally, the U.S. saw 673 deaths since Wednesday, bringing that total to 118,386. Worldwide, the number reached 453,216, an increase of 4,742 people.

Wall Street has a case of the Thursday blahs

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 39.51 points to 26,080.10, a decline of 0.15 percent. The S&P 500 gained 1.85 points to 3,115.34, a gain of 0.06 percent. Nasdaq was the most successful, with an advance of 32.52 points to 9,943.05 a jump of 0.33 points.

June Gloom continues across West OC area

Clouds in the morning, sunny skies in the afternoon. That’s today’s weather forecast for now and the next week at least. According to the National Weather Service, West Orange County will continue that way through the weekend and onto into June 25, and perhaps longer. Daytime highs will be in the mid- to high 70s and the low 60s at night. Highs will be five to seven degrees cooler near the coast. No rain but some afternoon breezes.

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