KETANJI BROWN JACKSON

On a slightly bipartisan vote, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed Thursday as a new associate justice on the U.S Supreme Court.

Three Republican senators joined all 50 Democrats to confirm Jackson, who will become the first Black woman on the high court and the third African American overall.

Jackson will fill the seat vacated by Justice Stephen Breyer who will retire this summer. The balance on the court remains with six conservatives – all appointed by Republican presidents – and three liberals – all appointed by Democratic presidents.

According to the Associated Press, President Joe Biden said, “We’ve taken another step toward making our highest court reflect the diversity of America.”

Congress, UN tighten screws on Russia

The United Nations General Assembly voted on Thursday to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, one of several actions taken today to further isolate that county as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine.

According to The New York Times, the European Union approved a phased-in ban on Russian coal, and the U.S. Congress voted to end Russian’s status as a “most favored nation” in international trade and outlawed the sale of its fossil fuels – oil and natural gas – to the United States.

Sports: Angels open season against Astros

Hoping to shake off six consecutive losing seasons – and seven without post-season play – the Los Angeles Angels will open their 2022 campaign this evening hosting the Houston Astros in Anaheim.

The Angels finished last season at 77-85 and in fourth place in the American League West. The Astros were 95-67 and won the AL West pennant.

Shohei Ohtani, unanimous choice as American League MVP in 2021, will start for the Halos. Framber Valdez will start for the Astros.

Weather: A 100-plus day in West OC

Temperatures in the West Orange County area spiked Thursday afternoon at 101 degrees and are expected to drop to 63 overnight. The forecast for Friday is a high of 94 (59) under sunny skies, but that should be the end of the heat wave with a high of 76 (57) predicted for Saturday, falling to 72 on Sunday and 69 on Monday with some clouds each day.

Business: Wall Street bounces back

After two days of declines, the major stock indexes posted gains on Thursday.

According to Marketwatch.com, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 87.06 points to close at 34,583.57. The S&P 500 rose by 19.06 points and Nasdaq finished at 13,897.30, an increase of 8.48.