'Start Here': SCOTUS appointment once in a generation moment for Republicans

A key moderate senator weighs in on the impending Supreme Court nominee debate.

ByBrad Mielke, David Rind, and Kelly Terez

July 2, 2018, 5:15 AM

It's Monday, July 2, 2018. Here are some of the stories we're talking about on ABC News' new daily podcast, "Start Here."

1. SCOTUS in focus

With a chance to replace the swing vote on the Supreme Court, President Donald Trump has the chance to fundamentally shift how this country operates -- from gay rights to voting, guns, education, regulations on corporations, and of course, abortion.

For 30 years, all these issues before the court were tempered by Anthony Kennedy. No more.

ABC News’ Rick Klein tells us the White House and Senate Republicans are laser-focused on this issue.

"Start Here" is a daily ABC News podcast hosted by Brad Mielke featuring original reporting on stories that are driving the national conversation. Listen for FREE on the ABC News app, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio -- or ask Alexa: "Play 'Start Here.'"

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Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, attends a lunch meeting for Republican lawmakers in the Cabinet Room at the White House on June 26, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images

2. 'Abolish ICE'

Protesters across the U.S. filled streets this weekend demanding an end to the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" immigrant policy that causes children to be separated from their immigrant families. Among the crowd there were signs that said, "Families belong together," and, "I care, do you?" But there were also signs of a new rallying cry from the left: "Abolish ICE."

ABC News' Geneva Sands covers the Department of Homeland Security and she tells us the calls to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have become the "'build the wall' of the left."

A protest image is carried by a demonstrator as people cross the Brooklyn Bridge during "Keep Families Together" march to protest Trump administration's immigration policy in New York, June 30, 2018.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

3. A different future for Mexico?

Mexico has elected Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a 63-year-old leftist who's seen as the face of a new and younger Mexican political movement, as their next president.

His election is seen as a response to growing issues of violence and drug-trafficking, according to Mexico City-based journalist Lara Rodriguez, as political parties over the years "have promised so much and given so little."

A man casts his vote at a polling station in the border town of Piedras Negras, Mexico, July 1, 2018.
Nick Wagner/AP

4. Dark-web drug bust

So you've likely heard of the dark web -- a hidden internet that you can't access with a search engine; you need special web browsers and specific IP addresses.

Last week, in a widespread operation, a wing of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and some partners took down 40 dark-web vendors.

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky explains how the business of selling drugs has shifted to an online marketplace.

5. U.S. Open ball person tryouts

Shagging loose tennis balls at the U.S. Open may seem easy, but it turns out there's a lot of hard work and technical knowledge involved.

ABC News' Brad Mielke discovers what it takes to make the cut.