An Ignoble Experiment: Supremes greenlight extreme Texas abortion law

By Liza Hearon

TOP STORIES

Thursday, Sept. 2

SUPREMES WON'T BLOCK EXTREME TEXAS ABORTION BAN In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court said it wouldn't block Texas' extreme law that criminalizes abortion after six weeks, a striking defeat for abortion rights advocates who say the ban is a direct assault on Roe v. Wade. The majority issued a brief decision saying while women's health groups had raised questions about the constitutionality of the law, the application failed to "carry the burden" necessary for an injunction. [HuffPost]

FEAR: TEXAS JUST SHOWED HOW TO BLOW UP ROE V. WADE Texas' six-week abortion ban is one of the most — if not the most — draconian and unprecedented anti-abortion bills to ever become law, writes Alanna Vagianos. Reproductive justice advocates warn that it could become the law of the land. "This is not a 'What happens in Texas stays in Texas' situation," NARAL's Kristin Ford told HuffPost. [HuffPost]

WE MIGHT NOT KNOW TRUE TOLL OF IDA FOR WEEKS Officials have confirmed seven fatalities in the South related to Hurricane Ida as of Wednesday. But if previous record-breaking storms are any guide, Ida's toll could still surge. Fatalities directly and indirectly tied to Hurricane Katrina, for example, are still a matter of public debate 16 years after the storm. [HuffPost]

IDA'S REMNANTS SPAWN WEATHER CHAOS IN NORTHEAST Historic rainfall deluged New York City, killing at least eight people, shutting mass transit and leaving a lingering state of emergency. The National Weather Service issued its first flash-flood emergency for the city as the remnants of Hurricane Ida trudged north. "SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!" the agency implored on Twitter. [HuffPost]

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OFFICERS, PARAMEDICS CHARGED IN ELIJAH MCCLAIN'S 2019 DEATH A Colorado grand jury indicted three officers and two paramedics in the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was put in a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative two years ago in suburban Denver. McClain's pleading words that were captured on police body camera video — "I'm just different" — have been posted on signs at protests. [AP]

TEXANS 'SCARED, CONFUSED, ANGRY' AS ABORTION BAN GOES INTO EFFECT Texas abortion providers scrambled to help as many patients as possible as the clock ticked closer to midnight, marking the start of the country's most extreme abortion ban. The average one-way driving time for a woman in Texas seeking an abortion is expected to increase from 12 miles to nearly 250 miles. [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

JUDGE TENTATIVELY OKS PURDUE OPIOID SETTLEMENT A federal bankruptcy judge conditionally approved a potentially $10 billion plan submitted by OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to settle lawsuits over its role in the opioid crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades. The Sackler family would give up ownership of the company and be freed from any future lawsuits. [AP]

GEORGIA PARENTS FILE COMPLAINT OVER SCHOOLS' OPT-OUT MASK POLICY Parents in the Dalton Public Schools District filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education over their schools' policy allowing students to opt out of wearing a mask in school. In the three weeks since school started, there have been more than 200 reported cases of COVID-19 among students and dozens more among staff. [HuffPost]

THIRD R. KELLY ACCUSER TESTIFIES SINGER KNOWINGLY GAVE HER HERPES A Jane Doe in R. Kelly's criminal trial testified this week that the R&B singer knowingly gave her herpes during their yearlong relationship. The witness, referred to as Faith, also said one of the singer's employees tried to blackmail her so she wouldn't participate in the "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries. The singer is facing five federal charges in the trial, likely to continue through September. [HuffPost]

U.S. LEFT MOST AFGHANS WHO HELPED AMERICANS BEHIND A majority of the Afghan nationals who assisted U.S. forces and government were left behind in the country after American troops officially withdrew this week, a State Department official said. Refugee groups, veterans organizations and lawmakers have been highly critical of the Biden administration's approach to evacuating applicants for Special Immigrant Visas. [HuffPost]

CALIFORNIA RECALL CANDIDATE DISMISSES VACCINES Larry Elder, a conservative talk radio host who is the leading Republican candidate in the California governor recall election, opposes efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among children in the state. He said he doesn't believe young people need to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or wear masks in school. Pediatricians disagree. [HuffPost]