Cramm for 12/2/21
THE HIGHLIGHTS
The Supreme Court looks set to cut back on abortion rights.
THE BACKGROUND.
Back in 1973, the US Supreme Court ruled that abortion was legal in a case known as Roe v. Wade. But lately, the Supreme Court has shifted to have a 6-3 conservative majority. Some states see this as a chance to overturn Roe v. Wade and place new restrictions on abortion...so they’ve been intro’ing a slew of new limiting laws. Enter: this Mississippi law, which bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
THE DEETS.
Yesterday, the Court heard arguments on whether that law is constitutional. The issue at hand? Roe v. Wade guaranteed the right to abortion before 23 weeks, which means the Mississippi law currently violates Supreme Court precedent. There are 3 major things that can happen now. One: the Court can vote against Mississippi and block the law. Two: the Court can side with Mississippi, creating a new precedent that would protect abortions up to 15 weeks. And three: the Court can straight-up overturn Roe v. Wade, letting each state decide if it wants to restrict or ban abortion.
THE HAPPENINGS.
Based on the conservative justices’ questioning, we’re looking at options 2 or 3. Justice Brett Kavanaugh summed things up by saying the Constitution is “neither pro-life nor pro-choice.” Justice Amy Coney Barrett said women who didn’t want kids could just put them up for adoption. Meanwhile, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said overturning Roe v. Wade would irreversibly damage the Court’s credibility.
THE TAKE.
The Supreme Court’s decision could significantly change abortion access in the US. Tension, high.
THE ACTION
CORONAVIRUS: Here’s your update on the Omicron variant. In South Africa, new cases have doubled in just 24 hours, with Omicron becoming the dominant variant of coronavirus. Over in the US, the nation’s first caseof Omicron was confirmed in California. Cue new measures designed to slow its spread, like a widespread booster campaign and increased testing access. Germany is taking things further. See: the gov just announced a nationwide lockdown for unvaxxed people. Also making headlines: the UK just signed deals to buy 114 million more doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. And UK regulators approved a new treatment that could reduce hospitalization and death by 79 percent in high-risk adults.
PEOPLE: The other day, a gunman opened fire on Oxford High School in suburban Detroit, killing three students. Now, a fourth victim - a 17 year old student at the school - has died following the shooting. Authorities have charged the suspect with four counts of first-degree murder and terrorism and say they believe the shooting was premeditated. Meanwhile, the Women’s Tennis Association is suspending all tournaments in China. This comes as tennis star Peng Shuai remains missing after accusing a top Chinese official of sexual assualt. And speaking of which, recently, French judo champion Margaux Pinot accused her coach of domestic violence. He denied it...and was just acquitted. Intro outrage.
BIZ: The baseball world has been turned upside down. We’ll fill you in. Lately, Major League Baseball and the Players Association have been trying (and failing) to negotiate a new labor contract before the current collective bargaining agreement expires. Whiiiiich...it just did. In response, MLB owners are locking out the players in the league’s first work stoppage in years. The lockout means team officials and players can’t communicate with each other. Now, everyone has until March 2022 to work things out...or risk impacting the start of the 2022 season. Meanwhile, Twitter and Facebook just removed thousands of accounts that worked to undermine accusations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The accounts are reportedly linked to the Chinese Communist Party.
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