#1: Top News: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade:
Friday morning, the US Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade. The ruling dismantled the 50 year protection of abortion rights, and will result in many states limiting access to abortions.
The court also overturned another case, Casey v. Planned Parenthood.
“The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives,” the court stated.
Although at least 22 states will most likely put more restrictions on abortions or make them completely illegal, some states have promised to protect the right to abortion and may even expand access to abortion.
The rulings give the decisions about abortion rights back to the states.
#2: January 6 Committee 5th Hearing:
The January 6 Committee to Investigate the attack on the US Capitol held its fifth public live hearing on Thursday. Its focus was former President Donald Trump’s efforts to ensnarl the Justice Department in his web of efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Three of the officials who rebuffed Trump and threatened to quit in early 2021 testified live on Thursday: Jeffrey Rosen, the former acting attorney general; Richard Donoghue, the former acting deputy attorney general; and Steven Engel, who led the department’s Office of Legal Counsel at the time.
In blatant and condemning testimony, Richard Donoghue said that when presented multiple times with the facts, which showed no evidence of election fraud that could have altered the results of the election, Trump’s response to him and Mr. Rosen was “just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.”
If you missed the proceedings, you can watch all sessions on YouTube.
#3: Senate Passes Gun Control Bill:
The Senate voted 65 to 33 on Thursday night to pass a bipartisan gun control bill, the most significant gun legislation in almost 30 years. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives, where Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said it will be acted on quickly. Leading negotiators in the Senate were Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, and Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas. The legislation addresses background checks for people under 21 and closes the “boyfriend loophole.” It provides $750 million to the states for mental health and security services.
#4: Trump Pandemic Coordinator Testimony:
Dr. Deborah Birx, Trump’s White House COVID-19 coordinator, told the House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis on Thursday that she was asked to change pandemic data reports and guidance information during the early pandemic years under the Trump administration. There is no implication that she falsified reports sent to the states. She did not name the people who asked her to make changes in the data, which put emphasis on some information and not other others. Birx also talked about Dr. Scott Atlas, a COVID adviser to Trump who supported herd immunity as a strategy to fight the pandemic, and how his theories created division in the White House’s response.
“When you no longer agree on what is actually happening in the country and what needs to be done, and there’s not consensus on that, then you lose the ability to execute in the maximum efficient and effective way,” Birx said.
#5: Toyota Recalls Electric Car:
Toyota is recalling 2,700 of its bZ4X crossover vehicles due to wheel bolts that could become loose.
“Until the remedy is available, no one should drive these vehicles,” the company said in a statement.
Japan’s safety regulator said sharp turns and sudden braking could cause a hub bolt to loosen, raising the risk of an accident.
The cars were sold all over the world, mostly in Europe, starting about two months ago.
