#1: SCOTUS Emissions Decision:
On Thursday, the US Supreme Court made a decision that affects not only Americans, but the entire planet. Pushed by West Virginia and other fossil fuel producing states, SCOTUS ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not have the power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants in the US.
The court has ruled in the past against the EPA, and this is yet another attempt by coal-producing states like West Virginia to curb efforts by environmental groups to cut down emissions on the planet. Emissions have been shown to create climate change. The United Nations and worldwide scientists are warning that there will be major catastrophic outcomes in the perhaps near future, due to decisions such as the one passed down by SCOTUS on Thursday.
#2: Israel:
Israel’s parliament (the Knesset) voted to dissolve itself, which means Israelis will have to go to the polls again to vote for a new parliament. This is the fifth vote in four years. The Knesset voted 92-0 to end Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s leadership, and gives former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a chance to return to power. New elections will be held on November 1.
#3: Immigration:
On Thursday, in a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration can repeal the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, reversing a ruling by a lower court.
Under the Trump policy, some non-Mexican citizens who enter the US can be sent back to Mexico, instead of detaining them or releasing them into the US while they wait for their entry hearings.
The battle is over legal issues about migrants’ rights to remain in the country while awaiting their hearings, and the language in the Remain in Mexico policy.
Biden campaigned on ending the Trump policy and has said it “goes against everything we stand for as a nation of immigrants.”
#4: Abortion in Kentucky:
A judge temporarily blocked Kentucky’s ban on abortion on Thursday, halting a trigger law that would have allowed abortions to be almost completely stopped. Trigger laws were created to go into effect immediately if Roe v. Wade was overturned. Planned Parenthood and the ACLU released a joint statement saying they were glad the “cruel abortion bans” were blocked, adding that since last week’s ruling, “numerous Kentuckians have been forced to carry pregnancies against their will or flee their home state in search of essential care. Despite this victory, we know this fight is far from over.” Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron pledged he will fight the court’s decision.
#5: Tropical Storm:
A storm, currently unnamed but known as Potential Tropical Cyclone Two, centered in the southern Caribbean and the northeastern part of South America, is expected to blast Central America with a tropical storm this weekend and develop into a hurricane over the Pacific Ocean. The storm dropped heavy rain on parts of northern Colombia, and threatens Nicaragua and Costa Rica with flash flooding.
