Flooding in NYC as Ida moves on, Supreme Court declines to block Texas abortion ban: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: A divided Supreme Court late Wednesday denied an effort by abortion rights groups to halt a Texas law that bans women from having the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, wading into a divisive debate hours after the prohibition had already taken effect. The Supreme Court did leave the window open for future challenges. Plus, August was one of the worst months of the pandemic, flooding hits New York City as Ida keeps moving, the U.S. men's soccer team begins World Cup qualifying and traffic analysts give some tips on when and where to travel this Labor Day weekend.
Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
Taylor Wilson:
Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson. And this is 5 Things you need to know Thursday, the 2nd of September, 2021. Today, the Texas abortion ban stands after the Supreme Court refused to block it. Plus Ida swamps New York City with flooding and more.
Taylor Wilson:
Here are some of the top headlines.
- Gunmen have abducted 73 students in the latest school attack in Northern Nigeria. The kidnappings come just days after three other groups of hostages were freed, including small children.
- India is locking down Kashmir after the death of top separatists leader Syed Ali Geelani. He's become an emblem of the region's defiance against the Indian government. India is trying to cut down on dissent and protests by blocking major roadways and even cutting mass cell service in the northernmost part of the Indian subcontinent.
- And Britney Spears will not be charged over misdemeanor battery allegations involving a housekeeper. A California district attorney said there was not enough evidence.
Taylor Wilson:
The Supreme Court has denied an effort by abortion rights groups to block the Texas law that bans women from having the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. The law does not include exemptions for rape or incest, but does allow the procedure after that time for medical emergencies. The five to four ruling came in the middle of the night Wednesday, the day after the law went into effect. The law is now the most restrictive in the country, making it extremely difficult for almost anyone to get an abortion, sometimes giving just days for action after a person finds out they're pregnant. The law encourages private citizens to sue anyone who helps provide an abortion after a heartbeat is detected. The Supreme Court noted that the enforcement method is part of its reason for not intervening right now. The decision drew a sharply worded descent from Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who described the law as an effort to circumvent the court's own precedent.
Taylor Wilson:
Conservatives now have a six to three majority on the Court for the first time in decades and Republican state lawmakers will likely continue to test the court on other decisions as well. In their decision, Justices said it's not based on any constitutionality of the Texas law and left the door open for future challenges in the coming months. For now though, those seeking abortions may have to go elsewhere. A pricey decision that could disproportionately affect the poor and undocumented in Texas.
Taylor Wilson:
August was one of the worst months of the entire COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The US reported more than 4.2 million coronavirus cases last month, making it the fourth worst month for infections. Nearly 27,000 Americans died from the virus more than three times the July total and the last week of August was deadlier than all of July. Some states also had their worst ever month for cases, including both severely under vaccinated places like Alabama and Mississippi, and some of the highest vaccination rates, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Florida also saw some of its worst numbers of the pandemic, including its worst month of deaths at 4,900 last month.
Taylor Wilson:
Governor Ron DeSantis continues to fight against measures that might help curb the spread. He'll begin issuing $5,000 fines to schools, businesses, and local governments that require COVID-19 vaccination. That move comes days after Florida made good on its promise to withhold funding to multiple school districts for having their own mask mandates. Meanwhile, data increasingly shows how much more protected vaccinated people are than unvaccinated against the coronavirus. A large-scale UK study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal tracked more than a million partially or fully vaccinated adults from December 2020 to July of this year. It found that two weeks after one dose of the Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna vaccine, just 0.5% of people reported a breakthrough infection. A number of that dropped to 0.2% after the second dose. For those who did get a breakthrough infection, the chance of being asymptomatic increased 63% after a first dose to 94% after the second dose. The risk of getting long whole COVID symptoms also dropped by 50% after both doses.
Taylor Wilson:
That follows a CDC study in Los Angeles that found unvaccinated people were more than 29 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated people and about five times more likely to be infected. 61.9% of Americans are now at least partially vaccinated and 52.6% are fully vaccinated. There are still major geographic disparities when it comes to vaccination rates. 68% of Vermont is fully vaccinated, the best in the country, compared to Mississippi and Alabama at just 38% and Idaho and Wyoming at 39%. There is evidence that racial disparity in vaccination rates is narrowing. White Hispanic and Latino people make up 17% of the country, but made up more than a quarter of those starting vaccinations over the past two weeks. Similarly, Black people make up 12% of the population, but accounted for 15% of those receiving a first dose. For all the latest pandemic news, you can stay with the live COVID-19 updates page on usatoday.com.
Taylor Wilson:
Rain is pelting the Northeast as the remnants of Ida move through the country. That includes shocking scenes of flooding in New York City and New Jersey. Both New York and New Jersey governors have declared states of emergency and New Jersey was also at risk of tornadoes. Water also seeped into New York City subways and tri-state area commuter rails, limiting service. Water even rushed inside baggage facilities at Newark International Airport in New Jersey. At the same time, some two million people are still without power in Louisiana entering a fifth day. At least seven deaths have been linked to the storm around the country.
Taylor Wilson:
It's a huge week for World Cup qualifying and that includes for the United States men's national team. The US will play its first qualifier Thursday night for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when they take on El Salvador in San Salvador. It's also the team's first qualifier since their 2017 nightmare in Trinidad and Tobago, when they failed to make the 2018 World Cup. The manager that time around was a legendary coach Bruce Arena. But after the embarrassment, he resigned three days later. This time it's former Columbus crew manager, Gregg Berhalter. He took over in 2018 and Berhalter and the team have already had an impressive 2021.
Taylor Wilson:
They beat rivals Mexico twice this summer, once in the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League in June, then again with almost all MLS based players in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in August. The United States enters qualifying with a young squad, made up of 13 players who are 23 or younger and only six players on the roster have previous World Cup qualifying experience. The US will be without one of them though, star Christian Pulisic, who is recovering from COVID-19 and is not making the trip to Central America. But he may be available for Sunday's home game against Canada. The US will also then play a third game, this international break, next Wednesday against Honduras. You can tune into Thursday night's game at 10:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 Pacific on CBS Sports Network and Paramount Plus.
Taylor Wilson:
If you're planning on traveling for Labor Day, you might want to get going. Traffic in parts of the country is expected to surge from Thursday through September 7th for the holiday weekend, according to transportation analytics company INRIX. The company says Thursday and Friday will be the toughest days but if you are hitting the road, try to do so in the early morning or after 9:00 PM. And as for Saturday and Sunday, try to start before 10:00 AM. More Americans are expected to hit the road this weekend, but travel probably will not return to 2019 levels or even holidays earlier this summer, like Memorial Day and the 4th of July. That's in part because of the surge in coronavirus Delta variant and the CDC is urging unvaccinated Americans to stay home. In the worst corridors this long weekend will include the Washington DC area on I-95, Atlanta's I-85 and Los Angeles's I-5. For more tips on when and where traffic will be at its worst, search Labor Day on usatoday.com.
Taylor Wilson:
And you can find Five Things wherever you're listening right now, where we ask for a rating and review, if you have a chance. Thanks as always to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their great work on the show. 5 Things is part of the USA TODAY Network.