Friday morning news - September 10, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Sweeping new vaccine mandates for 100 million Americans » Speaking from the White House on Thursday, President Biden announced sweeping new federal vaccine mandates.

BIDEN: I am announcing tonight a new plan to require more Americans to be vaccinated to combat those blocking public health.

The plan could affect as many as 100 million people.

The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require employees to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly. That could impact about 80 million Americans. And the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid will have to be fully vaccinated.

Biden is also signing an executive order to require vaccination for employees of the executive branch and federal contractors—with no option to test out.

He also said he’ll use the Defense Production Act to ramp up access to testing. And he said top retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger have agreed to pitch in.

BIDEN: And tonight, we’re announcing each of these outlets will start to sell at-home rapid test kits at cost for the next three months.

The administration will also send more federal support to schools, including more money for testing. And it will require vaccinations for workers in Head Start Programs, as well as schools run by the Department of Defense and Bureau of Indian Education.

Biden said about three quarters of eligible Americans have had at least one shot, but some 80 million Americans remain unvaccinated.

Scores of Westerners, including Americans, fly out of Kabul » A commercial jet flew out of Afghanistan on Thursday with hundreds of foreigners on board, including Americans. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: The Qatar Airways flight to Doha left the Kabul airport with an estimated 200 people. It was the first such large-scale departure since the United States cut off the evacuation more than a week ago.

The flight comes amid a days long standoff over charter planes at another airport has left many would-be evacuees stranded.

A senior U.S. official told the Associated Press that the Taliban’s new foreign minister and deputy prime minister helped facilitate Thursday’s departure from Kabul.

The flight reportedly carried Americans, U.S. green card holders and other nationalities—including Germans, Hungarians and Canadians.

A Qatari official said another 200 passengers will leave Afghanistan today.

It was not immediately clear how many Americans were on board Thursday’s flight.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Justice Department sues Texas over abortion law » At a news conference Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland called the new pro-life heartbeat law in Texas—quote—“clearly unconstitutional.”

GARLAND: After careful assessment of the facts in the law, the Justice Dept. has filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas.

The Justice Department will argue that the bill violates the supremacy clause of the Constitution and the 14th Amendment.

The law, known as SB8, prohibits abortions once a heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks. Courts have blocked other states from enacting similar laws. But the Texas law is different because it leaves enforcement to private citizens through civil lawsuits instead of criminal prosecutors.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week not to block the Texas law has ignited battles over infant life across the country.

Unemployment claims fall too new pandemic low » The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to a new pandemic low. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has more on that.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: The Labor Department reported Thursday that 310,000 people filed jobless claims last week. That was down about 11 percent, from 345,000 the week before.

But the spread of the delta variant this summer has put renewed pressure on the economy and the job market. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve reported that U.S. economic activity “downshifted” in July and August.

Still, the ongoing drop in unemployment claims suggests most companies are holding onto their workers despite the slowdown. The drop in new claims also coincided with a decision by 25 states to end the enhanced unemployment program early. Those additional benefits ended nationwide this week.

Reporting or WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

More deaths attributed to Ida » The death toll from Hurricane Ida and its remnants has risen once again.

The Louisiana Department of Health verified 11 additional storm-related deaths. The victims died between Aug. 30 and Sept. 6. The Orleans parish coroner said nine of them succumbed to excessive heat.

Two others died of carbon monoxide poisoning. With power out, many residents used generators to provide air conditioning. The generators can cause carbon monoxide poisoning if not vented properly.

Within New Orleans city limits, the power grid is almost fully restored and curfews have been lifted. But hundreds of thousands of residents in nearby parishes still have no power or running water.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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