Thursday morning news - December 2, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kristen Flavin. 

Supreme Court hears Mississippi abortion case » Six of the nine Supreme Court justices appeared to side with Mississippi’s new abortion law during Wednesday’s oral arguments.

Mississippi’s law protects unborn babies after 15 weeks, a direct challenge to the viability limit set by the high court nearly 50 years ago.

Lawyers arguing to overturn the law said it infringed on women’s fundamental rights. But Chief Justice John Roberts pushed back.

ROBERTS: And why would 15 weeks be an inappropriate line? So, viability, it seems to me, doesn’t have anything to do with choice. But if it really is an issue about choice, why is 15 weeks not enough time?

Justice Samuel Alito also questioned the longstanding precedent that relies on a limit that’s not clearly defined.

ALITO: What would you say to the argument that has been made many times by people who are pro-choice and pro-life that the line doesn’t really make any sense. That it is, as Justice Blackmun himself described it, arbitrary.

The 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade banned any limits on abortion before the point of a baby’s viability outside the womb. That’s generally considered about 24 weeks of pregnancy.

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, arguing against the Mississippi law, said precedent is important.

PRELOGAR: But for the court to reverse course now, I think would run counter to that societal reliance and the very concept we have of what equality is guaranteed to women in this country.

Although the justices are only considering Mississippi’s 15-week ban, they could use it as an opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade completely. That would return decisions about abortion regulation to the states.

And that’s the ultimate goal, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch told supporters on the steps of the Supreme Court after arguments ended.

FITCH: This is a wonderful opportunity to return this to the people. To us. All of us. The people. The Constitution gives us the right. We are ready, and willing, and able to do the job.

The justices could issue a ruling in the case any time between now and July.

Charges filed in Michigan school shooting » A fourth teenager injured during Tuesday’s school shooting in Michigan has died. That brings the death toll to four. Seven students ranging in age from 14 to 17 remain hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

On Wednesday, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald filed charges against the 15-year-old gunman.

McDONALD: We are charging this individual with one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.

Officials still don’t have a motive for the attack. They are combing through the suspect’s social media accounts, looking for clues.

McDONALD: There is a mountain of digital evidence. Videotape, social media, all digital evidence possible. We have reviewed it. And it absolutely, we are confident that we can show it was premeditation.

But McDonald declined to say whether the alleged gunman targeted his victims.

The teen has so far has refused to talk to investigators on the advice of his parents. McDonald hinted they might soon face charges as well, related to the gun used in the attack.

Omicron variant found in California » The CDC has confirmed the first U.S. case of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant. The patient was diagnosed in California but had recently returned from a trip to South Africa.

Dr. Anthony Fauci made the announcement Wednesday at the White House.

FAUCI: The individual was fully vaccinated and experienced mild symptoms, which are improving at this point.

Although the patient’s quick recovery is encouraging, Fauci said it’s too soon to draw any broader conclusions from one case.

FAUCI: Any declaration of what will or will not happen with this variant, it is too early to say. And I think we need to be careful because I know you’re going to be reading a lot of tweets and a lot of comments about this. We’re really very early in the process.

The variant first reported in South Africa is spreading fast. At least 23 countries have confirmed cases.

The Biden administration imposed travel restrictions earlier this week to help slow the variant’s spread. Now officials are considering more restrictions.

Travelers to the United States must now take a COVID test three days before boarding their flights. That test window could soon shrink to just 24 hours.

Fed chair warns of persistent inflation » Fed Chairman Jerome Powell warned lawmakers on Wednesday that inflation could stick around longer than anticipated.

Powell previously said he expected prices to go down as pandemic restrictions eased and the economy returned to normal.

POWELL: The point is, we can’t act as though we’re sure of that. We’re not at all sure of that. Inflation has been more persistent and higher than we’ve expected, and we have to use our policy to address the range of plausible outcomes.

Powell told the House Financial Services Committee that while inflation is still related to pandemic pressures, it has spread more broadly in the economy. He said that increased the risk for persistent high inflation to continue through the second half of next year.

Sen. Mitch McConnell blamed Democrats for fueling higher prices.

MCCONNELL: The principal driver of that inflation is the American Rescue Package passed on a totally partisan basis earlier this year.

But Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen disputed that. She said the $1.9 trillion spending bill was at most a “small contributor” to higher prices.

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

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