October 20, 2021 Briefing
Politics:
“The Biden administration asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block the enforcement of a Texas law that bans most abortions after as early as six weeks of pregnancy.”
“The Supreme Court on Monday sided with law enforcement in two cases in which plaintiffs claimed police used excessive force, reversing separate lower court rulings allowing the officers to be sued for violations of civil rights.”
“About 3,000 parents and critics of Newsom’s mandate are expected to attend Monday’s 10 a.m. ‘Our Children, Our Choice!’ protest outside the state Capitol in Sacramento, where they were urged to keep their kids from school in defiance of the governor’s requirement for all eligible public school students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend in-person classes.”
Business:
“Thousands of workers remain on strike across the United States demanding higher pay and better conditions despite Hollywood make-up artists and camera operators reaching a deal over the weekend to avoid a walkout, and the tight jobs market has only emboldened them.”
“The San Francisco Department of Public Health closed the Fisherman’s Wharf In-N-Out location on Oct. 14 after the popular burger joint did not check the vaccination status of customers, which violates an August mandate from the city requiring indoor diners to show proof of vaccination.”
“Thousands of workers remain on strike across the United States demanding higher pay and better conditions despite Hollywood make-up artists and camera operators reaching a deal over the weekend to avoid a walkout, and the tight jobs market has only emboldened them.”
“Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said Tuesday that employees must submit proof that they got the shots, or file a request for an exemption from vaccination, by Nov. 24. Employees whose requests have not been processed or approved by Dec. 8 will be allowed to keep working, she said.”
Culture:
The gang that kidnapped 17 people in Haiti linked to a U.S.-based Christian group demanded $1 million for each one, a Haitian official said. - New York Times
“Local authorities said that the group, whose members were kidnapped while leaving an orphanage, included 16 Americans and one Canadian. Five children were among those taken. The gang is among the country's most dangerous and one of the first to engage in mass kidnappings.”
UNC Wins Affirmative Action Case, for Now - Inside Higher Ed
“Judge Loretta C. Biggs found that ‘at trial, UNC defendants produced substantial, credible, and largely uncontested evidence that it has made the deliberate decision to pursue the educational benefits that flow from student body diversity; has offered a principled, reasoned explanation for this decision; and that the benefits the university seeks to achieve are sufficiently measurable to permit judicial scrutiny.’”
“Washington State fired football coach Nick Rolovich and four of his assistants on Monday after they refused to comply with a mandate that all state employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.”
Health:
“The Food and Drug Administration may give its OK this week to administering booster shots that are different from recipients' original COVID-19 vaccine, the New York Times reported. The decision would fulfill the requests of state health officials, who have been seeking increased flexibility in giving the vaccines.”
“During a ceremony Tuesday, Levine was sworn in as an admiral — the highest-ranking official of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Levine's appointment to the USPHS Commissioned Corps also made her the organization's first female four-star admiral.”
In a first, a kidney grown in a genetically altered pig was found to work normally after it was attached to a human patient. - New York Times
“The move is a scientific breakthrough that one day may yield a vast new supply of organs for severely ill patients.”