Evening Briefing: The immediate impact of Texas’ abortion law

September 2, 2021

By Remy Tumin

Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday.

A security guard opens the door to the Whole Women's Health Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday. LM Otero/Associated Press

1. Texas' new abortion restrictions are having an immediate effect.

Clinics around Texas saw dramatic drops in patients after the Supreme Court declined just before midnight on Wednesday to temporarily block a new law that effectively bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. Women, confused about their options, crowded phone lines. Some began seeking services across state lines. Phone calls and walk-ins to pregnancy crisis centers run by anti-abortion groups surged.

The law is novel in that any person from Texas or elsewhere in the nation could now bring a lawsuit against anyone who "aids or abets" an illegal abortion. Its success surprised even some in the anti-abortion movement. "I didn't think it would happen in my lifetime," a director of one crisis center said.

The Supreme Court's vote was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the court's three liberal members in dissent. "The statutory scheme before the court is not only unusual, but unprecedented," he wrote.

President Biden excoriated the court's refusal to block the law, and directed a gender-focused policy council to investigate how the federal government could protect existing constitutional abortion rights.

Continue reading the main story

Floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Ida left vehicles stranded and Interstate 87 shut down.Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times

2. At least 29 people are dead after the remnants of Hurricane Ida unleashed a ferocious storm and flooding in the New York region.

The deluge of rain on Wednesday — more than half a foot fell in just a few hours — turned streets and subway platforms into rivers. Emergency responders in boats rescued people from the rooftops of cars. A tornado in southern New Jersey leveled a stretch of houses. Philadelphia was inundated by floodwaters as Ida left a trail of destruction. Here's the latest.

Continue reading the main story

Most of the New Yorkers who died were found inside basements, after water poured into homes from the streets and through the windows. Neighbors tried to save neighbors from Ida's floods, and were not always successful.

The record-breaking rainfall exposed the city's vulnerability to heavy downpours that are becoming increasingly more severe with global warming.

Volunteers in Kenner, La., hand out bottled water and other supplies in the wake of Hurricane Ida.Edmund D. Fountain for The New York Times

3. After Hurricane Ida moved north, communities in Louisiana were left reeling from the storm's impact.

Nearly everyone in Jefferson Parish, next to New Orleans, was experiencing problems with their water service after the power went out. Lines for bottled water were growing. Four Louisiana nursing home residents who were evacuated ahead of Ida died at a facility that blocked state inspectors this week. A lack of power is also hindering a full assessment of the toxic pollution brought on by the hurricane.

As the planet heats up, heavy rainstorms are dumping more water than ever before, threatening to devastate unprepared cities. In the Northeast, the strongest 1 percent of storms now produce 55 percent more rainfall than they did in the middle of the 20th century.

Evan Ocheret, a professional oboist, was unable to work in 2020 because of cancelled events.Hannah Yoon for The New York Times

4. An estimated 7.5 million people will lose their unemployment benefits this weekend. Millions more will see their checks cut by $300 a week.

Unemployment benefits have helped stave off financial ruin for millions of laid-off workers over the last year and a half. But this cutoff is the latest and arguably the largest of the benefit "cliffs" that jobless workers are facing. The abrupt loss of the added benefits could have long-term effects for both the recipients and the economy.

As some health insurers focus on encouraging vaccination, temporary waivers that kept patient costs low are expiring. Insurers are now treating Covid more like any other disease, and no longer fully covering the costs of care.

Amaya Gray with her 5-year-old son on the first day of school in Fresno, Calif.Tomas Ovalle for The New York Times

5. There are 48 million American children under 12 who are not yet eligible for a coronavirus shot. Their parents face difficult choices as school starts.

The timeline for a vaccine for younger children — initially expected by this fall — appears to have slowed. Parents are feeling increasingly backed into a corner as they reluctantly send their children back into the classroom — or resort to drastic actions to keep them safe.

Many grandparents had a head start on getting immunized against Covid-19, and more than 80 percent are fully vaccinated. But too many remain unprotected, experts say.

Subscribe Today

We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times with this special offer.

Representative Kevin McCarthy is trying to thwart a full accounting of the Jan. 6 attack. Jason Andrew for The New York Times

6. The top House Republican threatened retaliation against any telecom company that cooperates with a congressional inquiry into the Jan. 6 riot.

Representative Kevin McCarthy's warning came after the committee investigating the attack asked dozens of firms to preserve the phone and social media records of 11 far-right members of Congress who pushed to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It was his latest attempt to insulate Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers from scrutiny over any ties to the violence.

House Democrats leading the investigation into the Capitol riot named Representative Liz Cheney as the committee's vice chairwoman, elevating the role of a Republican who has been a vocal critic of Trump.

7. Before the Surfside condo collapsed in Florida, the building was failing and engineers found flaws throughout. Our investigation looks at the problems.

The Times created a 3-D model of Champlain Towers South based on the original design drawings. That model, combined with a review of documents and interviews with structural experts, reveals how design errors, dubious construction practices and years of worsening deterioration could have all contributed to the collapse that killed 98 people.

From top to bottom, engineers hired by the condo had identified a range of problems with the 40-year-old building, some of which were a focus of work even hours before the collapse.

Sharon Schaffer has had to fight for her place in the waves.Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times

8. "I had to develop a voice right away to scream: 'I got it — it's mine, my wave.'"

That's Sharon Schaffer, the first Black woman to become a professional surfer. Now, a new generation of surfers and activists is building on the efforts and achievements of those who came before — and carving out a space for themselves. It's the latest in The Times's "Black History, Continued" series.

We also report on an underground fight club in Los Angeles that took off during the pandemic. Then the authorities got wind of the league, known as Backyard Squabbles.

A splash of oxeye sunflower attracts pollinators and people at Brooklyn Bridge Park.Etienne Frossard

9. We're two days into September, and it's time to start thinking about your spring garden.

Rather than following the common practice of planting and transplanting in spring, Rebecca McMackin, the director of horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park, suggests shifting virtually all of that activity to autumn. The result, in this park at least, is a refuge and breeding ground for diverse and unexpected species. Our garden expert spoke to her about going against conventional wisdom in the garden.

This time of year also calls for preserves. Try these three methods to capture the essence of summer fruit in jams and jellies.

Researchers shining a UV flashlight in a forest in Vietnam saw bright flashes in paper wasp nests.Bernd Schöllhorn & Serge Berthier

10. And finally, the grooviest cocoons.

Adult paper wasps are known as capable builders, crafting nests out of plant matter and spit. It turns out those skills start early: Just before these young wasps begin a metamorphosis into maturity, most larvae sequester themselves in special nest compartments with woven seals called cocoon caps. Shine a UV flashlight on these nests and you'll see they glow in the dark.

The glow is about three times brighter than the most intensely fluorescent land animals previously known (a green Namibian gecko and a frog from Argentina). The discovery, made in wasp nests in Vietnam, adds to a growing pantheon of surprising examples of natural fluorescence — and to the mystery of what purposes, if any, these light shows serve.

Have a glowing evening.

David Poller compiled photos for this briefing.

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Want to catch up on past briefings? You can browse them here.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.

Here are today's Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here.

Continue reading the main story