Texas law banning most abortions takes effect, Taliban reign in Afghanistan: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Activists are begging the Supreme Court to take action on the new Texas law banning most abo. Plus, the Taliban begin their reign in Afghanistan, the Caldor Fire edges closer to Lake Tahoe, President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Venice Film Festival kicks off.
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 Wednesday, the 1st of September 2021. Today, a Texas law banning most abortions takes effect, plus the latest from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and more.
Taylor Wilson:
Here are some of the top headlines.
The death toll from Hurricane Ida has risen to four after a highway collapsed in Mississippi. The storm is now a tropical depression and moving through the Mid-Atlantic to Southern New England on Wednesday.
Israel has approved a series of steps to ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip, including opening the main commercial crossing into the Palestinian territory. Tensions have again been high between Palestine and Israel with Israel killing two Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy and a Hamas militant while Palestinians shot and killed an Israeli soldier during recent protests along the border.
And a new Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index out this week found that only 14% of US adults are against getting a COVID-19 vaccine. That's the lowest since the start of the index.
Taylor Wilson:
A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect at midnight. And the Supreme Court still has not acted on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold. The law would be the most restrictive against abortion rights in the country since the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. And it was signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott in May, and would prohibit abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks, a time before most people even know they're pregnant. The Texas Freedom Network is one of the groups fighting against the measure, its political director, Carisa Lopez talked about her concerns back in May.
Carisa Lopez:
Essentially a ban on abortions with no exception for fetal anomaly or rape or incest. In addition, it has a really interesting enforcement mechanism that allows for harassing civil lawsuits towards doctors, nurses, abortion funds, friends and family, anyone who essentially is deemed to have potentially aided or abetted in an abortion. They can be sued by any private citizen in or out of state. This means that it's not the state themselves, the Attorney General, for example, enforcing it. It means that it is private citizens. It is a sneaky way to try to make sure this law stays in effect, one, and two, it's an attempt to financially ruin providers.
Taylor Wilson:
Like Carisa said, under the law, private citizens are allowed to sue abortion providers and anyone involved in facilitating the abortion. That includes someone who drives someone else to get an abortion. And anyone who successfully sues another person under the law would be entitled to at least $10,000. Abortion providers are asking the Supreme Court to intervene and say the law would rule out a staggering 85% of abortions in the state. Texas has long had some of the toughest abortion restrictions, but courts have often intervened. In 2013, the state passed a law that forced more than half of Texas abortion clinics to close before the Supreme Court eventually struck it down. It's not clear when or how the High Court will intervene this time around. At least 12 other states have created bans on abortion early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.
Taylor Wilson:
President Joe Biden spoke on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan on Tuesday. He defended both his decision to end military operations there and his handling of the evacuation in recent weeks.
Joe Biden:
I was not going to extend this forever war. And I was not extending a forever exit.
Taylor Wilson:
Biden also blamed Former President Donald Trump for making a deal with the Taliban that Biden said made the militants the strongest they've been since the US invaded two decades ago. But Republicans have blasted Biden's strategy to get out of Afghanistan. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy demanded accountability on Tuesday.
Kevin McCarthy:
I believe there should be accountability for what I see is probably the biggest failure in American government on a military stage in my lifetime. And we could never make this mistake again. And I cannot imagine, any individual that is in a policy making position, knowingly made a decision politically when to leave and knowingly telling the American public two weeks before that they will not leave until every American's home, but decide they're going to leave Americans there. The lies have got to stop. The accountability needs to be there. But most importantly, Americans need to be able to be brought home.
Taylor Wilson:
McCarthy was referring to the nearly 200 Americans who remained in Afghanistan. But President Biden said the US reached out 19 times since March to Americans in the country, and again said Tuesday that he will help get them out if they want to once the Kabul airport resumes operations. Meanwhile, the Taliban are now fully in governmental control of the country of 38 million. So far, there are few signs of the draconian restrictions they imposed the last time in power in the late 1990s. They will likely continue to install some form of Islamic law, but the population is more cosmopolitan and educated than a generation ago, and maybe less tolerant of certain measures. Schools have reopened to both boys and girls, though the Taliban says they will study separately. A fifth grade girl Masooda told the AP, "I am not afraid of the Taliban." There have even been several weddings held in Kabul this week and women have been seen regularly on the street, but it's not clear if these scenes will continue when international attention on the country fades.
Taylor Wilson:
There's also little foreign reporting in more rural parts of the country, which were at times nightmarish during the Taliban's last rule. The militants though will likely need to comply with at least some foreign pressure to allow free travel, form an inclusive government and guarantee women's rights. They have little leverage facing a potential economic disaster without the foreign aid the country received in recent years. There's also the threat of ISIS terrorism. Something the US may continue to combat using drone strikes. The US military believes a drone strike killed two Islamic state militants last weekend, but an Afghan official said the US also killed at least three children in the strike, something that's not uncommon in past US drone strikes. CNN reported on Monday that up to seven children are dead, part of 10 members of one family killed by the United States. It's not clear what President Biden's strategy will be on similar drone strikes in the future.
Taylor Wilson:
Firefighters continue to work against the growing Caldor Fire in California. The fire is edging closer to the evacuated vacation town of South Lake Tahoe, destroying homes on the way. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the fire has spread through some 200,000 acres and was only 18% contained as of Tuesday night. Governor Gavin Newsom said containing the fire is a top priority.
Gavin Newsom:
It's our number one priority, put everything we've got on it. We're doing everything in our power to have your back.
Taylor Wilson:
Evacuation orders have now also extended into neighboring Nevada. The National Weather Service says that critical weather conditions through Wednesday could include extremely low humidity and wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour. The Caldor is one of 83 large fires and complexes burning throughout the American West according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Taylor Wilson:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with President Joe Biden on Wednesday. The White House says the meeting aims to show support for Ukraine sovereignty in the face of Russia's seizure of Crimea and their backing of armed separatists. The Ukrainian leader found himself in the middle of Former President Donald Trump's first impeachment. Trump asked him to open an investigation into then political rival Joe Biden. Before Wednesday sit downs, Zelensky visited the Pentagon and met with US Defense officials. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Lloyd Austin:
We again call on Russia to end its occupation of Crimea and to stop perpetuating the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, and we will continue to stand with you in the face of this Russian aggression.
Taylor Wilson:
The Biden administration said it will commit $60 million in new military aid to the country because of increased Russian military activity along its border.
Taylor Wilson:
The Venice Film Festival opens on Wednesday. It was the only international film festival to be held in person during last year's coronavirus surges. Many festivals went completely virtual, a trend that has even continued this year, though can return earlier this summer. There will still be plenty of restrictions in place in Venice though, staff and festival attendees must be vaccinated or show regular negative tests and masks are required indoors. As for the movies, the festival opens with Spanish Director, Pedro Almodóvar's new feature Parallel Mothers.
Also, premiering the long anticipated Dune from Director Denis Villeneuve.
Timothée Chalamet:
I've been having dreams about a girl on Arrakis. I don't know what it means.
Jason Momoa:
Dreams make good stories, but everything important happens when we're awake.
Taylor Wilson:
The film was originally scheduled to release last November, but it was delayed because of the pandemic. Festival goers will also get their first look at Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in Spencer.
Sally Hawkins:
They know everything.
Kristen Stewart:
They don't.
Taylor Wilson:
For more, head to the entertainment section on usatoday.com. And you can find 5 Things wherever you're listening right now. 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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas law bans most abortions, Taliban reigns in Afghanistan: 5 Things podcast
