The 7

Tuesday briefing: State abortion battles; San Antonio migrant tragedy; primaries; surprise Jan. 6 hearing; Supreme Court; and more

By
and 
June 28, 2022 at 6:40 a.m. EDT
(Jordan Robertson for The Washington Post)
3 min

1

States are beginning to battle over abortion rights.

  • Why? The Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion last week, leaving laws up to individual states.
  • In California: People will vote in November on a constitutional amendment ensuring the right to abortion and contraception. It’s expected to pass.
  • Elsewhere: Judges temporarily blocked abortion bans in Louisiana and Utah, while a court in South Carolina allowed a ban there to take effect immediately.

2

Forty-six people were found dead in a truck in San Antonio.

  • It’s the deadliest smuggling incident of its kind in U.S. history and comes as record numbers of migrants are being arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border.
  • What we know: The tractor-trailer had no signs of water or working AC inside. Sixteen people, including children, were rescued alive yesterday.

3

There’s another round of primaries and elections today.

  • Where? Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma and Utah have primaries; Mississippi and South Carolina are holding runoffs; and Nebraska has a special election.
  • In Nebraska: Voters will decide who will replace Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned after being found guilty of lying to the FBI.
  • Other key races: There’s a fight for a rare open Senate seat in Oklahoma, and in Illinois, a controversial candidate backed by former president Donald Trump is up against another Republican congressman.

4

The Jan. 6 committee is holding a surprise hearing today.

5

A Russian strike on a shopping mall in central Ukraine killed at least 18 people.

  • Where? The city of Kremenchuk. There were at least 1,000 people in the mall when the missile hit yesterday, officials said. At least 60 people were injured and 38 are missing.
  • The reaction: Leaders of the Group of Seven, the world’s wealthiest democracies, condemned the attack as a war crime.

6

The Supreme Court sided with a praying high school football coach.

  • What to know: Justices said the coach’s midfield postgame prayers were protected by the First Amendment. His school had asked him to stop and eventually put him on paid leave.
  • Why it matters: The ruling could give educators more leeway to carry out religious practices in schools.
  • Expect more court news: We’re still waiting on major decisions about the environment and immigration, which could come tomorrow.

7

More than 400,000 solar-powered patio umbrellas are being recalled.

  • Why? Five customers said their umbrellas caught fire. The hazard is linked to the product’s solar panel batteries.
  • The model: 10-foot Solar LED Market Umbrellas made by SunVilla, sold exclusively at Costco between December 2020 and May 2022.

And now … what to watch tonight: “Only Murders in the Building” is back for a second season on Hulu.

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