Washington responds to Supreme Court striking down Roe
CBSN
Elected officials in Washington, D.C., responded swiftly to news from the Supreme Court striking down the right to an abortion, officially overturning Roe after a draft of the opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson was leaked.
In a 5-4 decision to strike down Roe and a 6-3 decision to uphold a Mississippi restricting abortions after 15 weeks, the court held that the Constitution "does not confer a right to abortion," and "the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives." In other words, the legality of abortions will be determined state-by-state. Thirteen states already have so-called "trigger laws" on the books, meaning abortion will swiftly be outlawed in most cases with Roe overturned.
In a sign of the polarization of this issue, Democrats immediately slammed the decision, saying the ruling negates basic women's rights and will disproportionately affect poor women who will have a harder time accessing out-of-state abortions. Most Republicans and conservatives celebrated the decision as a win for the unborn.
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that the U.S. food supply is still "one of the safest in the world," in the wake of a number of foodborne disease outbreaks affecting items ranging from organic carrots to deli meats to McDonald's Quarter Pounders. E. coli, listeria and other contaminants have sickened thousands of people and forced a number of recalls in recent months.
We just had another election with a clear and verifiable victor, overseen by hundreds of thousands of election officials. Those public servants have suffered years of harassment, and despite their successes, are still being accused of taking part in a massive and impossible conspiracy — a conspiracy led by the party out of power to steal an election and cover up all evidence.
Washington — Former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz is meeting with senators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as he seeks to shore up support for his nomination for attorney general amid calls for the House Ethics Committee to release a report on allegations he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.