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Today’s edition of quick hits:
* At the White House: “President Joe Biden on Friday called the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade a sad day for the country and urged voters to take action in November’s midterm elections to protect abortion rights. ‘This is a sad day for the country, in my view, but it doesn’t mean the fight is over,’ the president said in remarks from the White House.”
* They won’t soon live this down: “Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling Friday to eliminate the constitutional right to an abortion, after they voted to confirm Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, two key votes in the decision to overturn a half-century-old precedent.”
* The latest on Afghanistan’s earthquake: “Tents, food and medical supplies rolled into the mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan where thousands were left homeless or injured by this week’s powerful earthquake, which state media said killed 1,150 people. A new aftershock Friday took five more lives and deepened the misery.”
* In Ukraine: “Ukrainian forces will retreat from a key eastern city after weeks of bombardment and battles with invading Russian forces, a local official said Friday. The regional governor, Serhiy Haidai, previously said troops defending Sievierodonetsk would ‘fight for every inch.’ But they had been pinned back to a factory on the edge of the city and battered by Russian artillery.”
* Something else to worry about: “The World Health Organization is weighing whether to declare monkeypox an international emergency — a decision that could come as early as Friday. A declaration could escalate the global response as cases rapidly rise in Britain despite efforts to contain it.”
* An investigation we’re following closely: “Gov. Brian Kemp will deliver testimony next month to Fulton County prosecutors investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 elections, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned. But unlike the parade of witnesses who have appeared at the Fulton courthouse to answer questions in front of a special grand jury, the Republican will instead deliver a ‘sworn recorded statement,’ according to a letter from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office dated Wednesday and obtained by the AJC on Thursday.”
* Remember Thomas Barrack? “A billionaire fundraiser for former President Donald Trump on Wednesday lost a bid to dismiss criminal charges he lobbied the U.S. government on behalf of the United Arab Emirates without disclosing his affiliation. Thomas Barrack had pleaded not guilty to charges of illegal lobbying and lying to U.S. law enforcement, and faces a September trial.”
Have a safe weekend.