It’s Thursday, September 2nd, and this is your Morning Wire. Listen to the full podcast here.
1) Group Of Veterans Rescues Hundreds Of American Allies
The Topline: Travis Peterson, a retired Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, helped form a nonprofit called Ark Salus whose mission is to protect and rescue Afghan allies and their families.
Quote Of The Day:
“We will keep going as long as we can for as many as we can. [Afghans] fought side-by-side with me … saved my life numerous times, countless times, and I owe them this.”
– Travis Peterson, retired Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force
Joe Raedle/Staff/Getty Images
Rescue Missions
Peterson told Morning Wire his team has rescued around 200 to 300 people from Afghanistan.
Peterson said there are still 500 American Citizens in Kabul who cannot get out and were left behind by the U.S. government, not including the Afghans who assisted the United States for the past twenty years.
The group says they’ve coordinated with other countries, including Sri Lanka and the Czech Republic, who have agreed to take in the Afghan refugees once they’ve been evacuated.
Manu Vega via Getty Images
2) Judge Blocks Unvaccinated Mom From Seeing Son
The Topline: In a ruling believed to be the first of its kind, a Chicago judge blocked a mother from seeing her young son because she had not received a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Case
Rebecca Firlit, the mother of an 11-year-old boy, lives in Chicago and shares custody of her son with her ex-husband. In early August, during a child support hearing via Zoom, Cook County Judge James Shapiro suddenly asked Firlit if she had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
When she said she had not, the judge stripped her of all visitation rights.
Though the ruling was reversed on Monday after almost three weeks, Firlit’s attorney said the judge had “exceeded his judicial authority” in the original ruling.
Firlit said she has not received a COVID-19 vaccine because she has had adverse reactions to vaccines in the past and was advised by her doctor not to get the shot.
First Of Its Kind
The case has set off alarm bells for some who fear it could set a dangerous precedent of parents having their children taken away from them because they’re unvaccinated. The judge in question, however, has asked other people about their vaccination status in his courtroom.
In a video of a different virtual court hearing, Judge Shapiro admitted he has ordered some parents and some kids to get vaccinated. The judge said it is “stupid” not to get the shot and “the only people not getting vaccinated are dying.”
andresr via Getty Images
3) Movie Theaters Consider Vaccine Mandates
The Topline: The biggest theater chains may soon be implementing vaccine mandates for moviegoers.
Are Theater Mandates Coming?
At this year’s annual meeting of the National Association of Theater Owners, CinemaCon, vaccine mandates were reportedly a main topic of discussion.
Nathan Finian, the head of the group, told The Wrap that most theater owners are open to vaccine mandates.
He called it a “mixed bag” because they know mandates will keep some potential ticket buyers away but said theater owners are hoping vaccine mandates could be a net positive for the industry. Some experts say a mandate could bring those who are fearful of the Delta Variant back to the theater if they know others are vaccinated.
Studio executives have told outlets like The Hollywood Reporter they’d like to see mandates.
Key Point: The National Association of Theatre Owners accounts for more than 35,000 screens in all 50 states, so if they impose vaccine requirements, it will likely impact most movie-going Americans.
Effect Of Mandates
Hollywood insiders might be wrong in assuming mandates will bring people back to movie theaters.
When France started requiring vaccination proof or a negative COVID-19 test to attend movies last month, box office revenues dropped 70%.
Italy’s box office dropped 40% after its movie theaters mandated vaccines.
Sergio Flores/Stringer/Getty Images
Other Stories We’re Tracking
Texas Abortion Law
A Texas abortion law went into effect on Wednesday and could ban most abortions after 6 weeks, once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Abortion providers tried to get the courts to stay the law, but a lower court and the Supreme Court decided not to rule on their requests.
California School Board Recall
A petition to recall the San Francisco School Board has received 70,000 signatures, putting the issue on track to successfully appear on the ballot. According to recent polling, 60% of San Francisco adults support recalling the school board, including 69% of public school parents.
A previous version of this story misidentified the head of the theater organization. He is John Fithian, not Nathan Finian.