It’s Thursday, December 2nd, and this is your Morning Wire. Listen to the full podcast:
1) Supreme Court Hears Key Abortion Case
The Topline: Yesterday, thousands of protestors gathered outside the Supreme Court as justices heard arguments on a Mississippi abortion case which could have huge implications for abortion laws across the country.
Quote Of The Day: “Would you specifically tell me, specifically state, what the right is? Is it specifically abortion? Is it liberty? Is it autonomy? Is it privacy?”
– Justice Clarence Thomas
OLIVIER DOULIERY / Contributor / AFP via Getty Images
The Arguments
Solicitor General Scott Stewart defended the Mississippi pro-life law which outlaws abortion after 15 weeks, arguing that each state should be able to decide its own abortion laws. The Supreme Court accepted this case to answer the question of whether all pre-viability bans on abortion are unconstitutional.
Julie Rikelman, the senior director for the center for reproductive rights, who is arguing on behalf of Jackson Women’s Health, addressed Judge Kavanaugh’s concern that the court should remain neutral, saying, “The constitution provides a guarantee of liberty. The court has interpreted that liberty to include making decisions related to childbearing, marriage and family.”
If the precedent set by Roe. v. Wade is overturned, states would be free to make their own laws regarding abortion.
The justices will cast their tentative votes within the next few days, but won’t reveal their final decision until June.
Anna Moneymaker/Staff/Getty Images
2) Biden’s Vaccine Mandates Suffer Court Setbacks
The Topline: A series of court rulings have dealt President Biden’s sweeping vaccine mandates major setbacks.
Quote Of The Day: “I think there’s a good chance that they will [go to the Supreme Court], because this is a direct challenge to federal authority. This is a sweeping federal program that’s been issued at the direction of the President of the United States.”
– Ryan Bangert, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom
Rulings
The rulings come as several states and businesses, including The Daily Wire, have filed lawsuits against the administration condemning the mandates as unconstitutional.
The Biden administration issued several different mandates relating to vaccines. The first was a federal employee mandate, which the Biden administration has put on hold until after the holidays. Another is the federal contractor mandate, which recently was enjoined by a federal court out of Kentucky.
An additional mandate related to healthcare workers was also recently enjoined by a federal court in St. Louis.
In each of these cases, the courts have said the Biden administration overshot it’s authority under the relevant statutes and questioned whether the agencies had authority to implement the rules in the first place.
The OSHA mandate, which relates to private employers, has already been stayed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and put on hold. It is now under challenge in a consolidated proceeding in the Sixth Circuit.
Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/NBC/Contributor via Getty Images
3) CNN Puts Chris Cuomo On Indefinite Leave
The Topline: News anchor Chris Cuomo has been suspended indefinitely from CNN for his involvement in the sexual harassment scandal of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Quote Of The Day: “I never attacked, nor encouraged anyone to attack any woman coming forward. I never made calls to the press about my brother’s situation. I never influenced or attempted to control CNN’s coverage of my family.”
– Chris Cuomo
Cuomo
CNN suspended primetime host Chris Cuomo indefinitely on Tuesday after new details emerged exposing the role he played in helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, fight charges of sexual harassment and assault.
Although Cuomo had initially downplayed the role he played in his brother’s defense, new documents released by the New York Attorney General’s office show the full extent of his involvement.
Chris Cuomo faced a sexual harassment allegation of his own from an ABC executive who said he groped her at a party. Critics have since speculated CNN didn’t take action on any scandals sooner because his show was the highest rated program on the network.
Background
Over the spring and summer, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was accused by multiple women of sexual assault and harassment. When those allegations first came out, Chris Cuomo, Andrew’s brother, claimed on his CNN show he would not be covering the case because he wouldn’t be able to do so objectively.
In May, it was revealed he had taken part in calls with Governor Cuomo and his top advisers as they planned out a response to the scandal. At the time, the full extent of his involvement was not yet known, and CNN said his conduct was “inappropriate” but chose not to punish him. A few months later, as rumors continued to circulate about his involvement, he went on air with a vehement denial.
New Revelations
On Monday, the New York Attorney General’s office released new information about their investigation into Governor Cuomo with overwhelming evidence showing Chris Cuomo was more involved than he initially claimed.
In March, Cuomo’s top adviser, Melissa DeRosa, emailed him saying “rumor going around 1 to 2 more people coming out tomorrow, can you check your sources,” to which he replied “On it.” He also looked into the background of one accuser who said Governor Cuomo kissed her against her will at a wedding. He emailed DeRosa again saying, “I have a lead on wedding girl.”
According to the Attorney General’s office, Chris Cuomo admitted in testimony he would reach out to fellow reporters and insider sources for information about women who’d already made accusations against his brother, as well as information on those who were about to come forward with accusations.
Fred Lee/Getty Images
Other Stories We’re Tracking
Peng Shuai
The head of the Women’s Tennis Association announced Wednesday it will suspend all WTA tournaments in China. The decision is a result of concerns about the safety of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai. The chairman of WTA said the association has “serious doubts that she is free, safe, and not subject to censorship, coercion, and intimidation.”
Omicron
The first case of the Omicron variant has been detected in the U.S. A passenger returning from South Africa tested positive in California on Wednesday. Officials say the individual is experiencing mild symptoms. In response, Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters, “We knew it was just a matter of time before the first case of omicron would be detected in the United States.”