Good afternoon. Here are the top stories so far today.
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What happened today:
Biden’s vaccine mandate. President Joe Biden announced that all federal employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested regularly for the infectious disease and wear a mask. The White House has also asked the Pentagon to look into how to require it for the military. The move will impact the nation’s roughly 2 million federal workers and 2 million members of the armed forces.
Abortion rights are under threat … again. Nearly 230 congressional Republicans urged the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. Forty-four senators and 184 House members believe the court should use an upcoming Mississippi case to leave abortion-related legislation up to states. And yep, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy are on the list.
Where they got infected. Insider spoke with six people who got COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated. The culprits? A friend’s indoor wedding, a summer camp, and a birthday trip to Vegas. These “breakthrough infections” are becoming more common as the Delta variant spreads widely across the US.
Disney suffers a spider bite. Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney after the company simultaneously released her film “Black Widow” on its Disney+ streaming platform and in theatres. Johansson argues that Disney violated her contract, potentially bilking her out of significant income because her salary was largely based on box-office performance. Ouch.
An icon at 18. Team USA’s Sunisa Lee, the first Hmong American Olympian, won one of the most coveted prizes in gymnastics when she took gold in the all-around event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Team USA has now won five consecutive individual all-around gold medals, won by five different athletes.
That’s all for now. See you tomorrow.
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