By LILY O'SHEA BECKER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/29/brother-and-sister-recount-very-traumatizing-amtrak-derailment-in-missouri/">Kansas Reflector</a>

A mother aboard a train derailment in
 Mendon, Missouri, on Monday climbed on top of the wreckage and went 
from train car to train car, yelling into each window while searching 
for her three children, according to her son, Dax McDonald.&nbsp;

The Amtrak train was traveling from 
Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck a dump truck approximately 100 
miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. Seven cars derailed with 
hundreds of passengers inside. Four passengers were killed and 150 
others were injured, with some in critical condition, according to a 
news briefing Wednesday from the University of Kansas Health System.&nbsp;

“I honestly thought at first it would
 just be a large delay,” McDonald said during the briefing. “I’ve heard 
of trains hitting cars before, but then when I started to feel the train
 start to tip, I saw the car in front of us start to turn, or fall over.
 That’s when I kind of knew that this went from a delay to a 
life-or-death situation.”

McDonald, from Phoenix, Arizona, was 
traveling with his mother and two sisters from Arizona to Iowa to visit 
family for the Fourth of July, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/dax-samantha-mcdonald-describe-missouri-amtrak-trail-derailment/40451980">KMBC-TV reported</a>.
 While McDonald was sitting on the right side of the train and emerged 
from the derailment virtually unscathed, his sister, Samantha McDonald, 
was sitting on the left side of the train.

“When the crash happened,” she said, 
“I was on the left side of the train car that we were in, and I was 
thrown to the other side of the train car, hitting my head and scraping 
my face and hitting the right side of my body against the train car. … 
So because of that, I was bleeding from the right side of my face.”&nbsp;

She was taken to Moberly Regional Medical Center in Moberly, Missouri, for a CT scan and X-rays for her knee.&nbsp;

“Everything cleared up. I’m OK, obviously — just a little banged up,” Samantha McDonald said.

Dax McDonald recalled the person in 
front of him having a seizure and people immediately calling for help 
with broken limbs or unable to move.&nbsp;

Dax McDonald said he was looking for a way to get out.

“We kind of realized that both exits 
on the front and back of the train weren’t usable anymore,” he said. 
“The only real exits, we realized after a while, were straight up from 
us.”

Survivors who were able to get out of the train stood on top of the derailed cars and helped pull others out through windows.&nbsp;

“I just remember the man that was 
able to help me climb my way up out of the train was actually, his 
entire face was scratched up, kind of like the side of my face,” 
Samantha McDonald said. “It was very, very traumatizing to see that in 
person and see that actually happening in real life.”&nbsp;

Matt Daugherty, director of business 
development for Life Flight, said because Mendon is rural, many of the 
first responders were nearby volunteer firefighters who left their day 
jobs to help assist.&nbsp;

Daugherty said 11 helicopters 
responded to the derailment, with the first one arriving within 20 
minutes to help assist those who were most injured.&nbsp;

According to Daugherty, most injuries included head wounds, broken bones and cuts from debris.&nbsp;

Dan Manley, assistant fire chief for 
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, helped coordinate resources and response to the 
derailment. He said several agencies in the region are equipped to 
respond to derailments because they have received special passenger rail
 rescue training.&nbsp;

“I’m so thankful for the entire 
community of Mendon who came out,” Dax McDonald said. “We went to the 
high school — they already had drinks and food and water. They had the 
whole gymnasium set up. The whole town basically came out.”

Dax McDonald said he saw farmers 
drive a tractor through a field toward the train to help people. He said
 the community brought crowbars and ladders to help people out of the 
train.&nbsp;

Samantha McDonald, who is a pre-med 
student at the University of Arizona, was asked whether this event has 
changed her mind on joining the medical field.

“I think if anything, this kind of 
reignites the fire for being a part of the teams that are able to come 
out there and were on scene and were absolutely outstanding,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656361752974.png" alt="An image courtesy a video posted by Robert Nightingale, who was a passenger aboard the Amtrak train that derailed on Monday, June 27, in Mendon, Missouri." />
 <figcaption>An image courtesy a video posted by Robert Nightingale, who was a passenger aboard the Amtrak train that derailed on Monday, June 27, in Mendon, Missouri.</figcaption>
 </figure>By LILY O'SHEA BECKER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/29/brother-and-sister-recount-very-traumatizing-amtrak-derailment-in-missouri/">Kansas Reflector</a>A mother aboard a train derailment in
 Mendon, Missouri, on Monday climbed on top of the wreckage and went 
from train car to train car, yelling into each window while searching 
for her three children, according to her son, Dax McDonald.&nbsp;The Amtrak train was traveling from 
Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck a dump truck approximately 100 
miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. Seven cars derailed with 
hundreds of passengers inside. Four passengers were killed and 150 
others were injured, with some in critical condition, according to a 
news briefing Wednesday from the University of Kansas Health System.&nbsp;McDonald said he first heard a bang.“I honestly thought at first it would
 just be a large delay,” McDonald said during the briefing. “I’ve heard 
of trains hitting cars before, but then when I started to feel the train
 start to tip, I saw the car in front of us start to turn, or fall over.
 That’s when I kind of knew that this went from a delay to a 
life-or-death situation.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656536759084.png" alt=" Dax and Samantha McDonald describe the Amtrak train derailment in Mendon, Missouri, during a news briefing Wednesday by the University of Kansas Health System. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from KU Health briefing)" />
 <figcaption> Dax and Samantha McDonald describe the Amtrak train derailment in Mendon, Missouri, during a news briefing Wednesday by the University of Kansas Health System. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from KU Health briefing)</figcaption>
 </figure>McDonald, from Phoenix, Arizona, was 
traveling with his mother and two sisters from Arizona to Iowa to visit 
family for the Fourth of July, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/dax-samantha-mcdonald-describe-missouri-amtrak-trail-derailment/40451980">KMBC-TV reported</a>.
 While McDonald was sitting on the right side of the train and emerged 
from the derailment virtually unscathed, his sister, Samantha McDonald, 
was sitting on the left side of the train.“When the crash happened,” she said, 
“I was on the left side of the train car that we were in, and I was 
thrown to the other side of the train car, hitting my head and scraping 
my face and hitting the right side of my body against the train car. … 
So because of that, I was bleeding from the right side of my face.”&nbsp;She was taken to Moberly Regional Medical Center in Moberly, Missouri, for a CT scan and X-rays for her knee.&nbsp;“Everything cleared up. I’m OK, obviously — just a little banged up,” Samantha McDonald said.Dax McDonald recalled the person in 
front of him having a seizure and people immediately calling for help 
with broken limbs or unable to move.&nbsp;Dax McDonald said he was looking for a way to get out.“We kind of realized that both exits 
on the front and back of the train weren’t usable anymore,” he said. 
“The only real exits, we realized after a while, were straight up from 
us.”Survivors who were able to get out of the train stood on top of the derailed cars and helped pull others out through windows.&nbsp;“I just remember the man that was 
able to help me climb my way up out of the train was actually, his 
entire face was scratched up, kind of like the side of my face,” 
Samantha McDonald said. “It was very, very traumatizing to see that in 
person and see that actually happening in real life.”&nbsp;Matt Daugherty, director of business 
development for Life Flight, said because Mendon is rural, many of the 
first responders were nearby volunteer firefighters who left their day 
jobs to help assist.&nbsp;Daugherty said 11 helicopters 
responded to the derailment, with the first one arriving within 20 
minutes to help assist those who were most injured.&nbsp;According to Daugherty, most injuries included head wounds, broken bones and cuts from debris.&nbsp;Dan Manley, assistant fire chief for 
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, helped coordinate resources and response to the 
derailment. He said several agencies in the region are equipped to 
respond to derailments because they have received special passenger rail
 rescue training.&nbsp;“I’m so thankful for the entire 
community of Mendon who came out,” Dax McDonald said. “We went to the 
high school — they already had drinks and food and water. They had the 
whole gymnasium set up. The whole town basically came out.”Dax McDonald said he saw farmers 
drive a tractor through a field toward the train to help people. He said
 the community brought crowbars and ladders to help people out of the 
train.&nbsp;Samantha McDonald, who is a pre-med 
student at the University of Arizona, was asked whether this event has 
changed her mind on joining the medical field.“I think if anything, this kind of 
reignites the fire for being a part of the teams that are able to come 
out there and were on scene and were absolutely outstanding,” she said.

Brother and sister recount ‘traumatizing’ Amtrak derailment

By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte Post

LINCOLN, Neb.-Police in Lincoln are investigating a hit and run that left a Lincoln man dead.

Police said the crash happened on Saturday at around 9:26 p.m., at the intersection of 37th and O Streets.

Police said a Ford was traveling westbound on O St. when it crossed the center line and struck an eastbound Subaru. The Subaru was pushed in another vehicle.

Police said the driver of the Ford left the scene on foot shortly after the crash. Police said they have located surveillance video of the suspect and are working to locate them.

The driver of the Subaru, a 19-year-old Lincoln man, was transported to a local hospital where he later died. All others involved were treated and released.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the accident to contact them at 402-441-6000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/6/1559737258290.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte PostLINCOLN, Neb.-Police in Lincoln are investigating a hit and run that left a Lincoln man dead.Police said the crash happened on Saturday at around 9:26 p.m., at the intersection of 37th and O Streets.Police said a Ford was traveling westbound on O St. when it crossed the center line and struck an eastbound Subaru. The Subaru was pushed in another vehicle.Police said the driver of the Ford left the scene on foot shortly after the crash. Police said they have located surveillance video of the suspect and are working to locate them.The driver of the Subaru, a 19-year-old Lincoln man, was transported to a local hospital where he later died. All others involved were treated and released.Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the accident to contact them at 402-441-6000.

Lincoln police investigating fatal hit-and-run

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade at a time when it has an unprecedented Catholic supermajority.

That's not a coincidence. Nor is it the whole story.

The justices who voted to overturn Roe have been shaped by a church whose catechism affirms “the moral evil of every procured abortion” and whose U.S. bishops have declared opposition to abortion their “preeminent priority" in public policy.

But that alone doesn't explain the justices' votes.

Click below to watch as President Biden convenes a virtual meeting on Friday with Governors to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion.

U.S. Catholics as a whole are far more ambivalent on abortion than their church leaders, with more than half believing it should be legal in all or most circumstances, according to the Pew Research Center.

Notable Catholics who support abortion rights include&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-biden-china-madrid-fe9c7fe07122413754d087e61a95a202">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pope-francis-politics-religion-nancy-pelosi-249a32b2af9de647f1bae94aacb60c6e">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a>, both Democrats. Democratic-appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a Catholic, dissented in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe.

But the justices in the Dobbs majority aren't simply cradle Catholics. Several have ties to intellectual and social currents within Catholicism that, for all their differences, share a doctrinal conservatism and strong opposition to abortion.

“It’s not simply choosing Catholics,” said Steven Millies, professor of public theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and author of “Good Intentions: A History of Catholic Voters’ Road from Roe to Trump."

“It is because they are particular kinds of Catholics, traveling in particular Catholic circles that not everyone in your local parish is identifying with," Millies said.

In Dobbs, five justices voted to overturn Roe — Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. A sixth, Chief Justice John Roberts, balked at overturning Roe but voted to uphold the Mississippi abortion restrictions in question.

Most went to some combination of Catholic high schools, colleges or graduate schools. The one exception, Dobbs author Alito, has fondly described growing up in a home where “church and the family” were preeminent. Five of the six justices still identify as Catholic, while Gorsuch has attended an Episcopal church more recently.

The Supreme Court was dominated by Protestant justices for much of its history. The majority have been Catholic since the 1990s, and for several years in the last decade, the court had six Catholic justices, three Jews and no Protestants. (&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-swearing-in-5a5115f58e163789dfda5a8af0b14221">Newly sworn-in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson</a>&nbsp;identifies as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-religion-judiciary-e87c64f1d5eb5cb61c8125df55ff8059">Protestant</a>.)

But religious identity has mattered less of late than ideology, which is why conservative evangelicals have cheered on the Republican-nominated Catholics, said Nomi Stolzenberg, a University of Southern California Law School professor focusing on law and religion.

In fact, eight of the last nine Republican nominees to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, from the Reagan to the Trump presidencies, have had Catholic pedigrees.

That religious demographic may seem striking given Republicans' loyal evangelical Protestant constituency.

But partly it's a matter of the available talent pool: Catholic immigrants' descendants have intensely pursued legal professions.

Catholic institutions built their own intellectually rigorous law schools to aid in social assimilation and upward mobility. Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh began as a night school for working class immigrants.

In time, Catholics were studying at Ivy League schools and reaching the judicial elite.

“It’s an immigrant story, how Catholics and Jews overcame anti-Catholic and antisemitic resistance and eventually flooded into elite schools,” Stolzenberg said. A 2017 study found 28% of federal appellate judges are Catholic, and 19% are Jewish.

Millies said some of the earlier Republican-appointed justices disappointed conservatives by voting to uphold Roe.

“Republicans were looking for an identifier in the selection process that would make them safe,” he said. “By the '80s, it became Catholics.”

That, too, reflects the immigrant story, Millies said, as many midcentury Catholics sought to prove their American bona fides as staunchly anti-communist social conservatives.

“Catholics earned a marquee spot in American culture as being reliable, patriotic Americans,” he said.

Even the Catholic nominees weren’t all reliable. The now-retired Anthony Kennedy affirmed Roe and gay marriage. But later Republican administrations also scrutinized candidates’ judicial records and involvement in influential organizations such as the Federalist Society, Millies said.

Gorsuch, who like several in the Dobbs majority has appeared at multiple Federalist Society events, studied at Oxford University with Catholic legal philosopher John Finnis.

Finnis is a proponent of “natural law,” described in the Catholic catechism as “the original moral sense which enables man to discern by reason the good and the evil.” Gorsuch himself applied that principle in a book opposing assisted suicide.

“It may be the case that Gorsuch is no longer a practicing Catholic — we don’t know,” Stolzenberg said. “What we do know is that his legal philosophy is shaped by the conservative Catholic philosophy of natural law.”

Barrett has long been affiliated with People of Praise, an ecumenical Christian group with a significant Catholic membership. It combines a doctrinal and moral conservatism, including opposition to abortion.

Thomas was raised Catholic in a largely Protestant extended family and briefly attended Catholic seminary, later attending an Episcopal church before returning to Catholicism. He has praised the Catholic nuns who taught him and the grandfather who raised him, a Catholic who “worked hard to provide for his family" and “a deeply religious man who lived by the Christian virtues.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-gun-politics-gay-rights-marriage-b9062feb4f80c49de088c36b0f17aa7c">Thomas, concurring on Dobbs</a>, went further in saying the court should reconsider other rights that past courts granted based on legal theories similar to Roe. Such precedents voided state laws against contraception, gay sex and same-sex marriage.

In a speech at Notre Dame University in 2021, Thomas paid tribute to the influence of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, long the court's conservative stalwart.

Despite their different backgrounds — Thomas grew up in segregated Georgia in an African American family with limited education, Scalia in New Jersey as the son of a doctorate-earning Italian immigrant — “we were both Catholics, attended parochial schools and ... benefited from a common culture," Thomas said.

Scalia — who regularly attended the Latin Mass, a rite that appeals to many conservative Catholics — influenced not only Thomas but other recent appointees.

“All of these people would say, ‘We are followers of Scalia,'” Stolzenberg said. “Scalia was a conservative Catholic. That very much stamped him and marked his legal philosophy.”

But with conservatives racking up win after win on the court — overturning Roe, loosening gun restrictions and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-coach-prayer-2981a8073ea82a1a688c367270c941aa">expanding religious access to public forums</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-decision-religious-schools-aid-85645580702ed5ff125cf9760024ae89">money</a>&nbsp;— their coalition will be tested, observers said.

They long coalesced around the idea of “originalism” — that justices should interpret the Constitution based on how its writers meant or applied it.

But originalism, with its purported moral neutrality, is “not any longer going to serve the needs of the pro-life coalition," said Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University School of Law professor focused on constitutional law and religion. Some are talking about legislation declaring fetal personhood, and “originalism doesn't get you there,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656105291910.png" alt="Protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By PETER SMITH, Associated PressThe Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade at a time when it has an unprecedented Catholic supermajority.That's not a coincidence. Nor is it the whole story.The justices who voted to overturn Roe have been shaped by a church whose catechism affirms “the moral evil of every procured abortion” and whose U.S. bishops have declared opposition to abortion their “preeminent priority" in public policy.But that alone doesn't explain the justices' votes.Click below to watch as President Biden convenes a virtual meeting on Friday with Governors to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1017171738987366%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=100" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>U.S. Catholics as a whole are far more ambivalent on abortion than their church leaders, with more than half believing it should be legal in all or most circumstances, according to the Pew Research Center.Notable Catholics who support abortion rights include&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-biden-china-madrid-fe9c7fe07122413754d087e61a95a202">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pope-francis-politics-religion-nancy-pelosi-249a32b2af9de647f1bae94aacb60c6e">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a>, both Democrats. Democratic-appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a Catholic, dissented in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe.But the justices in the Dobbs majority aren't simply cradle Catholics. Several have ties to intellectual and social currents within Catholicism that, for all their differences, share a doctrinal conservatism and strong opposition to abortion.“It’s not simply choosing Catholics,” said Steven Millies, professor of public theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and author of “Good Intentions: A History of Catholic Voters’ Road from Roe to Trump."“It is because they are particular kinds of Catholics, traveling in particular Catholic circles that not everyone in your local parish is identifying with," Millies said.In Dobbs, five justices voted to overturn Roe — Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. A sixth, Chief Justice John Roberts, balked at overturning Roe but voted to uphold the Mississippi abortion restrictions in question.All six were raised Catholic.Most went to some combination of Catholic high schools, colleges or graduate schools. The one exception, Dobbs author Alito, has fondly described growing up in a home where “church and the family” were preeminent. Five of the six justices still identify as Catholic, while Gorsuch has attended an Episcopal church more recently.The Supreme Court was dominated by Protestant justices for much of its history. The majority have been Catholic since the 1990s, and for several years in the last decade, the court had six Catholic justices, three Jews and no Protestants. (&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-swearing-in-5a5115f58e163789dfda5a8af0b14221">Newly sworn-in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson</a>&nbsp;identifies as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-religion-judiciary-e87c64f1d5eb5cb61c8125df55ff8059">Protestant</a>.)But religious identity has mattered less of late than ideology, which is why conservative evangelicals have cheered on the Republican-nominated Catholics, said Nomi Stolzenberg, a University of Southern California Law School professor focusing on law and religion.In fact, eight of the last nine Republican nominees to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, from the Reagan to the Trump presidencies, have had Catholic pedigrees.That religious demographic may seem striking given Republicans' loyal evangelical Protestant constituency.But partly it's a matter of the available talent pool: Catholic immigrants' descendants have intensely pursued legal professions.Catholic institutions built their own intellectually rigorous law schools to aid in social assimilation and upward mobility. Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh began as a night school for working class immigrants.In time, Catholics were studying at Ivy League schools and reaching the judicial elite.“It’s an immigrant story, how Catholics and Jews overcame anti-Catholic and antisemitic resistance and eventually flooded into elite schools,” Stolzenberg said. A 2017 study found 28% of federal appellate judges are Catholic, and 19% are Jewish.Millies said some of the earlier Republican-appointed justices disappointed conservatives by voting to uphold Roe.“Republicans were looking for an identifier in the selection process that would make them safe,” he said. “By the '80s, it became Catholics.”That, too, reflects the immigrant story, Millies said, as many midcentury Catholics sought to prove their American bona fides as staunchly anti-communist social conservatives.“Catholics earned a marquee spot in American culture as being reliable, patriotic Americans,” he said.Even the Catholic nominees weren’t all reliable. The now-retired Anthony Kennedy affirmed Roe and gay marriage. But later Republican administrations also scrutinized candidates’ judicial records and involvement in influential organizations such as the Federalist Society, Millies said.Gorsuch, who like several in the Dobbs majority has appeared at multiple Federalist Society events, studied at Oxford University with Catholic legal philosopher John Finnis.Finnis is a proponent of “natural law,” described in the Catholic catechism as “the original moral sense which enables man to discern by reason the good and the evil.” Gorsuch himself applied that principle in a book opposing assisted suicide.“It may be the case that Gorsuch is no longer a practicing Catholic — we don’t know,” Stolzenberg said. “What we do know is that his legal philosophy is shaped by the conservative Catholic philosophy of natural law.”Barrett has long been affiliated with People of Praise, an ecumenical Christian group with a significant Catholic membership. It combines a doctrinal and moral conservatism, including opposition to abortion.Thomas was raised Catholic in a largely Protestant extended family and briefly attended Catholic seminary, later attending an Episcopal church before returning to Catholicism. He has praised the Catholic nuns who taught him and the grandfather who raised him, a Catholic who “worked hard to provide for his family" and “a deeply religious man who lived by the Christian virtues.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-gun-politics-gay-rights-marriage-b9062feb4f80c49de088c36b0f17aa7c">Thomas, concurring on Dobbs</a>, went further in saying the court should reconsider other rights that past courts granted based on legal theories similar to Roe. Such precedents voided state laws against contraception, gay sex and same-sex marriage.In a speech at Notre Dame University in 2021, Thomas paid tribute to the influence of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, long the court's conservative stalwart.Despite their different backgrounds — Thomas grew up in segregated Georgia in an African American family with limited education, Scalia in New Jersey as the son of a doctorate-earning Italian immigrant — “we were both Catholics, attended parochial schools and ... benefited from a common culture," Thomas said.Scalia — who regularly attended the Latin Mass, a rite that appeals to many conservative Catholics — influenced not only Thomas but other recent appointees.“All of these people would say, ‘We are followers of Scalia,'” Stolzenberg said. “Scalia was a conservative Catholic. That very much stamped him and marked his legal philosophy.”But with conservatives racking up win after win on the court — overturning Roe, loosening gun restrictions and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-coach-prayer-2981a8073ea82a1a688c367270c941aa">expanding religious access to public forums</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-decision-religious-schools-aid-85645580702ed5ff125cf9760024ae89">money</a>&nbsp;— their coalition will be tested, observers said.They long coalesced around the idea of “originalism” — that justices should interpret the Constitution based on how its writers meant or applied it.But originalism, with its purported moral neutrality, is “not any longer going to serve the needs of the pro-life coalition," said Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University School of Law professor focused on constitutional law and religion. Some are talking about legislation declaring fetal personhood, and “originalism doesn't get you there,” he said.

🎥Anti-Roe justices a part of Catholicism's conservative wing

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and LINDSEY TANNER

KANSAS City (AP) —They call her, desperate, scared and often broke. Some are rape and domestic violence victims. Others are new mothers, still breastfeeding infants. Another pregnancy so soon, they say, is something they just can't handle.

(Click below to watch as President Biden convenes a virtual meeting on Friday with Governors to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion.)

“Heart wrenching,” said Angela Huntington, an abortion navigator for Planned Parenthood in Missouri, who is helping callers reschedule canceled abortion appointments — sometimes hundreds of miles away from their homes — after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the fall of Roe v. Wade</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-samuel-alito-66c301d223759e842ad95e89f597d587">The ruling</a>&nbsp;has set off a travel scramble across the country, with a growing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-ruling-states-a767801145ad01617100e57410a0a21d">number of states</a>&nbsp;mostly banning the procedure. Clinics operators are moving, doctors are counseling crying patients, donations are pouring into nonprofits and one group is dispatching vans to administer abortion pills. Some cities — like Kansas City and St. Louis — also are drafting plans to help with the travel logistics.

Huntington has been preparing for this moment for months. Even before the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week to end constitutional protection for abortion, the procedure had become difficult to nearly impossible to obtain in states including Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.

“Basically," she said, they were “living in a post Roe era."

Now a fresh round of laws are taking effect. Staff at a clinic in Nashville were flooded with calls from patients trying to understand the new legal landscape, after a federal court on Tuesday allowed the state's ban on abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy to take effect.

In Arkansas, some patients already were headed to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Little Rock to obtain medication-induced abortions when the decision came down last week. Upon arriving, they were sent home.

“I cannot believe this is happening today,” they told Huntington. Or alternatively, they muttered, their voices oozing with sarcasm, “ Of course it’s happening today.”

Huntington and others try to help move their appointments to clinics in Kansas, Illinois and even Colorado. If a patient is broke but has access to a reliable car, Huntington can offer gas cards. She works with nonprofits to arrange commercial flights and lodging. In recent weeks, she said, a group called Elevated Access has enlisted volunteer light aircraft pilots to transport patients to abortion appointments, sometimes departing from small rural airstrips.

“It’s been hell,’’ said Dr. Jeanne Corwin, a gynecologist who works at a clinic in Dayton, Ohio, where most patients are being turned away after new state rules took effect banning abortions after a heartbeat can be detected. Many are being sent over the border to Indiana and the clinic’s sister site in Indianapolis, where Corwin also works.

She said they are desperate, including a patient in her 30s, recently diagnosed with advanced melanoma and in her first trimester.

“She has to end her pregnancy’’ so she can begin chemotherapy, and is going to Indiana, Corwin said, adding that patients who are beyond Indiana’s 14-week cutoff are being sent to Illinois or Michigan.

Time also may be short for women diverted to Indiana because lawmakers there are expected to re-consider the state’s abortion laws at a special session starting July 6.

The situation is particularly difficult for immigrants who are in the country illegally, said Lupe Rodríguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.

Many of them lack the documentation to take a commercial flight, and occasionally border agents search buses for immigrants who are in the country illegally, she said.

“They’re simply not able to go anywhere to get this care," she said, adding that the ruling has also created widespread confusion, with pregnant women fearful they could face criminal prosecution. “There’s a lot of misinformation."

In Missouri, where abortions were already severely restricted, a new ban took effect Friday that only allows the procedure in “cases of medical emergency.” Kansas City leaders are weighing a $300 stipend to help employees travel for an abortion. And across the state, in St. Louis, elected officials are considering another measure that would use $1 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for transportation, lodging and other logistical support for abortion seekers.

“It’s kind of an American nightmare that we’re scrambling to find health care like this," said St. Louis Alderwoman Annie Rice, adding that she anticipated the measure would pass by mid-July. If that happens, abortion opponents have vowed to ask the state's attorney general to sue.

Just the Pill, a nonprofit health organization that helps patients&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-politics-health-016eb3efd65dafc2b568af1495f5bac5">obtain abortion pills</a>, is hitting the road. It has purchased two vans — one medication van and another where surgical abortions will be done — with plans to begin operating those vans by mid- to-late-July in Colorado. The idea is to be close to the borders of states that have restricted or outlawed abortion.

Mississippi's only abortion clinic, which is nicknamed the Pink House because of its bright pink paint job, is facing the prospect of closing if it loses its lawsuit that seeks to block a state law that makes most abortions illegal as of July 7.

“We’re not giving up,” said the clinic’s owner, Diane Derzis, who plans to open a new abortion clinic called the Pink House West early next month in Las Cruces, New Mexico. “Women have always had abortions, no matter what it took.”

Following the ruling, donations have been pouring in to abortion funds like South Dakota Access for Every Woman. Normally the group would get seven to 10 donations per month. Now they are getting 10 to 20 a day, said Evelyn Griesse, a co-founder of the group. The money goes straight to the abortion providers.

“If the woman says she’s using some of her own personal money to pay for the abortion, we say use that money to do your travel expenses," Griesse said.

Some states are rolling out the welcome mat. Connecticut’s governor is out with a new campaign ad that touts the state’s laws protecting abortion rights for women. They include a soon-to-take-effect law that protects medical providers and patients from out-of-state legal actions.

“Women deserve the right to make their own decisions about their health care,” Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat running for reelection in November, said in the 30-second commercial released over the weekend.

In Pennsylvania, where state law still allows abortions in the first 24 weeks, clinics are bracing for an influx of out-of-state patients.

Susan Frietsche, a staff attorney for the Women’s Law Project, which represents abortion clinics in Pennsylvania, cautioned that state residents seeking abortions may have a harder time finding appointments, too.

“It affects everybody in the country,” Frietsche said. “Whereas yesterday, Pennsylvania providers were basically able to find appointment times for people who need to be seen, that is not going to be the case soon, and Pennsylvanians are going to have to travel to other states and not because the law here has changed, but you won’t be able to find an appointment soon, this is such a time-sensitive service.”

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and LINDSEY TANNERKANSAS City (AP) —They call her, desperate, scared and often broke. Some are rape and domestic violence victims. Others are new mothers, still breastfeeding infants. Another pregnancy so soon, they say, is something they just can't handle.(Click below to watch as President Biden convenes a virtual meeting on Friday with Governors to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion.)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1017171738987366%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=100" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“Heart wrenching,” said Angela Huntington, an abortion navigator for Planned Parenthood in Missouri, who is helping callers reschedule canceled abortion appointments — sometimes hundreds of miles away from their homes — after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the fall of Roe v. Wade</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-samuel-alito-66c301d223759e842ad95e89f597d587">The ruling</a>&nbsp;has set off a travel scramble across the country, with a growing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-ruling-states-a767801145ad01617100e57410a0a21d">number of states</a>&nbsp;mostly banning the procedure. Clinics operators are moving, doctors are counseling crying patients, donations are pouring into nonprofits and one group is dispatching vans to administer abortion pills. Some cities — like Kansas City and St. Louis — also are drafting plans to help with the travel logistics.Huntington has been preparing for this moment for months. Even before the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week to end constitutional protection for abortion, the procedure had become difficult to nearly impossible to obtain in states including Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.“Basically," she said, they were “living in a post Roe era."Now a fresh round of laws are taking effect. Staff at a clinic in Nashville were flooded with calls from patients trying to understand the new legal landscape, after a federal court on Tuesday allowed the state's ban on abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy to take effect.In Arkansas, some patients already were headed to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Little Rock to obtain medication-induced abortions when the decision came down last week. Upon arriving, they were sent home.“I cannot believe this is happening today,” they told Huntington. Or alternatively, they muttered, their voices oozing with sarcasm, “ Of course it’s happening today.”Huntington and others try to help move their appointments to clinics in Kansas, Illinois and even Colorado. If a patient is broke but has access to a reliable car, Huntington can offer gas cards. She works with nonprofits to arrange commercial flights and lodging. In recent weeks, she said, a group called Elevated Access has enlisted volunteer light aircraft pilots to transport patients to abortion appointments, sometimes departing from small rural airstrips.“It’s been hell,’’ said Dr. Jeanne Corwin, a gynecologist who works at a clinic in Dayton, Ohio, where most patients are being turned away after new state rules took effect banning abortions after a heartbeat can be detected. Many are being sent over the border to Indiana and the clinic’s sister site in Indianapolis, where Corwin also works.She said they are desperate, including a patient in her 30s, recently diagnosed with advanced melanoma and in her first trimester.“She has to end her pregnancy’’ so she can begin chemotherapy, and is going to Indiana, Corwin said, adding that patients who are beyond Indiana’s 14-week cutoff are being sent to Illinois or Michigan.Time also may be short for women diverted to Indiana because lawmakers there are expected to re-consider the state’s abortion laws at a special session starting July 6.The situation is particularly difficult for immigrants who are in the country illegally, said Lupe Rodríguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.Many of them lack the documentation to take a commercial flight, and occasionally border agents search buses for immigrants who are in the country illegally, she said.“They’re simply not able to go anywhere to get this care," she said, adding that the ruling has also created widespread confusion, with pregnant women fearful they could face criminal prosecution. “There’s a lot of misinformation."In Missouri, where abortions were already severely restricted, a new ban took effect Friday that only allows the procedure in “cases of medical emergency.” Kansas City leaders are weighing a $300 stipend to help employees travel for an abortion. And across the state, in St. Louis, elected officials are considering another measure that would use $1 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for transportation, lodging and other logistical support for abortion seekers.“It’s kind of an American nightmare that we’re scrambling to find health care like this," said St. Louis Alderwoman Annie Rice, adding that she anticipated the measure would pass by mid-July. If that happens, abortion opponents have vowed to ask the state's attorney general to sue.Just the Pill, a nonprofit health organization that helps patients&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-politics-health-016eb3efd65dafc2b568af1495f5bac5">obtain abortion pills</a>, is hitting the road. It has purchased two vans — one medication van and another where surgical abortions will be done — with plans to begin operating those vans by mid- to-late-July in Colorado. The idea is to be close to the borders of states that have restricted or outlawed abortion.Mississippi's only abortion clinic, which is nicknamed the Pink House because of its bright pink paint job, is facing the prospect of closing if it loses its lawsuit that seeks to block a state law that makes most abortions illegal as of July 7.“We’re not giving up,” said the clinic’s owner, Diane Derzis, who plans to open a new abortion clinic called the Pink House West early next month in Las Cruces, New Mexico. “Women have always had abortions, no matter what it took.”Following the ruling, donations have been pouring in to abortion funds like South Dakota Access for Every Woman. Normally the group would get seven to 10 donations per month. Now they are getting 10 to 20 a day, said Evelyn Griesse, a co-founder of the group. The money goes straight to the abortion providers.“If the woman says she’s using some of her own personal money to pay for the abortion, we say use that money to do your travel expenses," Griesse said.Some states are rolling out the welcome mat. Connecticut’s governor is out with a new campaign ad that touts the state’s laws protecting abortion rights for women. They include a soon-to-take-effect law that protects medical providers and patients from out-of-state legal actions.“Women deserve the right to make their own decisions about their health care,” Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat running for reelection in November, said in the 30-second commercial released over the weekend.In Pennsylvania, where state law still allows abortions in the first 24 weeks, clinics are bracing for an influx of out-of-state patients.Susan Frietsche, a staff attorney for the Women’s Law Project, which represents abortion clinics in Pennsylvania, cautioned that state residents seeking abortions may have a harder time finding appointments, too.“It affects everybody in the country,” Frietsche said. “Whereas yesterday, Pennsylvania providers were basically able to find appointment times for people who need to be seen, that is not going to be the case soon, and Pennsylvanians are going to have to travel to other states and not because the law here has changed, but you won’t be able to find an appointment soon, this is such a time-sensitive service.”

🎥Clinics scramble to divert patients as states ban abortion

WASHINGTON(AP) — The dissonant realities of President Joe Biden’s second year in office were on display Thursday as he wound up a five-day trip to Europe that highlighted both the key U.S. role in mounting a strong allied response to Vladimir Putin’s aggression and the domestic turmoil that is dragging Biden down at home.

Huddling with the leaders of Group of Seven advanced economies in the Bavarian Alps and with NATO allies in Madrid, Biden was greeted warmly by colleagues and notched significant policy accomplishments on modernizing the trans-Atlantic alliance to adapt to new threats from Russia and China.

At home, though, the U.S. was grappling with fallout from last week's Supreme Court decision ending the constitutional right to abortion, which Biden condemned Thursday as “destabilizing.” Biden faces both the lowest approval ratings of his presidency and rising pessimism about the direction of the country.

Biden appeared to welcome the time away from Washington as a respite from his domestic predicament, insisting that despite turmoil at home on matters from inflation to gun violence, world leaders still valued America's — and his — leadership.

“I have not seen anyone come up to me and ... say anything other than ‘Thank you for America’s leadership,’” Biden said in high-spirited remarks during a press conference at the end of what he called a “historic” summit. “America is better positioned to lead the world than we ever have been.”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-putin-madrid-9b249117b645e461f09cd0b4cb4afc02">three-day NATO meeting</a>&nbsp;included the Biden administration announcing plans to permanently bolster the U.S. military presence in Europe, an agreement between Turkey, Finland and Sweden — championed by Biden — to pave the way for the accession of the Nordic nations into NATO, and the alliance updating its strategic concept to reflect that China’s “coercive policies” are a challenge to the Western bloc’s interests.

Biden noted that the last time NATO updated what is essentially its mission statement was 12 years ago, when Russia was characterized as a partner and the document didn’t even mention China. The new concept document fulfills a years-long effort by American presidents to reorient the alliance to address challenges from China.

“The world has changed, changed a great deal since then,” Biden said. He added: “This summit was about strengthening our alliance, meeting the challenges of our world as it is today, and the threats we’re going to face in the future."

Biden’s efforts drew praise from across the aisle, with GOP North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who led a delegation to the Madrid summit with Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and met with Biden Thursday morning, saying, “I think that the administration has played a key part in what’s made this summit a success.”

It was a far cry from the rancor that permeates Washington, where even positive developments become political cudgels.

“Here we have a bipartisan delegation and a president who have a common goal. Back home, maybe not quite as much,” Tillis said.

Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican, added that Biden should apply some of his approaches to successful diplomacy abroad to Washington as well.

“I think it would only be helpful for the president if he would reach out to us in our country as well as here," she said.

At home, Biden has been burdened with the ongoing reckoning over the Capitol insurrection and former President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and with his own weakened political posture.

That has stoked concern among allies about who may follow Biden into the White House and whether his successor would reverse Biden's efforts to rebuild the trans-Atlantic alliance.

Soaring inflation — a global problem — is especially acute for Americans as they get on the road for the July 4 holiday. And his legislative agenda has been largely stalled, but for a modest gun control measure that passed after a pair of horrific mass shootings.

Added to the mix just 24 hours before Biden departed for Europe was the abortion ruling.

"One thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially challenging the right to privacy," Biden said, “We’ve been a leader in the world in terms of personal rights and privacy rights."

And just minutes after he departed Madrid on Air Force One to return home, Biden suffered another judicial blow to his agenda, as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-epa-ruling-2e893673819a1b6c6aa272a5e814f0b0">Supreme Court dramatically scaled back</a>&nbsp;the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

Kathleen McInnis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said a president's influence tends to go far further overseas than at home.

“The American presidency has its own weight and gravitas that can’t be discounted,” she said.

That was evident as Biden helped cajole Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to drop his opposition to Finland and Sweden joining the NATO alliance.

As he parried reporters' questions with a microphone in hand, Biden also highlighted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-climate-g-7-summit-russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-7e539b7f8b1900259e7d0198591c6d5c">announcements at the G-7 meeting</a>&nbsp;for more economic and military assistance to Ukraine as it aims to beat back Russia’s four-month-long invasion and announcements on tougher sanctions meant to punish Moscow.

“We are going to stick with Ukraine and all of the alliance is going to stick with Ukraine as long as it takes,” Biden said. “I don’t know ... how it’s going to end, but it will not end with a Russian defeat of Ukraine in Ukraine.”

Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat and Biden confidant, called the week “a significant accomplishment for the Biden administration and for diplomacy.”

The view was more measured in some corners.

"Coming back from years of anti-European and anti-NATO rhetoric and policies is a pretty low bar when you look at it," said Leah Scheunemann, deputy director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council. Even so, she said, “The Biden administration has done a lot of good in terms of rebuilding the reputation of NATO in America, and explaining the value of NATO as an alliance built on the values of democracy and what that brings to U.S. security."

As for Biden's domestic challenges, Scheunemann said, "I don’t know how much to place at the doorstep of Biden versus the doorstep of obstructionist Republicans.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656709533506.png" alt="President&nbsp;Biden appeared to welcome the time away from Washington as a respite from his domestic predicament, insisting that despite turmoil at home on matters from inflation to gun violence, world leaders still valued America's — and his — leadership.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President&nbsp;Biden appeared to welcome the time away from Washington as a respite from his domestic predicament, insisting that despite turmoil at home on matters from inflation to gun violence, world leaders still valued America's — and his — leadership.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON(AP) — The dissonant realities of President Joe Biden’s second year in office were on display Thursday as he wound up a five-day trip to Europe that highlighted both the key U.S. role in mounting a strong allied response to Vladimir Putin’s aggression and the domestic turmoil that is dragging Biden down at home.Huddling with the leaders of Group of Seven advanced economies in the Bavarian Alps and with NATO allies in Madrid, Biden was greeted warmly by colleagues and notched significant policy accomplishments on modernizing the trans-Atlantic alliance to adapt to new threats from Russia and China.At home, though, the U.S. was grappling with fallout from last week's Supreme Court decision ending the constitutional right to abortion, which Biden condemned Thursday as “destabilizing.” Biden faces both the lowest approval ratings of his presidency and rising pessimism about the direction of the country.Biden appeared to welcome the time away from Washington as a respite from his domestic predicament, insisting that despite turmoil at home on matters from inflation to gun violence, world leaders still valued America's — and his — leadership.“I have not seen anyone come up to me and ... say anything other than ‘Thank you for America’s leadership,’” Biden said in high-spirited remarks during a press conference at the end of what he called a “historic” summit. “America is better positioned to lead the world than we ever have been.”The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-putin-madrid-9b249117b645e461f09cd0b4cb4afc02">three-day NATO meeting</a>&nbsp;included the Biden administration announcing plans to permanently bolster the U.S. military presence in Europe, an agreement between Turkey, Finland and Sweden — championed by Biden — to pave the way for the accession of the Nordic nations into NATO, and the alliance updating its strategic concept to reflect that China’s “coercive policies” are a challenge to the Western bloc’s interests.Biden noted that the last time NATO updated what is essentially its mission statement was 12 years ago, when Russia was characterized as a partner and the document didn’t even mention China. The new concept document fulfills a years-long effort by American presidents to reorient the alliance to address challenges from China.“The world has changed, changed a great deal since then,” Biden said. He added: “This summit was about strengthening our alliance, meeting the challenges of our world as it is today, and the threats we’re going to face in the future."Biden’s efforts drew praise from across the aisle, with GOP North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who led a delegation to the Madrid summit with Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and met with Biden Thursday morning, saying, “I think that the administration has played a key part in what’s made this summit a success.”It was a far cry from the rancor that permeates Washington, where even positive developments become political cudgels.“Here we have a bipartisan delegation and a president who have a common goal. Back home, maybe not quite as much,” Tillis said.Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican, added that Biden should apply some of his approaches to successful diplomacy abroad to Washington as well.“I think it would only be helpful for the president if he would reach out to us in our country as well as here," she said.At home, Biden has been burdened with the ongoing reckoning over the Capitol insurrection and former President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and with his own weakened political posture.That has stoked concern among allies about who may follow Biden into the White House and whether his successor would reverse Biden's efforts to rebuild the trans-Atlantic alliance.Soaring inflation — a global problem — is especially acute for Americans as they get on the road for the July 4 holiday. And his legislative agenda has been largely stalled, but for a modest gun control measure that passed after a pair of horrific mass shootings.Added to the mix just 24 hours before Biden departed for Europe was the abortion ruling."One thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially challenging the right to privacy," Biden said, “We’ve been a leader in the world in terms of personal rights and privacy rights."And just minutes after he departed Madrid on Air Force One to return home, Biden suffered another judicial blow to his agenda, as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-epa-ruling-2e893673819a1b6c6aa272a5e814f0b0">Supreme Court dramatically scaled back</a>&nbsp;the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.Kathleen McInnis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said a president's influence tends to go far further overseas than at home.“The American presidency has its own weight and gravitas that can’t be discounted,” she said.That was evident as Biden helped cajole Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to drop his opposition to Finland and Sweden joining the NATO alliance.As he parried reporters' questions with a microphone in hand, Biden also highlighted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-climate-g-7-summit-russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-7e539b7f8b1900259e7d0198591c6d5c">announcements at the G-7 meeting</a>&nbsp;for more economic and military assistance to Ukraine as it aims to beat back Russia’s four-month-long invasion and announcements on tougher sanctions meant to punish Moscow.“We are going to stick with Ukraine and all of the alliance is going to stick with Ukraine as long as it takes,” Biden said. “I don’t know ... how it’s going to end, but it will not end with a Russian defeat of Ukraine in Ukraine.”Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat and Biden confidant, called the week “a significant accomplishment for the Biden administration and for diplomacy.”The view was more measured in some corners."Coming back from years of anti-European and anti-NATO rhetoric and policies is a pretty low bar when you look at it," said Leah Scheunemann, deputy director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council. Even so, she said, “The Biden administration has done a lot of good in terms of rebuilding the reputation of NATO in America, and explaining the value of NATO as an alliance built on the values of democracy and what that brings to U.S. security."As for Biden's domestic challenges, Scheunemann said, "I don’t know how much to place at the doorstep of Biden versus the doorstep of obstructionist Republicans.”

Biden notched gains at G7 summit; returns to turmoil at home

KANSAS CITY (AP)—The July Fourth holiday weekend is off to a booming start with airport crowds crushing the numbers seen in 2019, before the pandemic.

Travelers seemed to be experiencing fewer delays and canceled flights early Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/july-4-airline-travel-9c5154bc988a1e7c42d82ee197cbe312">than they did earlier this week</a>.

The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.4 million travelers at airport checkpoints on Thursday, 17% more than on the same Friday before July Fourth in 2019.

“We expect that (Friday) is going to be busy, of course, and then Sunday will be very busy,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said on NBC's “Today” show.

AAA predicts that nearly 48 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more from home over the weekend, slightly fewer than in 2019. AAA says car travel will set a record even with the national average price for gasoline hovering near $5.

Leisure travel has bounced back this year, offsetting weakness in business travel and international flying. Still, the total number of people flying has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. TSA screened 11% fewer people in June than it did in the same month of 2019.

Thursday marked the 11th time since the pandemic started that TSA checked more people than it did on the same day in 2019, and just the second time since February.

Airlines could almost surely be carrying more passengers if they had enough staffing. Many U.S. airlines have trimmed their summer schedules after bad weather, air-traffic delays and a lack of enough employees caused widespread cancellations over the Memorial Day weekend.

Airline executives blame their flight problems on the Federal Aviation Administration, which runs the nation's air traffic control system, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg disputes that claim.

By late morning Friday on the East Coast, airlines had canceled about 200 U.S. flights and another 1,400 were delayed. From June 22 through Wednesday at least 600 flights were canceled, and between 4,000 and 7,000 were delayed per day, according to tracking service FlightAware.

KANSAS CITY (AP)—The July Fourth holiday weekend is off to a booming start with airport crowds crushing the numbers seen in 2019, before the pandemic.Travelers seemed to be experiencing fewer delays and canceled flights early Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/july-4-airline-travel-9c5154bc988a1e7c42d82ee197cbe312">than they did earlier this week</a>.The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.4 million travelers at airport checkpoints on Thursday, 17% more than on the same Friday before July Fourth in 2019.“We expect that (Friday) is going to be busy, of course, and then Sunday will be very busy,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said on NBC's “Today” show.AAA predicts that nearly 48 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more from home over the weekend, slightly fewer than in 2019. AAA says car travel will set a record even with the national average price for gasoline hovering near $5.Leisure travel has bounced back this year, offsetting weakness in business travel and international flying. Still, the total number of people flying has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. TSA screened 11% fewer people in June than it did in the same month of 2019.Thursday marked the 11th time since the pandemic started that TSA checked more people than it did on the same day in 2019, and just the second time since February.Airlines could almost surely be carrying more passengers if they had enough staffing. Many U.S. airlines have trimmed their summer schedules after bad weather, air-traffic delays and a lack of enough employees caused widespread cancellations over the Memorial Day weekend.Airline executives blame their flight problems on the Federal Aviation Administration, which runs the nation's air traffic control system, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg disputes that claim.By late morning Friday on the East Coast, airlines had canceled about 200 U.S. flights and another 1,400 were delayed. From June 22 through Wednesday at least 600 flights were canceled, and between 4,000 and 7,000 were delayed per day, according to tracking service FlightAware.

Pre-pandemic sized crowds descend on US airports for holiday

By Nebraska Game and Parks Commission&nbsp;

A fish kill at Pibel Lake in southern Wheeler County has affected a variety of sport fish and set back the size quality of fish in the popular fishing spot.

Thousands of largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie and channel catfish died June 21-22 in the 25-surface-acre lake south of Bartlett. High water temperature combined with a rapid die-off and decay of aquatic vegetation resulted in extremely low dissolved oxygen levels in the lake.&nbsp;

The kill affected larger size fish in each species. A sampling conducted by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission after the kill showed a good number of smaller sized bass and bluegill survived.

The remaining fish should grow rapidly, and the fishery is expected to recover. However, anglers should note the quality size of fish in the lake will be set back for a year or two. The fishery will be monitored accordingly.&nbsp;

The lake is owned and maintained by the Lower Loup Natural Resources District and is a popular fishing stop for area anglers and travelers.&nbsp;

By Nebraska Game and Parks Commission&nbsp;A fish kill at Pibel Lake in southern Wheeler County has affected a variety of sport fish and set back the size quality of fish in the popular fishing spot.Thousands of largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie and channel catfish died June 21-22 in the 25-surface-acre lake south of Bartlett. High water temperature combined with a rapid die-off and decay of aquatic vegetation resulted in extremely low dissolved oxygen levels in the lake.&nbsp;The kill affected larger size fish in each species. A sampling conducted by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission after the kill showed a good number of smaller sized bass and bluegill survived.The remaining fish should grow rapidly, and the fishery is expected to recover. However, anglers should note the quality size of fish in the lake will be set back for a year or two. The fishery will be monitored accordingly.&nbsp;The lake is owned and maintained by the Lower Loup Natural Resources District and is a popular fishing stop for area anglers and travelers.&nbsp;

Fish kill reported at Pibel Lake

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would support an exception to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-filibusters-f476940e279b6bc2a1bbfd7c5cc24f96">the Senate filibuster</a>&nbsp;to protect access to abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>.

(Click below to watch President Biden's comments)

"If the filibuster gets in the way, it's like voting rights," Biden said during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-biden-china-madrid-fe9c7fe07122413754d087e61a95a202">a press conference in Madrid</a>, where he was attending a NATO summit. The Democratic president said there should be an “exception to the filibuster for this action to deal with the Supreme Court decision.”

As a former senator, Biden has been reluctant to support changes to the filibuster, which allows any member of the 100-member chamber to block action on legislation unless it receives 60 votes. However, earlier this year he endorsed sidestepping the rule&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-joe-biden-georgia-voting-martin-luther-king-jr-dc4544c23622f35fc95d63afe512554d">on the issue of voting rights</a>, and his latest comments make clear that he's willing to do the same for abortion.

Biden's support for changes to the filibuster in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mitch-mcconnell-kamala-harris-filibusters-b97548b519325666d1a59200f7d79904">the 50-50 Senate</a>&nbsp;may ultimately be immaterial. The Senate Democratic caucus would need to unanimously take such a step, but at least two Democratic senators,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-manchin">Joe Manchin</a>&nbsp;of West Virginia and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kyrsten-sinema">Kyrsten Sinema</a>&nbsp;of Arizona, don't want to.

The president has been under pressure to take as much executive action as possible to protect abortion rights, although&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-us-supreme-court-health-xavier-becerra-7aa6cadb6699054902a6760eb01005b1">his options are limited</a>. Biden said he's meeting Friday with governors to talk about abortion and “I'll have announcements to make then.”

During Thursday's news conference, Biden harshly criticized the Supreme Court's decision on abortion and reiterated his warnings that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-government-and-politics-marriage-a0cee537c6f9f10d29fa71f6e7a4d19d">other constitutional protections could be at risk</a>.

"One thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade but essentially challenging the right to privacy,” he said.

Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights leaders said was vital to protecting democracy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-voting-rights-bill-collapses-27c888b4f9bf876520913d7036a942b0">collapsed in January</a>&nbsp;when Manchin and Sinema refused to join their own party in changing Senate rules to overcome a Republican filibuster. The outcome was a stinging defeat for Biden and his party, coming at the tumultuous close to his first year in office.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would support an exception to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-filibusters-f476940e279b6bc2a1bbfd7c5cc24f96">the Senate filibuster</a>&nbsp;to protect access to abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>.(Click below to watch President Biden's comments)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1655573944811308%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1453" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>"If the filibuster gets in the way, it's like voting rights," Biden said during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-biden-china-madrid-fe9c7fe07122413754d087e61a95a202">a press conference in Madrid</a>, where he was attending a NATO summit. The Democratic president said there should be an “exception to the filibuster for this action to deal with the Supreme Court decision.”As a former senator, Biden has been reluctant to support changes to the filibuster, which allows any member of the 100-member chamber to block action on legislation unless it receives 60 votes. However, earlier this year he endorsed sidestepping the rule&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-joe-biden-georgia-voting-martin-luther-king-jr-dc4544c23622f35fc95d63afe512554d">on the issue of voting rights</a>, and his latest comments make clear that he's willing to do the same for abortion.Biden's support for changes to the filibuster in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mitch-mcconnell-kamala-harris-filibusters-b97548b519325666d1a59200f7d79904">the 50-50 Senate</a>&nbsp;may ultimately be immaterial. The Senate Democratic caucus would need to unanimously take such a step, but at least two Democratic senators,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-manchin">Joe Manchin</a>&nbsp;of West Virginia and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kyrsten-sinema">Kyrsten Sinema</a>&nbsp;of Arizona, don't want to.The president has been under pressure to take as much executive action as possible to protect abortion rights, although&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-us-supreme-court-health-xavier-becerra-7aa6cadb6699054902a6760eb01005b1">his options are limited</a>. Biden said he's meeting Friday with governors to talk about abortion and “I'll have announcements to make then.”During Thursday's news conference, Biden harshly criticized the Supreme Court's decision on abortion and reiterated his warnings that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-government-and-politics-marriage-a0cee537c6f9f10d29fa71f6e7a4d19d">other constitutional protections could be at risk</a>."One thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade but essentially challenging the right to privacy,” he said.Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights leaders said was vital to protecting democracy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-voting-rights-bill-collapses-27c888b4f9bf876520913d7036a942b0">collapsed in January</a>&nbsp;when Manchin and Sinema refused to join their own party in changing Senate rules to overcome a Republican filibuster. The outcome was a stinging defeat for Biden and his party, coming at the tumultuous close to his first year in office.___

🎥 Biden supports exception to Senate rules to restore abortion rights

DALLAS (AP) — Airlines that have stumbled badly over the last two holidays face their biggest test yet of whether they can handle big crowds when July Fourth travelers mob the nation's airports this weekend.

Problems were popping up well before the weekend, with some disruptions caused by thunderstorms that slowed air traffic.

American Airlines canceled 8% of its flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, and United Airlines scrubbed 4% of its schedule both days, according to FlightAware.

Holiday revelers planning to drive face their own set of challenges, including high gasoline prices. The nationwide average has eased since hitting a record $5.02 in mid-June to&nbsp;<a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">$4.86 a gallon on Thursday</a>, according to AAA, which expects prices to continue to ease because of rising gasoline inventories.

Americans are driving a bit less. Gas demand last week was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/weekly/gasoline.php">down about 3%</a>&nbsp;from the same week last June, according to government figures. In a Quinnipiac University poll in June, 40% of those surveyed said gas prices have caused them to change their summer vacation plans.

Air travel in the U.S. is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. Since last Saturday, an average of nearly 2.3 million people a day have gone through airport checkpoints — down just 8% from the same days in 2019. If that trend continues through weekend, records will be set for flying in the pandemic era.

Airlines may not have enough planes and flights to carry all of them, especially if there are cancellations due to weather, crew shortages or any other reason.

“Airlines are learning the hard way that there is a severe price for over-optimism,” said Joseph Schwieterman, a transportation expert at DePaul University. “They are on the edge of a cliff this holiday.”

Schwieterman calculates that&nbsp;<a href="https://las.depaul.edu/centers-and-institutes/chaddick-institute-for-metropolitan-development/research-and-publications/Documents/Airport%20Blues%20-%20The%20Potential%20Difficulties%20from%20Disrupted%20Fourth%20of%20July%20Travelsssssss.pdf">airlines have little cushion</a>&nbsp;between the number of travelers expected to fly this weekend and the flights they plan to operate — if all goes well. Any disruptions could cause chaos because planes are booked full — there will be no empty seats on later flights to accommodate stranded travelers.

Airlines have been caught short-staffed as they try to hire thousands of workers, including pilots, to replace those who they encouraged to quit when the pandemic caused air travel to plummet.

Many of them, including Delta, Southwest and JetBlue, have trimmed summer schedules to reduce stress on their operations. They are using larger planes on average to carry more passengers with the same number of pilots. Those steps haven't been enough so far this summer.

Delta Air Lines took the unusual step this week of warning travelers that there could be problems over the holiday weekend.

The Atlanta-based airline said it expects the biggest crowds since 2019, and this will create “some operational challenges.” It is allowing passengers booked on flights between Friday and the Monday holiday to change their schedule at no cost, even if the new flight comes with a higher fare.

“Delta people are working around the clock to rebuild Delta’s operation while making it as resilient as possible to minimize the ripple effect of disruptions,” the airline said.

Delta had by far the most canceled flights of any U.S. airline over the Memorial Day holiday stretch, when U.S. carriers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/memorial-day-2f00cad2c91f06ede7bf541b8bf2c60b">scrubbed nearly 2,800 flights</a>, and again last weekend, when it canceled 7% of its flights, according to FlightAware.

The airlines are increasingly trying to blame delays on understaffing at the Federal Aviation Administration, which manages the nation's airspace and hires air traffic controllers.

“This year versus previous years, the biggest issue has been air traffic control,” said Barry Biffle, the CEO of Frontier Airlines. “We've made a lot of steps to avoid the Jacksonville center in our scheduling, and we have reduced some flying to accommodate that.”

The FAA has a major facility in Jacksonville, Florida, that handles many flights up and down the East Coast. After a meeting with airline representatives in May, the FAA promised to increase staffing at the center.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian similarly blamed the FAA during an online meeting with employees Wednesday, trade publication Airline Weekly reported. Delta declined to comment.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pushed back earlier this week when the head of the trade group Airlines for America blamed the FAA for delays.

“The majority of cancellations and the majority of delays have nothing to do with air traffic control staffing,” Buttigieg told “NBC Nightly News."

Helane Becker, an airline analyst for investment firm Cowen, said there are many reasons for the disruptions including weather, FAA ground stops that last too long, and flight crews hitting their legal limit of working hours in a day. The airlines “seem to fail” when it comes down to daily operations, and the FAA didn't train enough new air traffic controllers — a process that can take up to four years — to offset retirements.

“We expect it to be a long, tiresome summer for everyone,” she said.

The loudest lawmakers mostly seem to blame the airlines for leaving passengers stranded. Some point out that Congress gave the industry $54 billion in pandemic relief.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., urged Buttigieg to require airlines to issue refunds for delays longer than an hour and fine them for delays longer than two hours and for scheduling flights that they can't staff. Sanders accused airlines of stranding passengers while charging “outrageously high prices.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-buttigieg-government-and-politics-airlines-transportation-c3ebc7fbe4bcfb6402e67e0d626365a0">Buttigieg has threatened fines</a>&nbsp;if airlines don't fix their operations.

Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked 10 airline CEOs this week to “take immediate action” to reduce travel disruptions. The senators demanded information about how each airline decides which flights to cancel and the number of consumer refunds requested and granted.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656677937039.png" alt="Delta pilots protesting in Atlanta on Thursday photo courtesy WXYZ-TV" />
 <figcaption>Delta pilots protesting in Atlanta on Thursday photo courtesy WXYZ-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>DALLAS (AP) — Airlines that have stumbled badly over the last two holidays face their biggest test yet of whether they can handle big crowds when July Fourth travelers mob the nation's airports this weekend.Problems were popping up well before the weekend, with some disruptions caused by thunderstorms that slowed air traffic.American Airlines canceled 8% of its flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, and United Airlines scrubbed 4% of its schedule both days, according to FlightAware.Holiday revelers planning to drive face their own set of challenges, including high gasoline prices. The nationwide average has eased since hitting a record $5.02 in mid-June to&nbsp;<a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">$4.86 a gallon on Thursday</a>, according to AAA, which expects prices to continue to ease because of rising gasoline inventories.Americans are driving a bit less. Gas demand last week was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/weekly/gasoline.php">down about 3%</a>&nbsp;from the same week last June, according to government figures. In a Quinnipiac University poll in June, 40% of those surveyed said gas prices have caused them to change their summer vacation plans.Air travel in the U.S. is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. Since last Saturday, an average of nearly 2.3 million people a day have gone through airport checkpoints — down just 8% from the same days in 2019. If that trend continues through weekend, records will be set for flying in the pandemic era.Airlines may not have enough planes and flights to carry all of them, especially if there are cancellations due to weather, crew shortages or any other reason.“Airlines are learning the hard way that there is a severe price for over-optimism,” said Joseph Schwieterman, a transportation expert at DePaul University. “They are on the edge of a cliff this holiday.”Schwieterman calculates that&nbsp;<a href="https://las.depaul.edu/centers-and-institutes/chaddick-institute-for-metropolitan-development/research-and-publications/Documents/Airport%20Blues%20-%20The%20Potential%20Difficulties%20from%20Disrupted%20Fourth%20of%20July%20Travelsssssss.pdf">airlines have little cushion</a>&nbsp;between the number of travelers expected to fly this weekend and the flights they plan to operate — if all goes well. Any disruptions could cause chaos because planes are booked full — there will be no empty seats on later flights to accommodate stranded travelers.Airlines have been caught short-staffed as they try to hire thousands of workers, including pilots, to replace those who they encouraged to quit when the pandemic caused air travel to plummet.Many of them, including Delta, Southwest and JetBlue, have trimmed summer schedules to reduce stress on their operations. They are using larger planes on average to carry more passengers with the same number of pilots. Those steps haven't been enough so far this summer.Delta Air Lines took the unusual step this week of warning travelers that there could be problems over the holiday weekend.The Atlanta-based airline said it expects the biggest crowds since 2019, and this will create “some operational challenges.” It is allowing passengers booked on flights between Friday and the Monday holiday to change their schedule at no cost, even if the new flight comes with a higher fare.“Delta people are working around the clock to rebuild Delta’s operation while making it as resilient as possible to minimize the ripple effect of disruptions,” the airline said.Delta had by far the most canceled flights of any U.S. airline over the Memorial Day holiday stretch, when U.S. carriers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/memorial-day-2f00cad2c91f06ede7bf541b8bf2c60b">scrubbed nearly 2,800 flights</a>, and again last weekend, when it canceled 7% of its flights, according to FlightAware.The airlines are increasingly trying to blame delays on understaffing at the Federal Aviation Administration, which manages the nation's airspace and hires air traffic controllers.“This year versus previous years, the biggest issue has been air traffic control,” said Barry Biffle, the CEO of Frontier Airlines. “We've made a lot of steps to avoid the Jacksonville center in our scheduling, and we have reduced some flying to accommodate that.”The FAA has a major facility in Jacksonville, Florida, that handles many flights up and down the East Coast. After a meeting with airline representatives in May, the FAA promised to increase staffing at the center.Delta CEO Ed Bastian similarly blamed the FAA during an online meeting with employees Wednesday, trade publication Airline Weekly reported. Delta declined to comment.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pushed back earlier this week when the head of the trade group Airlines for America blamed the FAA for delays.“The majority of cancellations and the majority of delays have nothing to do with air traffic control staffing,” Buttigieg told “NBC Nightly News."Helane Becker, an airline analyst for investment firm Cowen, said there are many reasons for the disruptions including weather, FAA ground stops that last too long, and flight crews hitting their legal limit of working hours in a day. The airlines “seem to fail” when it comes down to daily operations, and the FAA didn't train enough new air traffic controllers — a process that can take up to four years — to offset retirements.“We expect it to be a long, tiresome summer for everyone,” she said.The loudest lawmakers mostly seem to blame the airlines for leaving passengers stranded. Some point out that Congress gave the industry $54 billion in pandemic relief.Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., urged Buttigieg to require airlines to issue refunds for delays longer than an hour and fine them for delays longer than two hours and for scheduling flights that they can't staff. Sanders accused airlines of stranding passengers while charging “outrageously high prices.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-buttigieg-government-and-politics-airlines-transportation-c3ebc7fbe4bcfb6402e67e0d626365a0">Buttigieg has threatened fines</a>&nbsp;if airlines don't fix their operations.Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked 10 airline CEOs this week to “take immediate action” to reduce travel disruptions. The senators demanded information about how each airline decides which flights to cancel and the number of consumer refunds requested and granted.

Air travel could be a mess over the Fourth of July weekend

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-954_7l48.pdf" target="_blank">The Supreme Court said</a>&nbsp;Thursday the Biden administration can scrap a Trump-era immigration policy that was at the center of efforts to deter asylum-seekers, forcing some to wait in Mexico. Two conservative justices joined their three liberal colleagues in siding with the White House.

The justices’ decision came in a case involving former President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-us-supreme-court-mexico-united-states-missouri-b0df7cad5c0c5860a01d786cca7c5aa5">“Remain in Mexico”</a>&nbsp;policy, formally know as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/migrant-protection-protocols" target="_blank">Migrant Protection Protocols</a>, which enrolled about 70,000 people after it was launched in 2019.

President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day in office in January 2021. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-mexico-joe-biden-8aeaa6b2e144bfee1125aa8702815dbe">lower courts</a>&nbsp;ordered it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-joe-biden-mexico-texas-missouri-1eb0b6dd1d0676e33702aec7f07e75ac">reinstated</a>&nbsp;in response to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-mexico-courts-immigration-8d82420a572999b886928244abc0f1b3">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;from Republican-led Texas and Missouri. The current administration has sent far fewer people back to Mexico than did the Trump administration.

The ruling was released on the same day that the court dealt the administration a blow in an important&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-epa-ruling-2e893673819a1b6c6aa272a5e814f0b0">environmental case</a>&nbsp;about the nation’s main anti-air pollution law. That ruling could complicate the administration’s plans to combat climate change.

The heart of the legal fight in the immigration case was about whether U.S. immigration authorities, with far less detention capacity than needed, had to send people to Mexico or whether those authorities had the discretion under federal law to release asylum-seekers into the United States while they awaited their hearings.

After Biden’s suspension of the program,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_1029_mpp-termination-memo.pdf" target="_blank">Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas</a>&nbsp;ended it in June 2021. In October, the department produced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_1029_mpp-termination-justification-memo.pdf" target="_blank">additional justifications</a>&nbsp;for the policy’s demise, but that was to no avail in the courts.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that an appeals court “erred in holding that the” federal Immigration and Nationality Act “required the Government to continue implementing MPP.” Joining the majority opinion was fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump-appointee, as well as liberal justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632317716965.png" alt="President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day in office in January 2021. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-mexico-joe-biden-8aeaa6b2e144bfee1125aa8702815dbe">lower courts</a>&nbsp;ordered it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-joe-biden-mexico-texas-missouri-1eb0b6dd1d0676e33702aec7f07e75ac">reinstated</a>-photo Rep. Tony Gonzales" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day in office in January 2021. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-mexico-joe-biden-8aeaa6b2e144bfee1125aa8702815dbe">lower courts</a>&nbsp;ordered it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-joe-biden-mexico-texas-missouri-1eb0b6dd1d0676e33702aec7f07e75ac">reinstated</a>-photo Rep. Tony Gonzales</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-954_7l48.pdf" target="_blank">The Supreme Court said</a>&nbsp;Thursday the Biden administration can scrap a Trump-era immigration policy that was at the center of efforts to deter asylum-seekers, forcing some to wait in Mexico. Two conservative justices joined their three liberal colleagues in siding with the White House.The justices’ decision came in a case involving former President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-us-supreme-court-mexico-united-states-missouri-b0df7cad5c0c5860a01d786cca7c5aa5">“Remain in Mexico”</a>&nbsp;policy, formally know as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/migrant-protection-protocols" target="_blank">Migrant Protection Protocols</a>, which enrolled about 70,000 people after it was launched in 2019.President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day in office in January 2021. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-mexico-joe-biden-8aeaa6b2e144bfee1125aa8702815dbe">lower courts</a>&nbsp;ordered it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-joe-biden-mexico-texas-missouri-1eb0b6dd1d0676e33702aec7f07e75ac">reinstated</a>&nbsp;in response to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-mexico-courts-immigration-8d82420a572999b886928244abc0f1b3">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;from Republican-led Texas and Missouri. The current administration has sent far fewer people back to Mexico than did the Trump administration.The ruling was released on the same day that the court dealt the administration a blow in an important&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-epa-ruling-2e893673819a1b6c6aa272a5e814f0b0">environmental case</a>&nbsp;about the nation’s main anti-air pollution law. That ruling could complicate the administration’s plans to combat climate change.The heart of the legal fight in the immigration case was about whether U.S. immigration authorities, with far less detention capacity than needed, had to send people to Mexico or whether those authorities had the discretion under federal law to release asylum-seekers into the United States while they awaited their hearings.After Biden’s suspension of the program,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_1029_mpp-termination-memo.pdf" target="_blank">Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas</a>&nbsp;ended it in June 2021. In October, the department produced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_1029_mpp-termination-justification-memo.pdf" target="_blank">additional justifications</a>&nbsp;for the policy’s demise, but that was to no avail in the courts.Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that an appeals court “erred in holding that the” federal Immigration and Nationality Act “required the Government to continue implementing MPP.” Joining the majority opinion was fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump-appointee, as well as liberal justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.Kavanaugh also wrote separately and noted that in general, when there is insufficient detention capacity, both releasing asylum-seekers into the United States and sending them back to Mexico “are legally permissible options under the immigration statutes.”Cornell University law professor Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration expert, said the Biden administration does not need to take any further action to end the policy, but that Texas and Missouri can pursue a challenge over whether the administration followed appropriate procedure in ending the program.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement that the decision was “unfortunate.” He argued it would make “the border crisis worse. But it’s not the end. I’ll keep pressing forward and focus on securing the border and keeping our communities safe in the dozen other immigration suits I’m litigating in court.”Because of lower court decisions MPP resumed in December, but the administration has registered only 7,259 migrants in the program, about 6 of every 10 of them Nicaraguans. The administration has said it would apply the policy to nationalities that are less likely to be subject to pandemic-era asylum limits. Strained diplomatic relations with Nicaragua makes it extremely difficult for the U.S. to expel people back to their homeland under the pandemic rule, known as Title 42 authority.U.S. authorities stopped migrants 1.2 million times on the Mexico border from December through May, illustrating the limited impact that “Remain in Mexico” has had under Biden.Democratic-led states and progressive groups were on the administration’s side in the case. Republican-run states and conservative groups sided with Texas and Missouri.The case is Biden v. Texas, 21-954.