What's Happening

Politics

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Abortion Pill

What's going on: In a unanimous decision yesterday, the Supreme Court struck down a lawsuit that threatened to restrict access to mifepristone. A group of doctors and anti-abortion groups had challenged the FDA’s regulation of the drug, saying the agency didn’t consider safety concerns and was putting women’s health at risk. Mifepristone accounts for more than 60% of US abortions and has been proven to be safe and effective. Still, many feared that the conservative-majority court could limit access to the pill just two years after it overturned Roe v. Wade. Writing for the court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that since the plaintiffs do not prescribe mifepristone themselves, they were not personally harmed by the FDA’s decisions — and therefore didn’t have the right to sue. Even though the ruling preserves access to mifepristone, the drug is still illegal in 14 states that ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy.

What it means: The Supreme Court has not suddenly had a change of heart about reproductive rights. By rejecting the lawsuit, the court didn’t actually address whether or not the FDA’s decision to lift regulations on mifepristone was unlawful. This could mean the justices are waiting to hear a stronger case against mifepristone. Already, anti-abortion groups are vowing to bring another case before the court. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on another abortion case later this month involving Idaho’s ban, which only allows the procedure if the patient’s life is at risk. The court appeared to be very divided on the case when it heard arguments in April.

Related: SCOTUS Says “Trump Too Small” Can’t Be Trademarked (CNN)

US News

Puerto Rico Lawmakers Call for a State of Emergency Declaration

What's going on: Power outages have plagued the US territory since the beginning of June, with the most recent one leaving 350,000 people without electricity for hours during a heat wave. The outage interrupted water services and put the lives of the elderly and ill at risk — especially those who rely on respirators and refrigerators for insulin.Luma Energy, the private company that transmits and distributes electricity in Puerto Rico, said that the outage stemmed from failures in two transmission lines. Even though the power is now back on, lawmakers are calling for the governor to declare a state of emergency. The outages have also put a spotlight on the territory's infrastructure.

What it means: Puerto Rico has faced ongoing problems with electricity since Hurricane Maria devastated its already fragile electric grid in 2017. Government officials have long promised that the privatization of the power grid would improve services, but that has yet to happen. Frustrated Puerto Ricans took to social media after the most recent outage to demand the removal of private companies, like Luma Energy. Another power outage earlier this month lasted so long that towns in the central and southern regions of the territory had to activate emergency response teams and request food distribution.

Related: That One Time VP Kamala Harris Clapped Along to a Clap Back Song in Puerto Rico(Newsweek)

Tech

Apple Entered the Gender Wage Gap Chat, and It’s Not Looking Good

What's going on: Two female Apple employees filed a class-action lawsuit yesterday, alleging the tech giant pays women less than men for doing the same work in its AppleCare, engineering, and marketing departments. Filed on behalf of 12,000 former and current female employees at Apple, the lawsuit said the company’s hiring practices widened the pay gap between men and women instead of closing it. After a 2018 California law made it illegal to ask about previous pay, Apple asked new hires how much they expected to be compensated. The lawsuit also alleges that Apple’s evaluation system, which determines raises, is biased against women.

What it means: The math isn’t adding up in Silicon Valley. Fellow tech giants Oracle and Google previously faced accusations of underpaying their female employees. The companies settled their cases, but refused to admit any wrongdoing. Apple became the first big tech company to reach gender parity on its board of directors, but how much does that mean if it’s not paying its other female employees what they deserve?

Related: Someone Who's Not Being Affected By the Gender Wage Gap: Elon Musk (Reuters)