Good morning and welcome to your weekday morning roundup of the top stories you need to know.
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What's going on today:
- Texas' 6-week abortion ban officially takes effect. It allows anyone to sue providers and people helping patients to a clinic for abortions that violate the law. The law is part of a slew of restrictive "heartbeat" abortion bans recently enacted by Republican governors. It prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which typically occurs at the six-week mark, a time when many people do not yet know they are pregnant.
- Florida changes its COVID-19 reporting. A 'statistical sleight of hand': Florida changed its COVID-19 reporting methods as cases surged. The state now bases its count on the date of death, which is delayed while deaths are evaluated and death certificates are processed.
- Conservative voices clamor to condemn Afghan refugees. A GOP rep. argued that allowing "poorly vetted" Afghan refugees to come to the US could lead to "little girls raped and killed in the streets." Republican Rep. Scott Perry was one of the 16 Republicans who voted against the bipartisan Allies Act meant to expedite visas for Afghan refugees.
- Tis the season all year round, apparently. Walmart is set to hire 20,000 permanent supply-chain workers to ramp up for the holiday season. Walmart and Sam's Club will be filling full-time and part-time supply-chain positions that are intended to be permanent, not seasonal.
- Big boy power moves. The internet is loving this video of an absolute unit of a walrus belly-flopping its way onto a boat. The walrus is believed to be Wally, a boat-loving walrus known for accidentally capsizing small vessels off the coast of Ireland.
- That's all for now. See you tomorrow.