(WASHINGTON) — While the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case that could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, some states are enacting or discussing protections for reproductive rights.
This week, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill that codifies the right to an abortion, previously recognized by the state Supreme Court, into state law.
The so-called Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, which quickly passed through the state legislature after first introduced on Jan. 6, grew out of concern that the conservative-leaning high court could overturn or limit Roe in the coming months through its decision on a Mississippi case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, that asks the justices to directly reconsider the nearly 50-year precedent.
“The United States Supreme Court is preparing to take a wrecking ball to its own precedent, Roe v. Wade, and that would also demolish our case law-based foundation here in New Jersey. Neither I nor those with me today can let that happen,” Murphy said Thursday at a public bill signing. “Now, once I sign this bill, regardless of whether or not the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, New Jersey’s position in supporting the right to reproductive autonomy will remain clear and unchanged.”
The Democratic governor additionally signed a bill that requires insurers to cover 12 months of birth control prescriptions at one time.
Sarah Fajardo, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, called the two bills an “important step” for residents as the country is “experiencing a crisis related to reproductive rights access and equity.”
“These two bills not only declare the rights to abortion and reproductive autonomy in the Garden State, but expand much-needed access to contraception,” Fajardo said during Thursday’s bill signing.
Other states are also poised to address protecting abortion rights while the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to uphold the Mississippi abortion ban.
The Vermont House of Representatives heard testimony this week on Prop 5, an amendment that would enshrine “reproductive autonomy,” including abortion, in the state constitution. If ultimately passed by the state legislature, the proposal could go before voters in November.
In California, lawmakers are expected this year to consider a plan to make the state a “sanctuary” for anyone seeking abortion services should Roe be overturned. The California Future of Abortion Council, which Gov. Gavin Newsom convened in September, has recommended that the state help cover the cost of the procedure, as well as transportation, lodging, child care, food and lost wages, for those seeking an abortion there.
After hearing arguments last month over the Mississippi law, which would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared inclined to scale back abortion rights. A decision on the case is expected by the end of the court’s term in June.
Should the court overturn Roe, leaving the right to an abortion decided on a state-by-state basis, 26 states are “certain or likely” to ban abortion, according to a report published in October by the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights research organization.
Among those, 21 states already have so-called trigger laws that would immediately ban abortion if Roe were overturned. The other five states are likely to ban abortion should Roe be overturned, the Guttmacher report said.
Fifteen states and Washington, D.C., currently have laws that protect the right to abortion, according to the institute.
(WASHINGTON) — In an effort to cut emissions, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it’s changing the way some planes land at U.S. airports.
Currently, most planes that land at airports descend in a stair-step method, where aircraft repeatedly level off and power up the engines during the descent. Under the agency’s new 42 Optimized Profile Descents, or OPDs, planes will instead descend from cruising altitude to the runway in a smoother, continuous path with engines set at near idle.
“If you just think about what takes more energy, walking down the stairs or sliding down a slide, that’s basically what the plane is doing,” FAA spokesperson Matthew Lehner said in an interview with ABC News.
The move is part of the agency’s work to achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions aviation sector by 2050 — part of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan announced at the United Nations Climate Change Conference last November.
“There’s less fuel burn as you’re sliding down toward the approach to the airport,” Lehner said. “It also means with less fuel burning you get less emissions in the air.”
In 2013, researchers with the FAA and the Georgia Institute of Technology found OPDs cut about 41 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and 2 million gallons of jet fuel at Los Angeles International Airport in one year, which is equivalent to cutting 1,300 flights from Atlanta to Dallas, the FAA said.
The FAA implemented OPDs at various airports across the country in 2021, including Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Miami International Airport and Florida’s Orlando International Airport. This year, it plans to implement the descents at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Missouri’s Kansas City International Airport and Omaha, Nebraska’s Eppley Airfield. It is also adding additional routes at Orlando International Airport.
In addition to cutting emissions, the agency said passengers might notice a smoother, quieter approach with the engine not revving throughout its descent. The continuous landing technique is also quieter for areas surrounding airports.
(NEW YORK) — The sneaky sting of inflation is catching many Americans by surprise as soaring prices erode their savings and prompt major sticker shock at the supermarket, gas pump and seemingly everywhere they look.
Rapidly rising prices have become a major new wellspring of anxiety for American families. Some 3 in 10 Americans said everyday bills (15%) or inflation specifically (14%) was the single biggest concern facing their family right now, according to a Monmouth University poll released last month. This is nearly double the 16% of Americans naming rising prices or household bills as their biggest concern last July, and more than triple the 8% who named household bills as their top concern in August 2020.
Government data indicates consumer prices last month jumped at their fastest pace since 1982 — the tail-end of an agonizing period in the U.S. economy when out-of-control inflation forced policymakers to orchestrate a steep correction that resulted in a recession and double-digit unemployment rates.
Many who remember this painful historical era are now retiring, and research reveals that peoples’ expectations about inflation are mostly shaped by their experience of it. This results in a “substantial disagreement between young and old individuals in periods of highly volatile inflation,” economists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago, wrote in a 2014 paper. It also suggests a majority of consumers are now unsure of how to navigate inflation or may be less aware of its broader dangers.
Here is how experts say inflation is eroding Americans’ cash and how they can brace themselves for what might come next as policymakers seek to anchor in the surging prices.
Savings dissolving as those with no cushion get crushed by so-called ‘cruelest tax’
Inflation, defined by the Federal Reserve as increases in the overall prices of goods and services over time, means that Americans are going to have to pay more money than they are used to for their essentials and other expenses.
While the ascending price tags can be a more obvious sting, rising inflation can also impact the value of savings accounts for those who have been able to practice financial prudence in building up a rainy day or retirement fund.
Many Americans were able to save over the course of the pandemic thanks to fiscal support and the fact that COVID-19 shuttered businesses and urged people to stay at home rather than spend on the services they used to go out for, according to Wells Fargo Senior Economist Sarah House.
“But that financial cushion is getting whittled away more quickly. Given these elevated rates of inflation, that savings isn’t stretching as far,” House told ABC News.
Chester Spatt, a professor of finance at Carnegie Melon University and former chief economist and director of the SEC’s Office of Economic Analysis, added that rising inflation suggests that Americans’ “spending power, potentially, is going to decrease quite substantially.”
If inflation is rising at a clip of 7%, and your savings account offers interest rates of some 0.5% (or even an enviable higher-yield 1% rate), then “that spending power might decline by about 6%,” Spatt told ABC News.
This means for those with $1,000 saved up, their financial buffer might actually be closer to $940 as inflation at its current pace eats into that money. For those with $10,000 saved up, they might expect to see about $600 seemingly evaporate from that nest egg — without even touching it.
For Americans who are living paycheck to paycheck, the impacts of inflation can be even more devastating. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned lawmakers on Tuesday that high inflation takes a toll “particularly for those less able to meet the higher costs of essentials,” such as food, housing and transportation.
“People sometimes talk about inflation being kind of ‘the cruelest tax’ that really hurts poor people disproportionately, and I can see that certainly to be the case,” Spatt told ABC News.
Ultimately, the historically high inflation we are seeing now is becoming impossible for consumers to ignore, House added.
“When you’re seeing roughly 2% price increases, it’s kind of running in the background, that 2% number is by design,” House said of the past. “But when we are seeing 5, 6, 7% inflation, it’s hard for consumers not to notice, and that begins to affect how they think about their decisions, including what they’re asking for in terms of wages out of a job.”
Asking for higher wages is generally a good thing, but during times of inflation, those who were working during the 1970s and ’80s know it can also be linked to further skyrocketing prices — and at the broader level, throw a wrench into efforts to rid inflation from the economy as a whole.
Policies to combat inflation have historically carried painful consequences
Inflation historically has been extremely difficult to eradicate, and past efforts to do so by the government and policymakers have sometimes been accompanied by painful consequences.
At the same time, the inflation we are seeing now is being fueled by vastly different circumstances than in the past, specifically supply-demand imbalances spurred by a global pandemic and the fiscal and monetary policies that buoyed the economy during the unprecedented health crisis.
As supply chains recover from pandemic shocks and reach of pandemic-era stimulus policies wanes, many remain hopeful that this will help ease inflationary pressures.
Economists also note that policymakers now have the lessons from the past to glean how best to respond to inflation.
During “The Great Inflation” period of the 1970s and early 1980s, the most-recent inflationary period that those on the cusp of retirement are warning their children about, inflation snowballed out of control as prices climbed and workers in turn asked for higher wages — creating the economic phenomenon now referred to as the “wage-price spiral.”
Wages are again increasing at headline-making rates, as major companies — especially in the service industry — report struggles to attract and retain staff.
“We are in a tight labor market,” House told ABC News, meaning workers are “able to flex some of that clout a little bit more, and extract some more wage increases” from their employers.
“We’re seeing this filter into inflation expectations to some extent; we’re also seeing it filter into wages, and so I think that’ll be key in the year ahead as to how much inflation comes down,” House said. “We are expecting it to recede, given the unwinding of some of these pandemic distortions — but I think now that we’re seeing more pressure coming from wages in the labor market, it’s going to be harder to cool off.”
As a result, House said she expects the Fed “to step in a little more aggressively” than they may have initially planned to help anchor inflation.
This will likely manifest in interest rate hikes, which the Fed has already signaled will likely occur three times in 2022, and a more rapid end to pandemic-era monetary policies that flushed financial markets with liquidity.
These actions can help cool off inflation and uncertainty, House said, because “it will send a signal to markets, to consumers, to businesses, that they are on top of that, that they are watching inflation numbers and they do not want to let this get out of hand, or at least further out of hand.”
“That signal will help anchor inflation expectation and that can have an influence on further price setting, whether that’s for goods, services or for labor,” she added.
Looking back at history, the Fed was seen as initially behind the curve and slow to raise interest rates in the ’70s to respond to inflation — before announcing a shockingly sudden federal funds rate increase of almost 20% in 1980. Those who held bonds directly or through retirement accounts subsequently suffered huge losses, and real interest rates also soared. The move ended up having ripple effects that devastated the overall economy, as well as the stock market.
“The difference here is that we do have some forces that I think will help bring down inflation on its own,” House said when comparing the present to late-’70s inflation, such as the waning pandemic-era fiscal support that boosted consumer demand and shifting patterns on how consumers are spending their money.
“It’s a fine line for monetary policy to walk, between not choking off a recovery or an expansion and also not letting it overheat to the point where you have further pain down the road,” she said.
There are also only so many tools at the Fed’s disposal, she noted, saying the Fed can’t manufacture semiconductor chips or do much to address the beleaguered global supply side of the equation.
In figuring out how to best anchor inflation without triggering an economic downturn, simply put, House said the Fed is “not in a very enviable position.”
So how can Americans protect their hard-earned cash?
At the individual level, meanwhile, Carnegie Melon’s Spatt warns there is very little consumers can do on their own to tackle inflation as a whole once it takes root in the economy.
“Individuals can, of course, try to make the best decisions that they can to watch out for themselves,” Spatt said. “To the extent that they see opportunities for higher wages, obviously, they should go for those. To the extent that they see prices that haven’t yet moved up, but they think are going to move up, they might want to lock in their purchases.”
To protect their savings, Americans “might want to consider, or might be more open to, buying bonds or buying equities,” Spatt added.
Uncertainty brought on by inflation has traditionally been bad news for the stock market, but at the same time stocks have also been a good source historically for investors looking to grow wealth over the longer term. While there is potential to guard against inflation with sound stock investments (and conversely to further deplete savings with investments that go down in value), going this route comes down to personal risk tolerance and financial goals.
Other savings vehicles that “may be a little bit better than bank accounts” in regards to inflation are inflation-protected government savings bonds, according to Spatt.
“At least in the near term, those [Series] I Bonds are offering extraordinary rates, about 7% because of the current levels of inflation,” he added.
These are capped at relatively modest levels, he noted, but said he still views them as a “terrific kind of low-risk type of inflation hedge of a different kind than investing in equity.”
Investors can also protect themselves from inflation by purchasing Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or TIPS, which were not around during the ’70s and also have interest rates adjusted for inflation.
The Treasury has a useful breakdown for Americans comparing I Bonds and TIPS on its website.
As inflation tightens its grip on the economy and previous assurances from policymakers that it is “transitory” have gone out the window, Spatt said Americans should now recognize “prices are going to change over time, and they’re going to change adversely.”
People should keep this in mind when doing their shopping and financial planning, and then assess based on individual needs, options and goals how they can best adapt to this ever-evolving economic reality.
At the broader level, however, Scott warned inflation’s unwelcome return to the U.S. economy presents “a tremendous problem.”
“When you think about the policies that may be followed to stamp out the inflation, they may actually bring the economy into recession; that may be necessary like it was in the 1980s,” Spatt said. “It’s not easy to knock it out of the economy; this is one of the lessons of the 1980s.”
(EUGENE, Ore.) — Six people were transported to hospitals after a shooting at a concert hall in Eugene, Oregon, police said.
At 9:29 p.m. Friday, there were reports of multiple shots fired outside WOW Hall, where Lil Bean and Zay Bang were performing.
The Eugene Police Department and multiple law enforcement agencies responded, along with Eugene Springfield Fire.
Of the six victims that were shot, one is in critical condition, Eugene Police Department Chief Chris Skinner said during a press conference early Saturday.
Police don’t yet know if the shooting was random or targeted, but Skinner said it was “one of the highest profile shootings we’ve had in the city of Eugene.”
There are no reported fatalities at this time.
Police are looking for a single suspect, thought to be a male in a hoodie who was last seen running westbound away from the scene, Skinner said. The police chief added that he does not believe there is a broader safety risk to the community, but emphasized the suspect is still likely armed and dangerous.
“You may have heard that there was a shooting outside the WOW Hall tonight at the ‘Lil Bean + Zay Bang’* concert,” WOW Hall’s Board Chair Jaci Guerena and Interim Executive Director Deb Maher said in a statement on the venue’s website. “There is not much information currently available however we heard gunshots in the back parking lot. The motives are not yet known. We do know that some people were injured, but we do not know the extent of the injuries, and we do not want to speculate.”
All classes held at the WOW Hall are canceled until further notice, they said.
“We at the WOW Hall want to thank all first responders who came so quickly to ensure everyone’s safety and administer first aid. We believe all staff and volunteers are safe and accounted for. This is unprecedented at the WOW Hall. The police are investigating. If we receive additional information, we will try to make it available,” Guerena and Maher added.
The shooting is under active investigation.
Police are asking that anyone with information regarding the incident (case 22-00850) call 541-682-5111.
(NEW YORK) — The National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami advisory for the entire West Coast and Alaska in the wake of an undersea volcanic eruption near Tonga.
Nearly all coastal areas in California, Oregon, Washington, Southeast Alaska, South Alaska, the Alaskan Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands are under a tsunami advisory. British Columbia is also under advisory.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the southern Amami island and Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture and a tsunami advisory for all coastal areas facing the Pacific Ocean. Tsunami waves as high as 1.2 meters were reported near those islands around 11:30 a.m. eastern time.
A tsunami advisory means that a tsunami could produce strong currents or waves near the coastline. However, a tsunami advisory does not indicate a major tsunami event where water is actively entering coastal communities. In this circumstance, the tsunami is only dangerous to those in the water, or on the immediate beach — like swimmers and boaters.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Daniel Manzo contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This story’s headline has been updated to report that a tsunami advisory, not a warning, was issued.
Here’s how to bond with your kids – while also helping them improve their math, memory, and social skills.
Just sit down for a game of Crazy 8s… Black Jack… or Go Fish. Psychologists say card games are a great way to improve kids’ critical thinking skills while also strengthening their confidence.
Dr. William Doherty is a family science professor from the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. And he says, card and board games are good for kids in a lot of ways.
First of all, because everybody is playing by the same rules. It’s an even playing field. And when kids can beat their parents or older siblings, it’s psychologically important. Because, symbolically, it gives them a taste of independence – and how they’ll be able to survive on their own someday. And if they lose, it’s an opportunity to handle defeat gracefully, learn from their mistakes and try again.
Card games can also improve math and memory skills. They learn to strategize – and when they have to remember the cards another player has, it works their short-term memory.
Even shuffling and dealing can improve a kids manual dexterity. Kids also learn the art of taking turns and following rules.
But besides all those developmental benefits – Dr. Doherty says games are one of the best ways for families to bond and communicate. Because it creates an environment for all generations to interact and open up.
You love romantic movies, he hates them. You can’t stand baseball; he wants to watch all 128 games every season. And you’re madly in love. What is it about opposites that attract? Dating experts broke down the stages of this explosive kind of romance.
Stage 1: First, they drive you mad… But you just can’t get enough of each other. Mary Valentis, PHD and author of “Romantic Intelligence”, says the reason you’re attracted to them is because they “represent qualities in you that you don’t express, or qualities that you lack but wish you had”.
Then in Stage 2:The Chemistry Begins. At first everything about this person annoys you. How they dress, how they talk, even the way they flirt with you. In cases where your mind finds this person repulsive, you might want to check with your body. R. Don Steele author of “Body Language Secrets” says “If your hands sweat, your heart beats faster, and you feel shaky around the other person then, differences or not, they might be the right one.” That anger you’re feeling could be you trying to keep the attraction down.
Stage 3:They grow on you.
Before you know it you find yourself actually appreciating the differences. They open your eyes to new and different things. This is a very attractive quality and experiencing new things suppresses your stress hormones and fills you with feel-good endorphins.
The final stage you go through when opposites attract:You’re hooked. One day you realize that this person might be the one. And they’re nothing like the daydreams you had all these years of the perfect partner. Linda Schnapp a NY based psychotherapist says “We think we’re going to end up with someone like us. But we’re unconsciously drawn to someone who complements us.” So the next time you meet somebody you can’t stand, give it a few months. They might just be the yin to your yang.
Feeling tired? Experts say there are a lot of ways to combat it. But the best way depends on what “brand” of tired you are. So, here’s a list of the most common reasons we feel tired, and how to fix them:
You’re emotionally tired. Meaning, you’re wiped out from stress or fighting or anxiety. According to Yale research director Dr. David Katz, emotional exhaustion is a result of our stress hormones interfering with our feel-good brain chemicals – leaving us feeling like we’re dragging – from our brain to our muscles. To combat it, Dr. Katz says do the exact opposite of anxiety, and have some fun. See a friend, go to a movie or take a hike. It’ll divert your mental focus and reduce your stress, so you’ll feel more refreshed.
If you’re having a mid-day energy slump – blame your lunch! Studies show that oversize, carb-heavy meals can cause huge blood sugar swings, which leave us feeling tired. Then we reach for something sweet to perk us back up again. But that creates a cycle of a sugar buzz followed by a sugar crash. Instead, eat less at lunch. But make sure what you do eat has a combo of fiber and protein to keep your energy up. Because the fewer sugars and carbs we have in our meals, the more “awake” we feel.
What if you’re so tired you’re wired? That usually means you’re suffering from a combination of stress and fatigue. Experts say your brain gets so stimulated that it switches into overdrive – making it hard to sleep. The fix? Try focusing on a non-emotional task – like solving a word puzzle, or counting backwards from 100 in threes – as in 100, 97, 94, and so on. Sleep scientists say that’s a proven way of distracting your brain from whatever’s stressing you out. And when your brain can’t focus on anything else, your body will wind down on its own.
Red Hot Chili Peppers were among the 10 highest paid musical acts of 2021, Rolling Stone reports.
The “Under the Bridge” outfit ranks at number six on the list with a total of $145 million earned last year, the vast majority of which came from the reported $140 million sale of the band’s publishing catalog to the company Hipgnosis.
Number one on the list is Bruce Springsteen, who took in $590 million, also in large part to the sale of his publishing copyrights and master recordings. Mötley Crüe, another act that unloaded their master recordings in 2021, sits at number nine on the ranking with $95 million.
Red Hot Chili Peppers will look to add to their 2021 earnings with a massive global tour this year, which kicks off with a European trek in June before hitting the U.S. in July. The outing marks RHCP’s first full live run since guitarist John Frusciante rejoined the group in late 2019.
The Scorpions have just released the title track of their forthcoming studio album Rock Believer, which is due out on February 25.
The tune, which is available now via digital formats, combines a catchy melody sung by frontman Klaus Meine with soaring rock accompaniment highlighted by harmonized guitar solos.
Meine, who wrote the song’s lyrics, notes, “Over the years, we’ve heard people say lots of times that rock is dead. But there are still millions of rock believers out there all over the world that prove them wrong. Our fans are the best in the world. We’ll see you someday somewhere out there, because we’re Rock Believers, just like you.”
As previously reported, the “Rock Believer” single’s cover art was designed by Klaus Voormann, who famously created the cover of The Beatles‘ classic 1966 album Revolver. A music video for the song will premiere on The Scorpions’ YouTube channel this Tuesday, January 18, at 12 p.m. ET.
Following the video’s premiere, The Scorpions will be hosting a special after-party and Q&A event that will be accessible to subscribers of the YouTube Premium service. You can submit questions for the band members now in the comments section of this Facebook post.
Rock Believer‘s title track is the second advance song issued from the album, following “Peacemaker.” You can pre-order the album now.
The Scorpions will kick off their 2022 tour itinerary in support of Rock Believer with a nine-date Las Vegas residency at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood, running from March 26 to April 16. Visit The-Scorpions.com for more info.
