Best views, weather, etc. How to test them 👓 SC, Ala. sites look back Betty Ford honored
NEWS
5 Things to Know

The end of Roe, Biden signs gun violence bill before trip: 5 things to know this weekend

Editors
USA TODAY

America continues to digest Supreme Court's Friday ruling that ends Roe

The Supreme Court ruled Friday the Constitution provided no right to abortion, overturning nearly 50 years of precedent and sending the legality of the procedure to state legislatures to determine. From here, access to abortion could become a patchwork based on where a person lives. More than two dozen states are certain or likely to ban abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Unsurprisingly, the decision sparked a firestorm of reaction in the U.S. Republicans - and some anti-abortion activists - celebrated after having fought to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. Democrats lamented their lost fight to save it. Demonstrators protested at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., and thousands more took part in rallies in many U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and New York City. More protests are scheduled across the country Saturday.

Prefer to listen? Check out the 5 Things podcast

Biden signs landmark gun violence bill before traveling overseas

The House sent President Joe Biden the widest ranging gun violence bill Congress has passed in decades Friday, a measured compromise that at once illustrates progress on the long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists. Biden signed the bipartisan gun bill on Saturday before traveling overseas to a Group of Seven, or G-7, meeting. "Lives will be saved," the president said in brief remarks. Biden described the bill as "the most significant law" of its kind in "the last 30 years." The Democratic-led chamber approved the election-year legislation on a mostly party-line 234-193 vote, capping a spurt of action prompted by voters' revulsion over last month's mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. The Senate approved the measure late Thursday by a bipartisan 65-33 margin. The bill incrementally toughens requirements for young people to buy guns, denies firearms from more domestic abusers and helps local authorities temporarily take weapons from people judged to be dangerous. 

President Biden to attend G-7 meetings to talk inflation, Ukraine war

President Joe Biden is attending a Group of 7, or G-7, meeting in the Bavarian Alps in Gemrany this weekend. The group plans to discuss stabilizing the global economy while also maintaining and potentially increasing sanctions on Russia as it continues its invasion of Ukraine. Other issues like clean energy initiatives will take a back seat to talks on how to support Ukraine and how the countries can work together to fight inflation and prevent a global recession. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to address leaders virtually at the gathering, and he will also speak to the NATO summit in Madrid, which Biden will attend after the G-7 gathering.

Dangerous heat waves continue in the South

Temperatures are expected to soar into the upper 90s and low 100s from the southern Plains to the eastern Gulf Coast this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. This comes after over 40 million Americans were under some type of heat alert on Friday. The heat is caused by a "heat dome" over the South, increasing energy demands and posing significant risk for heat-related illness, AccuWeather said. Other parts of the country are also feeling higher temperatures. In the Midwest, over 1,400 daily high records were broken or tied so far in June. 

Pride celebrations to go on amid worry over civil rights

June is Pride Month celebrating the LGBTQ community, and this weekend features some of the nation's biggest events. In New York, festivities include Sunday's NYC Pride March, held annually since 1970. Other cities celebrating include San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Houston and St. Louis. Like every year, the celebrations are expected to be exuberant and festive. But for many, they will also carry a sense of urgency and concern. Extremists have taken an increasingly hostile stance toward Pride events, while conservative state governments have proposed and in some cases passed a slew of anti-LGBTQ legislation. Another blow came Friday, when the Supreme Court overturned a nationwide right to abortion in an upending of a legal standard that has people wondering if same-sex marriage may be next. Pride Month commemorates the anniversary of 1969's Stonewall riots, a turning point in the pursuit of LGBTQ rights that saw bar patrons fight back against police raiding the Stonewall Inn, a New York City gay bar.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Featured Weekly Ad