Today’s Headlines: Revisiting Roe vs. Wade

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an abortion case challenging Roe vs. Wade.

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Revisiting Roe vs. Wade

After an unusually long internal debate, the Supreme Court said that it would hear a major challenge to the reach of the landmark Roe vs. Wade abortion ruling and decide whether states may bar nearly all abortions after 15 weeks of a pregnancy.

The justices said they had voted to hear an appeal from Mississippi that urges the court to “reconsider the bright-line viability rule,” which says states may not prohibit abortions until the time a fetus is viable or capable of living on its own. This is generally about the 23rd week of a pregnancy.

It is the court’s first major move to reconsider abortion rights since Justice Amy Coney Barrett replaced the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett, who has acknowledged being personally opposed to abortion, is widely expected to provide the vote that would allow the court’s conservative majority to rein in abortion rights.

Such a ruling could mean the reproductive rights of women would depend on where they reside. California and most blue states would maintain abortion as a legal right, while more conservative states could limit abortion or outlaw it entirely.

Here’s what you need to know about the political landscape on abortion and the potential for major upheaval in the coming months.

More Politics

— In a victory for privacy rights, the Supreme Court said that police do not have broad authority to enter a home to check on someone who may be suicidal and then search and seize evidence that may be used against the person.

— The Treasury Department said that 39 million families are set to receive monthly child payments beginning July 15 as part of the Biden administration’s $1.9-trillion coronavirus relief package.

— California government operations would still rely on $12 billion drawn from cash reserves and borrowing under the budget proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, an independent analyst’s report said, even as the state now expects to collect three times that amount from a windfall of tax revenues.

On the Ground in Gaza City

President Biden expressed support for a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, which was the eighth day of airstrikes and rocket barrages that have killed at least 200 people, most of them Palestinians in Gaza.

Biden stopped short of joining the growing demands from Democrats and others for an immediate cease-fire. But the White House readout of the call showed increased White House concern that the fighting — including Israeli airstrikes aimed at weakening Hamas — come to an end, while still expressing support for Israel.

On the ground in Gaza City, the war and Israel’s overwhelmingly superior firepower have upended life for 2 million Palestinians. Days and nights are filled with tracer fire, white plumes, falling buildings, burials and fears of worsening coronavirus infections.

Every night brings a war ritual for Randa Suleiman: She gathers her children, collects their favorite toys and looks for a hiding place in their home, listening for Israeli warplanes and bombs. “From 11 p.m., we prepare ourselves,” she said. “You hear [the children] talk about if they’re going to have to escape from the house or if they’re going to die.”

Keep Those Masks On

There’s been growing pushback against immediately lifting COVID-19 mask rules for vaccinated people, with California deciding it would keep its policies in place for another month as a growing number of experts over the weekend said it was prudent for everyone to stay masked indoors for a bit more time.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s director surprised many last week when she said available evidence demonstrated it’s safe for fully vaccinated people to go without masks in most places. That prompted some big retailers such as Walmart and Costco to say they were relaxing mask rules in states and regions that allowed them to do so.

But California health officials say the state’s current mask rules will remain in place until June 15 — which is also the target date for fully reopening the state’s economy.

And that means officials in Los Angeles County are having to contact a number of retail chains to emphasize that the existing rules requiring everyone to wear masks indoors haven’t gone away.

More Top Coronavirus Headlines

— As more teens become eligible for vaccines, some parents are jumping at the chance to protect their kids from COVID-19 while others are uncertain. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Unified School District is launching an ambitious campaign to vaccinate 12- to 15-year-old students before the end of the current school year.

— Across Asia, nations that were lauded and often envied for the way they controlled COVID-19 are now beset by new lockdowns, dwindling hospital beds and growing fatigue.

— How do you persuade someone to get vaccinated? Tips for a productive conversation.

For more, sign up for Coronavirus Today, a special edition of The Times’ Health and Science newsletter.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Each May, students at Caltech embrace a long-running tradition known as Ditch Day. The seniors quietly take the day off and leave campus, but not before leaving a series of puzzles and challenges for younger students. These “stacks” barricade their empty rooms, while freshmen, sophomores and juniors must crack them. A May 19, 1979, Times story covered the frenzy, from puzzles that involved snakes to musical locks. Successful students might find snacks or drinks inside.

The puzzles and challenges have grown ever more elaborate. A later Times story references one in which students altered the Hollywood sign to read “CALTECH.”

May 18, 1979: During Caltech Ditch Day, some underclassmen accidentally set fire to a door, left, which freshman Rick Walker, right, put out with fire extinguisher.

(Bill Varie / Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

— As California’s first Filipino American attorney general, Rob Bonta has made fighting anti-Asian racism a top priority at a time when hate attacks are rising up and down the state and across the nation.

— Californians are finally willing to acknowledge that Asian Americans face discrimination, and Asian Americans are increasingly fearful of being victims of a hate crime, even more so than Black or Latino residents, a new statewide poll finds.

— As once renowned trial lawyer Tom Girardi’s law practice and marriage imploded, Bravo’s gauzy lenses were there to capture much of it. Now “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” is airing, adding to the scrutiny of his wife, Erika Girardi. (This story is a subscriber exclusive.)

— An arson investigation into the Pacific Palisades fire, which started late Friday, has led to the arrest of a suspect in connection with the blaze.

NATION-WORLD

— A Florida politician who emerged as a central figure in the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz pleaded guilty to six federal charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of a plea deal.

— A Washington state man who was a rising star in a violent, far-right hate group helped lead rioters to the Capitol on Jan. 6. The issue has divided his hometown. (This story is a subscriber exclusive.)

— Biden officials have quietly agreed to narrow but substantial changes to the administration’s U.S.-Mexico border closure, after months of pressure from advocates, a legal challenge and indications of a leveling-off in border crossings.

— The U.S. isn’t alone in becoming overwhelmed at the border. Mexico is facing its own crisis — an escalating humanitarian emergency caused by what authorities and advocates call an unprecedented increase in migrant families traversing its territory.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— The pandemic made some people’s sex lives more digital. Starz’s “The Girlfriend Experience” not only predicted it, the show is back after some 3½ years.

— David Zaslav’s success transforming Discovery Networks from a niche TV service to the largest purveyor of nonfiction programming made him one of the highest-paid chief executives of a publicly traded U.S. company. Now he’ll oversee WarnerMedia.

— Date night at a fake motel? This indoor entertainment experience is deeper than it seems and may be the wild post-vaccination escape you need now.

— We break down “Mare of Easttown’s” most shocking moment yet.

BUSINESS

— The California DMV is investigating whether Tesla misleads customers by advertising its “full self-driving capability” option, the agency told The Times. A car with the $10,000 FSD package cannot fully drive itself, according to widely accepted engineering standards.

— Is Elon Musk trying to destroy bitcoin over environmental concerns? Whatever the case, he’s proved that cryptocurrencies are assets that smart investors should steer clear of, columnist Michael Hiltzik writes.

SPORTS

— The Mexican soccer federation has for years asked its fans not to use a wildly popular anti-gay chant during Liga MX and international games. Now it’s getting some high-powered help and warning that refs may halt play if they chant it.

— The Dodgers formally announced the signing of Albert Pujols, days after coming to terms with the future Hall of Famer. He made his debut Monday and the Dodgers went on to a 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

— Kenny Mayne: “I’m leaving ESPN. You know that, but here’s the story in my own words.”

OPINION

— The Supreme Court’s decision to review a Mississippi ban on abortions after 15 weeks — a ban clearly unconstitutional under current law — clearly indicates that at least four justices want to reconsider the core holding of Roe vs. Wade, and should make all who support women’s reproductive autonomy very afraid of what will come next, writes UC Berkeley School of Law dean Erwin Chemerinsky.

— Newsom’s love of making firsts is on full display in his go-big-or-go-home California budget, writes columnist George Skelton.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— Nicola Sturgeon leads Scotland as a fierce Brexit critic and, paradoxically enough, a progressive nationalist. Can her quest for Scottish independence survive both her political mentor’s sexual assault scandal and political schism? (The New Yorker)

— “What my Korean father taught me about defending myself in America.” (GQ)

ONLY IN L.A.

Los Angeles might be known as a city of sprawl, but it’s also a place that can do density remarkably well. Enter a design challenge from the office of L.A.’s chief design officer, Christopher Hawthorne, and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Budget and Innovation. Architects were invited to imagine new, higher-density options rooted in the architectural traditions of the region, writes columnist Carolina Miranda. Here’s what they came up with.

Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com.