Good afternoon. Here are the top stories so far today.
For more daily and weekly briefings, sign up for our newsletters here .
What happened today:
- Hurricane Ida death toll reaches 26. Ida left 26 people dead from Maryland to New York, the Associated Press reported on Thursday. At least 12 people died in New York City. NY Gov. Kathy Hochul said, "This is the first time we have a flash flood of this proportion in the city of New York." Follow Insider's live coverage here.
- Biden slams SCOTUS. President Joe Biden had harsh words for the Supreme Court after it ruled to keep a Texas abortion law in place. Biden called the Supreme Court's ruling "an unprecedented assault on a woman's constitutional rights." The law is one of the most restrictive in the country, banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
- Florida and Arkansas could follow Texas. Florida is working on its own version of the newly passed Texas abortion law , Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson told the local NBC affiliate WFLA. Arkansas State Senator Jason Rapert also announced he ordered a bill to match the Texas legislation.
- Branson's Virgin Galactic plane is grounded. The FAA has grounded a Virgin Galactic rocket plane as it investigates a mishap during a July 11 flight that took co-founder Richard Branson to the edge of space. The FAA said the space plane went outside its clearance zone. Virgin Galactic said that its plane did not fly outside "the lateral confines of the protected airspace," but dropped "below the altitude of the airspace that is protected for Virgin Galactic missions."
- Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ABBA is making its first musical comeback in nearly 40 years. The Swedish group announced a new album and "revolutionary concert" featuring holograms. The group broke up in 1982, after having huge hits like "Dancing Queen" and "Take a Chance on Me."
That's all for now. See you tomorrow.
Via PakApNews