SCOTUS verifies leaked opinion in abortion case, Amber Heard to testify: 5 Things podcast

On today’s episode of the 5 Things podcast: Supreme Court verifies authenticity of leaked opinion in abortion case

Supreme Court correspondent John Fritze has the latest, as we hear from lawmakers around the country. Plus, the head of the European Union pushes for member nations to ban Russian oil imports, reporter Scooby Axson updates us on WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detainment in Russia, the Fed gives interest rates a big bump and Amber Heard takes the stand in the libel trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp.

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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I’m Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Wednesday, the 4th of May 2022. Today, the latest from the abortion front. Plus getting Brittney Griner back from Russia and more.

Here are some of the top headlines:

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The country continues to react to the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe V. Wade. The landmark 1973 decision established a constitutional right to abortion, but a leaked draft opinion this week showed the high court might be on the brink of upending it. In his first public comment since the leak, President Joe Biden said yesterday that the move would be a fundamental shift.

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Joe Biden:

Concerns me a great deal that we’re going to after 50 years decide a woman does not have a right to choose within the limits of the Supreme Court decision. If this decision holds, it’s really quite a radical decision.

Taylor Wilson:

Both sides of the political aisle had strong words after the leak. Democratic Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, blasted the potential move and said Senate Democrats will work to codify abortion rights as law.

Chuck Schumer:

If the report is accurate, the decision would be an abomination, an abomination, one of the worst ever in modern history. It is our intention for the Senate to hold a vote on legislation to codify the right to an abortion in law. This is as urgent and as real as it gets.

Taylor Wilson:

But many Republican lawmakers, like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, are focusing more on how and why the leak happened in the first place.

Mitch McConnell:

This lawless action should be investigated and punished to the fullest extent possible. Fullest extent possible. I’m certain the Chief Justice will seek to get to the bottom of this. If a crime was committed, the Department of Justice must pursue it completely.

Taylor Wilson:

Two senators whose abortion stances run against their party’s position stayed true to their beliefs yesterday. Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski is one of the few Senate Republicans who supports abortion rights.

Lisa Murkowski:

If it goes in the direction that this leaked copy has indicated, I will just tell you that it rocks my confidence in the court right now.

Taylor Wilson:

But Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia is an abortion opponent. He expressed concern with any effort by fellow Democrats to eliminate the filibuster to codify abortion rights. A similar attempt fell short in February when Senate Democrats could only get 46 votes. So how did the draft of the opinion get leaked in the first place? Supreme Court correspondent John Fritze is here to break things down.

John Fritze:

Well, I think it means a couple of things. I think, first of all, it means that what we sort of knew in a way, which is that the court appeared to be leaning toward overturning the 1973 landmark decision in Roe V. Wade that created a constitutional right to abortion. Obviously seeing the opinion in black and white is pretty remarkable. I think it also means the court has a problem with its process, its deliberation. These were supposed to be of course secret. These sorts of leaks are exceedingly rare and it’s clear the motivation here is intended to try to sway wavering justices. It’s a little unclear who’s trying to do it, but it’s clear that that is why this is coming out at this moment. And I think there’s going to be some real soul searching at the court about how this happened and why it happened and what it means for the court as an institution that prides itself on being above the partisan fray.

In the past when there’s been leaks and there’s a series of leaks in the, particularly in the 1970s, there was a leak about the Roe decision itself actually in 1973, not the opinion, but the outcome in that case was leaked before the Supreme Court issued it. So these are uncommon, but they do happen. And when they do happen, there’s usually a pretty thorough investigation. Past chiefs have been irate about this. Past chiefs have considered bringing in the FBI to do lie detector tests. And of course, the interesting thing about this reaction is that we know all this because of subsequent leaks. A decision was leaked and then their reaction to it was leaked. These leaks do happen and they do sort of prompt a lot of, again, I think soul searching on behalf of the, usually the Chief Justice about how how to stop it.

Taylor Wilson:

Protesters took to the streets around the country yesterday on both sides of the abortion debate.

Protester:

Non-violence and non-discrimination.

Taylor Wilson:

Abortion rights advocate, Chelsea White, outside the Supreme Court said she couldn’t stay silent.

Chelsea White:

I heard what they were saying. I couldn’t take it any longer as someone whose life actually had to be saved twice with a D&C, which is the same procedure as an abortion. I had to speak up on behalf of mothers like myself who have had to make that same choice.

Taylor Wilson:

But Herb Geraghty, executive director of Rehumanize International wants to see Roe overturned.

Herb Geraghty:

We are extremely optimistic that the Supreme Court will finally overturn the disastrous Roe V. Wade decision coming in the next few days or months. And we are very hopeful that we will finally see justice prevail for the unborn in this country.

Taylor Wilson:

For all the latest from the abortion fight, you can find a live updates page on USATODAY.com.

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The head of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, is calling on the 27 nation block to ban oil imports from Russia. Speaking in France, she called on member countries to phase out crude oil imports within six months and refined products by the end of the year.

Ursula von der Leyen:

This sends another important signal to all perpetrators of the Kremlin, we know who you are. We will hold you accountable. You’re not getting away with this.

Taylor Wilson:

The proposals need unanimous approval to take effect and will likely bring strong debate. It’s the sixth EU package of sanctions targeting Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. The move comes after Donetsk Regional Governor Pavlo Krylenko said in a statement today that 21 civilians were killed and another 27 wounded in Russian attacks yesterday. He said it marked the highest number of civilian victims in the Eastern Ukraine region since early April.

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The US State Department says that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained by the Russian government as efforts continue to get the WNBA basketball player back home. Reporter Scooby Axson has more.

Scooby Axson:

What I’m assuming this means is a prisoner swap with some unknown. And that may be the easiest way to get her home rather than going forward with a trial and things of that nature. She does have a hearing coming up on May 17th, so I’m assuming they’re trying to get this done before she reaches that date. I think what the United States government is having a problem with is the actual why she’s being held. According to them, they stopped her in the airport and she had some vape cartridges on her and so they detained her. And then nothing. So if they’re trying to tell us these charges warrant her being detained for this long. So when you’re dealing with two superpowers like that, the United States government is just going to have to either force the issue or let this issue play out. I’m assuming they’re just going to force their hand and try to get this done sooner than later.

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The Federal Reserve is expected to give interest rates their biggest bump in 22 years today. Officials are trying to tame an inflation rate that’s at a 40 year high. The Fed raised its key short-term interest rate from near zero by a quarter percentage point in March. And it forecast six more rate hikes this year and more in 2023. It plans to push it up another half point, its largest move since 1994. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said after the hike in March, that he’s confident a recession is not in the cards.

Jerome Powell:

We understand that high inflation imposes significant hardship, especially on those least able to meet the higher costs of essentials like food, housing, and transportation. We know that the best thing we can do to support a strong labor market is to promote a long expansion and that is only possible in an environment of price stability. In my view, the probability of a recession within the next year is not particularly elevated. And why do I say that? Aggregate demand is currently strong and most forecasters expect it to remain so. If you look at the labor market, also very strong. Conditions are tight and payroll job growth is continuing at very high levels. Household and business balance sheets are strong. And so all signs are that this is a strong economy, indeed one that will be able to flourish, not to say withstand, but certainly flourish as well in the face of less accommodated monetary policy.

Taylor Wilson:

Today’s move will drive rates higher on everything from credit cards to mortgages, but consumers will see bank deposit rates rise, especially for online savings accounts.

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Amber Heard is expected to take the stand today as the libel trial between the actress and her ex-husband Johnny Depp continues in a fourth week. Her team has begun calling witnesses to the stand, including psychologist, Don Hughes, who testified yesterday that Heard suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from violence, including sexual violence at the hands of Depp. But Depp has said he never physically attacked Heard and that she was the aggressor who routinely hit him throughout the relationship. He’s suing her for $50 million alleging that she defamed him in a 2018 Washington Post opinion piece where she claimed to have been a victim of domestic abuse. Depp’s agent Jack Whigham testified this week that the op-ed was catastrophic for Depp’s career.

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. A reminder you can find us on whatever your favorite podcast app is, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your smart speaker device. Thanks to PJ Elliott for his great work on the show. And I’m back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dems to codify abortion, Amber Heard set to testify: 5 Things podcast