Arizona says century-old abortion ban can be enforced; EPA limits ‘forever chemicals’

Today’s top stories

• On Up First, NPR’s Ximena Bustillo says this is now one of the oldest abortion laws on the books — older than Arizona itself. There’s an effort to put a measure on the state’s November ballot that would overrule this decision and establish a fundamental right to abortion. The amendment would protect abortion access until viability and protect the patient’s health, as determined by the health care provider giving treatment. Supporters of this amendment have already collected more than enough signatures to put it on the ballot. 

• Limiting six chemicals doesn’t sound like much, considering there are more than 12,000 known PFAS, NPR’s Pien Huang reports. But experts she spoke to say it’s a strong first step. The EPA estimates it will cost $1.5 billion each year for water companies to comply with its new rules. Huang says consumer water bills may go up eventually, but the federal government has dedicated billions of dollars for PFAS removal as a first resort. 

• This is going to make the state visit “very awkward,” NPR’s Franco Ordoñez says. White House officials insist the leaders won’t discuss it in their meetings, but Ordoñez says reporters are likely to raise questions at the press conference. He says it’s “highly unusual” for Biden to come out so publicly against this deal. Critics say Biden could discourage foreign investment and “contradict the idea that the U.S. is open for business.”

The science of siblings

• Studies have shown that men who are attracted to the same sex are more likely to have older brothers than other types of siblings. This phenomenon was dubbed the “fraternal birth order effect.”
• This effect shows about a 33% increase in the probability of male same-sex attraction for each older brother you have.
• Scientists theorized that the mother’s immune system response to the proteins created by the Y chromosome in male fetuses could be behind this effect. This is called the “maternal immune hypothesis.”
• But a recent study that sampled 9 million people showed women in same-sex marriages were also more likely to have older brothers, putting the hypothesis up for debate. 

Deep dive

• Isolation and the pandemic have driven substance use. Experts say that not understanding the amount of nicotine in these products means that more young people have gotten hooked without realizing it.
• The “Juul effect” plays a role even after its ban. In 2019, Juul products were everywhere. Lawsuits argued that the company aggressively marketed itself to kids, and Juul paid millions in settlements as a result. The FDA banned flavored vape cartridges in 2020 in an effort to crack down on marketing to minors, but the products are still easy to find.
• Young adults lead vape sales, even though the product was originally intended to help users quit cigarette smoking. The 18-24 age group leads all age groups in regular use, and use gradually dropped with each age cohort, up to the 65+ demographic, of which just 1% use e-cigarettes.

3 things to know before you go

1. Country star Morgan Wallen was arrested after allegedly throwing a chair from the rooftop of a bar Sunday night.
2. Shares of Truth Social have slumped, and it’s now trading at its lowest level since the company’s trading debut on March 26. 
3. Workers at 911 call centers say their facilities are understaffed, according to a 2023 survey. Here’s why those answering emergency calls say their jobs have gotten even harder in the last few months.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.