Biblical: New York City has been under a state of emergency after the remains of Hurricane Ida drove through, inundating the metropolitan area with several inches of rain.

 Subways were flooded, buses caught in several feet of water, and at least eight people died, seven of them when basement apartments flooded. One person died trapped in a car in Passaic, New Jersey. The dead ranged in age from 2 to 66.

  At least 3.1 inches of rain were measured in Central Park, 3.24 inches at New Newark International Airport. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency as did New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

  The water cascaded down into New York subways and floated cars off the roads. Mayor Bill DeBlasio tweeted, “If you’re thinking of going outside, don’t.” He said, “Stay off the subways. Stay off the roads. Don’t drive into these heavy waters.”

Roe v. Texas: The Supreme Court decided 5-4 last night not to block the New Texas abortion law, which forbids abortion before many women even know they are pregnant.

  The unsigned majority opinion said the decision was made on procedural grounds and does not block future challenges to the Texas law, which runs counter to the historic Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal up to the point of fetal viability.

  “The court’s order is stunning,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent to the majority. “Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny, a majority of justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand.”

  The Texas law not only blocks abortion after six weeks, but it also turns enforcement over to the anti-abortion movement. Private citizens under the law may sue abortion providers or anyone who helps a woman get an abortion after a fetal heartbeat has been detected. The person who sues would not be required to have any connection to the provider or the woman getting the abortion. 

  Chief Justice Roberts, who voted with the minority, wrote that, “The legislature has imposed a prohibition on abortions after roughly six weeks, and then essentially delegated enforcement of that prohibition to the populace at large. The desired consequence appears to be to insulate the state from responsibility for implementing and enforcing the regulatory regime.”

Too Rich to Pay: Purdue Pharma, the drug company that fed the American opioid crisis with their highly addictive painkiller OxyContin, was dissolved yesterday in a bankruptcy settlement that will require the company’s owners, members of the Sackler family, to turn over billions of dollars of their fortune. 

  The agreement allows the Sacklers to avoid any personal responsibility or liability and survive as one of the richest families in America.

  As many as half a million Americans died during the opioid crisis as Purdue Pharma cranked out far more painkillers than anyone actually needed for reducing pain. But the negotiated settlement ends thousands of damage lawsuits brought by state and local governments, tribes, hospitals, and individual people. 

  In exchange for being personally shielded by the agreement, the Sacklers agreed to turn over $4.5 billion over the next nine years. It comes nowhere near compensating for personal injury or the cost to government and communities.

  Noting that the Sacklers have fortunes parked in overseas accounts, US Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain said in court, “This is a bitter result.” He spelled it out, “B-I-T-T-E-R.”

Black Lives: Three Aurora, Colorado police officers and two paramedics have been indicted in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a young black man who had been walking home when he was stopped by the police, put into a choke hold, and injected with the powerful anesthetic ketamine. 

  The 23-year-old McClain had been stopped because he looked “suspicious” even though he had done nothing wrong. He was wearing a face mask and listening to music and told the cops he was just walking home.

  When the police grabbed him McClain protested, “I’m an introvert and I’m different.” He said. “I’m just different. That’s all. That’s all I was doing. I’m so sorry.”

  He died six days later in the hospital.

The Spin Rack: An estimated 7.5 million people will lose their federal emergency unemployment benefits this week when the pandemic program ends. Others will see their checks reduced by $300. — Joe Rogan, host of popular podcast who has badmouthed vaccines, says he has tested positive for the coronavirus. — Paramount Pictures is delaying the release of its sequel to the 1986 hit “Top Gun” because they believe people won’t go to the movies during the resurgence of the coronavirus. “Top Gun: Maverick,” with Tom Cruise reviving his role as a hotshot fighter pilot, is rescheduled for release in May.  

Go to the Video: Conservatives and Biden haters on social media as well as the right wing press have been in an uproar over claims that President Biden checked his watch during the ceremonial transfer of bodies for the 13 service members killed in Kabul. 

  Darin Hoover, the father of Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, claimed that Biden checked his watch every single time a coffin was removed from the hold of the Air Force C-17 during Sunday’s ceremony at Dover Air Force Base. “All 13, he looked down at his watch,” Hoover told Fox’s credulous Sean Hannity.

  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich tweeted, “When Biden looked at his watch during the ceremony receiving and honoring the 13 killed American service members it taught all Americans something about the callousness and selfishness of the current President.” 

  USA Today and the myth-debunking website Snopes.com had the obvious idea to look at the video and found that Biden checked his watch only when the ceremony was over.

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