JUDY WOODRUFF: President Biden is
rolling out requirements for up to 100

million Americans to get vaccinated
for COVID-19 or get tested weekly.

His plan, announced today, is a bid
to stem the surging Delta variant.

It affects private employers
with more than 100 workers,

and it mandates that federal
employees and contractors get
shots with no testing option.

The president had sharp
words for the unvaccinated.

JOE BIDEN, President of the United
States: We have made vaccinations
free safe and convenient.

The vaccine has FDA approval.
Over 200 million Americans
have gotten at least one shot.

We have been patient, but
our patience is wearing thin,

and your refusal has cost all of
us. So, please do the right thing.

JUDY WOODRUFF: We will talk to the
president's top infectious disease

adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci,
later in the program.

Separately today, the Los Angeles
School Board considered a vaccine

mandate for students 12 and
older who return to classrooms.

It's one of the most aggressive
measures yet in a major school district.

Republicans in the U.S. House of
Representatives are asking the
Supreme Court to end proxy voting

in Congress during the pandemic. Minority
Leader Kevin McCarthy said today that it's

not right that lawmakers stay
home and get paid while other
Americans have returned to offices.

Democrats say that proxy voting
limits the spread of COVID.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban today
allowed the first large-scale departure

since last month's mass evacuations. An
estimated 200 non-Afghans flew to Qatar

from Kabul, including an
undetermined number of American
citizens. U.S. officials said

they expect another flight tomorrow. We
will look at this after the news summary.

Back in this country, the U.S. Justice
Department sued Texas over a new law

banning most abortions. It takes effect
around six weeks into a pregnancy,

and it lets private citizens sue
anyone who helps in obtaining
an prohibited abortion.

Attorney General Merrick Garland
said it's a dangerous precedent.

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. Attorney
General: This kind of scheme
to nullify the Constitution

of the United States is one
that all Americans, whatever
their politics or party,

should fear. If it prevails, it may
become a model for action in other areas

by other states and with
respect to other constitutional
rights and judicial precedents.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The Texas law is the
most sweeping restriction since the

U.S. Supreme Court upheld
abortion rights in 1973.

A federal judge in Florida today
struck down a Republican-backed law

that targets violent protests. Governor
Ron DeSantis championed the statute.

It says peaceful protesters may face
criminal charges if there's violence

during a demonstration. The judge called
it an assault on constitutional rights.

Extremely hot, dry conditions have
returned to much of California,

raising the risk of new wildfires.
A fire weather watch covers parts
of the state through tomorrow.

Nearly 15,000 firefighters are already
battling 14 major fires across the state.

In the Southeastern U.S., the
problem is too much water. Remains
of Tropical Storm Mindy poured rain

over Georgia and South Carolina
today in areas already soaked by
previous storms. In the Pacific,

Hurricane Olaf headed toward
Mexico's Los Cabos resort region
with winds of 80 miles an hour.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
banned sales today of nearly
950,000 vaping products.

It cited their potential appeal
to teenagers. But the FDA allowed
the bestselling Juul brand

to stay on the market for now.
The agency said it needs more
time to complete its reviews.

And on Wall Street, worries
about the COVID surge pushed

stocks lower again. The Dow Jones
industrial average lost 151 points

to close at 34879. The Nasdaq fell
38 points. The S&P 500 slipped 20.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": many
Louisianians still struggle without

power and water in the wake of
Hurricane Ida; the president
withdraws his nominee to lead the ATF;

we talk with Dr. Anthony Fauci
about the latest surge of COVID
hospitalizations; plus much more.