The Short List

Thu Mar 14 2024

Laura L. Davis | Audience Editor

@lauradavis

Vice President Kamala Harris made a historic visit to an abortion clinic. In a scathing speech, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel. And SpaceX's Starship soared to new heights before crashing into the ocean.

👋 Hey, Thursday! Laura Davis here. Let's get you caught up on the news.

But first: It's the sneezin' season! 🤧🍃 Allergies acting up already? How early spring is bringing more pollen (and sneezing).

VP declares 'health crisis' in visit to abortion clinic

Vice President Kamala Harris made a historic visit Thursday to an abortion clinic in Minneapolis, declaring a "health crisis" and demanding the U.S. "be a nation that trusts women" as their access to reproductive medical care has come under assault. 👉 Everything from the VP's visit.

Making history: The visit to the Planned Parenthood facility − the first ever by a president or vice president to a clinic that provides abortion services − marked the Biden campaign's most dramatic push to make access to abortion a defining issue in the 2024 election.

Why now? The Biden campaign has set out to relentlessly remind women voters that it was former President Donald Trump's three Supreme Court appointments that led to the dismantling of Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending a 50-year constitutional right to an abortion.

And why Minnesota? The state offers broad abortion access, and has become a safe haven to people from other states that passed bans on abortion in the nearly two years since Roe was overturned.

•	Exclusive poll: VP's approval rating high among Dems but not elsewhere.

US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak during her visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on March 14, 2024. Harris toured an abortion clinic, highlighting a key election issue in what US media reported was the first such visit by a president or vice president.

STEPHEN MATUREN, AFP via Getty Images

Schumer: Israel should vote Netanyahu out

In his harshest criticism yet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Thursday for Israelis to hold elections and choose a new government that can better handle the threat of Hamas. Schumer – the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history – also criticized Hamas and Palestinians who support the militant group that attacked Israel last fall.

🗣️ What he's saying: "As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7," the New York Democrat said. "Nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence, preserve Israel's credibility on the world stage and work toward a two-state solution."

📍 Pushback on his statements + more updates from the conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting at the the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, in December.

Abir Sultan

Real quick

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Support the Short List and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.

A launch, and then a crash

SpaceX's Starship soared to new heights Thursday not previously reached in the aerospace company's earlier tests of the mega rocket. The spacecraft will one day ferry NASA astronauts to the moon – and even Mars.

What happened? Expectations were high for the third launch of the 400-foot-long unmanned spacecraft after the rocket exploded in two previous test flights in 2023. Though SpaceX believes the rocket unexpectedly broke up upon returning to Earth's atmosphere, Elon Musk's company still lauded the roughly one-hour flight as a massive success.

Some good news: Starship, the largest and most powerful spacecraft to ever be sent to space, hit several key milestones and conducted a handful of in-flight tests that are a crucial step forward for it to be reliable and functional. 🚀 What to know about the mission.

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship launches for it's third test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 14, 2024.

Eric Gay, AP

Storms stretch from the Rockies to the Midwest

A powerful winter storm walloped Colorado on Thursday with heavy snowfall, closing schools, knocking out power and canceling hundreds of flights as thunderstorms threatened the Midwest and Mississippi Valley with potentially damaging hail and tornadoes.

In Colorado: I'm currently hunkering down in Denver with a space heater at my feet and watching the snow fall outside my window. Experts said it could be the worst winter storm Colorado has seen in years, with up to 3 feet of snow expected in areas. Officials warn of whiteout conditions on roads in the mountains and across a large portion of the Denver and Boulder metro areas as parts of major highways, including I-70, have been shut down.

As the storm moves on: Potential tornadoes and large hail threaten parts of north-central Texas into the Midwest as storms move east over the area Thursday, forecasters said. ❄️ Here's a look at the weather situation.

•	Video: Huge tornado spotted in Kansas.
•	La Niña is coming and could make hurricane season worse.

A pedestrian moves along Speer Boulevard as a late winter storm dropped up to a foot of snow Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Denver. Forecasters predict that the storm will persist until early Friday, snarling traffic along Colorado's Front Range communities.

David Zalubowski, AP

A break from the news

•	🌷🛍️ Get the inside scoop on Amazon's Big Spring sale.
•	🐚🏝️ World's 10 best beaches, according to Tripadvisor.
•	🫧🍴 Rusty forks and knives? An easy DIY remedy.
•	🎠📱Cut your time in line at Disney without spending extra.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.