World News: Kansans vote for Roe

Wednesday, August 3

MERRIAM, KANSAS - AUGUST 02: A poll worker helps a voter cast their ballot in the Kansas Primary Election at Merriam Christian Church on August 02, 2022 in Merriam, Kansas. Voters in Kansas will decide on whether or not to remove protection for abortion from the state's constitution.

The first Post-Roe test vote on abortion.

Kansans made a historic vote in defense of abortion rights in Tuesday's primary election. Senate lawmakers are taking up a bill in response to Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to Taiwan. Keep reading for a review of the new film "Bullet Train."

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Let's get started with Wednesday's news.

🌅 Up first: We all want to go to the moon. The first launch of NASA's moon-focused Space Launch System rocket, Artemis I, is slated for Aug. 29. Florida's Space Coast officials are expecting at least 100,000 visitors for the launch's first window. Read more

NASA's massive Space Launch System rocket Artemis I roll out from the Vehicle Assembly Building Thursday March 17, 2022.

Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY

Primary Tuesday recap: Kansans vote to protect abortion rights

The Aug. 2 primary elections were consequential in a number of ways this year, but one of the most noticeable outcomes was how abortion rights drove turnout and a stunning upset for anti-abortion advocates in conservative Kansas. Even in heavily red districts where former President Donald Trump held double-digit margins in 2016 and 2020, voters overwhelmingly chose to protect abortion rights. Here's our state-by-state look at Tuesday's contest results.

Why the Kansas vote matters: This was the nation's first test vote on abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

•	Democratic effect: While primary voter turnout is typically half of general election turnout in the state, Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab told the Associated Press Tuesday that it was "within reach" of hitting general election levels.
•	Related news: The Biden administration sued the state of Idaho to invalidate the state's restrictive abortion law in a first-of-its-kind challenge since the fall of Roe.
•	Happening today: Biden will sign an executive order supporting people traveling out of state for an abortion.

Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS) shares a group hug with women during the pro-choice Kansas for Constitutional Freedom primary election watch party in Overland Park, Kansas August 2, 2022.

DAVE KAUP, AFP via Getty Images

More news to know now:

•	⚠ A Pacific Northwest heat wave is suspected as the cause of 14 deaths in Oregon, officials say.
•	‼ Monkeypox cases in each state: California and New York declare emergencies as the outbreak grows.
•	⭐ ''AGT'' judge Sofía Vergara raved over an 88-year-old's ''unexpected'' strip tease act: Watch it here.
•	🌊 How will sea level rise increase high tide flooding? Federal officials warn water levels are ''nearing the brim.''

🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear how Kansas voters protected abortion rights. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.

Taiwan Policy Act on the table after Pelosi's critical visit

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will discuss the Taiwan Policy Act Wednesday, the same day House Speaker Nancy Pelosi departed from the self-governing island. If passed, it would also classify Taiwan as a "major non-NATO ally," which opens the door to more security and trade benefits. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement minutes after Pelosi landed in Taipei Tuesday that condemned her visit as "a serious violation" of the one-China principle that maintains Taiwan is part of China. In an op-ed published the same day in The Washington Post, Pelosi said her trip should be seen as "an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan." Read more

•	Perspective: Is Pelosi's visit to Taiwan a risk? Yes, but she can deliver strong messages to China.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrives in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 2.

Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP

Just for subscribers:

•	📈 Rising retail, restaurant and fast-food wages are making hiring more difficult in manufacturing, construction and health care.
•	💊 People report losing access to crucial arthritis medication, methotrexate, due to state abortion bans.
•	🌍 USA TODAY Opinion: The Democrats' new deal could help save planet Earth – and struggling West Virginia.
•	⚾ MLB trade deadline winners and losers: Padres make a super-team, Cubs bafflingly hold assets.

These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Already a subscriber and want premium content emailed to you every day? We can do that! Sign up for the Your Day newsletter.

Heat brings new concerns in eastern Kentucky flooding

Nearly a week has passed since flooding devastated eastern Kentucky, killing at least 37 people. But residents are readying to face a new hurdle: Forecasted heat and humidity is set to hit affected areas and impact those who still don't have electricity, running water or permanent housing. Temperatures are expected to range from the mid 80s to 90 degrees Wednesday and Thursday, but a mass of humid air is likely to make it feel even hotter, according to the National Weather Service. Read more

Mud covers the floor of the front office at the MCHC Isom Medical Clinic in Isom, Ky., on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.

Ryan C. Hermens, AP

First Ukrainian ship carrying grain reaches Turkey, cleared to sail on to Lebanon

The first cargo ship to leave Ukraine in more than five months was preparing to cross through Istanbul's Bosporus Strait and sail on to Lebanon Wednesday, Turkey's defense ministry said. The ship carrying grain left the port of Odesa on Monday thanks to a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey. The agreement allows the country to export 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural goods that have been stuck in Black Sea ports for months because of a Russian blockade. Another 16 are waiting to follow, with more to come. Read more Ukraine updates from our newsroom.

An inspection delegation boards the Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn from Ukraine, off the coast of north-west Istanbul, on August 3, 2022.

OZAN KOSE, AFP via Getty Images

ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday

•	📣 Liz Cheney got Kevin Costner's endorsement: ''Real men put country over party.''
•	🦶 An Ohio woman is convinced she recorded Bigfoot. Experts say it could be something else.
•	💦 Burst pipe? Flood? Our product experts at Reviewed show you how to clean up water in your home.
•	🎬 ''Bullet Train'' review: Brad Pitt charms, but his A-list action flick mostly goes off the rails.

Northern California wildfire has burned more than 88 square miles

The McKinney Fire in Northern California, the largest blaze in the state this year, continues to burn in the region. Two more bodies were found within the burn zone, raising the death toll to four. More than 100 homes, sheds and other buildings have been damaged since the fire erupted Friday. The Northern California wildfire has burned more than 88 square miles, and is the largest of several wildfires burning in the Klamath National Forest. Here's the latest

📷 Photo of the day: The McKinney Fire 📷

More than 100 homes, sheds and other buildings have burned in the McKinney Fire since it erupted last Friday. The blaze remained out of control as of Tuesday, authorities said.

Click here to see more photos of the blaze.

Angela Crawford watches as a wildfire called the McKinney fire burns a hillside above her home in Klamath National Forest, Calif., on Saturday, July 30, 2022. Crawford and her husband stayed, as other residents evacuated, to defend their home from the fire. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Noah Berger, AP

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY. Send her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.