After Texas’s abortion ban, miscarriages became more life-threatening

Summary

Apple News Today – July 8, 2025: Detailed Summary

Hosted by Shumita Basu, "Apple News Today" navigates through the day's most pressing issues with insightful discussions and firsthand accounts. This episode covers a devastating flood in Texas, the Trump administration's approach to federal budgeting, the severe repercussions of Texas's abortion ban, and other significant news stories.

---

1. Devastating Floods in Texas Hill County

The episode opens with a harrowing account of unprecedented flooding in Hill County, Texas. Emergency teams and volunteers are tirelessly working to assess the extensive damage caused by the deluge, with the death toll surpassing 100 and expected to rise.

Key Details:

• Impact on Camp Mystic: Tragically, 27 campers and counselors from the all-girls Camp Mystic have been declared dead.

• Rescue Efforts: Scott Ruskin, a first-year US Coast Guard rescue swimmer, played a pivotal role in rescuing 165 individuals from the camp. Reflecting on his experience, Ruskin shared:

  “It was pretty traumatic. I mean, yeah, you have a lot of kids. They're having probably the worst day of their life... my only objective is to get you guys out of here and get you guys to safety.”
  [02:44]

• Personal Stories:

  • Doug Fuller, a local resident, recounted the terrifying moments when floodwaters surged into his home:

    “We jammed ourselves in the doorway... held on for about the next two hours until the waters receded and just wrote it out. It was terrifying.”
    [01:26]

  • Lorena Guillen, an RV park owner, described the chaos as floodwaters swept away dozens of trailers overnight:

    “You can hear honking and you can hear the screaming and you couldn't see much, but the screaming was unbearable.”
    [02:12]

• Challenges in Recovery: Carrie Heath, a reporter with the Texas Tribune, highlighted the rapid onset of the flood:

  “The damage we saw happened in like less than half an hour. This was a devastating event.”
  [03:22]

  Additionally, infrastructure damage, such as destroyed bridges, is hindering recovery efforts:

  “The bridges are either covered in debris or the bridges are out because of damage caused by the flooding... impeding recovery efforts.”
  [04:03]

• Weather Conditions: Continuous rainfall has complicated rescue operations, but forecasts indicate a shift to drier conditions, offering a small respite for those involved in the recovery.

---

2. Washington's Potential Defiance of Congressional Budget

Shifting focus to national politics, the episode delves into the Trump administration's exploration of defying Congress's budgetary allocations—a move that could significantly alter the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches.

Key Points:

• Impalcement Explained: The president is traditionally obligated to execute the budget appropriated by Congress. When the administration withholds these funds without notifying Congress, it's termed "impoundment." Since Trump's tenure began, his administration has withheld billions, affecting thousands of programs across various agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Institutes of Health, and the CDC.

• Impact on Education and Health:

  • Federal education grants are being withheld, threatening programs like before and after school activities, summer programs, teacher training, and English language services:

    “They're legally obligated to spend the appropriated funds before the end of the fiscal year... but it's not clear that funding will reach where it needs to.”
    [06:38]

  • Delayed CDC funding has led to cuts in HIV testing in states like Ohio and Texas.

• Expert Insights: Jeff Stein, chief economics correspondent for the Washington Post, emphasized the gravity of the situation:

  “The federal budget is over $6 trillion annually. And so what does or doesn't get spent confers a huge amount of power.”
  [05:03]

  He further warned:

  “If he wins, it could really redefine the American presidency in a very profound way.”
  [07:11]

• Potential Consequences: Failure to spend the allocated funds by the fiscal year-end could lead to a "pocket recession." While Democrats might challenge this in court, a Supreme Court ruling favoring the president could drastically expand executive authority.

---

3. Life-Threatening Consequences of Texas's Abortion Ban

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the alarming rise in life-threatening miscarriages in Texas following the state's stringent abortion ban.

Key Findings:

• Procedure Hesitancy: The dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure, essential for treating excessive bleeding during miscarriages, is also used to terminate pregnancies. Since the ban, doctors in Texas are increasingly hesitant to perform D&Cs, leading to delayed treatments:

  “Having access to these options earlier means that patients are less likely to end up with a severe outcome.”
  [08:53]

• Statistical Insights: Kavita Sarana, a reporter with ProPublica, analyzed hospital data from 2017 to 2023 and uncovered distressing trends:

  “Blood transfusions during emergency room visits for first trimester pregnancy loss went up more than 50%. Sepsis... rose more than 50% for second trimester pregnancy loss.”
  [09:04]

• Personal Tragedies:

  • Pablos Velez: A pregnant woman in Austin experienced severe bleeding from a miscarriage. Despite multiple ER visits, she was sent home without adequate care, ultimately requiring two blood transfusions to survive:

    “Doctors had five opportunities to offer... they had enough information at that point to see that the pregnancy wasn't progressing.”
    [10:18]

  • Portia Gumezi: At 35, Portia succumbed to a hemorrhage after a delayed D&C during an 11-week miscarriage:

    “She didn't receive this care for 10 hours that she was at the hospital and essentially bled to death.”
    [10:56]

• Legislative Restrictions: Texas's abortion law is one of the nation's strictest, allowing exceptions only when a doctor deems it necessary to save the patient's life, accompanied by severe penalties for non-compliance:

  “The Texas abortion law is particularly punitive. It threatens up to 99 years in prison, $100,000 fine and loss of license.”
  [09:44]

• Medical Community's Response: Many healthcare providers are reluctant to perform necessary procedures due to the stringent laws, leading to inadequate patient care and increased mortality rates.

---

4. Other Notable News Stories

The episode also touches on several other significant events:

• Jeffrey Epstein Investigation:

  • The Department of Justice and the FBI have officially stated that no "Epstein client list" exists, attempting to quell ongoing conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein's death.
  • White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt clarified previous statements by officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, regarding the non-existence of such a list.

• Death of Russian Transport Minister:

  • Roman Starovoit, recently dismissed by President Vladimir Putin, was found dead with a gunshot wound, suspected to be suicide.
  • Speculation arises that Starovoit was entangled in corruption investigations in the Kursk region, which may have contributed to vulnerabilities exploited by Ukraine.

• Wimbledon Incident:

  • Grigor Dimitrov suffered an injury during a match against world number one Jannik Sinner after leading by two sets. Dimitrov collapsed mid-game and subsequently retired, marking his fifth consecutive Grand Slam withdrawal.

  • Jannik Sinner's Response:

    “Very, very unlucky from his side. I don't take this as a win at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us.”
    [13:45]

  • Electronic Line Calling Controversy:

    • An inadvertent deactivation of the electronic line-calling system led to incorrect calls during matches, prompting changes to the system.

    • Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova criticized the fairness of the game, stating:

      “The game was stolen from her after there was no out call when a ball from her opponent went long.”
      [14:06]

---

Conclusion

This episode of "Apple News Today" sheds light on critical issues ranging from natural disasters and political power struggles to the profound human impacts of legislative decisions. Through firsthand accounts, expert analyses, and poignant stories, Shumita Basu provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the events shaping our world today.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning. It's Tuesday, July 8th. I'm Shemitah Basu.

[Apple News Host]

This is Apple News today.

[Shemitah Basu]

On today's show, how far can a president go to defy the budget set by Congress after Texas banned abortion? Miscarriages are becoming more life threatening and.

[Apple News Host]

An injury and dramatic exit at Wimbledon.

[Shemitah Basu]

But first to Texas Hill county, where emergency teams and volunteers continue to sift.

[Apple News Host]

Through the wreckage of the floods and.

[Shemitah Basu]

Are gradually bringing to light the full scale of destruction. The death toll has now tipped over.

[Apple News Host]

100 and is expected to keep climbing.

[Shemitah Basu]

27 campers and counselors who were staying.

[Apple News Host]

At the all girls Camp mystic we spoke about yesterday have been declared dead.

[Shemitah Basu]

Asked for an estimate of the number of people still missing, Kerrville manager Dalton.

[Apple News Host]

Rice would only say it is a lot.

[Shemitah Basu]

Rescue efforts have become missions of recovery, and stories of heroics, tragedy and sheer survival are emerging as we learn just.

[Apple News Host]

How little time people had to react. Four months worth of rainfall fell in about four hours.

[Shemitah Basu]

Local resident Doug Fuller told NBC about.

[Apple News Host]

The terrifying moment water entered his house.

[Doug Fuller]

Eventually, the doors burst open and we jammed ourselves in the doorway as long as we could until eventually a large swell of water sucked us out. And a neighbor who was outside as well were clinging onto a support post in front of our door and we were able to grab hands and I was able to grab my wife. And we held on for about the next two hours until the waters resided and just wrote it out. It was terrifying.

[Shemitah Basu]

For people from out of town who were visiting the area for the July.

[Apple News Host]

4Th holidays, the floods were particularly shocking and difficult to escape.

[Shemitah Basu]

Lorena Guillen is an RV park owner. She told NBC how floodwater simply swept.

[Apple News Host]

Away dozens of trailers in the night.

[Lorena Guillen]

You could see the lights of vehicles getting washed off from upriver and you can hear honking. You couldn't see anything, but you can hear honking and you can hear the screaming and you couldn't see much, but the screaming was unbearable.

[Apple News Host]

A US Coast Guard rescue swimmer named.

[Shemitah Basu]

Scott Ruskin is being credited with coordinating.

[Apple News Host]

The rescue of 165 people at Camp.

[Shemitah Basu]

Mystic carrying kids onto helicopters. It's his first year on the job.

[Apple News Host]

And he told CNN this was his first rescue mission.

[Scott Ruskin]

It was pretty traumatic. I mean, yeah, you have a lot of kids. They're having probably the worst day of their life. They're missing friends, they're missing loved ones. They don't know where they are. So I was really just trying to comfort them and let them know, like, hey, like, I don't know where your friends may be right now, but my only objective is to get you guys out of here and get you guys to safety.

[Shemitah Basu]

Carrie Heath, a reporter with the Texas Tribune, told us how people are processing.

[Apple News Host]

All that's happened in the past few days.

[Carrie Heath]

Most of the residents I'm talking to have lived here for 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, and this was a shock to them. Many people had lived through other historic floods and this flood was a shock.

[Shemitah Basu]

Heath said that it was the speed.

[Apple News Host]

Of the devastation that took the county by surprise.

[Carrie Heath]

Some of the residents I talked to said that the damage we saw happened in like less than half an hour. This area is known as flash flood alley in Central Texas. We get flash floods. This is something that this area prepares for and expects at times. But this was a devastating event.

[Shemitah Basu]

She described the scenes as heartbreaking, having grown up nearby, but said the town had, in her words, put their heads.

[Apple News Host]

Down to focus on recovery and clearing the areas.

[Shemitah Basu]

But she noted that efforts were hampered.

[Apple News Host]

By the practicalities of getting into hazardous areas.

[Carrie Heath]

The bridges are either covered in debris or the bridges are out because of damage caused by the flooding. So it is either not safe or unadvised to bring heavy equipment across the bridge right now. And so that's impeding recovery efforts in some ways.

[Shemitah Basu]

One small respite for the response teams is the weather.

[Apple News Host]

Rainfall has continued to complicate efforts, but.

[Shemitah Basu]

Forecasts say that today storms are finally.

[Apple News Host]

Giving way to drier conditions and clouds are starting to clear.

[Shemitah Basu]

Lets turn now to Washington, where the Trump administration is exploring its authority to test federal law by refusing to spend money approved by Congress, which could reshape the balance of power between the legislative.

[Apple News Host]

Branch and the White House.

[Jeff Stein]

The federal budget is over $6 trillion annually. And so what does or doesn't get spent confers a huge amount of power.

[Shemitah Basu]

That's Jeff Stein, chief economics correspondent for the Washington Post. And Congress, as you likely know, controls.

[Apple News Host]

The purse strings of the federal government.

[Shemitah Basu]

The president is in charge of executing the budget. They're legally obligated to spend the money.

[Apple News Host]

Appropriated by the legislative branch.

[Shemitah Basu]

And if the president doesn't do that, that's called impoundment. Since Trump took office, his administration has.

[Apple News Host]

Withheld billions of dollars of appropriated funds without notifying Congress, which the Post reports has impacted thousands of programs across at least half a dozen agencies like the.

[Shemitah Basu]

Army Corps of Engineers, the national of Health, and the cdc. Delays to CDC funding, for example, have.

[Apple News Host]

Forced cuts to HIV testing in places like Ohio and Texas.

[Jeff Stein]

There's tons of money held up for Alzheimer's research and for a Holocaust survivors program.

[Shemitah Basu]

Schools are being affected, too. Just last week, the administration told states.

[Apple News Host]

That it's withholding nearly $7 billion of.

[Shemitah Basu]

Previously approved federal education grants, which puts before and after school programs, summer programs, teacher training and services help students learn English in jeopardy. Officials have justified withholding these funds by.

[Apple News Host]

Pointing to the current debt total, though.

[Shemitah Basu]

Stein pointed out the money that's been.

[Apple News Host]

Targeted represents a small fraction of the overall budget.

[Shemitah Basu]

Legally, the administration is required to spend.

[Apple News Host]

Congressionally appropriated funds before the end of the fiscal year, which is coming up on September 30th.

[Shemitah Basu]

But Stein told us even if the administration meets the deadline, it's not clear.

[Apple News Host]

That funding will reach where it needs to.

[Jeff Stein]

A lot of the people in the government that we're speaking to are saying we are not sure that even if tomorrow the White House was like, go spend this money, that they could literally manage to get the money out the door in time.

[Shemitah Basu]

And Stein said his sources are telling him Russell Vogt, Trump's budget director, and the Doge team are planning to stall.

[Apple News Host]

Billions of dollars more in the coming weeks.

[Shemitah Basu]

Vogt has long questioned the constitutionality of.

[Apple News Host]

Federal budget law that says a president must spend congressionally appropriated funds.

[Jeff Stein]

Vote is really going for an all out, really assault on what has governed the balance of powers between Congress and the White House for 50 years. And if he wins, it could really redefine the American presidency in a very profound way.

[Shemitah Basu]

If the money is not spent by the end of the fiscal year, it automatically expires, something known as a pocket recession. Democrats could challenge the recession in the courts, but if the Supreme Court were to side with the president, it could expand the authority of the executive branch.

[Apple News Host]

To override congressional funding allocations in ways rarely before seen.

[Shemitah Basu]

Let's turn now to some of the ongoing effects of the Texas abortion ban and how it may be shaping treatment.

[Apple News Host]

For those going through pregnancy.

[Shemitah Basu]

Reporting from ProPublica has picked up on a trend that since the ban, the number of women in Texas bleeding to.

[Apple News Host]

Death during miscarriages has gone up.

[Shemitah Basu]

To treat excessive bleeding due to a miscarriage, healthcare providers sometimes offer what's called.

[Apple News Host]

A dilation and curettage procedure or dnc.

[Shemitah Basu]

To quickly empty the uterus and allow.

[Apple News Host]

It to close, which prevents life threatening hemorrhages.

[Shemitah Basu]

It's a procedure that's also used to end pregnancies, and stories have been emerging.

[Apple News Host]

Of doctors in places like Texas and hesitating or failing to treat their patients with non viable pregnancies who are bleeding only for them to return to emergency rooms later in critical condition.

[Kavita Sarana]

Having access to these options earlier means that patients are less likely to end up with a severe outcome.

[Shemitah Basu]

That's reporter Kavita Sarana, who reviewed hospital discharge data From Texas from 2017 to 2023, the most recent year available, and.

[Apple News Host]

She noticed a worrying trend.

[Kavita Sarana]

We found that blood transfusions during emergency room visits for first trimester pregnancy loss went up more than 50%. And we also found that sepsis, which is the body's reaction to a severe life threatening infection, rose more than 50% for second trimester pregnancy loss. Hospitalizations and doctors tell us that these are both signs of serious delays in care.

[Shemitah Basu]

Miscarriages are common. ProPublica reports that they occur in up to 30% of pregnancies and the Texas.

[Apple News Host]

Abortion law is one of the strictest in the country.

[Shemitah Basu]

Country the only exception being in cases.

[Apple News Host]

Where the doctor deems it necessary to save the life of the patient and it carries serious consequences.

[Kavita Sarana]

The Texas abortion law is particularly punitive. It threatens up to 99 years in prison, $100,000 fine and loss of license.

[Shemitah Basu]

As Serana told us, that's meant that.

[Apple News Host]

Patients are discharged without adequate care, putting them at greater risk.

[Kavita Sarana]

And a lot of doctors are saying they've seen colleagues who just don't want to be associated with that kind of care.

[Shemitah Basu]

That's exactly what happened to Sarah de.

[Apple News Host]

Pablos Velez, a pregnant woman in Austin who was miscarrying and bleeding profusely.

[Kavita Sarana]

She was sent home from the ER two times until she ended up returning an ambulance and needing two blood transfusions to survive. Medical experts who reviewed her history said that all this could have been avoided if she was offered a DC earlier. They said doctors had five opportunities to offer offer one. They had enough information at that point to see that the pregnancy wasn't progressing.

[Shemitah Basu]

Sirana told us about one woman who.

[Apple News Host]

Died as a result of delayed care. Portia Gumezi was a 35 year old mother of two living near Houston.

[Shemitah Basu]

She was experiencing a miscarriage at 11 weeks pregnant. Maternal healthcare experts told ProPublica that Gumezi.

[Apple News Host]

Who was bleeding heavily, should have been offered a DNC.

[Kavita Sarana]

But she didn't receive this care for 10 hours that she was at the hospital and essentially bled to death. Hemorrhage experts say that no woman should die of bleeding at an American hospital. But these are some of the cases that happen when people don't get quick access to reproductive health care.

[Shemitah Basu]

Before we let you go, a few.

[Apple News Host]

Other stories we're following.

[Shemitah Basu]

First, there is no so called Epstein client list. That's according to the Department of Justice and the FBI which have concluded that they had no evidence such a document existed and that no one else would.

[Apple News Host]

Be charged in connection with his crimes.

[Shemitah Basu]

The administration also released a video that.

[Apple News Host]

It says shows no one entered the area of the prison Jeffrey Epstein was being held the night he died, supporting the medical report that he died by suicide.

[Shemitah Basu]

It's the first time the administration has.

[Apple News Host]

Officially contradicted conspiracy theories about Epstein's death.

[Shemitah Basu]

Theories that were at times promoted by.

[Apple News Host]

People who have since joined the Trump.

[Shemitah Basu]

Administration, including FBI Director Kash Patel and.

[Apple News Host]

Deputy Director Dan Bongino.

[Shemitah Basu]

Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously said.

[Apple News Host]

They were pouring over a truckload of.

[Shemitah Basu]

Evidence and when asked about the client.

[Apple News Host]

List, had said it was sitting on her desk.

[Shemitah Basu]

In a press conference yesterday, White House.

[Apple News Host]

Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said she was referring to the paperwork more generally.

[Shemitah Basu]

In international news, a Russian minister was.

[Apple News Host]

Found dead hours after being fired by President Vladimir Putin.

[Shemitah Basu]

Roman Starovoit was found with a gunshot.

[Apple News Host]

Wound in his parked car, and law.

[Shemitah Basu]

Enforcement agencies said they believed suicide was.

[Apple News Host]

The most likely cause.

[Shemitah Basu]

The Kremlin gave no reason for firing Staravojt, who served as transport minister, though the Associated Press reports speculation in the Russian media that he may have been.

[Apple News Host]

Embroiled in recent alleged corruption investigations in the Kursk region.

[Shemitah Basu]

The corruption has been cited as a.

[Apple News Host]

Reason for the weaknesses that allowed Ukraine to attack that area.

[Shemitah Basu]

And it was an emotional fourth round at Wimbledon as what was shaping up to be a surprise upset turned into a painful exit. Grigor Dimitrov was leading by two sets.

[Apple News Host]

Against world number one Jannik Sinner, after Sinner appeared to injure his elbow.

[Shemitah Basu]

But as he neared victory, Dimitrov hit.

[Apple News Host]

An ace and collapsed onto the ground. Grabbing his chest.

[Shemitah Basu]

He walked off the court before returning.

[Apple News Host]

To tell the umpire he was retiring from the tournament.

[Shemitah Basu]

This makes it his fifth straight Grand.

[Apple News Host]

Slam from which he's retired.

[Shemitah Basu]

After the game, Sinner paid tribute to.

[Apple News Host]

His friend and opponent.

[Jannik Sinner]

Very, very unlucky from from his side. I don't take this as a win at all. You know, this is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us.

[Shemitah Basu]

In other Wimbledon news, the tournament has announced changes to its electronic line calling.

[Apple News Host]

System after it was accidentally deactivated.

[Shemitah Basu]

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova said the game was stolen.

[Apple News Host]

From her after there was no out call when a ball from her opponent Sine Cartel went long.

[Shemitah Basu]

You can find all these stories and.

[Apple News Host]

More in the Apple news app.

[Shemitah Basu]

And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Bloomberg Businessweek uncovers the story of America's hot garbage problem and reveals the dangerous.

[Apple News Host]

Health implications of living near a landfill in scorching temperatures.

[Shemitah Basu]

If you're listening in the podcast app.

[Apple News Host]

Follow Apple News plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.