65th united states secretary of state

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 12 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Reproductive health providers on Monday asked a Florida judge to block a new 15 week abortion ban from taking effect this week, arguing that the state constitution guarantees access to the procedure. Planned Parenthood and other health centers are seeking a temporary emergency injunction to stop the law approved this year by Florida’s GOP-controlled legislature and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. It is set to go into effect Friday. Leon Circuit Judge John C. Cooper began hearing arguments in the case days after the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal protections for abortion by overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Florida’s law would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions if the procedure is necessary to save a mother’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal … [Read more...] about Florida judge hears arguments on state’s new abortion law

BUCHANAN, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee officials have opened a new lodge at Paris Landing State Park that features 91 guest rooms. The state Department of Environment and Conservation says officials on Monday opened the new facility that also has indoor and outdoor dining and conference spaces. The lodge includes fire pits, reading nooks and living room areas. The rooms include several types of suites, all with views of Kentucky Lake. Paris Landing State Park features 841 acres on the widest park of the lake, offering opportunities for water sports. It has an 18-hole golf course, 10 three-bedroom cabins, a campground with 45 sites with water and electric service and 18 primitive campsites. … [Read more...] about Tennessee opens new lodge at Paris Landing State Park

With Roe v. Wade overturned , exceptions to abortion bans — such as in the case of rape or incest, or for a pregnant person’s safety — are expected to be the only avenue to getting abortions in many states. But meeting the qualifications for those asterisks to the bans can be complex and traumatizing, experts say. For starters, exceptions for rape and incest are uncommon. The Guttmacher Institute , a research organization that supports reproductive rights, anticipates 26 states certain or likely to ban abortion now that there are no federal protections. Among those 26 states, there are about 41 abortion bans total, with some states having more than one ban, it said. Just 10 of the 41 bans have exceptions for rape and incest. In the states that do have rape and incest exceptions, requirements vary. Many, such as Utah, require victims of sexual assault to file a police report. Given that more than 2 out of 3 sexual assaults go unreported, according to the Rape, Abuse … [Read more...] about Post-Roe, exceptions to state abortion bans won’t be easy to acquire

From 25,591 RT-PCR tests, 1,472 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the State, pushing the tally of active cases to 7,458 on Sunday. Among those who tested positive were two passengers who returned from the U.S. and one passenger from the UAE. A person who returned by road from Bangladesh and two people from Kerala, who arrived by domestic airport, also tested positive. In three districts, including Chennai, Chengalpattu and Coimbatore, fresh cases were in three digits. Kallakurichi recorded no fresh case. In 18 other districts, fresh cases were below 10. The State did not record any casualties. So far, 36,026 persons, who were hospitalised, lost their lives. In Chennai, 624 persons had been infected and 329 persons were declared to have recovered. As on date, 3,395 persons were under treatment. Currently in the city, 66 persons were in hospital requiring oxygen support, 96 were under medical observation in hospitals and 14 were being treated in intensive care units. … [Read more...] about State logs 1,472 fresh COVID-19 cases, 691 recoveries

As we enter into Pride month, Brittney Griner—a Black lesbian and WNBA All-Star—enters into her fourth month of wrongful detainment in Russia. Griner’s case has shed light on the continued criminalization of cannabis—an injustice that is rooted in the “War on Drugs” both at home and abroad. It should also galvanize fans, public officials, and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations to use their voices to fight against marijuana prohibition, a policy that’s rooted in racism and homophobia. To be fair, as outrage over Brittney’s situation has grown, organizations like the National LGBTQ Task Force, GLSEN, Human Rights Campaign , and the National Black Justice Coalition condemned this act by Russia as racist and homophobic and put out statements of support for Brittney. However, most of these statements left out a timely criticism of the global “War on Drugs” and the way it has criminalized cannabis, the substance for which Griner was allegedly detained. It’s easy to attribute Griner’s … [Read more...] about Brittney Griner Is a Rallying Cry for the LGBTQ+ Community to Fight for Cannabis Criminal Justice Reform

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that a woman cannot be born with a penis “without being a man” during a trip to Rwanda, but warned that people must be “very, very sensitive” when discussing such issues. Johnson, who leads Britain’s governing Conservative (Tory) Party, was speaking after FINA, the sporting body which regulates international swimming competitions, ruled that biological males who identify as women will have to compete in a special “open” category if they have been through puberty — a move widely interpreted as a response to 6’1″ biologically male swimmer Lia Thomas smashing collegiate records in the United States. “Look it’s very, very important that as a society we should be as understanding of everybody else as possible. I’ve always stood for that,” Johnson told reporters, but added: “When you start to move from issues of sexuality to issues of gender you start to raise particular problems.” “I think I’ve spoken of three concerns I’ve had in the past. … [Read more...] about Boris: ‘You Have to Be Very Sensitive’ When Discussing Trans Issues

Andrea Barnes has always dreamed of being a mother of three. This long-held goal has helped the 30-year-old Michigan native through two complicated pregnancies , multiple miscarriages, and parenting her two young daughters. Barnes told The Daily Beast on Monday that it was that same maternal desire that has pushed her to make a painful choice after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday: get an abortion before she might lose her right to choose in Michigan. “I want to keep the baby, I want to believe that everything will be OK,” Barnes said through tears. “But I have to be smarter than that and more logical, because the chances of something going wrong in my case are high.” Barnes’ decision to get an abortion—she said she had scheduled one for this coming Wednesday—comes relatively early in her pregnancy. She estimated she was five or six weeks along, roughly the cut-off for abortion bans in extreme states like Texas even before Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health … [Read more...] about She Never Considered Abortion. Then the Supreme Court Forced Her Hand.

In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade , Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has been tossing out ideas for how President Joe Biden could protect abortion access, including opening abortion clinics on federal lands. But that wouldn’t be an easy fix, explains Leah Litman, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Law School and co-host of Strict Scrutiny podcast. “The Hyde Amendment is a provision of federal law that limits the federal government’s ability to spend federal money on abortions, except in limited cases of rape or incest or where necessary to save the life or health of the mother. So one possible thing the Supreme Court might do is say, ‘Actually, the federal government can’t do any of this because they’re spending money in violation of the Hyde Amendment,’” she tells Molly Jong-Fast on this episode of The New Abnormal podcast. She then goes into the second roadblock for AOC’s plan, calling it “more troubling.” Subscribe to The … [Read more...] about AOC Called for Abortion Clinics on Federal Land. But There Are Two Big Problems.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared on Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Sunday and called the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade “historic” and “fantastic,” emphasizing that “We’re going to protect so many unborn babies.” Pompeo told host Matthew Boyle that the justices who brought about the majority decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case “got the Constitution right.” “We had five folks stand up and say this is what the Constitution actually says. I give President Trump full credit for delivering on the promises that he made,” he continued, referring to the 45th President making good on his promises to appoint conservative justices to the highest court in the country. He later told Boyle, “ This is important for the Constitution, it’s really important for America. It’s important to protect the women who have had to suffer this horrific procedure where a baby is killed. But the work has just begun, right? We’re … [Read more...] about Exclusive – Mike Pompeo: ‘We’re Going to Protect so Many Unborn Babies’

The story so far: U.S. Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives on Tuesday condemning alleged violations of human rights and religious freedom in India, and asking the U.S. Secretary of State to designate India as a “country of particular concern.” The resolution has been co-sponsored by Congresspersons Rashida Tlaib, Juan Vargas, and Jim McGovern. The resolution is based on the 2022 report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) which said that the Indian government “escalated its promotion and enforcement of policies — including those promoting a Hindu-nationalist agenda — that negatively affect Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and other religious minorities”. The report recommended, for the third year in a row, that India should be classified as a “ country of particular concern ” (CPC). Also Read Explained | What is the U.S. Office of International Religious Freedom? … [Read more...] about Explained | U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s resolution about the alleged mistreatment of minorities in India