The Republican-led General Assembly in North Carolina has passed a bill that bars medical professionals from providing hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs and surgical gender-transition procedures to minors, with limited exceptions. The bill has been met with strong opposition from LGBTQ+ advocates, while supporters argue it is necessary to protect children from making irreversible decisions. The bill’s passage marks a major victory for social conservatives in North Carolina and sets a precedent for other states.
Posts published in “Politics”
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the FDA failed to address safety concerns when it made the abortion pill mifepristone easier to obtain in 2016. The ruling is a win for abortion opponents, who argued that the FDA’s alterations to the drug’s disbursement regime in 2016 qualified as “reopening” the question of its initial approval. The court said that mifepristone should remain available under the rules that were in place from 2000 to 2016, which will likely have a significant impact on the availability of the drug.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has proposed a March 2024 trial date for the criminal trial against former President Donald Trump and 18 of his co-defendants. The 19 defendants are accused of operating a "criminal enterprise" while pursuing their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Willis has given Trump and his co-defendants until August 25 to turn themselves in for booking. The proposed trial date of March 2024 would mean the trial would start just before the Georgia presidential primary, and the case will be closely watched by many.
Key takeaways: Donald Trump and his allies may soon face trial in Georgia for alleged crimes related to the 2020 election. Trump’s lawyers are expected…
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has filed a lawsuit against the trustees of a trust established by her late husband, alleging financial elder abuse. The suit was filed by Feinstein's daughter, Katherine Feinstein, who was given a limited durable power of attorney in July. The lawsuit seeks to remove the trustees and to receive the millions of dollars Feinstein is due from the trust. Feinstein, who is 90 years old, has taken a series of legal actions in recent years to protect her financial interests. The lawsuit is ongoing and it is unclear when a resolution may be reached.
A federal appeals court has upheld parts of a decision limiting access to the widely used abortion pill, mifepristone. The ruling agreed with a lower court that the Food and Drug Administration's moves since 2016 to relax the rules for mifepristone's use should be reversed, but declined to suspend the underlying approval of the medication. The decision is a victory for abortion opponents, but the Justice Department is expected to appeal the decision and the case is expected to continue to make its way through the courts.
Samuel Miele, a former campaign fundraiser and vendor for Rep. George Santos (R-NY), has been indicted by a Brooklyn federal grand jury on four counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. The indictment alleges that Miele impersonated a top aide to House leadership while contacting donors for Santos' 2022 election campaign, earning a 15% commission on all donations he secured. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York has not yet released a statement on the indictment.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is in a prime position to be a cornfield kingmaker, and could use the upcoming Republican presidential primary debate to boost her state, her party, and her own political future. However, former President Donald Trump has the option of timing his booking in Georgia to coincide with the debate, which could create an O.J.-Simpson-in-the-Bronco-level spectacle and draw attention away from the televised event.