Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has signed an executive order that prevents county attorney generals from prosecuting abortion cases, giving centralized authority to the state's Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes. The order sends a message that Arizona will not stand for attacks on reproductive freedom and will ensure that no county attorney can be used to restrict access to abortion care. The executive order has been praised by reproductive rights advocates, who say it will help protect access to abortion in the state.
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Hundreds of Starbucks stores across the US are set to go on strike this week in response to the company's treatment of queer and trans workers. The union representing baristas, Starbucks Workers United, said more than 150 stores representing nearly 3,500 workers have pledged to join the strikes. The dispute began last week when the union alleged that dozens of US stores were not allowing employees to decorate for Pride month. The strike is set to be a major test for Starbucks, as it remains to be seen how the company will respond to the demands of the union.
The U.S. intelligence community has released a 10-page declassified report on the origins of Covid-19, finding no direct evidence of a "biosafety incident" at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and that natural exposure to an infected animal is the most likely scenario for the first human infection. The report also noted that the intelligence community has not seen evidence that the virus was released from the Wuhan Institute of Virology intentionally or accidentally, and that the Chinese government has not been fully transparent in its response to the pandemic.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has been accused of ethical misconduct after taking a luxury fishing trip to Alaska in 2008 aboard a private jet chartered by a hedge fund billionaire. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island has called the situation a "real mess" and Alito preemptively wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal defending himself against the allegations. This has sparked a debate about the ethical standards of Supreme Court Justices and the potential for conflicts of interest.
This week, transcripts of two senior IRS agents were released by a House committee, revealing that U.S. Attorney David Weiss sought to charge Hunter Biden on broader charges than the two tax-related misdemeanors he agreed to plead guilty to. Attorney General Merrick Garland and a White House spokesperson have both defended President Joe Biden, saying that he had no involvement in the investigation and that Hunter Biden received no preferential treatment. The investigation began in 2018 and the transcripts released this week shed new light on the case, raising questions about what further action will be taken.
Wagner Private Military Contractor Enters Rostov Without Resistance, Owner Yevgeny Prigozhin Reports
Wagner Private Military Contractor Enters Rostov Without Resistance, Owner Yevgeny Prigozhin Reports
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner private military contractor, recently announced that his forces had driven into the Russian city of Rostov without facing any resistance. Prigozhin also reported that Wagner camps had been struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire, and that the troops were greeted by border guards as they moved into the Rostov region. Wagner is a Russian private military company that has been involved in conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, and Libya, and is likely in the region to support the Russian military.
Key takeaways: President Joe Biden and Democrats vowed to fight to protect abortion rights Former Vice President Mike Pence challenged his fellow 2024 GOP presidential…
At the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Washington, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) pledged that if he were to become President in 2024, his Supreme Court picks would be modeled after Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. He also vowed to defend both justices against “scurrilous attacks” from “the media and by left-wing groups”. DeSantis’ statement has been met with both praise and criticism from both sides of the aisle, and it remains to be seen how it will affect his chances of becoming President in 2024.