On Monday, Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana signed three bills aimed at restricting abortion access. The first bill requires health care providers to offer pregnant people the opportunity to view an ultrasound before providing an abortion. The second creates restrictions for medication abortion, including outlawing the use of telemedicine for administration of the necessary pills. […]
Oklahoma Governor Signs Sweeping Anti-Abortion Legislation into Law
On Monday, Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt signed three anti-abortion bills into law, making abortion in Oklahoma nearly impossible to access. HB 2441 is a “heartbeat” bill, which prohibits abortion once a “fetal heartbeat” has been detected. It only makes exceptions for cases where the mother’s life is in danger. Any provider who performs an abortion […]
Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill Denouncing Anti-Asian Discrimination
On Thursday, the Senate passed with a strong bipartisan majority a bill denouncing discrimination against Asian communities in the US. The bill also creates a new position at the Department of Justice to expedite reviews of potential COVID-related hate crimes. The vote was 94-1, with lone opposition from Missouri Senator Josh Hawley. The bill was […]
House Votes to Pass DC Statehood Bill
On Thursday, the House voted 216-208 to grant statehood to Washington, DC. This move is the first time a Congressional chamber has approved establishing DC as a state. The legislation renames the capital as Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, named for abolitionist Frederick Douglass, granting it two senators and a voting representative in the House. DC currently […]
Arkansas Passes Law Requiring Survivors of Rape, Incest to Report Crime Before Seeking Abortion
On Wednesday, Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law a bill that requires victims of rape and incest to report the crime to police before seeking an abortion after the state’s 20-week limit. The law will apply to other restrictive abortion cutoffs currently enacted by the state and will require abortion providers to document that […]
Derek Chauvin Found Guilty for George Floyd’s Death as Police Kill Ma’Khia Bryant
On Tuesday, Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges for the murder of George Floyd last year. The prosecution argued that George Floyd died as a direct result of Chauvin’s physical actions– Chauvin’s knee on Floyd’s neck caused low oxygen levels which led to a brain injury and arrhythmia, which caused his heart […]
House Judiciary Committee Votes on Bill to Establish Commission on Reparations for Slavery
Last week, legislators in the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance a bill that would establish a commission to propose ideas on how to redress the effects of slavery in the U.S. H.R. 40, sponsored by Texas Representative Sheila Jackson Lee and named after the unfulfilled promise of “40 acres and a mule” for emancipated […]
Florida Passes “Anti-Riot” Bill to Criminalize Protesting
On Monday morning, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB1 into law, referred to as an “anti-riot” bill, which puts stronger penalties on protesters who engage in “violent rallies”. This comes days before a verdict is expected in Derek Chauvin’s high profile case. The law staunchly criminalizes “rioting”, “looting”, and “harming law enforcement officers”, as well […]
Biden Announces Reversal of Trump’s Domestic Gag Rule
On Wednesday, the Biden Administration announced that they would be taking steps to undo the Trump-era domestic “gag” rule, which prevented clinics that referred patients for abortions from receiving federal funding. The proposed Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule would revoke the Trump restrictions eventually, but not immediately. If implemented, the rule will […]
FDA Lifts Ban on Receiving Abortion Pill By Mail During Pandemic
On Tuesday, the Biden administration lifted the ban on receiving the pills required for medication abortion through the mail. The reprieve only applies for the duration of the pandemic but is still a major victory for abortion rights advocates. In a letter sent Monday, acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock said that the agency would stop […]
Police Officer Killed 20-Year-Old Daunte Wright
On Sunday, a police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota fatally shot Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man during a traffic stop. The shooting happened ten miles from where Derek Chauvin is on trial in the killing of George Floyd. According to the Chief Tim Gannon of Brooklyn Center Police Department, the officer intended to tase […]
New Mexico Governor Signs Bill Requiring Paid Sick Leave
Last week, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill into law that will make New Mexico one of 15 states requiring employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees, regardless of the size of the business. The union-backed legislation guarantees that employees can accrue one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked—up […]
ACLU Files Suit On Behalf of Incarcerated Woman Seeking Abortion Care
On Friday, the ACLU of Nebraska filed a federal lawsuit seeking emergency action on behalf of an incarcerated woman who is being blocked from accessing abortion care. The woman is incarcerated at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women (NCCW). ACLU argues in its lawsuit that the state official’s policy violates the woman’s constitutional right to […]
Charges Dropped Against GA Representative Who Protested Anti-Voter Law
Yesterday, a district attorney in Atlanta announced that charges against Democratic Georgia state representative Park Cannon will be dropped. Rep. Cannon, a Black woman, was arrested on March 25th when she knocked on the door to Governor Brian Kemp’s office after he signed a new anti-voter bill into law and was speaking on live television. […]
Arkansas Legislature Overrides Veto on Trans Youth Health Care Bill
Yesterday, the Arkansas General Assembly voted to override Governor Asa Hutchinson’s veto on the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, a bill that will prohibit transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming health care such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, among other services. The bill is the first of its kind in the nation and has […]
Gunman Opened Fire in Maryland, Severely Injuring Two People
A gunman shot and injured two people in Frederick, Maryland on Tuesday morning. The police have not identified the gunman publicly, but the US Navy reported that he was a Navy hospital corpsman. The gunman, a 38-year-old man, opened fire in a business at Riverside Tech Park, striking two men. The victims were in critical […]
Arkansas Governor Vetoes Anti-Trans Legislation
On Monday afternoon, Governor Asa Hutchinson vetoed legislation that would have made Arkansas the first state to ban gender-affirming health care treatment for transgender youth. The bill aimed to ban doctors from providing transgender people under the age of 18 with treatments including hormone therapies, puberty blockers, and transition-related surgeries, and from referring them for […]
Afghan Women Negotiators Warn of “State Collapse” Should the US Leave Too Soon
In a hearing held by the Women, Peace, and Security Caucus, Afghan women negotiators emphasized that the United States’ support is critical to the peace process and democracy and that the U.S. “leaving should not result in state collapse and collapse of institutions.” The Afghan women negotiators cautioned that the Afghan peace process requires patience, […]
#CrochetKamala: Textile Mural of VP Kamala Harris Debuts in D.C.
Dozens of women from across the country have come together for International Women’s Day to create a crocheted 20-foot by 40-foot mural of Vice President Kamala Harris, depicted the iconic “I’m speaking” moment during the vice presidential debate with former VP Mike Pence. The piece was conceptualized by LA artist London Kaye for her Love […]
Biden Announced First Judicial Picks
On Tuesday, President Biden announced his first slate of judicial nominees, including nominating U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the appeals court in Washington. Jackson is one of Biden’s 11 nominations and one of three Black women that he is nominating for appeals court vacancies. She is also the first Muslim American to serve […]