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☆ The US did a complete 180 on same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The vast majority of Americans opposed same-sex marriage on May 17, 2004, when the first same-sex couples took their vows after a court decision in Massachusetts. Barack Obama notably opposed same-sex marriage when he ran for president as a Democrat in the 2008 election and, as public opinion was rapidly shifting, changed his tune in 2012 to support same-sex unions. Warnings were unfoundedThere is also evidence that warnings about same-sex marriage somehow endangering “traditional marriage” simply never materialized. A new study by researchers for the RAND Corporation to assess two decades of same-sex marriage in the US argues marriage rates actually increased among opposite-sex couples as same-sex couples were granted the ability to marry in certain states. A key difference between support for same-sex marriage and support for abortion rights, according to Lundry, is that support for abortion rights has remained positive for decades, in contrast to same-sex marriage, which saw a complete turnaround.

Persons: CNN —, Mitt Romney, George W, Bush, Hillary, Julie Goodridge, Charles Krupa, Sen, John Kerry, Hodges, Barack Obama, Obama, Romney, Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, weren’t, ” Romney, Obergefell, —, PRRI, Alex Lundry, Republican pollster, “, ” Lundry, Gen, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, Republican, House, Boston City Hall, Massachusetts Democrat, Democrat, Supreme, Gallup, RAND Corporation Locations: Massachusetts, Utah, Oregon, Ohio, Without Ohio, America

☆ Texas Governor Pardons Man in Fatal Shooting of Protester in 2020
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Greg Abbott of Texas on Thursday pardoned a man who was convicted of fatally shooting a protester during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in the summer of 2020, fulfilling a promise he made last year amid pressure from conservatives. The decision immediately followed a pardon recommendation from the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles, whose members are appointed by the governor. Lawyers for the man, Daniel S. Perry, argued that he had acted in self-defense against the protester, who was carrying an AK-47-style rifle. Mr. Perry was sentenced to 25 years in prison in an emotional hearing last year in which prosecutors presented evidence of racist online comments he had made and said that psychological experts had found him to be “basically a loaded gun.” As the pardons board considered the case, lawyers with the Travis County district attorney, José Garza, met with the board to argue against a pardon. Under Texas law, a recommendation from the board is necessary before the governor can grant a pardon.

Persons: Greg Abbott of, Paroles, Daniel S, Perry, José Garza Organizations: state’s, AK Locations: Greg Abbott of Texas, Travis County, Texas

Blum turned to programs mostly in states where abortion access — and, by extension, abortion training — is likely to remain protected, like California, Colorado, and New Mexico. The AAMC analysis found the number of applicants to OB-GYN residency programs in abortion ban states dropped by 6.7%, compared with a 0.4% increase in states where abortion remains legal. For internal medicine, the drop observed in abortion ban states was over five times as much as in states where abortion is legal. The AAMC analysis notes that even in states with abortion bans, residency programs are filling their positions — mostly because there are more graduating medical students in the U.S. and abroad than there are residency slots. Stulberg and others worry that this self-selection away from states with abortion restrictions will exacerbate the shortages of physicians in rural and underserved areas.

Persons: — Isabella Rosario Blum, Blum, —, “, ”, Atul Grover, ” Jack Resneck Jr, Wade, Resneck, Beverly Gray, Gray, Duke, Rohini Kousalya Siva, Kousalya Siva, “ We’re, Debra Stulberg, Stulberg, Hannah Light, Olson, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: Health, —, Association of American Medical Colleges, KFF Health, OB, Research, Action Institute, American Medical Association, Duke University School of Medicine, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington , D.C, D.C, American Medical Student Association, Department of Family Medicine, University of Chicago, University of California, CNN, CNN Health, Residents, KFF Locations: Arizona, California , Colorado, New Mexico . Arizona, Seattle, Midwest, U.S, North Carolina, Washington ,, Maryland , New Hampshire , New York, Washington, Virginia, Tennessee, San Francisco, California, New York

☆ Cohen’s Cross-Examination to Continue as Trump Trial Enters Homestretch
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Michael Wilson | More About Michael Wilson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The questioning of Mr. Cohen, who was Donald J. Trump’s former fixer, is the beginning of the end of the trial, which began April 15 and could conclude before Memorial Day weekend. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche came out swinging, suggesting that Mr. Cohen had referred to him personally on social media with a vulgarity. Mr. Blanche went on to ask about Mr. Cohen’s longtime habit of talking to reporters, his ignoring requests from prosecutors to stop speaking and his vitriol toward Mr. Trump. Mr. Cohen, who puts out podcasts and TikTok videos, has suggested that Mr. Trump belongs in a cage like an “animal” and referred to him as a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain.”In court, Mr. Cohen responded calmly and matter-of-factly, avoiding any outbursts or gaffes that could hurt his credibility. Mr. Cohen testified that Mr. Trump directed him to pay $130,000 in hush money to Stormy Daniels, a porn star, to suppress her account of a sexual rendezvous with the former president in a Lake Tahoe, Nev., hotel in 2006.

Persons: Michael D, Cohen, Mr, Donald J, Trump’s, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Trump, ”, Stormy Daniels Locations: Lake Tahoe, Nev

☆ Opinion | ‘There Are Layers of Mistrust and Fear’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jyoti Thottam | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The editorial board and our colleagues in Times Opinion met on Monday with Dr. Mandy Cohen, who became the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year. Dr. Cohen was the top public health official in North Carolina during the Covid pandemic, winning praise for working with Gov. to be prepared for the next big public health challenge “in a disease-agnostic way,” rather than focusing on a specific threat, like avian flu, dengue or an as yet unknown pathogen. ?” The first is to be ready to respond no matter the health threat — that might be something like avian flu or it might be something like drowning. We are really planning as one team in a disease-agnostic way.

Persons: Mandy Cohen, Cohen, Roy Cooper Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, Gov Locations: North Carolina, C.D.C

☆ Supreme Court allows second majority-Black district in Louisiana over liberal dissents
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( John Fritze | Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The ruling will have an impact beyond the Louisiana district, which likely explains the vote count, said CNN Supreme Court analyst Steve Vladeck. The Supreme Court has never defined what constitutes a “last-minute” election decision that should bar courts from weighing into such disputes. In a brief dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said it was premature for the Supreme Court to intervene in the case. Louisiana came to the Supreme Court caught between two lower court orders. Two years ago, the Supreme Court allowed that map to be used in the midterm even though a lower court said it was likely illegal.

Persons: Sen, Cleo Fields, “, ”, Liz Murrill, –, Steve Vladeck, Vladeck, Purcell, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Purcell “, ” “, ” Jackson, Jackson, ” Vladeck, “ Today’s, Garret Graves, Jeff Landry’s, ” Michael McClanahan, ” Edward Greim, Paul Hurd Organizations: CNN, Democrats, Representatives, Democrat, Republican, US, CNN Supreme, Black, University of Texas School of Law, Louisiana Gov, Court, Supreme, White Republicans, White, NAACP Louisiana State Conference, “ Locations: Black, Louisiana, Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Rep, Bayou, Republican Louisiana

☆ Egypt warns Israel of ‘dire repercussions’ over Rafah operation in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The official said that coordination between the two countries on the Rafah operation, which Egypt has publicly opposed, “didn’t go well. The top diplomats in both countries traded blame over the closure of the Rafah crossing as aid deliveries through the key land crossing halted. Rafah had been the entry point for nearly a quarter of the relief entering the Gaza Strip before Israel’s operation. Videos released by the Israeli military last week showed Israeli flags raised on the Palestinian side of the frontier. It is unclear how many troops Israel now has stationed across the border in Rafah.

Persons: “ didn’t, Israel, ”, ” Israel, Israel Katz, David Cameron, Annalena Baerbock, Sameh Shoukry, Katz, ” Shoukry, Shoukry, Egypt didn’t, Fatah, Abdel Kareem Hana Organizations: CNN, ” CNN, Street, Palestinian, US State Department, Israeli, Foreign, German, AFP, Getty, Israel Locations: Egypt, Israel, Gaza’s, Rafah, Gaza, Cairo

☆ Nicholas Kristof says press ‘shouldn’t be neutral’ with coverage of Trump’s threats to democracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The American press, he writes in clear-eyed terms, “shouldn’t be neutral about upholding democracy” and must not “dispassionately observe our way to authoritarianism.”We spoke with Kristof over email for a Q&A about this and more. This is strange for a pundit to admit, but I think there’s too much punditry in journalism today and not enough reporting. … We journalists shouldn’t dispassionately observe our way to authoritarianism; we shouldn’t be neutral about upholding democracy.” Do you believe your colleagues in the press are as clear-eyed about this as you are? I believe that journalism — along with law and the civil service — restrained the Trump presidency and is a force for civilization and democracy. He believed it and I believe it, and that is why I say that journalism is an act of hope.

Persons: Nicholas Kristof, “, Kristof, Gray Lady, Donald Trump, ”, James Bond, scoff, I’ve, That’s, It’s, I’m, we’re, aren’t, it’s, William Safire, shouldn’t, Joe McCarthy, Edward R, Murrow, McCarthy, Martin Luther King Jr, George Wallace, Jim Crow, Trump, Joe Kahn, — that’s, Will, Let’s, — Organizations: New York CNN, New York Times, The New York Times, Times, Trump, Endowment, Arts, CNN, State Security, State, “ Locations: New York, Congo, Iraq, Syria, Aleppo, America, Washington, China, —, Oregon, U.S, Gaza, Russia

☆ West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice will win Republican nomination for Manchin’s seat, CNN projects
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Eric Bradner | David Wright | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice will win the state’s Republican US Senate primary, CNN projects, positioning the two-term governor as the clear favorite to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in the deep-red state. The West Virginia Senate seat has long been seen as the most likely to flip this cycle and will be key to GOP hopes of winning the Senate this November. National Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, largely coalesced in the West Virginia Republican primary around Justice, who was barred by term limits from seeking reelection as governor. Still, in the closing weeks, the Senate contest turned bitter as Justice and Mooney traded sharp jabs on air.

Persons: Jim Justice, Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin, Alex Mooney, ’, Donald Trump, Mooney, “, “ Mooney, ”, Manchin, — Trump Organizations: CNN, West Virginia Gov, Republican, Senate, Democratic, GOP, Caucus, The West, The West Virginia Senate, National Republicans, West Virginia Republican, Justice, ”, Democrat, Trump, New York Times Locations: The West Virginia, , Montana and Ohio, Arizona , Michigan, Nevada , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Greenbrier

☆ As Insurers Around the U.S. Bleed Cash From Climate Shocks, Homeowners Lose
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Christopher Flavelle | Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +28 min

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Colo. Colo. Mass. Iowa Iowa Neb. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Colo. Colo. Mass. Iowa Iowa Neb. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Colo. Colo. Mass.

Persons: Dave Langston’s, Langston, ”, Dave, Linda Langston, Conn ., S.D, N.M, “, Dave Jones, Carolyn Kousky, “ It’s, Sridhar Manyem, Bill Montgomery, Kristin Heiges, Eldon Neighbor, That’s, Tom O’Meara, Kelsey Kremer, Reinsurers, Doug Ommen, Brandi Mace Storm, David Storm, Tim Kuehner’s, Brandi Mace Storm’s, haggling, Pekin, Mace Storm, Susan Crisler, Tim Kuehner, Tony J, Larson, Chesleigh Fowler, Kelley Erstine, Mr, Erstine, ” Kevin Walters, California Colorado Utah Washington Matt Child, Matthew Baker, Ariz, ” Mr, Baker, Amy Bach, United, Dave Langston, Ommen, Tim Zawacki, Lyndsey Layton, Douglas Alteen, Claire O'Neill, Matt McCann Organizations: IOWA MINNESOTA SOUTH, COLORADO ARKANSAS, NEBRASKA COLORADO, SOUTH, New York Times, Ark . Iowa Ariz, Minn, La . Iowa Iowa Neb, Neb . Texas Idaho Ga, ND Iowa, S.D . Miss, Wash . Ohio Utah Wis, University of California Berkeley, Treasury Department, Environmental Defense Fund, State, NOAA, Celina Insurance, Secura Insurance, Secura, Homeowners, Swiss, Des Moines Register, Associated, “, Iowa, Iowa Minnesota Wisconsin, Pekin Insurance, Pekin, Christensen Group Insurance, Travelers, Nationwide, Indiana Ohio Michigan Illinois, . Arkansas Kentucky Florida Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, ”, Washington, Wildfire, California Colorado, California Colorado Utah Washington, P Global Market Intelligence Locations: Iowa, IOWA MINNESOTA, IOWA MINNESOTA SOUTH DAKOTA NEBRASKA, COLORADO, COLORADO ARKANSAS KENTUCKY ILLINOIS, IOWA MINNESOTA SOUTH DAKOTA, NEBRASKA COLORADO ARKANSAS, KENTUCKY ILLINOIS, SOUTH DAKOTA NEBRASKA, COLORADO ARKANSAS, Iowa , Minnesota, South Dakota , Nebraska , Colorado , Arkansas , Kentucky, Illinois, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids , Iowa, Marshalltown , Iowa, Florida , California, Louisiana, Iowa , Arkansas , Ohio, Utah, Washington, Colo, Mass, Colo . Calif, Calif, Colo . Ala, Colo ., Mont, Fla, Ark . Iowa, Colo . Ill, S.D, N.D, Conn, Del . Idaho Fla, Miss, Neb ., Ky, Ga, Hawaii Mont, N.M . Iowa Fla, Mont ., La . Iowa, Neb . Texas Idaho, ND, Md, Ill, Wyo, Ill . Idaho, . Ill, Minn, Ind, S.D . Vt, La . Texas Mont, Neb . NC, Neb . Mich, N.M, S.D ., Va . Ore . Ohio Mo . Texas, Tenn, Wash . Ohio Utah, Okla, Tenn . Utah, Wis, S.D . Va . Ore . Ohio Mo . Texas, California, American, U.S, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, United States, Marshalltown, Iowa Minnesota, Iowa Minnesota Wisconsin South Dakota, Celina, Pekin, Des Moines, Minnesota, Illinois , Indiana , Ohio, Illinois , Indiana, Michigan, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, . Arkansas Kentucky Florida, Georgia , Kentucky, Mississippi, Washington State, California Colorado Utah, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Flagstaff, it’s, Gilbert, Seattle, Colorado, Florida’s, Central City , Iowa, Georgia

☆ Live Updates: Michael Cohen, Trump’s Ex-Fixer and His Nemesis, to Testify at His Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

This week, however, Mr. Cohen is poised to unfix Mr. Trump’s life. And, on occasion, Mr. Cohen has said, Mr. Trump put Mr. Cohen on the phone with his wife, Melania, to reassure her that he hadn’t been unfaithful. Mr. Cohen was no longer a Trump Organization employee, and Mr. Trump had excluded him from a job in Washington. When one of Mr. Trump’s friends asked Mr. Trump why he kept Mr. Cohen so close, Mr. Trump replied, “He has his purpose.”Image In 2016, Mr. Cohen campaigned for Mr. Trump, but he did not get a job in the administration. At that meeting, Mr. Cohen has said, he and Mr. Trump confirmed their plan to falsify the records.

Persons: Michael D, Cohen, Donald J, Trump, litigators, Cohen’s, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Mr, lackey, ”, Jim Cole, —, Donny Deutsch, ” Mr, Deutsch, “ Donald, Trump’s “, “, ” ‘, T.J . Kirkpatrick, ” Jeffrey McConney, dryly, Roy M, Cohn, Joseph McCarthy, Rosie O’Donnell, John Taggart, Barron, Donald Trump Jr, hadn’t, Black, Karen McDougal, Daniels, Jonathan Ernst, Cohen puttered, Lanny J, Davis, doesn’t revel, Omarosa Manigault Newman, Michael, Jim Lo Scalzo, You’re, ’, Alina Habba, perjured, isn’t, Habba, Ms, “ You’re, Hope Hicks, scoffed, “ Michael Cohen Organizations: York, Prosecutors, Mr, Trump, Associated, The New York Times, Trump Organization, CNBC, Communist, National Enquirer, Playboy, Credit, Nike, “ Fox & Friends, Democratic, Federal Bureau of Prisons, White, New Locations: Manhattan, New York, Long, Trump’s New York, Trump, Miami, Moscow, Iowa, Washington, Otisville

☆ Massachusetts takes Uber and Lyft to trial over status of gig workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Uber and Lyft are set to face trial on Monday in a US lawsuit by Massachusetts’ attorney general alleging the ride-share companies misclassified their drivers as independent contractors rather than more costly employees. Uber (UBER) and Lyft (LYFT) argue that they properly classified the drivers, saying they are not transportation companies that employ drivers but technology companies whose apps facilitate connections between drivers and potential riders. The lawsuit going to trial was filed in 2020 by Campbell’s predecessor, Maura Healey, now the state’s Democratic governor. Should the state prevail, it has said the companies could face large penalties for not properly classifying their drivers. By not classifying their Massachusetts drivers as employees, Uber and Lyft avoided paying $266.4 million into workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and paid family medical leave over 10 years, according to a report by the state auditor.

Persons: Andrea Joy Campbell, Uber, Peter Krupp, Rohit Singla, Maura Healey, Lyft Organizations: Democratic, Studies, Massachusetts, Campbell’s Locations: Massachusetts, Boston, Suffolk

☆ His Dreadlocks Shaved by Prison Guards, Rastafarian Man Turns to Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Adam Liptak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Damon Landor is a Rastafarian. When he started a five-month prison term for drug possession in Louisiana, his dreadlocks fell nearly to his knees. Mr. Landor was wary of the state’s prison system, and he kept a copy of a 2017 judicial decision with him. He presented a copy of the 2017 decision to a guard, who threw it in the trash. After consulting the warden, two guards handcuffed Mr. Landor to a chair, held him down and shaved his head to the scalp.

Persons: Damon Landor, Landor, Raymond Laborde, Mr Organizations: U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Raymond Laborde Correctional Locations: Louisiana, Cottonport, La

☆ Andrey Belousov: Shifting his fishing buddy sideways, Putin chooses an economy expert for the war in Ukraine. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Alexandra Prokopenko, a former adviser at Russia’s Central Bank, put the shakeup down to the growing interrelationship between the war and Russia’s economy. “Putin’s priority is war; war of attrition is won by economics,” Prokopenko wrote in a thread on X. Russia's President Vladimir Putin, center-right, with Sergei Shoigu, at Red Square for the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2024. Putin has shifted Shoigu sideways to a post as the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, meaning that Shoigu is not completely out of the picture. Discussing Shoigu’s new appointment, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the former defense minister would remain immersed in matters of military production.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, shakeup, Andrey Belousov, Sergei Shoigu, Alexandra Prokopenko, ” Prokopenko, Belousov, Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Prokopenko, Pyotr Stolypin, Putin, Shoigu’s, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, ” Peskov, General Valery Gerasimov, Nikolai Patrushev, Patrushev, Mikhail Mishustin, Dmitry Patrushev, “, ”, Tatiana Stanovaya Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russia’s Central Bank, Russia's, Victory Day, Getty, NATO, Putin, US Congress, Ministry of Defense, Security, Russia’s General Staff, subjugating, Security Council, Federal Security Service Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, AFP, Europe, Kyiv, Shoigu, Russian, Japan, Soviet Union, subjugating Ukraine, Patrushev

☆ New York Democrat who sharply criticizes Israel faces ouster threat
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | Manu Raju | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

By December, he was standing with hunger strikers outside the White House, upping his criticism of the actions in Gaza. Shelley Mayer, a state senator whose district largely overlaps with the congressional district, initially backed Bowman. New York state Sen. Shelley Mayer at a state Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in April 2023, in Albany. Explaining how his response to the Israel-Hamas war fits his district, Bowman cited a poll conducted by his campaign that he claimed showed an overwhelming majority in his district support a permanent ceasefire. The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) has endorsed Latimer and is expecting to spend to boost him.

Persons: Jamaal Bowman’s, Manu Raju ”, Jamaal Bowman, Israel’s, Israel, Bowman, upping, He’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Shelley Mayer, George Latimer, Sen, Hans Pennink, ” Mayer, “, ”, We’ve, ” Bowman, Rashida Tlaib, Jonathan Jackson, Cori Bush, Nathan Howard, Biden, Chuck Schumer, –, New Yorker, Usamah Andrabi, Jeenah, Latimer, Jimmy Carter, Hakeem Jeffries, Kevin Riley, Riley, Israel doesn’t, ” Latimer, he’s, he’d, ‘, ’ ” Bowman, Amy Paulin, it’s, ” Paulin, Jamaal, Mandel Ngan, Latimer hasn’t, Patrick Dorton, Jeremy Ben, Ami, Ben, ” Ben, Steny Hoyer, Hoyer, ” Hoyer Organizations: CNN, Democrat, United Nations, J, New York Democrats, Democratic, Westchester, Republican, Capitol, Fox News, ”, Reps, House, Iron, Democratic Socialists, America’s, Michigan Rep, Palestinian, Israel, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, New, George Latimer voters, Democrats, Washington Post, House Democratic, Conservative, Getty, Jewish Voters, Empowerment, Black, AIPAC, PAC United Democracy, Democratic Party, ” Maryland Locations: Gaza, Bronx, Westchester County, That’s, New York, Washington, Israel, Washington groaned, George Latimer . New York, Albany, Palestine, Palestinian, York, Palestinian American, ”, White Plains , New York, Yonkers, Rye, Brooklyn, Westchester, Scarsdale, Washington ,, AFP

☆ In Deep-Blue Maryland, a Democratic Primary Turns Uncommonly Competitive
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Luke Broadwater | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It’s an unfamiliar question for deep-blue Maryland, which hasn’t had a Republican senator in nearly four decades. But the state’s typically sleepy Senate race has heated up this year after Larry Hogan, the popular former two-term Republican governor, decided to run. Now Democrats across the state are wringing their hands trying to figure out which of their candidates has a better shot at defeating Mr. Hogan. Perhaps because of the heightened stakes, the contest has turned increasingly negative as it has tightened, splitting Democrats in Congress and beyond. While congressional leaders have endorsed Mr. Trone, all but one Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation are backing Ms. Alsobrooks.

Persons: Chuck Taylor, Angela Alsobrooks, hasn’t, Larry Hogan, Hogan, Alsobrooks, Prince George’s, David Trone, Trone Organizations: United States Senate, Republican Locations: Maryland

☆ Kari Lake wants to look forward as abortion keeps dominating the conversation in Arizona
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Arit John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

For Arizona Republicans, the resurgence of the state’s Civil War-era abortion ban was a political catastrophe that threatened to tip competitive races toward Democrats. In March 2022, in the midst of the midterm election and months before the US Supreme Court’s June Dobbs decision ended federal protections for abortion, Arizona Republican Gov. A handful of prominent Senate Republicans have visited Arizona to fundraise and campaign with her. To cut all that in half, at least we’re going in the right direction.”A political mistakeAs Democrats focus on abortion, Lake has focused on the border, crime and the economy. During her last campaign Lake famously alienated the wing of the party loyal to the late Sen. John McCain.

Persons: Kari Lake, Ruben Gallego, “, Kari Lake’s, Hannah Goss, she’s, Trump, She’s, ”, Arizonans, Stan Barnes, Dobbs, Doug Ducey, Katie Hobbs, Timmaraju, Hobbs, Gallego, adjourns, Joe Biden’s, Lake hasn’t, litigating, –, Arizona Sen, Jon Kyl, Karrin Taylor Robson –, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, South Dakota Sen, John Thune, Lake, Alex, Andorra Nicoll, Fitzgerald swaddled, Fitz, ” Alex Nicoll, We’ve, Brandi Weed, Weed, They’ve, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Biden, Riley, Francis Chung, “ Ruben Gallego, ” Goss, “ Kari Lake, ” Gallego, Sean Noble, “ He’s, won’t, ” Noble, Sen, John McCain, Seth Leibsohn, Leibsohn Organizations: CNN, Democratic Rep, GOP, Arizona Republicans, Democrats, Senate, Arizona Legislature, Arizona Republican, US, Arizona Republican Gov, Lake, Democratic, Arizona Supreme, Trump, Republicans, National Republican, Pinal County Sheriff, South Dakota, United States Senate, Washington DC, Arizona State University, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Phoenix Mayor, ”, Natural Resources, Capitol, POLITICO, AP, Arizona Democrats, Harvard, Marine Reserves, PAC, Republican Locations: Arizona, Pinal County, fundraise, Washington, Mesa, Iraq, an Arizona

☆ Transgender Athlete Ban in a Long Island County Is Struck Down in Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Hurubie Meko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A New York court on Friday struck down a Long Island county order that barred transgender women from playing on women’s sports teams at county-owned sports facilities. The case had raised questions about whether the ban was legal under the state’s human rights law. But the ruling on Friday by Justice Francis Ricigliano of Nassau County Supreme Court turned on a technical issue: The county executive, Bruce Blakeman, had “acted beyond the scope of his authority as the chief executive officer of Nassau County” when he imposed the ban, Justice Ricigliano said. The right to pass such laws is reserved for legislative bodies, and chief executives of local governments cannot “unlawfully infringe” on those rights, the ruling stated. Gabriella Larios, a staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union, said on Friday that the decision “deals a serious blow to county executive Blakeman’s attempt to score cheap political points by peddling harmful stereotypes about transgender women and girls.”

Persons: Justice Francis Ricigliano, Bruce Blakeman, Ricigliano, Gabriella Larios, Blakeman’s, ” Organizations: Nassau County Supreme, Nassau County ”, New, Civil Liberties Union Locations: York, Nassau County

☆ In Maryland’s Democratic Senate primary, a high-stakes clash between a history-making pick and a candidate with deep pockets
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Simone Pathe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Silver Spring, Maryland CNN —The farmers market in this suburb of Washington, DC, was a ripe crowd for Angela Alsobrooks, who’s locked in an increasingly contentious Senate Democratic primary on Tuesday. “I would really like to see a Black woman in the Senate. If elected in November, Alsobrooks, the executive of Prince George’s County, could become only the third Black woman ever elected to the Senate. (The one Black woman currently serving — California’s Laphonza Butler — was appointed and isn’t running to stay beyond this year.) “Electing women is not just good for Maryland,” Alsobrooks told supporters assembled outside her campaign office.

Persons: Angela Alsobrooks, who’s, “, Kathy Pruitt, California’s Laphonza Butler —, Alsobrooks, David Trone, ”, Mileah Kromer, Trone, Larry Hogan, ” Pruitt, Hogan, Brian Snyder, “ I’ve, ” —, it’s, ” Alsobrooks, ” Ellen Malcolm, —, Maryland’s Barbara Mikulski, Wes Moore, Sen, Ben Cardin, Barbara Lee, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Pamela Luckett, “ It’s, that’s, he’ll, Alsobrooks hasn’t, doesn’t, Joanne Benson, Donald Trump, It’s, Prince, Krystal Oriadha, you’re, — who’s, — doesn’t, ” Benson, She’s, Glynda Carr, Black, ” Carr, hasn’t, Pruitt Organizations: Maryland CNN, Democratic, Takoma Park, Prince, Senate, Goucher College Poll, Maryland, House Democratic, GOP Gov, Maryland Gov, Saint Anselm College, Reuters, Bowie, Democrats, PAC, Washington Post, Gov, California Rep, Spring, Republicans, NBC, CNN, Capitol, ”, GOP, AFI, NRA, Higher Locations: Maryland, Washington, Alsobrooks, Prince George’s County, George’s, Manchester , New Hampshire, Black, America, who’s, Delaware, Prince George’s, Higher Heights

☆ Cannabis Rollout Hampered by Inexperienced Leadership, N.Y. Report Finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A startup-like culture at the state cannabis agency has contributed to “confusion, difficulty and delay” in the rollout of the state’s legal market, according to a report set to be released on Friday. Kathy Hochul in March after she declared the rollout a “disaster,” paints the clearest picture yet of a licensing process that has been criticized as clunky and opaque. It also outlines ways to clear roadblocks that have helped the illicit market steal the advantage the state had intended for small businesses and people who were harmed by the war on drugs. There are just 122 licensed recreational dispensaries open across the state, while officials say the number of illicit shops in New York City alone has nearly doubled to 2,900. At the end of April, nearly 4,900 applications for retail and craft businesses were still waiting to be reviewed, some from as far back as August 2022.

Persons: Kathy Hochul Organizations: Cannabis Management, Gov Locations: New York City

Officials are urging those who have been rescued from the floods not to return to their homes. Carlos Fabal/AFP/Getty ImagesA horse was found stranded on a rooftop in a flooded area in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul on Wednesday, May 8. It had been stuck on the roof for four days surrounded by flood water in the municipality of Canoas in the Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul. Agencia Brasil, the sate-run news agency, has reported the rescue of more than 2,000 animals since the floods impacted Rio Grande du Sol, including dogs, cats, chickens, and pigs. Cars are surrounded by flooded streets after heavy rain in Canoas, in Rio Grande do Sul state, on May 9, 2024.

Persons: INMET, Katiane Mello, James Vargas, Carlos Fabal, –, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, El Niño, Carlos Macedo, Adriano Machado Organizations: CNN, Getty, Globo, Agencia Brasil, AP Brazilian Air Force Soldiers, Brasilia Air Force Base, Reuters Locations: Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Uruguay, Porto Alegre, Eldorado do Sul, AFP, Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul, Paulo’s, Canoas, Rio Grande, Sol, Pacific, Reuters Rio Grande do Sul

☆ Election Updates Partisan fight in Ohio threatens to keep Biden off the November ballot.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Chris Cameron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Ohio was one of three states that had warned the Democratic Party that Mr. Biden could be left off the ballot because the Democratic National Convention would take place after certification deadlines for presidential nominees. Election officials in Washington State also signaled that their state would accept a provisional certification of Mr. Biden’s nomination. Charles Lutvak, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, said that Mr. Biden would be on the ballot in all 50 states. Republicans in Ohio have said that passing the ban on foreign donations is the price that Democrats will have to pay to ensure that Mr. Biden is on the ballot in the state. “If Ohio bars Biden from the ballot, the Supreme Court should order him back on the ballot just like it did with Trump in Colorado,” Ms. Torres-Spelliscy said.

Persons: Biden, Mr, Biden’s, Frank LaRose, LaRose, Jason Stephens, Charles Lutvak, ” Mr, Lutvak, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Donald J, Trump, Hansjörg Wyss, Wyss, Joe Biden, ” Ciara Torres, Ms, Torres, Spelliscy Organizations: Democratic Party, Democratic, Convention, Alabama, State Legislature, Republican, General Assembly, Republicans, Ohio Senate, Democrats, state’s Senate Republican, Stetson University, Biden, Trump, Colorado Locations: Ohio, Washington State, Alabama, Swiss, state’s, Florida, Colorado, . Ohio, —

☆ India’s time zone: Why the world’s most populous country has a unique one
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Dhruv Tikekar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

India’s half-hour zone dates back to colonial rule of India and the era when ever-faster steamships and trains were shrinking the world. The start of the 20th century saw some push from scientific associations to calibrate India’s time to GMT. That recommendation was rejected by the colonial government, which opted for a unified time that sat squarely in the middle: five and a half hours ahead of GMT. In 2015, North Korea moved out of sync with South Korea by creating “Pyongyang Time,” putting the country eight and a half hours ahead of GMT instead of nine. India’s colonial-era time zone decision making, however, reflected a chorus of political, scientific and commercial voices both from within the government and outside of it, Gordon says.

Persons: Hulton, ”, Geoff Gordon, Gordon, “, it’s, Wong Maye, Hugo Chávez, Nicolas Maduro, Terry Gilliam, Rube Goldberg, Maulik Jagnani, Jagnani Organizations: CNN, East India Company, Hulton Deutsch, University of Amsterdam, Madras, Washington D.C, Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich Observatory, Meridian, Royal Society, Prime Meridian, Physical Laboratory, Tufts University, NPL Locations: New York, London, Tokyo, Iran, Myanmar, Australia, India, British, Madras, Chennai, “, Bombay, Kolkata, Washington, London ., Greenwich, North Korea, South Korea, Korea, Pyongyang, Brazil, ”, Greenwich , London, China, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat

☆ Brazil floods: More intense rain expected as death toll reaches 107
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Michael Rios | Vasco Cotovio | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —More heavy rain is expected to pummel Brazil, as the South American nation grapples with the deadly fallout of last week’s extreme weather, which submerged whole neighborhoods. The heavy rains and floods have killed at least 107 people in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul since last week, the state’s civil defense agency said Thursday morning. Officials are urging those who have been rescued from the floods not to return to their homes, warning that more rain is in the forecast. “It is important to highlight that the predicted volumes of rain may cause new disruptions in areas already affected previously,” a statement from INMET read. The record rainfall hitting the region has been linked to El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon that warms waters in the Pacific and tends to bring heavy rainfall to southern Brazil.

Persons: INMET, El Niño, Elon Musk Organizations: CNN, SpaceX Locations: Brazil, American, Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Pacific, Uruguay

☆ Analysis: Biden’s Rafah warning sends immediate shockwaves through US and global politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Hospitals are overstretched as Palestinians die in Israeli attacks on the suburbs and tens of thousands of people have already fled. For Netanyahu, the eradication of the group that carried out the October 7 attacks may be a matter of political survival. • Can Israel — as Netanyahu vows — go ahead alone in an operation even the US has disowned? • How would a full-scale offensive in Rafah further hamper already faltering attempts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas? Initially, Biden’s warning, delivered in an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett in the swing state of Wisconsin on Wednesday, looks like a case of political whiplash.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, —, Reagan, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Biden, Donald Trump, Netanyahu, Will Biden’s, Israel —, pummel, he’s, Erin Burnett, CNN Alon Pinkas, CNN’s Becky Anderson, ” Pinkas, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Joe ”, Israel’s, Gilad Erdan, Yoav Gallant, “, dissing Biden, Mike Johnson, ” Trump, Trump, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan’s, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Israeli, Gaza Health Ministry, United Nations, Democratic, Republicans, Trump, voters, Republican, House, Hamas, Party, GOP, CNBC Locations: Israel, Rafah, Washington, Gaza, Rafah —, New York, Wisconsin, United States, Europe, Michigan, Chicago, Vietnam, Iran, Damascus, Lebanon, Massachusetts

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