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☆ Two German state elections expected to bring wins for conservative national opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Both states are led by the country's main opposition Union bloc, made up of the Christian Democratic Union and the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union. In Hesse, they give the CDU a double-digit lead in a three-way contest for the governor's office among the conservative party, Scholz's center-left Social Democrats and the environmentalist Greens. Scholz's government also faces intense pressure to reduce the number of migrants arriving, a major issue in the run-up to the elections. Green challenger Tarek Al-Wazir, currently the deputy governor to conservative incumbent Boris Rhein, also faces an uphill struggle. In Bavaria, governor Markus Soeder is calling for voters to back "continuity and stability."

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Scholz, —, Karl, Rudolf Korte, Nancy Faeser, Tarek Al, Wazir, Boris Rhein, Markus Soeder, Soeder, Hubert Aiwanger, Aiwanger — Organizations: Sunday, Union, Christian Democratic Union, Christian Social Union, CSU, CDU, Social Democrats, environmentalist Greens, Germany, Greens, Free, Welt, Sonntag, Voters, Free Democrats, Free Voters Locations: Bavaria, Hesse, Frankfurt, Scholz's

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Large businesses in California will have to disclose a wide range of planet-warming emissions under a new law Gov. The law requires more than 5,300 companies that operate in California and make more than $1 billion in annual revenues to report both their direct and indirect emissions. This was Democratic State Sen. Scott Wiener's third attempt to get the sweeping emissions disclosure rules passed in California. But the new California mandates will be go beyond that to make companies report a wide range of direct and indirect emissions. Under the California law, the state's Air Resources Board has to approve rules by 2025 to implement the legislation.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Democratic State Sen, Scott Wiener's, Wiener, ” Wiener, “, Christiana Figueres, Amanda Urquiza, ___ Sophie Austin, @sophieadanna Organizations: California Chamber of Commerce, Democratic State, Apple, United Nations, National Conference of State Legislatures, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, state's Air Resources Board, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California, State, Patagonia, Christiana, Paris

Previously, Democratic governors who had backed school choice measures had done so in compromise deals with Republican-controlled legislatures. Vouchers have long been viewed in stark partisan terms: Democrats and public school allies say they drain critical resources from public schools. Republicans and school choice advocates say they give freedom to families who may not like their local public schools. That had motivated public school advocates and Democrats to demand billions more for the poorest public schools, a quest that Shapiro has said he supports. Those fluent in the history of school vouchers could think of no other Democratic governor who had embraced them.

Persons: Josh Shapiro —, Shapiro, ”, Robert Enlow, ’ ”, Matthew Brouillette, Christopher Borick, Jeffrey Yass, Jeff Yass, Charlie Gerow, ” Shapiro, Joshua Cowen, Peter Schweyer, —, recriminations, “ cowering, Shapiro shrugged, we've, Marc Levy Organizations: —, Republican, Pennsylvania, Democratic, Republicans, Roman Catholic, Muhlenberg College Institute of Public, GOP, Fox News, Michigan State University, Republican Party, Senate Republicans, Lehigh . Teachers, AFSCME, SEIU, AFL, House Democratic, Wall Street Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Indianapolis, Pennsylvania, statehouses, Yass, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, “, Philadelphia

Advocates for comprehensive sex education say the restrictions in early education may prevent kids from getting age-appropriate foundational knowledge that they build on each year, said Alison Macklin, director of policy and advocacy at the progressive sex education organization SIECUS. To comply with the new law in Kentucky, for example, the state’s education agency advised schools eliminate fifth-grade lessons on puberty and reproductive body parts. Twenty-eight states require sex education, and 35 require HIV education, according to tracking by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Massachusetts, for example, recently announced new sexual health education guidelines, which were last updated in 1999. She remembers just one optional day of sex education in middle school.

Persons: Anne, Marie Amies Oelschlager, Alison Macklin, “, Macklin, aren't, ”, David Walls, Kathleen Ethier, Ethier, don’t, ” Ethier, Hope Crenshaw, aren’t, ” Crenshaw, Kayla Smith, ” Smith, Holly Ramer, Rebecca Boone Organizations: DES, Republican, Seattle Children's Hospital, The, Foundation, Guttmacher Institute, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, Public Health, HHS, New, PREP, CDC’s, Adolescent, School Health, CDC, Teen Health Mississippi, University of Mississippi, Associated Press Locations: DES MOINES, Iowa, Seattle, Indiana, Arkansas, In Kentucky, Florida, Kentucky, ”, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Alabama, Colorado , Florida , Idaho , Iowa, South Carolina, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, agency’s, Mississippi, U.S, Concord , New Hampshire, Boise , Idaho

RAW Chief Ravi Sinha, the only serving official publicly affiliated with the agency, did not return messages seeking comment. All six officials denied that RAW engages in targeted killings, noting that the agency has no mandate for such operations. Fallout from the Vancouver incident has also raised concerns that RAW will come under greater global monitoring, Indian intelligence officials and analysts said. "The current developments have undoubtedly increased global curiosity about RAW," said Dheeraj Paramesha Chaya, an expert on Indian intelligence at Britain's Hull University. "Our footprint is growing in parts of the world which were not important earlier," a recently retired senior RAW official said, without providing specifics.

Persons: Blair Gable, Justin Trudeau's, Hardeep Singh, RAW's, Narendra Modi, Ravi Sinha, Sinha, Ajit Doval, Paramesha, Trudeau, David Headley, Headley, Adrian Levy, Levy, Modi, Krishn Kaushik, Sanjeev Miglani, Katerina Ang Organizations: High Commission of, REUTERS, Canadian, Reuters, RAW, National, Britain's Hull University, Ottawa, Washington Post, MUMBAI RAW, Indian Foreign Ministry, Indian, Islamabad, American Embassy, Intelligence Bureau, Hull, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, India deniability, South, CIA, U.S . Council, Foreign Relations, PRS, Thomson Locations: High Commission of India, Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, DELHI, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vancouver, India, Ottawa, Mumbai, West, Delhi, China, Washington, U.S, MUMBAI, Islamabad, North America, Chicago, United States, London, Britain, Australia, South Asia, Europe, Southeast Asia, New Delhi

☆ Republican blockade of Ukraine aid and Slovakia’s election play into Putin’s hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Fico anchored his campaign on his anti-US rhetoric, vows to stop sending weapons to Ukraine and a pledge to thwart Kyiv’s NATO ambitions. The GOP tide against Ukraine gathers strengthZelensky’s visit to Washington to shore up Ukraine aid last month looks prescient. At Republican campaign events, voters often voice antipathy to sending billions of dollars to Ukraine, and polls show rising public skepticism. Still, for now, there is a bipartisan Washington majority in favor of Ukraine aid, although the chaos in the GOP raises questions about how it will be delivered. So we’ve got to find a way that we can do this together.”But if McCarthy is toppled and replaced by a more radical speaker, Ukraine could run out of luck.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy didn’t, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, McCarthy, Robert Fico’s, Fico, –, Putin, Donald Trump, Fico’s, Trump, embolden Putin, “ Putin, Mike Quigley, “, ”, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, “ Joe Biden, Dmytro Kuleba, ” Kuleba, “ They’re, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Russia, Ukraine, Republican, NATO, Ukraine –, Kyiv, Brexit, “, Soviet MiG, European Union, GOP, Democratic, Illinois, Congressional Ukraine Caucus, Democrat, Rep, Trump Georgia Rep, Foreign, CBS, Trump Locations: Ukraine, Slovakia, US, Poland, Warsaw, Western, Kyiv, France, Germany, “ Slovakia, Slovakian, Russia, Soviet, United States, Turkey, Sweden, Moscow, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Bratislava, Washington, Biden’s, Florida, ” Ukraine

☆ The Supreme Court just rejected an effort to get rid of rent stabilization in New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Supreme Court refused to hear a case challenging New York's rent stabilization law. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe US Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a case challenging New York State's rent stabilization laws covering one million households in New York City. The plaintiffs — the Rent Stabilization Association, the Community Housing Improvement Program, and individual landlords — filed their suit in 2019 after New York reformed its 1969 law, adding new limits to how much landlords can raise rent. This is the second time since 2012 that the Supreme Court has refused to hear a case challenging New York's rent stabilization laws. And there's also Supreme Court precedent in support of tenants — specifically the 1992 case Yee v. City of Escondido in which the court upheld a California eviction restriction.

Persons: —, they've, there's, Yee Organizations: Service, New York, Rent Stabilization, Housing, Circuit, City of Locations: York, New, New York City, City, City of Escondido, California

Josh Shapiro to bypass the Legislature and start automatic voter registration. “THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO STEAL PENNSYLVANIA AGAIN BY DOING THE ‘AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION’ SCAM,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. Democrats contended that Shapiro was well within his legal authority to authorize automatic voter registration. A survey of several states with automatic voter registration revealed similar experiences. Republicans in some states that have switched to automatic registration say it will lead to fraud or illegal voting, and conservatives in Alaska have attempted to repeal that state’s automatic registration.

Persons: — Donald Trump, Josh Shapiro, Trump, Shapiro, ” Trump, Ronna McDaniel, “, ” McDaniel, ” Shapiro, Adam Bonin, ”, Tammy Patrick, Charles Stewart III, ” Stewart, Democrat Joe Biden, Sam DeMarco, ” DeMarco, Christina A, Cassidy, Marc Levy Organizations: Republican, Democratic Gov, Democratic, Republicans, Trump, “, MSNBC, District of Columbia, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Association of Election, Massachusetts Institute, Science, Pennsylvania Project, Public, Institute of California, University of Southern, University of California, Democrat, Democratic Party, Associated Press Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Alaska, Georgia, West Virginia . Georgia, Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Berkeley, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Atlanta

On the heels of that decision, a federal appeals court invalidated a federal law that bars an individual who is subject to a domestic violence restraining order from possessing a firearm. A three-judge district court panel struck down the plan in January, saying that race had been the predominant motivating factor. Three years ago, the Supreme Court limited the independence of the CFPB by invalidating its leadership structure. The court’s decision could impact whether the SEC and other agencies can conduct enforcement proceedings in-house, using administrative courts staffed with agency employees, or whether such actions must be brought in federal court. “It’s difficult to think of any other recent First Amendment cases in which the stakes were so high,” Jaffer added.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, ”, Biden, Zackey Rahimi, John Roberts, Taiwan Scott, Thomas, Elizabeth Prelogar, Magnuson, Paul Clement, ” Clement, “, pare, George Jarkesy, Sackler, ” Prelogar, Jameel Jaffer, Jaffer Organizations: CNN, Gun Safety, South Carolina’s Republican, South Carolina State Conference of, NAACP, Democrat, Republican, National Marine Fisheries Service, Chevron, Natural Resources Defense, Stevens Fishery Conservation, Management, Independent, Consumer Financial, Federal Reserve, US, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Securities, Exchange, US Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Social Security Administration, Circuit, Historic Purdue Pharma, Purdue Pharma, Sackler, Purdue, Facebook, YouTube, Columbia University’s Locations: United States, South Carolina, Alabama, Taiwan, Charleston County, Chevron, Florida, Texas

☆ Supreme Court agrees to hear case on whether states can regulate social media companies like TikTok and Meta
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Florida and Texas laws regulating social media platforms are up for review by the Supreme Court. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether state laws that seek to regulate Facebook, TikTok, X and other social media platforms violate the Constitution. While the details vary, both laws aim to prevent the social media companies from censoring users based on their viewpoints. AdvertisementAdvertisementSeparately, the high court also could consider a lower-court order limiting executive branch officials' communications with social media companies about controversial online posts. In dissent, Alito wrote, "Social media platforms have transformed the way people communicate with each other and obtain news."

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Trump, John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Alito, Chris Marchese Organizations: Supreme, Service, Facebook, Republican Locations: Florida, Texas, Florida and Texas

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether state laws that seek to regulate Facebook, TikTok, X and other social media platforms violate the Constitution. The justices will review laws enacted by Republican-dominated legislatures and signed by Republican governors in Florida and Texas. While the details vary, both laws aim to prevent the social media companies from censoring users based on their viewpoints. Separately, the high court also could consider a lower-court order limiting executive branch officials’ communications with social media companies about controversial online posts. By a 5-4 vote, the justices kept the Texas law on hold while litigation over it continues.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Alito, Chris Marchese Organizations: WASHINGTON, Supreme, Facebook, Republican, “ Locations: Florida and Texas, Texas

The New Mexico Supreme Court gave the state district judge overseeing the case until Oct. 6 to come to his conclusions in an order that can be reviewed by the high court. They control every statewide elected office, command majorities in the state House and Senate, and make up the five-member Supreme Court. The Supreme Court did reject a late effort by Gov. The court has yet to decide on another petition that challenges an earlier denial by the state district judge to dismiss as defendants the governor and lieutenant governor. The New Mexico Supreme Court in an opinion issued last week explained its reasoning for allowing the gerrymandering challenge to be heard by the lower court.

Persons: Gabe Vasquez, Yvette Herrell, Kevin McCarthy, Michelle Lujan Grisham's, Lujan Grisham, Vasquez, C, Shannon Bacon Organizations: SANTA FE, Democratic, New Mexico’s, U.S . House, Republican, U.S ., New, New Mexico Supreme, Republican Party, Democrats, Senate, Gov, The New, The New Mexico Supreme Locations: SANTA, U.S, Mexico, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas , Kentucky, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas, Utah, In New Mexico, Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Lovington, New Mexico, Mexico's, The, The New Mexico

☆ The era of America's subminimum wage for tipped restaurant workers may be ending
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

After a months-long public campaign that began shortly after Mayor Brandon Johnson (right) took office in May, advocates reached a deal with restaurant industry lobbyists to phase out the tipped-minimum wage over five years. "The closest pending victory is in Chicago," said Saru Jayaraman, founder and president of the advocacy group One Fair Wage. Three-fourths said they would reduce the number of tipped workers on their payroll, and nearly half said the cuts would be significant. The $9.48 an hour wage most workers got cost the restaurant $5,449.61, he said, a fraction of the $17,198 in tips workers earned. That's one reason why the restaurant industry engaged in a kind of bidding war against itself, to find a compromise solution that politicians like Alderman Carlos Ramirez Rosa, Johnson's floor manager in the City Council, would buy.

Persons: Brandon Johnson, Scott Weiner, Covid, Hornick, Danny Meyer, Meyer, Chicago –, Saru Jayaraman, Michael Hornick hasn't, Callahan, That's, Weiner, Rick Rick Bayless, Topolobampo, Bayless, He's, –, We've, We're, Johnson —, Democratic Socialist Alliance —, Alderman Carlos Ramirez Rosa, Sam Toia, Rosa Organizations: U.S . Department of Labor, Chicago, Illinois Restaurant Association, City Council, Chicago's, Wrigley, Farm, Frontera Grill, Michelin, Covid, Bar, Frontera, Frontera Group, Democratic Socialist Alliance, Chicago Sun, Times, Times , Illinois Restaurant, CNBC, Sun Locations: downtown, Chicago, York, Covid, Lakeview, Evanston, Frontera, Johnson's, City, Times ,

☆ Trump’s Populist Pivot
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Susan Milligan | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +10 min

It's not surprising they're trying to bust out of the 2020 Trump coalition, because the 2020 Trump coalition is not sufficient for him to win. Several polls do show him somewhat improved among Black voters. A Quinnipiac University poll in September, for example, showed Trump with 25% support among Black voters. Abortion could be the most difficult pivot for Trump, since he is upsetting activists on both ends of the debate. There is no doubt in our minds who Donald Trump is and who Donald Trump would be if he were ever to return to the presidency."

Persons: There's, Donald Trump, Trump, Roe, ” Trump, Dobbs, Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden, Simon Rosenberg, Rosenberg, It's, Howard Schweber, Schweber, Biden, Shawn Fain, Mary Kay Henry, Henry, Debbie Dingell, Hillary Clinton's, Biden –, –, Clinton, Bill Clinton, didn't, – they're, they've, Trump's, Donald Trump Jr, Adrianne, Ryan Stitzlein, Stitzlein, ” Kristen Waggoner Organizations: GOP, Wade, NBC, Florida Gov, Trump, Democratic, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United Auto Workers, Big, Republican, Union, Service Employees International Union, UAW, Black, Quinnipiac University, Pew Research Center, New Journey PAC, Supreme, Alliance Defending Locations: America, Wisconsin, Detroit, Michigan, Scranton , Pennsylvania, Shropshire

☆ In Three Southern States, a Legal Battle Over Political Maps
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Michael Wines | More About Michael Wines | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last year, the same judges said that, even before full trials were held, the same maps were so likely illegal that replacements should be used for the 2022 elections. That did not happen: Thanks to a once-obscure Supreme Court rule that outlaws election-law changes close to campaign season, the disputed maps were used anyway. With an electorate so deeply split along partisan lines that few House races are competitive, the significance last November was glaring. Republicans took control of the House of Representatives by a bare five seats, three of them from districts they were poised to lose had new maps been used in the three states. Now the revived litigation is again churning through the courts — at least six of them, at last count — with the same political stakes and a sharply divided view of the likely outcomes.

Persons: WASHINGTON Organizations: Republican, Black Locations: Georgia , Louisiana, Alabama

Indian lawmakers passed landmark legislation on Thursday that would reserve one-third of all seats for women in the lower house of Parliament and in state legislatures, a move aimed at improving gender parity among lawmakers. The legislation was passed by the upper and lower houses of the Parliament after two days of deliberation and lengthy speeches by lawmakers from the governing party and the political opposition. The bill now requires approval from at least half of the country’s 28 state legislatures before it becomes law, after which it would come into force. Passage in both houses of Parliament virtually guarantees its implementation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the law’s passing in the lower house of Parliament as “a golden moment of India’s parliamentary journey” that is aimed at enabling “greater participation of women in our political process.”

Persons: Narendra Modi

The legislation now requires approval from Parliament's upper house and half of the country’s 28 state legislatures, which is considered likely. Shah said it will be implemented in the 2029 national elections following a new census and an adjustment of voting districts after next year’s elections. Under the legislation, the reservation of seats for women would continue for 15 years and could be extended by Parliament. It covers the elected lower house of Parliament and state legislatures, in which only women will be allowed to contest 33% of the seats. In India's state legislatures, women hold about 10% of the seats.

Persons: Droupadi Murmu, Narendra Modi's, Amit Shah, Shah, India’s, Sonia Gandhi, ”, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Modi, God, “, Modi's, unrepresented, Ram Gopal Yadav, Dolly Verma Organizations: DELHI, —, Wednesday, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party . India Locations: Lok Sabha, India's, India, Bihar

☆ Pennsylvania Will Start Automatic Voter Registration
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Neil Vigdor | More About Neil Vigdor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pennsylvania, a battleground state that could play an outsize role in the 2024 presidential election, will begin to automatically register new voters as part of its driver’s license and state ID approval process, officials said on Tuesday. Voters must meet certain eligibility requirements, which include being a U.S. citizen and a Pennsylvania resident for at least 30 days before an election. They also must be at least 18 years old on the date of the next election. “Automatic voter registration is a common-sense step to ensure election security and save Pennsylvanians time and tax dollars,” Mr. Shapiro said in a statement. — all the information required to register to vote — so it makes good sense to streamline that process with voter registration.”

Persons: Josh Shapiro, Mr, Shapiro, ” Organizations: Gov, Democrat, District of Columbia, National Conference of State Legislatures, “, Commonwealth Locations: U.S, Pennsylvania

☆ Pay secrecy norms have ‘simply lost their teeth,’ say experts. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty ImagesNew York just adopted a pay transparency ruleNew York on Sunday became the latest state to adopt a pay transparency law. The pay transparency movement is relatively new. Fifty-six percent are more likely to apply for a company — even if they don't recognize the company name — if the salary range is listed, Indeed found. For one, pay transparency may lower overall wages of the broader population of employees, even while raising them for the "inequitably underpaid," Obloj and Zenger said. 'There's still plenty to negotiate' beyond salaryOf course, applicants aren't necessarily beholden to the salary or the pay range posted on a job ad, Woodruff-Santos said.

Persons: NCSL, Salary.com, Zenger, Mandi Woodruff, Santos, Woodruff, you've, they've, there's Organizations: Westend61, Getty, Sunday, Employers, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Women's Law Locations: York, California , Colorado, Washington, New York City, Colorado, Ithaca, Albany, Westchester, New York, Jersey, New Jersey, Cincinnati, Toledo, Ohio ; Maryland ; Connecticut, Rhode, Nevada

Pay transparency, supporters say, will prevent employers from offering some job candidates less or more money based on age, gender, race or other factors not related to their skills. Advocates believe the change also could help underpaid workers realize they make less than people doing the same job. A similar pay transparency ordinance has been in effect in New York City since 2022. There’s a demand from workers to know of the pay range,” said Da Hae Kim, a state policy senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center. State Senator Jessica Ramos, a Democrat representing parts of Queens, said the law is a win for labor rights groups.

Persons: ”, Da Hae Kim, Kathy Hochul, Frank Kerbein, Kerbein, Allen Shoikhetbrod, Tully Rinckley, Jessica Ramos, Khan, Maysoon Organizations: National Women's Law, Gov, Compliance, New York Business Council, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America, Twitter Locations: ALBANY, N.Y, New York, New York City, California, Colorado, Queens

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court’s decision siding with Black voters in an Alabama redistricting case gave Democrats and voting rights activists a surprising opportunity before the 2024 elections. Khadidah Stone, a plaintiff in the Alabama case, said the continuing opposition was “appalling” but “not surprising.” She noted that Alabama is where then-Gov. A similar dynamic is playing out in Florida, where Republicans are appealing a ruling favorable to Black voters to the Republican-majority state Supreme Court. But the continued pushback from Republican legislatures in control of redistricting means there is great uncertainty about whether –- or how soon -– new maps offering equal representation for Black voters will be drawn. Louisiana state Rep. Sam Jenkins Jr., a Democrat, said he is optimistic now that the matter is in the courts.

Persons: It's, “, ”, George Wallace, Shawn Donahue, ’ ” Donahue, general’s, Shelly Dick, Dick, Stuart Naifeh, Sam Jenkins Jr, Sen, Royce Duplessis, ” Duplessis, Ron DeSantis, Al Lawson, DeSantis, Angie Nixon, Nixon, ___ Gomez Licon, Kim Chandler, Kevin McGill Organizations: WASHINGTON, Black, Alabama Republicans, Republican, University of Alabama, State University of New, Republicans, U.S . House, U.S, Louisiana’s GOP, Circuit, NAACP Legal Defense, Educational Fund, Democrat, Gov, GOP, Florida Supreme, DeSantis, Democratic U.S . Rep, Democratic, Associated Press Locations: Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, State University of New York, Buffalo, Black, U.S, Orleans, Baton Rouge, Jacksonville, Miami, Montgomery , Alabama, New Orleans

☆ California legislature passes law aiming to protect children from abusers during custody disputes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Olivia Gentile | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

California's legislature unanimously passed Piqui's Law, named after a 5-year-old murdered by his father following a custody dispute. This week, the California legislature passed that bill, known as "Piqui's Law." In cases where fathers countered by claiming alienation, judges were even less likely to credit mothers, she found. At the July 11 hearing, Estevez, too, criticized a California family court's response to her reports of abuse. Jill Montes stands by as her daughter testifies before the California State Senate on April 25.

Persons: Ana Estevez, Aramazd Andressian, Piqui, Andressian, Estevez, Susan Rubio, it's, hasn't, Danielle Pollack, Pollack, Joan Meier, Meier, Rubio, Rebecca Connolly, Connolly, Maya, Sebastian, Lynn Steinberg, she'd, Jill Montes, she's, Thomas Winenger, Winenger, Montes, Steinberg, who've, Linda Gottlieb, Kayden's Law Organizations: Service, Investigations, Senate, Violence Law, George Washington University, Kayden's, Piqui's, Center for, California State Senate, Child Welfare Services, Family, American Psychiatric Association, World Health Organization, The, Department Locations: California's, Wall, Silicon, Los Angeles County, California, Pennsylvania, Washington, Santa Cruz, Florida, Sacramento, Carlsbad, Family Bridges, Maryland , Tennessee, Colorado

☆ Opinion | Republicans Don’t Mind the Constitution. It’s Democracy They Don’t Like.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It is very clear that given the power and the opportunity, a large portion of Republican lawmakers would turn the state against their political opponents: to disenfranchise them, to diminish their electoral influence, to limit or even neuter the ability of their representatives to exercise their political authority. So again, to the extent that “the Constitution” stands in for “American democracy,” Romney is right to say that much of his party just doesn’t believe in it. But if Romney means the literal Constitution itself — the actual words on the page — then his assessment of his fellow Republicans isn’t as straightforward as it seems. At times, Republicans seem fixated with the Constitution. When asked to consider gun regulation, Republicans home in on specific words in the Second Amendment — “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” — to dismiss calls for reform.

Persons: we’ve, ”, Romney, isn’t, — Organizations: Republican, State, Florida Republicans, Ohio Republicans, Wisconsin Republicans, Alabama Republicans, Black, Republicans Locations: Tennessee, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, “

Section 2 of that law says voting district lines can’t result in discriminatory effects against minority voters. The plaintiffs acknowledged that Black voters in Georgia have seen some success, but say the maps drawn by the Republican-controlled General Assembly still illegally suppress Black voting power. Courts in Alabama and Florida ruled recently that Republican-led legislatures had unfairly diluted the voting power of Black residents. Legal challenges to congressional districts are also ongoing in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. But Tyson pointed to the election of Democrat Raphael Warnock to the U.S. Senate as proof that candidates favored by Black voters can win.

Persons: Steve Jones, plaintifss, Abha Khanna, Bryan Tyson, “, ” Jones, Jones, Khanna, Tyson, Raphael Warnock, Assembly's, Ari Savitzky, Savitzky Organizations: ATLANTA, U.S, District, Republicans, Republican, Assembly, Supreme, Georgia, U.S . Senate, Black Locations: Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas , Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas, Utah, “

☆ The future of abortion rights in Virginia may depend on what voters think of Chaturbate
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Walt Hickey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Democratic candidate in a key swing district is in the midst of a scandal over previous work in pornography. At least one prominent Virginia politician, Senate President Pro Tem L. Louise Lucas, immediately came to Gibson's defense, blaming operatives working for Virginia's Republican Gov. As it stands, Youngkin has said that it's his mission to implement a 15-week abortion ban in the commonwealth. So far, the only thing standing in his way has been the Virginia State Senate, where Democrats hold a slim 22-18 majority. So it falls to the voters of Short Pump, Virginia, to decide whether performing on Chaturbate is disqualifying for them, even if that means giving the go-ahead to a statewide abortion ban.

Persons: Susanna Gibson, Gibson, Louise Lucas, Glenn Youngkin, Mitt Romney's, Candace Valenzuela, Youngkin, Ballotpedia, Biden Organizations: Democratic, Service, Washington Post, of, Delegates, Conservative, New York Times, Pro Tem, Virginia's Republican Gov, Bain Capital, Black Latina, Virginia State Senate, VCU's Wilder School of Government, Virginians, GOP, Ballotpedia, Democrats Locations: Virginia, Wall, Silicon, Texas, Gibson's, what's, It's

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