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☆ In Deposition, Trump Says ‘Historically’ Stars Can Grab Women by Genitals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lawmakers Fight for Child Vloggers to Be CompensatedFor children who appear in monetized content online, like vlogs and social media posts, there are currently no laws to protect them or ensure they get a cut of the money they help earn. Now, some state lawmakers are fighting to change that. Tech News Briefing producer Zoe Kuhlkin joins host Zoe Thomas to explain why Illinois may be the first state to cross the finish line. Photo: Getty Images

☆ Inside a Bakhmut Battle as Ukrainian Forces Defend Critical Route
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ World Health Organization Declares End to Covid-19 Emergency
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Most casual travelers will do better with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which comes with many of the same benefits as the pricier Sapphire Reserve. Chase; InsiderThe Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the most recommended travel rewards credit cards. Let's examine some reasons why you may want to go for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card instead of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. What you need to know about choosing the Chase Sapphire Preferred over the Chase Sapphire ReserveRegardless of which card you choose, both offer class-leading value. Finally, don't forget to also check out our in-depth comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve for a closer look at how the cards compare.

☆ Vermont Allows Nonresidents to Access Medically Assisted Death
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Joseph Pisani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Vermont lawmakers legalized medically assisted death for residents a decade ago. Photo: Lisa Rathke/Associated PressVermont became the first state in the U.S. to remove a residency requirement for terminally ill patients seeking to die by medical assistance, allowing adults living out-of-state to travel there for end-of-life care. The state legalized medically assisted death for residents a decade ago. On Tuesday, Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed into law a bill eliminating the residency requirement, after it passed the state’s House of Representatives and Senate last month.

☆ New York Passes First-in-Nation Ban on Gas Stoves in New Homes, Apartments
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Joseph De Avila | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

New York’s Democratic-controlled state Legislature passed the ban, which would go into effect beginning in 2026. Photo: Hans Pennink/Associated PressNew York is set to become the first state in the U.S. to ban gas stoves in new homes and apartments. The Democratic-controlled state Legislature passed a bill late Tuesday that prohibits natural-gas and other fossil-fuel hookups in new residential buildings. Kathy Hochul , a Democrat, is expected to approve the measure, which was included in the state’s budget.

☆ How New Yorkers’ Lives Will Be Altered by the $229 Billion State Budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Luis Ferré-Sadurní | Grace Ashford | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

ALBANY, N.Y. — Minimum wage workers in New York City will get a pay bump for the first time in five years. Out-of-state students at city and state universities will face a tuition hike. And cigarette smokers will need to pay an extra dollar in taxes per pack. New York State lawmakers approved a $229 billion state budget on Tuesday night that will touch on New Yorkers’ everyday life, after completing protracted negotiations with Gov. This being Albany, of course, the closed-door negotiations centered much less on the state’s finances than they did on contentious policy changes that were stuffed into the final budget legislation.

☆ New York poised to pass first statewide law banning natural gas in new buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The law would likely take effect in 2026 for most new buildings under seven stories and in 2029 for larger buildings. The statewide ban would follow legislation passed by New York City in 2021 that bans natural gas hookups in new buildings by the end of this year. New York was the sixth-largest natural gas consumer among the states in 2020, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And in 2021, the residential sector — where three out of every five households use natural gas for heating — comprised over one-third of the natural gas delivered to New York residents, the agency found. "New York state is leading the way in ending America's devastating addiction to fossil fuels," said Food & Water Watch Northeast Region Director Alex Beauchamp.

☆ New York to Ban Natural Gas, Including Stoves, in New Buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Liam Stack | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

New York may soon become the first state in the nation to ban natural gas in new construction under a budget deal announced by Gov. But it was opposed by the oil and gas industry and treated skeptically by some consumers. Environmental groups warned that the details of the plan were still unclear and said they worried it may contain a provision that would allow local governments to effectively veto the measure. But Katy Zielinski, a spokeswoman for the governor’s office, said on Friday that no such measure was included in the deal. “The new law will not have any loopholes that will undermine the intent of this measure,” said Ms. Zielinski.

☆ South Carolina and Nebraska lawmakers voted down abortion bans, exposing a chasm on the issue for Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

— Abortion bans in deeply conservative Nebraska and South Carolina both fell short of advancing in close legislative votes amid heated debates among Republicans, yet another sign that abortion is becoming a difficult issue for the GOP. In South Carolina, lawmakers voted 22-21 to shelve a near-total abortion ban for the rest of the year. Katie Glenn, the state policy director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, characterized the failure of both proposed abortion bans as disappointing. The failure to advance abortion restrictions has confounded conservatives who dominate both Nebraska and South Carolina and exposed a chasm on the issue of abortion within the GOP. Riepe and some Republicans across the country have noted evidence pointing to abortion bans as unpopular with a majority of Americans.

☆ Tucker Carlson releases first statement — during his old show's time slot — following abrupt ouster from Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Tucker Carlson released his first statement since parting ways with Fox News on Monday. In a video, Carlson did not mention Fox but criticized American media and both political parties. ET — the same time that his old primetime show used to start. Tucker Carlson made his first public statement since being abruptly ousted from Fox News on Monday. ET — the same time he would normally be kicking off his old primetime show.

☆ TikTok ban is the least palatable of options
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Montana is following a movement around the United States to try to keep Americans from using TikTok. That has consequences: The United States has never pulled a platform used by so many people to communicate. China, which before TikTok had never cracked the U.S. market with a successful social media network, is unlikely to let ByteDance part with TikTok. More recently the company had been working with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to ease concerns. TikTok users in the United States could still binge on short videos, but the company – and its rivals – would face tougher constraints.

Hyundai and partner SK On, a battery unit of SK Innovation Co Ltd (096770.KS), will set up a new battery manufacturing plant in the state of Georgia, the companies said, formalising an earlier provisional agreement. Accompanying Yoon on the trip are top executives of some of South Korea's biggest companies, including Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung. Rivals General Motors Co (GM.N) and Samsung SDI (006400.KS) said they would invest over $3 billion to build a joint venture EV battery manufacturing plant in the United States. That compared with a Refinitiv SmartEstimate for first-quarter profit of 2.3 trillion won from 16 analysts. Hyundai and Kia cars are competitive in the U.S., based on their prices and a favourable exchange rate, he added.

☆ Factbox: What's on the agenda at the South Korea-US summit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yoon has been pushing to increase South Korea's say in operating "extended deterrence" while calls are growing in South Korea for it to develop its own nuclear weapons. At the summit, Biden will pledge "substantial" steps to underscore the U.S. commitment to deter a North Korean nuclear attack, a senior U.S. official said. South Korea's defence ministry said the allies have been exploring ways to support Ukraine but declined to confirm specific discussions. His comments prompted an angry exchange of words between Beijing and Seoul with South Korea summoning the Chinese ambassador. South Korea's comment on Taiwan was "the worst" since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea in 1992, China's state-run Global Times said on Sunday.

☆ S.Korea's Yoon to meet Biden as doubts grow over nuclear umbrella
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

More than 64% supported South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons, with about 33% opposed. Yoon has been pushing to boost South Korea's say in operating the U.S. extended deterrence but exactly what that might entail has not been spelt out. A senior U.S. official said on Friday that Biden, during the summit with Yoon, would pledge "substantial" steps to underscore U.S. commitments to deter a North Korean nuclear attack. South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, says it has not provided lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia. South Korea tries to avoid antagonising Russia, due chiefly to business interests and Russian influence over North Korea.

☆ Losing Ballot Issues on Abortion, G.O.P. Now Tries to Keep Them Off the Ballot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Kate Zernike | Michael Wines | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. King has joined a lawsuit seeking to strike down the new restraints on ballot initiatives in Arkansas. The chief sponsor of the measure, State Representative Mike Henderson, did not respond to phone and email requests for comment. Legislatures began accelerating bans and other restrictions on abortion beginning a decade ago, after Republicans took control of more statehouses. It was among the first states to attempt a so-called heartbeat law, banning abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, when many women do not realize they are pregnant. (That law passed in 2019 and went into effect after Roe was overturned but has been temporarily blocked by a state court.)

☆ Many States Are Trying to Restrict Gender Treatments for Adults, Too
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Azeen Ghorayshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Missouri this month became the first state in the country to severely restrict gender treatments for people of all ages, following a series of quieter moves across the country that have been chipping away at transgender adults’ access to medical care. Last year, Florida joined six other states in banning Medicaid from covering some form of gender care for transgender people of all ages. These bans affect an estimated 38,000 beneficiaries of the public insurance program, according to the Williams Institute, a research center at U.C.L.A.’s law school. And in at least five states, Republican legislators have proposed bills that would abolish gender care for minors as well as young adults. The rule also said that patients should not receive gender treatments until any mental health issues are “resolved.”

☆ South Korea's Yoon to visit US on April 24-30, Yonhap reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, April 20 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit the United States on April 24-30 for a summit with President Joe Biden, Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday. The two leaders are scheduled to hold a summit and joint news conference on April 26, and Yoon will deliver a speech to the U.S. Congress on April 27, Yonhap said. Yoon's trip would mark the South Korean leader's first state visit to the United States since 2011, and the 70th anniversary of the two countries' alliance. Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond stiffed thousands of workers on severance pay
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Bed Bath & Beyond has been on bankruptcy watch and has been closing hundreds of stores since late 2022. Toys "R" Us and other chains that filed for bankruptcy have been criticized for failing to pay workers severance. There is no federal requirement for severance pay, although some collective bargaining agreements with unions cover severance agreements. At Bed Bath & Beyond, CEO Sue Gove is eligible for $7.1 million in severance pay and former Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Mark Tritton is suing the company for $6.8 million in unpaid severance. ‘This was our reward’Some Bed Bath & Beyond employees recently laid off in other states did not receive severance pay either, as first reported by Bloomberg.

☆ Montana lawmakers pass bill to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Montana legislators approved a bill on Friday that would ban TikTok from being offered in the state in a 54-43 vote. Beyond Montana, federal lawmakers have for months been pushing an act that would ban TikTok across the country if ByteDance won't sell its stake in the viral video app. The Montana bill cited likely Chinese surveillance and the potential theft of state intellectual property as some of the impetus behind the ban. TikTok said it opposes the bill, adding that there's no clear path for the Montana government to enforce it or punish violators. "We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this egregious government overreach."

☆ A wide majority of Americans back abortion pills, including 71% of young women. The issue could destroy GOP election chances for a generation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Unless this trend reverses, abortion rights and other culture war issues could doom GOP candidates in general elections for decades. State Supreme Court Justice-elect Janet Protasiewicz won a double-digit victory on a platform that was explicitly built on abortion rights. The first signs that midterms would be upended by abortion came in Nebraska and Kansas, the latter of which was the first state to vote on abortion rights after Dobbs. Kansas voters ended up rejecting an amendment that would have eliminated the right to abortion from the state constitution. By the end of November, abortion rights advocates went six for six in ballot measures that either enshrined protections into law or stopped further limitations — an incredible streak that reversed years of losses.

☆ Biden administration to propose tighter health privacy rules around abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Zoë Richards | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration on Wednesday will propose new health privacy protections to prevent protected health information from being used to investigate or sue people who facilitate abortions, senior administration officials said. Vice President Kamala Harris will announce the new language, aimed at strengthening existing privacy rule protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, when she meets with a task force on access to reproductive health care Wednesday afternoon. The HHS proposal centers on barring using or disclosing protected health information that could be used to identify, investigate, prosecute or sue people, health care providers and others involved in seeking or providing abortion care. In a document outlining its proposal, the White House said taking steps to protect sensitive health information had taken on "renewed importance" in light of such efforts. The proposed rule would continue to allow a regulated entity such as a health insurance company or provider to use or disclose protected health information "for permissible purposes" under the privacy rule, a senior administration official said.

☆ Taliban ban on Afghan women working for U.N. an 'internal' issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A group of women wearing burqas crosses the street as members of the Taliban drive past in Kabul, Afghanistan October 9, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File PhotoKABUL, April 12 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban administration has said forbidding Afghan women from working for the United Nations was an "internal issue," after the global organisation expressed alarm at the decision and said it would review its operations there. On Tuesday, the U.N. Mission to Afghanistan said the Taliban administration would be responsible for any negative humanitarian impacts stemming from the ban. Taliban authorities in December said most Afghan female NGO workers would not be allowed to work. The U.N. humanitarian agency has said a huge funding plan for Afghanistan for 2023 is less than 5% funded.

☆ Florida's fight over Safe Haven 'baby boxes' are part of a larger culture war over abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Safe Haven Baby Boxes let distressed moms safely and anonymously surrender unwanted newborns instead of dumping them in trash cans or worse. About 145 Safe Haven baby boxes were installed throughout nine states since 2016, and similar bills were recently approved or signed in four other states. About 145 boxes have been installed since the first in 2016, with 25 newborns surrendered through one, Safe Haven Baby Boxes says. Safe Haven Baby Boxes says the average response time is two minutes. A Safe Haven trains fire departments and hospitals on how to implement the current law.

[1/2] A sign urging voters to reject a state constitutional amendment declaring there is no right to abortion is seen during the primary election and abortion referendum at a Wyandotte County polling station in Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. August 2, 2022. Opponents say the bill undermines the will of Kansas voters who in an August statewide referendum rejected by nearly 60% a state constitutional amendment that would have declared there was no right to abortion. A similar bill failed in Kansas in 2019 after its Republican supporters narrowly failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to overcome Kelly's veto in the state House. The Kansas legislature earlier this week approved a bill creating new punishments for doctors accused of not providing sufficient care to infants that are delivered alive during an abortion. The bill has veto-proof majorities in both houses, but it could still be challenged and overturned in court.

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