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☆ Joe Biden has a decision to make about Julian Assange
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

A small group of lawyers and media executives gathered in a well-appointed back room to listen to Gabriel Shipton, Assange's half-brother. In the case of Vault 7, WikiLeaks' source turned out to be a disgruntled former C.I.A employee. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn New York, Gabriel Shipton, Assange's half-brother, declined to rule out the possibility of a plea deal. Every time the Australian government raises this issue, the Chinese government puts out a statement about Julian Assange. Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, right, was part of a delegation of Australian officials in the US to press for the release of Julian Assange.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange, Gabriel Shipton, Tucker Carlson, Tucker, Shipton, he'd, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Monique Ryan, Albanese, Mike Pompeo, Caroline Kennedy, Der Spiegel, El Pais, David Hicks, Julian, John Shipton, Assange's, John, Gabriel, Brett Assange, Peter Whish, Wilson, We've, Robert Carr, Chelsea Manning's, Obama, We're, Cheng Lei, —, Chelsea Manning, Manning, What's, Julian Assange's, John MacDougall, …, they'd, he's, John Young, Laura Poitras's, Mueller, Robert Mueller's, John Podesta's, Bernie Sanders, John Koeltl, They've, Donald, Trump, we've, James Comey, Hillary Clinton, He's, I'm, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, I've, Putin, exfiltrate Assange, Julian wasn't, Dana Rohrabacher, Rohrabacher, Jennifer Robinson, Tracey Nearmy, we'd, Marjorie Taylor, Greene, Antony Blinken, Biden, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, WikiLeaks, Washington Post, Washington, DOJ, The Washington, Australia's Labor Party, New, Biden, Senate Intelligence, Justice Department, New York Times, Guardian, Chelsea, Pentagon, Getty, Justice, The State Department, Laura Poitras's WikiLeaks, State Department, DNC, Democratic, Committee, Democratic National Convention, of, Russian Federation, Novaya Gazeta, Trump, CIA, The Justice Locations: New York, London, Assange's, Pacific, Ecuadorian, Washington, Russia, Australia, Shipton, Brig, Chelsea, Iraq, Australian, China, American, Moscow, Getty Shipton, … Shipton, Cryptome, There's, Southern, of New York, Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Panama, schwartz79@protonmail.com

☆ Donatella Versace slams Italian government’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Marianna Cerini | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Milan CNN —Just days after Milan Fashion Week, Donatella Versace is making headlines not for her — albeit well-received — Spring-Summer 2024 collection but for her stance on the Italian government’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies. Our government is set on taking away the rights of individuals to live as they wish,” Versace said. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right-led coalition has pushed for ongoing measures to restrict LGBTQ rights. Many Italians are with us.”Versace, however, has long been a vocal advocate for gay rights. During her speech on Sunday, the designer recalled her late brother Gianni Versace coming out to her as gay when she was 11 years old.

Persons: Milan, Milan CNN —, Donatella Versace, Giorgia Meloni’s, Versace, ” Versace, Meloni’s, Andrzej Iwanczuk, Alessandro Zan, Zan, Donatella Versace’s, ”, ” Gabriele Piazzoni, “ Versace, Giorgia, ” Fabrizio Marrazzo, “ She’s, hasn’t, “, Marrazzo, Gianni Versace Organizations: Milan CNN, Milan, Catholic, CNN, Italy’s Gay Party, Capri Holdings, Versace Foundation Locations: Milan, Italy, Padua, Italian

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s top court opened a session Friday that will decide whether abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy will be decriminalized nationwide. He then said he opposes abortion although he believes women should be allowed the choice as a matter of public health. The girl, who was 10 when she was raped, was in her 29th week when the abortion was finally carried out. The survey of 2,002 Brazilian women found higher rates of abortion among those with less education and income. Wealthier Brazilian women for many years travelled to the United States or Europe to get abortions without facing risks and legal obstacles they find at home.

Persons: —, Rosa Weber, Weber, ” Weber, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Debora Organizations: SAO PAULO, Brown University Locations: Santa Catarina, Brazil, United States, Europe, Argentina

GENEVA (AP) — Venezuela’s government has intensified efforts to curtail democratic freedoms with use of threats, surveillance and harassment as President Nicolás Maduro faces a re-election contest next year, U.N.-backed human rights experts reported on Wednesday. An international fact-finding mission authorized by the Human Rights Council notes that violent repression between 2017 and 2019 eased after the coronavirus pandemic broke out the following year. A report by the mission three years ago decried “crimes against humanity” in Maduro's Venezuela. In the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, the experts warned that political interference has been on the rise. The mission's latest report, based on interviews and talks with nearly 300 people, covers a period from January 2020 through last month.

Persons: —, Nicolás Maduro, ”, Henrique Capriles, Maria Corina Machado, Freddy Superlano —, Patricia Tappata Valdez Organizations: GENEVA, U.N, Human Locations: Maduro's Venezuela, Venezuela

☆ In 'macho' Mexico, stage set for first female president
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Dave Graham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/2] Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum reacts after she was nominated as a presidential candidate, in Mexico City, Mexico September 6, 2023. "It's extraordinary in a patriarchal country," said Josefina Vazquez Mota, who made history in 2012 as the first female presidential candidate for one of Mexico's main parties. "Just imagine having a female president in a country as macho as Mexico!" Mexican women did not win full voting rights until 1953, 33 years after the neighboring United States. Today, Vazquez Mota said, her PAN ally Galvez no longer had to respond to whether Mexico was ready for a female president.

Persons: Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Henry Romero, Claudia Sheinbaum, Xochitl Galvez, Galvez, Josefina Vazquez Mota, Vazquez Mota, Maria del Carmen Garcia, Mexico City Mayor Sheinbaum, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Marcelo Ebrard, Angelica Rodriguez, femicides, Guadalupe, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Lorenzo Meyer, anticlerical, Gabriela Cuevas, Dave Graham, Stefanie Eschenbacher, Alberto Fajardo, Stephen Eisenhammer, Claudia Parsons Organizations: Mexico City Mayor, REUTERS, Action Party, PAN, Mexican, Court, men's, Roman, Virgin, Church, Colegio de Mexico, Reuters Graphics, Inter, Parliamentary Union, Federal, Vamos, OECD, Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, Thomson Locations: Mexico City, Mexico, MEXICO, America, Brazil, Honduras, Peru, United States, Canada, Yucatan, Reuters Graphics Mexico, Britain, Mexican, U.S, Turkey, Argentina

A banner reading: "Abortion Out of the Penal Code" hangs from a building during International Women's Day, at the Zocalo Square in Mexico City, Mexico March 8, 2023. The ruling set a significant legal precedent and paved the way for the federal health system to begin providing abortion services and broaden access dramatically. But Mexican abortion rights advocates say the ruling's promise of expanding abortion access will not become a reality overnight and could depend on the political and legislative will of the federal government. Aside from safeguarding abortion patients and providers from prosecution, the ruling will have limited impact on access until the federal public health system starts providing abortion services. Xochitl Galvez, the senator chosen to represent the main opposition coalition, has broken from her center-right party’s anti-abortion platform to support abortion rights.

Persons: Quetzalli, Maria Antonieta Alcalde, IPAS, Alcalde, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Claudia Sheinbaum, Xochitl Galvez, Veronica Cruz, Roe, Wade, Isabel Fulda, Gabriella Borter, Stephen Eisenhammer, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Mexico City, Regeneration, Mexico's, United States Supreme, Thomson Locations: Mexico City, Mexico, MEXICO, Coahuila, Latin America, Caribbean, America, United States, Guanajuato, U.S

☆ Mexico's Supreme Court upholds abortion rights nationwide, paving way for federal access
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Gabriella Borter | Thomson Reuters | Gabriella Borter Is A Reporter On The U.S. National Affairs Team | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wednesday's ruling will increase abortion access throughout Mexico, marking a major victory for abortion rights advocates in the predominantly Roman Catholic country. In the United States, meanwhile, the Supreme Court struck down the national right to an abortion in 2022 and nearly half of the 50 states have restricted access dramatically. The court sided with GIRE in a challenge to the federal penal code and declared that the section of the national law that criminalized abortion could no longer take effect. The ruling opens the door for the federal healthcare system to start providing abortions, which could become increasingly important as Mexico mulls centralizing healthcare services, abortion rights advocates say. Aguascalientes became the 12th Mexican state to decriminalize abortion last month when the Supreme Court sided with GIRE in a similar challenge to that state's penal code.

Persons: Henry Romero, Wednesday's, It's, Isabel Fulda, Gabriella Borter, Aurora Ellis, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Supreme, REUTERS, Catholic, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Mexico City, Mexico, MEXICO, Mexico's, Coahuila, America, United States, Aguascalientes, Mexican

☆ Opinion: Trump indictment in Georgia on RICO charges sets a dangerous precedent
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Opinion David Orentlicher | Eve Hanan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Eve Hanan Courtesy Eve HananNot surprisingly, there are other criminal laws that are straightforward and appropriate to invoke against Trump. But Willis doesn’t stop there, and her invocation of RICO charges in particular raises concerns. To justify her RICO charges against Trump, Willis must point to particular acts by the former president that advanced the alleged criminal enterprise. But criminal law is designed to punish individual, not collective, guilt. By using RICO, Willis has given the defendants a potential prison sentence of five to 20 years.

Persons: David Orentlicher, Jack, Lulu Lehman, William S, Eve Hanan, Donald Trump’s, Trump, David Orentlicher R, Marsh Starks, Fani Willis, Jack Smith, He’s, Smith, Willis, Willis doesn’t, Young Thug, Jeffery Lamar Williams, Williams, Willis ’ Organizations: Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Democrat, Nevada Assembly, CNN, UNLV, Services, Trump, White, America News Network, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Las Vegas, Nevada, Georgia, Fulton County, Arizona , Georgia, Michigan, Nevada , New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Miami, New York, “ Georgia

☆ A Florida state attorney suspended by Ron DeSantis in 2022 said the governor's a 'scared candidate who is desperate to rescue his presidential campaign'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis suspended State Attorney Andrew Warren, alleging he picked and chose which laws to enforce. Just over a year later, on Wednesday, DeSantis suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell, citing a "neglect of duty and incompetence." In a published opinion piece, Warren claimed that DeSantis suspended Worrell because he "is desperate to rescue his presidential campaign." On Wednesday, just over a year after Warren's suspension, DeSantis suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell, citing a "neglect of duty and incompetence." DeSantis' decision to suspend Worrell on Wednesday comes as his campaign trails behind former President Donald Trump in polling.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Andrew Warren, DeSantis, Monique Worrell, Warren, Worrell, he's, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: Florida Gov, Service, Daily, Gov Locations: Florida, Wall, Silicon, Orlando

CNN —Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is facing an even longer stint in jail after being sentenced to 19 years in prison on extremism charges, Russian media report, a fresh blow to a fierce critic of Russia’s President Putin that comes amid an intensifying crackdown on dissent. Navalny was accused of creating an extremist community, financing extremist activities and a number of other crimes. Navalny is already serving sentences totaling 11-and-a-half years in a maximum security facility on fraud and other charges that he says were trumped up. Putin himself said in December 2020 that if Russian security services had wanted to kill Navalny, they “would have finished” the job. Peaceful protests were quickly shut down and thousands arrested after Moscow’s invasion.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Russia’s, Putin, Navalny, Mr Navalny, ” Navalny, Novichok, ” Organizations: CNN, IK, European Union, Reuters, Russian Security Service, Facebook Locations: Russian, Melekhovo, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Soviet, Berlin, Siberian, Omsk, Navalny, Siberia

☆ Fox News lost its mind over Trump's latest indictment, including host Jesse Watters' bizarre reference to Melania Trump's underwear
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Fox News hosts fumed after former President Donald Trump was indicted again Tuesday. At one point, he said the feds had been "rummaging" through Melania Trump's "underwear drawer." Watters said: "This is the establishment terrified of Donald Trump's reelection because of all the money that's going to dry up and all the influence. Additionally, Watters called the latest indictment against Trump "legal mumbo jumbo" and said the 45-page document read like an "MSNBC script." "Donald Trump is probably one of the most consequential leaders of our lifetime.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jesse Watters, Melania, Tucker Carlson, Joe Biden, Jill, you've, Watters, Donald Trump's, Trump, Greg Gutfeld, Gutfeld, Jack Smith Organizations: Fox News, feds, Trump, Fox, MSNBC, Republican, Republican Party, Department Locations: Trump

☆ Where the Republican Candidates Stand on the Trump Indictments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Maggie Astor | More About Maggie Astor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s an investigation into election interference in Georgia, too. Mr. Trump has cast every investigation as politically motivated and legally meritless — and, with few exceptions, the Republicans looking to beat him next year have gone along. Ron DeSantisLike most of the Republican field, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has framed the charges as products of a corrupt justice system, while offering muted criticism of Mr. Trump’s actions. “The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society,” he wrote on Twitter after the indictment in the documents case.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ’, There’s, —, Ron DeSantis, ” Organizations: Republican, Twitter, CNN Locations: New York City, Georgia, Florida, Washington

☆ Judge Temporarily Blocks Arkansas Law Criminalizing Access to Certain Books
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/judge-temporarily-blocks-arkansas-law-criminalizing-access-to-certain-books-67395e05

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: arkansas

☆ It's not just JD Vance: Republican senators are open to criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sen. JD Vance introduced a bill to criminalize providing certain treatments to transgender minors. Other Republican senators told Insider that they're open to the idea as well. Asked about potentially harmful effects on transgender people who are already receiving care, Vance conceded that the bill is largely a messaging device for now. "But it doesn't have any effect on the capacity of people to receive this care if they're adults. While the bill has the support of 46 mostly hard-right House Republicans, Vance just has one official co-sponsor in the Senate: Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

Persons: Sen, JD Vance, Vance, Vance isn't, Marjorie Taylor Greene, that's, Joseph Zeballos, Tommy Tuberville, aren't, Marco Rubio, Ron Johnson, Josh Hawley, who's, Ted Cruz of, he's Organizations: Service, Ohio, Senate, Republicans, Human Rights, House Republicans Locations: Wall, Silicon, Georgia, Alabama, America, Marco Rubio of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas

☆ Trump: Why a third indictment of the former president could be such a profound stain on his legacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Smith has not tipped his hand over what charges Trump could face. Former Trump lawyer Ty Cobb told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Tuesday that any potential indictment relating to election interference ought to be viewed as a particularly historic stain. How a new indictment could impact the GOP presidential raceThe possibility of another indictment against Trump also raises new political questions. “If you notice recently, President Trump went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President Biden for reelection. A third indictment would also further fuse Trump’s legal campaign and political one.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Jack Smith’s, Smith, who’s, –, “, ” Trump, Joe Biden, ”, Trump’s, Ty Cobb, CNN’s Erin Burnett, ” Cobb, J, Michael Luttig, Jack Smith, ” Luttig, Jeffrey Sloman, Dana Nessel, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Ron DeSantis, we’ll, I’ll, ” DeSantis, Nikki Haley, ” Haley, Kevin McCarthy –, Biden, ” McCarthy, he’s, he’d, Hillary, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, David Harbach Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, GOP, Democratic, Congress, Trump, Law, Southern, Southern District of, Democrat, Wolverine State, Florida Gov, ” Former South Carolina Gov, Fox News, Republican, Capitol, Oval, Republican National Convention Locations: Manhattan, Lago, Florida, Iowa, United States, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, ”, Trump’s, Georgia, Trump

☆ Why Crack Became the 1980s ‘Superdrug’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Jonathan Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

WHEN CRACK WAS KING: A People’s History of a Misunderstood Era, by Donovan X. RamseyCrack erupted across America’s marginalized urban neighborhoods in the 1980s like a biblical plague torn from the pages of Revelation. It was the perfect “superdrug,” and Black communities, redlined in concrete city blocks, were neglected as their wealthier white neighbors escaped crack’s worst embrace. Donovan X. Ramsey came of age in a crack-era neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, where it was better not to ask questions. “It was like growing up in a steel town where nobody talked about steel,” he writes in “When Crack Was King,” his panoramic social history of the rise and fall of the epidemic. His book offers a needed corrective to the period’s biased media coverage and tropes — “crackhead,” “crack baby,” “superpredator” — the impetus behind some of the country’s most draconian drug legislation.

Persons: Donovan X, Ramsey, Richard Nixon’s, H.R, Haldeman, Nixon “, ” Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Len Bias, Reagan Organizations: Nixon’s, Blacks Locations: Black, Columbus , Ohio

☆ Greta Thunberg has accused Russia of ‘ecocide’ in Ukraine. But what does that mean?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The Deep-Water Horizon oil spill, severe pollution in the Niger Delta and Amazon deforestation, could be examples of ecocide, said Jojo Mehta, co-founder and executive director of Stop Ecocide International. A number of others have debated doing the same, including Brazil, Canada, Kenya, the Maldives and the UK, according to Stop Ecocide International. “It is not a question of whether ecocide will become part of international criminal law, it’s only a question of when,” Sands said. A working group, including Thunberg, has also been established to draw attention to the environmental impact of war. If ecocide were an international crime, it could give the process more authority, some experts say.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Greta Thunberg, “, Sergei Supinsky, ”, Doug Weir, Polly Higgins, ” Weir, Jojo Mehta, Michael Dantas, Jair Bolsonaro, ” Philippe Sands, Mehta, wasn’t, it’s, ” Sands, Weir, Anna Ackerman, Matthew Hatcher, Ackerman, can’t Organizations: CNN, Getty, Criminal Court, ICC, Observatory, Criminal, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Ukraine’s Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Swedish, Kyiv, Russia, AFP, British, Niger Delta, Humaita, Amazonas, Brazil, ecocide, Rome, Canada, Kenya, Maldives, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson

The court, in a 4-1 decision, found that the Indiana constitution does not include a broad right to abortion, allowing Indiana to join 14 other Republican-led states in enforcing abortion bans. Indiana's General Assembly last August passed the first new law state law banning abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that had established a right to abortion nationwide. The law prohibits all abortion with exceptions for rape, incest, lethal fetal abnormalities and to save the mother's life or prevent serious health risk. Planned Parenthood argued in its lawsuit that the law violated the right liberty guaranteed by the state constitution. But Justice Derek Molter, writing for the majority on Friday, said the framers of the state constitution "left the General Assembly with legislative discretion to regulate or limit abortion."

Persons: General Todd Rokita, we'll, Roe, Wade, Derek Molter, Molter, Christopher Goff, Brendan Pierson, Grant McCool Organizations: Indiana Supreme, Planned, Republican, Hoosiers, U.S, Supreme, General, Thomson Locations: Indiana, New York

☆ Biden to sign executive order expanding access to birth control
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden signs an executive order in support of Joining Forces, the initiative to support military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors on June 9, 2023 at Fort Liberty, North Carolina. Biden's order also:Directs those departments to consider new ways to broaden access to affordable over-the-counter birth control medications, such as Plan B emergency contraception. Instructs the Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management to consider actions that would shore up birth control access for veterans and federal employees, among other provisions. The president's order does not suggest a timeline for shoring up that access and does not direct federal departments to consider new requirements to codify access to birth control. Approximately 65% of women ages 15 to 49 used birth control from 2017 to 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Persons: Joe Biden, Wade, Clarence Thomas, Xavier Becerra, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Roe Organizations: Forces, Fort Liberty, White House, White, Treasury, Labor Department, Department of Health, Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Affordable, FDA, Veterans Affairs, Management, Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Democratic, Northern District of Locations: Fort Liberty , North Carolina, U.S, Northern District, Northern District of Texas

☆ Lauren Boebert is now a 36-year-old grandmother after her teenage son fathered a boy with his girlfriend
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Talia Lakritz | Taylor Berman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Lauren Boebert is now a 36-year-old grandmother, a spokesman confirmed to Insider. In March, Boebert announced that her teenage son Tyler was expecting a baby with his girlfriend. In March, Boebert announced that her then-17-year-old son Tyler was expecting a baby boy with his girlfriend. Lauren Boebert, her husband Jayson Boebert, and their four sons. "I'm not in middle school," Boebert told CNN when asked about the incident.

Persons: Lauren Boebert, Boebert, Tyler, —, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Sean Hannity, Sean, Hannity, Coloradans, Marjorie, Joe Biden's, Jayson Boebert, I'm, Insider's Alia Shoaib, Boeberts, Greene, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: Service, Colorado Republican, Fox News, Congress, Conservative, Police, CNN Locations: Colorado

☆ UN rights chief urges Tunisian leader to stop curbing media freedoms
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TUNIS, June 23 (Reuters) - United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday called on Tunisia to stop restricting media freedoms and said it was criminalizing independent journalism since President Kais Saied seized wide powers in 2021. But activists and journalists say freedom of speech faces a serious threat under Saied's rule. Dozens of journalists and activists protested last month against restrictions of freedoms and trials targeting journalists and bloggers. Turk said that since July 2021, the U.N. Human Rights Office in Tunisia has documented 21 cases of alleged human rights violations against journalists. Saied rejects accusations that is targeting freedoms.

Persons: Volker Turk, Kais Saied, El, Ben Ali, Turk, Saied, Tarek Amara, Mark Heinrich, Angus MacSwan Organizations: United Nations, Tunisians, Human, National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists, Thomson Locations: TUNIS, Tunisia

☆ Ron DeSantis loses in court on anti-transgender healthcare law for the 2nd time in a month as judge rebukes 'dog whistles' from Florida officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Clinton-appointed judge struck down Florida's Medicaid ban on transgender healthcare. Ron DeSantis' office directed the state's healthcare agency to do an analysis on Medicaid patients who received transition-related medical care. Roughly 12,000 transgender patients in Florida are enrolled in the program, according to Lambda Legal, one of the firms that represented transgender plaintiffs in the case. "Many people with this view tend to disapprove all things transgender and so oppose medical care that supports a person's transgender existence." Hinkle, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, is the same judge who, earlier this month, blocked portions of a Florida law that aimed to ban transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

Persons: Clinton, DeSantis, —, Robert Hinkle, Ron DeSantis, Hinkle, Shakespeare, Grisham, Bill Clinton, Omar Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Pagan Organizations: Service, Agency for Health Care Administration, Florida Gov, Lambda, Court, Northern, Northern District of, GOP, Medicaid, Pagan, Health Locations: Florida, Northern District, Northern District of Florida, Charleston , South Carolina

☆ Woman who took abortion pill after UK term limit sentenced to 28 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A British woman who used medication to induce an abortion after the United Kingdom’s legally allowed limit has been sentenced to prison for 28 months, the PA Media news agency reported. The woman was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant at the time, a post-mortem examination revealed. Abortion laws in the UK stipulate that a person may be able to have a medical abortion at home if they are less than 10 weeks pregnant, according to the National Health Service. The case triggered calls for an “urgent reform” of abortion laws in the UK. A woman who had an abortion without following correct procedures just got 28 months under an 1868 act,” UK lawmaker Stella Creasy tweeted.

Persons: CNN —, BPAS, ”, Robert Price, “, Pepperall, Stella Creasy, Rishi Sunak, I’m Organizations: CNN, United, PA Media, Trent Crown, Pregnancy Advisory, National Health Service, British Locations: Stoke, Trent, England, Netherlands, Scotland, wales, Great Britain

☆ Google and OpenAI limit A.I. chatbots in Hong Kong amid China tensions, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong spent more than HK$600 billion ($76.44 billion) on various pandemic relief programs for the past three years, forcing it to run rare budget deficits. Hong Kong's Department of Justice also recently sought to block a pro-democracy song, "Glory to Hong Kong" from being disseminated online and cited 32 instances where it appeared on Google -owned YouTube. Other companies have also taken steps to filter content that reaches Hong Kong. Disney has chosen not to bring two episodes of "The Simpsons" that include references to critiques of the Chinese government to its streaming service in Hong Kong, the Journal reported. Hong Kong users have reported that Tencent's tool temporarily blocked access to legitimate Western sites like Twitter competitor Mastodon, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and coding website GitLab.

Persons: Disney, that's, Tencent, Read, what's Organizations: HK, Google, Microsoft, Street, Hong Kong's Department of Justice, Facebook, American, of Commerce, Apple, Disney, Wall Street, CNBC, YouTube Locations: Hong Kong, China, U.S

☆ Bidens offer 'joy' at White House Pride event as LGBTQ attacks mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] A child wears sunglasses depicting the colors of the bisexual pride flag during a Pride Celebration hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, U.S., June 10, 2023. REUTERS/Anna Rose LaydenWASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday hosted the largest Pride celebration in White House history on Saturday, calling for new measures to protect the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ people amid a spate of what he called "terrifying" attacks and legislation. Biden, a Democrat, urged Congress to pass the "Equality Act" which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity for protection alongside race, religion, sex and national origin, and ban assault weapons. "Today, we say loud and clear - that you belong, that you are beautiful, that you are loved," she said. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; additional reporting by Jeff Mason, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden, Anna Rose Layden WASHINGTON, Biden, picnicked, Pete Buttigieg, Rachel Levine, Jill Biden, Ron DeSantis, Andrea Shalal, Jeff Mason, Deepa Babington Organizations: U.S, White, REUTERS, Saturday, Transportation, Health, Human, Senate, Q, Republican, Biden, Gallup, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Colorado Springs, Orlando , Florida, Florida, statehouses

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