Author: potus

(The Center Square) – New York’s abortion laws were upheld by a federal appeals court on Tuesday, which rejected a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of unborn fetuses in the state.The ruling by the Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a District Court judge’s dismissal of the constitutional challenge to New York’s Reproductive Health Act, a six-year old law that enshrines the right to abortion in the state.A lawsuit filed by a social worker, known only as Mary Doe in court filings, argued that the 2019 law created an “imminent danger” to unborn fetuses by making them vulnerable to…

(The Center Square) – Aid-in-dying legislation remains at the Illinois Statehouse after it failed to clear the Illinois Senate before legislators adjourned for the summer.Lawmakers spent well over an hour on the House floor last week discussing an amended version of Senate Bill 1950, which was initially introduced as “sanitary food preparation” legislation.SB 1950 took language from Senate Bill 9, or the End-of-Life Options for Terminally-Ill Patients Act, which was introduced by state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora. Legislators previously spent time debating SB 9 in committee.House members voted in favor of SB 1950 last Thursday, but senators did not take…

(The Center Square) – The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill to prevent life insurance companies from refusing coverage or charging higher rates to convicted felons.House Bill 2425 provides that life insurance policies may not refuse policies, restrict coverage or charge different rates to individuals solely based on felony convictions.State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, said the measure would prevent insurers from limiting coverage or charging higher rates for people convicted of felonies.“There is considerable evidence that many of them discriminate against individuals with a felony. The rates are astronomical and, therefore, in essence, that’s a denial,” Johnson said…

Though we’re less than half a year into the second Trump administration, it’s already clear that some things are different this time around, including U.S. President Donald Trump’s apparent desire to seize the mantle of peacemaker and global dealmaker. From Ukraine, to Gaza, to Saudi Arabia, we’ve seen the White House open channels of communication, engage with adversaries, and tout arms sales and investment deals. The most consequential of these efforts may well be the administration’s engagement with Iran. During Trump’s first term, he often allowed himself to be swayed by hawkish advisors who promoted a hardline, maximum pressure approach…

(The Center Square) – Pennsylvanians with intellectual and developmental disabilities gathered with advocates in the Capitol on Monday to urge lawmakers to preserve Medicaid from proposed spending cuts at the federal level.In particular, the group spoke out about the importance of home and community-based supports that allow many disabled people to remain independent rather than receiving care in an institutional setting. “Without strong funding commitments, people with disabilities and the caregivers, providers, and communities that support them stand to lose the most,” said Francine Hogan, director of the nonprofit Vision for Equality.The Congressional Budget Office projects a decrease of more than 7…

In January 2021, the U.S. government declared that China was committing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The U.K. Parliament and the French National Assembly soon followed suit with their own such pronouncements. The U.S., U.K., and French statements sought to employ a core tactic of modern human rights advocacy: the “naming and shaming” of abusive governments by other states, legislative bodies, and nongovernmental organizations. Naming and shaming entails identifying and criticizing governments for human rights violations in order to pressure them to change their behavior. By declaring a genocide, the United States hoped to galvanize the…

For months, policymakers in Washington have portrayed the U.S. nuclear standoff with Iran as an either/or situation: Either Tehran agrees to curb its nuclear program, or the United States will attack it. U.S. President Donald Trump continues to warn of violent consequences if Iran spurns an agreement, claiming that only two alternatives exist for dismantling Iranian nuclear facilities—“blow them up nicely or blow them up viciously.” But this is a false binary—merely a rhetorical device designed to manufacture urgency to make U.S. military threats against Iran more credible and, possibly, to justify a potential war to the American public. A…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear an appeal from a private prison company facing a lawsuit claiming immigration detainees were forced to work and paid a $1 a day in Colorado.The GEO Group appealed to the high court after a judge refused to toss out the 2014 lawsuit saying the detainees had to perform both unpaid janitorial work and other jobs for little pay to supplement meager meals. The company says the lawsuits are really a back door way to push back against federal immigration policy, and its pay rates are in line with Immigration and…

Chinese activity in the South China Sea is intensifying once again—but it is drawing little international attention. Last month, the Chinese coast guard used water cannons against Philippine fishing boats, triggering a collision near Sandy Cay, which is fast becoming a new focal point of Chinese pressure and Philippine pushback in the South China Sea. This followed China’s decision to unfurl its national flag on the reef at the end of April—its first on-the-ground, formal assertion of sovereignty over a previously unoccupied land feature in more than a decade. The move came amid joint U.S.-Philippine military drills and as foreign…

Few phrases have exerted as much staying power—or done as much damage to development policy—as the tidy little mantra: “trade, not aid.” For decades, this slogan has captivated ideologues across the political spectrum, offering a deceptively simple prescription for growth. It has proved catchy, intuitive, and politically convenient—especially now, as international development institutions face funding cuts and closures. But it has always been more seductive than sound. With the U.S.-led reordering of global trade, the slogan now rings more hollow than ever. As rich countries turn inward, slashing foreign assistance in favor of defense and domestic priorities, some are wondering:…