US abortion numbers have risen slightly since Roe was overturned, study finds
A new report shows the number of monthly abortions in the U.S. went up slightly in the first three months of 2024 compared with before the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade. The #WeCount report says a major reason for the increase is that some Democratic-controlled states have laws to protect prescribers who use telemedicine to see patients in places with abortion bans. The latest edition of the survey counted an average of just under 99,000 abortions per month, compared with 84,000 in the two months before Dobbs. January was the first time since the survey began that it has counted more than 100,000 abortions across the country in a single month.
Harris’ pick of Walz amps up excitement in Midwestern states where Democrats look to heal divisions
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are spending their first full day as running mates in Wisconsin and Michigan. The trip is aimed at shoring up support among the younger, diverse, labor-friendly voters who were instrumental in helping President Joe Biden win the 2020 election. That coalition has shown signs of fraying over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Leaders of the Arab American community and key unions say they are encouraged by Harris’ choice of a running mate. They believe it signals that she is listening to their concerns. The leaders had opposed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro because they thought he had gone too far in his support of Israel.
Putin accuses Ukraine of a ‘large-scale provocation’ with its raid in southwestern Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is describing a Ukrainian incursion into the country’s southwestern Kursk region as a “large-scale provocation” as his officials say they are fighting off cross-border raids for a second day. Ukrainian officials remained quiet about the scope of the operation. If confirmed, the cross-border foray would be among Ukraine’s largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and unprecedented for its deployment of Ukrainian military units. Kyiv’s aim could be to draw Russian reserves to the area and potentially weaken Moscow’s offensive operations in several parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. But it could risk stretching outmanned Ukrainian troops further along the front line.
Hamas has a new leader. How will that affect the war in Gaza and cease-fire efforts?
Yahya Sinwar’s appointment as the top leader of Hamas formalizes a role he assumed in the early hours of Oct. 7, when the surprise attack into Israel that he helped mastermind ushered in the bloodiest chapter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is seen as a hard-liner with closer ties to Hamas’ armed wing than his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in Iran’s capital last month that was widely blamed on Israel. Sinwar was already seen as having the final word on any cease-fire agreement for Gaza and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. But he is deep in hiding inside Gaza. That raises questions about how he would manage a sprawling organization with cadres across the Middle East.
Tropical Storm Debby swirls over Atlantic, still dumping rain on the Carolinas before moving north
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Tropical Storm Debby is swirling over the coastal Carolinas, with wide bands of rain falling over saturated areas and swelling inland waterways. The storm’s center was lingering east of Savannah, Georgia after stirring up tornadoes and submerging streets in waist-high floodwaters. The latest forecast says Debby could restrengthen over the ocean before its center moves inland again in South Carolina by Thursday. After that it should move relatively slowly across southern states, with staggering rainfall totals possible in some areas. Debby first hit the U.S. mainland on Florida’s Gulf Coast early Monday as a hurricane. At least six people have died.
Bangladesh’s incoming interim leader Yunus asks for calm as he is set to take oath Thursday
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s incoming interim leader Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has asked his people to stay calm and get ready to rebuild the nation after weeks of violence that left hundreds killed, following an uprising that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down and flee to neighboring India. Yunus was on his way home from Paris on Wednesday. In his first statement since he was named as the head of an interim government, Yunus also congratulated the students for “taking the lead in making our Second Victory Day possible.” Bangladesh’s military chief said that an interim government headed by Yunus would be sworn in on Thursday night.
Sex eligibility rules for female athletes are complex and legally difficult. Here’s how they work
PARIS (AP) — Women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics has highlighted the complexity of drafting and enforcing sex eligibility rules for women’s sports and how athletes like Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan are left vulnerable in the fallout. Eligibility for women’s events has often been a legally difficult process for sports bodies that has risked exposing athletes to humiliation and abuse. In the 1960s, the Olympics used degrading visual tests intended to verify the sex of athletes. The modern era of eligibility rules started in 2009, after South African runner Caster Semenya surged to stardom as an 18-year-old gold medalist at the world championships. She is involved in a legal challenge to track’s rules about testosterone levels.
US safety board plans to quiz officials about FAA oversight of Boeing before a panel blew off a 737
WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration are facing questions about the door plug that blew off a 737 Max jetliner in midflight. On Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board began the second day of a two-day hearing on the accident. On day one of the hearing, a Boeing official said the company will redesign the part that blew off an Alaska Airlines jet in January. She says the changes will prevent the same kind of accident. The safety board is also scheduled to question representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration about the FAA’s oversight of Boeing, and how that has changed since the accident.
Great Barrier Reef waters were hottest in 400 years over the past decade, study finds
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef reached the highest they’ve been in 400 years over the past decade, research published Wednesday in the journal Nature found. Researchers from Melbourne University in Australia were able to compare recent ocean temperatures to historical ones by using coral skeleton samples from the Coral Sea to reconstruct sea surface temperature data from 1618 to 1995. They found mostly stable temperatures before 1900, and steady warming from 1960 to 2024. Temperatures were significantly higher over the past decade, when mass bleaching took place. The scientists warned that the reef likely won’t survive if planetary warming isn’t stopped.
No drinking and only Christian music during Sunday Gospel Hour at Nashville’s most iconic honky tonk
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Robert’s Western World is Nashville’s most iconic honky tonk and practically synonymous with country music. But for an hour on Sunday mornings no one can drink alcohol and they can only listen to Christian music. During the Gospel Hour, the cowboy-hat wearing Rev. Ron Blakely plays guitar while his daughter Mimi Fischer sings on stage to an audience of locals and tourists from across America. They sing along and pray. Blakely, a Christian priest, has led the service at the honky tonk for nearly 20 years and says many have found a spiritual home away from their own churches.
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