Aug 27, 2019

Federal judge temporarily blocks Missouri's 8-week abortion ban

Photo: Michael Thomas/Getty Images

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a Missouri law set to take effect this week that would have limited abortions to just the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, per Fox 2 News.

The big picture: The temporary injunction will remain in place while the legality of the new abortion ban — one of the strictest abortion laws in the country — is determined in court. The challenge is being led by the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood. Red states throughout the country have been passing restrictive abortion laws in hopes of forcing a Supreme Court challenge to Roe v. Wade, which affirmed the legality of a woman's right to have an abortion.

Go deeper: How many steps it takes to get an abortion in each state

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Mike Allen

20 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Ben Sasse emerges as GOP Trump critic ahead of November

Sen. Ben Sasse walks to the Senate from the subway to vote in June. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has dialed up his spicy slams of President Trump, including this swipe at yesterday's signing ceremony: "The pen-and-phone theory of executive lawmaking is unconstitutional slop."

Why it matters: Trump increasingly looks — to business and to fellow Republicans — like a loser in November. So they're more likely to create distance to save their own skins. Sasse also won his May primary, further freeing him.

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Fadel Allassan

53 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Pelosi: "States don't have the money" for Trump's unemployment order

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed on "Fox News Sunday" that states don't have the funds to comply with the executive order President Trump signed on Saturday, which requires them to cover 25% of an additional $400 in weekly unemployment benefits.

Why it matters: Many state and local governments have had their budgets devastated by the economic impacts of the coronavirus, which have caused expenses to soar and revenues to plunge.

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Fadel Allassan

2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Kudlow says he regrets claiming Trump couldn't use executive order for unemployment

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that he regrets suggesting this week that unemployment benefits can only be extended by Congress.

Why it matters: President Trump's decision to bypass Congress to sign four executive actions, including one that provides $400 per week in extra unemployment benefits, has prompted outcry from Democrats and even some Republicans who believe he is overstepping his constitutional authority.