May 24, 2019

Federal judge temporarily blocks Mississippi's fetal heartbeat law

A federal judge has ruled to temporarily block Mississippi's new abortion ban that prevents most abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

Why it matters: Judge Carlton Reeves' injunction is just the start of a legal battle conservatives are hoping to take all the way up to the Supreme Court. Mississippi is 1 of 4 states that have passed a fetal heartbeat law, and is 1 of the first to be challenged in court. On Friday, Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and the Alabama Women's Center sued the state Alabama over its restrictive abortion ban.

What they're saying: Reeves wrote in his opinion that "allowing the law to take effect would force the clinic to stop providing most abortion care...by banning abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, the law prevents a woman's free choice, which is central to personal dignity and autonomy."

Read Judge Carlton Reeves' opinion here:

Go deeper: Where abortion restriction stands: The states that have passed laws

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Axios
Updated 34 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1:30 p.m. ET: 32,919,487 — Total deaths: 995,352 — Total recoveries: 22,770,166— Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 1:30 p.m. ET: 7,089,611 — Total deaths: 204,566 — Total recoveries: 2,750,459 — Total tests: 100,492,536 — Map.
  3. States: New York daily cases top 1,000 for first time since June — U.S. reports over 55,000 new coronavirus cases.
  4. Health: The long-term pain of the mental health pandemic — Fewer than 10% of Americans have coronavirus antibodies.
  5. Business: Millions start new businesses in time of coronavirus.
  6. Education: Summer college enrollment offers a glimpse of COVID-19's effect.
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Axios
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Biden on Supreme Court fight: "This is about whether or not the ACA will exist"

Joe Biden made health care the overwhelming focus of his remarks from Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday, stressing that the Senate confirmation battle over Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court is about preserving the Affordable Care Act in the midst of a pandemic.

Why it matters: Democrats are aggressively pushing the message that Barrett, who has previously criticized Chief Justice John Roberts for his 2012 ruling salvaging the ACA, will seek to invalidate the law when the Supreme Court hears a Trump administration-backed lawsuit against it on Nov. 10.

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Axios
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

McMaster: Trump's peaceful transition comments are a "gift to our adversaries"

President Trump's refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses November's presidential election is a "gift to our adversaries," Trump's former national security adviser H.R. McMaster said Sunday.

The big picture: McMaster, a retired three-star general, said that the American people must understand that the military will have "no role" in a presidential transition and that it's "irresponsible" to even talk about it as a possibility.

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