Iowa lawmakers passed a 6-week abortion ban, and the federal government’s latest target in reducing greenhouse gases are refrigerators and air conditioners. These stories and more highlight the Rundown for Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
Iowa passes 6-week abortion ban
In a special session that went late into the night on Tuesday, July 11, the Iowa Legislature passed a bill that would ban abortion as soon as fetal cardiac activity is detected, usually around the 6-week mark of a pregnancy. A similar measure to the so-called “heartbeat bill” was originally passed in the state in 2018, but could not take effect as long as the Roe v. Wade decision stood.
That decision was overturned in 2022. However in June of 2023, the Iowa Supreme Court blocked the 2018 bill from going into effect. This led to Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) calling for the special session.
The new bill includes exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. Gov. Reynolds said she will sign the bill into law Friday, July 14. Once that happens, Iowa will become the 15th state to ban most or all abortions since Roe was overturned.
Poll finds majority of American oppose early abortion bans
According to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Americans’ views on abortion shift depending on how far along the mother is. Over 70% of respondents said abortion should be legal at least in the early stages of pregnancy. But after the 24-week mark, the majority of respondents said their state should generally not allow abortions.
Overall, only a quarter of respondents said abortion should always be legal. An even smaller percent of respondents, about 10%, said abortion should always be illegal.
The poll was conducted in late June of 2023, one year after Roe was overturned.
North Korea fires missile after threatening U.S. spy plans
North Korea fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in three months Wednesday. The launch came just as leaders of South Korea and Japan were set to meet on the sidelines of this week’s NATO summit.
“North Korea’s series of actions, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, threaten the peace and security of Japan’s region and the international community, and are absolutely unacceptable,” Hirokazo Matsuno, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, said. “Moreover, such ballistic missile launches violate relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and are a serious security issue for our citizens.”
The hostility coming from the North has ramped up in recent days. The country accused U.S. spy planes of violating its airspace zones and threatened to shoot down American aircraft.
North Korea has test fired its first ever solid-fuel ICBM, one of more than a dozen missile tests the nation has conducted in 2023. According to analysts, the North’s nuclear arsenal is powerful enough to put the U.S. In striking distance.
Legal developments in two Trump cases
The Justice Department has abandoned its initial plan to defend former President Donald Trump in a defamation lawsuit brought by the columnist E. Jean Carroll. The department argued Trump’s former presidency no longer shields him from Carroll’s suit, given the timeline of events, and said Trump is no longer entitled to immunity.
A spokesman for Trump’s presidential campaign called the department’s reversal politically motivated. Carroll’s second lawsuit against Trump is currently tied up in appeals.
As that develops, Trump’s lawyers asked a judge to postpone his classified documents trial, possibly until after the 2024 presidential election. They argued Trump’s candidacy could make it difficult to seat an impartial jury.
Manson follower released from prison
Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten has been released from a California prison after serving more than 50 years. Van Houten was convicted of the 1969 murders of a wealthy Los Angeles couple at the direction of the cult leader when she was 19 years old.
Van Houten is the first Manson follower who took part in the killings to walk free. She was granted parole and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said he would not fight the ruling.
He had previously blocked her release in 2020, saying she was still a threat to society. An appeals court reversed that decision, ruling that “Van Houten has shown extraordinary rehabilitative efforts, insight, remorse, realistic parole plans, support from family and friends, favorable institutional reports, and, at the time of the governor’s decision, had received four successive grants of parole.”
Van Houten is expected to spend about one year at a halfway house. She is likely to be on parole for three years.
EPA sets limits on chemicals used in refrigerators
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new rule that will enforce stricter limits on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a type of greenhouse gas primarily used in refrigerators and air conditioners. The agency will impose a 40% reduction in HFCs starting in 2024.
The agency said the move is part of a global effort to slow climate change. The new EPA rule aligns with a 2020 law that calls for an 85% reduction in production of the chemicals by 2036.
