Ghana Parliament to Revive Anti-LGBTQ Legislation, Speaker Says
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin said during a visit to Ivory Coast last week that he would take steps to revive the bill and present it to President John Mahama, according to a video recording posted by the Accra-based broadcaster TV3.
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Associated Press
12 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Nevada parental notification abortion law in effect; Planned Parenthood lawsuit seeks halt
A 40-year-old Nevada law requiring minors having an abortion to first notify their parents or guardians is now in effect for the first time, after a federal district court judge lifted an administrative block Tuesday afternoon. The one-page order from District Court Judge Anne Traum came after a federal appellate judge earlier this week opted not to temporarily pause implementation of the never-enforced 1985 law while the federal appeal proceeds. In anticipation of the law going into effect, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte filed a new lawsuit in state court Monday seeking to halt its implementation. The California-based abortion rights group and health care provider, and a physician using the pseudonym Dr. Doe, filed a complaint for injunctive relief in Clark County's District Court on Monday. They argue the 1985 law, SB510, relies on a 'hazy, inadequate' process for minors to secure an exception to the law that violates guarantees of procedural due process and lacks guidance or rules to govern it. 'It is fundamentally unclear how any patient seeking a judicial bypass order may practically do so across the state of Nevada at this time,' attorneys wrote in the filing. Shortly after SB510's passage in 1985, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada issued an injunction, saying the law violated the right to abortion under the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit agreed, making that injunction permanent even while the law stayed on the books. Following the overturn of the Roe v. Wade decision, which had protected the constitutional right to an abortion for about 50 years, district attorneys from Lyon County and Carson City in 2024 argued the 1985 law is now enforceable. They won an initial legal battle in April, but Traum agreed to continue the stay pending an appeal. That appeal is still pending and scheduled for oral arguments in October, but in a July 18 order, the 9th Circuit wrote that Planned Parenthood 'failed to establish serious questions going to the merits on its argument' that would have justified the court issuing a temporary stay. James Bopp Jr., a conservative lawyer representing the district attorneys from Carson City, Storey and Douglas counties, among others, celebrated the news in a phone interview Tuesday evening, saying parents are now guaranteed to be involved in the abortion process. 'Planned Parenthood better be complying, starting an hour ago, with the parental notice law,' Bopp said. 'They're very aware that this was in the offing because all their efforts to keep this law (out of) effect failed.' In the state case, attorneys for Planned Parenthood also argued that the law contains provisions that have been 'impliedly repealed' by a 2019 law repealing informed consent laws for abortions and the sweeping 2022 amendment to the Nevada Constitution ensuring equal rights for all 'regardless of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry, or national origin.' Attorneys noted that though most adolescents involve a parent in their abortion decision-making, the law has no exemptions for minors who are in foster care or are victims of sexual or physical abuse by their parents or guardians. In the latter case, attorneys wrote that the forced parental involvement can endanger the physical and emotional well-being of minors. As written, SB510 requires physicians to notify parents or guardians before performing abortions on minors. Though minors seeking an abortion could also obtain court authorization to avoid the notification requirement, Planned Parenthood attorneys said it's 'an opaque and daunting process,' especially for minors. 'Subjecting a patient to the judicial bypass process, alone, additionally delays — and even, at times, denies — access to care and can compound the physiological, psychological, emotional, and other consequences associated with forcing an adolescent to continue an unwanted pregnancy,' they wrote. Bopp described the new legal challenge from Planned Parenthood as 'phony objections,' saying that arguments about difficulties in getting an abortion were well litigated under Roe v. Wade, and laws identical to Nevada's notification law were upheld. He added that it's the state judicial system that regulates and authorizes procedures such as the notification law, and that's a decision for that system, not Planned Parenthood. 'We just don't see any other claims having any merit,' Bopp said. A representative for Attorney General Aaron Ford's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ___ This story was originally published by The Nevada Independent and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
an hour ago
What's in Trump's trade agreement with Japan?
President Donald Trump announced a trade agreement with Japan on Tuesday, making it the largest U.S. trade partner to broker an accord as the White House threatens to impose tariffs on dozens of countries within days. Before the deal, Japan faced the prospect of a 25% tariff rate set to take effect Aug. 1. Instead, products from the fifth-largest U.S. trade partner will be slapped with a 15% tariff, in exchange for a willingness on the part of Japan to import some goods, among other concessions. In a post on social media late Tuesday, Trump touted the agreement as a 'massive deal.' The White House has yet to release full details of the agreement. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also celebrated the accord. 'With the national interests of both countries in mind, we were able to reach an agreement at this time,' Ishiba said. Japan's Nikkei index surged 3.5% on Wednesday, while major U.S. indexes nudged slightly higher in early trading. Here's what to know about what's in the trade agreement and what comes next: What's in the U.S. trade agreement with Japan? The trade agreement lowers the tariff rate on Japanese products to 15%, putting it below the threatened rate of 25% but higher than a universal rate of 10% faced by nearly all imports. Even more, the U.S. agreed to set a 15% tariff on Japanese cars, putting it below the 25% tariff rate placed on imported vehicles from other nations. Japan purchased nearly $80 billion worth of U.S. products in 2024, while the U.S. bought about $148 billion worth of Japanese goods, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, a government agency. Cars and auto parts accounted for about $52 billion worth of imported Japanese products, making up more than one-third of products purchased by the U.S., government data shows. Shares of Japan-based Toyota soared more than 13% on Wednesday, while Honda jumped about 12%. In exchange for the softening of U.S. tariffs, Japan agreed to open its economy to imports of trucks, rice and other agricultural goods, Trump said. Japan also agreed to invest $550 billion in the U.S. economy, Trump added, but the president did not specify how the funds would be spent. How many trade agreements has the White House achieved so far? When Trump delayed the onset of so-called 'reciprocal tariffs' in April, the White House vowed to strike 90 trade agreements in 90 days. Before that deadline elapsed, Trump proposed a flurry of similar country-specific tariffs with a new effect date of Aug. 1. So far, Trump has brokered agreements with the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan. The White House also reached a preliminary accord with China that lowered tit-for-tat tariffs previously imposed by the world's two largest economies. For his part, the president has insisted that the on-again, off-again levies make up a key part of his negotiation strategy. "The president and his trade team want to cut the best deals for the American people and the American worker," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last month when she announced the Aug. 1 deadline. Price hikes could hit coffee, shoes, appliances and a range of other products if additional tariffs take effect on Aug. 1, analysts previously told ABC News.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Ex-DOGE lawyer launches AI policy council to push US to front of tech race with China
WASHINGTON — A former top lawyer at the Department of Government Efficiency launched a new artificial intelligence policy council on Wednesday, coinciding with executive actions by President Trump to deregulating the industry, The Post can reveal. James Burnham, who also held a senior position in the Department of Justice during Trump's first term, is founding the AI Innovation Council to push an 'America First' approach to AI and prevent China from winning the race for global tech dominance — both economically and militarily. 'Artificial intelligence is a revolutionary technology with the potential to make the United States wealthier and greater than it has ever been,' he said. Advertisement 3 The Department of Government Efficiency's former top lawyer James Burnham is launching a new artificial intelligence policy council on Wednesday to coincide with executive actions by the Trump administration. LinkedIn / James Burnham 'That's why President Trump made clear in his first week back in office that 'the policy of the United States is to sustain and enhance America's global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.' 'I have been as outspoken as anyone about the problems of Big Tech and monopoly power, but it's a major mistake to let legitimate concerns about past abuses block new innovators from propelling our nation into a new golden age.' Advertisement The new council will sketch out regulatory frameworks for AI and help boost US-based companies. 3 The 'AI Action Plan' will be touted by the president's czar on the issue, Silicon Valley billionaire David Sacks, and will further promote the 'export' of American AI tech abroad and build out data centers in the US. AP Trump, 79, is set to sign several AI-related executive orders Wednesday afternoon — including an expected action to curb 'woke' models. The 'AI Action Plan' will be touted by the president's AI czar, Silicon Valley billionaire David Sacks, and will further promote the 'export' of American tech abroad and build out data centers in the US. Advertisement Last week, Sacks joined Trump in announcing more than $100 billion in AI- and energy-related private sector investments at a forum in Pittsburgh. 3 Last week, Sacks joined Trump in announcing more than $100 billion in AI- and energy-related private sector investments at a forum in Pittsburgh. Getty Images The administration may also prevent states from taking too heavy a hand in regulating the industry, according to a summary seen by Reuters. Advertisement A proposed moratorium on state and local AI regulation was removed from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by congressional Republicans before Trump signed it July 4. 'The goal isn't just to win the innovation race,' Burnham said. 'It's to help launch America's golden age.'
