List of All Articles with Tag 'eric'

It was the most tantalizing of victories. Despite inflicting the most crushing defeat in half a century on the opposition, Greece's center-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected Monday to seek a second national election within weeks, as he lacks the majority in Parliament to govern alone. With 99.55% of the votes counted early Monday, Mitsotakis' New Democracy party won 40.79% — twice the leftwing main opposition Syriza's 20.07%. Socialist Pasok came in third at 11.46%. The margin far outstripped pollsters' forecasts and was the biggest since 1974, when Greece's first democratic elections were held after the fall of the seven-year military dictatorship. But the one-off proportional representation system in effect Sunday means ND only gains 146 of Parliament's 300 seats, five short of a governing majority. The new elections, expected in late June or early July, will revert to the previous system that grants the first party a bonus of up to 50 seats. That would ensure Mitsotakis a comfortable majority for a second term in power. Later Monday, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou is due to hand Mitsotakis the mandate to try to form a coalition government — which he is expected to return. Hours after voting ended Sunday, the 55-year-old prime minister said he would “follow all constitutional procedures” but strongly implied he would not engage in coalition talks. “Without a doubt, the political earthquake that occurred today calls on us all to speed up the process for a definitive government solution so our country can have an experienced hand at its helm as soon as possible,” he said. Mitsotakis had long suggested he would not seek a coalition partner whatever the election outcome, advocating instead the stabilizing effect of strong, undivided governance. If Mitsotakis hands back the mandate, it will then pass to Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras, and then to Pasok leader Nikos Androulakis — neither of whom have any realistic chance of success. Each will have a maximum of three days to try to form a coalition. Once all options are exhausted, a senior judge will be appointed caretaker prime minister and new elections called. Tsipras, 48, called Mitsotakis on Sunday night to congratulate him. “The result is exceptionally negative for Syriza,” he said in initial statements. “Fights have winners and losers.” Tsipras, who was prime minister from 2015 to 2019, said his party would gather to examine the results and how they came about. “However, the electoral cycle is not yet over,” he said. “We don’t have the luxury of time. We must immediately carry out all the changes that are needed so we can fight the next crucial and final electoral battle with the best terms possible.” Mitsotakis, a Harvard-educated former banking executive, came to power in 2019 on a promise of business-oriented reforms and has vowed to continue tax cuts, boost investments and bolster middle-class employment. He has been credited with Greece’s successful handling of the pandemic and of two crises with neighboring Turkey, while overseeing high growth and job creation after the end of Greece's 2009-2018 financial crisis, but a wiretapping scandal and a railway disaster damaged his ratings. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide AP News Digest 3 am Greece prime minister Mitsotakis hails election victory as ‘political earthquake’ Polls open in Greece's first election since international bailout spending controls ended

A top attorney to former President Donald Trump is leaving his legal defence effort, and blaming Mr Trump’s top aide Boris Epshteyn for supposedly being dishonest and unforthcoming in his work to assist the ex-president’s lawyers with his defence against an investigation into whether he retained classified documents illegally. His exit comes as the National Archives announced it found a trove of records proving that Donald Trump and his advisors knew they were breaking rules by taking those classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, according to a report. The agency sent a letter, obtained by CNN, to Mr Trump this week revealing it had found 16 records showing he and his top advisers were aware of the correct declassification process when he was president. “The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records,” wrote archivist Debra Steidel Wall. These records will be turned over to Special Counsel Jack Smith as part of the criminal investigation into Mr Trump’s handling of classified documents. Read More Lawyer who quit Trump legal team cites disagreements with Trump adviser as basis for departure DeSantis super PAC tackles tricky task of organizing support for him in Iowa without the candidate Biden gets low ratings on economy, guns, immigration in AP-NORC Poll

President Joe Biden spoke with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday and agreed they would meet on Monday afternoon to try to break the stalemate over legislation to raise the national debt limit. A call took place, according to a White House readout, which gave no indication to the tone of the discussion. Mr McCarthy characterised the call as “productive” in a comment to reporters. A day earlier, the Speaker said negotiations had taken a step backward following Mr Biden’s remarks that he believed the 14th Amendment could be used to circumvent Congress on the issue. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to move forward until the president can get back into the country,” Mr McCarthy said on Saturday. “Just from the last day to today they’ve moved backwards. They actually want to spend more money than we spend this year.” Mr Biden’s call with Mr McCarthy took place while the president was on Air Force One bound for the US on Sunday. He had cut short his attendance at the G7 summit in Japan in order to lead negotiations with Republicans on the issue. During an appearance on Sunday show, Meet the Press, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen once again warned that the federal government is projected to run out of money on or about 1 June. Should the US be unable to pay its outstanding obligations to debt holders, or even raise questions about its ability to do so, it risks a downgrade of the US’s credit rating which would affect interest rates on future loans. The last official downgrading of the United States’s credit rating occurred in 2011, when Standard and Poor’s dropped the US’s rating from “AAA” to “AA+”. “I indicated in my last letter to Congress that we expect to be unable to pay all of our bills in early June and possibly as soon as June 1. And I will continue to update Congress, but I certainly haven’t changed my assessment. So I think that that’s a hard deadline,” Sec. Yellen said. She added that the possibilty was “quite low” that the US could extend its ability to pay its obligations through 15 June - referencing remarks made by Republicans who suggested Treasury could maneuver past a 1 June deadline without hitting a default. ”[I]t’s hard to be absolutely certain about this, but my assessment is that the odds of reaching June 15th, while being able to pay all of our bills, is quite low,” said Ms Yellen. “[M]y assumption is that if the debt ceiling isn’t raised, there will be hard choices to make about what bills go unpaid.” Mr Biden has been roundly accused by conservatives of refusing to negotiate cuts to federal spending ahead of the debt ceiling deadline. The White House, meanwhile, has blamed Republicans for putting the country’s credit rating at risk. Earlier on Sunday, the president spoke at a press conference and did not indicate that he was completely opposed to reaching a compromise with Republicans on spending levels, though he warned that the GOP must be willing to move in his direction as well. “It’s time for Republicans to accept that there’s no bipartisan deal to be made solely — solely — on their partisan terms,” said Mr Biden. “They have to move as well.” Read More ‘Putin will not break our resolve,’ Joe Biden tells G7 Top House negotiator on debt limit says it's time to 'press pause' as talks come to standstill Biden meeting with Indo-Pacific leaders at G7 summit while confronting stalemate over US debt limit Debt ceiling showdown: Biden and congressional leaders to meet as McCarthy pushes for faster deal Most say pair debt limit increase with deficit cuts, but few following debate closely: AP-NORC poll G7 finance leaders promise support for Ukraine, vow to enforce sanctions against Russia

Hannah Moushabeck remembers the warm feeling of snuggling beside her two sisters under a heavy blanket, giggles filling their bedroom as they waited for baba to tuck them in and share another bedtime story.

An attorney working Donald Trump’s legal team has quit, citing in-fighting among the former president’s inner circle. Timothy Parlatore left his role this week, according to The New York Times, after working for Mr Trump for at least a year. In an interview with CNN on Saturday, Mr Parlatore explained that the reason for his departure was ongoing friction with Boris Epshteyn, another legal adviser to Mr Trump. Mr Epshteyn, according to Mr Parlatore, has been stonewalling the legal team in their attempts to ascertain whether all presidential records that Mr Trump took with him when he left the White House had been turned over to the National Archives. The removal of official presidential records by Mr Trump led to the Justice Department’s raid of his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, last fall. Mr Epshteyn “attempted to interfere” with attorneys’ efforts to search Mar-a-Lago for more documents, Mr Parlatore said. The advisor also “served as kind of a filter to prevent us from getting information to the client”, feeding Mr Trump his own opinions instead, Mr Parlatore told CNN. “The real reason is because there are certain individuals that made defending the president much harder than it needed to be. In particular, there is one individual who works for him, Boris Epshteyn, who had really done everything he could to try to block us, to prevent us from doing what we could to defend the president,” said Mr Parlatore. “In my opinion, he was not very honest with us or with the client on certain things,” he added. Mr Trump’s team denied Mr Parlatore’s characterisation of the events leading to his departure. “Mr. Parlatore is no longer a member of the legal team. His statements regarding current members of the legal team are unfounded and categorically false,” a spokesperson told CNN. The legal issues of Mr Trump remain under intense scrutiny after he announced his third presidential campaign for the White House in 2024. Earlier this month, Mr Trump was found liable in a civil lawsuit over the sexual abuse of the writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s. At one point during his deposition, Mr Trump appeared to confuse an image of Ms Carroll with his ex-wife, Marla Maples after previously claiming that Ms Carroll was not his “type”. Mr Trump is facing a host of other legal battles, both criminal and civil, which threaten him and his business empire. New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating a civil fraud case against the Trump Organization and the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is prosecuting him for hush payments he allegedly directed to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. In Georgia, Fulton County’s District Attorney Fani Willis is deliberating whether to prosecute Mr Trump or members of his team for their attempts to overturn the state’s presidential election results in 2020. Read More South Carolina Republicans hear pitches from 2024 candidates, reelect state party chairman DeSantis super PAC tackles tricky task of organizing support for him in Iowa without the candidate Trump’s White House lawyer predicts ex-president will end up in jail as Mar-a-Lago probe heats up Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

The largest and oldest civil rights organisation in the United States has issued a formal advisory warning travelers to Florida that the state is “openly hostile” towards Black people, people of colour and LGBT+ people. An advisory issued by the NAACP on 20 May comes as a response to a series of laws signed by Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis targeting classroom instruction around race and racism, gender and sexuality, and bills and administration policy aimed at LGBT+ people. “Let me be clear – failing to teach an accurate representation of the horrors and inequalities that Black Americans have faced and continue to face is a disservice to students and a dereliction of duty to all,” NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement. “Under the leadership of Governor Desantis, the state of Florida has become hostile to Black Americans and in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon,” he added. “He should know that democracy will prevail because its defenders are prepared to stand up and fight. We’re not backing down, and we encourage our allies to join us in the battle for the soul of our nation.” The advisory states that “due to this sustained, blatant, relentless and systemic attack on democracy and civil rights, the NAACP hereby issues a travel advisory to African Americans, and other people of color regarding the hostility towards African Americans in Florida.” On 17 May, Gov DeSantis approved a slate of bills that restrict gender-affirming care for minors, threaten drag shows, forbid people from using bathrooms that match their gender identity, and prevent people from using their chosen pronouns at schools. The legislation also follows administration policy targeting affirming healthcare for trans youth, over the objections of major health organisations and LGBT+ advocates. Mr DeSantis also recently expanded a measure labelled by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” law prohibiting classroom instruction on issues related to gender and sexuality, which critics argue will have a chilling effect on LGBT+ people in schools as part of an effort to erase LGBT+ people from public life. Mr DeSantis, who is reportedly preparing to launch his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, also has spearheaded a series of measures around honest discussions of race and racism in schools, including a law that blocks public spending on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Florida also is at the centre of a nationwide trend of challenges against books and materials in libraries and schools. This week, Penguin Random House and several prominent authors and families filed a federal lawsuit against a school district where activists have challenged dozens of books, largely involving or written by people of colour or LGBT+ people. In April, advocacy group Equality Florida issued a similar travel advisory that warned that the state may “not be a safe place to visit or take up residence”. “As an organization that has spent decades working to improve Florida’s reputation as a welcoming and inclusive place to live work and visit, it is with great sadness that we must respond to those asking if it is safe to travel to Florida or remain in the state as the laws strip away basic rights and freedoms,” according to a statement from Nadine Smith, Equality Florida’s executive director. The Independent has requested comment from the governor’s office. Read More Disney cancels $1bn Florida theme park extension amid war with DeSantis Penguin Random House sues Florida school district over ‘unconstitutional’ book bans DeSantis v Disney: Why Florida’s governor is at war with the Mouse

A shoot-out at a car show in northern Mexico has left at least 10 people dead and nine others injured, the municipal government said on Saturday. Gunfire erupted during an all-terrain car racing show in the San Vicente area of the city of Ensenada, the Baja California state attorney general’s office said. People with long guns were seen getting out of a van and shooting at the participants around 2.18pm local time, reported Reuters. Municipal and state police, the Marines, the Fire Department and Mexican Red Cross were among the agencies who responded to the scene. Video footage of the shooting was posted on social media and showed people running after gunfire erupts in the arena. Several figures can be seen lying on the ground. The wounded were transported to hospitals in northern Baja California by Mexico’s Red Cross, reported Fox8. The director of the Agencia Fronteriza de Noticias said that the mass shooting was “due to a ‘fight’ between the CJNG (cartel) and the Sinaloa cartel,” citing unnamed sources, according to theTimes of San Diego. The organisers of the two-day event shared a message of sympathy following the shooting and said that “unfortunately, what happened during the tour was not in our hands”. “We are as baffled as all of you since we have nothing to do with what happened,” the message read. Attorney General Ricardo Ivan Carpio Sanchez commissioned a special investigation into the shooting. The identities or nationalities of the victims have not been identified. Read More Mexico withdraws prison sentence against of who killed her rapist in self defense Mexico City airport briefly shutters due to eruption of volcanic ash Volcanic ash from Popocatepetl temporarily shuts down Mexico City airports

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan. —————————— TOP STORIES ——————————- RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, “Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today,” contesting Moscow’s claims that it controls the city. It’s impossible to confirm the situation on the ground in the invasion’s longest battle. By Zeke Miller, Elise Morton and Susie Blann. SENT: 1,250 words, video, photos, audio. G7 SUMMIT — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy huddled with some of his biggest backers as the Group of Seven summit closed in Hiroshima. Zelenskyy’s in-person appearance in his trademark olive drab underscored the centrality of the war for the G7 bloc of rich democracies. It also stole much of the limelight from other priorities, including security challenges in Asia and outreach to the developing world, that the leaders focused on at the three-day gathering. By Adam Schreck, Foster Klug and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,160 words, photos. MASS KILLING-ANNIVERSARIES — As the number of people who die in mass killings in the U.S. continues to rise, thousands more are left to handle the trauma of losing someone they love. One of the hardest days they confront each year is the anniversary of the killing. They grapple with the same question, sometimes after many years have passed: What do I do with myself on the date that changed everything? Some people throw a party to get through the pain. Others prefer to be completely alone. By Trisha Ahmed. SENT: 1,420 words, photos. This is the Monday Spotlight. DEBT-LIMIT — President Joe Biden says Republicans in the U.S. House must move off their “extreme positions” on the now-stalled talks over raising America’s debt limit and that there will be no agreement to avert a catastrophic default only on their terms. By Zeke Miller and Josh Boak. SENT: 680 words, photos. SENATE-FEDERMAN — Before Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman checked himself in to a hospital for clinical depression in February, he used to walk the halls of the Senate stone-faced and dressed in formal suits. These days, he’s back to wearing the hoodies and gym shorts he was known for before he became a senator. People close to Fetterman say his more relaxed style is a reflection of the progress he’s made after six weeks of inpatient treatment for clinical depression. By Mary Clare Jalonick and Marc Levy. SENT: 1,200 words, photos. HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS — Democratic leaders in major U.S. cities are finding themselves politically squeezed when it comes to addressing homelessness. A unanimous New York City Council has passed a “Homeless Bill of Rights.” It not only codifies a long-standing right to shelter but would establish the right to sleep outside. New York would be the first big U.S. city to establish the right if Mayor Eric Adams allows the measure to become law. By Bobby Caina Calvan and Christopher Weber. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. ——————————————————— MORE ON G7 ———————————————————- G7-JAPAN-ECLIPSED BY ZELENSKYY — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s participation in the Group of Seven summit is making some atomic bomb survivors feel the visit is overshadowing their pursuit of nuclear abolishment. They say Zelenskyy’s inclusion at the summit, where discussion is expected to focus on more provisions of weapons, doesn’t fit Hiroshima’s pacifist identity and sends the wrong message. SENT: 620 words, photos. With G7-JAPAN-SOUTH KOREA — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol have prayed together at a memorial for Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing in Hiroshima on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit. SENT: 550 words, photos. ———————- MORE NEWS ———————- GENDER PRONOUNS-FIRINGS — The firing of two employees at a religious school in western New York is fanning the culture wars roiling parts of the United States. Shua Wilmot and Raegan Zelaya were dismissed as dorm directors at Houghton University because they refused to remove gender pronouns from their work email signatures. SENT: 710 words. MEXICO-RAPE SENTENCE — Mexican prosecutors say they are dropping a case against a woman who was sentenced to six years in prison for killing a man as he raped and attacked her. SENT: 680 words, photos. XGR-INDIANA UNIVERSITY-KINSEY INSTITUTE — Unfounded claims about Indiana University’s sex research institute, its founder and child sex abuse have persisted over the years. The legislature has now prohibited the institute from using state dollars, and funding from the university remains unclear, but the largely symbolic move does not halt the Kinsey Institute’s work, which ranges from studies on sexual assault prevention to contraception use among women. SENT: 870 words, photos. AIR QUALITY-SMOKE-CANADA FIRES — Officials in Colorado and Montana have issued air quality alerts due to smoke from dozens of wildfires in Canada that has drifted south into the United States. SENT: 310 words, photos. ——————————————————— WASHINGTON/POLITICS ———————————————————- ELECTIONS-LOCAL TURMOIL — Far-right conservatives who won majorities on local boards and commissions across the U.S. last year are now pressing agendas that include election distrust, skepticism of government and a desire to have religion play a greater role in public decisions. The consequences are becoming apparent in places like Sumner County, Tennessee, with potential implications for how elections play out in 2024. UPCOMING: 2,100 words, video, photos, 980-word abridged version. TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS — A lawyer who quit Donald Trump’s legal team this past week is attributing his decision to strategy disagreements with a close adviser to the former president. SENT: 400 words, photo. ———————- NATIONAL ———————- FATAL SHOOTING-KANSAS CITY — Police say two people were killed at the scene and a third victim died at a hospital following a shooting at a Kansas City, Missouri, bar early Sunday. SENT: 120 words. ————————————— INTERNATIONAL —————————————- GREECE-ELECTIONS — Greeks are voting in the first parliamentary election since their country’s economy ceased to be subject to strict supervision and control by international lenders who had provided bailout funds during its nearly decade-long financial crisis. The two main contenders in Sunday’s vote are conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a Harvard-educated former banker, and Alexis Tsipras, who heads the left-wing Syriza party and served as prime minister during some of the financial crisis’ most turbulent years. SENT: 900 words, photos. Developing. ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — An extremist Israeli Cabinet minister has visited a sensitive Jerusalem holy site at a time of heightened tensions with the Palestinians. The visit by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Sunday, his second known visit since becoming a member of Israel’s most right-leaning government ever, drew condemnations from the Palestinians and neighboring Jordan and Egypt. SENT: 660 words, photo. SUDAN — Sudan’s warring factions have agreed to a new short-term ceasefire after several previous attempts to broker a truce that holds have failed. SENT: 230 words, photos. EL SALVADOR-SOCCER STAMPEDE — At least nine people have been killed and dozens more injured when stampeding soccer fans pushed through one of the access gates at a quarterfinal match in El Salvador. SENT: 360 words, photos. NORTHERN IRELAND-LOCAL ELECTIONS — Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein has made sweeping gains in Northern Ireland’s local elections. SENT: 400 words. AFGHANISTAN — The Ministry of Defense says an Afghan military helicopter crashed in the country’s north after hitting a power line base, killing at least two crewmembers. SENT: 190 words, map. IRAN-BORDER CLASH — Iranian state TV says five Iranian border guards were killed in a clash with an unknown armed group trying to enter the country near the Pakistani border. SENT: 220 words, map. ———————— SPORTS ———————— RAC-PREAKNESS — Bob Baffert’s National Treasure has won the Preakness Stakes, hours after another of the Hall of Famer’s horses was euthanized on the track with a racing injury. Derby winner Mage finished third. SENT: 820 words, photos. BKN-NUGGETS-LAKERS — Jamal Murray scored 37 points, Nikola Jokic added 24 points and eight assists, and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. SENT: 950 words, photos. HKN-PANTHERS-HURRICANES — Matthew Tkachuk finished a feed from Sam Reinhart at the 1:51 mark of overtime to help the Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 for a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference final. SENT: 880 words, photos. ———————- HOW TO REACH US ———————- The Nerve Center can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide AP News Digest 3 am Back in hoodies and gym shorts, Fetterman tackles Senate life after depression treatment Biden: GOP must move off 'extreme' positions, no debt limit deal solely on its 'partisan terms'

Worried of being held hostage economically by China, the G7 spells out its plan to escape.

A former crack cocaine dealer who was granted clemency by former president Barack Obama has been jailed for allegedly shooting a car passenger on an Illinois highway, police officials said. The accused Alton D Mills has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, the Illinois state police department said on Thursday as it announced the 54-year-old’s arrest and charges. He has been accused of firing “multiple shots” at another vehicle behind him on an Interstate ramp in Posen. “Multiple shots were fired from the suspect vehicle, striking the victim’s vehicle. The back-seat passenger in the victim’s vehicle was struck by gunfire and was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries,” the police said in a statement. The incident took place at a village roughly 30 miles south of Chicago. He is now held at the Cook County Jail with no bond, the police statement added. Mr Mills was arrested after an extensive probe led to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to approve three counts of attempted murder, the police department said. In 2016, Mr Mills was relieved from his life sentence by the Obama administration after serving 22 years in prison over drug charges. He was among the 95 individuals whose sentences were commuted by Mr Obama. The pardon document by the Department of Justice cites his offence as “conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base and cocaine and conspiracy to use communication facilities in the commission of drug trafficking offences; use of communication facility to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts).” This is in addition to the charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. He was found guilty of being part of a crack cocaine conspiracy on federal charges by the authorities in 1994, a news release from the Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University shows. Mills is being held with no bond at the Cook County Jail. Read More Mexico withdraws prison sentence against of who killed her rapist in self defense Minnesota bill legalizing recreational pot passes Senate, heads to governor's desk Whistleblowers expose sexual violence and ‘institutional misogyny’ in armed forces Scorsese debuts 'Killers of the Flower Moon' in Cannes to thunderous applause International appeal on 22 decades-old murder cases receives hundreds of tip-offs

Thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday against contentious plans by their hard-line government to overhaul the judiciary, as the protest campaign showed no signs of abating nearly five months on. The main protest took place in Tel Aviv, Israel’s economic hub on the Mediterranean, with smaller other rallies across the country. Last Saturday, organizers of the grassroot demonstration cancelled the weekly protest due to security concerns as Israel traded fire with militants in the Gaza Strip. The protesters want the plans that were proposed by the most hard-line government in Israel’s history to be scrapped rather than delayed as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in March. Earlier this week, Israel’s president hosted representatives of the government and opposition parties for talks about the legal changes as parties tried to reach a compromise. The plans plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises, ripping open longstanding societal rifts and creating new ones. While the freeze in the legislation eased tensions somewhat, Netanyahu’s allies are pushing him to move ahead on the overhaul. Proponents of the plan, which would weaken the Supreme Court and limit judicial oversight on legislation and government decisions, say it is necessary to rein in what they say is an interventionist court and restore power to elected lawmakers. Opponents say it would upset Israel’s delicate system of checks and balances and imperil its democratic fundamentals. Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, faced a barrage of criticism over the legal plan from a broad swath of Israeli society, including business leaders, the booming tech sector and military reservists, who threatened not to show up for duty if the plan was approved Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

After an epic filibuster that blocked legislation for nearly three months, state lawmakers in Nebraska approved a Republican-led ban on abortion care at roughly 10 weeks of pregnancy, combined with a bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The extraordinary maneuvers in the smallest legislative body in the country have drawn national attention, as lawmakers across the United States take up a wave of bills targeting abortion rights and LGBT+ people. Protesters surrounded the state capitol chambers in Lincoln on 19 May chanting “keep your bans off our bodies” and “save our lives” as lawmakers made their final round of votes on the bill, which now heads to the desk of Republican Governor Jim Pillen, who intends to sign it into law. At least six protesters were arrested. At a show in Nebraska hours after the vote on Friday night, the artist Lizzo lambasted the legislation from the stage. “It really breaks my heart that there are young people growing up in a world that doesn’t protect them,” she said. “Don’t let anyone tell you who you are. ... These laws are not real. You are what’s real, and you deserve to be protected.” LGBT+ advocates and abortion rights groups have also signalled they are prepared to sue the state to block the measure once it is signed into law. “To be clear, we refuse to accept this as our new normal,” according to a statement from ACLU of Nebraska interim director Mindy Rush Chipman. “This vote will not be the final word. We are actively exploring our options to address the harm of this extreme legislation, and that work will have our team’s full focus. This is not over, not by a long shot.” The legislation directs the state’s chief medical officer – appointed by the Republican governor – to draft the rules for how young trans people and their families can access nonsurgical affirming healthcare. It also bans abortion at 12 weeks gestational age, or roughly nine or 10 weeks, from fertilization. The bill’s passage comes roughly three months after a group of LGBT+ and abortion rights-supporting lawmakers launched a filibuster to block any legislation from advancing in the state’s unicameral legislature until a measure banning gender-affirming care was withdrawn, or until time ran out in the 90-day session. Last month, the filibuster successfully blocked a measure from anti-abortion lawmakers to ban abortion at roughly six weeks of pregnancy. Attaching another anti-abortion measure to the gender-affirming care ban gave proponents of the bill a second chance of advancing both. Opponents forcefully opposed the inclusion of an abortion ban in a bill targeting gender-affirming care, two wholly separate issues combined into one, “but you all don’t care”, state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, who launched the filibuster effort in February, told lawmakers this week. “I wish the people in here cared about what they’re doing to people, but they don’t,” she said during debate. “Why are you doing this to our kids? Why are you doing this to our doctors? … Please stop.” State Sen. Megan Hunt, the first openly LGBT+ person elected to the state’s legislature, lambasted a Republican colleague who complained that she was missing her grandson graduate from preschool so she could vote on the bill. Ms Hunt, who changed her party affiliation from Democratic to Independent during this legislative session, also is the mother of a 12-year-old trans son. “If you want to see your grandson graduate from preschool, you should do that,” Ms Hunt told Republican state Sen Lou Ann Linehan. “Instead, you are here to drag out this session because you won’t come off this bill that hurts my son,” she said on 18 May. “You hate him more than you love your own family. And that’s why you’re here. … I am not asking you to sit here through late nights to vote on these bills that we’re dragging out. I’m asking you to love your family more than you hate mine.” She also eviscerated another lawmaker, state Sen. Ray Aguilar, who took issue with being labelled anti-LGBT+ because he said he has a gay daughter. Mr Aguilar voted in favour of the legislation. “You’re part of the problem, that is the scourge of hate and discrimination that your party is standing on in the middle of an ocean like it’s the most important thing in the world to them,” Ms Hunt said. “Your proximity to gayness does not make that OK.” More than a dozen states, mostly in the South, have severely restricted or effectively outlawed abortion in the year after the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade, which affirmed a constitutional right to abortion access. In this past week, lawmakers in North Carolina and South Carolina approved abortion bans, extending restrictions on abortion care from Texas and Oklahaoma through the entire Gulf Coast and throughout the southeast. Nebraska’s legislation also joins a nationwide campaign that has seen hundreds of bills aimed at LGBT+ people, particularly at young trans people, filed in nearly every state within the last two years. At least 15 states have enacted laws or policies banning gender-affirming care for young trans people, and more than a dozen others are considering similar measures. Court injunctions have blocked bans from going into effect in three states. More than half of all trans youth in the US between the ages of 13 and 17 are at risk of losing access to what major health organisations consider age-appropriate, medically necessary and potentially life-saving affirming healthcare in their home state, according to the Human Rights Campaign. The onslaught of legislation and volatile political debate surrounding the bills have also negatively impacted the mental health of an overwhelming majority of young trans and nonbinary people, according to polling from The Trevor Project and Morning Consult. A separate survey from The Trevor Project found that 41 per cent of trans and nonbinary youth have seriously considered attempting suicide over the last year. If you are based in the US and seek LGBT+ affirming mental health support, resources are available from Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860) and the LGBT Hotline (888-843-4564), as well as The Trevor Project (866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678). If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the US, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. 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