Closing summary
The supreme court heard from both sides in a dispute between the Biden administration and Idaho over whether federal law requires doctors in the state, where a strict abortion ban is in effect, to perform the procedure on women in emergency circumstances. The court’s three liberal justices were skeptical towards Republican-governed Idaho, as were some members of the conservative majority, but it is unclear if they will ultimately find against the state. A decision is expected in June, which could again raise the public’s awareness of the impacts of Roe v Wade’s downfall, just months before the November presidential election.
Here’s what else happened today:
Arizona’s house passed legislation to repeal its near-total abortion ban, after three Republicans joined with all Democrats in the chamber. It now heads to the state senate, where it is set to be voted on next week.
Joe Biden signed the $95b foreign aid bill passed by the Senate yesterday into law. It approves further military assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and threatens social media app TikTok with a nationwide ban unless its Chinese owner sells it in a year.
The White House’s campaign against junk fees continued, with the transportation department debuting new regulations against hidden charges, and requirements that passengers receive automatic refunds in certain cases.
The defense department announced a $1b weapons shipment to Ukraine shortly after the aid bill was signed that president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said would help them defend against Russia’s attacks.
TikTok is in trouble in the US. The just-signed foreign aid bill requires its owner, Chinese firm ByteDance, to sell the popular social media app in a year, or be banned nationwide.
The Associated Press reports that the Arizona house finally passed a bill repealing its near-total abortion ban after three Republicans voted to advance the measure alongside all 29 Democrats in the chamber.
Previous attempts to pass the bill had failed for a lack of votes by Republicans, who hold a narrow majority in the house.
The divide in the Senate is similar small, with Republicans in the majority with 16 seats, and Democrats with 14.
