Former British parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court where he faces an Official Secrets Act charge related to allegedly gathering information for China, in London, Friday April 26, 2024. (Jeff Moore/PA via AP)
Former British parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court where he faces an Official Secrets Act charge related to allegedly gathering information for China, in London, Friday April 26, 2024. (Jeff Moore/PA via AP)
Former British parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court where he faces an Official Secrets Act charge related to allegedly gathering information for China, in London, Friday April 26, 2024. (Jeff Moore/PA via AP)
Seventeen states are challenging new federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions. Arkansas and Tennessee filed the lawsuit in federal court on Thursday and called the new rules an illegal interpretation of a 2022 federal law. The lawsuit comes days after finalized federal regulations were published on how to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The language means that workers can ask for time off to obtain an abortion and recover from the procedure. The lawsuit argues that the rules go beyond the scope of the law.
Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation that could see librarians prosecuted for providing “harmful” materials or programs to minors. The Alabama bill removes the existing exemption for public libraries in the state’s obscenity law. It also expands the definition of prohibited sexual conduct to include any “sexual or gender oriented conduct” at K-12 public schools or public libraries. Opponents argued that proposal would threaten librarians with criminal prosecution at the whims of community members who disagreed with their decisions on books and programs. The legislation comes amid a soaring number of book challenges _ often centered on LGBTQ content _ and efforts in a number of states to ban drag queen story readings.
TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media platform to break ties with its China-based parent company or face a ban. A battle in the courts will almost certainly be backed by Chinese authorities as the bitter U.S.-China rivalry threatens the future of a wildly popular way for young Americans to connect online. Beijing has signaled TikTok should fight what it has called a “robbers” act by U.S. lawmakers “to snatch from others all the good things that they have.” But should a legal challenge fail, observers say Chinese authorities are unlikely to allow a sale, a move that could be seen as surrendering to Washington.
On the left and right, Supreme Court justices seem to agree on a basic truth about the American system of government: No one is above the law, not even the president. But former President Donald Trump and his legal team are putting that truth to the test on Thursday when the high court takes up Trump’s bid to avoid prosecution over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. Even if the high court agrees with lower courts that have so far rejected Trump's claim, the timing of its decision may be as important as the outcome. Trump wants to delay the trial until after the November election, and the later the justices issue their decision, the more likely he is to succeed.
Some public school teachers could gain new powers to bring concealed guns into Tennessee schools. The legislation given final approval this week comes a year after a fatal shooting at a private Nashville elementary school. A previous law already allowed some private school teachers to have guns. The new measure would expand that to public school teachers who undergo training, clear background checks and get school permission. The Tennessee measures comes just days after Republican governors in Iowa and Nebraska signed laws that could expand the potential for armed personnel in schools. Meanwhile, lawmakers in some Democratic states are pursuing more gun restrictions.
FILE - A roadside memorial is stands near the Covenant School on the one-year anniversary of a mass shooting, March 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. On Tuesday, April 23, the Republican-led Legislature in Tennessee gave final approval to legislation that would allow some public school teachers to carry concealed guns into the classroom, a year after the deadly school shooting in the state's capital city stirred impassioned debate about the best ways to curb such violence. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - The Tennessee Capitol is seen Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. On Tuesday, the Republican-led Legislature in Tennessee gave final approval to legislation that would allow some public school teachers to carry concealed guns into the classroom, a year after a deadly school shooting in the state's capital city stirred impassioned debate about the best ways to curb such violence. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
