Arkansas governor signs near-total abortion ban into law
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday signed into law legislation banning nearly all abortions in the state, a sweeping measure that supporters hope will force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its landmark Roe v. Wade decision but opponents vow to block before it takes effect later this year.
The Republican governor had expressed reservations about the bill, which only allows the procedure to save the life of the mother and does not provide exceptions for those impregnated in an act of rape or incest. Arkansas is one of at least 14 states where legislators have proposed outright abortion bans this year.
Hutchinson said he was signing the bill because of its “overwhelming legislative support and my sincere and long-held pro-life convictions.”
The bans were pushed by Republicans who want to force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. Conservatives believe the court is more open to striking down the decision following former President Donald Trump’s three appointments to the court.
Hutchinson has signed several major abortion restrictions into law since taking office in 2015, but he had voiced concerns that this bill directly challenges Roe and about the lack of rape and incest exceptions. He repeated those concerns as he announced his decision.
Biden dog Major in doghouse after injuring security agent
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has Major trouble.
Family dogs Major and Champ have been banished from the White House for a doggie time out in Delaware after Major caused a “minor injury” to a Secret Service agent.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki explained the canine caper Tuesday by saying the dogs “are still getting acclimated and accustomed to their new surroundings and new people.”
“On Monday, the first family’s younger dog Major was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual, which was handled by the White House medical unit, with no further treatment needed,” Psaki said.
She would not confirm that a Secret Service agent was injured in Monday’s incident, but an administration official later said an agent was Major’s victim. The agent was not seriously injured, said the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
Nasdaq jumps 3.7%, most in four months, as Big Tech surges
Technology companies powered stocks higher on Wall Street Tuesday, driving the Nasdaq to its biggest gain in four months and more than making up for a sharp skid a day earlier.
The Nasdaq surged 3.7%, led by gains in Big Tech companies such as Apple, Amazon and Facebook. Despite its big day, the index remains 7.2% below its all-time high set Feb. 12. On Monday, it closed 10% below its peak, what is known as a “correction” on Wall Street.
The tech stocks rally, which helped lift the S&P 500 1.4%, followed a decline in bond yields, which have been increasing rapidly in recent weeks, driving up long-term interest rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note dropped to 1.54% after trading above 1.60% a day earlier.
Higher bond yields tend to pull money away from high-priced stocks like technology companies, which have been soaring through the pandemic and, as a result, have been beaten down as bond yields have marched higher.
“The yields being down took a little of the pressure off the tech stocks,” said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at All Star Charts. “There’s still beneath the surface a buy-the-dip mentality and a belief that large-cap growth (stocks) are going to be a persistent leader in the market.”
Arrested journalist pleaded with officer: ‘This is my job’
IOWA CITY, Iowa — An Iowa journalist covering a protest for racial justice was temporarily blinded after a police officer shot pepper spray at her and then jailed despite telling him repeatedly that she was just doing her job, according to video played Tuesday at the reporter’s trial.
Body camera video captured by Des Moines Police Sgt. Natale Chiodo showed Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri in custody on May 31, 2020, her eyes burning from pepper spray. She said she was with the newspaper and asked Officer Luke Wilson why he was arresting her, adding that she was in pain and couldn’t see.
“This is my job,” Sahouri says on the video. “I’m just doing my job. I’m a journalist.”
Sahouri’s defense played the video for jurors on the second day of a trial in which Sahouri and her former boyfriend, Spenser Robnett, are charged with failure to disperse and interference with official acts. The prosecution has drawn widespread criticism from media and human rights advocates, who say that the charges are an attack on press freedom. The pair face fines and potentially even jail time if convicted.
Officer Wilson testified that he failed to record the arrest on his body camera and did not notify a supervisor as required by department policy. But Chiodo’s body camera captured the scene shortly after Wilson detained Sahouri.
