The Florida Supreme Court ruled today that the State Constitution’s privacy protections do not extend to abortion. The move overturns decades of precedent and clears the way for a ban on abortions in the state after six weeks of pregnancy to take effect within 30 days.
The ban, enacted last year by the state’s Republican-led government, will alter the landscape of abortion access across the American South, where women have long traveled to Florida from states with little to no access. Soon, women seeking abortions will very likely have to travel much further because few know they are pregnant at six weeks.
In a separate decision released at the same time, the court unanimously ruled that a proposed constitutional amendment to expand abortion access could appear on ballots in November. The measure, which would require support from 60 percent of voters, would guarantee the right to an abortion in the state up until a fetus is considered viable at around 24 weeks.
The rulings encapsulated, in a single state on a single day, how the country has grappled with abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Florida is the latest among more than 20 states where abortion opponents have further restricted the procedure. It is also now the largest state in which supporters of abortion rights have secured a ballot measure — a step they see as crucial in preserving abortion access, and a topic that has energized Democratic voters.
An Israeli strike killed top Iranian commanders, Iran said
An airstrike launched by Israel today destroyed a building belonging to the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed at least three Iranian generals, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement. Four other officers were killed.
Four Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that Israel had carried out the attack. The strike targeted a secret meeting between Iranian intelligence officials and Palestinian militants to discuss the war in Gaza, Iranian officials said.
Among those killed was General Mohamad Reza Zahedi, who oversaw Iran’s covert military operations in Syria and Lebanon. The strike appeared to be among the deadliest in a yearslong shadow war between Iran and Israel.
Iran’s ambassador to Syria said, “This attack will have our fierce response.”
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under rising pressure. Divisions over military exemptions given to ultra-Orthodox Jews could collapse his coalition and force elections.
Ukraine aid could clear Congress within weeks
When Speaker Mike Johnson was asked yesterday about his plan for sending aid to Ukraine, he made it clear that he was no longer debating whether to advance the aid, but rather how to. This suggests that billions in Ukraine funding could pass Congress within weeks, despite vehement opposition from hard-right Republicans.
Johnson may tie the aid for Kyiv to a measure that would force President Biden to reverse a moratorium on liquefied natural gas exports. Republicans would see it as a political victory against the president’s climate agenda, and it would unblock a proposed export terminal in Johnson’s home state of Louisiana.
Hospitals must get consent for pelvic exams, H.H.S. said
The Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter to the country’s teaching hospitals and medical schools today, saying that they must obtain written informed consent from patients before they undergo sensitive examinations, like pelvis and prostate exams. Institutions could lose Medicare funding if they don’t comply.
The effort was prompted by a Times article in 2020 that detailed the practice of examinations on nonconsenting patients, some of which were done under anesthesia, were medically unnecessary and, in some cases, were only for the educational benefit of medical trainees.
A marquee matchup
There’s still nearly a week until the N.C.A.A. will crown this year’s women’s basketball champion, but tonight’s Elite Eight contest between Iowa and L.S.U. is very likely the tournament’s most eagerly awaited game. Iowa’s superstar Caitlin Clark, in her final year in college, will battle against last year’s champion, L.S.U., and their star, Angel Reese.
Can you spot the salt?
Most Americans consume far more sodium than federal health officials recommend. The excess, officials say, can increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. But cutting back can be challenging because many people don’t even realize which foods are high in sodium.
A man with a song about almost everything
Brett Martin, a magazine writer who you’ve probably never heard of, recently came across a decade-old song on Spotify titled “Brett Martin, You a Nice Man, Yes.” To his surprise, the lyrics were about him.
Martin had stumbled upon the work of Matt Farley, who over the last two decades has written and released more than 24,000 songs about almost anything you might look up online. Some of Farley’s songs end up finding listeners, earning him just shy of $200,000 last year, one halfpenny at a time.
Have an unconventional evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
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