International

The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily allows emergency abortions to be done in Idaho

– The United States Supreme Court decided on Thursday to temporarily allow abortions in medical emergencies in the state of Idaho to protect the life and health of the mother.

The Supreme Court, with a conservative majority, formally dismissed an appeal on the strict prohibition of abortion in Idaho by 6 votes to 3, although the central issues of the case were not considered.

The document was published a day after it was briefly posted by mistake on the Supreme Court’s website and published by a news agency.

The decision re-establishes, therefore, a ruling of a lower court that temporarily allowed state hospitals to perform emergency abortions in hospitals if necessary to protect the mother’s health, while the case progresses in the lower courts.

Three of the court conservatives (President John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett) sided with the three liberals (Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson) when they dismissed Idaho’s appeal.

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Judges Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissaged.

The case focuses on whether a federal law aimed at guaranteeing emergency care for any patient – the Medical Treatment and Emergency Work Act (Emtala) – replaces the abortion ban in Idaho, one of the strictest in the country.

This has been the first time that the highest court has studied the state restrictions on abortion that came after the TS itself eliminated the Roe vs Wade doctrine that had protected the right to abortion at the national level.

This timid victory for abortion advocates is in addition to the victory achieved after the decision of the Supreme Court to reject a challenge to the approval of the abortion pill, the most widely used method to abort today in the United States.

On that occasion, again, the highest court did not rule on the merits of the case.

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After the decision was heard, President Joe Biden recalled in a statement that it is only valid “while this case returns to the lower courts.”

“No woman should be denied attention, forced to wait until she is on the verge of death or forced to flee her state of origin just to receive the medical attention she needs. This should never happen in the United States,” but “it’s exactly what is happening in states across the country since the Supreme Court annulled Roe against Wade,” he said.

According to Biden, who tonight is facing the first debate of the White House race against Donald Trump, doctors “should be able to practice medicine” and “patients should be able to receive the care they need.”

“We will continue to fight for women’s right to make deeply personal health care decisions and we will continue to fight to restore Roe’s protections against Wade in federal law, for all women in all states of the country,” she said.

Since in June 2022 the U.S. supreme court, with a conservative majority, eliminated federal protection against abortion by annulling the ‘Roe vs. Wade’ ruling, dozens of states – Idaho among them – have carried out a frontal attack on women’s rights by implementing restrictive anti-abortion laws.

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That same year, the Administration of the current US President, Joe Biden, sued the state of Idaho alleging that the restrictions on this procedure are regulated in part by federal law and cannot be interposed when it comes to saving the lives of pregnant women.

To defend this position, the 40-year-old Emtala Law was invoked, which obliges hospitals that receive federal funds to provide emergency medical care to anyone, also for reproductive reasons.

In the opinion of the vice president of reproductive rights and health of the National Center for Women’s Law, Gretchen Borchelt, “the Supreme Court does not deserve any credit for this decision.”

“This is the minimum that pregnant people and suppliers in Idaho deserve,” he said in a statement.

“Instead of issuing a decision that would unequivocally reaffirm that emergency abortion care is protected by a long-standing federal law, the Court ruled out this issue, opening the possibility that in the future more pregnant women will be denied care that saves their lives and health,” he added.

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International

U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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International

Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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International

Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.