In Alabama, patients are praying for a change of heart on access to IVF

The court’s February 16 decision, which declared that frozen embryos are children under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, rested in part on the belief that “life begins at fertilization,” Justice Jay Mitchell wrote in the majority opinion. In a concurring opinion, Chief Justice Tom Parker wrote that “human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God” and quoted from the Bible.

CNN

Who’s running this election anyway? High turnover and threats plague election offices

“You have to be somewhat crazy to do what we do,” said Burgess, who in January began serving as the county’s interim chief elections official. “The negative publicity, the harassment.”

USA Today

Here’s how Trump won in South Carolina — and what it could mean for his chances in November

Trump dominates among conservative voters. But his challenge is that those voters were just 37% of the electorate in the November 2020 presidential election. The other 63% identified as moderate or liberal, the two categories that Trump lost to Haley in South Carolina.

AP News

Hold up! Is This Black Fla. Surgeon General Playing a Political Game With Our Children’s Lives?

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo defers to parents on keeping unvaccinated children home as a measles outbreak takes hold.

The Root

What could Biden’s Israel-Gaza stance mean for his campaign? Michigan is an early test

It may feel far away for some Americans, but Alawieh’s city, Dearborn, has felt every death in Gaza deeply. It’s home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the country.

Alawieh started getting calls from cousins, friends and acquaintances in Michigan who’d barely expressed an interest in politics.

“Those same people are reaching out to me right now saying, ‘This is Biden’s fault, what are we going to do to make sure Biden stops this?'” he said.

NPR

Beto O’Rourke backs campaign for Michigan Democratic primary voters to vote ‘uncommitted’ over Biden’s handling of Israel-Hamas war

“I do think it makes sense for those who want to see this administration do more, or do a better job, to exert that political pressure and get the president’s attention and the attention of those on his campaign so that the United States does better,” O’Rourke told the news outlet.

Business Insider

Man found guilty in trans woman’s killing after first federal gender-based hate crime trial

A South Carolina man was found guilty Friday of killing a Black transgender woman in the nation’s first federal trial over a hate crime based on gender identity.

CBS News

Tennessee Governor Rolls Back Marriage Equality in Just Once Sentence

Tennessee has passed a law that, despite being just one sentence long, completely annihilates marriage equality in the state.

Republican Governor Bill Lee signed House Bill 878 into law on Wednesday. The measure simply states, “A person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage.”

The New Republic

LGBTQ+ megastars have long dominated gospel music. Their flair has shaped the “soul-stirring” genre.

There is an undeniable queerness to gospel music, a particular interpretation, and expressiveness by LGBTQ+ folks, churched and unchurched. As repressive as the Black church is around openly LGBTQ+ identities, many of us are nonetheless drawn to its gospel music.

LGBTQ Nation

After years of exclusion, Staten Island will host LGBTQ-friendly St. Patrick’s Day parade

Organizers have excluded local LGBTQ+ groups from the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on Staten Island for decades. Despite a ban on queer organizations being lifted in 2014, those behind the celebration have refused to change their tune to this day.

Advocate

Physicians share concerns over IVF treatments pausing after Alabama court ruling

A high court ruling prompted three fertility providers to pause IVF treatments.

ABC News

Gavin Newsom views Biden’s age as a help, not a hindrance

“What a gift it is for the American people,” Newsom said of Biden’s wisdom in an appearance on “Meet The Press”

Salon

GOP seeks to distance itself from consequences of Alabama frozen embryo decision

The Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children is putting Republicans in a bind, forcing them to distance themselves from some of the decision’s sweeping consequences.

The Hill

Yale joins another Ivy League school to again require standardized test scores amid equity concern

After almost four years, Yale University is joining another Ivy League school to once again require applicants to submit an SAT or ACT score, saying the change could help boost admittance for underprivileged students despite concerns from advocates.

CNN

Texas secessionists are becoming more fervent than ever. But experts say it would mess up its thriving economy.

“To replace the government services we rely on, the nation of Texas would have to find a way to get an additional $9,000 or so per person living here — possibly through income or sales taxes,” Eva DeLuna, a state budget analyst at Every Texan, told Texas Monthly in 2022. “For a two-person household, that’s $18,000 coming out of your pocket.”

Business Insider

Arizona sector becomes No. 1 hotspot for migrant crossings, despite border walls and treacherous terrain

Nestled between the Tohono O’odham Nation Reservation and a highway that connects Tucson with Nogales, Mexico, this area in southern Arizona is one of the most remote stretches of the U.S.-Mexico border. For the past months, it has also been the busiest region for Border Patrol apprehensions of migrants entering the U.S. unlawfully.

CBS News

The Human Toll of Greg Abbott’s War at the Border

A dispatch from Eagle Pass, where the Texas governor has amped up the cruelty toward migrants to boost his profile

Rolling Stone

Series of recent DOJ cases show foreign operatives plotting assassinations in U.S.

“We face a rising threat from authoritarian regimes who seek to reach beyond their own borders to commit acts of repression, including inside the United States,” Matthew Olsen, the head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said in 2022when announcing charges in one of the cases.

NPR

Vigils held nationwide for nonbinary Oklahoma teenager who died following school bathroom fight

Vigils took place across the nation for an Oklahoma teenager who died the day after a fight in a high school bathroom in which the nonbinary student said they were a target of bullying.

AP News

CPAC Reveals GOP Focus: Immigration, Trump Praise, Foreign Aid Doubts

The conference marked its 50th anniversary, having evolved from Ronald Reagan’s call for conservative unity to its current rightward shift, now effectively dubbed “The Trump Show.” Despite its apparent allegiance to Trump, CPAC has faced a diminishing relevance, with sessions held in half-empty ballrooms and diminished media presence.

International Business Times

Michigan seeks volunteers to sponsor more refugees, prompting concerns from some groups

A refugee sponsorship program that recently came under the scrutiny of conservative groups has been in place in Michigan for at least a year, but appears to be growing as the number of refugees seeking entry into Michigan expands.

The Detroit Times

Wisconsin’s extreme gerrymandering era ends as new maps come into force

Since 2012, no matter how voters throughout one of America’s most competitive states cast their ballots, Republicans have been guaranteed to hold control of the state legislature. That’s because for more than a decade Republicans drew districts lines that are so distorted in their favor, they cemented their control. The dominance was underscored in 2022 when Tony Evers, a Democrat, won re-election with 51.2% of the vote. Republicans still held 65% of the seats in the 99-person state assembly.

As of 19 February, that era is over.

The Guardian

How Donald Trump Became Unbeatable

I talk with Republican-primary voters in focus groups every week, and through these conversations, I’ve learned that the answer has as much to do with Trump’s party and his would-be competitors as it does with Trump himself. Most Republican leaders have profoundly misread their base in this moment.

The Atlantic

Social media cases head to SCOTUS — but conservatives may have already won

Two major cases deal with GOP laws aiming to force Big Tech to carry all users’ viewpoints.

Politico

US and UK carry out fresh strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen

The Pentagon says US and UK fighter planes have carried out strikes on 18 Houthi sites in Yemen – the fourth such joint operation by the allies.

BBC

Trump exchanges a close hug with Argentine President Javier Milei at conservative summit

Javier Milei, the fiery, right-wing populist president of Argentina, gave Donald Trump on Saturday an ecstatic hug a day after meeting with Biden administration officials in Buenos Aires.

AP News

Germany’s Steinmeier pays tribute to Namibian late president

“Here in Namibia, he will be remembered for the pivotal role he played in drafting the Namibian Constitution and leading this country towards democracy, stability and prosperity,” Steinmeier said.

Deutsche Welle

Moldovan separatists to ask Putin to annexe their region

Rebel government to submit its request to Kremlin during a special congress on Wednesday

The Telegraph

“My Little Pony” convention raided by Russian authorities for “LGBT propaganda”

A pony in the show has a rainbow mane, and Russian television speculates that that was enough to inspire the raid.

LGBTQ Nation

The British Prime Minister Is Under Fire for a Transphobic Gibe. What’s Different This Time?

The U.K. can be a fairly hostile place for trans people, but a recent “scandal” suggests the mood may be shifting.

Slate

Two years into war, Ukraine’s ammunition crisis is a tipping point

Zelensky vows to fight on despite Avdiivka falling and American aid held up by political stalemate.

Task and Purpose

Taiwan fears that stalled Ukraine aid foreshadows their future if China invades

Taiwanese officials have expressed concerns about stalled US aid to Ukraine, fearing implications for US defense support in the event of a Chinese invasion.

Business Insider

Mt. Everest is plagued by garbage. These Nepali women are transforming it into crafts

The ropes that Chaudhary and the others are using were once the lifeline for mountain climbers tackling Nepal’s mountains and were then tossed. Government initiatives to clean up discarded materials on the mountains have ramped up since 2019. The waste, including the ropes, is now finding new life, transformed by skilled hands like Chaudhary’s into items to sell such as boxes and table mats.

NPR

Namibia’s late President Hage Geingob’s funeral amid surge in patriotism

A huge crowd has attended the state funeral of Namibian President Hage Geingob following his death at the age of 82 from cancer.

BBC

Zelenskiy Says 31,000 Troops Killed as Ukraine Seeks US Aid Decision Within Month

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country has lost 31,000 soldiers since Russia’s full-scale invasion started two years ago as he stressed that a decision from the US Congress on $60 billion in aid was needed within a month.

Bloomberg

With lives shattered by war, Ukrainian teens build new dreams

Two years on, Ukrainian teens taking refuge in Poland try to settle into new lives.

AlJazeera

Egypt sets up second camp for displaced Palestinians in Gaza

Egypt had earlier last month established a similar camp, also in Khan Younis, to host 3000 Palestinians.

The New Arab

Russian drone forces Germany’s Baerbock to cut short visit in Ukraine

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had to cut short her visit of a waterworks facility in southern Ukraine on Sunday when a Russian spy drone was sighted, a Foreign Office official said.

dpa International

Vast majority of Iranians want a secular government, poll reveals

Less than one in 10 people think women should be forced to wear a hijab, according to a new anonymous state-run survey

The Telegraph

Putin dealt crushing blow as energy grip over Europe gone for good

Vladimir Putin has been struck with a major blow as Europe breaks free of direct Russian oil imports, research suggests.

Analysts at European energy consultancy Rystad, say Europe’s supply of oil and gas has shifted to the US and Canada.

GB News

Mexico poll frontrunner Claudia Sheinbaum deluged with hate messages

Mexico’s presidential frontrunner says she is being flooded with hate-filled messages after her phone number was published on social media.

BBC