The Democrat from Alabama who sparked outrage with his remarks defending abortion attacked Donald Trump Jr., saying he’s “proof” that mothers should have the right to abort their children. State Rep. John Rogers of Birmingham caused an uproar while expressing his opposition to the approved bill that would outlaw all abortions in Alabama with the exception of those for women whose pregnancies cause a risk to their health.
The Florida Legislature passed a high-profile Republican bill on Thursday banning sanctuary policies that protect undocumented immigrants and requiring law enforcement officials to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The bill passed the House on a 68-45 vote with Democrats opposed, shortly after it cleared the Senate by a 22-18 mostly party-line vote, as the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. Gov. Ron DeSantis has supported the measure and is expected to sign it into law.
The Cook County, Ill., judge set to decide whether a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate why charges were dropped against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett has a son who works in the state’s attorney’s office. The news sets up another potential conflict of interest for State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office and its handling of the controversial case. Judge Leroy Martin Jr. addressed a petition Thursday filed by retired Appellate Judge Sheila O’Brien to recuse himself and assign the case to a judge outside Cook County. Martin’s son, Leroy Martin III, is an assistant state’s attorney who has worked under Foxx for more than a year. He was hired in April 2018.
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#TheFlashback 1937: Margaret Mitchell wins the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, “Gone with the Wind.” 1802: Washington, D.C., is incorporated as a city. 1469: Political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli is born in Florence, Italy.