“A county district judge in Wyoming blocked two state laws that limited abortion access, ruling that they violated the state’s constitution. Teton County Judge Melissa Owens said the laws — Wyoming’s Life Act and the Medication Abortion Ban — violated a woman’s personal autonomy in making her own medical decisions. … Owens had already blocked the laws from going into effect after they were passed last year while court cases challenging the provisions played out in court. The laws are permanently banned, but the state is expected to appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court.” (11/19/24)
“Californians are projected to vote against a minimum wage boost in the state, giving a ‘no’ to Proposition 32, according to an Associated Press race call on Tuesday. Proposition 32 would have raised the minimum wage for any business with 26 or more employees to $17 an hour immediately – and raise it once more to $18 an hour starting January 1, 2025. The Associated Press called the race with 50.8% of the voters against raising the state’s minimum wage – against 49.2% in favor. … more vote counts will continue in the coming days, with a certified vote number still to be announced.” (11/19/24)
“Gerard Hutch, named in a court case last year as head of a well-known crime family in Ireland, is seeking election to parliament, shaking up a race in inner-city Dublin that includes a former finance minister and the opposition leader. Officials confirmed last week that Hutch, better known as ‘The Monk,’ was on the ballot for the Nov. 29 vote. Hutch said on Tuesday that he was running because he did not think the community where he grew up was properly represented. … The U.S. State Department said in 2022 that the Hutch drug trafficking gang was locked in a turf war with the Kinehan crime group, also based in Dublin, that resulted in 18 murders in the aftermath of a 2016 killing at a Dublin hotel. … Gerard Hutch was identified as head of the Hutch family by an Irish court last year when he was acquitted of involvement in the 2016 murder.” (11/19/24)
“The Haitian National Police have reported that 28 alleged gang members were killed by state security forces and armed residents in the latest clashes in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. A Tuesday attack targeting the upscale suburb of Petion-Ville overlooking the capital had been announced over social media by Jimmy Cherizier, a former elite police officer turned leader of the powerful gang coalition calling itself Viv Ansanm (Haitian Creole for ‘Living Together’). The latest violence comes in the wake of the collapse of Haiti’s government last week and more than three years of constant turmoil following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.” (11/19/24)
“President-elect Trump’s sentencing in his New York criminal hush money trial was paused by the court Tuesday as the judge overseeing the case considers how to move forward after his election victory. If Judge Juan Merchan dismisses the case, it would be a huge win for Trump, the first president convicted of a felony, who has evaded potential imprisonment by securing a second presidential term. He was indicted in three other cases, all of which have been on ice or undercut for months. … In May, Trump was convicted on 34 counts in New York for falsifying business records in connection with a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels over an alleged sexual encounter.” (11/19/24)
“President Joe Biden’s pending request for nearly $100 billion in emergency disaster aid includes money to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed under the impact of a massive container ship that lost power and veered off course in March. … In a letter Monday to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Biden said Congress must bolster funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other programs in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The request comes as lawmakers meet during a lame-duck session to finish key priorities before making way for a new Congress and the incoming Trump administration.” (11/19/24)
“House Leader Hakeem Jeffries won reelection Tuesday as the Democratic leader, receiving support from his colleagues despite the party’s inability to win back majority control of the chamber in the November election. Jeffries of New York was chosen during an internal party vote of the House Democrats underway at the Capitol. Most of the Democratic leadership team is expected to be reelected for the new Congress. In line to become the House speaker, Jeffries remains the highest ranking [b]lack elected official in Congress, and the first to hold the job of party leader.” (11/19/24)
“While many communities around the world have been wondering what to make of Donald Trump’s presidential re-election, a village on the Italian island of Sardinia has sniffed a potential opportunity. Like many other places in rural Italy, Ollolai has long been trying to persuade outsiders to move in to revive its fortunes after decades of depopulation. It’s been selling dilapidated houses for as little as one euro — just over a dollar — to sweeten the deal. Now, following the November 5 vote outcome, it’s launched a website aimed at would-be American expats, offering up more cheap homes in the hope that those upset by the result will rush to snap up one of its empty properties.” [editor’s note: I’m not especially upset with the election results, but if I thought I could afford the move (and likely home renovations), I would strongly consider this! – TLK] (11/19/24)
“The opposition leader in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland won last week’s election, the electoral commission said Tuesday. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi of the main opposition Waddani Party received more than 50% of the votes cast. Abdullahi, 69, served as Somaliland’s parliament speaker in 2005. … Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 amid a descent into conflict, has sustained its own government, currency and security structures despite lacking international recognition.” (11/19/24)
“German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said damage to two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea looks like an act of sabotage and a ‘hybrid action,’ without knowing who is to blame. A 1,170km (730-mile) telecommunications cable between Finland and Germany was severed in the early hours of Monday, while a 218km internet link between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island stopped working on Sunday. The incidents came at a time of heightened tension with Russia and Pistorius said ‘nobody believes that these cables were cut accidentally.’ The Swedish and Lithuanian defence ministers said they were ‘deeply concerned’ that the cable connecting their two countries had been cut. ” (11/19/24)
