5 stories you need to read this week [4/14]
From Iran striking Israel with missiles and drones to mass shootings in Chicago's South Side, here are five vital stories you need to read this week.
Iran has launched drone attacks at Israel, U.S. officials say
On Saturday, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israel in its first-ever direct attack on the Jewish state. The attacks were in response to an April 1 Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic building in Syria, which killed an Iranian official and eight other officers.
“Very little damage was caused,” according to Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant. An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said 99% of the more than 300 missiles and drones were intercepted with the help of the U.S.
The UN Security Council said it will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday at the request of Israel’s ambassador to the UN, the council’s president said in a statement.
Arizona Supreme Court upholds near-total abortion ban from 1864
On April 9, Arizona became the 15th state to ban abortions at all stages of pregnancy after the state Supreme Court ruled that officials may enforce an 1864 law that criminalizes abortions except when a woman’s life is at stake. The law provides no exceptions for rape or incest.
“Under a near-total ban, the number of abortions in the state is expected to drop from about 1,100 monthly — as estimated by a survey for the Society of Family Planning — to almost zero. The forecast is based on what has happened in other states that ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy,” writes Jacques Billeaud for AP.
Florida to remove 'climate change' from state laws
A bill awaiting signature from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would ban offshore wind energy, relax regulations on gas pipelines, and remove a majority of mentions of climate change from existing state laws.
“Florida is on the front lines of the warming climate crisis, and the fact that we’re going to erase that sends the wrong message,” said Yoca Arditi-Rocha, the executive director of the CLEO Institute, a climate education and advocacy nonprofit in Florida. “It sends the message, at least to me and to a good majority of Floridians, that this is not a priority for the state.”
Trump says he wouldn’t sign a federal abortion ban
Former President Donald Trump said he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected to the White House again, defying his party's firm stance on abortion.
“Now the states have it, and the states are putting out what they want. It’s the will of the people,” Trump said. “So Florida’s probably going to change. Arizona is going to definitely change, everybody wants that to happen. And you’re getting the will of the people. It’s been pretty incredible when you think about it.”
These comments came during the same interaction with reporters in which Trump called the overturning of Roe v. Wade an “incredible achievement” and said that Arizona’s recent abortion ruling had gotten too far.
Mass shooting in Chicago leaves 1 child dead, 10 other people injured
Eleven people, mainly children, at an outside family gathering, were barraged with bullets on Saturday night in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood, killing an 8-year-old, and injuring 10 others. A 1-year-old and 8-year-old boy were each shot multiple times and are listed in critical condition. A 9-year-old boy was also injured with a graze to his finger and hospitalized.
Authorities believe the incident was gang-related violence in the city’s South Side. No one is in custody as of Sunday.
(Photos from Canva)