5 vital stories to know this week [6/16]
From life-altering state court rulings to a dangerous heatwave hitting the U.S., here are five vital stories you need to know this week.
Federal judge blocks ban and restrictions on health care treatments for trans people in Florida
The GOP-led ban on puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy for transgender minors and adults in Florida was deemed unconstitutional by a federal judge on Tuesday, who sided with the plaintiffs in the class action, arguing that the law violated the U.S. Constitution because it solely targeted transgender individuals.
“The federal courts have a role to play in upholding the Constitution and laws. The State of Florida can regulate as needed but cannot flatly deny transgender individuals safe and effective medical treatment — treatment with medications routinely provided to others with the state’s full approval so long as the purpose is not to support the patient’s transgender identity,” U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle wrote.
Palestinians in mourning as Muslims mark Eid al-Adha
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank marked a somber Eid al-Adha as the Israeli military continues its seige in Gaza, which has killed over 37,000 Palestinians—predominantly women, children, and the elderly.
Over the past few weeks, the Israeli military intensified its ground invasion in the southernmost city of Rafah and conducted airstrikes across central Gaza, including shelling areas where thousands of civilians are sheltering in displacement camps.
“Those attacks have pushed people into further internal displacement; in the northern part of the Strip, people are not only struggling to deal with unpredictable falling bombs and attacks on their homes … but also the spread of dehydration and hunger,” said Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. “This is happening on the first day of Eid, where we’re looking at hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian families, many of them in mourning.”
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2 killed and 6 wounded in shooting at a Juneteenth celebration in Texas
Two people were killed and dozens more were injured after a shooting at Old Settlers Park’s Juneteenth celebrations in Round Rock, Texas. Four adults and two children, all with potentially serious injuries, were quickly transported to local hospitals. Texas police said they are still in search for the shooters, who fled after open firing during the event.
“It is unfortunate that we were here celebrating a wonderful event and we have a tragedy that happens,” said Police Chief Allen Banks. “My thoughts and my prayers go out to the victims. My condolences go out to the families of the deceased.”
Oklahoma Supreme Court dismisses lawsuit of last Tulsa Race Massacre survivors seeking reparations
On Wednesday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit by survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, diminishing the hopes of those seeking reparations for one of the worst acts of violence against Black people that left nearly 300 people dead and a once-thriving district in smoldering ruins.
The nine-member court upheld the decision arguing that the plaintiffs' case, though legitimate, did not fall within the scope of the state’s public nuisance statute.
“Plaintiffs do not point to any physical injury to property in Greenwood rendering it uninhabitable that could be resolved by way of injunction or other civil remedy,” the court wrote in its decision. “Today we hold that relief is not possible under any set of facts that could be established consistent with plaintiff’s allegations.”
US braces for ‘dangerous’ conditions as heatwave hits midwest & north-east
The National Weather Service warned that millions of Americans will face “dangerously hot conditions,” as a heatwave is poised to hit the midwest and northeast US starting Monday.
Michigan, Ohio, and western Pennsylvania will be placed under heat warnings beginning Monday, but Meteorologists cautioned that the heat will move eastward throughout the week, with a “heat dome” expected to trap high temperatures over New York, Washington DC, and Boston.
Something to know: A heat dome prolongs extreme heat by trapping hot air under a high-pressure system over the affected regions.