Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats’ abortion legislation is “very simple,” as it would enshrine into federal law the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
Senate Democrats are moving quickly to try to codify the 50-year-old ruling after a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion suggesting the court is poised to overturn the case was leaked last week. But they don’t have enough votes, and Republicans are expected to block the bill in a test vote Wednesday.
But if the Democratic legislation were to become law, it would do more than just preserve the status quo.
The bill would also expand protections, invalidating many state laws that Democrats and abortion rights advocates say have infringed on the original 1973 ruling. Two Republican senators who support abortion rights have indicated they won’t vote for it, instead favoring their own, narrower legislation.
President Joe Biden wants to put a spotlight on the spike in food prices from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when he travels to an Illinois farm to emphasize how U.S. agricultural exports can relieve the financial pressures being felt worldwide.
The war in Ukraine has disrupted the supply of that country’s wheat to global markets, while also triggering higher costs for oil, natural gas and fertilizer. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its food price index in April jumped nearly 30% from a year ago, though the index did decline slightly on a monthly basis. Americans are also bearing some pain as food prices are up 9.4% from a year ago, the largest increase in 41 years.
The trip to Illinois on Wednesday is an opportunity for Biden to tackle two distinct challenges that are shaping his presidency. First, his slumping approval rating has been dogged by high inflation and his visit will coincide with the release of the April consumer price index. Consumer prices rose 8.3% from a year ago, a slight decline from the 8.5% annual increase in March. The drop-off reflected in part a cooling in gasoline prices last month after the jump caused by the start of the war in Ukraine. Still, volatility remains with energy costs as gas prices have climbed in May to an average of $4.40 a gallon on Wednesday, according to AAA.
Sri Lankan authorities deployed armored vehicles and troops in the streets of the capital on Wednesday, two days after pro-government mobs attacked peaceful protesters, triggering a wave of violence across the country.
Security forces have been ordered to shoot those deemed to be participating in the violence, as sporadic acts of arson and vandalism continued despite a strict nationwide curfew that began Monday evening.
Anti-government protesters have been demanding the resignations of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, who stepped down as prime minister this week, over a debt crisis that has nearly bankrupted Sri Lanka and left its people facing severe shortages of fuel, food and other essentials. In the past few days, eight people have died and more than 200 have been injured in violent attacks in which mobs set fire to buildings and vehicles.
Armored trucks with soldiers riding on top rolled into some areas of Colombo. Defying the curfew, some protesters regrouped opposite the president’s office to continue demonstrations that began over three weeks ago. Police announced over loudspeakers that it is illegal to stay in public places during the curfew.
Cam Kauffman can be reached at kauf8536@stthomas.edu.
Angelica Franaschouk can be reached at afranaschouk@stthomas.edu.
Elijah Todd-Walden can be reached at elijah.todd-walden@stthomas.edu.