The Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment has its first legislative hearing today. It would be among the most expansive protections of abortion and LGBTQ rights in the nation. Minnesota Democrats have introduced far-reaching legislation to add abortion and LGBTQ rights to the state’s constitution in hopes of making it much harder for future lawmakers to repeal these and other rights in the future.

Floodwaters closed some Texas schools on Monday after days of heavy rains pummeled the Houston area and led to hundreds of rescues including people who were stranded on rooftops. Although forecasters expected storms to begin tapering off in southeastern Texas, high waters continued to close some roads and left residents facing lengthy cleanups in neighborhoods where rising river levels led to weekend evacuation orders.

Russia said Monday it plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons amid rising tensions following comments by senior Western officials about the possibility of deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine. The Defense Ministry said the drills are a response to “provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation.”

Preston Yang can be reached at yang3039@stthomas.edu.