Arizona Republicans Splinter Over Repeal of 1864 Abortion Ban
The New York Times
The State Senate introduced a bill to repeal a near-total abortion ban dating back to the Civil War, while the House blocked an effort to do so.
The two chambers of Arizona’s State Legislature diverged sharply on Wednesday over whether to repeal the state’s 1864 law banning abortion, capping a chaotic day as legislators and activists sparred over the fate of the Civil War-era ban.
Only hours after Republicans in the State House scuttled another effort to repeal the ban, which was upheld by a State Supreme Court ruling last week, a handful of Republicans in the State Senate sided with Democrats and allowed them to introduce a bill to repeal it.
It will be at least a week before the Senate can vote on the bill, but the matter could be a moot point unless Democrats in the House find a way to get a bill passed there.
The House Republican leadership shows no signs of relenting, despite pressure from prominent Republicans, including former President Donald J. Trump, to toss the ban that many voters viewed as extreme and archaic.
“The last thing we should be doing today is rushing a bill through the legislative process to repeal a law that has been enacted and reaffirmed by the Legislature several times,” House Speaker Ben Toma, a Republican, said as he blocked an effort to vote on the repeal.
In an interview after the Senate advanced the repeal bill, Mr. Toma refused to bow to any outside pressure to change his mind, even from the highest ranks of his own party. He did not see a clear future for that bill, should it arrive in the House, and suggested he would work to prevent it from coming forward for a vote.
As wildfires roar into residential neighborhoods, firefighters in California and elsewhere are finding that water systems can’t keep up with the demand.
In a filing late Wednesday, Fani Willis petitioned the Georgia Supreme Court to allow her to keep prosecuting Donald J. Trump over efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
In his fourth and potentially final State of the City speech, Mayor Eric Adams focused on making it easier to raise families in New York City.
Donald J. Trump had not yet exhausted his New York appeals when he turned to the Supreme Court in a last-ditch move to avoid sentencing, prosecutors argued.
A state funeral for the 39th president on Thursday will bring together all five living presidents and feature a eulogy from President Biden.
The president-elect has raised more than $170 million for his swearing-in, an inaugural record, as wealthy Americans flock to curry favor with him and some give money even without the prospect of V.I.P. access.
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The executive director of the New York City Board of Elections made inappropriate sexual and racial remarks toward two employees over a period of several months, a watchdog found.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pay their respects to a president. They were not going to miss it, even if meant waking up in the middle of the night.
The Turkish Consulate was the only building of its size allowed to open without a required fire safety certification, an investigation by the city comptroller found.
The fast-moving fires are intensifying because of fierce winds, the strongest in Southern California in more than a decade.