Latest Laws News
States divided on gun controls, even as mass shootings rise
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee was quick to react to this week’s carnage at a Texas elementary school, sending a tweet listing the gun control measures the Democratic-controlled state has taken. He finished with: “Your turn Congress.” But gun control...
Angry Newsom criticizes Texas governor, US judges on guns
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday harshly criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in the wake of an elementary school shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead and assailed two federal judges as “extremists" for their rulings undermining California's gun...
Oklahoma governor signs the nation's strictest abortion ban
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday signed into law the nation’s strictest abortion ban, making the state the first in the nation to effectively end availability of the procedure. State lawmakers approved the ban enforced by civil lawsuits rather than...
After shootings, Hochul looks at raising age for guns in NY
EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday proposed raising the age to 21 for purchasing the type of firearms used in recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas, and possibly for other weapons as well. “I don’t want 18-year-olds to have guns, at least...
Unionized Starbucks stores face hard work of bargaining
It’s become a common sight: jubilant Starbucks workers celebrating after successful votes to unionize at dozens of U.S. stores. But when the celebrations die down, a daunting hurdle remains: To win the changes they seek — like better pay and more reliable schedules — unionized...
Editorial Roundup: Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 19, 2022. Editorial: Botched Lancaster ballots undermine voter confidence Sixteen-thousand botched mail-in votes in Lancaster County could determine the outcome of the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Now, imagine a similar scenario...
Editorial Roundup: Florida
South Florida Sun Sentinel. May 24, 2022. Editorial: Florida’s new elections chief won’t bury The Big Lie Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new chief elections official, Cord Byrd, could have saved himself a whole lot of justifiable criticism Tuesday if he had simply...
A decade of congressional inaction on gun control
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats in Congress are trying, again, to pass legislation to expand background checks for gun buyers in the wake of the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. But the prospects seem dim in the 50-50 Senate, with most Republicans opposed to significant changes in...
School massacre continues Texas' grim run of mass shootings
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Once again, one of America's deadliest mass shootings happened in Texas. Past shootings targeted worshippers during a Sunday sermon, shoppers at a Walmart, students on a high school campus and drivers on a highway. Among the latest victims were 19 children and...
Biden says 'we have to act' after Texas school shooting
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lamenting a uniquely American tragedy, an anguished and angry President Joe Biden delivered an urgent call for new restrictions on firearms after a gunman shot and killed at least 19 children at a Texas elementary school. Biden spoke Tuesday night from the White...
