#1: Endangered Species Protection:
A federal judge in California restored protection to hundreds of endangered species, when he overturned the Trump administration’s 2019 attempt to dismantle the Endangered Species Act. The Trump era moves affected which species could be considered for protection, and lengthened the time to include species for protection. A group of environmental groups and the state of California sued the Biden administration in order to push for the restoration of the rules protecting wildlife, when the environmentalists felt the Biden administration was taking too long to review the issues. The decision scores a win for environmental, conservation groups and climate advocates.
#2: US Sues Arizona Over Voting Law:
The US Department of Justice sued the state of Arizona on Tuesday over a new law that requires people to provide proof of citizenship if they are using a federal form to register to vote, in order to be allowed to vote in the presidential elections or use the state’s vote-by-mail option. The law is in conflict with a 1993 federal voter registration law and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the Justice Department. A US Supreme Court case in 2013 in Arizona rejected the requirements that the recent law added. The Arizona Republican-controlled legislature passed the bill into law, even though they were aware of the 2013 decision by the high court. The Republicans believe the law will strengthen election security. Opponents to the new law say it makes it harder for people to vote.
#3: Senator Lindsey Graham Defies Subpoena:
On Tuesday, Senator Lindsey Graham said he will not comply with a subpoena issued by a grand jury in Georgia that is investigating former president Donald Trump’s involvement in the overturning of the 2020 election. “Senator Graham plans to go to court, challenge the subpoena, and expects to prevail,” attorneys Bart Daniel and Matt Austin said in a statement made on behalf of Graham. The grand jury also subpoenaed other members of Trump’s inner circle, including his lawyer, former mayor of NYC, Rudy Giuliani, and other Trump legal team members Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, Cleta Mitchell and Jacki Deason. The grand jury was set up to investigate possible crimes after Trump was recorded in a Jan. 2, 2021 phone call pressuring the Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to overturn the state’s election results due to unproven voter fraud.
#4: July 4 Shooter’s Plans:
Robert Crimo III confessed to the killing of seven people and several wounded at the July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Lake County Major Crime Task Force Deputy Chief, Chris Covelli, told reporters that Crimo may have also considering another mass shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, where he drove immediately after the Highland Park attack. There is evidence that Crimo planned the mass shooting in Illinois for weeks.
Crimo was charged on Tuesday with seven counts of first degree murder. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole.
#5: Google Location Services Will Delete Abortion Clinic Visit:
In a blog post on one of Google’s official webpages, the company said that it will protect phone users’ privacy by removing some private information detected by the phone’s location services. Location history is a Google account setting that can be turned on but is off by default. According to the blog, places that people visit, including medical facilities, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics, fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities, weight loss clinics, cosmetic surgery clinics, etc., are personal and will be deleted from their location history, even if users have not chosen the option to edit their location histories.
