April 6 top stories
It is April 6. Here are today’s top stories.
Indiana & Idaho bans gender-affirming care for transgender children
AP News reported that Republican governors in Indiana and Idaho have signed into law bills banning gender-affirming care for minors.
On Wednesday, Indiana Gov. Holcomb signed a bill that will prohibit transgender youth from accessing medication or surgeries that aid in transition and mandate that those who are currently taking medication to stop by the end of the year.
On Tuesday, Idaho Gov. Little signed a bill that makes it a felony to provide gender-affirming care to those under 18.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit seeking to block Indiana’s new law and said it would sue Idaho as well.
AP said now at least 13 states have laws that ban gender-affirming care for minors.
In Kansas, the GOP legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Kelly’s veto of a bill to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports from kindergarten through college.
AP explained that those who support the bans said they are protecting children from permanently damaging their bodies. But opponents of the bans said gender-affirming care is vital and life-saving and most treatments are reversible and safe. Major medical associations have endorsed those medical treatments.
Maryland AG report on Catholic priests sexually abusing children
The Maryland Attorney General’s Office said over 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused over 600 children in an 80-year span. The AG’s office conducted an investigation that lasted several years and related their report on Wednesday.
The report said the priests often escaped accountability and covered up their wrongdoing. They said abusers were often given the opportunity to continue preying upon children. They said the number of victims is likely far higher than what they have found.
Baltimore Archbishop William Lori posted a statement apologizing to the victims and said the report covers a time in the past that would not be ignored or forgotten.
Deadly tornadoes hit Missouri
A tornado hit southeastern Missouri in the early morning on Wednesday, killing at least five people and devastating several communities. Missouri Gov. Parson visited the area, Bollinger County, and said it would take weeks and months for people to recover.
There were at least 12 tornadoes reported in the U.S. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Seven of them happened in Illinois. The U.S. just keeps on being hit by tornadoes, as a series of tornadoes killed 32 people last week.
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Clarence Thomas under scrutiny over luxury trips
A report from ProPublica said Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has accepted luxury trips from a Republican megadonor for more than 20 years and did not report it as required by law.
ProPublica said Thomas has vacationed on the donor’s super yacht, flown on his private jet and spent time at his private resort and other retreats. The donor’s name is Harlan Crow, who is a real estate developer from Dallas. Crow is politically active and has supported or been involved with conservative groups.
Crow said he usually provides hospitality for his dear friends and that Clarence Thomas never asked for any of it. He said he has never discussed any court case with Thomas nor sought to influence him on legal or political issues.
ProPublica explained that justices are generally required to publicly report all gifts worth more than $415, so Thomas may have violated a law requiring disclosure.
Democrats in Congress are now calling on the Supreme Court to adopt a formal code of ethics. Others said Thomas should be investigated or even impeached.
Stephen Smith’s body exhumed in Murdaugh case
The body of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old man who was found dead on a road near the Murdaugh family’s home in South Carolina in 2015, was exhumed for a second and independent autopsy.
The Smith family believes that Smith did not die of a hit-and-run but may have been murdered. His case now has renewed interest after Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife and his younger son.
The Smith family has raised over $125,000 in a GoFundMe to pay for an independent investigation into what caused him to die. His body was exhumed, investigated, and now it’s reburied.
There is speculation that Alex Murdaugh’s older son, Buster, was involved in Smith’s death. A Netflix documentary showed that some people suspected the Murdaugh family wanted to cover up a romantic relationship that Buster and Smith were in. Smith was openly gay. Buster recently said he denies any involvement and asked for the media to stop publishing rumors.
Law enforcement in South Carolina said last month that they are investigating Smith’s death as a homicide based on information they got during their investigation into the deaths of Alex’s wife and son. So there are now a lot of people looking into the death of Stephen Smith.
Australian man charged with kidnapping platypus
In Australia, a man is facing criminal charges for kidnapping a wild platypus and showing it off to others. The unique animal, which is a mammal that lays eggs and has a duck-like bill, is considered a “near-threatened” species. It is illegal to take and keep a wild platypus and there is a maximum penalty of about $290,000.
Police in the state of Queensland showed surveillance images of the suspect carrying a platypus at a train station. Police said they found the man and charged him with taking an animal out of the wild and keeping it. Police said they were told that the platypus was released into a river but they couldn’t find it.
The New York Times said although platypuses are cute, they are not cuddly, because males have spurs on their back legs that secrete a toxin that can cause humans to experience pain and swelling for months.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-ban-kids-idaho-d17ca5b1549509bb4b21ec26e2691968
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gender-affirming-care-bans-signed-in-indiana-idaho/
https://apnews.com/article/baltimore-archdiocese-sex-abuse-report-7d5d3af098da59a1c9313a246566638c
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/06/us/us-severe-storms-tornado-threat-thursday/index.html
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-travel-gifts-crow
https://www.axios.com/2023/04/06/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-propublica-investigation
https://globalnews.ca/news/9600919/stephen-smith-exhumed-autopsy-teen-found-dead-near-murdaugh-home/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/independent-exhumation-and-autopsy
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/06/world/australia/platypus-australia-train.html