Year: 2023

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked key parts of an Iowa law that bans some books from school libraries and forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ+ issues.

Judge Stephen Locher’s preliminary injunction halts enforcement of the law, which was set to take effect Jan. 1 but already had resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from Iowa schools.

IOWA GOV. KIM REYNOLDS SLAMS MEDIA ‘BOOK BAN’ NARRATIVE: JUST A ‘D-MN DISTRACTION’

The law, which the Republican-led Legislature and GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds approved early in 2023, bans books depicting sex acts from school libraries and classrooms and forbids teachers from raising gender identity and sexual orientation issues with students through the sixth grade. Locher blocked enforcement of those two provisions.

The judge said the ban on books is “incredibly broad” and has resulted in the removal of history volumes, classics, award-winning novels and “even books designed to help students avoid being victimized by sexual assault.” He said that part of the law is unlikely to satisfy the constitution’s requirements for free speech.

In barring the provision barring any discussion of “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” in elementary school, Locher said the way it was written it was “wildly overbroad.”

Iowa educators lauded the decision.

“When education professionals return to work next week, they can do what they do best: take great care of all their students without fear of reprisal,” Mike Beranek, president of the Iowa State Education Association, said in a statement.

Reynolds’ office did not immediately comment on the ruling.

The judge let stand a requirement that school administrators notify parents if their child asks to change their pronouns or names, saying the plaintiffs did not have standing.

Iowa’s measure is part of a wave of similar legislation across the country. Typically backed by Republican lawmakers, the laws seek to prohibit discussion of gender and sexual orientation issues, ban treatments such as puberty blockers for transgender children, and restrict the use of restrooms in schools. Many have prompted court challenges.

Opponents of the Iowa law filed two lawsuits. One is on behalf of the organization Iowa Safe Schools and seven students, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Lambda Legal. The other is by the Iowa State Education Association, publisher Penguin Random House and four authors.

The first lawsuit argues the measure is unconstitutional because it violates students’ and teachers’ free speech and equal protection rights. The second suit, which focused more narrowly on the book bans, argues the law violates the first and 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.

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Lawyers for both lawsuits said the law is broad and confusing.

At a Dec. 22 hearing, Daniel Johnston of the Iowa attorney general’s office argued that school officials were applying the book ban too broadly. When deciding whether to remove books, educators shouldn’t focus on the idea of a sex act but instead look for text or images that meet Iowa’s definition of a sex act, Johnston said.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday vetoed a bill that would have banned gender-reassignment treatment for minors and blocked transgender women and girls from participating in female sports leagues in Ohio. 

The Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, which passed Ohio’s GOP-dominated state legislature earlier this month, was shot down by DeWine, who said he could not sign the bill “as it is currently written.” 

In a break from members of his party who championed the legislation, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a measure Friday that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors and transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ and women’s sports. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

“This bill would impact a very small number of Ohio’s children. But, for those children who face gender dysphoria and for their families, the consequences of this bill could not be more profound,” DeWine said during a press conference. 

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“Ultimately, I believe this is about protecting human life. Many parents have told me that their child would not have survived, would be dead today if they had not received the treatment they received from one of Ohio’s children’s hospitals. I’ve also been told by those who are now grown adults that but for this care, they would have taken their life when they were teenagers.” 

DeWine said he visited several children’s hospitals in the state and spoke with individuals on both sides of the debate before ultimately making his decision. He added that while ultimately vetoing the bill, there are concerns raised in the legislation that he agrees with that he hopes to address alongside the General Assembly. 

RILEY GAINES PUTS HEAT ON REPUBLICAN OHIO GOVERNOR TO SIGN BAN ON TRANSGENDER SURGERY FOR MINORS

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine arrives for a news conference in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The first includes implementing a ban on surgery for minors as part of gender-affirming care, increased reporting on data for those who receive gender-affirming care, and lastly putting in place measures that would “prevent pop-up clinics or fly-by-night operations” that try to sell “inaccurate or even ideological treatments” to families or children. 

“I truly believe that we can collaborate, find common ground and adopt rules to protect Ohio children, adults and families in this area. It will be my goal in the coming weeks to get these protections adopted through a collaborative and deliberate process,” he said. 

In his initial remarks, DeWine did not address the portion of the bill which sought to ban transgender women from girls’ and women’s sports. During questioning, the Republican governor said he focused on the legislation that “affected the most people and the most children by far.” 

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Former NCAA Division I swimmer Riley Gaines, who pressured DeWine earlier this week, criticized the decision in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“Gov. DeWine has proven himself to be a spineless coward who is unwilling to do the obviously right and moral thing. This veto doesn’t represent the majority of Ohioans, or the majority of Americans. I’m confident and hopeful the Ohio legislature will override his veto,” she said.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 21.  (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

“A compromise between right and wrong will always be wrong.”

Laws or policies banning gender transition-related health care for minors have passed in 22 states as of November, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Court injunctions are preventing that from going into effect in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Indiana.

Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report. 

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• The Biden administration is granting Louisiana regulators increased authority to approve carbon capture projects.
• Louisiana will now have the power to issue permits for wells that store carbon dioxide, a crucial element in carbon capture technology.
• This move differs from the usual responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency, which handles permitting in most states.

The Biden administration is handing Louisiana regulators new power to attract and approve carbon capture projects at a time when the state’s influential energy sector wants to make the Gulf Coast a hub for the rapidly expanding industry.

Louisiana will be able to issue permits for wells that store carbon dioxide, a critical component of carbon capture and removal technology. In all but two other states, the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for permitting. Proponents of the change say it will speed up approvals of new projects that are critical for reducing climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

Environmental groups had opposed the move, doubting that a state home to a concentrated stretch of oil, gas and petrochemical plants commonly called “cancer alley” is capable of proper industry oversight and protecting residents. The EPA said the Louisiana agreement includes safeguards to protect poorer, often majority-Black communities that live near those facilities — and that those standards will serve as a model for other states.

LOUISIANA ENVIRONMENTALISTS PUSH BACK AGAINST BIDEN’S CARBON CAPTURE INITIATIVE: ‘DO IT WHERE YOU LIVE’

“It can be done in a way that builds in environmental justice principles that allow for the community to participate in the process and ensures that these communities are safe,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Thursday.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan, center, talks with Brenda Bryant, left, and other members of the group Rise St. James, as he tours a neighborhood next to the Nu Star Energy oil storage tanks, in St. James Parish, La., on Nov. 16, 2021. The Biden administration is granting Louisiana’s request to administer its own permit program for wells that store carbon dioxide. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

The Biden administration has said enhancing environmental justice is a priority and that it would focus its enforcement power on communities already burdened by too much pollution. The EPA said it secured commitments from Louisiana to have a robust public participation process and to consider how new wells might harm communities near polluting sites and possibly reduce harm.

Carbon capture technology is aimed at reducing emissions from industrial sources like ethanol plants and coal-fired power plants. The captured carbon can be transported for injection in wells deep underground. It is these wells that Louisiana will now have the power to approve.

The Biden administration has increased tax breaks for developers of carbon capture projects and provided large grants, including for an ambitious plan in Louisiana to remove carbon directly from the air. Developers have responded, flooding the EPA with permit applications for new wells, but only a handful of carbon capture projects are currently operating and few wells have been approved so far.

LOUISIANA STRUGGLES WITH UNPRECEDENTED WILDFIRE SEASON AMID DROUGHT AND BLAZES

In Louisiana, developers have proposed roughly 30 carbon capture projects, among the most of any state, according to a tracker maintained by the climate-focused group Clean Air Task Force.

Louisiana officials welcomed the EPA’s decision, saying it will help make the state a major carbon capture player and reduce industrial emissions.

“We have seen unprecedented interest in carbon sequestration projects over the past couple of years, with companies reaching out to our office to express interest in what the regulatory framework will be,” Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Commissioner of Conservation Monique Edwards said in a statement Thursday.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and other political leaders have argued that the state’s robust petrochemical industry along the Mississippi River, geology that’s well suited for carbon storage and plenty of existing infrastructure make it the perfect place for carbon capture development.

Environmental groups are doubtful the state will properly regulate carbon capture wells. Along with climate activists and some scientists, they also question the potential of carbon capture, with some arguing that it’s an excuse to delay or prevent the rapid phase-out of oil, gas and coal that is needed to halt climate change.

They point to statements like those made by Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who advocated for EPA to grant permitting authority to Louisiana. Cassidy argued that producing oil and gas is vital for the state’s economy and that “many of these energy producers want to invest in carbon capture and sequestration so they can keep operating in Louisiana long into the future.”

Opponents argue that prolonging the life of a polluting industry will harm people who live nearby, which are too often poorer, minority residents.

The EPA invited public comment on the state’s request in April, when it proposed approval. Among those objecting was the environmental group Earthjustice, which said the state is “notorious for weak monitoring and enforcement” and that it hasn’t shown it will adequately protect drinking water.

Clara Potter, an attorney with the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic who represented the Sierra Club and another preservation group in opposing the EPA’s move, said she was disappointed with the EPA’s decision. She said carbon capture projects in Louisiana have served “as an excuse for permitting new and expanded polluting operations.”

That increased air pollution “will be born most heavily by Black and Brown communities who already face disproportionate environmental risks,” she said in a statement.

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The Biden administration has focused attention on Louisiana and its pollution. Regan has visited the state, promising to do better by communities there. Last year, the EPA accepted complaints from activist groups in Louisiana that asked the agency to investigate the state’s regulation of air emissions. The agency initially said there was evidence of racial discrimination, but dropped the investigation before releasing a final report.

Regan says the agency followed its legal obligation to approve the state’s application to administer its own permitting program because it meets the Safe Drinking Water Act’s requirements. The state standards must be at least as strict as federal rules.

“We’re building in monitoring and oversight measures to ensure that the state — regardless of who is in the governor’s office — complies” with the law, Regan said.

North Dakota and Wyoming are the other two states with permitting authority. North Dakota, the first state to be granted authority, issued its fourth well permit in May and an ethanol producer is currently capturing and storing carbon there.

Texas, Arizona and West Virginia also want to run their own permitting program.

Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. was suspended on Thursday from the team after he was charged with rape in Kansas.

Shannon faced the charge after an alleged incident back in September when the football team was in Lawrence, Kansas, to face the Jayhawks. He was not a part of the school’s traveling party.

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Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) brings the ball up court during the college basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on December 9, 2023, at Food City Center in Knoxville, TN. (Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

On Wednesday, the Douglas County (Kansas) District attorney issued a warrant for his arrest.

The school said Shannon traveled to Lawrence to turn himself in to authorities. He posted bail and was returning to Champaign, Illinois.

He was suspended “all team activities, effective immediately,” the school said.

MICHIGAN STATE BASKETBALL STAR JEREMY FEARS JR. UNDERGOES SURGERY AFTER GUNSHOT TO LEG, SCHOOL SAYS

Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) heads to the basket as Missouri’s Tamar Bates (2) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, December 22, 2023, in St. Louis.  (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

“The University and DIA (Division of Intercollegiate Athletics) have shown time and again that we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,” Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said in a statement. “At the same time, DIA policy affords student-athletes appropriate levels of due process based on the nature and severity of the allegations. 

“We will rely on that policy and our prior experiences to manage this situation appropriately for the University and the involved parties.”

Shannon transferred to Illinois from Texas Tech prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. He played in 11 games this season and was averaging 21.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season.

The school said it was aware of the allegations since last September but had “yet to receive actional information” until Wednesday.

Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. passes during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Friday, December 22, 2023, in St. Louis.  (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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Shannon was an All-Big Ten First-Team selection last season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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