Wyoming’s Republican Governor Mark Gordon signed a bill on Friday to ban the abortion pill. The state is the first to introduce a directed ban.
The bill makes it illegal to prescribe, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of performing an abortion or assisting someone else to do so. So-called morning-after pills are not covered by the ban.
Breaking the law will be punishable by up to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of up to the equivalent of around USD 9 000.
The ban is due to come into force on July 1, but could be delayed if the bill ends up in court.
Medical abortions are the most common form of abortion in the US. Wyoming will be the first state to introduce a total ban on abortion pills.
Fifteen states have already introduced regulations restricting access to drugs used in medical abortions. Thirteen states have banned all forms of abortion, with no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.
Since the US Supreme Court last year overturned Roe v. Wade, which effectively guaranteed American women the option to abortion, a number of states have tightened their laws.
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JD Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference on Friday became the major global political talking point of the weekend.
After the US vice-president accused the European establishment of undermining democracy and freedom of expression, the conference chairman, Christopher Heusgen, could not hold back his tears.
Heusgen’s breakdown came in front of the European political establishment after he referred to Vance’s speech, in which the US Vice President criticized, among other things, the annulment of elections by EU leaders in member states, the Union’s increasingly totalitarian tendencies and politicians’ growing fear of their own voters.
– After the speech of Vice President Vance on Friday, we have to fear that our common value base are not so common anymore, said an emotionally shaken Heusgen, who appealed to European leaders to “reaffirm the values and principles they defend”, which he said Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyj had done better than anyone else.
– I am very grateful to all those European politicians who stood up and reaffirmed the values and principles they are defending.No one did this better than President Zelensky, he continued.
But as he neared the end of his speech, he couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and started to sob out the words:
– Let me conclude… this will be difficult…
The hall was filled with applause and, in an almost parodic scene, a female conference participant took the crying Heusgen in her arms to comfort him.
Vance’s speech shakes up the EU elite
During his speech on Friday, JD Vance condemned the EU leaders’ handling of democracy and freedom of expression, saying the biggest threat to the continent is that Europe is abandoning its own fundamental values.
He cited the recent annulment of a presidential election by the Romanian government, supported by former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who has also hinted that the German elections could be annulled if Alternative for Germany wins.
– We’ve been told that everything we fund and support is in the name of our shared democratic values. But when we see European courts canceling elections and senior officials threatening to cancel others, we ought to ask whether we’re holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard, said the US Vice President.
– If your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with, he continued.
Vance also highlighted how the EU continues to push for digital censorship, threatening to shut down social media that publish supposed “disinformation” – a rhetoric he compared to that of the former communist Eastern bloc.
– I look to Brussels, where EU commissars warn citizens that they intend to shut down social media during times of civil unrest the moment they spot what they’ve judged to be, quote, “hateful content”.
He also touched on Sweden’s verdict against the murdered Iraqi Koran burner Salwan Momika’s colleague who was convicted of participating in the actions.
– As the judge in his case chillingly noted, Sweden’s laws to supposedly protect free expression do not, in fact, grant, and I’m quoting, “a free pass to do or say anything without risking offending the group that holds that belief”.
Met with AfD leader – condemned the “firewall policy” against the party
During his stay in Munich, Vance also met AfD leader Alice Weidel for a brief meeting in a discussion that centered on Ukraine, German domestic politics and freedom of expression.
One of the issues raised was the so-called “Brandmauer” strategy, a term for the refusal of established German parties to cooperate with the increasingly successful opposition AfD, which has now become the second largest party in the country according to opinion polls ahead of the German parliamentary elections on February 23. Vance has previously criticized the so-called firewall policy, saying it goes against democratic principles.
The same conference where Putin became a pariah
The Munich Security Conference has long been known for bringing together high-profile leaders. It was also here, at the 2007 conference, that Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his famous speech rejecting what he described as the “unipolar world order”, with clear warnings that the US’s growing disregard for the security interests of other countries could lead to devastating consequences in the long run.
The speech has since been described as a watershed moment as Putin would be labeled a pariah by the US-led Western bloc power establishment.
Anna Paulina Luna has been tasked by Congress with, among other things, uncovering the state secrets surrounding the September 11 attacks - but stresses that her task force “lacks authority”.
The US House of Representatives has appointed Anna Paulina Luna to head a task force that will work to declassify classified documents relating to the JFK assassination, 9/11 and the Epstein investigation, among others.
Luna is a freshman in Congress and has previously worked as a swimsuit model and waitress at a men’s club.
The task force was appointed by the House Oversight Committee, where the Republican majority is pushing for greater transparency of previously classified documents. It is not confirmed whether Luna was chosen for the position on Donald Trump’s direct initiative or through other Republican party structures.
Luna herself has expressed support for Trump and is described as part of the more conservative wing of the party. Her political profile has been characterized by criticism of established institutions and calls for greater transparency, which is a key issue for the task force she will now lead.
However, her appointment has been met with skepticism, with several voices questioning her experience and suitability to handle highly sensitive documents.
Three-time name changer
Anna Paulina Luna was born Anna Paulina Mayerhofer in 1989 and has undergone several name changes. After being married to military officer Andrew Gamberzky, she bore his surname, before starting to use Anna Paulina while working for the conservative organization Turning Point USA. In 2019, she formally changed her surname to Luna, which she has explained as a way to emphasize her Mexican heritage.
Her biography has come under scrutiny, and some of her own statements about her family background have been questioned. For example, she has claimed that her father was a Messianic Jew, while relatives have stated that he was in fact Catholic.
Luna has confirmed that she worked as a cocktail waitress at a gentlemen’s club, but there have also been unconfirmed rumors that she was a stripper at the Red Rose Gentleman’s Club in Florida.
She has also worked as a swimsuit model for various publications, including Sports Illustrated.
Picture of Luna from Sports Illustrated published in Orlando Local News.
In addition, there have been allegations that she falsely registered to vote in Florida and that she claimed that Republican strategist Roger Stone tried to poison her. However, none of these allegations have been substantiated by independent investigations.
“Bibi in the House”
Luna has openly and consistently expressed strong support for Israel in both bills and public statements. On July 24, 2024, she attended a congressional meeting where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking, and posted a picture of herself with him on social media with the caption “Bibi in the House”.
Luna poses with Netanyahu during his visit to Washington.
In October 2023, she introduced the “Stand with Israel Act” (H.R. 6118), which aims to stop all funding to the UN Human Rights Council until the UN Security Council and General Assembly condemn Palestinian Hamas for the attacks of October 7, 2023.
Her commitment to Israel has led to questions about her impartiality in carrying out the mission, especially as some of the events she will now review – notably the Jeffrey Epstein case and the 9/11 attacks – have been the subject of speculation over the years about possible involvement of Israeli intelligence services.
Unclear mandate
The task force is also met with scepticism, partly because it is highly unclear how the declassification will be carried out in practice or what timeframes will apply, and Luna herself admits that she does not really have a mandate to carry out her task.
– It’s important to note that we don’t have documents yet, and we also don’t hold declassification authority, she says in a public video explaining the mission.
Luna herself adds that she wants the American public to have access to the truth behind these events and that she will work to make “as much information as possible” available.
The US announcements that the US and Russia will negotiate peace in Ukraine, that Ukrainian NATO membership is unthinkable, and that a return to the 2014 borders is unrealistic have sent establishment politicians on both sides of the Atlantic into a rage.
“Surrender and betrayal”, thunders Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, arguing that the announcement “amounts to abandoning Ukraine, and undercutting the security of our European allies”.
Surrender & betrayal—this SecDef Hegseth message amounts to abandoning Ukraine, & undercutting the security of our European allies. Having made 6 visits to Ukraine during its fight against Putin’s bloody assault, I know Ukrainians’ courage is unquenchable. They will persevere. https://t.co/oHuQ2tWzH6
His colleague from California, Adam Schiff, is equally outraged, complaining that Trump “called our enemy, Russia, before calling our ally, Ukraine”.
“Let’s not mince words about what this represents: a surrender of Ukraine’s interests and our own, even before negotiations begin. Trump’s a great dealmaker all right – for the Kremlin”, he claims.
Today, President Trump called our enemy, Russia, before calling our ally, Ukraine.
Meanwhile, his Secretary of Defense, ruled out a future for Ukraine in NATO and a restoration of Ukrainian sovereignty over its own lands.
Let’s not mince words about what this represents: a…
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expresses his disappointment that there will not be a “just peace” and says that “Ukraine, Europe and the United States should work on this together”.
Estonian politician Marko Mihkelson goes even further, claiming that “today might go down in history as a dark day for Europe”, demanding that EU leaders act immediately and “take our fate into our own hands”.
Today might go down in history as a dark day for Europe. It now depends on European leaders to finally recognize that we must take our fate into our own hands – right now.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is also not happy with the US announcement that a return to Ukrainian borders before 2014 is unrealistic.
– It would have been better to talk about Ukraine’s possible NATO membership or the country’s possible loss of territory at the negotiating table, he says.
“Invitation to despots and tyrants”
The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas also condemns the US efforts, saying that “Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity are unconditional”.
Seven European countries, together with the European Commission, are also calling for Ukraine and the EU to be given seats at the negotiating table, while France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, says the US action opens the door to dictatorship and tyranny.
– Abandoning Ukraine would be a definitive recognition of the right of the strongest.It would be an invitation to all despots and tyrants around the world to invade their neighbors with total impunity.
“Our line is firm”
Sweden’s Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) also reacted strongly, saying that despite the US announcement, Ukraine may well become a NATO member in the future.
– Hegseth said that NATO membership cannot be part of this political peace agreement.Then there is (another) agreement from (the previous NATO summit in) Washington that says that Ukraine’s future is in NATO, but of course it must first meet the political requirements for membership.
The Swedish minister goes on to say that only Ukraine can decide whether or not to give up territory to Russia, and states that Sweden and other European allies remain committed to the country’s “territorial integrity”.
– Let’s have some ice in our stomachs now.Our line is firm, he urges.
“A day of triumph for Putin”
On the editorial pages of several Swedish establishment media, there is almost a mood of doom. Svenska Dagbladet’s Olof Ehrenkrona, for example, believes that “Donald Trump’s United States is actively undermining Europe’s security”.
“No decent and lasting peace is likely as long as Putin is in charge in the Kremlin”, he states, calling the US announcement a “day of triumph” for Putin.
“He (Putin) is fooling the great negotiator who now appears to be a weakling and a loser”, he adds.
Meanwhile, Trump supporters and others who have long called for increased peace efforts in Ukraine note that EU leaders and the former Biden administration have had three full years to bring peace to the country – but that they have not been interested in any such efforts or made any major efforts to end the war.
Instead, the focus has been on raising tensions and escalating the conflict further – partly by sending advanced weapons systems to Ukraine that can strike targets inside Russia – but also by claiming in various statements that Europe or NATO could soon be at full-scale war with Russia.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been confirmed as the new US Secretary of Health and Human Services following a Senate vote in which 52 senators supported his nomination while 48 opposed.Republican veteran Mitch McConnell was the only one in his party to vote against, citing Kennedy’s controversial statements on vaccines.
Hailed by his supporters for his opposition to the influence of pharmaceutical giants, Kennedy has promised to launch a “health revolution”. His reform agenda includes tougher rules on clinical trials and drug pricing – a commitment that financial analysts say has led to falls in the share values of companies such as Pfizer and Moderna of up to 15% since his nomination. He also plans to work with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement to limit chemical additives in food.
Kennedy has worked closely with President Donald Trump to overhaul the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs. The reforms also include a push for alternative therapies, which has attracted support from conservative groups.
He has also taken aim at the FDA, which he says is “corrupt” and accused of colluding with the pharmaceutical industry.
– We will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove the financial conflicts of interest in our agencies, he said.
The family’s political heritage weighs heavily – Kennedy is the son of assassinated Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. Despite his Democratic background, he has moved closer to Trump’s policies, which were seen as an opportunity to push through controversial health reforms under the current administration.