Iowa governor signs so-called ‘heartbeat’ abortion ban into law

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law on Friday a bill outlawing abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which often occurs at six weeks and before a woman even realizes she is pregnant, and Reynolds acknowledged the likelihood of a court challenge. The measure, which Iowa's Republican-controlled state legislature passed on Wednesday, is the most restrictive abortion ban in the United States.

State defends law on abortion doctors’ hospital privileges

Lawyers for the state of Louisiana asked a federal appeals court Thursday to uphold a law requiring that doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The arguments involve a law blocked by a federal judge in Baton Rouge last year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar Texas law.

Trump hires veteran attorney who represented Clinton during his impeachment process

President Donald Trump on Wednesday hired a veteran attorney who represented Bill Clinton during his impeachment process as the White House shifted to a more aggressive approach to a special counsel investigation that has reached a critical stage. The White House announced the hiring of lawyer Emmet Flood after disclosing the retirement of Ty Cobb, who for months has been the administration's point person dealing with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Ancient artifacts seized from Hobby Lobby returned to Iraq

Thousands of ancient clay tablets, seals and other Iraqi archaeological objects that were smuggled into the U.S. and shipped to the head of arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby were returned to the Iraqi government on Wednesday. The Oklahoma City-based private company, whose devout Christian owners won a 2014 U.S. Supreme Court ruling exempting them from providing certain contraceptive coverage for employees, agreed to pay a $3 million fine last year to settle a lawsuit over the company's role in the smuggling of the artifacts, which authorities say were looted from the war-torn country.

Convicted double murderer re-sentenced to life with parole

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Hey, Beacon Hill: Stun guns are too lethal to ignore

In the already heated battle over gun control, the state's highest court has dropped one giant hot potato on the Legislature's doorstep - even as lawmakers are looking toward a midsummer end to the session. The Supreme Judicial Court, following some rather pointed instructions from the US Supreme Court, recently overturned the state's ban on civilian use of stun guns - Tasers and weapons that use an electrical current or beam "designed to incapacitate temporarily, injure, or kill ."

Abortion, Ten Commandments on Alabama’s ballot in November

Alabama voters will decide this November whether the state will become anti-abortion and will allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed on state property such as courts and schools. The two proposed constitutional amendments, passed by lawmakers during this year's legislative session, will appear as referendums on the general-election ballot.

Here Are the Biggest Stories in American Politics This Week

Whether it was President Trump's first state dinner, the visits of two prominent European leaders, the withdrawal of the president's nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs or a summit meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea, it was a big week in American politics and diplomacy. Here's a look back at what you might have missed.

Mpls. man granted new federal trial after juror’s racial remarks

In a rare reversal, a federal judge has ordered a new trial for a north Minneapolis man convicted on gun charges, finding that jurors likely focused more on his race than the evidence in rendering a guilty verdict. Five years after Michael Allen Smith's conviction, U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson agreed to re-examine Smith's case after the jury foreman from his trial disclosed that another juror had said of Smith, who is black: "you know he's just a banger from the hood, so he's got to be guilty."

Trump travel ban seems poised for victory at U.S. Supreme Court

Chief Justice John Roberts suggested he doubted that the policy was unconstitutionally tainted by Trump's campaign call for a Muslim ban at the border In this Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017 file photo, a protester holds up a sign during a protest of President Donald Trump's executive order banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia. More than five decades after Americans poured into the streets to demand civil rights and the end to a deeply unpopular war, thousands are embracing a culture of resistance unlike anything since.