Yahoo Movies Will anti-abortion lawmakers 'put our money where our mouth is?'
📱 Quick rundown: Oklahoma lawmakers have passed an all-out abortion ban; President Joe Biden is on a five-day visit to Asia; some fear retribution on thousands of Ukrainian troops leaving Mariupol in Russia's hands; the Texas GOP AG primary runoff; Harry Styles’ new album is finally here.
🙋🏼♀️Hi! I'm Nicole, and here's Friday's news.
⚫ The white man accused of killing 10 Black people in a racist massacre at a Buffalo supermarket appeared briefly in court after he was indicted by a grand jury.
More news to know now:
👉 The gunman in a hate-fueled shooting attack at a Southern California church sent copies of a diary to a Chinese-language media outlet before he fatally shot a parishioner and wounded five others, the newspaper that received the package reported.
🤒 A possible monkeypox case was reported in New York City as an outbreak spreads to seven countries.
🟦 Black cancer death rates are falling, but remain higher than in other groups.
✍ Illinois’ governor signed a bill banning ''ghost guns,'' untraceable weapons sometimes made from a kit purchased online that currently do not require a background check.
💉 Kids ages 5-11 can start receiving third doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine after the CDC signed off on the boosters.
👗 Deciding what to wear for a Zoom meeting? Our product experts at Reviewed have gathered the perfect outfits for a work-from-home lifestyle so you can look fantastic on camera and be comfortable.
🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear from abortion providers in Oklahoma as the state passes the nation’s strictest anti-abortion law. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.
📰 What happened this week? Take our news quiz to test your knowledge
Oklahoma lawmakers pass bill banning abortions after 'fertilization'
Oklahoma is poised to implement the strictest anti-abortion law in the nation after state lawmakers on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that bans abortion from the point ''fertilization.'' If signed by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, this bill would supersede a Texas-style abortion ban Stitt signed earlier this month that largely prohibits the procedure after six weeks. Stitt, who has vowed to sign all anti-abortion bills that advance to his desk, is expected to sign the bill, HB 4327. Abortion providers in the state plan to challenge in court the measure that could take effect any day. Limited exceptions to the bill include abortions necessary to save a woman's life and those performed to end pregnancies that occurred due to rape or incest, so long as the woman reported the crime to law enforcement. The vote spurred state Republican Rep. Garry Mize to express frustration with the Legislature for not doing more to help pregnant Oklahomans get help and resources. He said: "What are we doing? Are we actually going to put our money where our mouth is?"
🟣 Video: Some states prep for more patients if Roe v. Wade falls.
🟣 Emergency contraception, also called ''Plan B,'' is still legal in Oklahoma and other states.
Biden to visit Samsung semiconductor plant in South Korea
President Joe Biden begins his five-day Asia trip with a visit to a Samsung semiconductor plant Friday, a stop meant to demonstrate the growing cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea on technology and other issues. When South Korea's previous president, Moon Jae-in, traveled to Washington last year, the nations announced "mutual and complementary investments" in semiconductors and batteries for electric cars. The intent is to expand production of key products and strengthen supply chains to be less reliant on China. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden "will engage with technology and manufacturing leaders in Korea who are mobilizing billions of dollars in investment here in the United States to create thousands of good-paying American jobs." Biden will grapple with a multitude of foreign policy issues during his visit to South Korea and Japan, but he also crafted an itinerary clearly meant to tend to the concerns of his home audience as well.
🌎 Russia, North Korea, global democracy: Here's what to expect from Biden's Asia trip.
Just for subscribers:
📱 Gabrielle Blair is a Mormon mother-of-six whose viral Twitter thread places the responsibility of unwanted pregnancies on men. Her 63-tweet thread has garnered nearly 40 million impressions, and is helping people reframe the abortion debate.
👉 Female refugees from Ukraine are showing up at train stations throughout Europe, where they are being met by shadowy men who traffick them.
🍼 The White House and Congress took steps to combat the national baby formula shortage. But don’t expect relief overnight.
✍ A woman enslaved by a major Harvard donor fought for reparations and won. Why her story still matters.
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Organizations warn of Russian retribution against Ukrainian troops
In what appeared to be the final stage in the nearly three-month siege, more than 1,700 Ukrainian troops have surrendered in recent days after weeks of defending the port city of Mariupol, Russian authorities said, with some taken to areas controlled by Russian-backed separatists. Now, some are voicing fears that Russian forces may inflict retribution on the troops. The International Committee of the Red Cross is trying to register the Ukrainian troops as prisoners of war, gathering personal information from hundreds of soldiers, as part of its role in ensuring the humane treatment of POWs under the Geneva Conventions. In the eastern Donbas region, 12 people were killed when Russia shelled the neighboring cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said in a Telegram post Friday. Russian ground troops also attempted to assault Severodonetsk but took losses and retreated, Ukraine's General Staff said in its Friday morning update.
🟡 Thursday Ukraine recap: POW "pleading for forgiveness" from Ukraine widow.
🟡 ''Fight for survival'': Senate approves $40 billion in Ukraine assistance as last aid package runs out.
🟡 U.S. aid to Ukraine could hit $53B: Here's what it covers, how it compares and who pays for it.
Deadline to cast votes in Texas GOP AG primary runoff featuring George P. Bush
Friday is the last day for Texans to cast their vote in a runoff for the GOP nomination for attorney general between two-term Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and George P. Bush. Bush, who is leaving his land commissioner post to challenge Paxton, will face the Donald Trump-backed incumbent again after neither garnered a majority of the votes cast in the March 1 Republican primary. Paxton led with 42.7% of the primary vote, while Bush received 22.8%, forcing the runoff. Since March 2, Bush has raised $2.3 million, edging Paxton, who raised $2 million in that time. In a recent interview with the Austin American Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network, Bush said of Paxton that "Texas deserves better." He added that, "Our party deserves to have somebody that can champion important values under the federal Constitution."
🔴 U.S. senator weighs in: Sen. John Cornyn calls Texas AG Ken Paxton's legal troubles "a source of embarrassment."
🔴 Video from Austin: Who can vote in a runoff? Explaining the Texas runoff elections.
Countries continue to relax COVID-19 restrictions for globetrotters
Starting Friday, all U.S. travelers arriving in Israel by plane will no longer have to take a PCR test upon arrival and will not have to quarantine. This comes as countries across the globe are continuing to relax international travel restrictions related to COVID-19. Many countries such as Laos, Jamaica and the Czech Republic are now allowing more visitors to enter after, in some cases, more than two years of tight restrictions. The European Union is expected to drop its mask mandate for air travelers starting next week and New Zealand will reopen its borders to tourists by July, the government announced May 11. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month removed all the remaining countries on its "Do Not Travel" list, but the CDC recommends all travelers stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines and "follow all domestic and international travel requirements and recommendations."
🌎 Where are masks still required now that the mask mandate has been lifted?
🌎 Post-pandemic travel: Is it OK to ask another passenger's vaccine status or request they mask up?
ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday
⛳ Phil Mickelson was ''not missed'' at the Champions Dinner, a past PGA Championship winner said.
🙄 Gaffe: George W. Bush condemns Vladimir Putin's ''brutal, unjustified invasion of Iraq,'' meaning Ukraine.
🎤 Interview with Jean Smart on ''Hacks'' Season 2: "Constant stress'' of parenting without her late husband.
🏖 Some say this Georgia beach is one of the best beaches in the U.S.
📺 Review: ''Downton Abbey: A New Era'' continues British family saga in solid, soapy fashion.
🤰🏿 Rihanna, A$AP Rocky welcome first child after internet-breaking pregnancy.
Harry Styles releases anticipated third album, 'Harry's House'
Harry Styles is back with his first album since 2019's "Fine Line," with the release of "Harry's House" Friday. The album – Styles' third solo effort – follows the release of the album's first single, "As It Was," which has topped the Billboard Global 200 chart for multiple weeks. "Harry's House," whose title is a nod to Joni Mitchell's 1975 song "Harry's House / Centerpiece," features a dazzling spread of sounds, from spunky horns to glistening synthesizers to sinewy bass lines, USA TODAY's Melissa Ruggieri writes in her review. Ruggieri adds that Styles' pursuit of "musical experimentation somehow never sounds indulgent, and his blatant signals to his forebears, whether ‘80s new wave or ‘70s funk, are always freshly dressed."
🎵 12 spring albums we can't wait to hear: Harry Styles, Miranda Lambert, Arcade Fire and more.
📷 Photo of the day: 'Top Gun: Maverick' UK premiere 📷
"Top Gun: Maverick," has landed across the pond with royal flair! The sequel to Tony Scott's 1986 action drama, which soars back to the big screen on May 27, had its United Kingdom premiere at the Leicester Square Gardens in London on Thursday. Just the day before, Tom Cruise mania descended in Cannes where the actor walked the red carpet and received a surprise Palme d’Or, the festival’s top award. The Cannes stop was part of a worldwide tour for the film ahead of its launch in theaters. Paramount Pictures delayed its release for two years during the pandemic, a move that appears to be paying off with glowing reviews and box-office expectations that "Top Gun: Maverick" will easily mark Cruise's biggest opening weekend ever.
✈ Here's every song on the original 1986 ''Top Gun'' soundtrack, ranked (including "Danger Zone," obviously)
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Abortion, Biden in South Korea, Russia-Ukraine war: Daily Briefing Friday
