WISCONSIN
Judge blocks state’s new abortion law
A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order Monday blocking enforcement of a new Wisconsin law that bans doctors who lack admitting privileges at nearby hospitals from performing abortions. U.S. District Judge William Conley granted the restraining order, which will remain in place pending a hearing July 17. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and Affiliated Medical Services filed a lawsuit Friday. The bill was introduced in the Legislature on June 4, passed nine days later and signed into law Friday by Gov. Scott Walker.
CONNECTICUT
Gun group sues over gun law
A new state gun law is being challenged again in court. A national industry group claims the legislation was passed illegally without proper public input or adequate review by state legislators. The National Shooting Sports Foundation Inc. filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court against Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and other top state officials. The General Assembly passed emergency legislation in April expanding Connecticut’s assault weapons ban and background check requirements in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The Attorney General’s Office declined to comment.
MEXICO
Governor race tight in border state
President Enrique Pena Nieto sought to calm tensions Monday over the still-undecided election for governor of the key Mexican border state of Baja California after both sides claimed victory and authorities said mistakes were made in preliminary vote counts. Complaints over the election in Baja and other states have led the conservative National Action Party to suggest it could pull out of an agreement known as the Pact for Mexico that has become a centerpiece of Pena Nieto’s administration. The preliminary count from Baja California, with about 97 percent of the vote, showed National Action’s Francisco “Kiko” Vega ahead by nearly 3 percentage points.
MASSACHUSETTS
Heinz Kerry’s condition improves
Doctors evaluating Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, reported improvement in her condition Monday, according to the State Department, but few details were being disclosed about her illness. Heinz Kerry, 74, heir to the Heinz ketchup fortune, was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Sunday after first being brought by ambulance to a hospital on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, where the couple has a home and often spends time during the summer.
NEW YORK
Nun with gambling addiction jailed
A Roman Catholic was sentenced to 90 days in jail for stealing nearly $130,000 from two western New York parishes to support a gambling addiction. Sister Mary Anne Rapp, 68, also was ordered at Monday’s sentencing to perform 100 hours of community service and repay $128,000. Rapp pleaded guilty to grand larceny in Orleans County Court in April. Investigators said she stole the money to feed a gambling addiction and spent the money at western New York casinos.
FLORIDA
Judge can’t halt Gitmo force-feeding
A U.S. federal judge ruled Monday that she lacks the authority to halt the force-feeding of prisoners on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay, while pointedly noting that the U.S. military’s practice appears to violate international law and that President Barack Obama can resolve the issue. District Judge Gladys Kessler said previous rulings already established that the court lacks jurisdiction to stop the force-feeding of prisoners during the ongoing protest, rejecting a motion for a preliminary injunction sought by a Syrian held at the U.S. base in Cuba.
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