Arizona ruling: Arizona’s Supreme Court has ruled that a law dating from 1864 that bans abortions and requires a prison term of up to five years for anyone who helps a woman have an abortion can be enforced. The state’s Attorney General Kris Mayes blasted the court’s ruling as unconscionable and said she would not enforce it. The Supreme Court’s ruling is expected to help boost voter turnout for a November ballot initiative in Arizona that would change the state’s Constitution to guarantee a woman’s right to control her own reproductive health care.
Hostage negotiations: CNN reported this morning that Hamas has told cease-fire negotiators that it cannot identify 40 Israeli hostages that would be needed as part of a cease-fire and hostage release deal that is being negotiated. The cease-fire would last six weeks. The hostages to be released would be women and men who are elderly and sick. It’s expected that Hamas would be pressured to include younger and healthy males in order to meet the minimum number of those required to be released.
Trump loses: A New York appeals court judge has rejected yet another attempt by Donald Trump to delay Monday’s scheduled start of his criminal hush money trial. Trump is charged with having bought the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels about a sexual encounter. The judge ruled that the trial should not be delayed while Trump appeals a gag order imposed by Judge Juan Merchan, who is the presiding judge in the case. Merchan imposed the gag order to stop Trump from intimidating prospective jurors, court employees, witnesses and others involved in the case and their families.
White House events: Singer Paul Simon was scheduled to entertain at the White House tonight when President Biden hosts Japanese Prime Minister Kishida for a state dinner. Biden and Kishida today were scheduled to hold talks on security in the Pacific region. They also were expected to talk about their domestic political situations, with both Kishida and Biden experiencing low approval ratings. Biden and Kishida also were scheduled to hold a joint news conference at the White House.
Inflation ticks up: Inflation is moving the wrong way for the Federal Reserve Bank and there are concerns that it may delay anticipated cuts in interest rates. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that the Consumer Price Index increased 0.4% in March, the same increase as in February. Over the last 12 months, the inflation rate was 3.5%, higher than the Fed’s target of 2% inflation. The energy index rose 1.1% in March and the food index rose 0.1%. The costs of new and used cars and trucks were among those that decreased during March.
Stamps: The U.S. Postal Service has proposed raising the price of a first-class letter to 73-cents from the current 68-cents effective July 14. Postcards would rise from 64 cents to 69 cents. The costs of most other postal products also would go up. The Post Office Regulatory Commission needs to approve the increases in order for them to go into effect. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has implemented a 10-year, $40 billion plan to overhaul the postal system, although critics have accused him of trying to fulfill a long-standing Republican plan to shut down the post office so that a private company can step in.
