Will Iowa Republicans stand down this session when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues? The Quad-City Times writes, yes. But is that good news? Caleb McCullough writes that Republicans also plan to focus more strongly on education and “religious freedom.”
A quick reminder of the new guidelines on donating blood, from Southern Illinois Now: “Questionnaires ask all donors about new or multiple sexual partners in the past three months. Those who have had a new sexual partner or multiple partners in the past three months and a history of anal sex during that time period will be deferred. Those taking medications to treat or prevent HIV infection will also be deferred. The new blood donation risk assessment is the same for every donor regardless of how they identify.” Read more here.
California takes a bold step to reduce “pre-textual stops” by police officers: What does this mean? As The Davis Vanguard explains, for one thing, it means a police officer in California can no longer ask a motorist or pedestrian, “Do you know why I pulled you over?” Instead, officers must now state the exact reason why they’re stopping a motorist.
The danger of doomsday talk, according to a leading climate scientist: Read The Guardian‘s Q&A with Hannah Ritchie, the 30-year-old climate scientist who advocates for a two-sided approach to saving the planet: “environmental sustainability” and “caring about people who are alive today.” Ritchie shares in her interview with Killian Fox why she cautions that doomsday predictions are as harmful as denying climate change.
