These states will vote on abortion in 2024. And a mysterious ant takes over New York

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Missouri and Arizona are the final states that will allow voters to decide in November whether to add abortion protections to their state constitutions. If the proposed amendments pass, both states would legalize abortion up to about 24 weeks, which is generally recognized as the point of fetal viability. Nearly all abortions, except for medical emergencies, have been illegal in Missouri since June 2022. In Arizona, the law bans abortions after 15 weeks and includes exceptions for medical emergencies. The two states join six others with similar ballot proposals in the upcoming elections: Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.

Ross D. Franklin / AP

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• 🎧 NPR’s Elissa Nadworny says Arizona’s secretary of state verified that organizers received more than half a million signaturesThat’s far more than was needed. Arizona Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, has sued to keep the issue off the ballot. Nebraska, Montana and Arkansas are awaiting decisions on similar ballot issues. Some Arkansas signatures were thrown out because they were collected by paid collectors, putting them below the necessary threshold. But the state Supreme Court could give the group more time. Decisions could come as early as next week in the other two states after secretaries of state assess the validity of the signatures.

Questions arose this week after the Trump campaign said it had been hacked and suggested Iranian hackers were to blame. Politico and other media outlets reported over the weekend that they received leaked internal documents from the Trump campaign. The FBI confirmed it is investigating the matter. Here’s what we know so far:

• 🎧 Trump campaign says documents are real and leaked, says NPR’s Shannon Bond Up first. The campaign pointed to a Microsoft report revealing that Iranian hackers targeted an unnamed presidential candidate, but has not provided any evidence that the leaked Trump campaign documents were related. Microsoft confirmed that the hacking attempt came from a group run by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The hackers compromised the email of a former unnamed campaign adviser and used it to target a current campaign official, according to Microsoft. The report did not say whether this was successful. The Harris campaign says the FBI informed them in July that it had been targeted by a foreign entity, but is not aware of any breach.

Peace talks aimed at ending the war in Sudan are expected to take place in Geneva today. A senior UN official said the refugee crisis, considered the worst in the world, has reached a “breaking point”. More than 12 million people have been displaced since war broke out in April between the military government, the Sudanese Armed Forces and a powerful paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces. Several efforts to end the fighting have failed.

• 🎧 “At this point, it seems like a broken record to say at almost every stage since last April that the country’s collapse has basically been a disaster and that it continues to get worse,” NPR’s Emmanuel Akinwotu says Sudan has been a battleground of fierce international competition for resources, influence and control for decades. Diplomatic talks have repeatedly failed. Various actors have fueled the war by arming both sides. The United Arab Emirates is under increasing scrutiny as Sudan says it is heavily funding the RAF. The UAE denies this. The United States is working to persuade the South African Armed Forces to attend peace talks; so far they have said they will not attend. The RAF has sent a delegation and said the military’s absence shows it is the one blocking peace.

Deep Dive

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

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Vice President Kamala Harris is highlighting her record of strict border enforcement in her campaign speeches and ads. This comes as the Biden administration faces low approval ratings on immigration and Republicans blame Harris for what they call a “border invasion.” A closer look at Harris’ record as a public official in California reveals a more nuanced picture.

• ⚖️ Harris went after abusive employers who ripped off immigrant workers During his tenure as San Francisco district attorney from 2004 to 2010, he encouraged immigrant communities to feel safe around police, but also favored turning over young immigrants arrested for crimes to immigration agents.
• ⚖️ When Donald Trump took office in 2017 and Harris was a new US senator, she met with the Los Angeles Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. and assured undocumented immigrants that he would fight for them.
• ⚖️ In 2021, President Biden tasked Harris with addressing the “root causes” of migration from three Central American countries that were the source of the largest unauthorized migration at the time.
• ⚖️ Harris and Biden called on Congress to pass a bipartisan bill that would increase resources for the Border Patrol and immigration courts. It would also allow the government to expel people without hearing asylum claims if incidents at the border reach a certain level.
• ⚖️ Many immigrant rights groups have harshly criticized Biden for his policies.But so far they are not attacking Harris in the same way. Political observers say that, with the November election approaching, advocates may recognize that the alternative to a Harris presidency would be Trump’s hardline policies.

Life Tips

By Christopher Pike/AP

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Did the Olympics draw you to a sport you had barely heard of before? The Paralympic Games, which are just around the corner, will likely do the same for such exciting sports as wheelchair rugby and goalball. Many of these sports are played in small competitions across the country. Some can even be found in the more obscure corners of sports broadcasters’ schedules. Here’s how you can keep up with them after the Games:

• 👟 Lacrosse will be reintroduced at the next Olympic Games. Before then, it will be seen at the professional and collegiate level in the US.
• 👟 Why stop at regular running? You could participate in mud races that include a messy obstacle course, backpack races that add weighted packs, or even races that allow you to run naked.
• 👟 Add a degree of difficulty to your climbing with ice climbing. If you just like to watch, ESPN sometimes televises the Annihilation-Slippery stairs adjacent.
• 👟 Red Bull has a cliff diving competition series that has been running for 15 years now. Here, athletes can jump from almost 30 metres above the water. If you are looking for a more peaceful option, you can consider surfing with dogs.
• 👟 If you like squash related to tennisYou’ll be at the forefront when it makes its Olympic debut in Los Angeles.
• 👟 Take a look at your gym for a variety of martial arts options and wrestling techniques.

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