Biden meets with G-7 leaders in Germany
President Joe Biden is in Germany for the annual Group of Seven summit, an annual economic meeting between leaders from the U.S., France, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan. The leaders in attendance will spend the second day of the summit talking about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden will try to talk European nations into ceasing all imports of Russian oil and gas. World leaders are also expected to discuss capping the price of oil and gas imports to help fight inflation and further cut into Putin’s financial resources. In 2014, G-7 nations banished Russia from their gathering over its first invasion of eastern Ukraine. Now, with Putin’s army pummeling the country, world leaders are rushing to stop him. China is also on the agenda, with G-7 leaders announcing a global infrastructure partnership that positions them to act as alternative lenders to developing nations that might otherwise accept investment dollars from China.
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Reproductive health providers urge Florida judge to issue injunction of new abortion law
The American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health providers on Monday are asking a jstate court to issue a temporary, emergency injunction stopping a new Florida law which bans most abortions after 15 weeks. The providers are asking a judge in Tallahassee to stop the new law passed by a GOP-controlled Florida Legislature from taking effect on Friday, arguing that an amendment in the Florida constitution guarantees a broad right to privacy, which includes the right to abortion. It comes after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that had provided constitutional protections for women seeking abortions for almost 50 years. The new Florida law prohibits abortions beyond 15 weeks except to save the pregnant woman’s life or prevent physical harm, as well as in cases where the fetus has a fatal abnormality. A violator of the third-degree felony could face up to five years in prison, and physicians and other medical professionals who violate the law could lose their licenses and face administrative fines of $10,000 for each violation. Under current law, Florida had allowed abortions up to 24 weeks.
US basketball star Brittney Griner due in Russian court
More than four months after she was arrested at a Russian airport for cannabis possession, American basketball star Brittney Griner is to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing ahead of her trial. The Phoenix Mercury star could face 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of large-scale transportation of drugs. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time WNBA All-Star, was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Feb. 17 after authorities there said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. Her arrest came less than a week before Russia sent troops into Ukraine. The State Department in May designated her as wrongfully detained. Fewer than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and unlike in the U.S., acquittals can be overturned. The trial date has not been announced, but is expected soon; Griner was recently ordered to remain in pretrial detention until July 2.
Amtrak train crash that left 3 dead in California under investigation
An investigation continues Monday after an Amtrak commuter train smashed into a car in Northern California, killing three people and injuring three others. The crash occurred at around 1 p.m. Sunday in Brentwood, about an hour’s drive southeast of San Francisco, the California Highway Patrol said. Three people died at the scene. Two adults and a child were taken to hospitals but there was no immediate word on their conditions, KRON-TV reported. The victims were inside the four-door sedan when it was struck. The car came to rest about 60 feet away from the tracks. There were 80 people aboard the train but none of them were hurt, officials said.
Wimbledon begins: Who’s in and who’s out
Wimbledon, the grass court tennis Grand Slam tournament, starts Monday. Discussions leading up to the start of the championship have mostly been about who’s playing, and who isn’t. Serena Williams is returning to play singles with a wild card invitation after a year away, while No. 1 ranked Naomi Osaka pulled out of the tournament entirely due to an Achilles injury. The No. 1 ranked male player, Daniil Medvedev, was barred from playing, along with every other player from Russia and Belarus, as part of sanctions on Russia for the war in Ukraine. One Russian-born women’s doubles player, Natela Dzalamidze, changed her nationality to Georgian in order to compete.
Contributing: Associated Press
