Right to limit abortion

Protected

The U.S. Senate voted mostly along party lines Feb. 28 against the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that attempts to enshrine abortion in federal law. All Republicans voted against the bill, with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia as the lone Democrat to oppose it in the 46-48 vote. The House had passed the measure in September. Several pro-life groups called it the most extreme abortion legislation to make its way to the Senate. The proposal sought to prevent state governments from placing limitations on telemedicine and other abortions, potentially nullifying several pro-life laws. Some of the laws at risk included late-term abortion limits, informed consent laws, waiting periods, and anti-discriminatory legislation. The vote comes as the Supreme Court prepares to issue a ruling this year in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case about a 2018 Mississippi law that limits abortion after 15 weeks.

Jan. 6 rioter convicted

A federal jury deliberated for just over three hours before finding Guy Wesley Reffitt, 49, guilty on all five charges against him. Reffitt was a member of a Texas branch of the militia group Texas Three Percenters. He also was the first of hundreds of waiting defendants to stand trial on felony charges for involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. According to prosecutors, Reffitt carried a Smith & Wesson pistol onto U.S. Capitol grounds, intending to disrupt Congress’ certification of the 2020 election results. Reffitt’s teenage son reported him to the FBI before Jan. 6 and then turned him in a week after the event. The son testified his father threatened him and a sibling if they revealed his role on that day, saying “traitors get shot.”

Haitians swim for freedom

About 350 migrants were crammed on a wooden boat in what U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) suspects was a human smuggling operation from Haiti. The boat ran aground near the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla., and 163 of its occupants, including women and children, swam ashore. CBP took them into custody while the people who remained on the boat were transferred to U.S. Coast Guard vessels. Many of those who swam ashore needed medical attention. Many Haitian refugees have left Haiti because of natural disasters, political instability, and poverty.

Russian gas canned

President Joe Biden announced March 8 that Americans can expect even higher prices at the gas pump as the U.S. halts all imports of Russian oil. “We will not be part of subsidizing Putin’s war,” he said. “Defending freedom is going to cost.” Following his announcement, the price for a barrel of U.S. crude rose more than 5 percent to $130 as the average price of regular unleaded shot up to $4.17 per gallon, passing records set in 2008. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. imported roughly 245 million barrels of oil from Russia in 2021, only about 8 percent of total imports. The EU gets 40 percent of its gas from Russia, but leaders are expected to phase out reliance on Russian fuel before 2030.