Top news stories and must-read articles.

Trump Administration announces new abortion restrictions

In an executive order this week, Trump instituted a series of changes to federal policies relating to abortion. These changes include barring the use of federal family planning money to educate women about abortion. This rule also takes away important funding from many clinics like Planned Parenthood.

ACLU, Planned Parenthood sue to stop ‘heartbeat law’

In another attack on women’s healthcare and rights, Iowa adopted a highly restrictive abortion law recently.  This bill has been dubbed the ‘heart beat law’ because it bans abortion after 6 week - around the time doctors can hear a heartbeat. This week, the ACLU of Iowa and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit to try to stop this harmful bill from taking effect.

Senate confirms Gina Haspel to CIA

Gina Haspel, the controversial CIA operative who oversaw torture programs at black sights, was confirmed to the role of CIA director this week. Concerns over Haspel’s involvement with torture programs did not stop the Senate from confirming her to the position with a slim majority.

THE ACLU’S TAKE

Prison population drops again in 2017, but not in Maine

The number of people incarcerated in the United States has dropped to the lowest number since 2004, but Maine had more incarcerated people than ever before. This follows a trend of a declining prison population set in motion during the Obama administration. However, with just under 1.5 million people still incarcerated, there are still massive issues with the American criminal justice system.

Top news stories and must-read articles.

ACLU uncovers Amazon’s facial recognition plans

The ACLU discovered documents that reveal Amazon’s plans to join forces with governments to use newly developed facial recognition technology. This technology can recognize and track faces in crowds and analyze the face in the context of a large database. As Amazon plans to market this technology to governments, the dangers to civil liberties are mounting.

THE ACLU’S TAKE

Gavin Grimm gets federal court victory

Gavin Grimm, a transgender student who was barred from using the regular bathrooms in his school, won in court again yesterday. With the help of the ACLU, Gavin’s case has helped prove that federal law protects transgender people.

THE ACLU’S TAKE

Ohio’s Congressional map violates constitution

The ACLU has filed suit in Ohio this week, citing that the state’s Congressional district are gerrymandered in a way that is unconstitutional. The lines in Ohio are some of the most partisan in the country.

THE ACLU’S TAKE

Abuse at U.S. border continues at staggering rate

The Trump Administration deportation program has been harmful enough. Now, thousands of pages of evidence reveal that the cruelty extends to the border. At the U.S. border with Mexico, asylum seekers and others fleeing to the U.S. have been faced with physical, sexual, and verbal abuse.

THE ACLU’S TAKE