Arizona senators set path for repeal vote
PHOENIX -- Democrats in the Arizona Senate cleared a path to bring a proposed repeal of the state's near-total ban on abortions to a vote after the state's highest court concluded the law can be enforced and the state House blocked efforts to undo the long-dormant statute.
Although no vote was taken on the repeal itself, Republican Sens. T.J. Shope and Shawnna Bolick sided with 14 Democrats in the Senate on Wednesday in changing rules to let a repeal proposal advance after the deadline for hearing bills had passed. Proponents say the Senate could vote on the repeal as early as May 1.
If the proposed repeal wins final approval from the Republican-controlled Legislature and is signed into law by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, the 2022 statute banning the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy would become the prevailing abortion law.
The move by the Senate came after Republicans in the Arizona House, for the second time in a week, blocked attempts on Wednesday to bring a repeal bill to a vote. One Republican joined 29 Democrats in the Arizona House to bring the repeal measure to a vote Wednesday, but the effort failed twice on 30-30 votes.
The state's near-total ban, which predates Arizona's statehood, permits abortions only for saving the woman's life and provides no exceptions for rape or incest.
Senator's son pleads innocent in fatality
WASHBURN, N.D. -- The adult son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer pleaded innocent Wednesday to homicide and other charges in connection with a Dec. 6 crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff's deputy.
Ian Cramer, 43, waived his preliminary hearing and entered his innocent plea to felony charges of homicide while fleeing a peace officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment and fleeing an officer, as well as three misdemeanor drug charges and other low-level offenses of driving under suspension and marijuana possession.
A jury trial is scheduled for July. Cramer was initially charged with manslaughter.
Bismarck police said Ian Cramer's mother had taken him to a hospital because of mental health concerns. Court documents say he crawled into the driver's seat of his parents' vehicle after his mother got out, and smashed in reverse through the closed garage door of the hospital's ambulance bay. Court documents say he later fled from deputies when one confronted him in Hazen.
Cramer hit speeds over 100 mph and kept going even after a spiked device flattened two tires, according to court documents. More spikes were set up, and Cramer swerved and then crashed head-on into Mercer County sheriff's deputy Paul Martin's patrol vehicle, who was thrown about 100 feet, authorities said.
Martin, 53, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Ian Cramer is being held at the McLean County jail in Washburn on $500,000 cash bail.
Gunshot report locks down N.D. air base
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The lockdown has been lifted at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota after a report of a gunshot on Wednesday afternoon sent people indoors.
Security officers completed a door-to-door sweep but did not locate the source of the sound, the base said in a social media post. No injuries were reported.
The base said in an earlier post that security at the base received the report of a single gunshot near the medical clinic and base exchange around 1 p.m. The lockdown was ordered "out of an abundance of caution," the statement said. The lockdown lifted about 3½ hours later and "normal operations have resumed," the base said.
Editor quits, criticizes new head of NPR
NEW YORK -- A National Public Radio editor who wrote an essay criticizing his employer for promoting liberal views resigned Wednesday, attacking NPR's new CEO on the way out.
Uri Berliner, a senior editor on NPR's business desk, posted his resignation letter on X, formerly Twitter, a day after it was revealed that he was suspended for five days for violating company rules about outside work done without permission.
"I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems" written about in his essay, Berliner said in his resignation letter.
Katherine Maher, a former tech executive appointed in January as NPR's chief executive, has been criticized by conservative activists for social media messages that disparaged former President Donald Trump. The messages predated her hiring at NPR.
NPR's public relations chief said the organization does not comment on individual personnel matters.
In his essay, written for the Free Press site, Berliner said NPR is dominated by liberals and no longer has an open-minded spirit. He traced the change to coverage of Trump's presidency.
Berliner said he had brought up his concerns internally and no changes had been made.
In his resignation letter, Berliner said he did not support any efforts to strip NPR of public funding.