The attorney general's office in Ohio has ordered all of the state's abortion providers stop offering the procedure, saying it falls under the category of "non-essential and elective surgery."
There are six clinics in Ohio that provide surgical abortions, and five of them have pushed back, saying that their services are not only essential, but also time-sensitive.
Because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, there are shortages of personal protective equipment, like masks. The Ohio Department of Health on Wednesday said "non-essential and elective surgeries" would temporarily be suspended so health care workers dealing with COVID-19 cases would have proper gear. There was no mention of abortion, CBS News reports, but the Ohio attorney general's office mailed out letters to clinics saying they had to "immediately stop performing non-essential and elective surgical abortions."
In a statement to CBS News, Iris Harvey of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and Kersha Deibel of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region said their "top priority is ensuring that every person can continue accessing essential health care, including abortion. We know your health care can't wait. Abortion is an essential, time-sensitive medical procedure."
Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region's lawyer said the clinic is in compliance with the order, and Harvey and Deibel told CBS News they will still "continue providing essential procedures, including surgical abortion." The attorney general's office said if it is determined that the clinics violated the order, there will be legal ramifications. Catherine Garcia
Coronavirus has closed museums around the globe — and created the perfect opportunity for an overnight heist.
Early Monday morning, thieves broke into the Singer Laren museum east of Amsterdam and stole the Vincent Van Gogh painting "The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring 1884." Forensic investigators and art theft experts are now studying video footage and questioning people nearby to track the piece down, The Associated Press reports.
Thieves seemingly smashed a glass door to break into the museum. It set off an alarm, but by the time guards arrived, both the painting and the thieves had fled, per a police statement.
While the Singer Laren is dedicated to the art of American couple William and Anna Singer, it was hosting a special exhibit featuring a variety of artists before it closed over fears of spreading the new coronavirus. The stolen piece was on loan from the Groninger Museum in the northern Netherlands city of Groningen, and its value has not yet been revealed.
"I'm shocked and unbelievably annoyed that this has happened, Singer Laren museum director Jan Rudolph de Lorm told AP. "It is very bad for the Groninger Museum, it is very bad for the Singer, but it is terrible for us all because art exists to be seen and shared by us, the community, to enjoy to draw inspiration from and to draw comfort from, especially in these difficult times." Kathryn Krawczyk
After recently testing positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, Prince Charles is out of isolation.
It was announced last week that the 71-year-old heir to the British throne had tested positive for COVID-19, and Clarence House said at the time he had self-isolated at his home in Scotland.
As of Monday, "having consulted with his doctor, the Prince of Wales is now out of self-isolation," a spokesperson said. He is reportedly in good health.
Upon announcing the Prince of Wales' diagnosis last week, Clarence House said although he had been experiencing "mild symptoms," he "otherwise remains in good health." His wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, tested negative, although CNN reports that she "continues to self-isolate because she needs to see if she develops symptoms."
According to CBS News, U.K. government guidelines recommend that "people who live alone and have symptoms of coronavirus should stay isolated at home for 7 days from when their symptoms started." U.S. guidelines say those who are sick should self-isolate for 14 days.
Buckingham Palace in a statement last week said that Charles last had contact with Queen Elizabeth II "briefly" on March 12 but that she "remains in good health." Brendan Morrow
A report released by the independent humanitarian organization Refugees International called into question worldwide border closures amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, The Washington Post reports.
The report argues the world's 70 million refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced peoples are among the most vulnerable to the spread of the virus, and sealed-off borders decrease their already-limited capacity to combat it, especially as the humanitarian supply chain that keeps them alive is threatened.
Refugees, the report said, face issues like enhanced density in formal camps and informal settlements, and many lack basic necessities like soap and water that are used to quell the virus. Similarly, health services and access to information about the pandemic are severely limited.
In Greece, for example, the report notes 40,000 asylum seekers are "trapped" in "appalling conditions" on the Aegean Islands without running water.
"Meanwhile, nationalist leaders and politicians throughout the region — including in Italy and Spain — have seized upon the outbreak as a false basis for xenophobic, anti-refugee rhetoric and policies," the report reads.
So far, the number of reported infections in refugee camps remains low, but COVID-19 testing has been very limited. Read more at The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell
Drake posted the first-ever public photos of his two-year-old son, Adonis, on Monday in a heartfelt Instagram post. "Remember that you are never alone, and if you need to be reminded of that ask for support and it will show up," Drake wrote in the lengthy caption. "I love and miss my beautiful family and friends and I can't wait for the joyful day when we are all able to reunite."
The photos feature Drake holding his son, who has the curly blond hair of his grandmother, including one picture of the 33-year-old rapper posing with the mother of the once-"secret baby," Sophie Brussaux. Adonis was born in October 2017, but Drake didn't speak publicly about his son until the next spring when the existence of the child was revealed in a Pusha T diss track.
"No matter what happens, I have unconditional love for the mother of my child because I want him to love his mother and I have to project that energy," Drake had said on an episode of Lebron James' The Shop in October 2018. Jeva Lange
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) beat the odds in 2018, winning a primary against a Democrat who'd been in office for decades. But since she's entered Congress, Ocasio-Cortez has largely declined to endorse progressives following her lead, Politico reports.
Ocasio-Cortez entered Congress last year ready to shake things up. She quickly joined up with the progressive group Justice Democrats and called on its supporters to run against incumbents, and reportedly set her primarying sights on House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) even before she took office.
But since starting to work with those longstanding Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez has publicly supported ousting just two of them in this year's elections. In terms of primary challengers, she only endorsed Marie Newman against Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Jessica Cisneros in her challenge of Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas); both Lipinski and Cueller are among the most conservative House Democrats. Justice Democrats have meanwhile endorsed four other progressive challengers whom Ocasio-Cortez has so far declined to back, including one Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for in 2018. It all seems to put Ocasio-Cortez at odds with Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) philosophy of completely restructuring the Democratic party.
To be clear, Ocasio-Cortez hasn't backed away from backing progressives in general. She endorsed seven progressive women challenging Republican congressmembers and senators just last month, even bucking the Democratic party's preferred candidate to challenge Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). Read more at Politico. Kathryn Krawczyk