House votes to reauthorize law on domestic violence
The House voted on Wednesday to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, legislation originally authored by then-Sen. Joe Biden in 1994 that aims to strengthen protections for women from domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
The landmark law was reauthorized several times since but lapsed in 2019 after the Democratic-controlled House voted to renew it, but it stalled in the Republican-led Senate. Democrats are hopeful it will find the support this time, although the latest version still faces potential obstacles in the evenly divided Senate.
The vote was 244-172, with 29 Republicans breaking ranks and joining Democrats in backing the reauthorization.
Republican opposition to the bill revolves in part around closing the socalled “boyfriend loophole,” which adds dating partners and stalkers to the provision banning spouses of convicted domestic violence or abuse from owning firearms.
Heavy rain, tornadoes batter the South
A wave of storms pounded the Deep South on Wednesday, leaving a trail of splintered trees and damaged buildings, and forecasters said still stronger ones were on the way with the potential for massive tornadoes, downpours and hail the size of baseballs.
While nearly 16 million people in the Southeast could see powerful storms, the Storm Prediction Center said, a region of about 3 million stretching from southeastern Arkansas and northeastern Louisiana across Mississippi into Alabama was at high risk for big twisters that stay on the ground for miles, straight winds up to 80 mph and destructive hail.
Possible tornadoes knocked down trees, toppled power lines and damaged homes in rural Chilton County and the Alabama communities of Burnsville and Moundville, where power was out and trees blocked a main highway.
North Korea ignores U.S. diplomacy offer
North Korea said Thursday it will ignore a U.S. offer for talks unless it withdraws its hostile policy on the North, days after Washington said it reached out to Pyongyang through various channels.
The statement by Choe Son Hui, the first foreign minister, came hours before the top diplomats and defense chiefs of the United States and South Korea meet in Seoul in their first joint talks in five years to discuss North Korea’s nuclear program.
“We don’t think there is need to respond to the U.S. delaying-time trick again,” Ms. Choe said in a statement carried by state media. “We have already declared our stand that no [North Korea]U.S. contact and dialogue of any kind can be possible unless the U.S. rolls back its hostile policy toward [North Korea]. Therefore, we will disregard such an attempt of the U.S. in the future, too.”
U.S.-led diplomacy on North Korea’s nuclear program has been stalemated for about two years because of disputes over U.S.led sanctions on the North. Experts are debating whether the United States and its allies should settle for a deal that would freeze North Korea’s nuclear activities in return for relaxing sanctions to prevent its arsenal from further growing.