Nation and world news in brief for Aug. 7

Ohio ban on gender-affirming care for minors upheld by judge

(Reuters) — An Ohio judge on Tuesday upheld a Republican-backed state law banning gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors, rebuffing a challenge by families of transgender adolescents.

The ruling by Judge Michael Holbrook of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas came after a non-jury trial last month. Holbrook had previously blocked the law from taking effect while he heard the case.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost welcomed the decision, spokesperson Bethany McCorkle said in a statement.

Costa Rica with US help nabs 21 suspects linked to human trafficking

SAN JOSE (Reuters) — An extensive police operation in Costa Rica on Tuesday resulted in the arrests of 21 people suspected of links to an international human-trafficking network operating between Ecuador and the United States, police said.

Costa Rican officials coordinated with U.S. and Panamanian authorities for the operation which included 18 raids in different parts of the Central American country.

Authorities are aiming to stem the growing flow of migrants seeking to reach the United States through Latin America. Despite a recent decrease, tens of thousands of migrants each month cross the treacherous Darien Gap jungle passage between Panama and Colombia on their long journey north.

The suspects arrested are accused of providing illegal logistics services in Costa Rica as part of the land route between Ecuador and the U.S., a journey they charged $14,000 per person to more than a hundred migrants, Costa Rican police said.

Google antitrust ruling may pose $20B risk for Apple

(Reuters) — Apple’s lucrative deal with Google could be under threat after a U.S. judge ruled that the Alphabet-owned search giant was operating an illegal monopoly.

A potential remedy for Google to avoid antitrust actions could involve terminating the agreement, which makes its search engine a default on Apple devices, Wall Street analysts said on Tuesday.

Google pays Apple $20 billion annually, or about 36% of what it earns from search advertising made through the Safari browser, for the privilege, according to Morgan Stanley analysts.

If the deal is undone, the iPhone maker could take a 4-6% hit to its profit, the analysts estimated.

Utah bans 13 books from all public schools

(NYT) — The state of Utah has ordered schools to remove 13 books from classrooms and libraries, including books by Margaret Atwood and Judy Blume, because they have content considered pornographic or indecent under a new state law.

The edict issued Friday was intended to comply with a law that went into effect July 1, which says that local education agencies — including school boards and the governing boards of charter schools — should prioritize “protecting children from the harmful effects of illicit pornography over other considerations.” Traditionally, schools and librarians have decided whether a book is appropriate for children based on a range of factors, including its literary or artistic value.

Any materials that include a description of sex or masturbation would run afoul of the new rule. When a local education agency removes a book because it violates the new law, it must notify the state board of education. And when something is removed by three school districts — or by two school districts and five charter schools — it must be removed statewide.

Trump hush money judge says he’ll decide on recusal by next week

NEW YORK (TNS) — The judge who presided over Donald Trump’s hush money case said he will decide next week whether he will remove himself from the high-profile case in which the former president has been convicted of 34 felony counts.

Justice Juan Merchan in Manhattan set new timetables for rulings in the case after Trump again asked him to recuse himself because the judge’s daughter has worked for Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the Democratic nominee. Merchan has twice previously denied Trump’s recusal requests.

If he stays on the case, Merchan said he would rule by Sept. 16 on whether the former president has immunity from prosecution after a landmark Supreme Court decision. That date pushes back the ruling on the immunity question by 10 days.

Bangladesh to appoint Nobel laureate as interim government head

DHAKA, Bangladesh (TNS) — Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin is set to appoint Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as the head of the country’s interim government, one day after prime minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee to India following mass protests.

A presidential spokesman told dpa by phone that the decision to appoint the 84-year-old Yunus came at a meeting attended by the president, senior military officers, civil society members and representatives of student protest organizers.

The other members of the interim government will be chosen after consultation with political parties, he said.

NASA delays SpaceX Crew-9 launch while holding off Starliner decision

(TNS) — NASA has yet to make a decision on when Boeing’s Starliner can return home or whether or not it will have its two astronauts on board. That delay has also led to a decision to delay the planned SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

NASA announced Tuesday it would target no earlier than Sept. 24 for the launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom and its planned crew of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague and Stephanie Wilson along with Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

They’re supposed to relieve the four members of Crew-8 who have been on board the International Space Station since March.

Justice Dept. charges Pakistani man in alleged plot to kill US leaders

(NYT) — The Justice Department said Tuesday that it had charged a Pakistani man who had recently visited Iran with trying to hire a hit man to assassinate political figures in the United States. Investigators believe that potential targets likely included former President Donald Trump, according to a senior law enforcement official. Asif Raza Merchant, 46, was arrested in New York on July 12, according to a complaint unsealed in federal court in New York City on Tuesday. Officials said the arrest of Merchant — who had recently spent two weeks in Iran — had disrupted what they characterized as a far-ranging plot that also included seeking to steal computer files from U.S. officials.

EPA pulls from the market a weed killer harmful to fetuses

(NYT) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday issued an emergency order suspending all uses of a weed killer linked to serious health risks for unborn babies.The herbicide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also known as DCPA or Dacthal, is used on crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and onions. Fetuses exposed to it could suffer from low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ and impaired motor skills later in life, the EPA said. California-based AMVAC Chemical Corp., the sole manufacturer of the pesticide, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The chemical has been prohibited for use on crops in the European Union since 2009.

Hamas elevates Gaza leader who planned Oct. 7 attacks to top post

(NYT) — Hamas has chosen Yahya Sinwar, one of the architects of the deadly Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, to lead the militant group’s political wing, it announced Tuesday, consolidating his power over Hamas as it continues to fight Israel in the Gaza Strip. Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza since 2017, has long been considered a planner of Hamas’ military strategy there. Now, he will also replace Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s previous political leader and a key liaison in the indirect cease-fire talks with Israel. Haniyeh, who had been living in Qatar, was killed in an explosion in Iran last week that has been widely attributed to Israel.