Three things for February 15
1. Trump acquitted in second impeachment trial
On Saturday, Feb. 13, the Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial.
The 57-43 vote in the Senate fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict.
Seven Republicans joined 50 Democrats to convict him — falling short of the 67 guilty votes needed. Ten House Republicans voted to impeach him in January 2021.
Since the acquittal, the Republicans who voted against Trump have faced public backlash from their party.
In a statement released shortly after the vote, the former president described the proceedings as part of a “witch-hunt” perpetuated against him, according to NPR.
2. Biden calls for tougher gun laws on anniversary of mass shooting
On Sunday, Feb. 14, President Joe Biden joined a Florida community in remembering the 17 lives lost three years ago in the Parkland school shooting massacre.
The president used the occasion to call on Congress to strengthen gun laws, including background checks on all gun sales and banning assault weapons, reports AP News.
“In seconds, the lives of dozens of families, and the life of an American community, were changed forever,” Biden said in a statement released Sunday, concerning the Parkland shooting. “We owe it to all those we’ve lost and to all those left behind to grieve to make a change. The time to act is now.”
On Sunday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags be lowered to half staff from sunrise to sunset across the state to honor those who died on Valentine’s Day in 2018.
When a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school opened fire on campus, 14 students and three staff members died — 17 others were wounded. The suspect, Nikolas Cruz, is still awaiting trial.
“This Administration will not wait for the next mass shooting to heed that call. We will take action to end our epidemic of gun violence and make our schools and communities safer,” the president said in his statement Sunday.
3. Commercial surrogacy ban ending in New York
New York's ban on commercial surrogacy is ending on Monday, Feb. 15 after state legislation to remove the ban passed in April 2020.
Commercial surrogacy is any surrogacy arrangement in which the surrogate mother is compensated for her services beyond reimbursement of medical expenses.
Until recently, New York was one of a handful of states outlawing commercial surrogacy. Now, it is on the verge of becoming legal after years of activism and tenacious political opposition, reports AP News.
The new law includes a surrogates’ bill of rights providing the nation’s strongest protections for women serving as surrogates. These protections include the right to independent legal representation, a guarantee of comprehensive medical coverage and the right to make their own health care decisions.
With the change in New York, surrogacy advocates say only Louisiana and Michigan have laws explicitly prohibiting paid gestational surrogacy, reports AP News. Nebraska has no explicit ban, but a statute says paid surrogacy contracts are unenforceable.
