During a bill-signing event in Royal Oak where Gretchen Whitmer approved a package of laws that decriminalized surrogacy contracts in Michigan, she took aim at conservative lawmakers who voted against repealing the ban - the nation's only one.

Lansing

During a bill-signing event in Royal Oak, Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer approved a package of laws that decriminalized surrogacy contracts within the state. This legislative move effectively repealed the nation's only ban on surrogacy contracts. While addressing the occasion, Governor Whitmer criticized conservative lawmakers who had previously voted against repealing the ban on surrogacy contracts.



Governor Whitmer scolds Republicans over reproductive policy

All right, he's done it. He did it. He did it. Another milestone for Michigan in the fight for equitable reproductive rights. Generations of women posing with Governor Gretchen Whitmer as she signed the Michigan Family Protection Act in Royal Oak. The new law decriminalizes surrogacy and IVF and ensures protections for families looking to expand outside of nontraditional circumstances. It's really jarring that we saw what happened in Alabama with the IVF ruling. We saw Republicans across the country say they love IVF and they support it because they didn't want to be affiliated with that ruling. And then yet when this bill to decriminalize surrogacy comes up, only two Republicans voted for it. Either you support families or you don't. Michigan is now the final state to honor surrogacy as a way to start a family. The move comes weeks after the controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos created during in vitro fertilization are considered children, which paused all IVF treatments in Alabama. And it's in the midst of the ongoing battle for women's reproductive rights, which will play a major role in November's presidential election. In a statement, Michigan Right to Life called Whitmer's signing purely political in an election year. The organization's president also said, quote, parents in Michigan should be on notice. At stake now are common sense protections for women, parents and children. Noticeably absent from Monday's charade was any mention of parental consent for reproductive decisions of a minor child, including abortion. Michigan State Representative Samantha Stekloff, who sponsored the bills, says this is for future generations of Michigan families. We have personal stories, every single one of us up here, that we have been through absolute hell to get to where we are. Myself, I'm a cancer survivor. I spent nine years of my life battling something that I never knew if I would have a future. The fact that it took me nine years to finally get the okay to be able to carry myself, it's astounding that after all of that, that this could be taken away.

Authorities have charged an alleged gunman with the attempted murder of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Following emergency surgery, Fico's condition is now listed as stable but serious.

Banská Bystrica

Alleged gunman charged with Slovak PM's attempted murder

Peter Dutton has announced if the Opposition wins Government it will cut permanent migration numbers in half in an effort to ease the housing supply crisis.

Canberra

Opposition plans to slash foreign arrivals

France has deployed troops to New Caledonia's ports and international airport, banned TikTok and imposed a state of emergency after three nights of clashes that have left four dead and hundreds wounded.

Nouméa

TikTok banned in New Caledonia amid riots

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Beijing

Russia's Vladimir Putin meets China's Xi Jinping in Beijing

This week, the U.S. Department of Justice said Boeing did not hold up their end of the bargain after 737 Max crashes and now it's a possibility the company could face charges.

Washington

U.S. Justice Department may prosecute Boeing

France declared a state of emergency on the Pacific island of New Caledonia after three young indigenous Kanak and a police official were killed in riots over electoral reform.

France declares state of emergency in New Caledonia

Israel's defense minister publicly challenged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the country's post-war plans for the Gaza Strip, with Yoav Gallant stressing his opposition of any long-term military rule by Israel in the ravaged Palestinian enclave.

Jerusalem

Israel-Gaza War

Israel's defense chief challenges Netanyahu on Gaza

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Opposition wants fewer migrants to ease housing crisis

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Council of the City of Sydney

Former NRL player charged over alleged drug supply

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has been undergoing surgery after being shot in a suspected assassination attempt, as he greeted supporters after a meeting. Five shots were fired at close range, while security scrambled to confront the shooter. The government says the attack, which has left the prime minister in a critical but stable condition, was politically motivated.

Bratislava

Slovakia PM's 'life in danger' after assassination attempt

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping that the Kremlin hopes will deepen a strategic partnership between the two most powerful geopolitical rivals of the United States.

Putin arrives in China, to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing

Ukrainian forces struggle to repel Russian advances near the important city of Kharkiv. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in Kyiv to highlight $61 billion US in aid and weapons, but some say it comes too late to make a difference.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Concerns U.S. aid for Ukraine arriving too late as Russia advances

Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders said a deal had been reached to form what was set to be the most right-wing government in the Netherlands in decades, almost six months after a major election victory.

Amsterdam

Netherlands set for most right-wing government in years

Firefighters in western Canada are battling the first major wildfires of 2024 after unseasonably warm temperatures and an ongoing drought left forests tinder-dry. The blazes prompted evacuation orders for parts of northern British Columbia and Alberta.

British Columbia

Climate Crisis

Wildfires in western Canada spur large evacuations

Protesters occupying a University of Melbourne building are refusing to move, defying orders by Police and risking arrest. A group of around one-hundred students staging a sit-in to protest the war in Gaza.

Melbourne

Pro-Palestine protesters refuse to leave uni campus

A Sydney council has voted to overturn a controversial same-sex parenting book ban that prompted national outrage. Riot police were called after rival protests gathered outside the council chambers.

Cumberland City Council

Council votes to reverse same-sex parenting book ban

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Paris

French police search for 'The Fly' after deadly prison van escape

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Handlová

Slovakian leader critical after assasination attempt

The Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off as celebrities walked the red carpet into the plush Grand Theatre Lumiere to honour Hollywood actor Meryl Streep before settling in to watch this year's opening film, "The Second Act." Story by Monte Francis.

Cannes

Cannes kicks off with a Palme d'Or for Meryl Streep

Ukraine has pulled back troops near several villages in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have been advancing and pounding settlements in a new offensive along the border, Kyiv said.

Kharkiv

Ukraine pulls back from two areas of Kharkiv

French police and authorities have launched a nationwide manhunt for an escaped prisoner, after an armed gang ambushed his prison van, killing two officers. Video footage has emerged of the deadly attack which took place in Normandy, France on Tuesday morning in public.

Normandy

Manhunt underway after prison van attack in France

The Federal Budget has promised an energy rebate of $300 for all Australian households, but critics say a lack of means testing is a tougher sell. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the latest budget will reduce inflation, but economists disagree.

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New York

Star witness Michael Cohen grilled by defence at Trump trial

A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report says the cargo ship Dali that collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore lost power twice in the hours before it left port.

Baltimore

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Incarville

Manhunt underway after prisoner van ambushed

The Georgian parliament has approved in the third and final reading a divisive bill that sparked weeks of mass protests, with critics seeing it as a threat to democratic freedoms and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.

Tbilisi

Georgian Parliament adopts controversial law despite protests

U.S. President Joe Biden has unveiled a bundle of steep tariff increases on an array of Chinese imports including electric vehicles, computer chips and medical products, risking an election-year standoff with Beijing in a bid to woo voters who give his economic policies low marks.

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The New South Wales State Government has announced tougher bail laws for domestic violence accused persons, including electronic monitoring. The reforms follow the alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes last month, after her accused killer breached bail.