This frightening information comes from a new peer-reviewed study published on Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA.  

The study estimates that the rapes resulting in the staggering number of pregnancies occurred between July 1, 2022 and January 2024, in states where abortion has been almost completely banned. 

Out of the nearly 65,000 pregnancies, its estimated more than 5,500 occurred in states with rape exceptions and nearly 59,000 are estimated for states without exceptions.

Researchers found that more than 26,000 rape-caused pregnancies likely took place in Texas alone. 

In the states with rape exceptions for abortions – Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, West Virginia and North Dakota – survivors are required to report crimes to police in order to access abortion services. Research from 2022 has shown only 21 per cent of victim-survivors do so. 

“Thousands of girls and women in states that banned abortion experienced rape-related pregnancy, but few (if any) obtained in-state abortions legally, suggesting that rape exceptions fail to provide reasonable access to abortion for survivors,” researchers concluded.

“Survivors of rape who become pregnant in states with abortion bans may seek a self-managed abortion or try to travel (often hundreds of miles) to a state where abortion is legal, leaving many without a practical alternative to carrying the pregnancy to term.”

The Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling ended the constitutional right to abortion across America that the landmark Roe v. Wade 1973 ruling guaranteed. 

“Highly stigmatized life events are hard to measure. And many survivors of sexual violence do not want to disclose that they went through this incredibly stigmatizing traumatic life event,” said Samuel Dickman, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of Montana, who led the latest study. 

“We will never know the true number of survivors of rape and sexual assault in the U.S.”

Data collection 

Researchers calculated the findings by combining data from multiple sources, including national data from a U.S Ceners for Disease Control and Prevention survey on intimate partner sexual violence from 2016 to 2017. 

The researchers also used a Bureau of Justice Statistics survey on criminal victimization to help determine the number of completed vaginal rapes among girls and women of reproductive age (defined as 15 to 45 years old). State-level rape estimates came from FBI crime reports as state-level data wasn’t available.

Considering that stigma and fear prevents many people from reporting rapes and sexual assaults, the authors noted that the numbers could be lower than reality.

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Haley is far from the first to question Trump’s mental fitness, but at a rally in Keene, New Hampshire on Saturday she brought up the bizarre incident to voters, saying: “I’m not saying anything derogatory, but when you’re dealing with the pressures of a presidency, we can’t have someone else that we question whether they’re mentally fit to do this.”

The day before, at Trump’s rally, the former president seemed to repeatedly and incorrectly say that Haley was in charge of Capital security on Jan. 6, 2021, the day when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in an effort to stop the presidential certification of Democrat Joe Biden following Trump’s 2020 election loss. 

It was actually Pelosi who was in charge of security at the time, with Haley not even being in office. 

Trump’s claim that Pelosi turned down security that his administration offered her has also been debunked. A special House committee empaneled to probe the attack found no evidence to support his claim.

“Nikki Haley, you know they, do you know they destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence, everything, deleted and destroyed all of it. All of it because of lots of things like Nikki Haley is in charge of security,” Trump told supporters at the Concord rally. “We offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard, whatever they want. They turned it down. They don’t want to talk about that. These are very dishonest people.”

Responding to Trump’s public gaffe on X (formerly Twitter), his senior campaign advisor Chris LaCivita tried to play it off writing, “Nancy ….Nikki ….its a distinction without a difference.”

How old is too old?

Since launching her campaign 11 months ago, Haley, 52, has called for mental competency tests for politicians over 75, and has suggested it’s time for a “new generational leader”. 

Trump, who is 77 himself, is known for frequently throwing digs at the age of Democratic President Joe Biden, 81, saying he’s mentally unfit for office.

In September, however, Trump also mixed up Biden with former President Barack Obama, saying “with Obama, we won an election that everyone said couldn’t be won.”

At his rally on Saturday night in Manchester, Trump said that he took a cognitive test and “aced it.”

“I’ll let you know when I go bad. I really think I’ll be able to tell you,” he added. “I feel my mind is stronger now than it was 25 years ago. Is that possible?”

Ahead of the 2024 US election, age is shaping up to be an important factor as two white men over 75-years-old look to be front-runners for both major parties. 

An August poll from The Associated Press– NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 77 per cent of US adults, including 69 per cent of Democrats view Biden as too old for presidential office. The Same poll that over half (51 per cent) of adults, including 28 per cent of Republicans view Trump as too old.

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While not the first US city to elect an all-female council, the news has made international headlines as St. Paul is believed to be the biggest city to reach such a milestone, with a population of about 300,000.

“This new class of leaders sends a clear message from St. Paul voters, I believe, to the whole world,” said St. Paul’s City Council President Mitra Jalali ahead of the swearing in ceremony. 

“We trust the leadership of these women. We believe in their personal and professional experiences and vision. Philanthropic and policy leaders, executive directors of nonprofits, an engineer… wow,” she said to a cheering crowd. 

While the council’s historic female representation is being widely applauded, Jalali responded to critics in her speech with grace and wit, saying, “If you read my Twitter replies lately, the responses sure are something. They’re fighting for their lives in there.”

“Let’s just say, a whole lot of people who were comfortable with majority male, majority white institutions for the nearly 107 years of city history are suddenly sharply concerned about representation,” she said to even more cheers from the crowd.

“My thoughts and prayers are with them in this challenging time.”

Who are the members of this all-female council?

All seven women are under 40 years old, and six out of the seven are women of color. First-term Council Members include Anika Bowie, Saura Jost, Hwa Jeong Kim and Cheniqua Johnson, while incumbents include Jalali, Rebecca Noecker and Nelsie Yang.

All of them will serve four-year terms, and their election victories brought across-the-baord victory for progressive Democrats in St. Paul.

“Thank you for being change-makers. Thank you for being the road-pavers. Thank you for being the firsts,” said Lt. Gov, Peggy Flanagan in an address at the swearing-in ceremony. “By sitting in these chairs today, you are inspiring more girls than you can ever imagine.”

Since the new council members started moving into their offices last week, Jalali joked that the City Hall “has felt a bit like the Barbie movie.”

Members held their first city council meeting Wednesday, with Jeong Kim, the council’s vice president and Jalali saying their top priorities include a comprehensive housing policy, renter protections, climate action, public safety interventions that use police officers less and mental health responders more, and economic development. 

The most senior member of the council, Noecker, gave closing remarks at the ceremony and urged the group to “really change things” with this momentous opportunity.

“We have the chance to show– through our actions, not just our words– what we all believe,” she said. “That government can be a force for good in people’s lives”. 

In Minnesota, women made up 35 per cent of the municipal office holders in cities with over 10,000 people, tying with Michigan for 16th place among the 50 states, according to data from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. 

Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the center, told AP News that left-leaning and Democratic communities tend to have more women elected officials because Democratic women outnumber Republican women.

St. Paul’s city council is a nonpartisan office, but all seven members are Democrats. The city is also considered to be strongly Democratic, so Sindzak said she’s not surprised “that a city like this achieved this milestone first”. 

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Brittany Watts, 33, could face a year in prison or a $3,731 fine in Ohio, where abortion is legal but highly restricted. Her case touches a national rage over the treatment of pregnant women, especially Black women.

Watts began experiencing signs of a “non-viable pregnancy” at 21 weeks and five days when she passed thick blood clots. A day later, she was waiting in urgent care at the cut-off time for legal abortion, which is 21 weeks and six days. 

A doctor told her that while the foetal heartbeat was still present, her water had broken prematurely and the foetus wouldn’t survive. If she didn’t have her labour induced (amounting to an abortion to deliver the non-viable foetus), her case records show she would face “significant risk” of death. 

Watts waited to be seen by urgent care as hospital officials were deliberating over the legalities of performing an abortion for her. After eight hours and without receiving treatment, she returned home where she miscarried in a toilet.

Police later found Watts’s foetus wedged in the pipes. Testimony and autopsy confirmed that the foetus died in utero before passing through the birth canal and no injuries to the foetus were found. 

Nevertheless, Watts was charged with abuse of a corpse – a fifth-degree felony – and last month, her case was sent to a grand jury. Before this, she had no criminal record.

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Michele Goodwin, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, and author of “Policing The Womb,” told the Associated Press anti-abortion efforts have long targeted Black and brown women, in particular.

She said that even before Roe v Wade was overturned, studies have shown that Black women who visited hospitals for prenatal care were 10 times more likely than white women to have child protective services and law enforcement called on them.  

At the time of Watts’ miscarriage, vigorous campaigning was taking place across Ohio over Issue 1, a proposed amendment to enshrine a right to abortion in Ohio’s constitution.

The governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine signed a law in April 2019 prohibiting abortion in the state after the first 21 weeks and six days. 

Miscarriage is common

Miscarriage is very common, according to US-based non-profit March for Dimes. Some research suggests that more than 30 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage, and many end before a person even knows they’re pregnant. 

Here in Australia, research has shown that around 300 people experience miscarriage everyday, and one in four pregnancies end in loss.

Australia’s leading national mental health organisation, Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) says one in five new mums and one in ten new dads are affected by perinatal depression and anxiety following a miscarriage.

If you or someone you love needs support:

– PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Saturday) or panda.org.au

– Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au

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In the lead up to the first caucuses and primaries that will determine the Republican presidential candidate, the 51-year-old former UN Ambassador and South Carolina governor is grabbing voters’ attention as she makes a strong bid against Donald Trump, the current Republican frontrunner. 

While she’s still trailing the former president in the polls by 50 points, according to the Financial Review, recent polling data from RealClearPolitics show Haley as a stronger general-election candidate than Trump if she were to go up against current president Joe Biden in the 2024 election. 

She is rapidly gaining in the polls and drawing large campaign donations from billionaires, ahead of the Republican primary, which will occur in Iowa on January 15.

Other than Trump, Haley’s nearest rivals include Florida governor Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie. 

Billionaire backings

In recent weeks, several high-profile donors have indicated they’ll back her over DeSantis, who is polling behind her. Billionaire Charles Koch’s network has raised millions in an effort to support Haley’s campaign– an endorsement that BBC news correspondent Sam Cabral says “has the potential to reshape the race”. 

On Friday, Home Depot co-founder and billionaire Ken Langone put his support behind Haley as well, saying Trump’s time has “come and gone”. 

At the Republican’s final debate last week, Haley’s recent surge in party support made her a prime target from the group, especially as Trump chose not to attend. 

DeSantis lead the attacks, saying “she will cave to the donors” who he claimed are making money in China and “are not going to let her be tough on China”. 

Ramaswamy also took a swing at Haley, accusing her of corruption. 

“Larry Fink, the king of the woke industrial complex, the ESG movement, the CEO of BlackRock, the most powerful company in the world, now supports Nikki Haley,” he said.

Responding to the attacks by laughing them off, Haley said, “I love all the attention fellas”, adding that they were mad because she was taking away their donor support.

“When it comes to these corporate people who want to suddenly support us we’ll take it, but I don’t ask them what their policies are. They asked me what my policies are. We opposed every single corporate bailout we possibly could,” she said. 

So, what is Nikki Haley’s background?

The daughter of Indian immigrants and raised in the Sikh faith, Haley grew up in rural South Carolina where she described enduring racism. In her video announcing her presidential bid, she referenced this past, saying it had an impact on her personal and political life.  

In 2011, Haley became the first woman and first Indian American to be elected governor of South Carolina. She then served as the ambassador to the United Nations from the US under President Trump. 

When she launched her presidential campaign in February 2023, Haley was the first major GOP challenger to Trump and only the fifth Republican woman to run for president this century.

What are her policies?

Haley has said in multiple debates that she is against abortion rights for women. She stands apart from the rest of her GOP competition, however, as she has called for a “national consensus” when it comes to a federal abortion ban. Haley has said she would sign a six-week abortion ban if that was what “the people decide”, with exceptions for rape and incest.

Despite being the daughter of immigrants, Haley’s stance against immigration is tough– although still more lenient than her GOP rivals. She has said she would assign thousands of immigration agents to carry out deportations and has called on the US to “close” the border” and defund “sanctuary cities”. 

When it comes to other issues, her stances are as follows: Haley blames big government spending for inflation, has said China is “the greatest threat to American security and prosperity”, believes helping Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression is in the US national interest, spoke out against red flag gun laws and has opposed efforts to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. 

Can she beat Trump?

Although she has worked under Trump as UN Ambassador and supported him in the past, Haley is distancing herself from him in her presidential campaign. 

“A president must have moral clarity”, she says in a campaign video, adding that Americans “have to leave behind the chaos and drama of the past”.

Political analysts believe Haley has a chance at the presidency since she can garner support from the independent and moderate voters– those people who don’t support Donal Trump and have mixed views of Joe Biden’s performance as president. 

She also has the potential to close the gender gap and class divide, according to Politico, where Trump has especially struggled to gain the majority votes of women and white voters with university degrees.  

As the runner-up to Trump– who faces 91 criminal charges– Haley would be next in line for the GOP nomination should he end up in jail and the Republican convention decides they don’t want to run someone who’s a convicted felon. 

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Across several states, citizens headed to the polls to elect governors, mayors, state legislators, and also to vote on key state-based vote issues, including access to reproductive rights. 

In traditionally “red” (Republican) states, including Ohio and Kentucky, the positive results for Democrats signal a change in the air for abortion rights issues. 

Ohio
In Ohio, a citizen-sponsored issue saw residents vote on whether to establish a Constitutional Right to Abortion, guaranteeing the right to an abortion. The state was the only one across the country to vote on a statewide abortion rights question this year.

Reports have confirmed that with most ballots now counted, the amendment is set to pass, meaning individuals would have the  “right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including on abortion.

According to CBS, as many as one in five Republicans also voted in favour of the change. 

However, even with an emphatic “Yes” vote, the state legislature still has the power to ban abortion after roughly 23 weeks — unless the patient’s “treating physician” determines it is necessary to protect the patient’s life or wellbeing. 

Lauren Blauvelt, co-chair of Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, spoke to a crowd of supporters on Tuesday, saying, “The future is bright, and tonight we can celebrate this win for bodily autonomy and reproductive rights.” 

“Ohioans can rest easy knowing we can never be denied timely medical care,” she said.

On the same day, US President Joe Biden released a short statement praising the voters of Ohio, who “voted to protect their fundamental freedoms.”

“Ohioans and voters across the country rejected attempts by MAGA Republican elected officials to impose extreme abortion bans that put the health and lives of women in jeopardy, force women to travel hundreds of miles for care, and threaten to criminalise doctors and nurses for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide,” he wrote. 

“This extreme and dangerous agenda is out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans.” 

“My Administration will continue to protect access to reproductive health care and call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law once and for all.”  

Virginia
In Virginia, abortion rights advocates celebrated Democrats holding onto their Senate majority and reclaiming control of the House from Republicans. 

This means they will have the power to block Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s agenda to ban most abortions beyond 15 weeks after conception.

Referencing Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke released a statement: 

“It’s official: there will be absolutely no abortion ban legislation sent to Glenn Youngkin’s desk for the duration of his term in office, period, as we have thwarted MAGA Republicans’ attempt to take total control of our government and our bodies.” 

Molly Murphy, president of the Democrat-aligned firm Impact Research, said on the result, “voters have said resoundingly they do not want a ban on abortion.”

“This is much less about where you draw the line on when a woman can have an abortion and much more about who gets to decide,” she told 19th News.

“The number of weeks is immaterial, because it’s still fundamentally politicians deciding whether a woman should have an abortion.”

All of the nine LGBTQI candidates in the Virginia legislative races won their seats, marking a huge win for Democrats. 

They included Laura Jane Cohen, Rozia Henson, Adele McClury, Kelly Convirs-Fowler, Marcia Price, Mark Sickles and Senator Adam Ebbin. 

Journalist and Democrat, Danica Roem, becomes the first openly trans state senator in the South. 

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Annise Parker said the results from the state elections indicate that voters “resoundingly rejected the politics of bigotry and fear directed at the LGBTQ+ community.”

“In Virginia and around the country, tonight’s results show that hate is a losing issue at the ballot box,” she said.

“We’re proud that our LGBTQ+ Victory Fund candidates were key to delivering a pro-equality majority in the General Assembly that will stand up to Glenn Youngkin’s bigoted policies.” 

Kentucky
In Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear was re-elected for a second four-year term. Beshear campaigned on abortion rights, making it one of his most important campaign issues in a state where Republicans have a supermajority in the legislature. 

Beshear attacked his opponent’s view that there should be no exceptions for rape or incest when it comes to abortion. 

In his victory speech this week, Beshear praised Hadley Duvall, a young woman who appeared in one of his campaign ads where she condemns Republican Daniel Cameron’s support for the state’s abortion ban without exceptions for rape and incest.

“Because of her courage, this commonwealth is going to be a better place and people are going to reach out for the help they need,” Beshear said.

However, Beshear remains powerless to alter the near-total ban on abortion imposed by Kentucky’s conservative Supreme Court.

The latest wins for Democrats signal a positive change for all women in the US.

In June last year, the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade effectively removed the constitutional right to abortion for Americans.  

Following the decision, 14 states introduced near-total bans on abortion, while six others passed strict limits on abortion access.

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Police are still hunting for the shooter, telling residents to shelter-in-place. A reunification area has been set up at a local Middle School where people are being told to gather if they can’t locate a loved one. 

The situation unfolded at a local bowling alley, with reports of shots fired at additional locations, including a local bar, according to law enforcement sources. 

A person-of-interest has been identified as 40-year-old Robert Card, with police writing on Facebook that he should be “considered armed and dangerous”. Police earlier posted photos of the suspect asking the public for help in identifying him– the images showed a bearded man in a brown hooded jacket and jeans holding a rifle. 

Lewiston, Maine has a population of 38,000 and sits just between the state capital, Augusta, and the most populous city, Portland. 

“There’s no large cities in Maine, so this isn’t like being in Dallas or New York City. It’s a very tight-knit community in spite of the fact that it’s a city,” said Democratic Representative for Maine, Chellie Pingree.

“I’m just sure there’s an enormous number of grieving families.”

“People who went out bowling or went out to eat and didn’t expect anything like this to happen,” she said about the tragedy. 

As the US reckons with its intense gun violence issues, this is the 565th mass shooting in the US this year, despite it being the 298th day of 2023. That means, on average, the country has seen 1.9 mass shootings per day.

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Maine’s governor Janet Mills responded to the horrific incident, telling people to “follow the direction of State and local enforcement”. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Mills said she’s continuing “to monitor the situation and remain in close contact with public safety officials”. 

Hundreds of officers continue to search for the shooter as the manhunt enters its sixth hour. 

In a statement Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said he’s “heartbroken” for the city, and that “Lewiston is known for our strength and grit and we will need both in the days to come”. 

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Former child psychologist, Dr. Anne Watters, called in to her son’s Primetime show on Monday night to offer the advice as he started his new role, replacing Tucker Carlson. 

“Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes,” she said. “We do not want to lose you, and we want no lawsuits. Let’s aim to have you keep your job.”

“In keeping with the Hippocratic Oath, do no harm,” she insisted, also suggesting the conservative news channel should “take less interest … in other people’s bodies.”

“There really has been enough Biden bashing and the laptop is old,” she said. “Perhaps you could suggest that your people take less interest, for example, in other people’s bodies, and talk about facts.”

Nevertheless, Dr Watters, whom Jesse described as a democrat, said she was “proud” of her son and that she “enjoyed” his show. 

“I want to say congratulations, honey bun. We are proud of you and your accomplishments, and you’ve worked so hard.”

Watters stepped into the role of Fox News host in April after controversial anchor Tucker Carlson was ousted. Waters started at Fox News in 2003, moving across several network programs over the next two decades. 

Comedy writer and filmmaker Kady Ruth Ashcraft said Watters’ “jovial reaction to her admonitions about his actual extremist propaganda—using the cliché of an overbearing liberal mom as a punchline—drives me fucking bonkers.”

“While I commend Ms. Watters for trying to maintain any kind of relationship with her son and voicing her (supposed) disapproval of his cruel transphobic, racist, and conspiratorial messages—presuming she didn’t have any hand in making Jesse the man he is—it’s too late. She is already made herself the butt of a joke by a man who also mocks Asian-Americans to their faces in Chinatown and demeans unhoused people for laughs on TV.”

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“The Supreme Court has not been receiving the adequate oversight necessary, in order to preserve their own legitimacy,” Ocasio-Cortez told CNN’s State of the Union. “And in the process, they themselves have been destroying the legitimacy of the court, which is profoundly dangerous for our entire democracy.”

Her comments come after the nation’s highest court released a series of conservative rulings striking down affirmative action in colleges (a process aimed at increasing diversity at universities), LGBTQ+ rights protections and President Biden’s student loan relief program.

All of this comes just over one year after the 6-3 conservative majority court overturned Roe v. Wade protection for abortion rights.

“These are the types of rulings that signal a dangerous creep towards authoritarianism and centralization of power in the court,” she said.

“In fact, we have members of the court themselves, with Justice Elena Kagan saying that the court is beginning to assume the power of a legislature right now.”

Citing recent allegations against Justice Samuel Alito over ethics improprieties, Ocasio-Cortez said that “Justice Alito accepted tens of thousands of dollars in lavish vacation gifts from a billionaire who lobbied to cancel the student loan forgiveness”, and then, “voted to overturn” the student loan relief program.

Another Justice on the conservative-majority court, Justice Clarence Thomas, has also had allegations of ethical misconduct, having gone on several undisclosed luxury trips at the invitation of a GOP mega donor. At the time of these allegations, Chief Justice John Roberts declined to testify at a hearing on Supreme Court ethics. 

“If Chief Justice Roberts will not come before the Congress for an investigation voluntarily, I believe we should be considering subpoenas, we should be considering investigations, we should pass much more binding and stringent ethics guidelines,” said Ocasio-Cortez.

Ocasio-Cortez also called on the Biden administration to keep pursuing student loan cancellation after the Supreme Court blocked the president’s student loan forgiveness plan– a program aimed at delivering up to $20,000 of relief to millions of borrowers.

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“Today, the world finally knows the truth,” Carroll said in a statement. “This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.”

The former Elle advice columnist alleged that Trump raped her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in 1995 or 1996 and then defamed her on his truth social platform in October 2022 by denying it happened and calling her a liar. 

After three hours of deliberation, a nine-member jury, made up of three women and six men, found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation against Carroll but stopped short of ruling that he raped her. 

As this was a civil case and not a criminal case, the only legal sanction Trump will face is financial– Carroll will be awarded a total of US$5 million. 

This marks the first time a former US president has been branded a sexual predator. 

At the beginning of the trial, Carroll testified that Trump’s attack had made it impossible for her to engage in future romantic partnerships, saying she could barely look at a man she was interested in. She also said Trump destroyed her reputation after calling her a liar, leading Elle magazine to fire her after 27 years.  

“I’m here because Donald Trump raped me and when I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen,” Carroll said. “He lied and shattered my reputation. I’m here to try and get my life back.”

Absent from the civil trial, including when the verdict was read, Trump voiced outrage on his truth social platform, writing in all capital letters: “I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgrace– a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!”

In Trump’s video deposition taken last October, he was shown a well-known black and white photograph of himself with Carroll and, at one point in the video, Trump mistook Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples. He then acknowledged that the photo suggests he met Carroll at least once, and he had previously stated he could not have raped Carroll because she was “not my type”. 

At closings jurors were also shown infamous video footage of Trump’s “Access Hollywood” tape where he describes how he aggressively makes moves on women without their consent. 

While cross-examining Carroll, Trump’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina focused on asking why she had not screamed or called the police at the time of the alleged assault. Tacopina also said he would disprove her allegation by showing Carroll had conspired to accuse Trump because she “hated” his politics. 

While Trump’s legal team was unsuccessful, Professor of Psychology at the University of Denver, Anne P. DePrince explains that these lines of questioning reinforced common myths about sexual assault and that research has shown “people respond in diverse ways when they experience traumatic events, including sexual assault”, and that “women have many reasons for disclosing- or not disclosing- sexual harassment and assault”.

During her testimony, the now 79-year-old Carroll– who was about 52-years-old at the time of the alleged assault– said she waited to come forward because she was a “member of the silent generation”. 

“Women like me were taught and trained to keep our chins up and to not complain,” she said.

“The fact that I never went to the police is not surprising for someone my age.”

And given the consequences of women who come forward with sexual assault allegations, Carroll was asked if she regretted accusing Trump.

“I regretted this about 100 times but, in the end, being able to get my day in court finally is everything,” she said. 

Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina told reporters outside the federal courthouse that Trump, who is campaigning to retake the White House in 2024, will appeal. 

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Entitled the Women’s Bill of Rights, SB 180 bans trans and intersex women from toilets, changing rooms and prison facilities that align with their gender. It also bans trans women from accessing domestic abuse shelters and rape crisis centres.

Definitions in the bill say that a female is a person who produces “ova”, or eggs– this means cis women who are infertile or unable to produce eggs could be banned as well under legal terms. 

The legislation is being widely criticised, with one viral tweet from Australian author Kaz Cooke pointing out that perimenopausal or menopausal women, those taking a contraceptive pill or anyone else that doesn’t ovulate for various reasons will be barred from using women’s public toilets.

Passed by 84 votes to 40 in Kansas state’s House and 28-12 in the Senate, trans advocates say the legislation legally erases trans people by stating that an “individual’s ‘sex’ means an individual’s sex at birth, either male or female”.

The widely criticised law is expected to take effect as soon as 1 July after Kansan lawmakers overturned a previous veto by governor Laura Kelly, who has been openly against the anti-trans legislation. 

In a series of tweets, governor Kelly said she’s “disappointed some legislators are eager to force through extremist legislation that will hurt our economy and tarnish our reputation as the Free State”. 

Lack of clarity in the anti-trans law could prove dangerous

Those against the new law are saying its vagueness could lead to even more harassment for transgender people, and one of the biggest questions being thrown at Kansas republicans is how they plan to enforce this ruling.

“Are you all going to check the genitals of every trans child who walks into the restroom, or maybe just children in general, so you can figure out who’s a male and who’s a female biologically?” Democratic Kansas state representative Heather Meyer asked Republican lawmakers. 

Micah Kubic, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, told AP News that the lack of clarity in the Republican’s anti-trans law “is by design because it allows them to disclaim the worst possible interpretation while also allowing for the worst possible outcome to happen”. 

One of the Republicans in support of the new law, Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, told his colleagues after the vote that he was “giddy” and the veto override was “truly icing on the cake” among other GOP victories this year— there have been more than 500 anti-trans bills tabled so far in the US in 2023. 

Speaking to the personal impact of the new Kansas law, one 20-year-old transgender student at the University of Kansas, Jenna Bellemere told AP News: “When I go out in public, like I’m at a restaurant or up on campus or whatever, and I need to go to the bathroom, there’s definitely going to be a voice in my head that says, ‘Am I going to get harassed for that?”

“It just makes it so much more complicated and risky and unnecessarily difficult.”

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Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records in the first degree, and he’s pleaded not guilty to all of them.

This is the first time in history a current or former US president has faced criminal charges.

On Tuesday, Trump appeared at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, represented by his lawyers Joe Tacopina and Susan Necheles. 

Trump was seen entering the NYC courthouse for his arraignment and was considered under arrest as soon as he entered the building.

Following his arraignment, Trump flew back to his Mar-A-Lago resort where he gave a short speech to his supporters, reiterating his intention to plead not guilty to the charges against him and run for the 2024 US presidential election. The ABC reports former first lady, Melania Trump was absent from the room.

What are the 34 charges?

Each charge represents a different instance of alleged misconduct under the same type of crime: falsifying business records.

Prosecutors have alleged Trump orchestrated a years-long scheme to use “hush money” payment to conceal damaging information before the 2016 US presidential election. 

There are three payments in the alleged scheme, including $130,000 given to porn actor Stormy Daniels. 

It’s also alleged a former Playboy model received a $150,000 “hush money” payment. And $30,000 went to a former Trump Tower doorman who claimed Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock. 

Falsifying business records is a felony in New York when there’s an “intent to defraud” that includes an intent to “commit another crime or to aid or conceal”. 

Announcing the 34-count felony indictment, Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg said, “These are felony crimes in New York. No matter who you are. We cannot normalise serious criminal conduct.”

“True and accurate business records are important everywhere, to be sure. They are all the more important in Manhattan, the financial centre of the world.”

What will happen if Trump is convicted?

If convicted of these felony charges, Trump faces up to four years in prison for each count, and the judge could choose to have him serve each sentence one at a time. 

Although, the charge doesn’t carry a mandatory prison sentence, so it’s uncertain if the former US president would face any jail time if convicted. The judge could conclude that a first-time offender without a criminal record should face a fine or community service instead. 

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