Local
New Georgia laws are now in place
11alive reported that dozens of bills have been implemented as laws in Georgia as of July 1. One of the most well known law, the Campus Carry law, will allow guns to be carried on public colleges and university campuses with a few exceptions and conditions on where guns can be taken on the campus. Senate Bill 16 (SB 16) broadens the conditions under which cannabis oil can be used as treatment. These conditions include cancer, autism for patients 18 and above and AIDS at it’s end stage. House Bill 338 (HB 338) gives the state of Georgia the ability to intervene in underperforming schools. A Chief Turnaround Officer will be assigned to the school and if the school continues to underperform it will be turned into a charter school. House Bill 1 (HB1) provides protection from lawsuits against the space industry in the event of failed launches that could lead to injury of workers and bystanders. However, willful misbehavior and gross negligence remain grounds for a lawsuit. Under the DUI law, convicted drivers are required to use a device that stops them from starting the car. The ignition interlock device requires drivers to blow into it to activate the vehicle and repeat the action every few minutes. Senate Bill 160 (SB 160) increases penalties for particular laws against public safety officers.
National
Baton Rouge gunman searched for officers home addresses
According to NPR, a report by East Baton Rouge Parish Attorney Hillar Moore III revealed that the gunman who ambushed police in Baton Rouge, La., wrote about killing officers before the attack. The report provides footage and still images of the shooter, Gavin Long, shooting down officers as well as Long’s demise as a result of the gunfight that ensued when a special response team arrived on the scene. The investigation of the incident concluded that Long was killed “in the course and scope of their employment as law enforcement officers and under circumstances where their use of deadly force was legally justified.” Moore said Long left behind a three-page suicide note that spoke of the harm he wanted to cause the the officers. Investigators said Long searched for the home addresses of Baton Rouge police officers involved in the shooting of Alton Sterling, an African-American male shot and killed in an altercation with police. Long reportedly had no support for anyone at Baton Rouge according to the investigators of the case.
Global
Singaporeans rally for gay pride amidst ban on foreigners
CNN reported that thousands of Singaporeans rallied for LGBT rights on July 1 at the annual Pink Dot celebration, Which promotes LGBT rights in Singapore, regardless of the new government policy that bans foreigners from participating. The Pink Dot celebration has been held for eight years in the country. However, SIngapore is predominantly conservative in its handling of LGBT rights and has been criticized for implementing anti-LGBT policies. As such, sex between men is punishable by two years in jail. Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs mandates that foreigners can not organize or speak at the celebration or other demonstrations. Only Singaporean residents can participate in the rally; barricades and police checkpoints were set in place to check citizen identification cards. The new policy has also barred international corporate sponsorship of the celebration. In 2016 corporations such as Google, Facebook and Goldman Sachs provided sponsorship to the Pink Dot celebration, but now only Singaporean businesses can be rallied to fund the event.
