https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Court-lifts-ruling-against-4-Arkansas-abortion-15467358.php

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a judge's ruling blocking four Arkansas abortion restrictions, including a ban on a common second trimester procedure and a fetal remains law that opponents say would effectively require a partner’s consent before a woman could get an abortion.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the 2017 preliminary injunction issued against the restrictions. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights had challenged the measures, suing on behalf of Dr. Frederick Hopkins, a Little Rock abortion provider.

The appeals panel said the case needs to be reconsidered in light of a recent decision on abortion by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The laws include a ban on a procedure known as dilation and evacuation, which abortion rights supporters say it is the safest and most common procedure used in second-trimester abortions. The state calls it barbaric and “dismemberment abortion,” saying it can have emotional consequences for the women who undergo it.

Republican Attorney General Leslie Rutledge praised the court's ruling.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/unemployment-claims-plummet-after-arizona-retools-process-to-deter-fraud

The number of claims for supplemental unemployment assistance saw a significant drop in the first week after the Arizona Department of Economic Security retooled its application process to prevent fraud.

The latest update of new unemployment claims by DES shows 52,293 new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims and 442,309 continued claims for the week ending August 1. That’s a massive drop from the week ending July 25, when they reported 266,674 initial claims and 2,578,141 continued claims.

New PUA claims see massive drop after AZDES makes changes to deter fraudulent claims.

From Arizona Department of Economic SecurityDES announced in late June they would better vet applications and only allow for new applicants to apply for one week’s worth of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Before July 25, the department allowed individuals to file claims for several weeks in the past at one time.

The change came as a nationwide ring of fraudsters began abusing state portals, falsely filing weeks of retroactive claims using private information from phishing scams or data breaches.

“This change went into effect July 25 and aligns the PUA system with the regular unemployment insurance system,” said Deputy Press Secretary Brett Bezio, “As a result, this had a significant impact on the number of weekly claims filed. Initial claims were also impacted as criminals were deterred from filing claims.”

To date, Arizona has paid out a total of $8.5 billion in unemployment insurance benefits.

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