In the US, the House of Representatives voted last week to protect the right to same-sex marriage in federal law. Dissenting votes came exclusively from Republicans. One of those votes belonged to Republican Rep. Glenn Thompson, reports NBC News.
But just three days after Thompson spoke out against same-sex marriage, he attended his gay son’s wedding. Thompson’s press secretary Maddison Stone confirmed the Republican’s presence: “The congressman and his wife were thrilled to attend and celebrate with their son’s wedding on Friday night.” The Thompson’s are said to be very happy to welcome their new son-in-law to their family .
Stone had criticized the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act” just a few days ago. According to her, it was “nothing more than a campaign stunt by Democrats who have failed to address historic inflation and runaway prices at the gas pump and in grocery stores.”
Germany’s political system – basic knowledge (display)
The background to the vote is the recent decision by the US Supreme Court to overturn abortion rights. Since this right is not protected by federal law, the states can now enact sweeping restrictions and prohibitions. This has already happened in numerous states.
In their attempt to enshrine the right to same-sex marriage into federal law, lawmakers want to prevent that right from being overturned in a manner similar to abortion rights. With a judgment (Obergefell v. Hodges) in 2015, the court declared the right to same-sex marriage to be covered by the US Constitution.
But the court now has a clear right-wing conservative majority – and with it it could overturn these and other decisions again. If that happens and there is no federal law to the contrary, states could refuse to recognize same-sex marriage. The law is also intended to protect marriages between people of different ethnicities.
Airport chaos in Germany. The strike by Lufthansa ground staff in Frankfurt and Munich started on Wednesday morning. More than 1000 flights are canceled in the middle of the summer travel season. All important developments at the airports here in the new ticker.
Buyers of electric cars are to receive less support from the state in the future. According to information from the German Press Agency from government circles, the federal government agreed on new subsidy rules. The Association of the Automotive Industry criticized the step.
The Chinese government has told the US that it wants to build a tourist attraction in Washington. In the course of planning, however, the FBI found out that the building was to be used for espionage purposes.