Bodies of 2 kids identified as Idaho community mourns
The bodies of two children uncovered in rural Idaho were confirmed to be Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and his sister Tylee Ryan by authorities on June 13. The announcement brought a grim end to the search for the two kids, who had been missing since September. The case captivated people worldwide after the children's mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, and her husband, Chad Daybell, were put behind bars following the children's disappearance.
Investigators searched Chad Daybell’s property for evidence and found the children’s bodies, and prosecutors charged him with destroying or concealing two sets of human remains.
The Idaho community where the children were found held a vigil on June 12 and said it plans to ensure the children get justice.
Gov. Herbert calls for statewide ban on police chokeholds
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert enacted a ban on chokeholds for all state-level law enforcement officers and called on all other police agencies in the state to follow suit on June 11. It was his first major police reform since George Floyd’s killing by a police officer in Minneapolis set off global protests.
The Republican governor also said he will implement implicit bias training for all state government officials, and tasked his public safety commissioner with identifying other ways to decrease fear and anger of police in “underrepresented” communities and increase police transparency with a report due by July 1.
Trump administration revokes transgender health protection
The Trump administration overturned Obama-era protections for transgender people against sex discrimination in health care on Friday, June 12. The move was applauded by President Donald Trump’s conservative religious base and condemned by LGBT groups who say explicit protections are needed for transgender individuals.
The Department of Health and Human Services said it will enforce sex discrimination protections “according to the plain meaning of the word ‘sex’ as male or female and as determined by biology.” Previously, Obama-era regulations had broadened the understanding of 'sex' by saying it is shaped by a person’s internal sense of being male, female, neither or a combination.
German FM warns Israel against West Bank annexation plans
Germany foreign minister Heiko Maas has warned Israel that its plan to begin annexing parts of the West Bank would violate international law, but he offered no details on how Germany or Europe would respond.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to extend the nation's sovereignty over Jewish West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley on July 1. The move is in line with President Donald Trump’s controversial Mideast plan.
The annexation plan has come under harsh criticism from some of Israel’s closest allies, including Germany, who say that unilaterally redrawing the Mideast map would destroy any lingering hopes for establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The Palestinians seek all of the occupied West Bank, captured by Israel in 1967, as part of a future independent state.