A STRICT new abortion law was signed into law Thursday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Shutterstock).

A new law outlawing abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy was signed Thursday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

According to the Associated Press, the law did include exceptions that would allow the termination of a pregnancy if necessary to save a mother’s law, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. There are no exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking.

“This will represent the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation,” said DeSantis, who is considered a strong contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Florida’s new law, which goes into effect on July 1, was passed in anticipation that a conservative Supreme Court will support significant restrictions on abortion, or perhaps overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion nationwide.

Russian Black Sea flagship sinks

MOSKVA, Russian missile cruiser which sank today in Black Sea (USNI photo).

Bad news continues to accumulate around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet sank today (Thursday). Ukraine claims it was destroyed by a Neptune anti-ship missile; the Kremlin claims it was the victim of an ammunition fire and explosion on board the missile cruiser Moskva.

According to The New York Times, the Ukrainian government has seized property and other assets worth millions of dollars from Viktor Medvedchuk, a pro-Russian politician being investigated for treason,

Similar actions have been made against Russian interests in Germany and Australia, according to United Press International.

Sports: Football returns this weekend

Got the jitters because there’s no football on weekends? The drought will be over this weekend as the second version of the United States Football League kicks off on Saturday and Sunday.

This spring football experiment is a kind of strange bird, or pigskin. Inspired by the NBA’s “bubble” season during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year all the USFL games will be played in Birmingham, Alabama. All four contests will be televised nationally, with games shared among Fox. FS1, NBC/Peacock and USA.

The initial game will be on Saturday evening with the New Jersey Generals taking on the Birmingham Stallions.

Weather: Cool, cloudy on and on

Partly cloudy conditions continue this weekend over the West Orange County area. The forecast calls for a daytime high Friday of 70 (overnight low of 57), with a 5 percent chance of rain. Some wet stuff is more likely on Saturday with an 11 percent chance of precipitation. The high should be 69 with a low of 55. Sunday will see a slight warming trend toward a high of 72, then 75 on Monday.

Business: Amazon CEO wants minimum wage hike

In what might strike some people as ironic, Amazon Chief Operating Officer Andy Jassy this week called for an increase in the federal minimum wage of $7.50 an hour.

Amazon recently suffered its first loss in a unionization battle, as workers at a warehouse in Staten Island, New York voted to join the Amazon Labor Union. The company says the election was “flawed” and will fight the process of formal certification of the union.

At present, Amazon pays a starting wage of $18 an hour.