California lawmakers could soon ban the declawing of cats solely for the convenience of humans, advancing a bill on Thursday to halt what animal rights activists say is a painful procedure used primarily to prevent torn furniture and scratched skin.

Claws on cats grow from the bone, not skin. Removing them sometimes requires amputating bones, while other procedures sever tendons to prevent a cat from extending its claws.

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Animal rights activists have long said declawing is inhumane when done solely for the benefit of humans, arguing the procedure is painful, leaves the animal defenseless and can cause other health problems.

The American Veterinary Medical Association “discourages declawing as an elective procedure," saying it is not medically necessary in most cases. But the association says it is sometimes necessary “when a cat's excessive or inappropriate scratching behavior causes an unacceptable risk of injury or remains destructive."

The bill that passed the state Assembly on Thursday would ban declawing except for a medically necessary purpose of addressing a recurring infection, disease, injury or abnormal condition that affects the cat's health. The bill specifically bans declawing “for a cosmetic or aesthetic purpose or to make the cat more convenient to keep or handle.”

The California Veterinary Medical Association says that ignores situations where cat owners are “taking blood thinners, receiving immunosuppression drugs, or other persons whose health would be endangered by a severe scratch.”

In a letter to lawmakers, the association wrote that the veterinary industry has “appropriately regulated itself regarding this procedure over the years, and continues to do so in a thoughtful and compassionate manner.”

The bill now heads to the state Senate.

New York was the first state to ban the procedure in 2019, followed by Maryland earlier this year. This is at least the fourth time California lawmakers have tried to ban declawing since 2018. All of the previous attempts failed.

Eight California cities — including Los Angeles and San Francisco — ban declawing. In 2008, California lawmakers passed a law that would have stopped local governments from banning declawing. But the bill never became law because then Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it.

Thursday, a majority of lawmakers in the California Assembly appeared eager to ban the procedure statewide. Democratic Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, the author of the bill, quoted primatologist Jane Goodall in saying that “cruelty is the worst of human sins.”

Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee talked about his cat, Soba, saying it would be “heartbreaking to know cats like her would be declawed.”

“If a cat has essentially their finger bones taken out, their only defense becomes their teeth,” Lee said. “And having had many loving bites from my cat, I would rather be scratched than bitten by my own cat.”

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Russia remains barred from international soccer competitions including the Champions League after the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected appeals by the national soccer federation and four clubs.

CAS upheld decisions by UEFA and FIFA, which excluded Russian national teams and clubs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia was already excluded from men's World Cup qualifying and the women's European Championship and its clubs now won't feature in competitions like the Champions League in 2022-23.

FIFA was initially criticized for not punishing the country enough after they invaded Ukraine, the New York Times reported.

Russia wasn't immediately expelled by the governing body of soccer from World Cup qualifying. FIFA initially was going to allow them to play without its flag and anthem before they reversed course amid the backlash.

A federal judge in New York on Thursday temporarily stopped the state's gun ban inside churches.

Judge John Sinatra of the Western District of New York ruled that a state gun law provision that makes it a felony for anyone to carry a licensed gun inside a church is unconstitutional, Reuters and CNN reported.

The ruling by Sinatra, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that Americans could carry guns in public for their self-defense, according to the Associated Press.

The Justice's ruling struck down a state law that required people to demonstrate a clear need before obtaining a concealed carry license, the Associated Press reported.

Earlier this month, another New York judge ruled that the state can't ban people from carrying guns in New York City's subway system, the Associated Press reported.

CNN reported that two church leaders who wanted to carry guns on church property brought the lawsuit to challenge the state's gun law.

OSLO, Norway — Norway is banning the breeding of English bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

In a ruling this week, Animal Protection Norway said the breeding of the dogs went against the country’s Animal Welfare Act, citing the inherent health problems the dogs face.

Evidence has shown that both breeds experience severe breathing conditions, eye problems, skin infections, heart problems, as well as joint problems.

A study by the University of California found that the English bulldog does not have the genetic diversity continue as a breed.

The puppy mortality rate among bulldogs is considered high and on average, bulldogs only live until the age of six.

The animal rights group in Norway brought the cause to the Oslo District Court, arguing both breeds should be protected from cruelty.

The court ruled that the breeds aren’t completely banned from breeding and said breeders could consider “scientifically based cross-breeding” as an alternative.

CINCINNATI —

A new law going into effect Wednesday bans vaccine mandates in Ohio public schools.

The law was passed in July and bans public school mandates of any vaccine that has not been fully approved by the FDA.

Pfizer has been fully approved for anyone over the age of 16.

Cincinnati Public Schools are as affected as any district by the new law.

“We’re the only district in Ohio who has a vaccination requirement for staff,” CPS board member Mike Moroski said.

Moroski said there is also a plan for a student vaccine mandate in the works.

“As policy chair, I ensured the language in our policy mirrored what the state law was going to be, which is what it is now, meaning if you wanted the vaccination, you had to get one that had FDA approval,” Moroski said.

There is also a component of the new law that says vaccinated and unvaccinated must be treated the same. So, schools could not put unvaccinated students in separate classrooms or require them to go to virtual school, unless it applies to all students.

There is a difference of opinion about whether schools can require unvaccinated to get regular COVID-19 tests.

“Our policy of submitting a negative test, there’s nothing in this state law that prohibits us from doing that,” Moroski said.

Others believe students and staff cannot be required to take the COVID-19 tests.

“I think that would percolate in the courts a little bit, just off of the initial reading, I’d say ‘no’ they cannot,” attorney Jason Phillabaum said.

Phillabaum said there are more vaccine mandate bans yet to come.

“This was passed three or four months ago when they first started to make mandates, and now, I think you’re starting to see some updated legislation that would prohibit the fully approved vaccine mandates as well,” Phillabaum said.

If the student vaccine mandate gets out of committee, CPS will vote on it on Oct. 28.

Facebook’s Oversight Board is asking the public to submit comments about the social platform’s suspension on former President Donald Trump’s account.

“We recognise the level of interest in our case regarding former US President Trump. We encourage people and organizations to share their insights through our public comments process,” the board tweeted.

Facebook suspended the former president’s account after removing two posts from Jan. 6, the day pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Facebook cited the use of their platform to "incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government."

After issuing the temporary suspension, Facebook submitted the case to their newly created oversight board to determine if the social media platform was correct to take action.

The 20-member board was formed just last year to oversee difficult content decisions made by the tech company. Facebook and Instagram’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg cannot overrule a decision by the board.

“We believe our decision was necessary and right,” Facebook Vice President of Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg said in a statement. “Given its significance, we think it is important for the board to review it and reach an independent judgment on whether it should be upheld.”

They are now requesting "observations or recommendations on suspensions when the user is a political leader."

To submit a comment, there are several requirements, including being written in English, no more than 2 pages in Times New Roman 12pt font, address the issues at hand, include a full name and/or organization, and meet the deadline of 10 a.m. ET on Monday, February 8.

Click here for more details on how to submit a comment.

Lawmakers in Arkansas passed legislation to ban gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth earlier this year, becoming the first state to make such a move. Now the ACLU is fighting back.

They have filed a lawsuit against state officials representing two physicians, four trans youths and their parents. The Brandt family is among them.

“It was years of going back and forth, trying to figure out who I was," said Dylan Brandt, a 15-year-old trans youth.

Self-discovery has been a journey for Dylan but two years ago everything changed when he handed his mom a letter.

“And in the letter he signed it 'your son Dylan,'" said Joanna Brandt, Dylan's mother.

That summer was a new beginning for this transgender teen. Nearly a year later was the start of hormone therapy. Dylan and his mother Joanna say that was the answer to much of his depression and anxiety.

“Most of that went away. The anxiety about going out to places, going to see people, gone. It changed everything. I’m so much happier, I’m so much more confident," Dylan said.

“It’s all of the things that give him the space to fully encompass externally how he feels on the inside," Joanna said.

Now, nearly ten months later, all of Dylan's progress could come to a halt. Arkansas, his home state, has passed a bill that would ban health care professionals from providing transition-related care to transgender minors.

Holly Dickson, the Executive Director of ACLU Arkansas says this ban has already done damage.

“This is such a sweeping government intrusion into the private lives of these young people. They have been targeted because they are transgender young people and it takes away their parents' autonomy to work with their physicians and make the best decisions for themselves," Dickson said.

“We’ve had at least six trans youth attempt suicide just since the time they heard these bills were filed. It is absolutely horrible.”

“That gender-affirming medical care that they are trying to take away from him is that thing that has allowed him to be exactly who he knows he is, exactly who I know who he is, in a way that he wasn’t able to before and he would not be able to if this ban actually took effect," Joanna said.

Arkansas Republican Sen. Alan Clark, the sponsor of the bill, claims the bill is necessary for protection. He denied our interview request but made these comments on the Senate floor about gender-affirming treatment for youth:

“At best, experimental, and at worst, a serious threat to a child’s welfare," Clark said.

Teenagers like Dylan couldn’t disagree more.

“It’s not just something that we wake up one day and say, 'hey I want to do this. Because that seems fun.' No it’s not fun," Dylan said.

“People think that these kids come to their parents and say, 'hey, I’m transgender, I want hormones,' and we go, 'sweet,' and we go out the next day and we get them for him, without seeking out the advice and the expertise of those in the field. That’s not what happened," Joanna said.

Clark claims that children are too young to make this decision before turning 18 years old.

“But this is certainly not the answer, it is not the answer today. This does not stop anyone at 18 from doing whatever they want to do. But it does protect children from making mistakes that they will have a very difficult time coming back from.”

But Joanna says age is not a factor when it comes to knowing who you are.

“I don’t need to be 18 before I know who I am and these kids don’t either," Joanna said.

Arkansas' bill is pushing families out of the state they call home.

“At this point in my life, I have been seeing more families who are thinking about and who are leaving the state of Arkansas because of this bill and other anti-trans-legislation that was filed and passed this session," Dickson said

Former Republican state Rep. Dan Douglas has voted for some anti-trans bills in the past.

“I would have voted against this bill," Douglas said. “I don’t think the legislator and some of these very extreme bills and these very extreme votes really represent the accepting nature of the state of Arkansas.”

This, he says, is too black and white. It needs exceptions.

“Whenever legislation gets in the way of physician patient treatment and decisions, then we are interfering and we're going too far," Douglass said.

“The government doesn’t have any business getting in the middle of medical between parents, patients, and medical professionals, it’s not their lane," Joanna said.

Arkansas is the first state to make this move, but according to the ACLU, similar bills have been or are being considered in 19 other states.

"Every major medical organization in the nation opposed this law," Dickson said.

As families like Dylan’s fight against this, they remind us: this isn’t just policy, this is their lives.

“We are real people with real feelings," Dylan said.

“He is every bit the boy that any other boy I know is," Joanna said.