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Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.

Alabama law bans abortion without exceptions for rape and incest

A group of 25 male Republicans in the Alabama senate voted on Tuesday to pass the US’s strictest abortion law, banning all terminations at any stage of pregnancy, without exceptions for rape or incest. The legislation passed through the GOP-dominated state senate by 25-6, making it a class A felony for doctors to perform abortions. It must now be signed by the state’s governor, Kay Ivey, and will almost certainly face an immediate court challenge that could result in it heading to the supreme court – arguably the intention of its backers, who seem to be hoping the court will end up overturning the 1973 decision that legalised the procedure across the US.

State bans. Alabama is one of more than a dozen US states where there have been attempts to outlaw abortion this year alone, and at least six other states have already passed blanket bans.

Hardline group. The national effort to push such bans has been orchestrated by a hardline anti-abortion group, Faith2Action, which has promoted “model legislation” to help individual states construct their bills.

‘Terrifying’ Ebola epidemic spirals amid conflict in DRC

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Health workers take part in the funeral of an Ebola victim in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photograph: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham/EPA

An out-of-control Ebola epidemic sweeping through a conflict-riven region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo could end up being as severe as the outbreak that devastated three west African countries from 2013 to 2016. Experts and aid agencies have warned they are struggling to contain the “massive” and “terrifying” outbreak, with new cases increasing at their fastest rate since the outbreak began last year, amid regular bursts of violence between armed groups in a region with no functioning government.

Historic outbreak. The Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC is already the second-largest in history, with more than 1,600 cases and almost 1,100 deaths. Here are the key facts about the epidemic and its context.

Local mistrust. The outbreak is being exacerbated by a mistrust of health workers, as Esdras Tsongo reports from Butembo, where the epidemic began.

British general contradicts US claim of increased Iran threat

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed to the Gulf as part of a US military buildup in the region. Photograph: US navy/EPA

The top British general in the US-led coalition against Isis has directly contradicted White House claims of an increased threat from Iran, exposing tensions among western allies as the US continues its military buildup in the region. Maj Gen Christopher Ghika said on Tuesday that there was no sign of a burgeoning threat from Iranian-backed forces in Syria or Iraq, but his statement was swiftly contradicted by US Central Command.

Putin meeting. A Kremlin spokesman said the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, “could not understand” the US policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran, as Putin met with the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, in Moscow on Tuesday.

Donald Trump Jr reaches deal to testify before Senate

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Donald Trump Jr greets supporters at a rally for his father in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Photograph: Darren Hauck/Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr has agreed to testify before the Senate intelligence committee at a closed-door session next month, after threatening to resist a subpoena to give evidence in the committee’s Russia investigation. Meanwhile, the directors of the CIA and FBI are assisting the US attorney general, William Barr, in a new inquiry into the origins of the Mueller investigation. John Durham, the US attorney in Connecticut, will lead the inquiry, which was apparently prompted by Donald Trump’s repeated accusations that the justice department and FBI unlawfully spied on his campaign.

Trade war. As his trade war with China continued to roil global markets on Tuesday, the president claimed the US’s “great patriot farmers” – likely to be the first affected by new Chinese tariffs – would in fact benefit from the dispute.

Crib sheet

San Francisco has become the first US city to ban the use of facial recognition technology by police and other government agencies.

Single-use plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of its life cycle – from production to its management as waste – and thus poses a serious climate hazard, a report warns.

The US National Labor Relations Board has ruled Uber drivers are independent contractors, not employees, dealing a heavy blow to their campaign for greater rights and making it more difficult for drivers to organise for better working conditions.

Peruvian archaeologists have expressed outrage at plans to build a new international airport in the Inca town of Chinchero, designed to bring tourists directly to Macchu Picchu.

Must-reads

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The New Mexico Democrat Deb Haaland was one of the first Native American women elected to Congress. Photograph: Juan Labreche/AP

The Native American lawmaker defying Trump’s drilling push

Last year, Deb Haaland, the Democratic representative from New Mexico, was one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. She is using her position to push back against the Trump administration’s targeting of public lands, as she explains to Jimmy Tobias.

When climate change came to the Midwest

In March, the Missouri River burst its banks up and down Iowa, causing the worst floods in the region in living memory. While many Republicans in the state still regard climate change as no real threat, some communities could be swept off the map by dramatic shifts in weather, as Chris McGreal reports.

How Muslim athletes compete during Ramadan

The holy month began at the start of May this year. From the NFL to the NBA to triathlon, Michael Weinreb finds that while some Muslim athletes find fasting and exercise a difficult mix, for others, the discipline can also improve their focus.

The firm helping hacking victims by paying ransoms

When a strain of ransomware known as SamSam paralyzed computer networks across North America, the FBI said the hackers were beyond the reach of law enforcement. But a company called Proven Data Recovery helped users regain control of their computers, by paying the ransoms, as Renee Dudley and Jeff Kao report.

Opinion

After Alabama’s blanket ban on abortion, Roe v Wade itself is under threat, writes B Jessie Hill. And with the supreme court’s current configuration, there is no guarantee the landmark decision will be protected.

Since Justice Anthony Kennedy retired last year and was replaced by Brett Kavanaugh, the five-justice majority on the US supreme court has unquestionably disagreed with Roe v Wade.

Sport

The Pelicans have won the NBA draft lottery for the first time since 2012, which means Zion Williamson will most likely be moving to New Orleans next month.

Ron Wyden, the US Senator from Oregon, has asked the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to guarantee “safe passage” for the Portland Trail Blazers player Enes Kanter if his team play the Toronto Raptors in Canada in the NBA finals. The Turkish center is an outspoken critic of Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose government has sought his extradition on terrorism charges, which he denies.

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