A new Fresno ordinance would ban homeless people from standing on medians and asking for money. The Fresno City Council gave tentative approval to the measure at its meeting yesterday. Nonprofit community groups wanting to solicit money from median strips would have to get a permit. Homeless people and their advocates called the measure discriminatory.

Al Williams, a homeless man who says he uses the median islands to collect money, said the ordinance would discriminate against the poor. At yesterday’s City Council meeting, Williams said “you all beg for money when you run for office. Each of you all do. What makes you better than me? You know, you are a human being, just like a lot of the people out there are trying to make an honest dollar. Churches beg for money, Kids Day begs for money and the police department and the Fire department begs for money, but you want to criminalize a poor person for asking form money. That is inhumane and despicable.”

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CNN reports:

Newborn babies in the United States are routinely screened for a panel of genetic diseases. Since the testing is mandated by the government, it’s often done without the parents’ consent.

In California, DNA specimens taken from babies are held indefinitely.