The Florida Supreme Court ruled Monday that a ballot measure to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution can go before voters in November.
It's one of several states where abortion might be on the ballot this year.
There has been a major push across the country to put abortion rights questions to voters since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and removed the nationwide right to abortion.
Since that 2022 decision, most Republican-controlled states have new abortion restrictions in effect, including 14 that ban it at every stage of pregnancy. Most Democrat-dominated states have laws or executive orders to protect access.
Additionally, voters in seven states — California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio and Vermont — have sided with abortion rights supporters on ballot measures.
It's not clear yet how many states will vote on measures to enshrine abortion access in November. In some, the question is whether amendment supporters can get enough valid signatures. In others, it's up to the legislature. And there's legal wrangling in the process in some states.
Some of the efforts have already failed to reach ballots. Wisconsin's legislative session ended without a state Senate vote on a measure that the House approved to ask voters to ban abortion after 14 weeks. A Louisiana measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution died in committee.
FLORIDA
The state Supreme Court ruled on April 1 that a ballot measure to legalize abortion until viability could go on the ballot despite a legal challenge from state Attorney General Ashley Moody, who argued that there are differing views on the meaning of “viability” and that some key terms in the proposed measure are not properly defined.
Advocates collected nearly a million signatures to put a state constitutional amendment to legalize abortion until viability on the ballot, surpassing the nearly 892,000 required.
Sixty percent of voters would have to agree for it to take effect.
Abortion is legal in Florida through the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. But a separate April 1 state Supreme Court ruling upholding the current law triggers a 2023 law would drop that to six weeks — often before women know they’re pregnant — to take effect on May 1.
MARYLAND
Maryland voters this year will also be asked whether to enshrine the right for women to end their pregnancies in the state’s constitution in a ballot question put before them by lawmakers last year. The state already protects the right to abortion under state law and Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1. Abortion is allowed in Maryland until viability.
NEW YORK
New York lawmakers agreed to ask voters to bar discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, pregnancy outcome and reproductive healthcare as part of a broader equal protection amendment. It would also bar discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin and disability. The language of the constitutional amendment does not mention abortion specifically. Abortion is allowed in New York law until viability.
ARIZONA
A signature drive is underway to add a constitutional right to abortion in Arizona. Under the measure, the state would not be able to ban abortion until the fetus is viable, with later abortions allowed to protect a woman's physical or mental health. Supporters must gather nearly 384,000 valid signatures by July 4. Current law bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
ARKANSAS
Proponents of an amendment to allow abortion in many cases have until July 5 to gather nearly 91,000 valid signatures to get it on the Nov. 5 ballot. The measure would bar laws banning abortion in the first 20 weeks of gestation and allow abortion later in pregnancy in cases of rape, incest, threats to the woman's health or life, or if the fetus would be unlikely to survive birth. Because it allows limits as soon as 20 weeks, the proposal does not have the support of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which includes Arkansas. The state has a ban on abortion at all stages of pregnancy with narrow exceptions.
COLORADO
There are dueling efforts on abortion in Colorado. One measure would create a voter-initiated law to ban access throughout pregnancy and the other would amend the state constitution to protect it. The abortion rights amendment would also require Medicaid and private health insurance to cover abortion.
Supporters on each side have to submit more than 124,000 signatures to get a measure on the ballot. The deadlines to submit them are April 15 for the ban measure and April 26 for the one to ensure access. Amending the constitution in Colorado requires the support of 55% of voters. But the ban could be passed with a simple majority. Abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy in Colorado.
MISSOURI
Pushes are underway to get multiple abortion-related ballot measures before Missouri voters in 2024. Abortion rights advocates in Missourians for Constitutional Freedom are pushing for one that would guarantee abortion is legal until viability.
A group of moderate Republicans are taking a different approach and calling for an amendment that would allow abortion up to 12 weeks, and after that only under limited exceptions.
Supporters of each measure must submit more than 171,000 valid signatures by May 5 to get them on the ballot.
And some Republican lawmakers have launched a legislative process to put before voters a measure to enshrine a ban on abortion in the state constitution. It would expand provide an exception to allow for immediate abortion to save the life of the woman or in cases “for which a delay will create a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.” Further exceptions would have to be approved by voters.
Abortion is currently banned in Missouri at all stages of pregnancy with limited exceptions.
MONTANA
Abortion rights proponents in Montana have proposed a constitutional amendment that would bar the government from denying the right to abortion before viability or when it’s necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant person. After a legal battle over the ballot language, the Montana Supreme Court on April 1 wrote its version of the language that would appear on the ballot if supporters gather more than 60,000 signatures by June 21. Abortion is legal until viability in Montana under a 1999 Montana Supreme Court opinion.
NEBRASKA
Advocates are trying to collect about 125,000 signatures needed by July 5 to put a constitutional amendment before voters to protect abortion rights until fetal viability. Under a law adopted last year, abortion is banned after 12 weeks, with some exceptions.
NEVADA
Signatures are being gathered to place an abortion access amendment on Nevada's ballot in November. Under the amendment, abortion access for the first 24 weeks of pregnancy or later to protect the health of the pregnant person, which is already assured under a 1990 law, would be enshrined in the constitution. It requires more than 102,000 valid signatures by June 26 to place the measure on the ballot. Voters would need to approve it in both 2024 and 2026 to change the constitution.
The measure is one of several attempts by Nevada abortion rights groups to get a ballot question before voters in 2024 or 2026.
SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota advocates are attempting to gather more than 35,000 signatures by May 7 to get a measure on the ballot that would loosen restrictions but does not go as far as many abortion rights advocates would like. It would ban any restrictions on abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. It would allow the state in the second trimester to "regulate the pregnant woman’s abortion decision and its effectuation only in ways that are reasonably related to the physical health of the pregnant woman.” An abortion ban would be allowed in the third trimester, as long as it included exceptions for the life and health of the woman. Planned Parenthood is not supporting the measure.
Abortion in the state is now banned at all stages of pregnancy with narrow exceptions.
There are some states where the balance of power or other circumstances make abortion-related measures — most of them seeking bans or limits — unlikely to reach voters in 2024.
IOWA
To put a constitutional amendment on the ballot, Iowa lawmakers have to approve it in two consecutive sessions. In 2021, both chambers advanced a resolution to find there is no constitutional right to abortion in the state. Republicans control the Legislature and governor's office, but the amendment has not emerged as a priority this year and Gov. Kim Reynolds has said she'll let the issue move through the courts rather than pushing for a vote. Abortion is currently banned 20 weeks into pregnancy. A stricter ban, which would kick in when cardiac activity can be detected, around six weeks, has been adopted but put on hold by a court.
MAINE
Democrats are calling for a measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. But they would not have the required two-thirds majority of lawmakers in each legislative chamber to adopt it and send it to voters without the support of several Republican lawmakers. Abortion is already allowed throughout pregnancy.
PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania has a similar process as Iowa with a similar amendment to find no constitutional right to abortion up for consideration. Lawmakers passed it in 2022. But Democrats have since taken control of the state House, making it unlikely to pass, which is required before it can go to a statewide referendum. Abortion is now legal in Pennsylvania up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
FILE - Protesters hold signs as Barbara DeVane, of the Tallahassee National Organization for Women, speaks outside the Florida Historic Capitol, June 24, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla., during a rally protesting the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. The Florida Supreme Court issued rulings Monday, April 1, 2024, allowing the state's voters to decide whether to protect abortion rights and legalize recreational use of marijuana, rejecting the state attorney general's arguments that the measures should be kept off the November ballot. (Chasity Maynard/Tallahassee Democrat via AP, File)
FILE - Supporters of Florida Voice For The Unborn demonstrate outside the fourth floor as legislators work on property insurance bills, May 24, 2022, at the state Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. The Florida Supreme Court ruled Monday, April 1, 2024, that a ballot measure to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution can go before voters in November. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett cautioned the tens of thousands of shareholders who packed an arena for his annual meeting that artificial intelligence scams could become "the growth industry of all time."
Doubling down on his cautionary words from last year, Buffett told the throngs he recently came face to face with the downside of AI. And it looked and sounded just like him. Someone made a fake video of Buffett, apparently convincing enough that the so-called Oracle of Omaha himself said he could imagine it tricking him into sending money overseas.
The billionaire investing guru predicted scammers will seize on the technology, and may do more harm with it than society can wring good.
“As someone who doesn't understand a damn thing about it, it has enormous potential for good and enormous potential for harm and I just don’t know how that plays out,” he said.
The day started early Saturday with Berkshire Hathaway announcing a steep drop in earnings as the paper value of its investments plummeted and it pared its Apple holdings. The company reported a $12.7 billion profit, or $8,825 per Class A share, in first the quarter, down 64% from $35.5 billion, or $24,377 per A share a year ago.
But Buffett encourages investors to pay more attention to the conglomerate’s operating earnings from the companies it actually owns. Those jumped 39% to $11.222 billion, or $7,796.47 per Class A share, led by insurance companies’ performance.
None of it that got in the way of the fun.
Throngs flooded the arena to buy up Squishmallows of Buffett and former Vice Chairman Charlie Munger, who died last fall. The event attracts investors from all over the world and is unlike any other company meeting. Those attending for the first time are driven by an urgency to get here while the 93-year-old Buffett is still alive.
“This is one of the best events in the world to learn about investing. To learn from the gods of the industry,” said Akshay Bhansali, who spent the better part of two days traveling from India to Omaha.
Devotees come from all over the world to vacuum up tidbits of wisdom from Buffett, who famously dubbed the meeting ‘Woodstock for Capitalists.’
But a key ingredient was missing this year: It was the first meeting since Munger died.
The meeting opened with a video tribute highlighting some of his best known quotes, including classic lines like “If people weren't so often wrong, we wouldn't be so rich.” The video also featured skits the investors made with Hollywood stars over the years, including a “Desperate Housewives” spoof where one of the women introduced Munger as her boyfriend and another in which actress Jaimie Lee Curtis swooned over him.
As the video ended, the arena erupted in a prolonged standing ovation honoring Munger, whom Buffett called “the architect of Berkshire Hathaway.”
Buffett said Munger remained curious about the world up until the end of his life at 99, hosting dinner parties, meeting with people and holding regular Zoom calls.
“Like his hero Ben Franklin, Charlie wanted to understand everything,” Buffett said.
For decades, Munger and Buffett functioned as a classic comedy duo, with Buffett offering lengthy setups to Munger's witty one-liners. He once referred to unproven internet companies as “turds.”
Together, the pair transformed Berkshire from a floundering textile mill into a massive conglomerate made up of a variety of interests, from insurance companies such as Geico to BNSF railroad to several major utilities and an assortment of other companies.
Munger often summed up the key to Berkshire’s success as “trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.” He and Buffett also were known for sticking to businesses they understood well.
“Warren always did at least 80% of the talking. But Charlie was a great foil,” said Stansberry Research analyst Whitney Tilson, who was looking forward to his 27th consecutive meeting.
Munger's absence, however, created space for shareholders to get to know better the two executives who directly oversee Berkshire's companies: Ajit Jain, who manages the insurance units; and Abel, who handles everything else and has been named Buffett's successor. The two shared the main stage with Buffett this year.
The first time Buffett kicked a question to Abel, he mistakenly said “Charlie?” Abel shrugged off the mistake and dove into the challenges utilities face from the increased risk of wildfires and some regulators' reluctance to let them collect a reasonable profit.
Morningstar analyst Greggory Warren said he believes Abel spoke up more Saturday and let shareholders see some of the brilliance Berkshire executives talk about.
Abel offered a twist on Munger's classic “I have nothing to add” line by often starting his answers Saturday by saying “The only thing I would add.”
“Greg's a rock star,” said Chris Bloomstran, president of Semper Augustus Investments Group. "The bench is deep. He won’t have the same humor at the meeting. But I think we all come here to get a reminder every year to be rational.”
Buffett has made clear that Abel will be Berkshire's next CEO, but he said Saturday that he had changed his opinion on how the company's investment portfolio should be handled. He had previously said it would fall to two investment managers who handle small chunks of the portfolio now. On Saturday, Buffett endorsed Abel for the gig, as well as overseeing the operating businesses and any acquisitions.
“He understands businesses extremely well. and if you understand businesses, you understand common stocks,” Buffett said. Ultimately, it will be up to the board to decide, but the billionaire said he might come back and haunt them if they try to do it differently.
Overall, Buffett said Berkshire's system of having all the noninsurance companies report to Abel and the insurers report to Jain is working well. He himself hardly gets any calls from managers anymore because they get more guidance from Abel and Jain.
“This place would work extremely well the next day if something happened to me,” Buffett said.
Nevertheless, the best applause line of the day was Buffett's closing remark: “I not only hope that you come next year but I hope that I come next year.”
For more AP coverage of Warren Buffett look here: https://apnews.com/hub/warren-buffett. For Berkshire Hathaway news, see here: https://apnews.com/hub/berkshire-hathaway-inc. Follow Josh Funk online at https://www.twitter.com/funkwrite and https://www.linkedin.com/in/funkwrite.
From left, D'Ann Rhoten takes a photo of Brittany Thornton and Melissa Shapiro in the exhibit hall of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Amy Keady of Frederick, Maryland, holds her son, Ben, 11, as they wait in line outside the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Jennifer Cua of Las Vegas sits with her purchases from Squishmallows during the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Shareholder Tina Schmidt of Cozad, Neb., wears a shirt with Warren Buffett's portrait in the style of an Andy Warhol painting at he Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
See's Candies associates, including Holly Pellicano of San Francisco, center, do yoga together before shareholders arrive for the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Bart Macdonald of New York City takes photos of the BNSF Railway model train display during the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Valerie Deichert of Omaha, left, assists shareholders with their purchases from the Oriental Trading booth during the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Shareholders find their seats for the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Harold and Caroline Ernst of St. Louis chat with fellow shareholders as they wait for the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting to begin on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Michelle King of San Francisco does yoga in the See's Candies booth before the arrival of shareholders for the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Berkshire Hathaway shareholders pose with the mascot for one of its companies, Oriental Trading, while the more famous spokeslizard for Geico insurance looms over their shoulder, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. CEO Warren Buffett will spend hours answering questions at the meeting on Saturday. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)
Berkshire Hathaway shareholders pose with a cutout poster of CEO Warren Buffett Friday, May 3, 2024, in Omaha, Neb., inside the exhibit hall in Omaha where Berkshire companies sell their products. Buffett will spend hours answering questions at the meeting Saturday. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)
Daegwon Kim of South Korea, who arrived in line at 3:30 a.m., takes photos of the crowd behind him outside the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Greg Abel poses with shareholders Friday, May 3, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. Abel is set to be the next CEO after Warren Buffett is gone. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)
Berkshire Hathaway shareholders watch a model BNSF train run past a model town filled with other Berkshire companies Friday, May 3, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. Buffett will spend hours answering questions at a meeting Saturday. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)
Berkshire Hathaway shareholders line up to take selfies with Greg Abel Friday, May 3, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. Abel will one day replace Warren Buffett as CEO. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)
Berkshire Hathaway investment manager Ted Weschler, center, talks with Brooks Running CEO Dan Sheridan, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Omaha, Neb., one day ahead of the annual shareholders meeting. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)
Berkshire Hathaway shareholders pose with a cutout poster of CEO Warren Buffett, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Omaha, Neb., one day ahead of the annual shareholders meeting. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)
Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Greg Abel poses for pictures with shareholders while touring the booths Berkshires companies set up, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. Abel will succeed Warren Buffett as CEO one day. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)
Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Greg Abel checks out the flight simulators offered by one of Berkshires companies, Flight Safety as he toured the exhibit hall Friday, May 3, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. ahead of Saturday's meeting. Abel is set to succeed Warren Buffett as CEO one day. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)
