There is something weirdly tone-deaf about a political party that is focused on ending legal abortion at a time when actual survival issues confront us on all sides.
People are literally roasting to death in southern India as the early impacts of climate change kick into medium gear. Not high gear yet — that’s still to come. Just medium gear.
The carnage from the war in Ukraine continues as multiple indications suggest Putin has far grander designs on European expansionism than Kyiv. He continues to threaten to use nuclear weapons if he doesn’t get his way.
Horrific human rights abuses continue in Asia and Africa that could use a spotlight since they are largely ignored right now.
Not to mention inflation and the need to get the economy back in synch post-pandemic.
And then there’s still that pesky little thing called Covid, which continues to sicken mainly Republican (unvaccinated) constituents.
Yet it appears that the best the right-wingers in Congress and on the Supreme Court can do with their time is to make a woman’s right to choose an abortion illegal!
Unfortunately, largely thanks to Trump, we are stuck with a group of six old and middle-aged troglodytes trying to turn back human and humane progress to a more ignorant and primitive time.
More significantly, they are out of touch with something known as democracy. Striking down Roe is anti-democratic.
Let’s be straight about this. Most people in America firmly support a woman’s right to choose. So this ruling, while appealing to religious extremists, will likely prove to be counter-productive with everyone else. Voters do have as an option to throw Republicans out of office, helping Democrats maintain majorities in the House and Senate as soon as this November.
So when the court’s decision becomes official next month, it’s very possible that the GOP will be kissing any chance of regaining control of Congress this midterm cycle and beyond good-bye.
Trust me. The embattled Democratic Party couldn’t be happier.
***
Speaking of another political controversy caused by the extreme right, you can watch an excellent interview with San Francisco D.A. Chesa Boudin by two of California’s top political reporters, Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos, at an event at KQED last night. There is so much disinformation surrounding Boudin’s extremist-funded recall election that it is refreshing to see a calm, rational discussion of the actual issues involved.
Next up…today’s news (37):
13 states have passed so-called 'trigger laws,' bans designed to go into effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned (CNN)
Possible overturning of Roe sends abortion fight to states (AP)
Leak of draft opinion on abortion, Roe v. Wade sparks protests at Supreme Court (USA Today)
Republicans have delivered on Roe v. Wade. They may regret it. (Charlotte Observer)
‘Betrayal’: Chief Justice Roberts blasts disclosure of draft abortion opinion (Politico)
The Conservatives Aren’t Just Ending Roe—They’re Delighting in It (Atlantic)
Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade leak: The end of integrity and ethics? (The Hill)
Amazon to reimburse U.S. employees who travel for abortions, other treatments — The decision makes the online retailer the latest company to respond to Republican-backed state laws curbing abortion access, helping employees bypass them. (NBC)
The original Roe v. Wade decision also was leaked to the press (WP)
Roberts Confirms Draft Abortion Ruling, Orders Inquiry (WSJ)
Biden blasts ‘radical’ Roe draft, warns other rights at risk (AP)
“Our daughters, sisters, mothers, and grandmothers will not be silenced,” Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted less than an hour after Politico reported on the leaked draft opinion it obtained. “The world is about to hear their fury. California will not sit back. We are going to fight like hell.” (Cal Today)
After writing “Gender Queer,” a memoir about coming out as nonbinary, Maia Kobabe didn’t think the book would find much readership. Instead, it landed the author at the center of a battle over which books belong in schools, and who gets to make that decision. (NYT Books)
Ukrainian fighters: Russian forces storming Mariupol plant (AP)
Russian forces fired rockets at the encircled steel works in Ukraine's Mariupol and smoke darkened the sky above the plant, where officials say 200 civilians are still trapped despite evacuations, while the EU prepared to sanction Russian oil. (Reuters)
Painful Stories Emerge From Mariupol, While Combat Rages to the East (NYT)
Three dozen tycoons met Putin on invasion day. Most had moved money abroad. (WP)
IDEO: Ukrainians Fleeing Fighting in the East Arrive in Zaporizhzhia (Reuters, AP)
Two months after warning that Beijing appeared poised to help Russia in its fight against Ukraine, senior U.S. officials say they have not detected overt Chinese military and economic support, a welcome development in the tense U.S.-China relationship. (Reuters)
Russia planning to annex new areas of Ukraine, U.S. finds (WP)
President Biden hopes to spotlight the game-changing impact of arms as he visits a plant in Alabama that builds the portable Javelin anti-tank weapons that have played a crucial role in Ukraine. But his visit is also drawing attention to a growing concern: Can the U.S. sustain the cadence of shipping vast amounts of arms to Ukraine while maintaining the healthy stockpile it may need if a new conflict erupts elsewhere? [AP]
Former President Donald Trump reportedly urged top military brass to shoot protesters who flooded the streets in the summer of 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd, according to a new book by former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Esper recalls Trump asking deputies in a June 2020 Oval Office meeting, “Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?” [HuffPost]
As Feinstein Declines, Democrats Struggle to Manage an Open Secret (NYT)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) struggled to back away from one of her most widely derided conspiracy theories suggesting that the Rothschilds, a Jewish banking family, were connected to the wildfires in California in 2018. [HuffPost]
FDA leaders: Annual Covid vaccines are likely in our future (Politico)
More than 200 sailors moved off aircraft carrier after multiple suicides (CNN)
Georgia Jury to Consider Whether Trump Illegally Interfered in 2020 Election (NYT)
Elon Musk is in talks with large investment firms and high net-worth individuals about taking on more financing for his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter and tying up less of his wealth in the deal, people familiar with the matter said. Musk said he wants to expand the reach of Twitter beyond the current "niche" until most Americans use the social media platform. (Reuters)
Climate scientists say South Asia's heat wave (120F!) is a sign of what's to come (NPR)
Heat wave sparks blackouts, questions on India’s coal usage (AP)
Astronomers Have Detected The Brightest-Ever Pulsar Outside Our Galaxy (ScienceAlert)
Canadian police fatally shoot polar bear that wandered into Quebec community (Guardian)
Trees: 'Our 5,000-year-old yew should be revered - not ignored' (BBC)
The San Francisco Giants have a coaching staff unlike any other, and their success is forcing the sport to rethink who is qualified to be in a major-league dugout. (WSJ)
‘Nothing Would Surprise Me At This Point,’ Says Man Who Will Be Shocked By 8 Separate News Items Today (The Onion)
Today’s Lyrics:
“Mama He’s Crazy”
Song by the Judds
Written by Kenny O'dell
Mama, I found someone
Like you said would come along
He's a sight and so unlike
Any man I've known
I was afraid to let him in
'Cause I'm not the trustin' kind
But now I'm convinced that he's heaven sent
And must be out of his mind
Mama, he's crazy, crazy over me
And in my life is where he says
He always wants to be
I've never been so in love
He beats all I've ever seen
And mama, he's crazy, he's crazy over me
And mama, you've always said
You better look before you leap
But maybe so, but here I go
Lettin' my heart lead me
He thinks I hung the moon and stars
I think he's a livin' dream
Well, there are men, but ones like him
Are few and far between
Mama, he's crazy, crazy over me
And in my life is where he says
He always wants to be
I've never been so in love
He beats all I've ever seen
Mama, he's crazy, he's crazy over me
Oh mama, he's crazy, he's crazy over me
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