|
|
BY PRIYANKA ARIBINDI, BRIAN BEUTLER & CROOKED MEDIA Wednesday, May 15, 2019 |
|
|
| GILEA-LABAMA |
| Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) has signed the most extreme anti-abortion legislation in the country into law, with the explicit aim of inviting the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v. Wade. If it is allowed to stand, it will almost entirely outlaw abortion in the state by making it a felony for doctors to perform the procedure, punishable by up to 99 years in prison.
The statute includes no exceptions for victims of rape or incest—indeed, Republicans voted down an amendment that would create those exceptions—meaning, once it takes effect, abortion will only be allowed in cases where pregnancy threatens the life of the mother.
This law, like the fetal-heartbeat bills that have passed in other states, is designed to prompt court challenges, which the ACLU and Planned Parenthood have each promised to bring. And while these organizations are likely to win in lower courts, which are bound by precedents like Roe, the bill’s supporters hope the conservative majority on the Supreme Court will uphold the law, and reverse Roe in the process. “What I’m trying to do here is get this case in front of the Supreme Court so Roe v. Wade can be overturned,” said Republican state Rep. Terri Collins, who sponsored the bill in Alabama’s House.
Seventy-three percent of Americans, including majorities in both parties, do not want to see Roe v. Wade to be overturned. The constitutional right to abortion has made abortion far safer, and most Americans want it to remain legal. But Republican legislators in dozens of states have ignored public opinion and made no secret of the fact that they view right-wing dominance of the judiciary in the Trump era, and the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in particular, as an opportunity to roll back reproductive rights.
It’s important to note that abortion is still legal in Alabama. This law will not take effect for six months, and multiple advocacy groups will fight to make sure it, and others like it, never do. Here’s how you can support them:
|
|
| Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) revealed two county voting systems in his state were hacked by Russian intelligence during the 2016 election, but says federal authorities made him sign a non-disclosure agreement preventing him from revealing which ones they were.
According to DeSantis, the hackers did not alter data or vote totals, but federal officials have left it up to the counties themselves to publicly reveal if they were hacked and have yet to address whether the intrusions prevented anyone from voting. |
|
| White House Counsel Pat Cipollone has declared that Congress has no right to review Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and that the White House will refuse to cooperate with any congressional investigations of President Trump’s corruption or criminality. Trump’s personal lawyers made a similar argument in federal court on Tuesday, which, combined with Justice Department rules prohibiting the indictment of a sitting president, would place the president above the law.
House Democrats responded to the Trump administration’s stunning assault on checks and balances by announcing they won’t hold contempt votes against Attorney General William Barr or any other Trump administration officials who have refused to comply with subpoenas until at least June.
The State Department ordered all “nonemergency” U.S. government employees at the American embassy and consulate in Iraq to leave the country on Wednesday in response to what the Trump administration claims is a threat linked to Iran. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton desperately want to make war with Iran inevitable.
The Trump administration won’t sign on to the “Christchurch Call” agreement between 18 other governments and top tech platforms to root out extremism on social media, citing First Amendment concerns/because the Trump base and administration are filled with social media extremists.
President Trump has issued an executive order declaring a national emergency and banning American companies from using telecom companies that are controlled solely by a foreign adversary. The order is aimed at China, and sets the stage for a ban on Chinese-owned Huawei, which the U.S. and other governments have accused of configuring devices for spying.
Sudan’s military and civilian leaders have agreed to a three-year transition to democratic rule one month after the country ousted its longtime dictator, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.
San Francisco is the first major U.S. city to pre-emptively prohibit law enforcement from using facial-recognition technology in response to widespread concern that the technology will be abused. Supporters of the prohibition thought it was especially important to send a message to the companies that call the Bay Area their home—”We have an outsize responsibility to regulate the excesses of technology precisely because they are headquartered here.”
The Met and the Museum of Natural History in New York City will no longer accept donations from the Sackler family—the owners of Oxycontin-maker Purdue Pharma. Several museums have also turned the Sacklers’ money away as the public has become increasingly aware of their role in fueling the opioid epidemic.
|
| |
| |
|
| Meet Your New Summer Essential You shouldn't have to choose between looking and feeling cool this summer—and with the Vesper Polo, you won't have to. With a breathable micro mesh, slim fit, and smart details, the Vesper is definitely not your dad's polo. And with free shipping and returns, there's no reason not to try it. |
|
|
| The Trump administration denies birthright citizenship to some children of gay U.S. citizens as part of new State Department rules that require any child born outside of the U.S. to be “biologically related to a U.S. citizen parent.” An outgrowth of Trump’s anti-immigrant attack on birthright citizenship, this policy also classifies children born through surrogacy or other forms of assisted reproductive technology as born “out of wedlock,” whether their parents are married or not. “Denying American married couples their rights to pass their citizenship, that is flat-out discrimination,” said Roee Kiviti, whose daughter was denied birthright citizenship despite having two citizen parents. |
|
| Demcoratic voters continue to support “a balanced, principled, and forward-looking consensus position” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reject the Trump administration’s one-sided approach to it, and take a very dim view of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, according to new polling by J Street provided exclusively to Crooked Media. The findings suggest Democratic leaders don’t have to fear the concerted GOP effort to smear Democrats who criticize Israel, and can oppose the right-wing lurch of the country’s Middle East policy under President Trump.
|
|
|
|
