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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 7:36:47 GMT -8
I wasn't originally going to get a brain transplant, but then I changed my mind.
If the Judge's Order Banning Mifepristone Stands, Here Are the Next Drugs the Right Will Go After:
Misoprostol the other medication used in abortions
COVID vaccine and other vaccines
Birth control pills and other methods of birth control
But They Won't Come for Viagra
No one believes that Judge Kacsmaryk, a longtime anti-abortion activist, cares about the nuance of U.S. Food and Drug Administration protocol. His order purporting to halt the FDA’s decades-old approval of mifepristone is rather a means to the end of banning abortion. The Trump judge’s opinion is full of anti-abortion rhetoric that’s in lockstep with the fetal personhood movement — which promotes the idea that a fetus has the same rights as a person, thus making abortion murder. For example, he approvingly cited the notion when he referred to the “unborn humans extinguished by mifepristone — especially in the post-Dobbs era.”
For judges like Kacsmaryk, the Dobbs ruling didn’t return the abortion issue to the states — it placed health care in the hands of right-wing jurists to outlaw by any means necessary. Women in blue states who voted for politicians who support abortion rights can still be thwarted by a red-state judge’s power grab, if Kacsmaryk’s order goes into effect. (Remember, he put it on hold for a week while the government appeals, and on Monday the DOJ filed for a stay in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the most extreme appeals court in the country.)
Now, the Trump judge’s unprecedented order, backed by shoddy legal reasoning — if you could call it reasoning — is poised for a Supreme Court resolution. Whatever happens in the 5th Circuit, the justices might have the last word, especially with Friday’s ruling out of Washington state that contradicts Kacsmaryk’s, making high court intervention even more likely.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 7:54:07 GMT -8
The Happiest Day in Afghanistan is the Day You Leave
The United Nations is being forced to make an “appalling choice” about whether to continue operations in Afghanistan while the Taliban government bans women from working for the organisation.
Taliban authorities have imposed a slew of restrictions on Afghan women since seizing power in 2021, including banning them from higher education and many government jobs. In December, they banned Afghan women from working for domestic and foreign non-governmental organisations, and on April 4 extended that to UN offices across the country.
In a statement on Tuesday, the UN mission in Afghanistan said the ban was “unlawful under international law, including the UN Charter, and for that reason, the United Nations cannot comply”.
“Through this ban, the Taliban de facto authorities seek to force the United Nations into having to make an appalling choice between staying and delivering in support of the Afghan people and standing by the norms and principles we are duty-bound to uphold,” it said.
The increasing curbs are reminiscent of the Taliban’s first takeover of Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, when the UN said they were responsible for repeated human rights violations – particularly against girls and women.
“It should be clear that any negative consequences of this crisis for the Afghan people will be the responsibility of the de facto authorities,” the statement said.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 7:55:14 GMT -8
Yikes!
A 12-year-old Florida girl stole her father's car, picked up her friend and the pair drove across state lines to allegedly meet a person they met online — but the girls turned themselves in after seeing their faces on TV, officials said.
A missing child alert was enacted Thursday morning for the 12-year-old and a 14-year-old after the girls were last seen in their hometown of Lake Butler, Florida, believed to be traveling on the I-10 highway toward Louisiana. NBC News is not identifying the girls.
Chief Deputy Capt. Lyn Williams with the Union County Sheriff's Office said the department had information that the girls could have been traveling to "meet someone they met online."
However, it's not clear who that person was or if they were an adult.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 7:57:00 GMT -8
An Appalling List
The Uniquely American Epidemic
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 7:59:46 GMT -8
The Return of the Representative
After the vote, Jones led a march of thousands of people—mostly young people, from the look of the video—back to the Tennessee Capitol building where he was sworn back into office on the Capitol steps.
Once sworn back into office, Jones reentered the legislative chamber arm in arm with Representative [Gloria] Johnson. To great applause, he walked through the chamber, fist held high, past Republican representatives who sat silent and pretended not to see him, as the galleries cheered.
The Shelby County Commission will vote on a replacement for Representative Justin J. Pearson on Wednesday. It can, if it chooses, return Pearson to his former seat until a special election can be held.
In a statement yesterday, Chair Mickell Lowery of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, a Democrat, said, “The protests at the State Capitol by citizens recently impacted by the senseless deaths of three 9-year-old children and three adults entrusted with their care at their school was understandable given the fact that the gun laws in the State of Tennessee are becoming nearly non-existent.“
How Petty Could the Tennessee QOP Be?
A Tennessee Democrat who was expelled from the GOP-dominated state House of Representatives says he is shocked at reports that legislators have threatened local officials with funding cuts if he’s reappointed.
“I think that it is appalling that leaders in Nashville would actually threaten other elected officials in Shelby County with the removal of funds from our county if they follow the Democratic process of reappointment,” ousted state Rep. Justin Pearson (D) told HuffPost. “It is a testament to the type of culture that we’ve been dealing with, with the supermajority of the Republican legislature in Tennessee.”
Pearson, whose district covers parts of Memphis, was expelled from the Tennessee state House of Representatives last week, alongside state Rep. Justin Jones, for participating in an anti-gun violence protest on the House floor following a school massacre in Nashville. Another Democrat, Rep. Gloria Johnson, also participated in the protest but was not voted out. Both Jones and Pearson are seeking reappointment to their seats.
In Pearson’s case, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners needs to appoint an interim representative now that the seat is empty, until a special election is set. The chairman of the board called a special meeting Wednesday.
However, local officials said state legislators angered by Pearson’s re-appointment could potentially block funding to Memphis. “We are also being threatened by the state to take away funding, needed funding to run our schools, to run our municipalities,” Shelby County Commissioner Erika Sugarmon told FOX 13 Memphis. No legislators have publicly stated if they would do this.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 8:03:43 GMT -8
Would You Believe the Economy is Doing Well?
Remember all that talk about Americans dropping out of the labor force? At this point the employed percentage of adults is at or above early 2020 levels for every age group except those 70 or older. (And they should probably get out of the way, anyway. Oh, wait, I’m 70.) The overall unemployment rate is only 3.5 percent; we haven’t had that spirit here since 1969. Black unemployment is at a record low. There’s good news everywhere you look.
So whaddya know: Provide enough job opportunities, and lazy video-game-playing Americans will take those jobs and, apparently, demonstrate enough skill that employers want to keep them.
Furthermore, it turns out that there are large benefits to full employment beyond the fact that people have jobs. Full employment also turns out to be a powerful force for equality, on multiple dimensions. The gap between Black and white unemployment is now a fifth of what it was when Ronald Reagan proclaimed “morning in America.” A tight labor market has led to big gains for low-wage workers, sharply reducing overall wage inequality.
The big question now is whether the good news on jobs is somehow a mirage, based on an unsustainably hot labor market that will have to cool off drastically to contain inflation.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 8:06:51 GMT -8
That's One Ugly Bibi
According to the poll, Benny Gantz's National Unity Party would be the biggest winner, taking 29 Knesset seats – more than double the 12 seats it currently holds. The second largest would be former Prime Minister Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party, with 21 seats.
For the first time, the Channel 13 poll also saw respondents saying that they found both Lapid and Gantz more fit to hold the role of prime minister than Netanyahu.
The current coalition, the most right-wing and ultra-Orthodox that Israel has ever seen, holds 64 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. But the poll found that these parties would not fare well in an election now, and garner just 46 seats. The diverse array of parties that made up the previous government would get a 64-seat majority instead.
When asked whether Gantz or Netanyahu was more suitable to lead the country, 51 percent of respondents said Benny Gantz, compared to the 34 percent who preferred Netanyahu. When asked to choose between Lapid and Netanyahu, 41 percent supported Lapid, and just 37 picked the current prime minister.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 8:08:07 GMT -8
What's Going on in Alaska? I'll Ask 'Er
Here’s some belated news from last week: Dems in Alaska had an excellent election, retaining a supermajority on the Anchorage city council. Six out of seven open positions were won by Democratic candidates, with only an outlying suburb voting Republican. Nice work Anchorage! The end result is a 9-3 Democratic lock on the council. Since Anchorage is over 40% of the state population, that’s a great core to build on to pull another state into the blue column.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 8:11:27 GMT -8
Previous Guy Did Nothing Wrong, Which is Why He's Trying to Stop Pence's Testimony
Donald Trump is planning to fight an order for former Vice President Mike Pence to testify before the grand jury investigating the former president’s efforts to cling to power despite losing the 2020 presidential election, according to multiple news reports.
Trump’s team filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Monday to contest an earlier court decision saying Pence should comply with a subpoena for his testimony and documents.
Trump is moving to block Pence from appearing before the grand jury on the grounds of executive privilege — an argument that failed to convince the court in Trump’s earlier efforts to bar the testimony of other top aides, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 8:13:42 GMT -8
Apparently Leaving a Gun Around Your Six-Year-Old is a Crime in Virginia
Deja Taylor, the mother of a 6-year-old boy accused of shooting his teacher at a Virginia elementary school earlier this year, will face two charges.
Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn said Monday that a grand jury returned two indictments for Taylor, who faces a charge of felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a firearm that endangered a child.
Newport News police Chief Steve Drew said Taylor legally purchased the gun that her son allegedly used.
“Every criminal case is unique in its facts, and these facts support these charges, but our investigation into the shooting continues,” Gwynn said in a statement.
Additional charges remain a possibility, he said.
In Texas, they Give you a Medal and a Pardon.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 8:16:17 GMT -8
What's the Cost of This Information? No Charge.
The FBI is warning people to steer clear of free cell phone-charging stations.
According to the agency, hackers have figured out how to gain access to cell phones plugged into the charging ports and can introduce malware or monitoring software onto cell phones and other devices.
Free phone-charging stations are often found in shopping centers, airports, and hotels. Some cities also offer free charging at public bus stops.
However, the FBI's Denver office tweeted that it's best to "carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet" rather than relying on the free chargers.
The FBI's Denver office confirmed to Insider that its tweet was a public service announcement for consumers. The agency did not confirm whether it has seen an uptick in these cases.
The FBI is not the only agency to raise alarm bells about this scheme: in 2021, the Federal Communications Commission issued a warning about "juice jacking."
"Malware installed through a dirty USB port can lock a device or export personal data and passwords directly to the perpetrator. Criminals can use that information to access online accounts or sell it to other bad actors," an FCC release from the time said.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 8:34:52 GMT -8
The Charge to EV's is Facing Some Resistance
Many Americans aren’t yet sold on going electric for their next cars, a new poll shows, with high prices and too few charging stations the main deterrents. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults are at least somewhat likely to switch, but the history-making shift from the country’s century-plus love affair with gas-driven vehicles still has a ways to travel.
The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago shows that the Biden administration’s plans to dramatically raise U.S. EV sales could run into resistance from consumers. Only 8% of U.S. adults say they or someone in their household owns or leases an electric vehicle, and just 8% say their household has a plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Even with tax credits of up to $7,500 to buy a new EV, it could be difficult to persuade drivers to ditch their gas-burning cars and trucks for vehicles without tailpipe emissions.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 8:35:58 GMT -8
The Cost of BREXIT
The UK is set to be one of the worst performing major economies in the world this year, according to a forecast.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the UK economy's performance in 2023 will be the worst of the G7 richest nations.
But it now also sees it as the worst performing of the wider G20 group, which includes sanctions-hit Russia.
It now predicts the UK economy will shrink by 0.3% in 2023, before growing by 1% next year.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2023 8:38:06 GMT -8
Wha't Wrong with the Other 25%?
75% of Americans who know about crypto are not confident in its safety or reliability, survey finds
Almost 90% of U.S. adults have heard something about cryptocurrencies, but most aren’t confident that ways to invest, trade, or use it are reliable and safe, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Monday.
The survey was conducted between March 13-19, around the time that Silvergate Capital and Signature Bank, both crypto-friendly banks, collapsed or were being wound down. It was also around the time that bitcoin prices had soared.
Crypto has seen a rough several months, from multiple corporate bankruptcies like the FTX crypto exchange, to lawsuits against crypto giants like Binance, and frequent regulatory threats from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Few adults from the Pew Research survey said they were extremely (2%) or very confident (4%) in cryptocurrencies. Older U.S. adults, aged 50 and above who knew about crypto, were more likely than younger people to say they weren’t confident in crypto’s reliability and safety. Differences also emerged in gender groups, with 41% of men between the age of 18 to 29 saying they have invested, traded or used cryptocurrency, compared with 16% of women in the same age group.
Overall, 17% of U.S. adults said they had invested in, traded, or used crypto in the past, which was mostly unchanged from previous surveys conducted by the Pew Research team in 2021 and 2022.
These numbers were similar to those reflected in a JPMorgan Chase & Co. survey that came out in February, in which 72% of institutional traders said they had no plans on trading cryptocurrency in 2023, and 14% said they would in the next five years.
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