April 9, 2024

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer "confident" Trump will sign a federal abortion ban if given the opportunity

(Michigan Advance) Former President Donald Trump said in a video Monday it should be left up to state governments to determine the legality of abortion, touting the repeal of Roe v. Wade, while not definitively condemning a federal ban on abortion.

“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state,” Trump said.

....(snip)....

Whitmer said Trump is still taking pride in letting politicians interfere in private medical decisions for women and assertions from Trump that abortion should be left up to states and voters as a people’s issue are disingenuous.

“We know exactly how bad Trump has been for women and reproductive freedom, and we are confident he would sign into law the national abortion ban he and his party have wanted for so long. He said he thinks women should be punished for choosing abortion, and we should take him at his word,” Whitmer said. .............(more)

https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/08/whitmer-confident-trump-will-sign-a-federal-abortion-ban-if-given-the-opportunity/

April 9, 2024

Evangelicals won't be bothered by Trump's abortion gambit -- they know he's lying

Evangelicals won't be bothered by Trump's abortion gambit — they know he's lying
Project 2025 makes it clear: The plan is a national abortion ban, even if by executive order

By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 9, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) On Monday, with great fanfare, Donald Trump released his "plan" on abortion in a video posted to Truth Social. As with most things Trump says, the short statement was an avalanche of lies. He claims overturning Roe v. Wade was "about will of the people." In reality, strong majorities of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court's actions. He claims "all legal scholars" on "both sides" wanted to repeal Roe, another lie. Most legal scholars, except far-right ones, agree the right to privacy is justified by the Constitution but that such a dramatic reversal of precedent is bad law. He claimed, as he does routinely now, that Democrats want abortion "after birth," a vile lie that has become normalized through brute repetition. But the most consequential deceit is from Trump implying — but notably never actually saying — he's on the "leave it to the states" bandwagon.

....(snip)....

As sharp observers noticed (which most mainstream media missed), Trump's language here is descriptive of the current state of play and avoids committing to any future action or inaction. Trump is usually sloppy with language, but as Jordan Weissman of Semafor points out, whoever wrote this statement carefully did so to leave the impression Trump is saying he will leave it to the states — but in fact, he leaves the door open to signing a national abortion ban.

....(snip)....

But most telling is the muted response on the Christian right. The anti-abortion group SBA List said they were "disappointed," but promised to "work tirelessly" to elect Trump in 2024 and that "he will get there" on a national ban. Alliance Defending Freedom, which argued the Dobbs case before the Supreme Court that ended Roe, completely ignored Trump's statement. Americans United For Life, Family Research Council, the Heritage Foundation, Turning Point USA: All loudmouthed fundamentalist groups, all angrily anti-abortion, and all responded with either silence, or in some cases, eager support to Trump's video. Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America, a longstanding anti-feminist group, seemed confident Trump will stick by the forced childbirth cause.

That's because they all know it's a crock, and Trump will sign any abortion ban a Republican-controlled Congress passes. Moreover, they all know that, if he gets into the White House, Trump will abuse executive powers to create a backdoor ban on most, if not all abortion, by using the defunct-but-never-repealed Comstock Act to legally persecute those who transport drugs or materials that are used in abortions. They know he will do this, because they are all involved in developing the plan to do so, through Project 2025. .............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2024/04/09/evangelicals-wont-be-bothered-by-abortion-gambit--they-know-hes-lying/

April 9, 2024

You'll Never Guess Which State Court Just Approved Religious Exemptions From Abortion Bans

(Slate) On Thursday afternoon, in an important lawsuit seeking to clarify which religious objectors will be taken seriously when they seek legal exemptions, a group of plaintiffs in Indiana scored a notable win: A three-judge panel on the Indiana Court of Appeals agreed to enjoin Indiana’s near-total abortion ban, as applied against a class of religious plaintiffs who had argued that the ban violates a state law protecting religious freedom. In its unanimous 76-page opinion, authored by Judge Leanna K. Weissmann, the panel determined that a preliminary injunction granted to a group of plaintiffs who had alleged that Indiana’s abortion law violated their rights under the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act could remain in place. The case now proceeds to trial, or more likely to a direct appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Indiana became one of the first states to enact a near-total abortion ban after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. In September of that year, four state residents of various faiths and a group called Hoosier Jews for Choice claimed that the ban violated the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was passed with great fanfare in 2015 under the watchful eye of then-Gov. Mike Pence. The American Civil Liberties Union’s plaintiffs contended that the almost total ban violates Jewish law, which provides that “a fetus attains the status of a living person only at birth,” and religious tenets that give priority to the life and health of the mother over that of the fetus. They also cited the religious teachings of various other faiths that support seeking abortion care under broader circumstances than the ban allows. The plaintiffs contend that their sincere religious beliefs provide grounds for terminating pregnancies in circumstances that are criminalized under Indiana’s prohibition.

A state trial court judge had sided with the plaintiffs in December of 2022, and the state filed an appeal. Among the state’s objections, including ripeness and associational standing, they objected to the fact that the members of the plaintiff class did not share identical religious values, and that their abortion objections did not amount to religious views that should be protected under the state RFRA. As we cautioned after Dobbs was decided, at least one amicus brief filed in the case suggested that their proffered religious values were in fact pretextual. In allowing the injunction to stand, at least for now, with a narrowed class of plaintiffs, the Indiana court has signaled that no single religion has a monopoly on faith claims, and that members of dominant religious groups have no basis for casting doubt on the nature of faith claims advanced by others. ....................(more)

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/04/indiana-abortion-ban-religious-exemption-judaism-faith.html

April 8, 2024

Kentucky man admits to faking own death to avoid paying child support

(Guardian UK) A man in southern Kentucky has admitted in court to faking his own death to avoid paying more than $100,000 in outstanding child support to his ex-wife.

Jesse Kipf, 39, pleaded guilty on 29 March in federal court to computer fraud and identity theft after he accessed Hawaii’s death registry system and posed as a doctor from another state in order to create a fake death certificate for himself.

According to a plea agreement filed in court, Kipf filled out a Hawaii death certificate worksheet in early 2023, essentially assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case and certified his own death.

“He applied a digital signature for [the physician], providing his name, title, and license number. This resulted in the defendant being registered as deceased in many government databases,” the government said. ..................(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/08/kentucky-man-fakes-death-child-support

April 8, 2024

Men punching random women in NYC: A desperate last gasp of the male rage fueling MAGA

Men punching random women in NYC: A desperate last gasp of the male rage fueling MAGA
Random NYC attacks are an extreme manifestation of men feeling entitled to women's time and attention

By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 8, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) Men are punching random women on the streets of New York City. As usual with these kinds of diffuse and chaotic stories, there's much that is unknown, including how often this is happening, how many people are involved, or whether it's at all coordinated. But what we do know is already alarming. CNN reports that dozens of women have discussed being victims on social media, and formally interviewed six of them. NBC News reports there have been at least 3 arrests. CBS News reports that NYPD released images last week of a fourth man wanted for allegedly punching a woman in Union Square. Even reality TV star Bethany Frankel says she's been victimized.

Women report being assaulted by men of different races and ages. Still, across the different stories, a couple of similarities pop out: The alleged victims are mostly young and pretty, and most of them say they were minding their own business when they were attacked. Some were on their phones or reading on tablets. Others were speaking to friends or daydreaming. Whatever they were doing, they were just living their lives, and that, it seems, is what enraged their assailants.

....(snip)....

These stories resonate, as well, because the nation is having a moment of increasingly unhinged male fury at women for daring to have lives that are centered around something other than catering to a man's every whim. Unleashed by Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, there's an upswell of loud male entitlement shouting at us from every corner.

....(snip)....

But there's one big difference between the male tantrum we're experiencing now and the backlashes of old: This time, women aren't really playing along. A few, maybe, especially if they can get a piece of that sweet "tradwife" income. But, in the past, backlashes tended to draw large numbers of women along, or at least convince them to silence their opinions, lest they be labeled a "man-hater." In the more conservative parts of the country in the early 2000s, it manifested as widespread shaming of women for having sex before marriage, from abstinence-only "education" to purity rings. But it wasn't great in more liberal areas, where women put up with hipster sexism to get the prize of being called a "cool girl." .....................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2024/04/08/men-punching-random-women-in-nyc-a-desperate-last-gasp-of-the-male-rage-fueling-maga/

April 7, 2024

Is Whitmer's new memoir a sign of a future presidential run?

Is Whitmer’s new memoir a sign of a future presidential run?
Writing a book seems to be a prerequisite for higher political aspirations

By Layla McMurtrie
Apr 5, 2024 at 10:35 am


(Detroit Metro Times) Detroit rapper GMac Cash coined the nickname “Big Gretch” for Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in his 2020 single. Now, the Democrat is embracing a variation of the moniker for her upcoming memoir True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between.

What we think is true are the rumors that Whitmer will run for president soon, as these days, releasing political memoirs seem to be a prerequisite for higher political aspirations.

Simon & Schuster announced on Friday that the book will be published on July 9, providing “an unconventionally honest, personal, and funny account” of Whitmer’s life and career, “full of insights that guided her through a global pandemic, showdowns with high-profile bullies, and even a kidnapping and assassination plot.”

Memoirs serve as a way for candidates to connect with voters on a personal level, plus gain some extra credibility. ...................................(more)

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/is-whitmers-new-memoir-a-sign-of-a-future-presidential-run-35927844

April 7, 2024

Great White Sharks Would Like the Gulf of Mexico Back, Please

(Texas Monthly) Like plenty of Texas spring breakers, LeeBeth opted for a trip to the beaches of South Padre Island in recent weeks. But while the sun, the sand, and the promise of a fat margarita might have drawn others, LeeBeth was driven by something else entirely: an ancient animal instinct still scarcely understood by scientists.

LeeBeth is a shark—of the great and white variety—whose more than two-thousand-mile trip to the Gulf of Mexico earned her the spotlight this month, in part because of the sheer length of her journey, but also because a great white shark had never been tracked that far west. Megan Winton, a research scientist with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, says that when it comes to tracking sharks, LeeBeth, who clocks in at fourteen feet long and weighs well over two thousand pounds, is sort of the ultimate catch. And Winton would know—she was on the boat as part of the team that caught and outfitted LeeBeth with several types of tags in December of last year.

The tracking devices only ping researchers with a shark’s location when the fish’s dorsal fin breaks the surface for at least 45 seconds. Often a tagged shark will go weeks or months without sending a record of its locale. But LeeBeth seems to like things up top and has broken the water’s surface more frequently than other tracked sharks, providing scientists with an unusually clear map of her travels and invaluable insight into her kind’s migratory patterns. Winton also says LeeBeth is a crucial piece of the white shark research puzzle because she is a large, mature female, of which researchers have tagged relatively few in the North Atlantic Ocean.

“It’s in part because it takes them a long time to get that big,” Winton said. “The ocean’s a tough place to make a living. It’s really exciting from that perspective.” ..............(more)

https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/great-white-sharks-gulf-of-mexico-record-leebeth-south-padre-island/

April 6, 2024

Trump's bizarre, vindictive incoherence has to be heard in full to be believed

Trump’s bizarre, vindictive incoherence has to be heard in full to be believed
Rachel Leingang

Excerpts from his speeches do not do justice to Trump’s smorgasbord of vendettas, non sequiturs and comparisons to famous people


(Guardian UK) Donald Trump’s speeches on the 2024 campaign trail so far have been focused on a laundry list of complaints, largely personal, and an increasingly menacing tone.

He’s on the campaign trail less these days than he was in previous cycles – and less than you’d expect from a guy with dedicated superfans who brags about the size of his crowds every chance he gets. But when he has held rallies, he speaks in dark, dehumanizing terms about migrants, promising to vanquish people crossing the border. He rails about the legal battles he faces and how they’re a sign he’s winning, actually. He tells lies and invents fictions. He calls his opponent a threat to democracy and claims this election could be the last one.

Trump’s tone, as many have noted, is decidedly more vengeful this time around, as he seeks to reclaim the White House after a bruising loss that he insists was a steal. This alone is a cause for concern, foreshadowing what the Trump presidency redux could look like. But he’s also, quite frequently, rambling and incoherent, running off on tangents that would grab headlines for their oddness should any other candidate say them.

Journalists rightly chose not to broadcast Trump’s entire speeches after 2016, believing that the free coverage helped boost the former president and spread lies unchecked. But now there’s the possibility that stories about his speeches often make his ideas appear more cogent than they are – making the case that, this time around, people should hear the full speeches to understand how Trump would govern again. ...............(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/06/donald-trump-speech-analysis

April 6, 2024

A fungal pandemic is massacring frogs, but scientists just found a virus that could lead to a cure

A fungal pandemic is massacring frogs, but scientists just found a virus that could lead to a cure
B. dendrobatidis is ravaging frog and toad populations, but its weakness is a virus we could weaponize

By MATTHEW ROZSA
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 6, 2024 6:15AM (EDT)


(Salon) Imagine a fungus that makes your skin turn angry red. Some of the skin breaks into ulcers, especially at the tips of your toes, while in other places, pieces of skin shed off entirely. By the time it reaches your heart, which is inevitably fatal, death is probably a welcome relief.

That is the fate of the millions of frogs who have suffered from Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or BD for short. Over 500 species of amphibians are suffering major population declines due to BD while there have been 90 possible extinctions and near extinctions, threatening endangered species like Panamanian golden frogs (Atelopus zeteki) and yellow-legged mountain frogs (Rana muscosa.) BD is driving one of the great mass extinctions of the current era — and yet now researchers believe that a virus may help herpetologists develop a cure.

Meet BdDV-1, a viral fragment discovered by scientists whose paper was recently published by the journal Current Biology. The researchers found it in much the same way that one disentangles a knot, by pulling on individual threads to see where they lead. While examining the BD fungus to learn about weaknesses, they discovered a single-stranded DNA virus trapped within the genome of the fungus. Although this only applied to certain strains, when infected they produced fewer spores than the uninfected fungi. Now the next step is to see if researchers can clone and engineer this virus so that it kills BD and saves the frogs.

That will not be the easiest task to accomplish, however, for a big reason: Currently the virus makes the fungus more deadly to the frogs, rather than less so. ...............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2024/04/06/a-fungal-is-massacring-frogs-but-scientists-just-found-a-that-could-lead-to-a-cure/

April 5, 2024

The Establishment Right's Alliance With Open Bigots Is Under a New Kind of Pressure

(Slate) When Candace Owens, the far-right political commentator, parted ways with conservative media company the Daily Wire in late March, the news unleashed something strange on the internet. Factions emerged to yell at each other about theology, censorship, and bigotry. Extremists chatted with establishment right-wingers in audio chatrooms on social media. Content creators wrote blog posts and produced YouTube videos with their take on one particular phrase: “Christ Is King.”

That phrase gripped the right for days, leaving movement leaders struggling with layers of infighting that proved difficult to parse for all but the most egregiously online people. It was also, for those tracking the right’s strange coalition-building, a warning sign: The establishment conservatives’ pragmatic alliance with hateful white supremacist groups may finally be breaking under the awkwardness of having avowed antisemites in a pro-Israel movement.

....(snip)....

Owens’ relationship with the Daily Wire had been rapidly deteriorating for a while, over antisemitism generally and the war in Gaza. Owens, who began hosting a talk show with the Daily Wire in 2021, has never displayed sensitivity on the matter of antisemitism: Back in 2022, she defended Kanye West even as he posted that he would “go death con 3 on Jewish People.”

But in November, after the war began in Gaza, her critical views on Israel became a problem for her colleagues. She highlighted the death of Christians in one Israeli airstrike. In one post, she wrote, “There is no justification for a genocide. I can’t believe this even needs to be said or is even considered the least bit controversial to state.” (She is not the only far-right figure accusing Israel of pursuing a genocide; Infowars host Alex Jones has done the same. In his case, he vocalized a fear of Palestinian refugees’ coming to the U.S.) ............(more)

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/04/candace-owens-ben-shapiro-daily-wire-antisemitism-israel-jews.html