Thursday, May 12, 2022

And another day of unprecedented moves, Rs ready to pack the courts, more children will live in poverty, some birth control will be banned, bigoted statements, banning library apps, TX social media censorship law, and a black hole comes to a close:

“I’m legitimately terrified there are enough men out there who would be secretly pleased to see women relegated back to second class citizens.” — PoliticsGirl

“I think elected Democrats need to talk less about the sane Republican Party they wish for and more about the radical one we got.” — Schooley 

Deaths

US: 1,026,109

World: 6,284,597

Cases

US: 84,066,379

World: 519,736,984

In an unprecedented move, the Jan. 6 panel issues subpoenas to House lawmakers, including GOP leader McCarthy. In addition to McCarthy, the panel also subpoenaed GOP Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scotty Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama. -- This was the right thing to do because no one is above the law, including members of Congress. It’s about time.

Investigators issue subpoena to National Archives for access to classified documents Trump took to Mar-a-Lago. The move is the first overt indication of an ongoing investigation into the handling of classified White House documents that were taken to the former President's Mar-a-Lago residence after he left office. The subpoena is part of the formal process that FBI investigators and Justice Department prosecutors use to take possession of the boxes of documents from the Archives, which retrieved the boxes from the Florida resort.

Republicans are ready to pack the courts. Faced with state supreme courts that limit or even block Republicans from banning abortion, state lawmakers and anti-choice activists are proposing a new path. Their plan? Impeaching and replacing justices until Republicans find judges willing to give them the abortion rulings they want. Even if that means removing every single justice in the process. After months tarring Democrats as enemies of the rule of law for a few scattered calls to expand the Supreme Court, Republicans aren’t asking permission — they’re prepared to reshape state supreme courts immediately...The new Republican playbook is simple: ignore the rulings you don’t like and remove the troublesome judges who disagree with party scripture.

“Former supporter sent me a note accusing me of being ‘woke.’ I get that a lot from my former supporters. Like being woke is a bad thing. I told him, yes I’m ‘woke’ & proud of it. Yep, I’m much more aware now of racial & other basic injustices in our society. That’s a good thing.” -- Joe Walsh

The end of Roe will mean more children living in poverty. Almost half the United States is ready to outlaw abortion, if given a green light by the Supreme Court, something it’s expected to do in the next few months. But many of those states are not willing to give new babies and their families the educational, medical, or financial support they need to lead a healthy life. That could leave tens of thousands of future children unnecessarily disadvantaged and living in poverty. — And that’s the point. 

Some birth control could be banned if Roe v. Wade is overturned, legal experts warn. With trigger laws in 13 states poised to go into effect if the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, a new era of restricted access to birth control could unfold in states that narrowly define when life begins, legal experts say. “This is the new Jane Crow that we’re about to enter.”…“Anything that would prevent a fertilized egg from turning into a pregnancy and being born into a baby could be considered a homicide,” she said. “If you define a pregnancy and you define a person as including just this fertilized egg, then technically you are legislating that an IUD can cause an abortion.”

Russian threats push Finland toward joining NATO alliance. Finland’s leaders Thursday came out in favor of applying to join NATO, and Sweden could do the same within days, in a historic realignment on the continent 2 1/2 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through Moscow’s neighbors. The Kremlin reacted by warning it will be forced to take retaliatory “military-technical” steps.

Voters across Texas on Saturday elected a bevy of conservative Texas school board candidates, emboldening state Republicans who are increasingly getting involved in nonpartisan local elections.

Surging GOP candidate Kathy Barnette has long history of bigoted statements against gays and Muslims. Surging Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Kathy Barnette has a history of anti-Muslim and anti-gay statements. In many tweets, Barnette also spread the false conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama is a Muslim...Barnette surged in recent polls in the upcoming Pennsylvania Republican US Senate primary, putting her in a dead heat between Donald Trump-endorsed former TV star Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund manager David McCormick. The Pennsylvania Senate seat is one of the one of the best pickup opportunities for Democrats this November, and Barnette’s sudden, rapid rise is causing worry among Trump allies.

Gay high schooler says he's 'being silenced' by Florida's LGBTQ law. Florida high school senior Zander Moricz was called into his principal’s office last week. As class president his whole high school career — and his school’s first openly LGBTQ student to hold the title — this was a fairly routine request. But once he entered the administrator’s office, he said, he immediately knew “this wasn’t a typical meeting.” His principal — Stephen Covert of Pine View School in Osprey, Florida, roughly 70 miles south of Tampa — warned Moricz that if his graduation speech referenced his LGBTQ activism, school officials would cut off his microphone, end his speech and halt the ceremony, Moricz alleged. “He said that he just ‘wanted families to have a good day’ and that if I was to discuss who I am and the fight to be who I am, that would ‘sour the celebration,’” Moricz, 18, recalled. “It was incredibly dehumanizing.” -- We must stop allowing conservatives to treat people they don’t like as subhuman. Conservatives are not pro-life. They are pro-hate, pro-forced birth, and pro-fascism.

“And now you know what a Super Patriot is. He’s someone who loves his country while hating 93% of the people who live in it.” -- Mad Magazine, 1968 (Go read the whole page. It’s short.)

Conservative parents take aim at library apps meant to expand access to books. In several states, apps and the companies that run them have been targeted by conservative parents who have pushed schools and public libraries to shut down their digital programs, which let users download and read books on their smartphones, tablets or laptops. Some parents want the apps banned for their children, or even for all students. And they’re getting results. — Why do we allow ourselves to be controlled by a minority group of people that do nothing but spout hatred towards others? They are fascists, intent on tearing down society.

Taliban tightens gender segregation rules in Afghanistan’s Herat. Men and women dining out together or strolling in parks is now forbidden in Afghanistan’s western city of Herat, Taliban authorities have said.

Federal appeals court restores Texas’s social media censorship law. A federal appeals court will allow Texas’s new social media law to take effect after striking down a preliminary injunction by a lower court, according to a judicial order in the case. The Texas law, known as HB 20, allows private parties to sue tech platforms over allegations of censorship.

Naomi Judd died of self-inflicted firearm wound, Ashley Judd reveals. "She used a weapon," Ashley Judd said. "A firearm. So that's the piece of information we are very uncomfortable sharing."…Ashley Judd said she and her family wanted to shed light on mental illness, explaining that it is "important to make the distinction between the loved one and the disease."

NHL closing in on seeing its first female coach. Cheverie’s ascension coupled with the growing number of women entering pro hockey management and developmental roles has rapidly sped the timetable on when — not if — there will be a woman working behind an NHL bench.

Indian couple sue their son for £530,000 (~$650,000) for failing to produce a grandchild after splashing all their savings on his lavish wedding and US pilot training. Shrey and Shubhangi must have a child within a year or pay up, the parents claim...The charge submitted to Haridwar District Court was listed as 'mental agony and harassment'. It is technically labeled a 'domestic violence' case.

The FCC Wants to Put Wi-Fi on School Buses. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is attempting to close the digital divide by increasing access to high speed internet for K-12 students.

Astronomers reveal first photograph of a monster black hole at the heart of our galaxy. More than 27,000 light-years away, at the heart of our galaxy, lies a supermassive black hole, one that is more than four billion times the mass of our sun. It has never been seen. Until today. Astronomers using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) have taken the first image of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, named Sagittarius A*.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.