Monday, July 11, 2022

And another day of upcoming trials, testimony, subpoenas, hospitals ‘must’ provide abortion services, threatening letters from TX GOP, floating abortion clinics, weed-killing chemical in urine, and a beautiful picture from NASA’s WEBB comes to a close:

“I fear we've still only scratched the surface on how ugly this is all going to get.” — Justin Baragona

Deaths

US: 1,046,232 (+440)

World: 6,374,568 (+1503)

Cases

US: 90,491,960 (+152,575)

World: 561,576,746 (+884,979)

Judge won't delay Steve Bannon's trial after his last-minute offer to cooperate with Jan. 6 panel. The Justice Department maintains that Bannon's offer to testify was nothing more than a “last-ditch attempt to avoid accountability.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham ordered to testify in front of special grand jury in Trump election probe. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled Monday that Graham will be required to testify on Aug. 2 after Graham said he would fight a subpoena to testify, citing executive privilege.

Barr subpoenaed in voting machine company’s lawsuit against Fox News. The suit concerns a false conspiracy theory, dismissed by Barr but advanced by the ex-president’s allies, that machines made by the company were tampered with in order to hand the Oval Office to Joe Biden.

Biden admin: Docs must offer abortion if mom’s life at risk. The Biden administration on Monday told hospitals that they “must” provide abortion services if the life of the mother is at risk, saying federal law on emergency treatment guidelines preempts state laws in jurisdictions that now ban the procedure without any exceptions following the Supreme Court’s decision to end a constitutional right to abortion.

Read the threatening letter the Texas GOP sent to a law firm that planned to reimburse travel costs for employees seeking an abortion. In the letter, which was addressed to Sidley Austin LLP, the 11 representatives of the caucus wrote that legislation will be introduced to impose civil and criminal sanctions on law firms that pay for abortion or abortion travel…The proposed legislation will prohibit any employer in the state from paying for elective abortions or reimbursing abortion-related costs regardless of where the abortion occurs. According to these lawmakers, private citizens will be allowed to sue anyone who pays for an elective abortion performed on a Texas resident. If passed, the law will grant The State Bar of Texas to disbar any lawyer who has violated any abortion statutes. — Fucking fascists.

Floating abortion clinic proposed in Gulf to bypass bans. The idea is to provide a clinic aboard a ship in federal waters, and out of reach of state laws, that would offer first trimester surgical abortions, contraception and other care.

Abortion bans force U.S. students to rethink college plans. While it has long been the case that some students hesitated to attend schools in places with different political leanings than their own, recent moves by conservative states on issues such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights have deepened the country's polarization. For some students, the restrictions raise fears that they won't be able to get an abortion if they need one or that they will face discrimination for gender differences. Others said they worried about facing racial prejudice or being politically ostracized.

Hong Kong is making all COVID-19 patients who are under home quarantine wear a tracking bracelet to make sure they do not leave the house.

Hundreds of Virginia state employees resign amid new policy to bring them back to the office. On May 5, Gov. Glenn Youngkin updated the telework policy for all state employees to begin working in-person full-time by July 5, a change the governor’s office stressed would provide “options for and supports the use of telework where appropriate.” Youngkin said it would help “balance the demands of government services with the needs of our public servants.”

JK Rowling criticised for praising ‘dangerous’ anti-trans film by far-right bigot Matt Walsh. The film has been called “transphobic” by Rolling Stone and “dangerous” by LGBTQ Nation, which said it “provides ammunition for those who seek to deprive transgender people of access to affirming and life-saving healthcare.” Walsh, the author of Johnny the Walrus, a notorious anti-trans children’s book, has become known for describing himself as a “theocratic facist” – a label that has been directed at him previously by his critics…Rowling praising the work of such a person attracted significant criticism.

Firefighters attempt to save giant sequoias as Yosemite wildfire grows. A grove containing some of the world’s oldest giant sequoia trees is under threat from a rapidly growing wildfire at California’s Yosemite national park.

Drought-stricken Lake Mead recedes to reveal a World War II-era landing craft. The lake stood at around 1,042 feet above sea level on Monday, down about 25 feet from the same time last year and 44 feet below its 2020 depth, according to CNN senior meteorologist Brandon Miller.

World Population Day: India will overtake China in 2023, says the UN. India is set to become the world's most populous country next year, overtaking China with its 1.4bn people, according to UN figures. By this November, the planet will be home to 8bn. But population growth is not as rapid as it used to be.

Weed-killing chemical found in majority of U.S. urine samples. A widely used but controversial herbicide linked to cancer is showing up in people, with a government study finding glyphosate in more than 80% of urine samples from U.S. kids and adults. Part of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found glyphosate in 1,885 of 2,310 urine samples representative of the population at large. Nearly a third of the samples came from kids, ranging in age from six to 18.

NASA’s Webb Delivers Deepest Infrared Image of Universe Yet. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has produced the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail. Thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared – have appeared in Webb’s view for the first time. This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground. -- The image is freaking cool! Just beautiful!

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

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