Welcome to Friday, November 15th, papers, rocks, and scissors...

Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, will take the microphone today for the second public impeachment hearing.

Yovanovitch was ousted in her position following a Rudy Giuliani-led smear campaign that accused her of working to subvert Trump’s Ukraine policy and being close to former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko.

Yovanovitch, a career diplomat, told House investigators last month that she felt “threatened,” “concerned,” and uncomfortable after learning that Trump singled her out during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

In his July 25 phone call with Zelensky, Trump criticized Yovanovitch as “bad news” and said she was “going to go through some things.”

“She was removed. I don’t think it was for cause,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), a member of the Intelligence Committee.

How do you feel about Yovanovitch's hearing?

On the Radar

Burying Aborted Fetuses

In September 2019, the medically preserved remains of 2,246 aborted fetuses were found at the home of Indiana abortion doctor Ulrich “George” Klopfer, who had died days earlier.

Congress is currently considering a bill that would require the remains of aborted fetuses be disposed of respectfully through cremation or interment, and impose criminal penalties for the failure to do so.

Vice President Pence tweeted that Klopfer’s conduct was “appalling and should shock the conscience of every American”, and the Trump administration has signaled it will call for a federal investigation.

Introduced by Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), the Dignity for Aborted Children Act would require either the abortion provider or the patient to take possession of the tissue of an aborted fetus and dispose of the remains through cremation or interment. 

Failure to do so would be punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 and/or up to five years imprisonment (the patient wouldn’t be subject to prosecution). The bill would also require annual reports about the number of abortions performed in each state and methods of disposal.

Should the remains of aborted fetuses be respectfully cremated or interred?

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Under the Radar

Equal Rights Amendment

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) took a small step toward becoming the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on Wednesday, as the House Judiciary Committee Democrats advanced a bill that would eliminate a controversial ratification deadline that elapsed over three decades ago.

Introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the bill was passed on a party-line vote of 21-11 with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.

The ERA is fairly straightforward and would include three provisions:

• Equality of rights couldn’t be abridged or denied by the U.S. or any state on account of sex.
• Congress would have the power to enforce the ERA by enacting appropriate legislation.
• The ERA would take effect two years after ratification.

Critics of the ERA warn that it may come with unintended consequences, such as prohibiting sex-segregated bathrooms or requiring that women participate in a future military draft if one is held.

Should the House eliminate the ERA's ratification deadline?

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