Welcome to Thursday, August 4th, milk and cookies...

Oil giants reported record-breaking sales in this year’s second quarter, in line with high energy prices worldwide.

Collectively, the five biggest Western oil companies, Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP, and TotalEnergies, reported some $60 billion in profits.

These increased profits are mainly due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which caused a surge in crude oil, natural gas, and gasoline prices this year, and bring political pressure on the companies to increase production and lower costs to consumers who are feeling the financial strain of inflation and high costs of living.

Do you want the government to curb oil profits?

Biden Signs Second Executive Order to Protect Abortion Access

President Joe Biden signed his second executive order to protect abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, this time aimed at making it easier for people to travel to other states to obtain an abortion.

The order asks the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) to allow states to expand their Medicaid plans to cover travel costs for out-of-state patients seeking abortions. 

How do you feel about Biden’s efforts to preserve abortion access?

Justice Department Files First Post-Dobbs Lawsuit Against Idaho Abortion Restrictions

The Biden administration filed a lawsuit against Idaho’s strict abortion law on Tuesday, the first legal challenge on abortion restrictions from the Department of Justice since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in late June.

Senate Bill 1385, approved in 2020 and set to take effect Aug. 25, makes it a felony for doctors to provide an abortion, punishable by 2-5 years in prison. If law enforcement officials can show that an abortion has been performed under any circumstance, the law allows them to arrest and indict an abortion provider, leaving it up to the doctor to prove that one of the exceptions to the ban applied.

Do you support or oppose the DOJ’s lawsuit challenging Idaho’s near-total abortion ban?

All the Memes Fit to Post

And, In The End...

It's National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. 

Are you going for the crunchy or gooey cookie today?

—Jamie Epstein

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