President Biden is laser-focused ahead of midterms, and announced new promises for abortion protections if Dems can add to their razor-thin majority. 

Tuesday, October 18, 2022
BY JULIA CLAIRE & CROOKED MEDIA

- Right-wing ~*intellectual*~ Jordan Peterson ([link removed]) sputtering out utter nonsense like the guy in your high school History class who didn’t do the reading

It’s been almost four months since the Dobbs decision eliminated the federal right to abortion, and Dems remain laser-focused on related messaging as we head into midterms, but are still having some difficulty breaking through Republican noise.

* President Biden promised today that the first bill he sends to Congress in the new year will be one to codify Roe v. Wade ([link removed]) . To make that a reality, he noted, Democrats will need to hold on to the seats they have and gain a few more in the Senate (if it weren’t for Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, that shit would be law by now). Biden’s clarity is key, because elected Democrats have not nationalized the issue. Many voters (in ban states and hotly-contested states) know that abortion is on the ballot this November, but voters elsewhere haven’t been told a clear story about why their votes matter just as much. Biden’s promise is meant to connect those dots for them.

*
Speaking of abortion being on the ballot, an abortion-rights vote in Kentucky on November 8 will be a test of public support for the state’s strict abortion laws ([link removed]) , which took effect after the June Dobbs decision. If the amendment is defeated, it could pave the way for the Bluegrass State’s highest court to invalidate a ban on all abortions except in rare medical emergencies. Kentucky is one of five states with abortion-related measures on the ballot this election season, but it’s the only one to hold the vote while currently enforcing a near-total abortion ban. Abortion-rights activists are hoping Kentucky will go the way of Kansas, a deep-red state which decisively voted down an abortion-ban referendum.

* Relief can’t come soon enough. For instance, abortion providers in North Carolina asked a state trial court yesterday to block enforcement of a law ([link removed]) mandating that only doctors—not advanced practice clinicians like registered nurses—can prescribe pills to induce abortions. The profound consequences bans have on the medical community affects the next generation of doctors as well. Medical schools and residency programs in states where abortion is banned cannot train students and residents how to perform abortions, and there aren’t enough spaces available in states where abortion is legal to accommodate all those who need to be trained, leaving waves of would-be doctors with no other option than to go overseas ([link removed]) . So much for keeping American jobs at home!

We can’t take our eye off the ball when these bans have already harmed scores of real people.

* Extremist abortion bans have led to an emerging covert market for abortion pills ([link removed]) . The widespread availability of medication abortion makes this relatively easy, and much safer than the pre-Roe demand for back alley abortions, but still caries the risk of any self-administered medication in the absence of medical supervision. This is a community-driven network usually providing pills free of charge, distinct from services that sell pills to patients over the internet. While the internet and some social-media networks have in some cases allowed these covert efforts to continue, others have stymied such efforts. Big Tech platforms are blocking abortion-pill distribution information, and, according to experts, the dissemination of disinformation about reproductive healthcare is worse than before ([link removed]) the Dobbs decision.

* Back in August, a Missouri woman named Mylissa Farmer experienced extreme complications 17 weeks into her (wanted) pregnancy. Farmer’s doctors immediately recommended terminating the pregnancy, but Missouri had banned abortion the previous month. She was then forced to do what was once unthinkable: make a series of trips across three states while the fetus was dying inside of her. Abortion clinics in the surrounding states were overbooked, unsurprisingly. Doctors repeatedly told Farmer that her child was not viable and her own health was at risk, but that didn’t change her circumstance under the law. With almost no options left, she called her state senator, whose office connected her with Choices Medical Services, a crisis pregnancy center ([link removed]) dedicated to discouraging women from having abortions.

Democrats are in the unenviable position of having multiple major legislative priorities to convey to voters, but they owe it to their beleaguered base, and all citizens who would suffer if the GOP regains power in Washington, to do everything they can to win and make good on Biden’s promise.
[link removed]

Voting Rights are Under Attack

Elections matter. And the elections this November could affect the course of our country and our democracy for decades to come.


But, attacks on voting rights continue to escalate and, as has long been true, Black voters are the main target. We’re seeing everything from racially-motivated block-the-vote efforts to so-called “election integrity group” volunteers (many of them armed) confronting people in their home demanding that voters tell them how they voted in the last election.


The ACLU is doing everything in our power to protect free, fair, and robust elections. We’re acting swiftly and decisively to push back against voter suppression and expand voter participation. But, we need you with us.


Join the ACLU to help us fight to protect voting rights and expand voter participation ([link removed]) .


Threats to our democracy must be met with a vigorous defense of the right to vote and our other fundamental freedoms. That’s exactly where the ACLU’s resources are focused right now. We’re going all-in to:


✅ ([link removed]) Pursue legal challenges to sweeping voter suppression laws.


✅ ([link removed]) Engage in Secretary of State races and judicial elections in key states helping voters assess which candidates are likely to preserve, protect, and expand civil rights and civil liberties.


✅ ([link removed]) Ramp up our far-reaching mobilization efforts to encourage robust voter participation in the 2022 and 2024 elections and beyond.


Become an ACLU member today to stay up to date on the fight for free and fair elections. Join today ([link removed]) .

Thanks for the support,

The ACLU Team

A new report from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis concluded that Trump administration aides “usurped control of CDC communications and blocked public health officials from providing accurate information about the coronavirus to the American people.” Subcommittee members spoke to several senior officials at the CDC, including former Director Dr. Robert Redfield, who confirmed that Trump officials blocked the department from conveying information to Americans early on in the pandemic. They also spoke to senior officials at the Trump-era Department of Health and Human Services. In its 91 page report, the subcommittee makes the case that disgraced former president Donald Trump and his administration “installed political operatives who sought to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic.” Yep, that’s them! The committee also notes in its investigation that Trump administration HHS officials tried to influence the scientific reports on COVID-19 between May and September of
2020, editing the content or blocking the publication of at least 19(!!!) different reports that they believed could have been harmful to Trump. That feels like it should be, I don’t know, super illegal and everyone involved should be in big trouble. Just spitballing here.

A jury found Igor Danchenko, the private researcher who was a primary source for the 2016 Steele Dossier of allegations about disgraced former president Trump’s ties to Russia, not guilty of lying to the FBI about his sources ([link removed]) . Another tough break for Republican hack special counsel John Durham, who has now lost both cases that have gone to trial as part of his 3.5 year investigation.


The Biden administration announced today that it will release 15 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in December as a measure to drive down fuel prices ([link removed]) after OPEC announced last week that they would be cutting their collective output by 2 million barrels per day.


A new Quinnipiac poll shows Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) holds only a four-point lead over her (extremist!) Republican challenger ([link removed]) .


A major new study by the National Institutes of Health concluded that chemical hair-straightening products could put women at a higher risk of developing uterine cancer ([link removed]) , posing especially high risk for Black women.


After British police opened an investigation into the assault of a Hong Kong protester who was allegedly dragged into the Chinese Consulate in Manchester, UK, and beaten up, China’s Foreign Ministry said today that its diplomatic missions abroad have the right to “take necessary measures.” ([link removed]) Great explanation! No follow-up questions.


Industries across France went on strike today to push for higher pay to keep pace with rising inflation ([link removed]) , intensifying the ongoing clash between the French government and workers.


U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss has vowed to carry on amidst early setbacks in her administration like her disastrous economic plan, and some fellow Conservative Party members are already calling on her to resign ([link removed]) . Liz, I disagree with all of your politics and yet still have to say, as a woman, this is embarrassing.


Iran has promised to provide Russia with more missiles and drones according to Iranian officials and diplomats ([link removed]) , which will inevitably stoke tensions with the United States and other Western countries.


In a setback for organized labor, Amazon workers at a warehouse near Albany, NY, voted overwhelmingly against joining the Amazon Labor Union ([link removed]) . Unfortunately, sometimes that happens when the employer in question has bottomless resources for feeding workers disinformation.

A new Washington Post investigation revealed that since 2015, more than 500 retired U.S. military personnel (many of them admirals and generals!) have taken lucrative jobs working for foreign governments, disproportionately in countries known for human rights abuses ([link removed]) . USA! USA!

Airstrikes cut power and water to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians today, with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that nearly one-third of Ukrainian power stations have been destroyed by Russian missile and drone strikes in the past week, causing massive blackouts across the country ([link removed]) . Targeted attacks on energy sources are a clear attempt by Russia to hurt Ukrainian civilians as much as possible with winter just around the corner. Meanwhile, Russian troops still face major challenges in the southern region and city of Kherson, which Russia’s new commander Sergei Surovikin confirmed in an unusual admission. Across Ukraine, basic utilities are in jeopardy, if they are functioning at all. As the winter freeze sets in, Ukrainians who haven’t already fled from the fighting, regular shelling, and months of Russian occupation in Eastern Ukraine are desperately trying to find a
way to stay resilient in the face of inhumane conditions.
[link removed]
Quitting smoking and vaping is tough. Füm provides a natural way to kick smoking to the curb by combining a habit replacement for the action of smoking along with tasty, natural flavors.

Satisfy your hand-to-mouth cravings with Füm’s tobacco-free, non-electronic inhaler.

Füm’s making quitting smoking and vaping easier by providing a simple and enjoyable tool. Füm functions simply- a wooden inhaler (called a “Füm”) and Cores infused with natural plant extracts that are scientifically proven to decrease nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Using it is easy, take a Core and fray the end, then insert it into the Füm. Then you just inhale through the Füm and out of your nose whenever a craving hits. For many smokers and vapers looking to quit, the biggest hurdle is the habit. Daily rhythms have smoking integrated into them, leaving a blank space for big cravings to hit.

Replacing the action of smoking with something that is not harmful is often the key that quitters need to ditch smoking and vaping for good. Füm offers that habit replacement.When cravings hit, use your Füm. When you would normally take a smoke break, use your Füm instead. This approach, although simple, can break the cycle of smoking. Füm is Canadian-made and ships worldwide.

Whether you're a smoker or ex-smoker who still struggles with cravings, Füm is the perfect tool for you. Head to breathefum.com/PSA and use promo code PSA to save 10% off your entire order.

The Biden Administration announced the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind energy on the West Coast ([link removed]) .


More than 130,000 votes were cast on the first day of early voting in Georgia ([link removed]) , surpassing the 2018 record for the first day of early voting in a midterm election.

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) repeatedly dunked on JD Vance during last night’s televised Ohio Senate debate ([link removed]) .
[link removed]

============================================================
** (http://)
. . . . . .
** ([link removed])

© Crooked Media 2022. All Rights Reserved.
If you want to manage which emails you receive from Crooked Media, ** update your preferences here ([link removed])
. If you prefer to opt out of all Crooked Media communications, you may ** unsubscribe ([link removed])
.
** Share this newsletter ([link removed])

7162 Beverly Blvd #212, Los Angeles, CA, 90036
** Powered by Mailchimp ([link removed])
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Link ([link removed])