3/29/23 - Newsletter
3/29/23 - Newsletter
Republicans in the Kentucky state House and Senate voted to override Democratic Governor Andy Beshear's veto of SB 150. The bill, now law, would require doctors to "detransition minors in their care if they're using any of the restricted treatment options." It also prohibits discussions on "sexual orientation or gender identity" for all school grades. This is the most extreme anti-LBGTQ bill passed in the country.
Americans are over Trump and American values
A new NPR/Marist poll shows that 61% of Republicans don't want Trump to serve another term. 56% of Americans say the hush-money scandal probe is fair. Notably, the former president is still losing support among White evangelical Christians.
Support for values that once defined America: religion, patriotism, community involvement, and having children have declined, a Wall Street Journal-NORC poll found. Younger Americans are less interested in having families than their older counterparts. 38% of respondents said patriotism is essential to them, compared to 70% in the same poll in 1998.
GOP Senator Rand Paul: “If you don’t like TikTok or Facebook or YouTube, don’t use them. But don’t think any interpretation of the Constitution gives you the right to ban them.”
Yes, bipartisan momentum grew after lawmakers from both parties embarrassed themselves by grilling TikTok CEO Shou Chew before Congress last Thursday over "national security concerns." Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) rallied against the ban on TikTok, telling users why banning the social media platform, widely used by younger generations, would establish a terrible precedent.
Now, the congresswoman also has the support of Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who published an op-ed with Kentucky's Courier-Journal today expressing constitutional concerns and opposing such a ban. The senator also said banning the app would be a national disaster for the GOP, alienating young voters. Other Democrats also oppose the ban.
“The banning TikTok strategy also comes while the GOP simultaneously complains of liberal U.S. social media companies canceling and censoring conservatives. So, without a hint of irony, many of these same “conservatives” now agitate to ban a platform owned by an international group that includes several American investors.” - Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
The U.S. government has always had a strategy for coercing entities until they cave during these congressional hearings. In this matter, ByteDance, the Chinese internet technology company, must "sell its stake in the American version" of TikTok. Former president Donald Trump also attempted to ban the app but failed in court. TikTok will never be banned.
IDAHO GOP wants to restrict interstate travel for minors seeking abortions
Republicans in the state legislature of Idaho passed a bill that would punish anyone who assists a minor in receiving reproductive healthcare outside the state. The bill’s text defines "abortion trafficking" as "an adult who, with the intent to conceal an abortion from the parents or guardian of a pregnant" minor and provides abortion pills. If House Bill 242 is signed into law, anyone, including family members, who take a minor out of the state to seek an abortion, without the consent of a legal guardian faces up to two to five years in prison.
Republican state Rep. Barbara Ehardt (Idaho Falls) and sponsor of HB 242 defended the measure as a way to give parents more authority over their kids. However, parental consent laws exist in 36 states. Idaho state Rep. Lauren Necochea (D), an opponent of the bill, made realistic points on why some kids under 17 might not feel safe telling their parents "they need abortion care." "It could be an abusive family situation. It could be any number of circumstances that make it feel unsafe for a 17-year-old to go to her parents, but maybe she has a big sister who can help her out," Rep. Necochea added.
This 2022 Meidas Touch ad is a reminder of what America is up against. Spare me with the hyperbolic nonsense.
Last year, Rep. Brent Crane (R-ID) said he would welcome exploring legislation (at the 5:12 min mark) to ban abortion pills, IUDs, and Plan B over unfounded "health concerns." By the way, abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol, approved by the FDA 20 years ago, are safer than Tylenol.
Former DeSantis staffer: “He would sit in meetings and eat in front of people, always like a starving animal who has never eaten before… getting shit everywhere.”
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) eats "like a starving animal" at meetings and enjoys eating chocolate pudding with "three of his fingers," former staffers and people who were present told The Daily Beast.
GOP political operatives acknowledge many vulnerabilities for the potential 2024 Republican candidate, such as "basic social skills," according to a source close to DeSantis and several former staffers who have worked with him and his team. The governor's inability to interact with attendees and his favorite practice of prohibiting media outlets when singing controversial legislation into law "worries hosts of primary campaign stops." Read More.
Christie on Trump: “I can’t help him. No way.”
Former New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie might challenge the former president for the GOP nomination in 2024. He went all anti-Trump over the weekend during a town hall in New Hampshire. Christie has no official campaign, so launching a longshot presidential candidate bid could help the Republican Party end up with a feasible candidate next year. At least, that's his ultimate goal.
Attendees asked the former Trump ally for clarification on why he was taking a sudden sharp turn. "When you have the January 6 choir at a rally and you show video of it — I just don't think that person is appropriate for the presidency," Chris said, referring to the single "Justice For All" sung by prisoners convicted for the January 6 Capitol insurrection praising the attack.
It was too much even for Fox News:
