It Is Time To Re-investigate Justice Kavanaugh

I think this is the reason why Trump is always talking about politicizing the Justice Department is because he did it and thinks everyone does it to.

Women who accused Brett Kavanaugh were silenced again

An FBI investigation into the allegations against the Supreme Court justice was really a non-investigation.

The Washington Post

By Petula Dvorak

October 11, 2024

The report’s title is “Unworthy of Reliance.”

Which is the wonkiest, most Washington way of calling it baloney (or another b-word I’m not allowed to say).

It’s about Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing six years ago, and though it may feel like old news, it isn’t. Its conclusion is urgent and hugely important right now.

“We cannot leave this here,” said Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. “We cannot end with the idea that there was no investigation, they lied about it in real time, and we should all just move along.”

Released this week, the report is an inquiry into the inquiry that the FBI performed on then-Judge Kavanaugh as he was being confirmed for a spot on the Supreme Court and faced with women who had something to say about his past.

“Far from getting to the bottom of the allegations against Kavanaugh, the supplemental background investigation performed by the FBI raised additional questions about the thoroughness of the FBI’s review and whether its scope had been purposely curtailed,” the “Unworthy of Reliance” report said.

The Republican juggernaut steam rolled the investigation to make sure their guy was appointed to the bench. Trump wanted him on the bench and what Trump wants, Trump gets.

The Donald Trump administration said it would check out any other incidents that women reported, vowing that the FBI would have “free rein” to vet the claims.

“I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion,” Trump said back then.

Kavanaugh tips were forwarded directly to the White House and never checked out, this week’s report found.

[…]

“The FBI could have conducted an investigation that would have been seen as objective by both sides,” Feinstein said in a 2019 statement. “Unfortunately it’s now clear the FBI largely ignored these requests because the scope of its investigation was so constrained by the White House and Senate Republicans. It’s unfortunate the FBI wasn’t allowed to do its job.”

It is time to reopen the investigation. It is now past time to see if the allegations are true or not.

Whose Side Is He On?

You have to wonder they are so palsy-walsy friend that you have to wonder which side he is on. A new book raises that question.

Trump spoke with Putin multiple times since leaving office, Woodward book reports
The Trump campaign vehemently denied that the GOP nominee has been in touch with Russia’s president
Politico
By Andrew Howard
October 8, 2024

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin “maybe as many as seven” times since leaving office in 2021, journalist Bob Woodward reports in a forthcoming book obtained by CNN.

Woodward also writes that Trump, while in office, sent Putin Covid-19 testing machines for his private use during the height of the pandemic. The reporting, which the Trump campaign vehemently denied, quickly reignited allegations of an overly cozy relationship between the two leaders that Trump has for years worked to downplay and dismiss.

For me it is not so much the testing machines but the phone calls… what were they talking about? Of course Trump says it is all lies.

Biden saved especially harsh language for the Russian president and his ongoing war in Ukraine.

“That fucking Putin,” Biden told advisers in the Oval Office, according to the book. “Putin is evil. We are dealing with the epitome of evil.”

And Trump & Putin are gossiping like two school girls!

The Washington Post wrote,

Putin, petrified of the virus, accepted the supplies but took pains to prevent political fallout — not for him, but for his American counterpart. He cautioned Trump not to reveal that he had dispatched the scarce medical equipment to Moscow, according to a new book by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward.

Putin, according to the book, told Trump, “I don’t want you to tell anybody because people will get mad at you, not me.”

Four years later, the personal relationship between the two men appears to have persisted, Woodward reports, as Trump campaigns to return to the White House and Putin orchestrates his bloody assault on Ukraine. In early 2024, the former president ordered an aide away from his office at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida, so he could conduct a private phone call with the Russian leader, according to Woodward’s account.

Personally, I think Putin has something on Trump and I think that it goes back to the Miss Universe Pageant in Moscow. While there is no evidence there has been the subject of much speculation.

“Trump was the most reckless and impulsive president in American history and is demonstrating the very same character as a presidential candidate in 2024,” Woodward writes in the book, “War,” which is set to be released Oct. 15.

And this is the man who 50% of the voters love.

When Trump says he will end the war in Ukraine on the first day in office. My question is how? By throwing Ukraine to the wolves?

There is a question if talking to Putin was legal,
Susan Rice: Trump’s reported calls with Putin appear illegal
The Hill

By Ellen Mitchell

October 9, 2024

 

 

Former White House adviser and United Nations ambassador Susan Rice called out former President Trump over a report that he has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin at least seven times since leaving office, suggesting such calls would violate the Logan Act.

The law, which makes it illegal for American citizens to negotiate with foreign governments in dispute with the United States without prior approval, was introduced in 1799 and is meant to prevent unauthorized diplomacy from undermining the current administration’s position

Par for course for Trump.

Vote for Harris/Walz and vote “Yes” on the ballot question in Connecticut on mail-in voting… don’t buy into the Republican “Big Lie” about election fraud.

On The Chopping Block

Our human rights and healthcare are going to be heard by the Supreme Court this session…

Porn sites. Ghost guns. Transgender rights. The Supreme Court gets back to work
USA Today
By Maureen Groppe
October 6, 2024

The Supreme Court returns Monday to tackle a slew of politically charged issues: gun regulation, gender-affirming care for minors and whether adults can be required to provide IDs to access pornographic websites.

But the justices may also be pulled more directly into politics through election-related challenges both before and after the Nov. 5 election.

Democrats and Republicans have filed dozens of suits across the country over voting rules and other election matters that could be litigated all the way up to the high court − especially if the presidential contest is close.

"I think there are legal issues that arise out of the political process,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told CBS in September when asked if she’s ready for the election to come before the court. “So, the Supreme Court has to be prepared to respond if that should be necessary."

Our rights should never be put to a legal test!

Can states ban gender-affirming care for minors?

Many states – about half – have also tried to ban a range of gender-affirming care for minors.

The court will hear the Biden administration’s challenge to Tennessee's ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

The administration − as well as the ACLU, which represents families challenging the ban – argues the law discriminates on the basis of sex. A teenager whose sex assigned at birth is male may be prescribed testosterone, they say, but a teenager assigned female at birth may not.

Tennessee declares that the state has an “interest in encouraging minors to appreciate their sex” and in prohibiting treatments “that might encourage minors to become disdainful of their sex.”

The district court ruled against the state, but the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Court of Appeals said the law does not discriminate.

Government should not step between me and my doctor!

NPR wrote…

"This is obviously the blockbuster case of the term," says Deepak Gupta, a Supreme Court practitioner and lecturer at the Harvard law school litigation clinic. “It's a case of enormous significance” and "presents fundamental questions about the scope of state power to regulate medical care for minors, and the rights of parents to make medical decisions for your children." Interestingly, Gupta notes that these questions are ones "which you may think of in a different context as conservative values."

It is so hypocritical of the Republicans: in banning books… “parental rights”, in what can be taught in the class room… “parental rights”, in vaccines… “parental rights”, in transgender healthcare… “Oh the government knows best!” How teo faced is that!

My body, my choice!
My body, my choice!
My body, my choice!

Vote a solid Blue! Vote “Yes” on the Connecticut Ballot question!

Cuckoo Award

Whew! Another Cuckoo Award goes to Trump! The Independent writes that Trump was dancing to YMCA… is that anyway to mark the year anniversary of the attack on Israeli. The Independent writes about

The Trump campaign has been slammed for inappropriately blasting the YMCA at the end of an October 7 memorial event while the former president made his signature dance move.

Donald Trump joined members of the Jewish community on Monday night at his Doral Golf Club in Florida, for what his campaign billed as a “remembrance event” to honor those who were murdered and taken hostage by Hamas militants in the horror attack on Israel one year ago.

After the Republican finished speaking, the Village People’s YMCA – a Trump campaign favorite – began to play while he was still on the stage.

[…]

“First time I ever heard YMCA played at a memorial service,” one person wrote in response on X.

“I didn’t know this was a celebration,” another wrote. “The families of the hostages and the people that lost their lives have to be horrified.”

Does Trump and his MAGA cult know that this is a gay group that he is dancing to?


I always have dug those boots!

 

 

They Shot Themselves In The Foot

This wasn't unforeseen, but the Republicans either with blinders on or just didn't care because they are men, now are seen the results of their ban on abortions.

Texas’ abortion laws are straining the OB/GYN workforce, new study shows

More doctors are considering leaving or retiring early, while fewer medical students are applying to obstetrics and gynecology residencies in Texas.

Texas Tribune

By Eleanor Klibanoff

October 8, 2024

Texas’ new abortion laws are stressing the state’s already beleaguered OB/GYN workforce, and threatening the pipeline of new doctors that would help provide relief, a new survey shows.

More than 70% of practicing OB/GYNs in Texas feel the near-total ban has negatively impacted their work, prohibiting them from providing high quality, evidence-based care for their patients, according to survey results released Tuesday.

One in five have considered leaving Texas, and 13% are planning to retire early as a result of the new restrictions. Meanwhile, a majority of OB/GYN medical residents say they’re considering the new abortion laws when deciding whether to stay in Texas after their training concludes.

[...]

Dr. Todd Ivey, a Houston OB/GYN and an officer with the Texas division of ACOG, said the survey results raise concerns about the long-term impacts of these laws. The state is expecting a significant shortage of OB/GYNs over the next decade, with some rural areas already unable to find the doctors they need.

What medical student would  consider getting half an education. Everyone knew this would happen but there either didn't care or that was one of their goals, prevent medial student from learning about abortions.

But Texas may be “undermining its own investment,” said Dr. Atul Grover, executive director of the Association of American Medical College’s Research and Action Institute. States that banned abortion saw a 16% drop in applications to OB/GYN residency programs this year, even as the number of applicants ticked up nationally, AAMC found.

There were other changes to the residency application process that muddies the data a bit, but the overall trend is clear, Grover said — medical students hoping to study OB/GYN are shying away from states that have banned abortion.

They shot themselves in the foot!

The Center for Reproductive Health writes...

As College Decision Day Nears, Students Should Consider States’ Abortion Access

With half the U.S. states banning or severely restricting abortion, millions of young people will be headed to colleges in states without access.

April 4, 2024

While students consider a number of factors when deciding on what college to attend—such as affordability, academics and campus life—one concern is of growing importance: access to reproductive health care.  

In the two years since the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, abortion is now banned or severely restricted in half the U.S. states. In the post-Roe landscape, that means millions of young people will be heading to colleges in states with far fewer options to manage unintended pregnancies.  

May 1 is “National College Decision Day”—when college applicants traditionally must commit to their school of choice.  With recent studies showing students are concerned about access to reproductive health care, students should be aware of state abortion laws before they make their final college decision. 

[...]

“The college decision process has always been complex and emotional. . . And now, for the first time in two generations, young women are making these decisions in a world where access to reproductive health care is not guaranteed,” reports Women’s Health.

According to the Lumina Foundation-Gallup 2024 State of Higher Education Study of currently enrolled and prospective college students, most said that states’ reproductive health care policies are important in their enrollment decisions:

• 71% say state reproductive healthcare policies impact college choice. 
• 80% of all current/prospective students prefer states with greater access. 
• 86% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans prefer states with greater access

An article by NBC News reports,

Young students deciding on colleges weigh state politics in their decisions

Nearly three-quarters of unenrolled young adults told Gallup this year that reproductive health laws are a factor in their decisions about where to go to college.

By Savannah Sellers and Bianca Seward

January 22, 2024

This spring, high school seniors across the country will weigh school rankings, academic specialties and campus life as they decide where to commit to the next chapter of their life. For some, there will be another factor to consider: state politics.

[...]

“I’m not comfortable with being in a state that doesn’t value who I am or value my rights as a person,” she said — a requirement that caught her mother, Andrea, off guard. (They’ve asked us not to print their names out of fear this story could impact Grace’s college admissions chances.) Andrea says she leans against abortion personally.

“I was pretty mad about it, because I felt like she’s so young,” Andrea said. “Why is this a consideration? This is for older women or older girls, not a high school girl, to really think about.”

The conversation is part of a growing trend. A Gallup survey conducted in 2022, after the Dobbs ruling, showed 73% of unenrolled young adults say reproductive health laws are a factor in their decision on where to enroll in college.

Of the 105 Republicans in the Texas legislature 14 are women... that says a lot!

It is not just abortion right that are making students stop and think but also...

Abortion access isn’t the only legislative concern on the minds of students. Gun laws and LGBTQ+ rights are also top concerns. And in an Art & Science Group poll taken last spring, a quarter of high school students across the political spectrum ruled out institutions solely due to the political policies in a state.

When Aly Phillips sat down to design their list of dream schools, they were initially concerned with course options, dorm life and meal plans. Quickly, they started to factor in state politics when imagining themselves on campus.

“Immediately I had to say no to Belmont [in Tennessee] and a school in Miami,” Phillips decided, “because I’m not safe there.”

Phillips identifies as nonbinary and part of the LGBTQ+ community and is concerned that the laws could change quickly in a conservative state. “I don’t know how far people will push things, and if I’m there when they push things too far, I don’t want to not be able to get out,” Phillips said.

Then there is another side effect that sadly is no surprise.

Analysis Suggests 2021 Texas Abortion Ban Resulted in Increase in Infant Deaths in State in Year After Law Went into Effect

Researchers use statistical modeling to estimate infant deaths expected if one of the country’s most stringent state abortion laws had not been enacted.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

June 24. 2024

A study led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers estimates that infant deaths in Texas increased more than expected in the year following the state’s 2021 ban on abortion in early pregnancy, especially among infants with congenital anomalies. 

The Texas law prohibiting abortions after a fetal heartbeat could be detected—as early as five or six weeks—went into effect September 1, 2021. At the time, the law—Senate Bill 8, or S.B. 8—was the most stringent state abortion law in the country. It did not allow exemptions for congenital anomalies. 

The researchers’ analysis of monthly death certificate data in Texas and the rest of the United States found that between 2021 and 2022, infant deaths in Texas rose from 1,985 to 2,240, a year-over-year increase of 255 deaths. This corresponds to a 12.9 percent increase in infant deaths in Texas versus a 1.8 percent increase in infant deaths in the rest of the U.S. during the same period. The study defines infants as under 12 months old.

And it is not just in Texas but in other anti-abortion states,

The findings come as more U.S. states enact stricter abortion laws following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, the landmark ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and returned abortion policymaking to the states.

We all known this was going to happen, but in their zest ban abortion they were so focused on playing to their base that they ignored the side effects.

My body, my choice!

My body, my choice!

My body, my choice!

Vote Blue, vote Harris and Walz for sanity and control of our bodies. Vote "Yes" on Connecticut ballot question on mail-in ballots... Don't give in to the Republican "Big Lie" on voter fraud.

Away For The Indigenous Peoples' Day Weekend!

 I will be up in Maine this weekend for my birthday at my brother's and sister-in-law condo. So my post will be spotty... reposts, canned posts and occasional news analysis posts.

I usually make a meal for them while I'm there and I was thinking about something with scallops and a cream sauce over some type of rice. 

This will probably my last trip to Maine as they are moving down to New Jersey to be with their daughter. 

Cuckoo Award

This Cuckoo Award goes to a former Republican presidential candidate and his comment is male privilege.

The British Independent reports that Sen. John Kennedy said...

A Republican Senator from Louisiana ranted about Kamala Harris’s recent Call Her Daddypodcast appearance and in doing so insinuated that tampons are a luxury, and are not needed by Hurricane Helene victims.

Senator John Kennedy voiced his opinion on the necessity of women’s sanitary products during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show on Monday. He was responding to Harris’s appearance on Alex Cooper’s mega-popular podcast over the weekend.

This well deserved Cuckoo Award goes to the misogynistic Republican Senator and former Republican presidential candidate John Kennedy.