Conservative majority in Supreme Court abortion hearing casts skeptical eye on pro-choice precedent
Justices in the Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Wednesday raised substantial doubts about the jurisprudence behind the 1973 case establishing abortion rights in the United States, Roe v. Wade , during arguments over a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks gestation.
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, combined with arguments on Nov. 1 over a Texas anti-abortion law , represents the most direct challenge in decades to Roe, which made abortion a national right rather than letting states decide the issue. The rulings, which will be issued by June 2022, have the potential to sway politics substantially, with the underlying issue a motivating one at the ballot box for opponents of abortion and supporters of abortion rights.
Boris Johnson under fire over No 10 lockdown Christmas parties
Boris Johnson says no Covid rules were broken after reports Christmas parties were held in Downing Street at the height of last year’s lockdown.
The BBC has spoken to a source who attended a Downing Street gathering on 18 December, as first reported in the Mirror newspaper.
They said “several dozen” people were at the event, where party games were played and food and drink served.
The PM did not deny parties were held but said “all guidance was followed”.
The source at the 18 December gathering said it had gone on past midnight, and that the “mood was down”, with concern building about the new Kent variant of coronavirus.
…London was placed under Tier 3 lockdown restrictions on 14 December last year, after which time people were not allowed to mix indoors with anyone outside their household or support bubble.
How Boris Johnson’s spokespeople answered questions today about whether the Prime Minister broke Covid rules by having parties in Downing Street during lockdown. pic.twitter.com/5nknYjs5hO
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) December 1, 2021
John Ivison: Trudeau Liberals attempt another end run around accountability
Erin O’Toole made light of Justin Trudeau’s description of the 2021 general election as a “pivotal, consequential moment for Canada” in his reply to last week’s Throne Speech.
“It was so pivotal that Justin Trudeau took his sweet time to bring the House of Commons back to be accountable to Canadians; so pivotal that three months later he has still not put in place the structure of government…
Is PETA Selling Goods Made of Human Skin? Twitterati Bash ‘Tone Deaf’ Satirical Campaign
People For Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) received flak for its unconventional method of protesting against goods made from animal skin. Taking a dig at ‘Urban Outfitters,’ PETA launched its satirical shop, ‘Urban Outraged’ selling goods supposedly made from human skin. Netizens bashed the organization for being tone-deaf towards human rights atrocities.
The Moral Imperative to End China’s Regime
“We do business in 100 countries,” said Jamie Dimon to Fox News Channel’s Maria Bartiromo in early August. “And we do, we do it under the laws of those lands and under the law of America as they apply.”
“Foreign policy is set by the American government, not set by JPMorgan,” Dimon, the chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, argued.
Dimon is correct. The U.S. government does not prohibit banks or other companies from doing business in China.
Yet doing business in China strengthens a horrific regime, so the issue is not about legality, as Dimon suggests. It is about morality.
Could Omicron Break the Pandemic Mindset?
The wind is in from Africa. Last night I couldn’t sleep. Because a new coronavirus has arrived. It has been named Omicron. The arrival of a new mutation of the novel coronavirus should not come as a surprise to anyone who has at least a sixth grade understanding of viruses. The virus is mutating, as viruses have done since the beginning of time.
So what to do? First, expect dire predictions. Airports will be closed to traffic from some parts of the world. There will be calls for schools to close, businesses to shut down, government restrictions of every kind to be imposed. The most frightened among us will get the most attention from our political leaders. The sensible doctors will stay silent, while their more vocal colleagues will predict that the hospital system will collapse, and demand more government restrictions on our freedom. Meanwhile, public health officials will exhort every segment of the population to get vaccinations, “boosters”, and more “boosters”. Not only should children get vaccinations – in spite of the fact that this is scientifically questionable – but babies should be vaccinated. Maybe even in utero. Meanwhile, everyone should mask, double mask, and do this indefinitely.
Elizabeth Holmes gets emotional under fire by prosecutors
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — One-time entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, under questioning by prosecutors, struggled Tuesday to recall key events that led to her facing criminal fraud charges for allegedly fleecing investors and customers of her failed blood-testing startup Theranos.
Her cross-examination began the day after she shared painfully vivid memories of alleged abuse by her ex-lover and business partner, Sunny Balwani.
In between bouts of hazy recollection, Holmes wept on the witness stand after the federal prosecutor interrogating her asked to read aloud some of the amorous texts that she and Balwani exchanged during a five-year period while they were running Theranos and living together in a stealth romantic relationship.
A great con while it lasted. They trusted the science.
NORAD commander warns Canadian officials about the threat posed by hypersonic missiles
NORAD commander Gen. Glen VanHerck warned top Canadian government and military leaders Tuesday about the threat hypersonic missile technology poses to North American security, saying it’s making it “very challenging” for him to carry out his mission.
Visiting Canada for the first time since taking command of the continental defence organization last year, VanHerck gave officials in Ottawa what he called a “candid” risk assessment — one day after Russia said it had successfully tested another of its hypersonic cruise missiles.
But how will this impact the Transgender community?
What to expect from the Ghislaine Maxwell trial
One of the highest-profile human trafficking cases ever charged in the United States is underway in federal court in New York. Ghislaine Maxwell, an Oxford graduate and the youngest child of the late media mogul Robert Maxwell, stands accused of six counts of human trafficking and two counts of perjury. Her alleged co-conspirator Jeffrey Epstein died in his jail cell after committing suicide in 2019 following his arrest by the FBI.
Human trafficking is a $150 billion illegal global enterprise, second only to drug trafficking. Though the law has long outlawed sexual slavery, the George W. Bush administration began a vigorous attack on the systemic roots of human trafficking, newly empowered by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.
Ghislaine Maxwell accuser returns to witness stand for cross-examination
The first accuser in Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex trafficking trial has returned to the witness stand on Wednesday morning at Manhattan federal court.
This accuser, who used the pseudonym “Jane” in court, alleged that Maxwell drew her into Jeffrey Epstein’s predatory orbit when she was 14 years old.
What’s Behind The Massive Spike In Violence Inside Public Schools Nationwide
This is a dangerous cocktail: missed socialization from lockdowns, falling suspension rates, demonizing police, praising looters, and encouraging activism.
Ask any public high school student: violent in-school fights are on the rise and discipline is on the decline. Just consider one public high school: Madison East in Madison, Wisconsin.
In late September, local media reported a series of “disturbing” cell phone videos depicting vicious fights and beatings occurring in class and on school grounds over the course of several days. Then, several hundred students walked out of school twice in one week protesting the school’s sexual harassment policies.
The Myth of White Supremacy Is Getting People Killed, But the Media Isn’t Telling You About It
Thank you know, the thing God we have jackpuddings like Joy Reid of MSNBC and lickspittle Don Lemon to remind us that our nation is brimming with white supremacy; otherwise, we wouldn’t know. I personally can’t see any. What I have seen are well over 400 fake hate crimes. No racism? No problem! Fake it ’til you make it.
Alec Baldwin Exonerates Himself – Blames Self Firing Bullet For Rust Shooting
‘I DIDN’T PULL THE TRIGGER’: Alec Baldwin gives first in-studio interview following shooting
LOS ANGELES — Alec Baldwin says in an upcoming TV interview that he did not pull the trigger of the gun that fired a live bullet and killed a cinematographer on the set of the movie “Rust,” according to an excerpt released on Wednesday.
Chicago Detective: Jussie Smollett Scheduled Meeting ‘On the Low,‘ Paid for Supplies, Held ‘Dry Run‘ Before ‘Attack‘
CHICAGO (AP) — Two brothers arrested for an alleged attack on Jussie Smollett recounted for Chicago police how the ex-“Empire” actor orchestrated the hoax, telling them via text message to meet him “on the low,” paying for supplies and holding a “dry run” in downtown Chicago, the lead investigator testified Tuesday.
Robert Lyman: The latest new thing: a woke auditor-general’s office
In his fifth report for 2021, issued last week, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development reported to Parliament on “Lessons Learned from Canada’s Record on Climate Change.” That’s not unusual. The commissioner has already moved on to his seventh report. But his fifth marked a sharp departure from his mandate and that of the Office of the Auditor General (AG) of Canada, of which his office is a part.