Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author:

Former Justice Breyer throws cold water on theory Dobbs leak came from a justice: ‘I’d be amazed’

Former Justice Breyer throws cold water on theory Dobbs leak came from a justice: ‘I’d be amazed’

Retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said he’d be “amazed” if a fellow justice leaked the court’s draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, which effectively ended the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion.  “Do you have a sense of what the motive of the leaker was?” NBC’s Kristen Welker asked Breyer in an interview aired Sunday on “Meet the Press.”  Breyer shied away from answering directly, saying he does have theories, but that he was not willing to discuss them at length. Breyer, who retired in 2022, did say who he thought did not leak the draft opinion.  “I’d be amazed if it was a judge,” he said.  Breyer’s comments came amid an interview on his new book, “Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism,” which is critical of conservative justices for their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.  FORMER SCOTUS JUSTICE STEPHEN BREYER CALLS DOBBS RULING LEAK ‘UNFORTUNATE’ IN NEW INTERVIEW The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in June 2022 to uphold a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The decision came just weeks after an unprecedented draft leak published by Politico showed Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion outlining the decision to effectively end the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion.  Following the leak, churches and pro-life groups saw violent and destructive attacks, including a pro-life center in New York getting “firebombed” by protesters, menacing graffiti on church properties across the nation, and a letter from a radical abortion group called “Jane’s Revenge” declaring “open season” on pro-lifers. Conservative justices also saw repeated protests outside their homes in response to the leak and ultimate decision.  KAMALA HARRIS TORN APART BY PRO-LIFERS FOR HISTORIC TRIP TO ABORTION CLINIC: ‘NORMALIZATION OF EVIL’ In previously aired portions of the interview, Breyer had described the leak as “unfortunate.”  “It’s unfortunate,” he said, with Welker following up and asking, “Were you angry?” “You try to avoid getting angry or that – you try in the job – you try to remain as calm, reasonable and serious as possible,” he said. MORE THAN 100 PRO-LIFE ORGS, CHURCHES ATTACKED SINCE DOBBS LEAK “I think it was unfortunate,” he repeated. Supreme Court justices, as Breyer noted in his interview, are extremely careful about publicly speaking on issues that could land before them in court. Breyer appeared to continue with this tradition in his retirement, choosing his words carefully as Welker peppered him with questions on the leak and landmark decision.  Breyer joined Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor in writing the dissent to the decision, and said in the interview he did not believe Roe should have been overturned.  Welker continued asking if Breyer was hopeful the justices could reach a compromise regarding allowing abortion at 15 weeks ahead of the decision.  “Did you think that a compromise was possible before the leak around 15 weeks?” Welker asked.  “I usually hope for compromise,” Breyer responded.  MSNBC SEGMENT POINTS THE FINGER AT ONE CONSERVATIVE JUSTICE FOR LEAKING THE DOBBS DECISION “So you were hopeful there could be a compromise?” she continued.  “You want to put words in my mouth,” Breyer responded lightheartedly. “I’m careful what I say on this. Because I say our interests are different. I don’t want to make news. I’ve written what I thought. If you think there’s news in here or in the dissent, go right ahead. But, I don’t want to say something in addition.” Breyer added that he “always” thinks compromise is possible.  The retired justice also shied away from answering whether he was “surprised” an internal investigation into the leak did not identify a person as responsible.  “You want to ask that question to somebody who knows something about it. Ask the people who do internal investigations like that. They’re the people to ask and that they occur all over the government,” he responded, adding that he was simply “disappointed, I was sorry about the leak.” DEMOCRAT DOWNPLAYS ATTACKS ON CHURCHES AFTER DOBBS ABORTION DECISION: WHAT IS THE ‘RELEVANCE?’ When asked if he foresees the Dobbs case one day being overturned, Breyer said, “It’s possible.” “Don’t know… It’s possible,” he said. “But who knows?” Breyer was nominated to the nation’s highest court by President Bill Clinton to fill former Justice Harry Blackmun’s seat in 1994. Blackmun wrote the court’s opinion on Roe v. Wade in 1973.  Breyer resigned in 2022, with President Biden nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson as the successor. She was confirmed the same year.  Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays contributed to this report. 

AOC doubles down on claims Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ with ‘mass famine’ in Gaza: ‘Crossed the threshold’

AOC doubles down on claims Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ with ‘mass famine’ in Gaza: ‘Crossed the threshold’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., doubled down Sunday on claiming Israel is carrying out “genocide” in Gaza and implementing a “forced famine” by blocking humanitarian aid to Palestinians.  Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Ocasio-Cortez defended her speech on the House floor on Friday in which the progressive “Squad” member called on President Biden to stop U.S. military aid to Israel.  “If you want to see what an unfolding genocide looks like, open your eyes. It looks like the forced famine of 1.1 million innocents,” she told the House floor. “We must write our story in this moment of what it means and who we are as Americans. And our story must be not that we were good men who did nothing.”  CNN’s Jake Tapper challenged that “genocide” is a word that has “serious and specific connotations and allegations,” that is defined by “the intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, race or religious group.” He asked the congresswoman coined AOC whether she believed that the Israeli government or the Israeli military “are actively trying, or actively intend to destroy the Palestinian people – and not that what’s happening if horrible, but it’s happening because Israel’s going after the terrorists of Hamas who attacked them on October 7, and Hamas imbeds within the civilian population.”  PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS ACCOST AOC OUTSIDE MOVIE THEATER, DEMAND SHE CALL ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR A ‘GENOCIDE’ “This word is extremely serious, that’s taken with extraordinary gravity. And to me, the threshold of intent is a high one, it is a serious one, and is not one that is made lightly,” Ocasio-Cortez responded. “However, when we look at the precipice of what is happening with a forced famine of 1.1 million Gazans, where multiple governments, NGOs and even officials within the United States State Department have stated themselves plainly that the Israeli government and leaders within the Israeli government are intentionally denying, blocking and slow-walking this aid – and are precipitating a mass famine – I believe we have crossed the threshold of intent. It is horrific,” she said.  The congresswoman added that there is a “difference between a people and their governments,” including Israelis from Israeli government and Palestinians from Hamas. “But what we’re seeing here with a forced famine is, I believe, beyond our ability to deny or explain away. There is no targeting of Hamas in precipitating a mass famine of one million people, half of whom are children,” she said. UN FINALLY RECOGNIZES THAT ISRAELI WOMEN WERE RAPED, SEXUALLY ATTACKED BY HAMAS TERRORISTS  Tapper noted how Israeli officials say they are allowing hundreds of aid trucks into Gaza per day, which they need to inspect to ensure that the shipments do not include weapons, and claim the war could stop “tomorrow” if Hamas were to release the hostages and put down their weapons. Tapper asked whether AOC disagreed.  “I do disagree, because when we are talking about famine, the actions of Hamas should not be tied to whether a three-year-old can eat. The actions of Hamas do not justify forcing thousands, hundreds of thousands of people to eat grass as their bodies consume themselves,” she said. “And the Israeli government has a right to go after Hamas, but we are talking about a population of millions of innocent Palestinians. We are talking about collective punishment, which is unjustifiable, and the excuses that the Israeli government is giving about what they are and are not allowing simply do not square with what the U.K. government has stated, with what international aid organizations are stating and even what our own State Department officials are stating, which is that they are not allowing aid to go through.”  “To operate as allies,” AOC said that the U.S. “must operate in good faith to uphold the principles of democracy, which includes respect for human rights and also proving the value of our democracy, which is that we are different than authoritarian, and we are different from other types of regimes with no regard for innocent people.”  

Harris suggests ‘consequences’ are on the table for Israel if Netanyahu invades Rafah

Harris suggests ‘consequences’ are on the table for Israel if Netanyahu invades Rafah

Vice President Kamala Harris declined to rule out “consequences” for Israel if it moves forward with an invasion of Rafah in Gaza on Sunday. Harris made the statement in an interview with ABC News, saying such a move by Netanyahu’s government would be a “huge mistake.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said an invasion is imminent, arguing it is necessary to fully root out Hamas. “Netanyahu appears to be just flat out ignoring President Biden’s warning about an offensive in Rafah. Is that a red line for your administration?” ABC’s Rachel Scott asked. “We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake,” Harris told the outlet when asked about potential consequences. “Let me tell you something: I have studied the maps. There’s nowhere for those folks to go.” NETANYAHU VOWS TO INVADE RAFAH REGARDLESS OF POTENTIAL CEASE-FIRE WITH HAMAS: ‘IT WILL HAPPEN’ “A mistake, but would there be consequences if [Netanyahu] does move forward?” Scott pressed. “We’re going to take it one step at a time, but we’ve been very clear in terms of our perspective on whether or not [an invasion] should happen,” Harris responded. “Are you ruling out that there would be consequences from the United States?” Scott pressed again. “I am ruling out nothing,” Harris said. The exchange comes days after Netanyahu vowed Israel would move forward with an invasion with or without U.S. support on Friday. Netanyahu nevertheless agreed to send a high-level delegation to meet with White House officials this week to determine whether a compromise can be made. ISRAELI STRIKES IN RAFAH LEAVES 31 PALESTINIANS DEAD AHEAD OF PLANNED GROUND INVASION Israel says Rafah is the last remaining stronghold of Hamas and the terrorist group’s forces there must be defeated for Israel to meet its war objectives. Israel vowed to destroy Hamas following the group’s Oct. 7 attack, which killed some 1,200 people, took 250 others hostage and triggered the fierce Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza. Rafah now serves as shelter to roughly 1 million Palestinians displaced by the Gaza war, however. The Biden administration has insisted that any plan for an invasion must include clear and robust protections for civilians, and they have yet to be satisfied with Israel’s precautions. SENATE PASSES MAMMOTH $1.2T SPENDING PACKAGE AFTER BRIEF PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Netanyahu said he told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel is working on ways to evacuate civilians from combat zones and to address the humanitarian needs of Gaza. Nevertheless, he said an invasion of Rafah is imminent. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I also said that we have no way to defeat Hamas without entering Rafah,” Netanyahu said. “I told him that I hoped we would do this with U.S. support, but, if necessary, we will do it alone.” The Associated Press contributed to this report

Rubio warns ISIS-K could exploit US southern border following deadly Moscow attack

Rubio warns ISIS-K could exploit US southern border following deadly Moscow attack

As the U.S. southern border becomes an increasing issue for voters, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on Sunday warned that ISIS-K terrorists could try to exploit the border to launch an attack on Americans like the deadly attack that the group has claimed to have carried out in Moscow on Friday. Rubio, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” that Americans “should be very concerned” about the potential threat of ISIS-K after FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed to him that the terror group has its own human trafficking network. “I think common sense tells you, if they run a trafficking network of people, that would most certainly use it to move operatives into the United States,” Rubio said. “So I’m not claiming there’s an imminent threat to the U.S., but I am saying that border situation and the existence of that network is a threat to the United States.” “If they could do what they did in Moscow, in the United States, they would do it in a heartbeat,” Rubio added. “They want to do it.” WAHT IS ISSI-K, THE TERRORIST GROUP TIED TO MOSCOW CONCERT HALL ATTACK AND 2021 ABBEY GATE BOMBING? More than 130 people were killed and at least 154 others were injured at a concert hall in suburban Moscow on Friday. Russian authorities said they have apprehended 11 suspects in connection with the attack. The Islamic State group, aka ISIS, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in a statement on its affiliated social media channels. The intelligence community said it believes the ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan called Islamic State Khorasan, or “ISIS-K” as it is known, carried out the attack, a U.S. official told Fox News. DEATH TOLL RISES TO 133 IN MOSCOW TERROR ATTACK, 11 SUSPECTS ARRESTED ISIS-K is the same terrorist group that killed 13 American service members at Abbey Gate during the hasty U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.  Rubio said that since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the terror group can now operate openly despite opposition from the Taliban, which he says doesn’t “have the capability” to take them on. Rubio also says that ISIS-K’s aspirations go beyond infiltrating Iran and Russia. “They would love to do what they did in Moscow, here inside the United States,” the senator said. “And it’s something we have to be very vigilant about when we have a border in which 9 million people have come across in the last three years.”

Kamala Harris rejects Putin linking Moscow concert attack to Ukraine, says ISIS ‘by all accounts responsible’

Kamala Harris rejects Putin linking Moscow concert attack to Ukraine, says ISIS ‘by all accounts responsible’

Vice President Kamala Harris has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged attempt to place blame on Ukraine for the attack at a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed more than 130 people.  During an interview with ABC’s Rachel Scott, Harris reiterated that ISIS was responsible for the shooting attack that sparked an inferno at the Crocus City concert hall in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow. Russia observed a day of national mourning on Sunday and the death toll is expected to climb.  “Vladimir Putin is already trying to link this to Ukraine and say that Ukraine is responsible. Does the U.S. have any evidence to back that up?” Scott said during the interview that aired on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday.  “No. And first, let me start by saying what has happened is an act of terrorism and the number of people who’ve been killed is obviously a tragedy, and we should all send our condolences to those families,” Harris responded. “No, there is no whatsoever any evidence. And in fact, what we know to be the case is that ISIS is actually, by all accounts, responsible for what happened.”  US WARNING TO AMERICANS ABOUT IMMINENT ATTACK IN MOSCOW PROVES PROPHETIC 2 WEEKS LATER In a nighttime address, Putin called the attack “a bloody, barbaric terrorist act” and said Russian authorities captured four suspects on Saturday as they were trying to escape to Ukraine through a “window” prepared for them on the Ukrainian side of the border. Russian media broadcast videos that apparently showed the detention and interrogation of the suspects, including one who told the cameras he was approached by an unidentified assistant to an Islamic preacher via a messaging app and paid to take part in the raid. Kyiv strongly denied any involvement, and the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility. HERO TEEN SAVES OVER 100 PEOPLE IN DEADLY MOSCOW TERROR ATTACK: VIDEO Putin didn’t mention ISIS in his speech to the nation, and Kyiv accused him and other Russian politicians of falsely linking Ukraine to the assault to stoke fervor for Russia’s fight in Ukraine, which recently entered its third year. U.S. intelligence officials said they had confirmed the ISIS affiliate’s claim. “ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement. Two weeks before Friday’s attack on the Russian concert hall, the U.S. embassy issued a warning to Americans to “avoid large gatherings,” including concerts, because of “imminent plans” for an attack by “extremists.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” stated the March 7 alert.  Fox News’ Brie Stimson and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Attack in Moscow a ‘very dangerous echo’ of Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal: Sen. Cotton

Attack in Moscow a ‘very dangerous echo’ of Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal: Sen. Cotton

Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said the attack in Moscow that left more than 130 people dead and dozens of others injured is a “very dangerous echo of President Biden’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan” in 2021.  “I’m quite worried, Shannon, as you saw what ISIS from Afghanistan was able to do in Moscow a couple days ago. This is the unfortunate echo of President Biden’s chaotic and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Cotton told Fox News’ Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” “It’s the same group that killed 13 Americans.” “Just a few days ago with Armed Services Committee, I asked our commanding general in the Middle East about ISIS’s capacity to project attacks from Afghanistan. He said that in as little as six months, and turned out to be closer to six days, that ISIS from Afghanistan with little or no warning could attack Western interests across Asia and Europe,” he continued.  Islamic State-Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, took credit for the attack on Moscow on Friday, which left at least 133 people dead and more than 100 others injured during a mass shooting at Crocus City Hall, a concert venue. The Kremlin announced this weekend that 11 suspects, including four suspected of direct involvement in the attack, were arrested.  RUSSIAN MISSILE ENTERS POLISH AIRSPACE AS MOSCOW LASHES OUT AT UKRAINE AFTER ISIS ATTACK “And that’s exactly what we’ve seen happen. It’s deeply regrettable that innocent civilians, women and children were killed in Moscow, but the next attacks can be against an American Embassy in Asia or in Europe or against, say, students traveling to Europe on a school trip for spring break. Again, this is a very dangerous echo of President Biden’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Cotton continued.  The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 was considered a failure by many Republicans on Capitol Hill, as well as pundits and critics of the president.  RUSSIA INVESTIGATING SHOOTING, EXPLOSIONS AT CONCERT HALL AS TERRORIST ATTACK The withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members defending the Kabul airport during the operation, while hundreds of Americans and tens of thousands of Afghan allies were left in the country under Taliban rule. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at the airport. Critics such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the withdrawal paved the way for adversaries like Russia to invade Ukraine, in a war that has continued for more than two years.  Cotton continued that “you don’t even have to sit on the Intelligence Committee” to be “very worried” about ISIS terrorists attacking Americans, whether in the homeland or traveling abroad.  SOCCER MATCH BETWEEN RUSSIA AND PARAGUAY CANCELED IN AFTERMATH OF MOSCOW-AREA CONCERT HALL ATTACK “You can just listen to what the commanding general of our forces in the Middle East said, that in as little as six months you could have an attack like this. And again, it turned out to be six days. He said it might be a little bit longer to project that kind of attack against the American homeland or the Western Hemisphere. But again, we have millions of Americans who live or travel abroad throughout Europe and Asia, embassies, businesses there. So I’m deeply worried that ISIS from Afghanistan will end up targeting Americans sooner rather than later,” he said.  US WARNING TO AMERICANS ABOUT IMMINENT ATTACK IN MOSCOW PROVES PROPHETIC 2 WEEKS LATER WHAT IS ISIS-K, THE TERRORIST GROUP TIED TO MOSCOW CONCERT HALL ATTACK AND 2021 ABBEY GATE BOMBING? Following the tragic attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed that those responsible would be “justly and inevitably punished.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “All the perpetrators, organizers and those who ordered this crime will be justly and inevitably punished. Whoever they are, whoever is guiding them,” Putin said. “We will identify and punish everyone who stands behind the terrorists, who prepared this atrocity, this strike against Russia, against our people.”