Puerto Rico mulls ban on hair discrimination
Legislators in racially diverse Puerto Rico have opened a public debate on a bill to explicitly prohibit discrimination against hairstyles such as cornrows and Afros, sparking a heated debate. Local government officials argue the legislation is unnecessary because federal and local laws already ban such discrimination. But Puerto Rican activists said at a hearing Tuesday that the island’s Afro-Caribbean community still faces discrimination and needs explicit protection when it comes to public services, work, education and housing. “I’m 23 years old, and I’m tired of this problem,” said Julia Llanos Bultrón, a teacher who wears cornrows. “I’m very disappointed with a system that pushes us to change the hair with which we’re born.” FORMER PUERTO RICO LEGISLATOR FOUND GUILTY ON CORRUPTION CHARGES Llanos said that a school in the northeast town of Fajardo offered her a job last year on condition that she cut her hair because they didn’t allow locks. She declined. Similar incidents were recounted by others who spoke at a crowded public hearing held at San Juan’s seaside Capitol building, noting that the hairstyles in question are culturally important and carry historical significance. More than 1.6 million people in the U.S. territory of 3.2 million identify as being of two or more races, while nearly 230,000 identify solely as Black, according to the U.S. Census. Lorraine León Ramírez, mother of two sons who have Afros, said her youngest was banned from attending two different schools until he cut his hair. “It was one of the worst experiences we’ve had as a family,” she said. “The big question is, is it fair that our children have to grow up with regulations that undermine their identity? The answer is no,” she said. “It’s time to break these stigmas.” A community in Texas has been grappling with a similar issue even after the state passed a law that went into effect in September to prohibit race-based hair discrimination. The family of a Black high school student in Belvieu, Texas, is arguing that his suspension since August has been a violation of the new law. The school says that the length of Darryl George’s hair, falling below his eyebrows and ear lobes, violates the school’s dress code. In Puerto Rico, government officials have noted that the island’s laws and constitution, along with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, protect from discrimination. But a precedent was set in 2016 when a U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed a discrimination lawsuit after finding that an employer’s no-dreadlock policy in Alabama did not violate Title VII. During Tuesday’s hearing, the co-author of the bill, Puerto Rico Sen. Ana Irma Rivera Lassén, said she didn’t understand the government’s position. “What is the problem with adding explicit protection?” she said. Backing her was Puerto Rican university student Alanis Ruiz Guevara, who said she has been pushing for creation of the bill because specific hairstyles including braids, locks and Bantu knots are not covered by certain laws. Others pushing for the bill is renowned Puerto Rican author Mayra Santos-Febres. “All of this legal work is so important because it creates a protocol that is needed now,” she said. “We need tools to defend ourselves from systemic racism.” Debate over the bill is expected to continue in upcoming weeks. In the U.S. mainland, Texas and least 23 other states have implemented a version of the CROWN Act, which stands for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.” It bans hairstyle discrimination within employment, housing, education and public accommodation places. The U.S. House of Representatives approved a federal version of it in 2022, but it failed in the Senate. Some government officials in the Caribbean also have been pushing to relax hair codes at schools, workplaces and government offices.
GOP Senator urges SCOTUS to rein in big tech’s content censorship, defies ‘logic’
FIRST ON FOX – Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is urging the Supreme Court to not buy into arguments from Big Tech platforms that they should have First Amendment protections to censor user content while simultaneously demanding legal liability from content posted on their platforms. Next month, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a set of cases that question whether state laws that limit Big Tech companies’ ability to moderate content on their platforms curbs the companies’ First Amendment liberties. The Missouri Republican filed an amicus brief in the cases Tuesday arguing that the platforms are attempting to have their cake and eat it, too, by wanting to keep liability protections granted by congress for content on their sites, and simultaneously asking for unfettered ability to censor content, citing their First Amendment liberties. The court “should not bless the platforms’ contradictory positions, much less constitutionalize them,” Hawley argued, and that “doing so would effectively immunize the platforms from both civil liability in tort and regulatory oversight by legislators.” GOP AGS ASKS SUPREME COURT TO PEEL BACK CONTENT MODERATION FROM BIG TECH IN LANDMARK FIRST AMENDMENT CASE The cases before the high court stem from two separate laws that passed in Florida and Texas that would require large Big Tech companies like X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook to host third-party communications but prevent those businesses from blocking or removing users’ posts based on political viewpoints. A federal appeals court had ruled for the tech industry in the Florida case, saying as private entities, those companies were “engaged in constitutionally protected expressive activity when they moderate and curate the content that they disseminate on their platforms.” But the Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of a similar law in Texas, creating a circuit split on the issue ripe for the nine justices to take up. Hawley in his brief explains that in the 1990s following the advent of the internet, Congress and the courts needed to square the longstanding principle in American publication law that “individuals who play an active role in disseminating others’ speech are liable for any unlawful harm that speech causes.” The result was Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which broadly insulates platforms from civil liability for hosting user-generated content. “At the time, Section 230 was justified on the theory that platforms could not exercise publisher-level control over the speech generated by third-party users,” says Hawley. “Despite decades arguing for this position, today the tech platforms take precisely the opposite line. They claim that their content hosting and curation decisions are in fact expressive—expressive enough that they enjoy First Amendment protection,” the lawmaker’s brief states. JAN 6 RIOTERS, ABORTION, GUN RIGHTS: A LOOK AHEAD AT LANDMARK CASES SCOTUS WILL HEAR IN 2024 In an interview with Fox News Digital, Hawley charged that the social media giants “always have some excuse as to why the law doesn’t apply to them.” “It doesn’t matter that they’ve made exactly opposing arguments in court. They don’t care about that. All they care about is preserving their ability to control speech and censor at-will, he said. The platforms told the Supreme Court that the state laws in Florida and Texas “openly abridge” their “First Amendment right to exercise editorial judgment over what content to disseminate on their websites via requirements that are speaker-based, content-based, and viewpoint- discriminatory.” But Hawley says the platforms’ argument “completely undercuts the logic of Section 230,” which the platforms have long sought to keep in place despite bipartisan pressure to repeal all if not some of that statute. “Extending an historical blanket immunity to this sector will have real-world consequences. To invoke a frighteningly realistic hypothetical, nothing could stop a web platform’s algorithm from promoting content designed to addict and harm young people,” Hawley writes in his brief. SUPREME COURT APPEARS READY TO REEL IN ADMINISTRATIVE STATE IN LANDMARK CHALLENGE FROM EAST COAST FISHERMEN “Take, as an example, content promoting eating disorders (a shockingly common phenomenon on modern social media). Companies could choose to affirmatively undermine the mental and physical health of America’s youth, while enjoying the protections of Section 230. While teens starved and parents looked on, no private action would lie. And then, when the government stepped in, the platforms could simply invoke their First Amendment immunity. Promoting eating disorders could be, after all, an editorial choice,” he argues. “Nestled in a comfortable fissure between legal doctrines, the platforms could look on as their algorithms—or affirmative curation decisions—devastated a generation,” he added. The court will hear arguments in the cases, Moody v. NetChoice, LLC and NetChoice LLC v. Paxton on Monday, Feb. 26.
Fox News Voter Analysis: Immigration most important issue for NH Republicans; most say immigrants hurt US
Immigration tops the list of issues that are most important to Republican voters – both in New Hampshire and in Iowa. In Iowa, four-in-ten Republicans said immigration was the most important issue, followed by a third saying the economy and jobs. No other issue comes close. HALEY JABS AT TRUMP AS NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTERS HEAD TO THE POLLS: ‘THIS IS NOT A CORONATION’ In New Hampshire the story is the same, with 4 in 10 Republican primary voters saying immigration is their top issue. On a personal level, what do Republicans think about their own financial situation? As we saw in the Iowa caucus last week, New Hampshire Republican primary voters say they’re in bad shape financially. That’s similar to the nearly six-in-ten Iowa Republican caucus goers who said they were just “holding steady” and the third who said they were “falling behind.” Immigration is a top issue for Republicans across the country – and that continues to be true in New Hampshire. So, do New Hampshire Republicans say immigrants do more to help or hurt the country? Well, close to 7 in 10 say they do more to hurt. That was similar to what we saw in Iowa, where three quarters of Republicans said immigrants do more to hurt the county than to help the country. And when it comes to the U.S. Mexico wall, Republicans in New Hampshire support it – just as they did in Iowa. This article will be updated with additional information from the Fox News Voter Analysis as it becomes available.
Whitmer to push for free community college in Michigan’s State of the State address
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer plans to urge state lawmakers to pass legislation that would provide free community college tuition for all high school graduates during her sixth State of the State speech on Wednesday. Whitmer also prioritized community college access in her annual address last year. State lawmakers responded by temporarily lowering the minimum age for free tuition from 25 to 21 years old. The Democratic governor now wants to expand the program by removing all age requirements for free community college, according to details of her plan provided to The Associated Press by Whitmer’s office. Whitmer’s administration created the Michigan Reconnect program in 2021, aiming to increase the percentage of the state’s workforce with a postsecondary degree or training from 50.5% to 60% by 2030. It made Michigan residents 25 years and older eligible for free community college tuition. DEMOCRATIC GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER WARNS BIDEN COULD FACE PROTESTERS IN MICHIGAN WHEN HE VISITS By the end of the 2023 academic year, over 32,400 student had enrolled in the program since its launch and at least 4,400 have earned a degree or certificate, according to the governor’s office. Lowering the program’s minimum age to 21 last year made it accessible to 350,000 more residents without college degrees, and 8,500 residents have signed up, according to the governor’s office. That change is only in place through this fall’s semester, when it is set to return to 25 unless lawmakers approve Whitmer’s proposal. The program was given an initial investment of $30 million when launched in 2021 and an additional $70 million when the minimum age was temporarily lowered to 21 years old. The governor’s team did not provide a cost estimate for the program’s expansion to all high school graduates. Brandy Johnson, president of the Michigan Community College Association, praised the governor’s proposal, saying in a statement that it would help remove financial barriers that “make attaining a postsecondary education seem impossible,” for many high school graduates. Under Whitmer’s proposal, eligible students must have lived in Michigan for the year prior to enrollment, must have a high school diploma and must not have previously completed a college degree. Students would have up to three years to obtain their associate’s degree. Community college enrollment in Michigan has been on the decline. Michigan community colleges saw a 2.8% drop in enrollment last spring compared to the year before, even as national enrollment increased by 0.5%, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Across the country, the number of students at community colleges has fallen 37% since 2010, or by nearly 2.6 million, clearinghouse said. Community colleges are far cheaper than four-year schools. Published tuition and fees last year averaged $3,860 per year, versus $39,400 at private and $10,940 at public four-year universities, with many states offering programs that make community college free. Last year, much of what Whitmer wanted in her State of the State speech — including tax cuts and a repeal of right to work — was passed by a Legislature controlled entirely by Democrats. This year could prove more difficult with the state House membership deadlocked at 54-54 until at least April. Two Democratic representatives left their seats in November after winning mayoral races and special elections will be held in the two heavily Democratic districts on April 16.
UN expert warns of ‘severe’ crackdown on climate protestors in UK
Last year, British police were granted anti-protest powers following years of disruptive demonstrations by environmental activists. A UN expert has warned that environmental activists face a “severe crackdown” in the United Kingdom and that peaceful protestors are the targets of “toxic discourse”. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders Michel Forst said he had received “extremely worrying information” about “an increasingly severe crackdown” during a recent visit to the UK. “Regressive laws” were being used to give environmental and climate activists severe penalties, “including in relation to the exercise of the right to peaceful protest,” he warned in a statement on Tuesday. “The right to protest is a basic human right. It is also an essential part of a healthy democracy,” he added. Forst is an independent expert appointed under the UN’s Aarhus Convention, which provides for justice in environmental matters. The UK is a signatory of the convention. Activists of ‘Just Stop Oil’ glue their hands to the wall after throwing soup at Van Gogh’s painting, Sunflowers, at the National Gallery in London, UK, October 14, 2022 [File: Just Stop Oil/Handout via Reuters] Last year, British police were granted anti-protest powers by the government following years of disruptive demonstrations by environmental activists. But Forst said now peaceful protestors were being persecuted for the criminal offence of “public nuisance”, which is punishable by up to 10 years jail time. Last month, a peaceful climate protestor who took part in a slow march for about 30 minutes was sentenced to six months in prison. The expert stressed that before the arrival of these “regressive” laws “it had been almost unheard of since the 1930s for members of the public to be imprisoned for peaceful protest in the UK”. He added that it was impossible to understand that some judges had barred “environmental defenders from explaining to the jury their motivation” for protesting “or from mentioning climate change at all”. Forst also slammed the British government’s harsh bail conditions on environmental protestors. He said, “Environmental defenders may be on bail for up to two years from the date of arrest to their eventual criminal trial.” He pointed out that severe bail conditions could adversely affect personal lives and mental health. Forst warned that environmental activists were frequently publicly condemned in British media and by politicians, placing them at heightened risk of threats, abuse and physical attacks. This “toxic discourse”, he said, “may also be used by the state as justification for adopting increasingly severe and draconian measures against environmental defenders”. Adblock test (Why?)
Columbia Uni bars people accused of spraying pro-Palestine protesters
The US institution says it has banned attackers responsible for spraying a hazardous chemical on pro-Palestine rally. Columbia University has barred several individuals accused of spraying pro-Palestine protesters with a foul-smelling chemical during a demonstration, the New York-based institution has said. In a statement sent via email to Columbia students and faculty members on Monday night, interim provost Dennis A Mitchell said the alleged perpetrators had been banned from campus following “what appears to have been serious crimes, possibly hate crimes”. “The University received additional information Sunday night. As a result, the alleged perpetrators identified to the University were immediately banned from campus while the law enforcement investigation proceeds,” Mitchell wrote, according to the US media outlet Rolling Stone. Mitchell said the university condemned “in the strongest possible terms any threats or acts of violence” directed towards its community and described the incident as “deeply troubling”. Columbia has asked anyone in possession of photos, videos or any other evidence of the event to present it to the police department. The university did not clarify whether those banned were students, or how many individuals were involved. The Columbia Spectator, a student newspaper, reported that the protesters were attacked during a “divestment now” rally on the steps of Low Library on Friday. At least three students required medical attention while others reported physical symptoms such as burning eyes, headaches, and nausea. A police spokesman told The New York Times that no arrests had been made. According to 18-year-old freshman student Maryam Iqbal, interviewed by Rolling Stone, peaceful protesters were sprayed by at least two men with a foul-smelling liquid. Another student, Layla Saliba, a 24-year-old Palestinian American, said the two men called some of the protesters “terrorists.” She added that they were “especially aggressive” towards students holding up signs saying “Jews for cease-fire”, calling them “self-hating Jews.” Saliba told the American magazine that she kept vomiting and could still smell the odour on herself after a dozen showers. Tensions have surged at some American universities since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 and Israel responded with a declaration of war. Members of Jewish anti-Zionist organisation Jewish Voice for Peace have reported being spat on and witnessing harassment on campus for their views. Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director for Human Rights Watch (HRW), said a speaking arrangement had been cancelled by the US university twice due to the lack of “security approvals”. The Ivy League institution in November suspended student groups Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace for allegedly violating school policies for “threatening rhetoric and intimidation”. Adblock test (Why?)
Poor quality control, race for profits behind Boeing’s troubles
When an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 made an emergency landing in Portland on January 5 following a door plug blowing out shortly after departure, alarm bells began to ring. For Boeing, this was another incident on its 737 MAX series and one that it simply could not afford to happen. Across the last half-decade, the trust in the manufacturer from the flying public has dropped significantly. Boeing’s gap in market share with rival European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, a direct competitor, has widened considerably following fewer orders and deliveries per year. Boeing’s current position has been attributed to several factors, including poor quality control, a race to secure profits and more. Analysts and former employees that Al Jazeera spoke to pinned the decline on the company’s culture, which has created a schism between management and employees on the factory floor for some time – the 737-9 crisis being only the latest symptom of the continuing problem. The Alaska Airlines flight Flight AS1282, with service between Portland and Ontario, departed on January 5 like any other scheduled flight. However, shortly after departure, the aircraft, a 737-9 from the MAX family, suffered a pressurisation issue from the rear mid-cabin exit door plug separating. The aircraft departed Portland at 17:06:59 and reached a maximum altitude of 16,325 feet (4,976 metres) per Flightrdar24 data at 17:13:41, with a descent beginning shortly after. All on board the aircraft escaped safely, with minor injuries that were cleared by medical examiners. Dr William Bensinger, an aviation medical examiner, told The Seattle Times that had this happened at cruising altitude, more than double the altitude of when the blowout occurred, the results might have been dramatically different. That night, Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded its fleet of 65 737-9s, calling it a precautionary move. The next day the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) that ensured 171 737-9s across multiple airlines with plug doors were grounded for inspections and possible maintenance. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation to determine why an exit door that is meant to be locked in place was able to blow out. The fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX, which was forced to make an emergency landing with a gap in the fuselage, is seen during its investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Portland, Oregon [File: NTSB/Handout via Reuters] Loose bolts uncovered With the EAD issued, airline technicians began preliminary checks on their parked 737-9s. Highlighting that it was not exclusively an Alaska Airlines problem, Alaska Airlines was the second airline to identify loose bolts in the inspection. Hours before, United Airlines became the first to identify loose bolts, discovering them on up to five 737-9s, according to the Air Current. The two airlines identifying quality issues dealt a new blow to Boeing. Boeing’s CEO, Dave Calhoun, acknowledged mistakes made by the manufacturer and identified the incident as a “quality escape” when speaking to CNBC. Calhoun noted that this describes what was found in inspections, with the loose bolts and other issues being “something that escaped from the manufacturing process.” Following Caloun’s comments, the FAA launched a formal investigation into Boeing’s production practices and said it would look “to determine if Boeing failed to ensure completed products confirmed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in compliance with FAA regulations”. Boeing is legally required to meet the safety standards laid out to them, and the FAA has expressed concerns about whether these are met on several occasions even before the January 5 incident. On January 13, Alaska Airlines announced its quality and audit team will do a thorough review of Boeing’s quality and control systems. Alaska remains the only airline to announce a formal review of Boeing’s internal processes. Inside Boeing, a culture change National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators examine the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX, which was jettisoned [File: NTSB/Handout via Reuters] Internally, upper management across the last decade has prioritised delivering aircraft to customers as soon as possible. These targets, laid out by senior executives at Boeing, were deemed unrealistic by those working on the aircraft. As a result, employees felt pressured to meet deadlines that were not possible without corners being cut. Per a now-retired Boeing employee, who declined to be named and who worked with the 737 MAX and was on the floor, the immense pressure affected staff morale and work quality. Overtime was a regular occurrence across all teams to get the planes in the air as soon as possible. On several occasions, the former employee worked 10-12-hour days across a multi-year period in the mid to late 2010s, longer than the typical timeframe for his role of up to eight hours. These overtime shifts were followed by lengthy weekend shifts occurring for month-long periods. Before the latest quality lapses were identified, Boeing, in December 2023, requested the inspection of 737 MAX aircraft for potential loose bolts in the rudder control system. This followed an unnamed international operator reporting loose bolts during scheduled maintenance and Boeing discovering an improperly tightened nut on an undelivered jet in the same month. Quality issues also appeared in August 2023 when Boeing found an issue involving Spirit AeroSystems, one of its key suppliers. These quality drops were traced back to holes on the aft pressure bulkhead that were improperly drilled, as reported by The Air Current. Boeing’s drop in quality has been attributed to several factors. For the 737 MAX, a race to compete with Airbus and their A320neo saw this aircraft launched on a fuselage that analysts argued had reached its limitations. A culture already on the downturn only increased as the disconnect between staff on the floor and in the offices grew. Those building the aircraft and other similar roles, such as detailing, believed that senior executives lacked understanding of the importance and time associated with their work. This lack of understanding was often attributed
Biden names Jennifer O’Malley Dillon to run 2024 re-election campaign: report
President Biden has named new leadership for his re-election campaign. According to the New York Times, citing five people familiar with the matter, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon will take over Biden’s re-election effortswa Dillon, who was the campaign manager for Biden in 2020, has served as a deputy chief of staff in the White House since the beginning of Biden’s term. The top aide will move to the Biden campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, the report noted. It was immediately unclear when Dillon will take over from Biden’s current head of re-election efforts– Julie Chávez Rodríguez. Rodríguez previously worked in the White House under former President Barack Obama. She also worked in different capacities for Kamala Harris’ and Biden’s 2020 presidential campaigns.
Pentagon says US not at war in Middle East as it continues to carry out multiple strikes
Defense officials say the U.S. and Houthis are not involved in a conflict, nor is the U.S. at war in the Middle East, despite dropping missiles on the Iran-backed group multiple times over the past two weeks. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder was asked by a reporter on Tuesday if the U.S. was on the brink of war in the Middle East. The question came after Ryder fielded another question regarding the U.N. secretary general urging all parties to take a step back from the “brink” and to consider the cost to human life if a regional conflict were to break out. “We are not at war in the Middle East,” Ryder said. “Clearly, there are significant tensions in the Middle East. And again, we’re working closely with allies and partners to de-escalate and reduce those tensions where we can, recognizing the fact that, you know, others have a vote as well.” Ryder also said the U.S. has been “very focused” on deterrence and preventing a wider regional conflict in the Middle East. US DEFENSE OFFICIALS SAY MORE LARGE-SCALE STRIKES CONDUCTED AGAINST HOUTHI FORCES “We’ll stay focused on that,” he said. The comments came a day after U.S. defense officials said U.S. and U.K. ships and warplanes carried out multiple strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, striking eight locations. One of the Houthi targets struck by U.S. and British munitions included Al Dailami Air Base along with missile launching sites and weapons storage facilities for ballistic missiles and drones. CENTCOM CONFIRMS US AIRSTRIKES ON HOUTHI ANTI-SHIP MISSILES NEAR RED SEA Along with the F-18 super hornets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, guided missile destroyers USS Mason, USS Philippine Sea and USS Gravely assisted with Tomahawk land attack missiles used in the strikes. “Today’s strike specifically targeted a Houthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis’ missile and air surveillance capabilities,” a joint statement from the U.S. and U.K. on Monday read. “The Houthis’ now more than thirty attacks on international and commercial vessels since mid-November constitute an international challenge. “Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let us reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways in the face of continued threats,” the joint statement continued. US NAVY CONFIRMS IRAN’S INVOLVEMENT IN YEMEN HOUTHI REBEL SHIP ATTACKS On Tuesday, Ryder said a ninth attack was conducted about 15-30 minutes after the initial barrage of attacks, destroying an anti-ship cruise missile that was prepared to launch and that presented “an imminent threat to vessels operating in the region.” Ryder reiterated that the aim is to deescalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea. “As our joint statement yesterday emphasized, we will not hesitate to defend the lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways, in the face of continued threats,” he said. On Tuesday, the U.S. also conducted strikes on three facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group “in direct response to a series of escalated attacks against U.S. and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias,” according to a statement from U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told ABC News that the danger of having a wider war in the region has gone up, putting the blame on the U.S. and Israel for escalating tensions in the region. “If the U.S. today stops its backing — logistical and weapons, political and media support — of the genocidal war launched by Israel, then I can assure you that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu will not survive for 10 minutes,” he asserted. “So the key to solve the problem is in Washington before it is in Tel Aviv.” Amir-Abdollahian claims the U.S. military is fabricating information that suggests Iran has a weapons smuggling network supplying the Houthis with missile components, which were intercepted in the Arabian Sea while en route to Yemen – the mission resulted in the death of two Navy SEALS. “Mostly, this is a TV show,” Amir-Abdollahian said, despite U.N. and other foreign governments documenting similar transfers from Iran, ABC reported.
Biden calls Trump ‘most responsible’ for ‘stripping away’ abortion, vows to veto any nationwide ban
President Biden on Tuesday said former President Trump is “most responsible” for the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, blaming his predecessor for “stripping away” abortion rights and vowing to veto any potential national abortion ban. Biden made the comments at a “Reproductive Freedom” campaign rally in Manassas, Virginia, on Tuesday afternoon. BIDEN CALLS ON CONGRESS TO RESTORE ROE V. WADE ABORTION PROTECTIONS AS FEDERAL LAW: ‘THIS IS NOT OVER’ “I believe Roe v. Wade got it right,” Biden said. “A New Supreme Court made an extreme decision overturning Roe v. Wade with their Dobbs decision.” Biden said the high court “did what it had never done before.” “It ripped away a fundamental constitutional right that was in place for nearly 50 years and that was so important to so many Americans for so long,” Biden said, stressing that the “health and lives of women in this nation would be at risk.” Biden said women are “being turned away from our emergency rooms, forced to travel hundreds of miles to get basic health care, forced to go to court to plead to help to protect themselves, and the ability to often have children in the future.” “The cruelty is astounding and it’s a direct affront to a woman’s dignity to be told by extreme politicians and judges to wait to get sicker and sicker before anything can happen, even to the point where, as you heard your life had been determined to be in danger, or the idea that a woman should have to carry a fetus after she’d been raped or the victim of incest,” Biden said. “It’s outrageous.” “Or the idea a woman receives competent medical advice that the fetus she’s carrying won’t live and will impact on her ability to have children in the future and she still can’t get medical care,” he continued. “I think it’s unconscionable that anyone think that anyone think that this is where America is going in 2024.” “Let there be no mistake: the person most responsible for taking away this freedom in America is Donald Trump,” he said. “Trump says he’s proud that he overturned Roe v. Wade.” SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS ROE V. WADE IN LANDMARK OPINION The Supreme Court ruling in 2022 came in the court’s opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The ruling returns the issue of abortion back to the states after nearly 50 years. Biden pointed to the 21 states that have enacted abortion bans, and blamed Trump. Biden has criticized Trump for creating a conservative majority on the high court. Trump, during his administration, appointed conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. “The reason women are being forced to travel out of state—women are being forced to travel across state lines for health care is Donald Trump,” he said. “When you are threatened with prosecution, it’s because of Donald Trump.” “And the reason their fundamental right has been stripped away is Donald Trump, and because of Donald Trump, doctors are fleeing their home states, setting up practices in other states because they’re afraid they’ll be put in prison if they exercise their responsibilities in states like Texas,” Biden said. “Doctors Can get a life sentence for providing the care they were trying to provide. It’s Outrageous.” Biden claimed that Trump and “MAGA Republicans,” which he said includes House Speaker Mike Johnson “are hell bent on going even further.” “To date, MAGA republicans in Congress propose three additional national abortion bans to criminalize health care in every state,” Biden said. “Let me tell you what they are: First is a zero-week ban with absolutely no exceptions. The second one introduced is a six-week ban with a penalty for violating — it is jail. And the third is a 15-week ban and the penalty is a five-year jail sentence.” Biden warned that “even if you live in a state where extremist Republicans are not in charge of the state government, your right to choose your right to privacy is still risk.” “But as long as I have power of the presidency, know, this — if Congress are to pass a national abortion ban, I will veto it. I will veto it,” Biden said. Look, MAGA Republicans are trying to limit all women in America from getting a safe and effective medication.” Biden added: “I don’t think this court and the MAGA Republicans have any clue about the power of women in America. I don’t think that they have any clue but they’re about to find out.” Biden went on to say the 2024 election is “going to be the most important election we’ve had since 1864.” “I mean, the reasons are clear. Democracy is on the ballot. Freedom is on the ballot — like the freedom to choose, the freedom to vote, the freedom to love who you want, the freedom to go to work, go to school, go to your house and worship without fear of being gunned down by a weapon of war,” Biden said. “So my question to you is simple. Are you ready? Are you ready to defend democracy? Are you ready to protect our freedoms? And are you ready to win this election? Let’s get this done,” Biden said. “Talk to your families and friends. Organize your community. Register to vote. Get people to the polls. And let’s remember who we are. We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.”