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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
April 12, 2024
We need a Marshall Plan for public media
Local news is too important for our democracy to live and die by ad dollars or fundraising
CHRIS MILLS RODRIGO
APRIL 11, 2024 3:33 AM
(Michigan Advance) Americas media institutions have had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad start to 2024.
The Messenger, a well-funded, high-profile news site, dissolved after less than a year. Big newspapers from the Los Angeles Times to the IndyStar saw major layoffs. And Sports Illustrated fell into licensing limbo while sites like BuzzFeed, Vice News or Complex found themselves at best on life support.
....(snip)....
The losses have been particularly acute in poor and rural communities, leaving ever expanding news deserts all across the nation.The collapse of news outlets, especially local papers, is robbing our communities of indispensable watch dogs. The disappearance of reporters from city council meetings and public safety hearings is creating oversight vacuums that leave citizens in the dark and enable shady dealings that let the wealthy exercise undue and undetected influence.
....(snip)....
Given all this, some experts are calling for a fundamental rethinking of how we value journalism.
The information produced by journalism should always be and should have always been treated as a public good, Victor Pickard told me. And that, by its very nature, is not something thats easily monetized. ................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/11/we-need-a-marshall-plan-for-public-media/
We need a 'Marshall Plan' for public media
We need a Marshall Plan for public media
Local news is too important for our democracy to live and die by ad dollars or fundraising
CHRIS MILLS RODRIGO
APRIL 11, 2024 3:33 AM
(Michigan Advance) Americas media institutions have had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad start to 2024.
The Messenger, a well-funded, high-profile news site, dissolved after less than a year. Big newspapers from the Los Angeles Times to the IndyStar saw major layoffs. And Sports Illustrated fell into licensing limbo while sites like BuzzFeed, Vice News or Complex found themselves at best on life support.
....(snip)....
The losses have been particularly acute in poor and rural communities, leaving ever expanding news deserts all across the nation.The collapse of news outlets, especially local papers, is robbing our communities of indispensable watch dogs. The disappearance of reporters from city council meetings and public safety hearings is creating oversight vacuums that leave citizens in the dark and enable shady dealings that let the wealthy exercise undue and undetected influence.
....(snip)....
Given all this, some experts are calling for a fundamental rethinking of how we value journalism.
The information produced by journalism should always be and should have always been treated as a public good, Victor Pickard told me. And that, by its very nature, is not something thats easily monetized. ................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/11/we-need-a-marshall-plan-for-public-media/
April 12, 2024
Theres been much ado about northbound migration across the Mexico-US border but some are moving in the other direction
Alexandra Villarreal
Thu 11 Apr 2024 13.00 EDT
(Guardian UK) Dont call Jym Varnadore an ex-pat.
Yes, he and his wife, Renee Varnadore, are living abroad. But they left the United States in search of a quality of life thats no longer in reach for them stateside. Now, the clear blue waters of Rosarito Beach are quickly becoming home.
Their condo is just the right size for two. Its intimate but not without its luxuries, like a huge bathtub with jacuzzi jets. Then theres their balcony, overlooking a world of ocean that bleeds into the horizon. Its a view reserved for millionaires and billionaires in the US, but not here.
We are immigrants. And I think its disingenuous to call us anything else, Jym said. When I decided that I wanted to move out of the US, it was eyes wide open with that word in mind. I am an immigrant. .....................(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/11/americans-retire-mexico-affordability-peace
The Americans retiring to Mexico for a more affordable life: 'We are immigrants'
The Americans retiring to Mexico for a more affordable life: We are immigrantsTheres been much ado about northbound migration across the Mexico-US border but some are moving in the other direction
Alexandra Villarreal
Thu 11 Apr 2024 13.00 EDT
(Guardian UK) Dont call Jym Varnadore an ex-pat.
Yes, he and his wife, Renee Varnadore, are living abroad. But they left the United States in search of a quality of life thats no longer in reach for them stateside. Now, the clear blue waters of Rosarito Beach are quickly becoming home.
Their condo is just the right size for two. Its intimate but not without its luxuries, like a huge bathtub with jacuzzi jets. Then theres their balcony, overlooking a world of ocean that bleeds into the horizon. Its a view reserved for millionaires and billionaires in the US, but not here.
We are immigrants. And I think its disingenuous to call us anything else, Jym said. When I decided that I wanted to move out of the US, it was eyes wide open with that word in mind. I am an immigrant. .....................(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/11/americans-retire-mexico-affordability-peace
April 12, 2024
A total eclipse of Donald Trump: First felony trial could finally humble him
Donald Trump faces the first of four felony trials in less than a week and boy is he scared
By BRIAN KAREM
Columnist
PUBLISHED APRIL 11, 2024 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) ....(snip)....
It was an awesome display of celestial mechanics, but pales in comparison to the mechanics of the justice system holding Donald Trump accountable for his disruptive, divisive and illegal activities. Much as the ancient viewers of total solar eclipses once were, Trump today is in the pit of despair and hes melting down.
....(snip)....
This week the demonic angel of despair and divisiveness remains as angry and as scared as Ive ever seen him. I doubt theres a safe ketchup bottle within 100 miles of Mar-a-Lago. Trump is scared out of his befouled shorts. His former CFO Allen Weisselberg got sentenced to five months in jail after committing perjury in the former presidents civil fraud case. Think hell talk? I dont know but, according to those in Trumps orbit, the Donald is worried. After his third attempt to delay his trial in Manhattan was denied, theres no doubt Trump has slipped a cog.
....(snip)....
We in the media continue to treat him as a legitimate candidate while half of the electorate agrees. Every time Donald Trump goes after a judge, a jury, witnesses or his charges, we cover it but curiously we never mention Judge Aileen Cannon. Trump never goes after the judge in the Mar-a-Lago documents case against him. Thats because shes a MAGA sycophant, a prosecutor close to the case explained. Maybe thats worth reporting a little more often.
Perhaps we should be covering Trump based on the facts and not the blathering, bloviated nonsense he spouts on a daily basis. I dont care about the wild and dramatic ramblings of the demented former president. The fact is Trump has more reasons to fear the coming months than Middle Age peasants feared a solar eclipse. The eclipse, while humbling, isnt a threat to our existence. Next week Trump will face a case in court that is a threat to his existence even though its considered the weakest case against him. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/11/a-total-eclipse-of-donald-trump-first-felony-trial-could-finally-humble-him/
A total eclipse of Donald Trump: First felony trial could finally humble him
A total eclipse of Donald Trump: First felony trial could finally humble him
Donald Trump faces the first of four felony trials in less than a week and boy is he scared
By BRIAN KAREM
Columnist
PUBLISHED APRIL 11, 2024 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) ....(snip)....
It was an awesome display of celestial mechanics, but pales in comparison to the mechanics of the justice system holding Donald Trump accountable for his disruptive, divisive and illegal activities. Much as the ancient viewers of total solar eclipses once were, Trump today is in the pit of despair and hes melting down.
....(snip)....
This week the demonic angel of despair and divisiveness remains as angry and as scared as Ive ever seen him. I doubt theres a safe ketchup bottle within 100 miles of Mar-a-Lago. Trump is scared out of his befouled shorts. His former CFO Allen Weisselberg got sentenced to five months in jail after committing perjury in the former presidents civil fraud case. Think hell talk? I dont know but, according to those in Trumps orbit, the Donald is worried. After his third attempt to delay his trial in Manhattan was denied, theres no doubt Trump has slipped a cog.
....(snip)....
We in the media continue to treat him as a legitimate candidate while half of the electorate agrees. Every time Donald Trump goes after a judge, a jury, witnesses or his charges, we cover it but curiously we never mention Judge Aileen Cannon. Trump never goes after the judge in the Mar-a-Lago documents case against him. Thats because shes a MAGA sycophant, a prosecutor close to the case explained. Maybe thats worth reporting a little more often.
Perhaps we should be covering Trump based on the facts and not the blathering, bloviated nonsense he spouts on a daily basis. I dont care about the wild and dramatic ramblings of the demented former president. The fact is Trump has more reasons to fear the coming months than Middle Age peasants feared a solar eclipse. The eclipse, while humbling, isnt a threat to our existence. Next week Trump will face a case in court that is a threat to his existence even though its considered the weakest case against him. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/11/a-total-eclipse-of-donald-trump-first-felony-trial-could-finally-humble-him/
April 10, 2024
A 35-year-old Florida man taken into custody over the weekend told police he believed he was allowed to be drunk and disorderly and sit naked in a trash can on the public sidewalk, according to a Pinellas County arrest affidavit.
Wyly James Weeks was found that way late Saturday night when he also refused to identify himself on the grounds he was being illegally detained in downtown St. Petersburg.
Weeks was charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence.
Police indicated in their report that drugs and mental health issues didnt seem to be an issue, though the suspect did appear intoxicated. ............(more)
https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/04/09/florida-man-arrested-drunk-naked-trash-can/
Drunk Florida man believed he had a right to 'sit naked in a trash can' in public: police
A 35-year-old Florida man taken into custody over the weekend told police he believed he was allowed to be drunk and disorderly and sit naked in a trash can on the public sidewalk, according to a Pinellas County arrest affidavit.
Wyly James Weeks was found that way late Saturday night when he also refused to identify himself on the grounds he was being illegally detained in downtown St. Petersburg.
Weeks was charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence.
Police indicated in their report that drugs and mental health issues didnt seem to be an issue, though the suspect did appear intoxicated. ............(more)
https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/04/09/florida-man-arrested-drunk-naked-trash-can/
April 10, 2024
Trump busts the myth behind the MAGA rich
Trump's "nice countries" comment proves rich MAGA voters share the prejudices of the cheap seats
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 10, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) "Is Corporate America in Denial About Trump?" read a headline in the New York Times Magazine over the weekend. In it, staff writer Jonathan Mahler details how wealthy corporate executives, many of whom distanced themselves from Donald Trump after his attempted coup, are now talking themselves into backing his current presidential campaign. Noting that the erratic nature of far-right leaders is often destabilizing, Mahler warns that authoritarian leaders have a "disastrous effect not just on democracies but on businesses and business leaders."
Mahler's article is a useful read, particularly in laying out the likely dire consequences of a second Trump term to the economy. But it is built on a questionable premise: That business leaders, in their hearts, are smart enough to loathe Trump, yet are setting aside their reservations to cozy up to the possible next president.
The myth that wealthy people are inherently rational is sewn throughout both the article and coverage of it. MSNBC host Nicole Wallace, for instance, fretted Monday that "smart" people weren't seeing the dangers here. But I would like people to consider another possibility: That many rich people back Trump because they agree with his rancid views. That they don't just see Trump's racist rhetoric as a useful way to bamboozle working-class whites into voting for him, but that they also hold such views. That, beneath all the expensive clothes and fancy automobiles, many in the top economic tier of America have attitudes about race and gender that are no different than what you'd hear from Trump's beloved "poorly educated."
....(snip)....
The setting matters a lot. Trump went there at a fancy fundraiser because he believed that, as racist as the Bud Light-boycotting crowd at his rallies might be, he'd find an even more appreciative audience for his blunt "whites only" message among the private jet people. He appears to have guessed correctly, as the New York Times reporters registered no complaints about this David Duke-style talk at the upscale shindig. Instead, the rich attendees opened their wallets and rewarded Trump with fat checks. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/10/busts-the-myth-behind-the-maga-rich/
Trump busts the myth behind the MAGA rich
Trump busts the myth behind the MAGA rich
Trump's "nice countries" comment proves rich MAGA voters share the prejudices of the cheap seats
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 10, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) "Is Corporate America in Denial About Trump?" read a headline in the New York Times Magazine over the weekend. In it, staff writer Jonathan Mahler details how wealthy corporate executives, many of whom distanced themselves from Donald Trump after his attempted coup, are now talking themselves into backing his current presidential campaign. Noting that the erratic nature of far-right leaders is often destabilizing, Mahler warns that authoritarian leaders have a "disastrous effect not just on democracies but on businesses and business leaders."
Mahler's article is a useful read, particularly in laying out the likely dire consequences of a second Trump term to the economy. But it is built on a questionable premise: That business leaders, in their hearts, are smart enough to loathe Trump, yet are setting aside their reservations to cozy up to the possible next president.
The myth that wealthy people are inherently rational is sewn throughout both the article and coverage of it. MSNBC host Nicole Wallace, for instance, fretted Monday that "smart" people weren't seeing the dangers here. But I would like people to consider another possibility: That many rich people back Trump because they agree with his rancid views. That they don't just see Trump's racist rhetoric as a useful way to bamboozle working-class whites into voting for him, but that they also hold such views. That, beneath all the expensive clothes and fancy automobiles, many in the top economic tier of America have attitudes about race and gender that are no different than what you'd hear from Trump's beloved "poorly educated."
....(snip)....
The setting matters a lot. Trump went there at a fancy fundraiser because he believed that, as racist as the Bud Light-boycotting crowd at his rallies might be, he'd find an even more appreciative audience for his blunt "whites only" message among the private jet people. He appears to have guessed correctly, as the New York Times reporters registered no complaints about this David Duke-style talk at the upscale shindig. Instead, the rich attendees opened their wallets and rewarded Trump with fat checks. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/10/busts-the-myth-behind-the-maga-rich/
April 9, 2024
(Michigan Advance) Former President Donald Trump said in a video Monday it should be left up to state governments to determine the legality of abortion, touting the repeal of Roe v. Wade, while not definitively condemning a federal ban on abortion.
My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state, Trump said.
....(snip)....
Whitmer said Trump is still taking pride in letting politicians interfere in private medical decisions for women and assertions from Trump that abortion should be left up to states and voters as a peoples issue are disingenuous.
We know exactly how bad Trump has been for women and reproductive freedom, and we are confident he would sign into law the national abortion ban he and his party have wanted for so long. He said he thinks women should be punished for choosing abortion, and we should take him at his word, Whitmer said. .............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/08/whitmer-confident-trump-will-sign-a-federal-abortion-ban-if-given-the-opportunity/
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer "confident" Trump will sign a federal abortion ban if given the opportunity
(Michigan Advance) Former President Donald Trump said in a video Monday it should be left up to state governments to determine the legality of abortion, touting the repeal of Roe v. Wade, while not definitively condemning a federal ban on abortion.
My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state, Trump said.
....(snip)....
Whitmer said Trump is still taking pride in letting politicians interfere in private medical decisions for women and assertions from Trump that abortion should be left up to states and voters as a peoples issue are disingenuous.
We know exactly how bad Trump has been for women and reproductive freedom, and we are confident he would sign into law the national abortion ban he and his party have wanted for so long. He said he thinks women should be punished for choosing abortion, and we should take him at his word, Whitmer said. .............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/08/whitmer-confident-trump-will-sign-a-federal-abortion-ban-if-given-the-opportunity/
April 9, 2024
Evangelicals won't be bothered by Trump's abortion gambit they know he's lying
Project 2025 makes it clear: The plan is a national abortion ban, even if by executive order
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 9, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) On Monday, with great fanfare, Donald Trump released his "plan" on abortion in a video posted to Truth Social. As with most things Trump says, the short statement was an avalanche of lies. He claims overturning Roe v. Wade was "about will of the people." In reality, strong majorities of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court's actions. He claims "all legal scholars" on "both sides" wanted to repeal Roe, another lie. Most legal scholars, except far-right ones, agree the right to privacy is justified by the Constitution but that such a dramatic reversal of precedent is bad law. He claimed, as he does routinely now, that Democrats want abortion "after birth," a vile lie that has become normalized through brute repetition. But the most consequential deceit is from Trump implying but notably never actually saying he's on the "leave it to the states" bandwagon.
....(snip)....
As sharp observers noticed (which most mainstream media missed), Trump's language here is descriptive of the current state of play and avoids committing to any future action or inaction. Trump is usually sloppy with language, but as Jordan Weissman of Semafor points out, whoever wrote this statement carefully did so to leave the impression Trump is saying he will leave it to the states but in fact, he leaves the door open to signing a national abortion ban.
....(snip)....
But most telling is the muted response on the Christian right. The anti-abortion group SBA List said they were "disappointed," but promised to "work tirelessly" to elect Trump in 2024 and that "he will get there" on a national ban. Alliance Defending Freedom, which argued the Dobbs case before the Supreme Court that ended Roe, completely ignored Trump's statement. Americans United For Life, Family Research Council, the Heritage Foundation, Turning Point USA: All loudmouthed fundamentalist groups, all angrily anti-abortion, and all responded with either silence, or in some cases, eager support to Trump's video. Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America, a longstanding anti-feminist group, seemed confident Trump will stick by the forced childbirth cause.
That's because they all know it's a crock, and Trump will sign any abortion ban a Republican-controlled Congress passes. Moreover, they all know that, if he gets into the White House, Trump will abuse executive powers to create a backdoor ban on most, if not all abortion, by using the defunct-but-never-repealed Comstock Act to legally persecute those who transport drugs or materials that are used in abortions. They know he will do this, because they are all involved in developing the plan to do so, through Project 2025. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/09/evangelicals-wont-be-bothered-by-abortion-gambit--they-know-hes-lying/
Evangelicals won't be bothered by Trump's abortion gambit -- they know he's lying
Evangelicals won't be bothered by Trump's abortion gambit they know he's lying
Project 2025 makes it clear: The plan is a national abortion ban, even if by executive order
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 9, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) On Monday, with great fanfare, Donald Trump released his "plan" on abortion in a video posted to Truth Social. As with most things Trump says, the short statement was an avalanche of lies. He claims overturning Roe v. Wade was "about will of the people." In reality, strong majorities of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court's actions. He claims "all legal scholars" on "both sides" wanted to repeal Roe, another lie. Most legal scholars, except far-right ones, agree the right to privacy is justified by the Constitution but that such a dramatic reversal of precedent is bad law. He claimed, as he does routinely now, that Democrats want abortion "after birth," a vile lie that has become normalized through brute repetition. But the most consequential deceit is from Trump implying but notably never actually saying he's on the "leave it to the states" bandwagon.
....(snip)....
As sharp observers noticed (which most mainstream media missed), Trump's language here is descriptive of the current state of play and avoids committing to any future action or inaction. Trump is usually sloppy with language, but as Jordan Weissman of Semafor points out, whoever wrote this statement carefully did so to leave the impression Trump is saying he will leave it to the states but in fact, he leaves the door open to signing a national abortion ban.
....(snip)....
But most telling is the muted response on the Christian right. The anti-abortion group SBA List said they were "disappointed," but promised to "work tirelessly" to elect Trump in 2024 and that "he will get there" on a national ban. Alliance Defending Freedom, which argued the Dobbs case before the Supreme Court that ended Roe, completely ignored Trump's statement. Americans United For Life, Family Research Council, the Heritage Foundation, Turning Point USA: All loudmouthed fundamentalist groups, all angrily anti-abortion, and all responded with either silence, or in some cases, eager support to Trump's video. Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America, a longstanding anti-feminist group, seemed confident Trump will stick by the forced childbirth cause.
That's because they all know it's a crock, and Trump will sign any abortion ban a Republican-controlled Congress passes. Moreover, they all know that, if he gets into the White House, Trump will abuse executive powers to create a backdoor ban on most, if not all abortion, by using the defunct-but-never-repealed Comstock Act to legally persecute those who transport drugs or materials that are used in abortions. They know he will do this, because they are all involved in developing the plan to do so, through Project 2025. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/09/evangelicals-wont-be-bothered-by-abortion-gambit--they-know-hes-lying/
April 9, 2024
(Slate) On Thursday afternoon, in an important lawsuit seeking to clarify which religious objectors will be taken seriously when they seek legal exemptions, a group of plaintiffs in Indiana scored a notable win: A three-judge panel on the Indiana Court of Appeals agreed to enjoin Indianas near-total abortion ban, as applied against a class of religious plaintiffs who had argued that the ban violates a state law protecting religious freedom. In its unanimous 76-page opinion, authored by Judge Leanna K. Weissmann, the panel determined that a preliminary injunction granted to a group of plaintiffs who had alleged that Indianas abortion law violated their rights under the states Religious Freedom Restoration Act could remain in place. The case now proceeds to trial, or more likely to a direct appeal to the state Supreme Court.
Indiana became one of the first states to enact a near-total abortion ban after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. In September of that year, four state residents of various faiths and a group called Hoosier Jews for Choice claimed that the ban violated the states Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was passed with great fanfare in 2015 under the watchful eye of then-Gov. Mike Pence. The American Civil Liberties Unions plaintiffs contended that the almost total ban violates Jewish law, which provides that a fetus attains the status of a living person only at birth, and religious tenets that give priority to the life and health of the mother over that of the fetus. They also cited the religious teachings of various other faiths that support seeking abortion care under broader circumstances than the ban allows. The plaintiffs contend that their sincere religious beliefs provide grounds for terminating pregnancies in circumstances that are criminalized under Indianas prohibition.
A state trial court judge had sided with the plaintiffs in December of 2022, and the state filed an appeal. Among the states objections, including ripeness and associational standing, they objected to the fact that the members of the plaintiff class did not share identical religious values, and that their abortion objections did not amount to religious views that should be protected under the state RFRA. As we cautioned after Dobbs was decided, at least one amicus brief filed in the case suggested that their proffered religious values were in fact pretextual. In allowing the injunction to stand, at least for now, with a narrowed class of plaintiffs, the Indiana court has signaled that no single religion has a monopoly on faith claims, and that members of dominant religious groups have no basis for casting doubt on the nature of faith claims advanced by others. ....................(more)
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/04/indiana-abortion-ban-religious-exemption-judaism-faith.html
You'll Never Guess Which State Court Just Approved Religious Exemptions From Abortion Bans
(Slate) On Thursday afternoon, in an important lawsuit seeking to clarify which religious objectors will be taken seriously when they seek legal exemptions, a group of plaintiffs in Indiana scored a notable win: A three-judge panel on the Indiana Court of Appeals agreed to enjoin Indianas near-total abortion ban, as applied against a class of religious plaintiffs who had argued that the ban violates a state law protecting religious freedom. In its unanimous 76-page opinion, authored by Judge Leanna K. Weissmann, the panel determined that a preliminary injunction granted to a group of plaintiffs who had alleged that Indianas abortion law violated their rights under the states Religious Freedom Restoration Act could remain in place. The case now proceeds to trial, or more likely to a direct appeal to the state Supreme Court.
Indiana became one of the first states to enact a near-total abortion ban after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. In September of that year, four state residents of various faiths and a group called Hoosier Jews for Choice claimed that the ban violated the states Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was passed with great fanfare in 2015 under the watchful eye of then-Gov. Mike Pence. The American Civil Liberties Unions plaintiffs contended that the almost total ban violates Jewish law, which provides that a fetus attains the status of a living person only at birth, and religious tenets that give priority to the life and health of the mother over that of the fetus. They also cited the religious teachings of various other faiths that support seeking abortion care under broader circumstances than the ban allows. The plaintiffs contend that their sincere religious beliefs provide grounds for terminating pregnancies in circumstances that are criminalized under Indianas prohibition.
A state trial court judge had sided with the plaintiffs in December of 2022, and the state filed an appeal. Among the states objections, including ripeness and associational standing, they objected to the fact that the members of the plaintiff class did not share identical religious values, and that their abortion objections did not amount to religious views that should be protected under the state RFRA. As we cautioned after Dobbs was decided, at least one amicus brief filed in the case suggested that their proffered religious values were in fact pretextual. In allowing the injunction to stand, at least for now, with a narrowed class of plaintiffs, the Indiana court has signaled that no single religion has a monopoly on faith claims, and that members of dominant religious groups have no basis for casting doubt on the nature of faith claims advanced by others. ....................(more)
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/04/indiana-abortion-ban-religious-exemption-judaism-faith.html
April 8, 2024
(Guardian UK) A man in southern Kentucky has admitted in court to faking his own death to avoid paying more than $100,000 in outstanding child support to his ex-wife.
Jesse Kipf, 39, pleaded guilty on 29 March in federal court to computer fraud and identity theft after he accessed Hawaiis death registry system and posed as a doctor from another state in order to create a fake death certificate for himself.
According to a plea agreement filed in court, Kipf filled out a Hawaii death certificate worksheet in early 2023, essentially assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case and certified his own death.
He applied a digital signature for [the physician], providing his name, title, and license number. This resulted in the defendant being registered as deceased in many government databases, the government said. ..................(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/08/kentucky-man-fakes-death-child-support
Kentucky man admits to faking own death to avoid paying child support
(Guardian UK) A man in southern Kentucky has admitted in court to faking his own death to avoid paying more than $100,000 in outstanding child support to his ex-wife.
Jesse Kipf, 39, pleaded guilty on 29 March in federal court to computer fraud and identity theft after he accessed Hawaiis death registry system and posed as a doctor from another state in order to create a fake death certificate for himself.
According to a plea agreement filed in court, Kipf filled out a Hawaii death certificate worksheet in early 2023, essentially assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case and certified his own death.
He applied a digital signature for [the physician], providing his name, title, and license number. This resulted in the defendant being registered as deceased in many government databases, the government said. ..................(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/08/kentucky-man-fakes-death-child-support
April 8, 2024
Men punching random women in NYC: A desperate last gasp of the male rage fueling MAGA
Random NYC attacks are an extreme manifestation of men feeling entitled to women's time and attention
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 8, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Men are punching random women on the streets of New York City. As usual with these kinds of diffuse and chaotic stories, there's much that is unknown, including how often this is happening, how many people are involved, or whether it's at all coordinated. But what we do know is already alarming. CNN reports that dozens of women have discussed being victims on social media, and formally interviewed six of them. NBC News reports there have been at least 3 arrests. CBS News reports that NYPD released images last week of a fourth man wanted for allegedly punching a woman in Union Square. Even reality TV star Bethany Frankel says she's been victimized.
Women report being assaulted by men of different races and ages. Still, across the different stories, a couple of similarities pop out: The alleged victims are mostly young and pretty, and most of them say they were minding their own business when they were attacked. Some were on their phones or reading on tablets. Others were speaking to friends or daydreaming. Whatever they were doing, they were just living their lives, and that, it seems, is what enraged their assailants.
....(snip)....
These stories resonate, as well, because the nation is having a moment of increasingly unhinged male fury at women for daring to have lives that are centered around something other than catering to a man's every whim. Unleashed by Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, there's an upswell of loud male entitlement shouting at us from every corner.
....(snip)....
But there's one big difference between the male tantrum we're experiencing now and the backlashes of old: This time, women aren't really playing along. A few, maybe, especially if they can get a piece of that sweet "tradwife" income. But, in the past, backlashes tended to draw large numbers of women along, or at least convince them to silence their opinions, lest they be labeled a "man-hater." In the more conservative parts of the country in the early 2000s, it manifested as widespread shaming of women for having sex before marriage, from abstinence-only "education" to purity rings. But it wasn't great in more liberal areas, where women put up with hipster sexism to get the prize of being called a "cool girl." .....................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/08/men-punching-random-women-in-nyc-a-desperate-last-gasp-of-the-male-rage-fueling-maga/
Men punching random women in NYC: A desperate last gasp of the male rage fueling MAGA
Men punching random women in NYC: A desperate last gasp of the male rage fueling MAGA
Random NYC attacks are an extreme manifestation of men feeling entitled to women's time and attention
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 8, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Men are punching random women on the streets of New York City. As usual with these kinds of diffuse and chaotic stories, there's much that is unknown, including how often this is happening, how many people are involved, or whether it's at all coordinated. But what we do know is already alarming. CNN reports that dozens of women have discussed being victims on social media, and formally interviewed six of them. NBC News reports there have been at least 3 arrests. CBS News reports that NYPD released images last week of a fourth man wanted for allegedly punching a woman in Union Square. Even reality TV star Bethany Frankel says she's been victimized.
Women report being assaulted by men of different races and ages. Still, across the different stories, a couple of similarities pop out: The alleged victims are mostly young and pretty, and most of them say they were minding their own business when they were attacked. Some were on their phones or reading on tablets. Others were speaking to friends or daydreaming. Whatever they were doing, they were just living their lives, and that, it seems, is what enraged their assailants.
....(snip)....
These stories resonate, as well, because the nation is having a moment of increasingly unhinged male fury at women for daring to have lives that are centered around something other than catering to a man's every whim. Unleashed by Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, there's an upswell of loud male entitlement shouting at us from every corner.
....(snip)....
But there's one big difference between the male tantrum we're experiencing now and the backlashes of old: This time, women aren't really playing along. A few, maybe, especially if they can get a piece of that sweet "tradwife" income. But, in the past, backlashes tended to draw large numbers of women along, or at least convince them to silence their opinions, lest they be labeled a "man-hater." In the more conservative parts of the country in the early 2000s, it manifested as widespread shaming of women for having sex before marriage, from abstinence-only "education" to purity rings. But it wasn't great in more liberal areas, where women put up with hipster sexism to get the prize of being called a "cool girl." .....................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/08/men-punching-random-women-in-nyc-a-desperate-last-gasp-of-the-male-rage-fueling-maga/
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