Imagine thinking a ten-year old rape victim should carry the resulting pregnancy to term

benfell

Gilead

Abortion

Texas thinks an existing federal rule, which it claims should be subject to the rule making process, that requires emergency rooms provide appropriate emergency care[1] “transform[s] every emergency room in the country into a walk-in abortion clinic.”[2] That’s really all you need to know there, but remember it and this story of the Indiana attorney general threatening an abortion doctor’s license, apparently, utterly without any basis whatsoever in fact,[3] whenever any conservative accuses anybody of ‘politicizing’ anything.

Zachary Groz, “Out-of-state patients surge at Allegheny County abortion clinics as bans enacted elsewhere,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 13, 2022, https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2022/07/13/out-of-state-patients-surge-at-allegheny-county-abortion-clinics-supreme-court-dobbs-jackson/stories/202207120095

Megan Messerly and Adam Wren, “National Right to Life official: 10-year-old should have had baby,” Politico, July 14, 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/14/anti-abotion-10-year-old-ohio-00045843

Alice Miranda Ollstein, “Indiana AG eyes criminal prosecution of 10-year-old rape victim’s abortion doc,” Politico, July 14, 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/14/indiana-abortion-rape-ohio-00045899

Katie Shepherd, “Texas sues Biden administration for requiring abortions in medical emergencies,” Washington Post, July 14, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/14/texas-sues-biden-emergency-abortion/

Donald Trump

Coup attempt

The Donald Trump faithful will undoubtedly accuse all these conservatives, who systematically refuted Trump’s ‘stolen’ election claims, of being Republicans In Name Only (RINOs). Many have indeed opposed Trump.[4]

But you know what? I challenge you to find anybody, left, right, or center, who is neutral on Trump. You’re either for him or against him and it’s highly likely you feel strongly about him. Most Republicans have been in denial about the coup attempt since before Trump’s second impeachment;[5] it’s not like they are neutral either.

Even less-than-avid supporters, who say they don’t like Trump’s style, like what he did and they especially echo xenophobic talking points on unauthorized migrants. You don’t even have to probe with these people; the truth is they want him back in office.

But really, all that is beside the point, which is that Trump’s defenders can’t actually refute a systematic analysis finding that Trump’s claims of a ‘stolen’ election are utterly without merit.[6] And of course, ultimately, this report is of far greater value to future historians than in the present day, for we are, these days, all preaching exclusively to our own choirs.

Brian Rokus and Veronica Stracqualursi, “Prominent conservatives issue report rebutting Trump election claims,” CNN, July 14, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/14/politics/conservatives-report-trump-2020-election-claims/index.html

Pittsburgh

Unauthorized violence

Authorities said a passerby called 911 thinking the man, who was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle at the intersection of Vine Street and Fifth Avenue, was overdosing. The passerby administered Narcan.

When police and paramedics arrived, they determined the man had been actually been shot in the side. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.[7]

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Man killed in overnight Hill District shooting,” July 14, 2022, https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2022/07/14/pittsburgh-hill-district-shooting-police-ems-narcan-overdose/stories/202207140093

Infrastructure


Fig. 1. Swinburne Street, from Google Street View, August 2021, fair use. It connects to the Swinburne Bridge, yet another Pittsburgh bridge in poor condition, which they propose to replace with a new bridge with a bike lane. There are no bicycle paths or lanes connecting to the bridge,[8] nor is there room for a bicycle lane on this road or on high-traffic Greenfield Road, a hop, skip, and a jump from the bridge on the other side.

This bridge crosses a narrow canyon. It connects to relatively narrow Greenfield Road with its heavy (and likely to increase) traffic. There are no bike lanes on the roadways connecting to the bridge. But they want to add a bike lane to a new bridge to open “a lot of potential for the future.”[9] Pittsburgh can’t afford to fix its bridges, can’t even afford to maintain them, can’t even afford to fix its roads. The work that’s happening now is largely on a single shot of federal funding[10] that will not likely ever be seen again. But they’re pissing money away on this.

Julia Felton, “Pittsburgh could spend $1.95 million to repair 30th Street Bridge,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 13, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-looks-to-hire-company-for-1-95-million-in-30th-street-bridge-repairs/

Ryan Deto, “First details of Swinburne Bridge replacement project revealed by city,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 14, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/first-details-of-swinburne-bridge-replacement-project-revealed-by-city/

John Fetterman

[John] Fetterman’s campaign has provided little detail about Fetterman’s health since early June, though it acknowledges he has not completely recovered from the stroke [in May 2022] and sometimes struggles to speak smoothly. But they don’t intend to wait for a full recovery and say Fetterman will be on the campaign trail soon.[11]

They really, really, really don’t want to talk about John Fetterman’s health. The information they provide is incomplete. They leave questions unanswered or inadequately answered. And yeah, Mehmet Oz’s campaign has noticed.[12]

Marc Levy, “Fetterman absence raises stakes for Dems in key Senate race,” Erie News Now, July 15, 2022, https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/46878937/fetterman-absence-raises-stakes-for-dems-in-key-senate-race

  1. [1]Katie Shepherd, “Texas sues Biden administration for requiring abortions in medical emergencies,” Washington Post, July 14, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/14/texas-sues-biden-emergency-abortion/↩
  2. [2]Ken Paxton, quoted in Katie Shepherd, “Texas sues Biden administration for requiring abortions in medical emergencies,” Washington Post, July 14, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/14/texas-sues-biden-emergency-abortion/↩
  3. [3]Alice Miranda Ollstein, “Indiana AG eyes criminal prosecution of 10-year-old rape victim’s abortion doc,” Politico, July 14, 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/14/indiana-abortion-rape-ohio-00045899↩
  4. [4]Brian Rokus and Veronica Stracqualursi, “Prominent conservatives issue report rebutting Trump election claims,” CNN, July 14, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/14/politics/conservatives-report-trump-2020-election-claims/index.html↩
  5. [5]Steve Almond, “The GOP’s Final Act In A Long Public Surrender,” WBUR, February 13, 2021, https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2021/02/13/donald-trump-impeachment-insurrection-gop-mcconnell-acquittal-steve-almond; Dan Balz, “All eyes on Republican senators after strong presentation by House managers,” Washington Post, February 12, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/balztake-impeachment-gop-trump/2021/02/11/7b910ee8-6cc0-11eb-9f80-3d7646ce1bc0_story.html; Stephen Collinson, “Trump’s army takes aim at 2022 touting his election lies,” CNN, March 23, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/23/politics/trump-mo-brooks-election-lie/index.html; Andrew Desiderio, Burgess Everett, and Marianne Levine, “Trump on path to acquittal despite stunning evidence,” Politico, February 11, 2021, https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/10/trump-acquittal-despite-stunning-evidence-468540; Deb Erdley, “Toomey censure remains on hold with Pennsylvania Republicans,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, February 27, 2021, https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/toomey-censure-remains-on-hold-with-pennsylvania-republicans/; Burgess Everett and Marianne Levine, “Senate GOP gripped by conviction vote intrigue,” Politico, February 12, 2021, https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/12/republicans-weighting-conviction-trump-impeachment-468862; Jennifer Haberkorn and Evan Halper, “7 Republicans vote guilty, but Senate acquits Trump in attack on Capitol,” Los Angeles Times, February 13, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-02-13/senators-to-continue-questioning-likely-to-vote-on-impeachment-today; Bess Levin, “Trump Has Reportedly Been Telling People He’s Going to Be President Again by August, Which Would Suggest He’s Planning a Coup (Or Has Fully Descended Into Madness),” Vanity Fair, June 1, 2021, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/donald-trump-august-reinstatement; Eric Levitz, “The GOP Got Away With All of It,” New York, November 3, 2021, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/11/virginia-election-glenn-youngkin-win-analysis-trump.html; Brian Rokus and Veronica Stracqualursi, “Prominent conservatives issue report rebutting Trump election claims,” CNN, July 14, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/14/politics/conservatives-report-trump-2020-election-claims/index.html; Greg Sargent, “As the MAGA-land crackup gets worse, a few voices plead for sanity,” Washington Post, August 20, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/20/maga-land-crackup-gets-worse-few-voices-plead-sanity/; Alex Shephard, “Trump’s Republicans Want a Coup,” New Republic, June 1, 2021, https://newrepublic.com/article/162586/michael-flynn-trump-myanmar-coup; David Siders, “‘It’s almost like insanity’: GOP base continues to lash out over Trump’s defeat,” Politico, April 20, 2021, https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/20/trump-georgia-gop-election-fraud-483193↩
  6. [6]Brian Rokus and Veronica Stracqualursi, “Prominent conservatives issue report rebutting Trump election claims,” CNN, July 14, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/14/politics/conservatives-report-trump-2020-election-claims/index.html↩
  7. [7]Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Man killed in overnight Hill District shooting,” July 14, 2022, https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2022/07/14/pittsburgh-hill-district-shooting-police-ems-narcan-overdose/stories/202207140093↩
  8. [8]Ryan Deto, “First details of Swinburne Bridge replacement project revealed by city,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 14, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/first-details-of-swinburne-bridge-replacement-project-revealed-by-city/↩
  9. [9]Ryan Deto, “First details of Swinburne Bridge replacement project revealed by city,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 14, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/first-details-of-swinburne-bridge-replacement-project-revealed-by-city/↩
  10. [10]Ryan Deto, “First details of Swinburne Bridge replacement project revealed by city,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 14, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/first-details-of-swinburne-bridge-replacement-project-revealed-by-city/↩
  11. [11]Marc Levy, “Fetterman absence raises stakes for Dems in key Senate race,” Erie News Now, July 15, 2022, https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/46878937/fetterman-absence-raises-stakes-for-dems-in-key-senate-race↩
  12. [12]Tom Avril and Julia Terruso, “John Fetterman got a defibrillator after his stroke. But doctors say the campaign’s story ‘doesn’t make sense,’” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 26, 2022, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/john-fetterman-stroke-health-pacemaker-defibrillator-afib-20220526.html; Marc Levy, “Fetterman absence raises stakes for Dems in key Senate race,” Erie News Now, July 15, 2022, https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/46878937/fetterman-absence-raises-stakes-for-dems-in-key-senate-race; Dan Merica, “Fetterman’s cardiologist says Democrat, who had stroke, suffers from atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy,” CNN, June 3, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/03/politics/john-fetterman-health/index.html↩

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