Independent News
Gay-Straight Alliance adviser on leave for organizing after-school drag show for high schoolers
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As is the case before every major election, conservatives at all levels of government have a handful of buzzwords they can use to get their voter base riled up. As Daily Kos continues to cover, trans youth using the bathroom and playing sports is one of the biggest ones, as are calls to ban or even burn books that belong to public schools and libraries. What else? Conservatives absolutely lose their minds over drag queens, too, especially when it comes to totally normal, inclusive activities like story hours and library events.
Largely thanks to the anti-LGBTQ+, conspiracy theory-laden Libs of TikTok Twitter account (you can read more in-depth about Libs here), the Hempfield School District in Pennsylvania has issued an apology for an after-school drag event organized by an openly queer teacher for the high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), according to LGBTQ+ outlet them. Far-right and conservative outlets have been covering this event with fervor. The district issued a statement saying they’re going to investigate the event. The district noted an “unnamed” person has been placed on administrative leave per the investigation, and that disciplinary action may be on the table for those involved.
RELATED: Republican who wants to make state book the Bible calls for burning banned books
The district has not released the teacher’s name, but them reports that the GSA adviser is Kelly Tyson, who works as a French teacher at the school. Local outlet FOX 43 identifies English teacher Carla VicidominiIt as the other co-adviser for the GSA. It appears Tyson’s social media has been deactivated, but Libs of TikTok posted an alleged screenshot from her Facebook account.
In the post, Tyson describes her “sheer joy” at organizing such events and shares that it makes her emotional to provide such a space. “I would have loved nothing more than to have. space like they have, an opportunity to attend their own drag show … and to have these beautiful role models to support them,” the post reads in part. Tyson added that it’s the third year she’s organized such an event.
Of course, the Libs account presumably posted this content to be damning, but Tyson sharing about her closeted high school self and the safe space she’s trying to provide for students today is actually quite touching. Unfortunately, according to them, the production company reportedly involved in the event says they’re now receiving death threats.
Why? It seems Harrisburg 100, a conservative local outlet that describes the cast as “erotic dancers,” incorrectly reported that the drag queens were contracted via DePiro’s Divas, a local drag show production company, but a spokesperson for the group told them the performers actually participated in the event individually. Either way, the death threats are still horrifying and unacceptable.
Interestingly, the school district doesn’t seem to be taking the side of the GSA or the teacher involved in organizing the event. A statement from the district says they are “appalled” and don’t “condone” this type of activity in schools. “Neither the dress of the invited guests nor the performance was appropriate in our school setting,” the statement reads in part, adding that there will be a “thorough investigation.” Again, this statement is confusing when compared to the Facebook post allegedly by Tyson, in which it seems this is not the first time such an event has taken place.
Does the amount of conservative backlash have an impact here? It’s definitely possible. Republican state Sen. Ryan Aument, for example, took to Facebook about the event, writing that he was in touch with Superintendent Mike Bromirsi twice on the phone about the show.
According to FOX 53, Aument is now using the incident as leverage to introduce a bill that would require public schools to identify “sexually explicit” content in school curriculums and give parents notice about such content.
“Very specific descriptions and visual depictions of sexual acts,” Aument told the outlet. “That really is the heart of what we’re talking about.” He was not then able to offer a specific definition of “sexually explicit,” but that he felt the drag show would have counted.
The book banning; the lack of access to safe, age-appropriate health care; the bathroom bills; the grooming rhetoric … It’s all related. Everything about being LGBTQ+ is reduced to sexuality, and at that, inappropriate and predatory sexuality. We’re told it’s not about sexuality or gender identity, that it’s about appropriateness, but when people believe being LGBTQ+ is inherently wrong, there’s no way for us to be right unless we stop existing.
Anyway, remember when students in Kentucky dressed in lingerie for a pep rally and gave lap dances to adult staff? Yeah, that happened! And some parents, somehow, didn’t think it was a big deal. Funny how that happens …
If you haven't already, turn that anger over Roe (and all the other GOP crap) into activism
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I am reprising the second half of my March 11 post Emotionally exhausted by the pandemic & our political predicament? Activism can be an antidote:
Under the circumstances, despair can be tempting. Understandably. So what I’m going to suggest as an antidote to the despair and depression and compassion fatigue isn’t meant to apply to everyone. I’m not about to tell anyone I understand their personal situation better than they do. Nor am I offering some quackery claiming activism cures all that ails you. But after nearly 60 years working side by side with activists in the streets, in elections, in prison, and in the media, I firmly believe activism can undermine personal and political malaise. Okay, call it half an antidote. But that’s a start, right?
Let me be clear: I’ve believed since I first became politically involved six decades ago that grassroots education and action “in the streets” are at the core of all reform initiatives and that elections are essential to getting those reforms confirmed. Both are needed. Whether altering police powers, confronting fascists, fighting environmental injustices, or putting rational, diverse people on school boards, it matters. The states are places needing far more activists, in particular state legislatures. So here’s my recommendation to help cope with the never-ending emotional and political baggage of the past two years:
Help build a stronger and more progressive Democratic Party bench by “adopting” and volunteering in the campaign of a state legislative candidate in your or a nearby district.
One thing about the electoral battles for the House of Representatives, the Senate, the presidency, and governorships is they never lack for attention or volunteers or paid campaign staff.
However, state legislatures are a crucial electoral battlefield that gets all too little attention from the media, from the national party, from donors, and from most grassroots activists who focus their attention on those candidates further up the ballot. State legislatures. You know, the bodies that, with a few exceptions, redraw the boundaries of political districts, often with outrageous gerrymanders, and pass laws about drugs, abortion, health care, guns, transportation, energy, law enforcement, environment, education, and a multitude of other matters that affect citizens on a daily basis.
Despite the impact they have, for most people the challengers and incumbents in state legislatures are just downballot names that they may be encountering for the first time and know nothing about. In most states, most activists don’t pay much mind to these actual and would-be legislators. This hurts.
Here’s why: Of the 99 state legislative bodies (Nebraska has a single house), 62 are now in the hands of Republicans, just 36 in the hands of Democrats, with Alaska having a multipartisan power-sharing arrangement. Ballotpedia gives us this detail: “As of March 7, 2022, Republicans controlled 54.40% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 44.29%.” Ouch.
“Neglecting state legislative races pays dividends in bad policy. Right-wingers work diligently at the federal level to turn bad state policies into bad national policies. Some of this could be nipped in the bud. But a host of obstacles stands in the way …”
Happily, even prying loose a couple of hours a week to work the phones for a legislative candidate, canvass a neighborhood, or do whatever else is helpful to a campaign can make a huge difference in the outcome, just as comparatively small amounts of money can. What seems like a drop in the bucket for a congressional candidate can turn the election in a state legislature.
I’ve told this story before, but I’m of an age now when people should expect me to repeat myself.
A few weeks before the 2016 election, I knocked on every door in the small California apartment complex where I then lived, surveying people in 20 of the 24 units. (The others refused to participate.) I asked each person if they were registered to vote, and if so, which party. Then I asked if they knew who their state representative and state senator were.
Not one person did.
I can’t say this electoral ignorance is the case everywhere. It might not even be the case a block away where, instead of renters, most residents own their houses. However, based on my canvassing and supervising canvassing for decades over much broader areas, I suspect that the percentage of voters who can name their legislators is exceedingly low.
And that’s a big problem. It’s partly a product of the death of local newspapers and the shrinking space in surviving newspapers devoted to covering legislative matters, as well as new forms of media failing to pick up where the newspapers dropped the ball. It’s also partly due to Democratic Party failure to promote and fund year-round organizing at the precinct level. Yes, I have said this a few hundred times before: If every precinct were canvassed at least once a year (twice would be better), a lot of educating would go on. A lot more people would know who their state reps and senators are, and whether they’re worth keeping or should be replaced. They would be less willing to skip that line on the ballot. But with some exceptions, we have given up this kind of local organizing. We should restore it.
If you don’t know your state lawmakers and the candidates challenging them, find out. If you’re not happy with your representative and senator, “adopt” one of those challengers to support with your time, organizational skills, and, if you can afford it, your money. If you’re happy with those currently in office, perhaps you can adopt a candidate in a nearby district.
–—
This piece by Ben Wikler is worth reading: Why State Parties Are the First Line of Defense for Democracy.
Michelle Bachmann says she is ‘struggling with COVID’ just months after saying don't get vaccinated
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Remember Michele Bachmann? She is the former Republican member of Congress from Minnesota who asked God about whether or not she should run for Senate, and God said, “No.” Bachmann’s belief that we were in the “End Times” dates back about nine years at this point, so her general prognosticating has never been particularly good. It has been a few years since anybody was forced to care about what Michele Bachmann had to say about anything. But a couple of months ago, Bachmann started doing the rounds, figuring her Bible-y brand of bullshit is back in fashion.
In November, Bachmann proclaimed to Americans that “children have almost a zero-rate of dying from COVID,” and that “just when COVID is really being extinguished” we should not have children vaccinated against the virus that has killed just under 1 million Americans and more than 6 million people worldwide. She followed up that appearance by heading over to Fox News to praise Sarah Palin’s irresponsible appearance at a restaurant—after Palin tested positive for COVID-19.
I’ll give you one guess what happened next.
On Monday, Right Wing Watch posted videos of Bachmann’s November appearance calling for parents to deny their children the COVID-19 vaccination, along with another video from Sunday night’s “prayer call” where she failed to have her video on but was asked to report on “the plandemic” and “the great reset.” If you don’t know what any of those phrases mean, God bless you.
The general idea is that the COVID-19 pandemic is an orchestrated event being managed by deep state officials and other nefarious conspirators to bring about a collapse of the existing world order in order to replace it with a New World Order. I know it doesn’t sound very well-reasoned, but that’s it in a nutshell. It’s QAnon-cum-Christian eschatological nonsense. (There’s another nutshell for you.)
Well, Bachmann did not appear on camera because she “just [was] not suitable for camera.” Why? She’s got the COVID-19—you know, the extinguished plandemic virus that isn’t real, or is sort of real but not really as real as deep state officials would like you to believe.
Live coverage: May 3, 2022 Indiana and Ohio primaries
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After a two-month break, the 2022 primary season has resumed! Polls closed in Ohio at 7:30 PM ET and at 6 PM ET in the portion of Indiana located in the Eastern Time Zone, while the rest of the state followed an hour later.
You can find our guide to the key contests here. We’re liveblogging the results here and also covering the returns closely on Twitter.
Tuesday, May 3, 2022 · 11:36:42 PM +00:00
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Steve Singiser
IN-09: The polls just closed in Ohio, but they’ve been closed for over 90 minutes in most parts of Indiana, and so we are already at our vote threshold (5000 votes in a CD, and obviously more statewide) in southern Indiana’s IN-09, where Trey Hollingsworth is tapping out after three terms. Former state legislator Erin Houchin has a comfortable lead over former Congressman (and, it must be said, perennial candidate) Mike Sodrel (40-24). Army veteran Stu Barnes-Israel is just behind Sodrel at 22 percent of the vote.
'This is going to change lives': San Diego launches program helping detained migrants with legal aid
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The provision of free legal help to detained immigrants in San Diego has kicked off, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The county’s board of supervisors approved the $5 million pilot program last year. Advocates hope it can provide urgent relief to immigrants detained in harmful conditions in the area.
“Everyone in this nation—everyone — has the right to a fair day in court,” Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said in the report. “This is going to change lives.” One main reason is because unlike in criminal court, people facing immigration court aren’t guaranteed legal help if they can’t afford it.
While a number of U.S. cities have created legal funds to assist immigrants, “San Diego would be the first southern border county in the United States to provide legal representation for those in federal immigration custody who are facing removal proceedings,” the Associated Press reported last year. Under the Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program, the San Diego County Public Defender Office is working with the American Bar Association Immigration Justice Project, Jewish Family Service, and the Southern California Immigration Project to provide legal services.
The pilot program stands to have its greatest impact at the CoreCivic-operated Otay Mesa Detention Facility, where advocates say immigrants have faced prolonged detentions in harmful conditions for as long as a year. The private prison is where the first immigrant to die of COVID-19 was held. Since then, it’s failed numerous unannounced inspections. Meanwhile, other detained people have faced extraordinarily high bonds, up to $50,000, that make their release impossible.
“If one of the program’s clients is released from detention, that person will remain a client for the duration of the case unless they move away from San Diego,” The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. “The program does not disqualify potential clients based on criminal history.” Roughly a dozen people are being represented at the moment, the report said.
That immigrants will be able to continue to access legal help should they stay in the area will be hugely impactful. When immigrants have a legal representative in their corner, they’re more likely to be released from detention and be able to stay in the U.S. American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties Executive Director Norma Chávez-Peterson told The San Diego Union-Tribune that the Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program “makes our nation’s immigration system just a little bit more just and more humane,” though “we still have a long way to go.”
The Biden administration last fall announced policy to provide legal help to vulnerable asylum-seeking children in a number of U.S. cities. Unaccompanied children have had to appear in immigration court alone, a horrific feature of our immigration system that has been going on for years but gained greater attention during the previous administration’s family separation crisis. Legal service providers have worked to represent some asylum-seeking kids in U.S. custody, but it’s nowhere close to the universal representation that’s needed.
“We applaud the Biden admin for its new initiative, Counsel for Children,” tweeted Kids In Need of Defense following the president’s policy announcement. “It is the right step in providing fairness and assistance to unaccompanied children, so they aren’t forced to navigate our complex immigration system alone.”
‘Shout Your Abortion’ trends on Twitter again after leaked SCOTUS draft opinion on Roe v. Wade
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People have flooded social media in outrage in the hours after Politico published a leaked draft opinion indicating on Tuesday the Supreme Court’s intention to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision protecting abortion rights. Woman after woman, activist after activist, person after person shared their stories of what led them to have an abortion. They used the hashtag “shout your abortion.”
In a sentence: Their stories are powerful.
RELATED STORY: Shocking SCOTUS leak shows abortion rights overturned under draft opinion from Justice Alito
Writer and editor Brooke Brannon tweeted: “I had an abortion when I was 28, unmarried, and not ready to have a child. I did not regret it then and do not regret it now. #shoutyourabortion”
While many are sharing their stories in an attempt to remove the shame and stigma attached to getting an abortion, others chose to share their stories anonymously via a platform dubbed Shout Your Abortion. The organization, a nonprofit, has the mission of “working to normalize abortion through art, media, and community events all over the country.”
Amelia Bonow founded the organization with social justice activist Lindy West after Republicans tried to defund Planned Parenthood in 2015. Bonow wrote in an Oprah.com essay that she shared her abortion story on Facebook then. “On September 19, 2015, I blew up my life,” Bonow wrote. “Not intentionally—I was in Seattle, looking forward to finishing a master’s program in mental health counseling. In fact, I was supposed to be writing a paper when I found out that the House of Representatives had voted to defund Planned Parenthood.”
RELATED STORY: Leaked draft opinion shows Supreme Court striking down 50 years of precedent on abortion rights
Bonow continued:
I kind of unraveled, sitting on my couch crying, wondering, Who’s standing up for the clinic workers? And for women who have abortions? I opened Facebook and, without thinking, wrote, “Like a year ago, I had an abortion at Planned Parenthood…and I remember this experience with a nearly inexpressible level of gratitude.” I hit Post 153 words later, and everything changed.
She said after posting on Facebook, people responded with their own abortion stories, and aided by a screenshot from West, Bonow’s post went viral.
“Over the next couple of days, tens of thousands of women flooded social media to talk about their abortions. And I received abuse and threats; one site released my home address,” Bonow wrote. “I was inundated by media requests and had some tough conversations— my conservative 93-year-old grandmother wasn’t thrilled to hear Glenn Beck talking about me on his radio show.
“But after we discussed it for an hour on the phone, even she said she was proud of me.”
If you would like to share your story about abortion, please feel free to do so in the comments.
Donate here to support those who may be seeking an abortion.
Reproductive rights protests erupt nationwide in wake of leaked SCOTUS opinion
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Protests began Monday night in the wake of Politico publishing a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion from Justice Samuel Alito that would essentially overturn Roe v. Wade and bodes terribly for reproductive rights. With Alito’s lengthy opinion threatening a host of rights, including marriage equality, people have taken to the streets to fight against such a damaging potential ruling. Demonstrations in front of the Supreme Court saw hundreds of people coming together in a show of solidarity. Shortly after, protests were planned across the country. Multiple demonstrations will take place in New York, with Amazon Labor Union organizer Christian Smalls among countless others tweeting times and locations for events. Smalls’ tweet shows how intrinsically linked reproductive rights are to labor rights, as workers have been battling for decades for equality in health care and access to necessary services like abortions.
Countless unions have voiced their support of preserving Roe, as have activists in other organizing spaces. It only makes sense that their calls for reproductive justice would include taking to the streets on Tuesday. In Michigan, where abortion restrictions preceding Roe were never eliminated, Planned Parenthood is asking folks to take to the state capitol Tuesday evening. Organizers with the Women’s March have urged people across the country to demonstrate in front of courthouses, federal buildings, town halls, and squares. And groups like the Party for Socialism and Liberation also have protests planned around the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.
More and more scenes from protests are popping up on social media, with demonstrators gathering in Georgia, Nebraska, Missouri, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Demonstrators in Florida are rightfully targeting Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is not only aggressively anti-abortion but has made a concerted effort to enact laws that target reproductive health care access for pregnant people and the LGBTQ community.
My state is showing out, y’all! Reproductive rights are especially essential for communities in Louisiana, which is one of 13 states that have trigger laws on the books that would automatically ban abortions were Roe to be reversed. Louisiana also faces some of the most severe weather threats due to climate change, which further threatens access to reproductive health care. As I wrote earlier, reproductive justice is an essential component of seeking environmental justice.
Hundreds took to Kerry Park in Seattle to protest Alito’s draft opinion and the potential elimination of Roe v. Wade. Though the state of Washington has relatively progressive laws protecting the right to choose, many who live there have had to travel more than 25 miles for abortion access — a particularly barrier for more vulnerable communities.
We Testify provided space outside the Supreme Court for those who’ve had an abortion to share their stories. The organization has done powerful work to center reproductive health care in its fight for equality while also supporting the LGBTQ community.
New Yorkers are out in full force to protest Alito’s draft opinion and advocate for reproductive rights. Multiple demonstrations are taking place across New York City, including at Barclays Center and Foley Square.
So far, the amount of pro-choice demonstrators have far exceeded the amount of counter-protesters near the Supreme Court.
A crowd has gathered in Portland, Maine in front of the U.S. District court. Planned Parenthood shared a tweet of the scene:
Demonstrations are taking shape in the nation’s capital, with Politico’s Nicholas Wu noting the presence of dump trucks meant to “block 1st St. and the SCOTUS protests.” Additional on-the-ground footage shows the steps to the Supreme Court completely blocked off.
I’ll be following the protests as they unfold throughout the evening so please comment if you’re attending any actions in your community. And sign the petition urging Congress to codify Roe v. Wade.
Cartoon: Leak
If SCOTUS kills Roe, many states are poised to swiftly enforce abortion bans, sweeping restrictions
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Abortion is still legal in the United States. The recently-leaked draft Supreme Court opinion does not yet change that. But should the high court opt to ignore the bodily autonomy of people who can become pregnant everywhere in America and overturn Roe v. Wade—a nearly 50-year-old federal law—that decision could spark dire consequences and likely at neck-breaking speed.
In mid-April, the Guttmacher Institute updated its 2021 analysis on states that are “certain or likely” to ban abortion without Roe in place. It found that 22 states had laws on the books or constitutional amendments ready to usher in the bans.
Disturbingly, of those 22 states, 13 have existing “trigger” laws that are meant to go into effect if Roe falls. A breakdown of those states is provided below—but it is critical to note that these are states with existing trigger bans on the books.
States like Florida, Indiana, Montana, or Nebraska might not have trigger laws yet, but they are considered regions teetering on abortion access as-is. Other states, like Alabama, South Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, and Georgia have already attempted to strike down access to abortion in the courts. Guttmacher expects those efforts will resume if the high court abandons Roe.
Fifty-three Democratic state party organizations responded to the leak with a statement Tuesday, noting that the “shockwaves” of former President Donald Trump’s presidency—and his impact on the judiciary—are “neither gone nor forgotten.”
But that shouldn’t serve as a deterrent, they argue:
“Many of us live in states where abortion access has been overturned or torn apart by extremist Republicans who have no business interfering in personal health decisions. Abortion bans are not favored by a majority of Americans, and they never will be. They are, however, supported by an extremist group of right wing primary voters and donors—and that’s why the GOP continues to fight to restrict abortion access nationally and in our legislatures.
“In the wake of this decision, the Supreme Court’s anticipated opinion will signal a return of power to the elected representatives of each state and territory. Therefore, it is important now, more than ever, that we protect and exercise those rights that remain intact—our First Amendment rights to associate and to vote representatives into office who will stand firm and protect their constituents from the threats and whims of conservatives.
“Across America, our State Democratic Parties will work tirelessly to recruit, train, and support Democratic candidates for state and federal office who will fight for the right to abortion. We encourage our federal legislators to codify Roe immediately. We cannot and will not wait.”
Related story: From contraception to LGBTQ rights—Alito’s draft opinion on Roe opens the floodgates
The following states each have a trigger ban in place. Many on this list also already have other prohibitions in place—think a six-week or eight-week abortion ban or a “near-total” ban:
- Arkansas
- Idaho
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Wyoming
Arkansas
In Arkansas, it is currently illegal to get an abortion if you are more than 30 weeks pregnant. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson took that a step further in 2019 when he approved a trigger law proposing to automatically ban abortion in the state if Roe was overturned.
Some medical emergencies are allowed as an exception, for now.
Arkansas abortion providers face up to 10 years in prison if caught breaking the law and could also be forced to pay a fine of up to $100,000.
A federal judge last July blocked an attempt by the state to enforce a “near-total” abortion ban there, meaning that regardless of nearly all circumstances, a person would be unable to obtain an abortion.
Idaho
in Idaho, state legislators and Governor Brad Little have a trigger law in place that would make it a felony for health care providers to perform an abortion if “fetal cardiac activity” is detected. The trigger law recommends up to five years in prison for violators.
Another law in Idaho that passed this spring bans abortion at roughly six weeks—or just when fetal cardiac activity, i.e. a heartbeat, can first be detected. At this early stage, a pregnancy is often still unnoticed by the pregnant individual.
And if there are family members of the pregnant person who wish to sue the abortion provider, they could do that under the bill until just recently.
The law was momentarily stopped by the Idaho Supreme Court on April 8.
Kentucky
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s home state passed legislation this March that bans abortion after 15 weeks if Roe is overturned and only makes exceptions in cases where the pregnancy could be complicated and abortion is required to stop serious or fatal injury to the mother. There are zero exceptions for rape or incest.
Louisiana
For more than a decade, anti-abortion activists have prepared the way for this moment and in 2006, first passed a trigger law to flatly ban abortions once Roe is overturned. There would be no exceptions for rape or incest once the trigger law is implemented.
In 2019, legislators approved legislation that would stop abortions once cardiac activity was detected, mirroring other red states that lurched even further right on abortion of late.
According to New Orleans Public Radio, the existing trigger law in the books in Louisiana also promises to close the state’s three remaining abortion clinics. According to Guttmacher, of every state in the nation, those pregnant in Louisiana must travel the most distance to get to a state that would allow them to have a safe, legal abortion.
Mississippi
Mississippi is at the center of Monday’s leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court. Should Roe be overturned, existing trigger laws there would make it so that abortions can be stopped locally within just 10 days.
In 2018, Mississippi passed a law barring abortions at 15 weeks except in the case of severe medical emergencies or fetal abnormalities. The leaked opinion penned by Justice Samuel Alito aligns itself completely with Mississippi and the rights of states to make that determination, not the individuals who are pregnant.
A final decision has not yet been issued but is expected before the end of June.
Missouri
If Roe is overturned, the state’s “Right to Life of the Unborn Child Act” would go into effect with speed. The law, once enacted, makes it a felony to perform an abortion unless there is a medical emergency.
In 2019, the state passed a law that barred abortions after eight weeks, but that is currently under legal review. With the end of Roe, however, the eight-week ban would become enforceable.
In neighboring Kansas, it is important to point that out Republican legislators there have already introduced an anti-abortion amendment to its state constitution that would overturn a Kansas Supreme Court decision that found access to an abortion is a “fundamental” right.
North Dakota
The anti-abortion stranglehold in North Dakota has been flourishing for years. In 2007, the state passed a trigger law that plans to make abortion illegal within 30 days of Roe being struck down.
It provides exceptions for mothers whose lives would be imperiled and those pregnant people who perform an abortion on themselves. Cases of rape and incest are also an exception to the state’s trigger law.
Violators could face up to five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
Oklahoma
For those who become pregnant in Oklahoma, legal abortions are only available in order to save the life of the person giving birth.
There is a “near-total” ban on abortion in the state.
Last month, the Oklahoma Senate passed legislation that barred abortions after six weeks while simultaneously asking the private citizenry to report those individuals they think are providing abortions to pregnant people.
Republican Governor Kevin Stitt also signed a bill into law recently that gives $10,000 as a reward to the person who helped land the successful conviction of an abortion provider.
Last month, state lawmakers also passed legislation that revised language in the trigger law. The revision made it so that Oklahoma could kill access to abortions whether the Supreme Court overrules Roe “in whole or in part.”
South Dakota
Like its neighbor to the north, an abortion trigger law has been in place for more than a decade in South Dakota.
The trigger law would make it a felony to administer or prescribe any “medicine, drug, or substance” or tools used to have an abortion. There is only an exception when trying to preserve the life of the “pregnant female,” the law states.
If enacted through Roe’s reversal, abortion providers could be sentenced to up to two years in prison and face a fine of up to $4,000 or both.
Vocal anti-abortion advocate and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said Monday she would hold a “special session” to protect the “right to life” if Roe is in fact overturned later this summer.
Speaking to her haste, under South Dakota’s trigger law, once Roe is declared dead, the new, stricter prohibitions would automatically go into effect.
Tennessee
People seeking an abortion in Tennessee would have just 30 days after Roe is overturned before the state plans to implement its trigger law. Legislators there made all abortions illegal except when the health care would stop the death of the person giving birth.
Tennessee passed the “Human Life Protection Act” in 2019. If Roe was reversed, doctors could face a felony charge for performing an abortion. The person receiving the abortion, however, would be exempt from prosecution.
Texas
Texas has some of the most medieval restrictions and penalties on its books when it comes to abortion access.
The Texas trigger law was passed in June 2021 and makes abortions illegal unless the person giving birth faces serious injury or could die. It would be enforceable 30 days after Roe is overturned and would also make it a felony for health care providers to provide abortions.
Violators of the Texas trigger law could face life in prison and fines of up to $100,000 if convicted.
Last month, prosecutors dropped murder charges against Lizelle Herrera of Texas after she miscarried and attempted a self-induced abortion. Staff at a Texas hospital reported her after she made the private health disclosure. Prosecutors ultimately conceded Herrera did not commit a crime.
Utah
This month two years ago, Utah passed a trigger law that would ban abortions in the state if and when Roe is overturned. Exceptions are made for individuals who are raped or are subject to incest. Pregnant people who might die due to complications from the pregnancy are also excepted. There can also be an exception if the pregnant person has two doctors who state that there are lethal birth defects.
Abortion providers in Utah could face felony charges with the trigger law’s implementation and conservative legislators in the state are already pushing to introduce another new amendment that would strike exceptions, including those exceptions made to preserve the life of the mother and in cases of rape or incest.
Wyoming
In March, the state’s governor Mark Gordon signed a trigger law that would ban abortions within five days of Roe being struck down by the Supreme Court. There are exceptions in place for rape and incest and severe injury.
Trump has no idea who is actually in Ohio's primary, but we do. Here's what to watch on Tuesday
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After a two-month break, the 2022 primary season picks back up Tuesday in Ohio and Indiana, and we have plenty to watch. The main event is Ohio’s massively expensive Republican primary for the state’s open Senate seat, where venture capitalist J.D. Vance is hoping that a late endorsement from Donald Trump will put him over the top (even if Trump himself hasn’t bothered to remember Vance’s name), but it’s far from the only primary on tap.
Below you’ll find our guide to the key primaries to watch in both states. When it’s available, we’ll tell you about any reliable polling that exists for each race, but if we don’t mention any numbers, it means no recent surveys have been made public. And of course, because this is a redistricting year, both states on the docket have brand-new congressional maps. To help you follow along, you can find interactive maps from Dave’s Redistricting App for both Indiana and Ohio.
Polls close at 6 PM ET in the portion of Indiana located in the Eastern Time Zone, while the rest of the state follows an hour later. Voting concludes in Ohio at 7:30 PM ET, and our live coverage will begin then at Daily Kos Elections. You can also follow us on Twitter for blow-by-blow updates, and you’ll want to bookmark our primary calendar, which includes the dates for primaries in all 50 states.
● OH-Sen (R & D) (53-45 Trump): Republican Sen. Rob Portman’s retirement set off a crowded and extremely expensive GOP primary that features five serious contenders, though only one earned Donald Trump’s coveted endorsement in the final weeks of the contest. That candidate is venture capitalist J.D. Vance, the Hillbilly Elegy author and one-time vociferous Trump critic who has reinvented himself as a MAGA diehard. (Trump excused his old disloyalty at a recent rally, saying that while Vance “said some bad shit about me,” each of his rivals “did also.”) A super PAC largely funded by conservative megadonor Peter Thiel has also spent heavily to support Vance and has run ads touting Trump’s seal of approval.
The other hopefuls and their allies, though, are still hoping that voters won’t be so forgiving of Vance’s past impieties. Former state Treasurer Josh Mandel, who lost the 2012 Senate race to Democrat Sherrod Brown, and his backers at the Club for Growth have continued airing ads highlighting Vance’s old anti-Trump comments. Wealthy businessman Mike Gibbons, who took second in the 2018 Senate primary, has also spent heavily on his own commercials, though he’s continued to focus on bashing Mandel.
Another candidate to watch is Portman’s choice, former State Party Chair Jane Timken, though her decision to stop airing ads on broadcast TV late in the race is an ominous sign for her chances. Finally, there’s state Sen. Matt Dolan, who co-owns Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team. Dolan, who is the one major candidate to condemn the Big Lie, has used his personal resources to run commercials touting himself as a more traditional conservative. Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly attacked him for changing his team’s name to the Guardians last year, a decision the state senator says he wasn’t involved in.
We’ve seen a few polls since Vance won Trump’s endorsement, and they indicate he still doesn’t have the nod locked up. A Fox News survey found Vance leading Mandel by a small 23-18 margin, though Vance’s super PAC allies see him defeating the former treasurer 31-19. The Democratic firm Blueprint Polling, meanwhile, shows Dolan edging out Vance 18-17, with Gibbons and Mandel at 13% and 12%, respectively.
Things are far less chaotic on the Democratic side, where Rep. Tim Ryan enjoys a huge financial edge over Morgan Harper, a former adviser to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Joyce Beatty for renomination in 2020, as well as two little-known candidates.
The previews that follow are ordered by poll closing times and then race, with statewide contests first.
● IN-01 (R) (53-45 Biden): Seven Republicans are competing to take on freshman Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan in this constituency in the northwestern corner of the state that changed minimally in redistricting, though the only two who have spent serious sums are former LaPorte Mayor Blair Milo and Air Force veteran Jennifer-Ruth Green. Milo, who went on to serve in Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration, entered the primary as the frontrunner, but Green has aired ads arguing that the former mayor is a “Never Trump liberal” who refused to back Trump in 2016.
● IN-09 (R) (63-35 Trump): Nine Republicans are running to succeed GOP Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, who unexpectedly announced in January that he would retire after just three terms, in this south-central Indiana seat that shifted eastward but remains a conservative bastion. Of the four most notable contenders, perhaps the most familiar name is former Rep. Mike Sodrel, who lost his bid for a second term in a far-more competitive version of the 9th in 2006 and waged failed campaigns to reclaim it over the following two cycles. Sodrel has mostly been self-funding his latest comeback bid, which has allowed him to outspend his many rivals.
Former state Sen. Erin Houchin, who took second to Hollingsworth in 2016, is also trying again, and she’s benefited from almost $500,000 in aid from the cryptocurrency-aligned PAC American Dream Federal Action. Another name to watch is Army veteran Stu Barnes-Israel, who has also received over $900,000 in support from a group called Hoosier Values. (This post has been updated to reflect that PAC’s spending.) Rounding out the field is state Rep. J. Michael Davisson, who was appointed to the legislature last fall to succeed his late father, but he’s spent almost nothing.
● OH-Gov (R & D) (53-45 Trump): Republican Gov. Mike DeWine faces three intra-party foes, with former Rep. Jim Renacci looking like the most serious of the bunch—but that might be giving the ex-congressman too much credit. Renacci, who lost the 2018 Senate race to Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown, has spent his time trashing DeWine’s handling of the pandemic, and he’s used his personal resources to self-fund most of his race. (“Why waste time trying to raise money when you’re running against an incumbent?” the former congressman recently mused.) However, DeWine and his allies have still enjoyed a massive financial edge.
The contest also includes farmer Joe Blystone and former state Rep. Ron Hood, who badly lost last year’s special election primary for the 15th Congressional District, and a recent poll indicates that they’re costing Renacci some vital anti-incumbent votes. A Fox News survey released in the final week of the primary gave DeWine a 43-24 advantage over the former congressman, with Blystone at 19%.
The Democratic primary is a duel between two former mayors who each left office at the start of the year: Cincinnati’s John Cranley and Dayton’s Nan Whaley. Cranley has enjoyed a modest spending edge, while Whaley has the support of Brown, who is Ohio’s most prominent Democrat. Cranley went negative about two weeks ahead of Election Day with an attention-grabbing ad in which he compared the performance of Cincinnati with Dayton’s during the two ex-mayors’ time in office.
● OH-09 (R) (51-48 Trump): GOP mapmakers sought to weaken 20-term Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who has served in the House longer than any woman in history, by gerrymandering her Toledo-area seat, which under the old lines voted 59-40 for Biden. Two Republican state legislators are now running to take her on. State Sen. Theresa Gavarone enjoys the support of 5th District Rep. Bob Latta, who currently represents just over half the new 9th. State Rep. Craig Riedel, meanwhile, is backed by the infamous Jim Jordan, and he’s run ads pledging to join Jordan’s Freedom Caucus.
Riedel has dominated the airwaves, with AdImpact reporting that he’d outspent Gavarone $290,000 to $43,000 on commercials going into the final week. J.R. Majewski, a conservative activist who has links to the QAnon conspiracy cult, has also generated some attention, but he has significantly fewer resources than either of his two rivals.
● OH-11 (D) (78-21 Biden): Rep. Shontel Brown faces a Democratic primary rematch against former state Sen. Nina Turner, a prominent Bernie Sanders supporter whom she defeated in last year’s special election in a 50-45 upset. Turner is hoping that she’ll gain ground now that the district has been redrawn to include all of her old base in Cleveland, but this time, she’s at a huge financial disadvantage as she goes up against the incumbent. Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, AIPAC, and the crypto industry-aligned Protect Our Future PAC have been airing ads in support of Brown, while Turner hasn’t benefited from any major outside spending. The congresswoman also earned an endorsement on Friday from President Biden.
● OH-13 (R) (51-48 Biden): This seat in the southern suburbs of Akron and Cleveland, which is a radically reconfigured mashup of five old districts, is open thanks to some unusual circumstances: Two incumbents might’ve sought reelection here, but one, Democrat Tim Ryan, is running for Senate while another, Republican Anthony Gonzalez, opted to retire after voting to impeach Trump.
That’s left us with a seven-way GOP primary, though Trump-endorsed attorney Madison Gesiotto Gilbert has decisively outspent her intraparty rivals. The field also includes former congressional aide Shay Hawkins, who lost a close 2020 race for the state House and whom The New York Times says is the one contender to air any TV ads. The winner will take on state Rep. Emilia Sykes, who faces no opposition in the Democratic primary.
Tuesday will be an exciting night, so we hope you’ll join us for our liveblog at Daily Kos Elections!