Politics

A Texas man is suing a California doctor over his girlfriend’s alleged abortion across state lines — the latest in a string of cases meant to test the laws that have helped people get care. By Shefali Luthra for The 19th A new lawsuit filed in Texas could force federal courts to weigh in on the legality of telehealth abortions, which people have increasingly used to terminate their pregnancies since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The case, a civil complaint filed in the federal court for the Southern District of Texas, alleges that a California physician violated state and federal law by mailing abortion pills to a Texas woman seeking to terminate her pregnancy. As the first individual complaint to be filed in federal court, this case has the potential to end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court — the opportunity that abortion opponents have been waiting for. “This is a big deal no matter what happens with this lawsuit,” said Mary Ziegler, an abortion law historian at the University of California, Davis. “We’re back to the same ‘can one state force another state to bend to its will’ question we’ve been at from the beginning.” Related | Texas capital murder case aims to severely punish abortion pill use by treating a fetus as a person The plaintiff, Jerry Rodriguez, is arguing that Dr. Remy Coeytaux sent medication to Rodriguez’s girlfriend for two separate abortions and is responsible in multiple instances for the wrongful death of an “unborn child.” The suit claims that the doctor’s actions are a violation of both Texas state law and an 1873 federal statute called the Comstock Act, which prohibits the mailing of material “intended for producing abortion, or for any indecent or immoral use.” The federal law has not been enforced in decades, but abortion opponents — including Rodriguez’s lawyer, former Texas Solicitor General Jonathan Mitchell — have sought to revive and enforce it. Rodriguez is seeking damages of at least $75,000 and a court order to bar Coeytaux from mailing medications. Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment. Rodriguez argued the suit should be certified as a class action suit on behalf of “all current and future fathers of unborn children in the United States.” The case fits into a larger anti-abortion strategy that relies on finding men willing to sue over abortions done for their partners or ex-partners. The stakes are significant. About a quarter of all abortions involve receiving abortion medication in the mail, and half of those are for people trying to get around bans in their home states, like Rodriguez’s Texas. The telehealth method — which includes virtual care from a health provider — is safe, effective and often substantially cheaper than traveling to another state for an abortion. Medical providers involved in telemedicine abortions practice in states where abortion is legal, relying on an extra level of protection from their own states: shield laws that say their state will not cooperate with efforts to prosecute them over telehealth abortions legal in the place where the health provider practices. There have been various efforts to block telehealth abortions and challenges to these shield laws. The Supreme Court dismissed a case last year that sought to reverse the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to allow mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in medication abortions, to be prescribed and taken through telehealth. Anti-abortion groups are also pressing the Trump administration to leverage the FDA or Department of Justice to restrict when and how mifepristone can be prescribed. So far, the federal government has taken no action, though Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has promised a federal review of the drug . In Texas, anti-abortion lawmakers sought to pass legislation that would empower private citizens to sue anyone who provides telehealth abortions to Texans; the bill failed to pass, though it is expected to be considered in the state’s ongoing special session. Anti-abortion state lawmakers have now turned to individual lawsuits to attempt to shut down the virtual care model. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a civil suit against New York-based physician Dr. Maggie Carpenter. A grand jury in Louisiana also indicted Carpenter, and in May, the state attorney general, Liz Murrill, said her office has opened another investigation into the physician. Related | Everything is terrible on the abortion front, in case you were wondering Those cases, the first to test the strength of states’ shield laws, have so far been unsuccessful in blocking abortion. In February, a Texas judge found Carpenter guilty of breaking the state’s abortion ban and ruled that she must pay $113,000. But since then, the case has been at a standstill. In March, a county clerk in Texas refused to file the Texas-based judgment, citing New York’s shield law. Paxton’s office made the same attempt earlier this month and received another refusal. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has sought to have Carpenter extradited to his state to stand criminal trial. But New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat and supporter of abortion rights, has refused to comply, saying that she ordered state law enforcement not to comply with those out-of-state efforts. Louisiana and Texas attorneys general have not asked a federal court to weigh in on the matter, the next legal step to settling this type of interstate dispute. The new Texas case offers a new avenue for court-imposed restrictions on telehealth abortion. “They’re separate tracks, but I think they’re both strategies to undermine shield statutes for the states like California that define legally protected reproductive health care,” said Rachel Rebouché, dean of the law school at Temple University, who has helped advise states on crafting shield laws. “This is both to test a claim under a wrongful death statute, but it also tests what the federal court does, given that California has a shield statute.” The federal case offers another chance for abortion opponents to force courts to consider the Comstock Act. Depending on how the district

PoliticusUSA is independent, reader-supported news that you can help by becoming a subscriber. Subscribe now Video: CNN’s John Berman asked Rep. Pete Sessions, who is a member of the House Oversight Committee: You just brought up a very important point. There is nothing that indicates any wrongdoing by President Trump or then-citizen Donald Trump. And anything connected to Jeffrey Epstein. And I know you believe that, and we certainly have no reason to believe it and haven’t seen any reporting on it. So if that’s the case, would you support, you know, the Department of Justice? Would you ask the attorney general, just release all the mentions of Donald Trump in the files? If there’s no proof or no suggestion he did anything wrong, why not just release where his name comes up? PoliticusUSA is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Sessions answered and gave away the Republican game, “Well, I hope that this and I’m trying to be forthright. I don’t think this about Donald Trump. I think it is about a group of people who colluded together. We need to know, were they paying Jeffrey Epstein money to do these? Who gave him the loans to buy the islands? Who what did he what was he paid? Where did that money come from? This is child exploitation in a graphically huge way. And the American people and and Republicans want this evidence, even if a name is not associated with the facts of the case to come out so that law enforcement and people who are wives and mothers and grandfathers like myself would understand the game that was played, that they, by and large, got away with at least the facts, the case, if not the names.” The story about Trump not releasing the Epstein files isn’t about Donald Trump. The story is really about Jeffrey Epstein. Rep. Sessions never answered the question of why not release the files if Trump is innocent. The answer is that no one is 100% sure, and given that this is Donald Trump we’re talking about, it’s unlikely that the president is innocent. If Republican thought that the Epstein files contained the names of powerful political opponents, and did not, at a minimum, look terrible for Trump, they would have released them long ago. Republicans are going to be moving the goalposts if Maxwell testifies on August 13 before the House Oversight Committee. Don’t expect any serious questioning from Republicans on the committee, because the whole point will be to make the hearing about everything besides Donald Trump. House Republicans can’t give straight answers to simple questions about Trump and Epstein, which means that Democrats will have a great opportunity to turn the tables on the show that Republicans want to stage to protect Trump. What do you think about Sessions not being able to answer such a basic question? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Leave a comment

Joan Walsh In-home care workers spoke to The Nation about their fears of ICE’s expansion and losing their jobs and healthcare coverage under the GOP’s shameful law. The post “We Make All the Work Possible”: Home Care Workers Speak Out About Coming Medicaid Cuts appeared first on The Nation.

Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo spent Friday carrying water in President Donald Trump’s ongoing attempt to distract the public from the Epstein scandal, blaming the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election for his inability to secure popular performers for events like his inauguration. “You cannot underestimate what it did to a sitting president. The perception that it created around Donald Trump, the perception,” Bartiromo rambled. “That perception made a lot of things happen. People were not going and taking jobs in his first administration. He wasn’t able to get talented and the right people in the right jobs. You remember all those celebrities wouldn’t sing at his, you know, at big event at the inauguration, Hollywood.” YouTube Video The fact that Trump ran what was arguably the most transparently racist campaign in modern history, infamously labeling Mexican immigrants “rapists” and “drug dealers,” was a sizable reason why only fringe acts like Kid Rock and Bible salesman Lee Greenwood were willing to perform on his behalf.  And because his 2024 campaign somehow managed to be even more racist and destructive than the first go-around, most popular musicians actively campaigned against him.  Fox News has a long history of shielding its audience from the catastrophic failures of Trump’s presidency. But ghouls like Bartiromo are facing their most difficult challenge yet: running interference amid the growing fallout from the Epstein files. Trump’s obstinate refusal to fulfill one of his most prominent campaign promises—the release of all materials related to Jeffrey Epstein—has pushed him to double and triple down on baseless and absurd conspiratorial attacks against President Barack Obama. But Bartiromo, like most of MAGAland, seems willing to publicly humiliate herself in service of a flailing meal ticket. 

Donald Trump is set to spend at least $10 million in taxpayer funds to travel to Scotland to promote his golf resort—and residents of the country are already gearing up to protest the unpopular president. Trump is traveling to Aberdeen, Scotland, to promote his course, using the attention generated by the presidency to generate publicity and personal income. HuffPost analyzed the projected expenses for Trump’s trip, based on previous data provided by the General Accounting Office for such presidential travel. The outlet determined that $10 million is a conservative estimate for what Trump is costing taxpayers, and after accounting for inflation the cost could top $12.8 million. Trump, who used to frequently criticize former President Barack Obama for occasionally golfing while president, is obsessed with using his time in office to play the sport. Datawrapper Content According to an analysis of his public schedule, Trump has gone on golf outings for 43 days of the 187 days he has been in office during his current term—meaning that 23% of his presidency has been spent on the golf course. “We’ve reached a point where the Oval Office is an extension of the Trump Organization, and American taxpayers are footing the bill,”Jordan Libowitz of the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington told HuffPost. Not only is Trump’s trip going to cost Americans millions, but he is visiting a country where many don’t welcome him. Scottish officials are expecting multiple groups will be present to protest Trump, including climate action campaigners as Trump has given a green light to polluters, along with trade unionists. Many are members of the “Stop Trump Coalition,” who criticize Trump for undermining reproductive rights and attacking the middle class while promoting racism, nationalism, and authoritarianism. The anti-Trump attitude was reflected by the front page of The National newspaper published on Friday, with a banner headline reading, “Convicted U.S. Felon To Arrive In Scotland.” The paper accurately added that “Republican leader, who was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation, will visit golf courses.” Related | US approval plummets around the world thanks to Trump Support for the United States has significantly dropped since Trump took office. In a June survey published by Pew, 19 of the 24 countries surveyed had a lower opinion of America under Trump that they held under former President Joe Biden. An expensive vanity trip for Trump bookended by corruption and protest is unlikely to do much to improve those numbers.

A cartoon by Brian McFadden. Follow me on Mastodon, Bluesky, Patreon, or at my website. Related | ‘Bribery is still illegal’: Paramount merger reeks of Trump payoff

This confessional was posted to Reddit’s r/centrist community. In it, a Tennessee Democrat explains why he voted for Donald Trump in 2024, despite voting Democratic downballot. I’m sharing it with commentary because it offers a window into Trump’s enduring—and maddening—appeal. ​​I voted for Trump in 2024, it took a lot in me to do it but I did it. I live in Nashville so I voted Trump up top and actually I voted blue all the way down, I am not a huge fan of Tennessee republicans. I find them too extreme, I would consider myself similar to a northeastern republican, or a 90s democrat. I voted the day of, I could’ve early voted but I chose not to because I just couldn’t decide what to do. I didn’t plan to vote for Harris for a variety of reasons that I’ll explain, but it was either Trump or 3rd party. The day of, I chose Trump. First of all, “90s Democrat” is basically code for “not woke.” I’ve written recently about how progressive buzzwords have been an electoral disaster for the left. I watched the debate between Trump and Harris, and just like most people thought, Trump absolutely got his ass beat by Harris. She came off strong, prepared, looked great up there but I just didn’t hear anything new that she was looking to bring to the table that were fresh ideas and she had been the VP for Joe and I wasn’t very happy with Joe Biden’s presidency in all honesty. Didn’t think it was awful, but it wasn’t great either. So Kamala Harris had to bring “something new,” but Trump could recycle his failed first-term talking points? Trump’s always benefited from the bigotry of low expectations—and here it is on full display. Also, Biden wasn’t awful … so bring back the guy whose last presidency was?a When I watched the DNC, I didn’t really see much other than the party turning away from everyday citizens who are looking for a bright future and instead it seemed like DNC was open to big business and corporate donors. I’m all against political parties being bought and paid for so it turned me off to the democrats. This sounds like someone getting their political news from Fox News or Facebook memes. The idea that the DNC is in bed with corporate donors—but the Republican convention wasn’t—is fantasy. For the record, the conventions’ fundraising weren’t that far off, with $95 million for Democrats and $85 million for Republicans. And, yes, Republicans took corporate money. Of course they did. Nutirition is a huge thing for me, I felt RFK joining forces with Trump and talking about getting rid of nitrates, phosphates, corn syrups, seed oils…etc, and trying to reduce the cancer rates and going after corporations who are poisoning our foods everyday. Imagine thinking Trump is going to “go after” corporations—unless they’re run by a liberal or said something mean about him. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr.? He’s a dangerous crank, plain and simple. I felt Trump would calm down the Ukraine/Russia conflict and Trump would use his relationship to Putin to basically say “stop this shit” and create a calmer world for us. Also would work to fix the debt this country is facing, lower inflation, transparency on Epstein files and bring plenty of jobs back to the US. Trump’s greatest power is that his followers believe his lies, dismiss his truths, and when there’s neither, they just make things up. He’s a tabula rasa for projection. This is exhibit A. Here’s where things went south: Epstein files, guy thinks we’re stupid. He campaigns on the Epstein files, realizes he’s on there and now is telling us to stop worrying about it and questioning why we’re still talking about it? Now they’re trying to deflect by talking about Obama. This is embarassing. This guy isn’t MAGA, and to his credit, he says he’s going back to voting Democratic. But he’s right: the Epstein stuff is a genuine vulnerability for Trump. The more he tries to bury it, the more it feeds the narrative that he’s hiding something. Getting rid of the Dept of Education, I know he brought this up during his campaign but I thought he’d be sensible enough to work across the aisle with democrats on this matter but this is insane. He wanted to shut down the Dept of Education with no back up plan other than let the states figure it out. I don’t know if I necessarily trust republicans when it comes to education these days. Trump has never been sensible. He’s never worked with Democrats. Why would anyone think he’d start now? This guy knew what Trump was promising. He doesn’t even trust Republicans on education. And yet  he voted for Trump anyway. I can’t even. “The Big, Beautiful, Bill”, an abhorrently terrible bill that only helps people in the top tax brackets to save money on federal taxes that they don’t need. I make between 51k-100k and I would only save $800 on taxes but the highest tax brackets will save thousands. Why? I could use $5,000 back more than someone who owns a home or two. And the bottom bracket will pay more in taxes. This was by far the worst bill and it benefits the rich and not the working class, young people like myself who voted for Trump. Yes, the GOP passed a tax bill for rich people. This is not a twist ending. This is the brand. Tarrifs: wtf is this guy thinking other countries will pay more, we’re the ones having to foot the cost. This is making things more expensive for us and people up top brag the US has brought in higher amounts of revenue but it’s from our own people, not even other countries. Trump ran on this. He campaigned on it. Again, this guy wasn’t uninformed. So why the shock? Immigration: I’m a traveler, I’ve been to many countries and when you overstay your

A daily roundup of the best stories and cartoons by Daily Kos staff and contributors to keep you in the know. You’ll never believe why Trump claims ‘Obama owes me big’ News flash: Presidential immunity is beneficial only to presidents who are corrupt. Filing taxes is about to get even harder for non-English speakers It’s just another transparent attack on immigrants. Trump won’t rule out pardoning notorious sex offender he partied with His silence speaks volumes. Cartoon: Late night with MAGA The disgust will keep you awake. Sorry, Trump, but Fed Chair Jerome Powell isn’t going anywhere No matter how much the president whines and moans. ‘Bribery is still illegal’: Paramount merger reeks of Trump payoff The message to corporations is clear: Bend the knee or get bent. How an iPhone app became a vital tool in fighting Trump’s ICE goons Let’s hope Apple does the right thing when the app is inevitably targeted. Trump teams wants to rewrite history by axing books on slavery His minions think telling the truth about slavery is “corrosive ideology.” Media keeps caving to Trump, but FCC goon demands even more The Federal Communications Commission chair is pushing for a “course correction.” Click here to see more cartoons.

Jeet Heer The real Man of Steel wasn’t woke, but he was radical. The post The New Deal and the Popular Front Gave Us Superman appeared first on The Nation.

Rudy Gutierrez Calling itself clean. The post Dirty appeared first on The Nation.