Here is this week’s SWAJ Research Links, compiled by SWAJ Team Member Mark Kurth.
National Inquiries
Abortion was a 50/50 issue. Now, it’s Republican quicksand.
Going back to the 1990s, Gallup polling showed Americans divided roughly evenly between those who called themselves “pro-life” and “pro-choice.” Exit polls from the 1990s and 2000s showed voters who said abortion or “moral values” were most important to their vote supported Republican candidates in greater numbers.
Democrats slam Texas abortion ruling as Republicans mostly go quiet
But the political fallout is already coming into focus, with Democrats at every level of government warning that the Trump-appointed Texas judge’s ruling is both gravely unjust and another step by anti-abortion Republicans in their quest to outlaw the procedure nationwide.
Medication abortion case could set up another explosive Supreme Court ruling – but it may not look like last year’s
US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in his Friday ruling put himself in the shoes of agency experts, declaring that they had failed to evaluate sufficiently the harms of the drug mifepristone, the first of a two-drug abortion regimen that has become the most common among women trying to end a pregnancy.
The US Department of Justice, on behalf of the FDA, forcefully rejected Kacsmaryk’s stance in a filing Monday as it seeks to postpone the effect of his ruling beyond this Friday as appeals are underway. If the ruling took effect, the drug could be unavailable nationwide by the end of the week.
The Effort to Suppress the Vote Is Spreading to the Republican Mainstream
What’s clear from the new reporting, and what may have flown somewhat under the radar last week, is that this is no longer just a lobbying effort shored up with big, often untraceable money, coming from players outside the system. What’s no longer hidden is the involvement of lawmakers and their staffs, who say the quiet parts out loud.
Manhattan DA Bragg sues GOP House Judiciary chairman to prevent interference in Trump case
Bragg claims in the suit that Trump, Jordan and other members of his committee “are participating in a campaign of intimidation, retaliation, and obstruction,” with the prosecutor saying that a slew of threats directed at him in recent weeks are being fueled by the lawmakers.
CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST JUDGE STRIKES DOWN FDA-APPROVED ABORTION PILL FOR BRAZENLY IDEOLOGICAL REASONS
Indeed the decision does look a lot like collusion between the judge and the Christian nationalist crusaders who argued before the court.
Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk—who overturned the drug that is, again, safer than aspirin—is a Christian nationalist in a robe that enables him to impose his religion on the entire country. And this is a lifetime appointment.
Republicans facing a reckoning later this week
Inside the party’s headquarters, there has been recognition that Republicans need to change their message on abortion with pollsters arguing for a more moderate tack. And among some committee members, there is a belief that the GOP’s image could be bolstered if it lessened its strident opposition to gun safety measures, especially among a group of voters who are just engaging in national politics.
Lance Wallnau Warns That God Will Soon Start Killing Those Who Are ‘Persecuting’ Trump
Broadcasting live from Israel, Wallnau blamed “the devil” for Trump’s arrest last week on charges of falsifying business records, which prosecutors say he did during the 2016 presidential election to cover up hush money payments made to women with whom he allegedly had extramarital affairs. Wallnau urged his viewers to start engaging in imprecatory prayers to bring a curse upon those are supposedly persecuting Trump, warning that those who “have been standing in the path” of what God intends to accomplish through Trump will soon pay with their lives.
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States Fights
Newsom goes to Florida to meet students from college targeted by DeSantis
The New College of Florida, a small, public institution that describes itself as a community of “freethinkers,” has recently been targeted by the Florida governor, who has said he would like to transform it into something like Hillsdale College, a private, conservative Christian school in Michigan. To that end, DeSantis has installed conservative board members who have voted to dismantle New College’s diversity office and replaced the school’s president with a Republican politician.
Gov. Greg Abbott announces he will push to pardon Daniel Perry after murder conviction
David Wahlberg, a former Travis County criminal court judge, said he cannot think of another example in the state’s history when a governor sought a pardon before a verdict was formally appealed.
“I think it’s outrageously presumptuous for someone to make a judgment about the verdict of 12 unanimous jurors without actually hearing the evidence in person,” Wahlberg said.
No Wisconsin wake-up call: Republicans go full steam ahead on abortion restrictions
Hours after the vote in Wisconsin, Idaho’s Republican governor, Brad Little signed legislation prohibiting traveling with a minor out of state for an abortion without parental consent. That same day, a Democratic lawmaker in North Carolina announced she was switching parties, giving Republicans a veto-proof majority and raising the prospect of further abortion restrictions in the state. And then there’s Florida, where the legislature is soon expected to send a six-week abortion ban to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
April 10, 2023 - One of ousted Tennessee lawmakers heading back to House
Rep. Justin Jones, who was expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives last week over breaking decorum rules in a protest about gun violence, was reinstated Monday.
Florida Republican apologizes after calling transgender people ‘mutants’
A Florida Republican apologized Monday after he called transgender people “demons” and “mutants” during a hearing on a bill that would make it a misdemeanor offense for someone to use a bathroom that doesn’t align with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Oklahoma board rejects first taxpayer-funded religious school in US
Any legal fight could test the scope of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment "establishment clause," which restricts government officials from endorsing any particular religion, or promoting religion over nonreligion.
Church officials have said they hope the case will reach the U.S. Supreme Court, where a 6-3 conservative majority has taken an expansive view of religious rights, including in two rulings since 2020 concerning schools in Maine and Montana.
Missouri House Republicans vote to defund libraries
The Missouri House debated for over eight hours last Tuesday on a budget that is roughly $2 billion less than the one Gov. Mike Parson (R) proposed last January, cutting not only the $4.5 million Parson had slated for libraries, but also costs for diversity initiatives, childcare and pre-kindergarten programs.
Missouri House budget committee leader Rep. Cody Smith (R-Carthage) proposed cutting library aid due to a recent lawsuit filed against the state last February.
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Vocal Locals
A Missouri county won't work with the ATF, claiming the federal agency is ‘unconstitutional’
Six top elected officials in Camden County, Missouri, are refusing to cooperate with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, claiming the agency itself is unconstitutional.
I’m so sad and frustrated to see all these people that should know the real Jesus and should “know better” how to behave . But instead they’re making glaring mistakes just like the Pharisees did. I don’t know how they cannot see how this harms themselves as they judge and condemn other image bearers.