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Mini stories:
- As of the end of the last month, Biden has raised more than DOUBLE what Trump has for his presidential campaign. Biden had about $71 million in cash on hand, while Trump had $33.5, according to FEC filings.
- US Attorney General Merck Garland has announced new charges against Apple, accusing them of forcibly creating a monopoly, especially when it comes to the iPhone. The lawsuit was 88 pages long.
- Missouri law about divorce
According to The Guardian, every divorce petitioner in Missouri is REQUIRED BY LAW to report their pregnancy status. As only people with a WOMB can BE pregnant, this blatantly discriminatory against women. If a woman IS pregnant, the couple is not able to file for divorce. Even in cases of abuse. Arkansas and Texas have similar statutes. These laws are YET ANOTHER example of where the law is ACTIVELY HARMFUL to domestic abuse survivors. WHO does this law HELP? Only abusers.
Experts in the field of domestic abuse have also warned that this type of law can lead to what has been termed “reproductive coercion”… where someone is coaxed into getting pregnant or forcibly or deceptively MADE pregnant, for the sake of control. Examples might be a case of abusers putting holes in condoms or hiding a victims birth control or talking them into sex, just so that they will become pregnant, and because of this law, unable to leave. And this is FAR more common than one would think. According to Connections for Abused Women and Their Children, a non-profit that supports survivors of domestic abuse, QUOTE “one in four American women who seem services at a health clinic report reproductive coercion…” END QUOTE. Abusers are even known to track women’s reproductive cycles in order to optimize their chances at maintaining control of their victim… You have to remember, abuse can be like a full time job for a lot of these predators. They will go to lengths that would seem insane to the average person… And that’s part of what makes people doubt victims.
According to the Missouri department of health and senior services, homicide was the THIRD leading cause of death during pregnancy, in the state of Missouri… And in EVERY. SINGLE. CASE… the perpetrator was a current or former intimate partner. Someone this woman once likely loved and trusted.
Luckily, Missouri has a bill coming up, House Bill 2402, that would give family court judges the leeway to grant divorces in extreme situations, while the woman is pregnant. Matthew Huffman who represents the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, said QUOTE “I don’t believe it is hyperbole when I say this legislation could literally save lives.” END QUOTE.
It’s hard enough to leave an abuser… We don’t need laws making it EASIER to keep women trapped.
+And while we are on the subject of reproductive rights… Donald Trump endorses a FEDERAL abortion ban, after the 15-week mark, WITH exceptions, and calls it a good compromise. Exceptions he has mentioned would include rape, incest, and life threatening emergencies.
- Modified pig kidney
So surgeons in Boston have just successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney, into a human being for the first time. Now, typically, these experimental organs do not last long inside a human… But the patient understands the risks going into the procedure, and doctors learn a ton in the process. But so far, with this particular transplant, the outcome is looking good. The purpose of the kidneys is to remove waste from the body… And that’s exactly what this organ was doing, pretty immediately following the surgery.
According to the American Kidney Fund, approximately 37 million Americans are battling kidney disease, and 808,000 are living with kidney failure. This is also a condition that disproportionately affects the Black community. There are currently over 106,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list, again, according to the American Kidney Fund. So addressing this issue, via organs we can produce, would be literally LIFE SAVING for hundreds of thousands of Americans going forward… incredible. We will definitely keep you guys posted on this patient, and how his transplant progresses.
- Mexican drug cartels have found new victims… Senior citizens
This horrifying trend, is absolutely devastating seniors… They start by calling and offering to buy retirees vacation homes and timeshares. Seems innocuous enough. And a lot of seniors are ready to sell as they get older, in order to leave their family with more cash and less But somewhere along the way, they ask for the senior’s banking information, and that is where they swoop in, and empty their hard-earned retirement accounts. Sometimes they ask for fees and taxes up front as well, saying that is going to the Mexican government, and then they run off with those funds. The amount of retirement funds stolen has now exceeded $288 million, according to the FBI.
Heartbreaking! If you have seniors who own real estate in your life, definitely give them a heads up about this. Better safe than sorry!
- Content warning: this story involves graphic details involving children
- Israel Gaza updates
+Antony Blinken has arrived in Egypt to do more diplomatic work… He is pushing for a temporary ceasefire, maybe through a UN resolution, and already planning for how Gaza could be governed after the war, and how to help find and support the best solution for peace.
+Netanyahu vs. Schumer
So Netanyahu addressed ONLY Senate Republicans in an online speech, following Senator Chuck Schumer’s speech, calling for Israeli elections to replace Netanyahu before further damage is done. Biden called it a quote unquote “good speech,” insinuating that he is also unhappy with Netanyahu as a leader. But Mr. Hawley, one of the Republicans in the meeting with Netanyahu said QUOTE “he was not happy, he made that very clear” END QUOTE, regarding Netanyahu’s mood. So it’s safe to say animosity is growing.
+Aid / starvation
Doctors have gone to the UN to PLEAD for help when it comes to the health and lack of resources in Gaza. They said that the people of Gaza are really at a quote unquote “tipping point” in terms of starvation, and that an invasion of Rafah would be, as these doctors put it, apocalyptic. As a reminder, there are 1.5 MILLION civilians sheltering in Rafah. They went there, because it was one of the southern-most tips of the Gaza Strip, and Israel instructed them to head south to stay safe. There is not only widespread STARVATION, as we have talked about a lot… But also a lack of ESSENTIAL medical supplies. For example… I read a story yesterday from the American doctors who presented at the UN, of a little girl whose face was so severely burned they could see her facial bones. They knew for certain she would die – there was nothing they could do. But they didn’t even have morphine to help her… She died in agony and probably terrified on an ER floor.
Doctors Without Borders is meeting with the Biden Administration this week through today and the Israeli delegates will arrive early next week to also discuss Rafah.
And that, is the News Du Jour!
Today, I wanted to leave you guys with the quote:
“We cannot shame ourselves into change… We can only LOVE ourselves into evolution.”