The day everything changed

The Day Everything Changed [View this email in your browser]( Your daily update from [Salon](. Written by [Sophia Tesfaye](. Shadowy SCOTUS makes surprise strike against abortion Did the Supreme Court just quietly overturn of Roe v. Wade under the cover of night? As alarmist as that may sound, it indeed looks like it may be the case. [As Salon's Igor Derysh explained last week]( the court has increasingly relied on the “shadow docket,” which is “where the justices hand down largely unsigned short opinions without going through standard hearings, deliberations, and transparency.” In the past, “[s]uch cases had been mostly limited to uncontroversial petitions or rare emergencies,” but lately, the far-right court has been using them to keep unpopular opinions out of the spotlight. Now the court has gone a step further in abusing the shadow docket, not even bothering to issue an opinion on a lower court ruling to uphold a Texas law banning abortion after 6 weeks, [which amounts to a total ban on abortion](. Not issuing any opinion is in itself a decision, as it lets the law go into effect without any Supreme Court analysis. Worse, the law deputizes private citizens, instead of the cops, to be the enforcers. Now any jealous ex, disapproving mother-in-law, or nosy neighbor can sue anyone, including doctors, who “helps” a woman abort a pregnancy. In Texas, you now not only have a “right” to spread COVID-19 to whoever you want but also any random person can declare rights over a woman’s body — and treat that woman’s friends or doctor as if they are trespassers on “his” property. [Amanda Marcotte]( will have more on the implications of this shadow docket decision this afternoon at Salon. Speaking of Texas ... GOP wins war on voting After a 38-day walkout by Texas Democrats, two special legislative sessions and nationwide criticism, [Republicans in the Texas legislature finally passed sweeping legislation that drastically restricts voting rights and access]( in the Lone Star state. When Democrats absconded to D.C. to press Congress earlier this summer to advance federal voting rights legislation they garnered national attention. But their fight was always futile, as Democrats are outnumbered in the Texas legislature — and seemingly dragging their feet in the U.S. Senate. The [bill]( which Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said he would sign, would increase protections and access for partisan poll watchers, raising fears about possible voter intimidation. The bill would also ban drive-through voting and 24-hour voting, which appears directly aimed at expanded ballot access in Harris County that officials testified were particularly popular with voters of color. The legislation would also add an hour per day of early voting but would restrict early voting hours and ban local election officials from sending mail-in ballot applications without a request. - Texas' draconian bill wasn't enough for extremists — now, [they're coming for abortion pills]( too - Fueled by attacks against Black people, [hate crime reports in 2020 surged to the highest level in 12 years]( - Candace Owens reportedly hit with "sudden illness" but claims it's not COVID: “[I’m still proudly unvaccinated and unmasked]( - Lauren Boebert’s husband did jail time for "lewd exposure" in a bowling alley. [She was there]( - Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has been an ardent propagator of Donald Trump's Big Lie — but he was just [caught on tape admitting Wisconsin's election results were not "skewed." Now MAGAworld is lashing out](. - Republicans are plotting to impeach President Biden if they win the midterms. They claim it is about [accountability for Afghanistan —but it is actually an attempt to mock accountability]( - Viewers of a certain vintage may come to see Steve Martin and Martin Short, but Selena Gomez makes Hulu's "[Only Murders in the Building]( sing - Kanye West's pompous, unapologetic collaboration with Marilyn Manson and DaBaby was anything but coincidental. More on [the smug cruelty of the anti-”cancel culture” movement]( - The graveyard of empires strikes back: The Afghan people will feel the wrath of a wounded empire — but the [endgame for the U.S. may be uglier still]( Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up]( to receive Crash Course. End of an era: Why Salon is shutting down the comment section Salon is closing comments for good. As [longtime senior writer Mary Elizabeth Williams explains]( the online media conversation appears vastly different than it did even just a year ago, and enormously different than the last time Salon changed our commenting platform in 2018. "Conversations are mostly happening in different ways now, and it makes sense for us to adjust." So on Friday, September 3, we will be eliminating the comments section. You can still find us — and join the discussions — on: - [Facebook]( - [Twitter]( - [Instagram]( - [YouTube]( - [Pinterest]( - [LinkedIn]( . . . and even [TikTok]( - "[Revealed: how California police chased a nonexistent ‘antifa bus]( Guardian - "[Inside the Paranoid, Highly Excitable Ecosystem of the Vaccine Card Black Market]( The New Republic - "[Why Steve Harvey Should Be the Next Jeopardy! Host]( The Root - "[Her Name Is Not Honey Boo Boo]( Teen Vogue - "[Why indoor air can be just as bad as the pollution outside — and what you can do about it]( The Salt Lake Tribune Republicans have a rising star problem Let's take a moment to reflect on the true[rising stars of the Republican Party]( Freshman Reps. Madison Cawthorn, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene the future of the GOP. The old GOP is never coming back. [As Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson learned the hard way]( either you're on board with Trump's Big Lie or you're a RINO and the Cawthorn crowd is out for your blood. "Anybody who tells you that Joe Biden was dutifully elected is lying to you," [Cawthorn declared in a video the party posted on its Facebook page before deleting it]( on Tuesday. "Because, you know, if our election systems continue to be rigged and continue to be stolen, then it's going to lead to one place — and it's bloodshed." It's suggestive but vague. Cawthorn didn't say he'd take up arms and shed blood. He suggested violence would be the foregone conclusion of a fictional future his base salivates dreaming about. In other words: "Let us win all the elections or there will be violence." We used to call that a terrorist threat. Now it's just the GOP platform. Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). 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