Georgia Joins National Anti-Abortion Onslaught With "Heartbeat Ban"

Sunday, April 14, 2019 Help Truthout expand our environmental and climate coverage while there's still something to protect. [Donate Now →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Georgia Joins National Anti-Abortion Onslaught With "Heartbeat Ban"]( Katie Klabusich, Truthout Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has promised to sign an unconstitutional ban on abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, before most patients even know they’re pregnant. If it goes into effect in January as planned, advocates fear this law will exacerbate an already inexcusably high maternal mortality rate, with Black mothers almost three times more likely to die than white mothers. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Jordan Peele's Us Is a Middle-Class Guilt Trip]( Nicholas Powers, Truthout In Jordan Peele's latest film, Us, doppelgängers represent the repressed side of the "American Dream." Critics have praised Peele for his craftsmanship, Hollywood homages and rich political subtext. What they miss is the film's conservativism. Us is a Black, middle-class guilt trip, and the catharsis it gives the audience comes at a price. The terror in Us is not the pain of the "American Dream," but the terror of not maintaining it. [Read the Review →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Locking Up Drug "Dealers" to Save Users Doesn't Make Anyone Safer]( Alyssa Stryker, Truthout Neither the death penalty nor a border wall will impact the drug trade as Trump claims. The evidence clearly shows that harsh punishment for sellers does not reduce supply, drive up prices or prevent drug use. When politicians and prosecutors say they want a public health approach to drug use, but harsh criminal penalties for those who sell drugs, they are often talking about the very same people. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Democrats Urged to Speak Out After Trump's Latest Attack on Ilhan Omar]( Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams Members of Congress are being urged to speak out against President Donald Trump's latest attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar, an attack some are characterizing as an incitement of violence against her. The call comes in response to an edited video the president posted on Twitter Friday afternoon. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, and Sen. Bernie Sanders were among some of the officials who rushed to her defense. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [To Survive in Texas, Black Bears Need an Open Border]( Meg Wilcox, The Relevator Experts worry that any obstacle to black bears' movement, such as President Trump’s proposed border wall, would set back hard-fought efforts to rebuild the population in Texas, especially with climate change intensifying the episodes of drought and wildfire that serve as key drivers for bears expanding beyond their usual range. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [It's Time to End US Military Aid to the Philippines]( Amee Chew, Foreign Policy in Focus Ever since the Philippines attained formal independence in 1946, the U.S. has maintained a military presence on its former colony, guiding and supporting "counter-insurgency" operations to put down constant rebellions against an oligarchic government. Today, movements are rising to shut off U.S. taxpayer-funded aid that's bankrolling the nation's worsening human rights crisis. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [World Bank, Now Led by Trump Pick, Ramps Up Fossil Fuel Development]( Natalie Sauer, Climate Home News The World Bank Group has earned green credentials for ending direct lending to coal-fired power plants, promising to axe support for oil and gas exploration and increasing its clean energy budget. Yet over the last five years, the group's support to oil and gas actually increased, while coal benefitted from indirect subsidies. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Trump Administration Has Thrown Out Protections for Migratory Birds]( Elizabeth Shogren, The Center for Investigative Reporting Under Republican and Democratic presidents, killing migratory birds, even inadvertently, was a crime. The power to prosecute created a deterrent and enabled the government to hold companies to account for environmental disasters. But in part due to President Donald Trump's interior secretary nominee, David Bernhardt, whose confirmation awaits a Senate vote, the wildlife cop is no longer on the beat. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In Case You Missed It --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump's New Proposal Cheats 8 Million Working People of Overtime Pay]( Naomi Walker and Paul Sonn, Truthout Under the Trump administration's new proposal, minimal overtime standards established under Obama will be rolled back, and people making as little as $35,000 a year will be exempt from overtime. This means 8 million people in the U.S. can be made to work any number of hours above 40 per week, yet not receive a penny more in compensation. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ocasio-Cortez Is Winning the Battle Against GOP Sexists]( William Rivers Pitt, Truthout Those who cling to the idea of ornamental baby-making women existing in silence to please and flatter men are proving the point from the old saying: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." They are well into the fighting portion of the process regarding Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I have no doubt, however, that AOC will emerge the winner in the end. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Like what you're reading? Support Truthout's independent news and analysis by making an automatic monthly donation. [Donate Now →]( Connect With Us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Donate]( Truthout is a reader-supported, nonprofit organization; donations are tax-deductible. 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