The Little Sisters of the Poor Joined Trump Administration To Attack Contraception Coverage At SC

The Little Sisters of the Poor Joined Trump Administration To Again Attack Contraception Coverage At SC

Conservatives have spent the better part of a decade arguing the Affordable Care Act’s birth control benefit, which provides insurance coverage for a host of contraception without additional cost or co-pay, violates religious freedom principles. Those efforts have had mixed results. Despite two turns before the U.S. Supreme Court, dozens of lower court orders, and a handful of executive orders from President Trump, the benefit remains in place—but employers who object to it can avoid complying with it.

This week, the Roberts Court will consider taking up a case that could settle the birth control benefit’s fate once and for all.

The case is The Little Sisters of the Poor Jeanne Jugan Residence v. California. Yes, that’s right. The Sisters are at it again.

To understand how yet another case like this could end up before the Roberts Court, let’s revisit for a moment the history of the contraception mandate. Originally proposed in 2012, the birth control benefit requires most employers to include coverage of FDA-approved contraceptives without co-pay in their employer-sponsored health insurance plans. The benefit contains an exemption for religious employers and an accommodation for religiously affiliated employers. The benefit, and the exemption and accommodation, launched a wave of objections and lawsuits that has not yet receded. The first batch of those lawsuits reached the Roberts Court in 2014 in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, in which the Court ruled that some for-profit employers could take advantage of the accommodation process.

NIKE, Pls Help Us FREE 'Fearless Girl' From State Street Global Advisors. We NEED Her Now More Than Ever

NIKE, Pls Help Us FREE 'Fearless Girl' From State Street Global Advisors. We NEED Her Now More Than Ever

Patriarchal, capitalist forces are clamping down on ‘Fearless Girl’, with her ‘owners’ State Street Global Advisors saying that Fearless cannot go worldwide, unless she flies the State Street banner. A New York federal judge issued a preliminary injunction this week, barring ‘Fearless Girl’s’ birth mother and creator, artist Kristen Visbal, from duplicating her likeness in any way.

The problem is that countries and their governments worldwide want their own ‘Fearless Girl’. She is a unifying, American vision, but her ‘owners’ State Street Global Advisors say “No Way. ‘Fearless Girl is our property.”

Simply stated, yet another female has become an unwilling advocate for big-money capitalism and the boys club. ‘Fearless Girl’s’ debut on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2017 inspired us beyond words. The small bronze goddess arrived in the dead of night, originally installed at Bowling Green in another legal battle with ‘Charging Bull’.

Abortions Rise Worldwide When US Cuts Funding To Women’s Health Clinics, Study Finds

Abortions Rise Worldwide When US Cuts Funding To Women’s Health Clinics, Study Finds

By Yana Rodgers, Professor of Labor Studies, Rutgers University. First published on The Conversation

Fulfilling Republican efforts to “defund Planned Parenthood,” the Trump administration announced on Feb. 22 it would end federal funding to health providers that perform abortions.

This new ruling is the domestic version of the “global gag rule” that Trump imposed in 2017. It cuts U.S. global health funding from organizations abroad that perform – or even talk about – abortions, including the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

First implemented under Ronald Reagan in 1984, the global gag rule has been rescinded by every Democrat and reinstated by every Republican to occupy the Oval Office, reflecting the partisan nature of abortion.

Supporters of the global gag rule say defunding abortion providers will reduce abortions. However, researchers from Stanford University in 2011 found that this U.S. policy actually made women in sub-Saharan Africa twice as likely to have an abortion.

Dem. Rep Raul Grijalva Expands Proposed Protections Under CECIL Animal Trophies Act

Dem. Rep Raul Grijalva Expands Proposed Protections Under CECIL Animal Trophies Act

US Rep. Raul Grijalva (Ariz.), the top House Democrat overseeing endangered species legislation on trophy hunting, has expanded Endangered Species Act protections with new requirements that legal animal imports must help conserve the animal’s species.

Grijalva named the legislation — not introduced for the first time — the Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act, or CECIL Animal Trophies Act, after Cecil the African lion whose 2015 killing by American dentist and big-game hunter Walter Palmer caused an international uproar.

CECIL would prohibit elephant and lion trophy imports from Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia, and it comes at a time when many Trump supporters who are big-game hunters are infuriated by delays in easing restrictions against killing the animals.

“The bottom line is they are afraid as shit to get off the fence,” Dwight Miloff, a frequent trophy hunter, told The Hill. “They know if they get off the fence the anti-hunting people will be up in arms, and if they don’t grant them the people who put in the money for the permit will be pissed off.”

Projection Artist Robin Bell Strikes Kavanaugh's DC Courthouse With Brutal Messages

Projection artist and activist Robin Bell has turned his highly-effective visual projections on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, targeting his federal courthouse in DC with interchanging slogans: ‘Brett Kavanaugh Is A Sexual Predator’, ‘Brett Kavanaugh Lied Every Time He Testified’, ‘Brett Kavanaugh Must Withdraw’, and ‘#Believe Survivors’.

Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee has been accused of a sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford, allegations he has denied. The two will appear in front of the Senate Judicial Committee on Thursday. On Wednesday, another woman, Julie Swetnick, walked into the national spotlight, claiming that Kavanaugh had been present while she was gang raped in 1982. And on Wednesday evening, a fourth anonymous, but highly-detailed charge against Kavanaugh was revealed.

On Tuesday night, Bell pulled up in front of the E. Barrett Prettyman United States courthouse in a specially modified light projection van, beaming his message onto the facade of Kavanaugh’s workplace in an effort to highlight the allegations against the nominee and create a public shaming against the Supreme Court nominee. The guerrilla intervention was a collaboration with the women’s advocacy group Ultra Violet.

“It was good to be able to help amplify other people’s voices on this one,” Bell told artnet News in a call. “We made a statement that we believe survivors, that this is who this person is, and that we’re going to go to where he works and project it on the building. It’s somewhat cathartic.”

“I’ve been getting a lot of messages and I can tell you [the projection] really helped people who feel hurt right now and are trying to not allow someone like Kavanaugh to be in power, to continue to be in power, and get to the Supreme Court,” Bell continued.

Federal Court Reverses EPA Relaxing Ban On Chlorpyrifos, Gives Agency 60 Days To Reinstitute Ban

The ninth circuit federal court on Thursday ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide widely linked to brain damage in kids. The court ruled in a 2-to-1 decision that the EPA offered “no defense” of its decision to delay a ban on chlorpyrifos ― a move the court said violated the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The law governs pesticides, mandating that the EPA ban chemicals from being used on food, if scientific evidence establishes that they cause harm. 

The agency has 60 days to finalize a ban initiated by the Obama Administration in November 2015.

The Trump administration's then head of the EPA Scott Pruitt reversed the ban on chlorpyrifos in March 2017, almost immediately after taking the office and with little explanation. 

Critics were furious with Pruitt and Trump for putting DOW Chemical profits ahead of the health of Americans. In a joint letter to Pruitt in June, the American Academy of Pediatrics and Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy group, said they were “deeply alarmed” by his decision. 

“EPA has no basis to allow continued use of chlorpyrifos, and its insistence in doing so puts all children at risk,” they wrote. 

The decision to relax rules around pesticides came at a time when Ivanka Trump was promoting feeding children organic food not contaminated by pesticides. Her silence on the proposed reversal of a chlorpyrifos ban was one of the earliest examples of Ivanka saying she stands for women and children, but then takes little positive action to help them, if it means disagreeing with her father. 

All concerned bloggers and activists noted at the time that now-retired Dow CEO Andrew Liveris was then the head of President Trump's new American Manufacturing Council. Oh, and he also donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration.

Dow celebrated Pruitt's actions on reversing the ban on chlorpyrifos and activists went to court. The Council headed by Dow's Liveris was disbanded after multiple CEOs refused to serve any longer after Trump equivocated in his remarks about white-nationalist violence in Charlottesville, one year ago this weekend. 

The absurdity of Ivanka Trump's silence at the time of the EPA actions contrasted with the advice given by her health coach on IvankaTrump.com:

“The average conventional apple is sprayed with over 45 different chemicals, including six that are known or suspected carcinogens, 16 suspected hormone disruptors, five neurotoxins (a.k.a brain cell killers), and six developmental or reproductive toxins… It is definitely worth the premium price tag.”

More than 24 studies have found "chlorpyrifos to be  a neurotoxin that very likely affects the development of children’s brains, most particularly if the exposure is prenatal." The pesticide was banned in residential use 17 years ago but continued to be used in agriculture.

Trump Revokes National Ocean Policy As Britain Launches Audit Of Fast Fashion Impact Environment

Trump Revokes National Ocean Policy As Britain Launches Audit Of Fast Fashion Impact Environment

Donald Trump cares little about the environment, and that was never more clear than when issued an executive order Tuesday revoking the 2010 National Ocean Policy of the Trump administration. Economic development is Trump's top priority, and if he puts the entire global ecosystem in peril, he could care less. That includes local quality of life as well. His mentality is drill baby drill. As for massive guts of plastic floating in the oceans and killing our fish, basta! Trump insists that it is RIGHT to pollute, to desecrate, to kill the earth in the name of consumption and economic development.

The Obama administration’s goal was to guide a more coordinated, sustainable management of the oceans and coasts in collaboration with states and tribes. Republican opponents call such a plan the liberal bureaucracy in action.  On Tuesday, conservation groups voiced strong opposition to Trump’s action, which, among other things, ensures “federal regulations and management decisions do not prevent productive and sustainable use of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters,” according to the executive order.

The difference between Trump's attitude on consumption and sustainability could not contrast more with Britain's. While Trump practically demands that we pour more chemicals and plastic into the ocean, Britain's House of Commons has launched an environmental audit to assess the impact of fast fashion in the UK.

Caitlyn Jenner Tells British House of Commons That Trump Has Set Trans Community "Back 20 Years"

It's about time that Caitlyn Jenner admits that she has changed her mind about Trump. Speaking before the UK House of Commons this week, Jenner said that the man she once supported has set the transgender community "back 20 years", writes The Daily Beast. 

Jenner echoed the same sentiments in a March Newsweek interview in which the former Olympian and transgender advocate acknowledged that the Trump administration "has been the worst ever" on "trans issues."

Speaking as a leader in the trans community, Jenner added "It's going to be hard to change, but we've been through these types of things before and we'll continue to fight it."

The transgender community is not all-in on Jenner and may never be. Delivering the third address on trans issues to the House of Commons, following British actors Idris Elba and Riz Ahmed, the American former Trump supporter was the recipient of awkwardness, frustration and even anger that she was speaking in the first place. 

Nikki Haley Slams The White House & Larry Kudlow: "With All Due Respect, I Don't Get Confused"

Nikki Haley Slams The White House & Larry Kudlow: "With All Due Respect, I Don't Get Confused"

UN Ambassador Nikki Haley coolly and calmly shot down the Trump Administration boys club on Tuesday, after colleagues blamed confusion and misstatements about additional Russian sanctions on her. There's a lesson learned here for women as gutsy as Haley -- which is not the majority of American women -- and for good reason. 

New York Magazine provides the story backdrop, with Ambassador Haley stating on Sunday's 'Face the Nation' that additional sanctions were forthcoming, aimed at Russian companies that support Syria's chemical-weapons program. The formal announcement was coming shortly, said Haley, probably on Monday.

White House Communications Director Hope Hicks Resigns Day After House Intel Committee Testimony

HOPE HICKS DID NOT INDICATE WHAT HER NEXT JOB WOULD BE OR WHEN SHE INTENDED TO LEAVE HER POST AS WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR. CREDIT: LEAH MILLIS/REUTERS

White House Communications Director Hope Hicks Resigns Day After House Intel Committee Testimony

White House communications director Hope Hicks, a close ally of President Trump who has successfully managed his personality, has resigned. Hicks, a brief model and member of Ivanka Trump's fashion pr business team , comes a day after she testified for eight hours before the House Intelligence Committee. A major soundbite from the Hicks testimony was her vague admission that she has occasionally been required to tell white lies, in her work with the Trump administration. Hicks previously met for two days of interviews in December with special counsel Robert Mueller and his team. 

Jennie Willoughby, Rob Porter's Ex-Wife, Talks Trump's Dismissal Of Her Abuse & Rejection Of #MeToo

JENNIE WILLOUGHBY PENS TIME ESSAY ADDRESSING TRUMP CALLING HER AND PORTER'S OTHER ACCUSERS LIARS, AND AMERICA'S REFUSAL TO CONFRONT REALITY OF ABUSE.

Jennie Willoughby, Rob Porter's Ex-Wife, Talks Trump's Dismissal Of Her Abuse & Rejection Of #MeToo

Trump essentially called the three-women 'liars' who have accused former White House staff secretary Rob Porter of physical and emotional abuse. The trio includes two ex-wives and the woman Porter was dating when he got cozy with White House Communications Director Hope Hicks in November. By then, the White House was fully appraised that Porter was having difficulty getting a top-level security clearance -- considered a problem so serious that Porter should have been sent packing months ago. 

American women -- and many men -- are speechless that Trump has not said one word in support of women who are abused, a reality that is a serious problem in America and worldwide. Specifically, his tweets have only spoken of harm done to men by false accusations from women, as Trump inquired if there was no due process anymore. 

White House Staff Secy Rob Porter Resigns After Explosive Reports On Marital Abuse With Both Ex-Wives

White House Staff Secy Rob Porter Resigns After Explosive Reports On Marital Abuse With Both Ex-Wives

Trump's White House Communications Director Hope Hicks is said to be dating White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, 40. This snap taken 10 days ago was featured in The Daily Mail's explosive report on Porter's two past marriages and claims by both wives of physical and emotional abuse. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced this afternoon that Porter will be stepping down. 

Porter's first wife, Colbie Holderness, told the DM that Porter punched her in the face during a trip to Florence in the early 2000s, and she provided photos of her black eye. 

Rob Porter, served as the staff secretary and often controlled the paper flow to President Trump’s desk, along with his daily schedule. Porter also oversaw the White House’s policy implementation process and worked closely with Chief of Staff John F. Kelly to try to instill discipline in the chaotic West Wing. He spent hours of the day with Trump and frequently traveled with him on Air Force One.

Porter’s second ex-wife, Jennifer Willoughby, received a temporary emergency protective order in June 2010 after complaining he refused to leave her residence, in violation of their separation agreement.

Merkel & Macron Called King & Queen of Europe

Merkel & Macron Called King & Queen of Europe

Euro News calls German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron the king and queen of Europe. 

Choreographed or not, the moment epitomised the unity and common purpose that the two leaders want to present, now that a British Prime Minister is no longer able to build alliances to challenge their countries' positions as the pre-eminent forces of the European Union.

It appears that Brexit has only driven them closer together. Not only do they finish each other's sentences, but they broke with tradition at the EU Summit, giving a joint press conference.

The German Chancellor has heaps of problems on her plate, including forming a government in limbo after the September elections. Leaders of Germany's center-left Social Democrats (SPD) agreed on Friday to enter talks on a new government led by Merkel conservative Union bloc (CDU). Merkel's earlier attempts to form a coalition with two smaller parties collapsed in November. What seems clear is that SPD is seeking an arrangement that will keep Merkel as Chancellor and thwart any possibilities that the German government will collapse. 

In France, Emmanuel Macron's popularity has recovered in what Politico Europe calls an 'unprecedented' bounceback. Fifty-two percent of respondents in a new poll are now satisfied with Macron's presidency, an increase of six points.

Bollywood's Deepika Padukone Cancels Appearance With Ivanka Trump In India As Hindu Nationalists Put $1.5 Million Bounty On Her Head

Bollywood's Deepika Padukone Cancels Appearance With Ivanka Trump In India As Hindu Nationalists Put $1.5 Million Bounty On Her Head

In India, the highly-anticipated release of the movie 'Padmavati' has been delayed after a politician from India's governing party has offered a bounty of $1.5 million for the heads of Deepika Padukone, Bollywood's highest-earning actress, who plays the 14th century Hindu queen -- and also the movie's director Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Padmavati is a fictional queen in the epic poem 'Padmavat' by 16th-century poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi. The poem was written more than 200 years after the actual invasion and was absolutely impacted by folklore. 

The poem elevated the virtue of Padmavati, who committed sati, in which a widow immolates herself on her husband's funeral pyre in order to protect her honor. Initially sati was practiced after Hindu men were defeated in battle and to avoid being taken by Muslim men. Like so many customs, the act of sati -- or committing suicide by fire with the death of the husband -- came to be seen as an act of devotion. The custom was outlawed by India's British rulers in 1829 following demands by Indian reformers.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has courted Hindu nationalists as part of his political base -- as has Donald Trump. In the US presidential election, Hindu nationalists were burning images of Hillary Clinton in the streets. 

DeVos Champions Online Charter Schools & Parental Rights, But The Results Are Poor

DeVos Champions Online Charter Schools & Parental Rights, But The Results Are Poor

US education secretary Betsy DeVos is a big proponent of charter schools, so much so that she and her husband have put their money behind their values and beliefs. Over a decade ago, DeVos invested in junk-bond king Michael Milken-backed online charter-school operator K12, which targeted the growing homeschool market. But K12’s overly expansive business model made it both significantly less profitable and more prone to regulatory and operating deficiencies than smaller, less ideologically driven competitors, wrote The Atlantic prior to Besty Devos' senate confirmation. K12 still trades below its IPO price from 2007 and documents discovered by The Atlantic suggest that DeVos was a backer of Milken's parent company Knowledge Universe, now defunct.

As Trump Insults San Juan Mayor Cruz & Puerto Rico's US Citizens, Germans Work On Power & Elon Musk, Too

As Trump Insults San Juan Mayor Cruz & Puerto Rico's US Citizens, Germans Work On Power & Elon Musk, Too

Amid Trump's demeaning comments to Mayor Cruz -- surely fueled by her being a woman -- we assume that he has little knowledge of her background. The Independent UK writes:

Cruz has, in some ways, been a lifelong politician: Class president in eighth grade; student council president in high school.

Like many Puerto Ricans, she left the island to pursue opportunities on the US mainland, earning a bachelor's in political science at Boston University and a master's in public management and policy at Carnegie Mellon.

Apparently Mayor Cruz held key positions not only at Scotiabank but also the US Treasury Department. After returning to Puerto Rico, Cruz became an adviser to Sila Maria Calderon, then the mayor of San Juan who later became Puerto Rico's first and only female governor.

The Carnegie Mellon grad strung together a people-centric coalition including including the LGBT community, students, Dominican immigrants and taxi drivers. Fueled by people power, Cruz defeated a three-time incumbent Jorge Santini.

“Politics is a rough game, and sometimes as females we are taught that you have to play nice,” she said in a 2014 in an interview. “Sometimes you can't play nice.”

ACLU, National Women's Law Center, State of Massachusetts & More File Lawsuits Against Trump Reversal Of Contraception Insurance Mandate

ACLU, National Women's Law Center, State of Massachusetts & More File Lawsuits Against Trump Reversal Of Contraception Insurance Mandate

Four national activist groups said they would file immediate lawsuits over the Trump administration's new rules allowing employers to drop contraception coverage over religious beliefs and or/moral objections to women using birth control.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the National Women's Law Center, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, announced the lawsuits against the government on a call with Planned Parenthood and Attorney General of California Xavier Becerra, writes Buzzfeed.

They all plan to challenge the administrations' rules allowing employers with "religious" or "moral" objections to drop birth control coverage in insurance plans, arguing that the decision is a form of gender discrimination and also violates the separation of church and state.

"With these actions, [the Trump administration] is saying to employers, 'If you want to discriminate the administration has your back,'" Fatima Goss Graves, President & CEO, National Women’s Law Center said. "We will see them in court."

Out of the White House Hedges, Sean Spicer Finds Life Post Trumplandia Is Not A Bed Of Roses

Out of the White House Hedges, Sean Spicer Finds Life Post Trumplandia Is Not A Bed Of Roses

Two months after leaving as White House press secretary, Sean Spicer is a lonely man, writes The Daily Beast. Spicer has serious "credibility issues" say network executives, related to his constant manipulation of the truth for the Trump administration. NBC News said that all the big TV news networks are passing on Spicer as an on-air paid contributor. 

After openly scoffing at and "degrading" reporters, Spicer is not exactly the face of responsible journalism and a free press. 

Even Spicer's appearance at Sunday night's Emmy awards didn't work out so well, especially after James Corden stirred up a twitter storm after kissing Spicer on the cheek. Variety was the culprit who posted the image on Instagram, inviting major criticism of Corden for 'normalizing' Spicer. 

Education Secy Betsy DeVos Announces Plans To Revise Title 9 Sexual Assault On Campus Rules

Education Secy Betsy DeVos Announces Plans To Revise Title 9 Sexual Assault On Campus Rules

US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced changes Thursday to an Obama-era directive regarding sexual-assault allegations on campus. Speaking at George Mason University in Virginia, DeVos said “The truth is that the system established by the prior administration has failed too many students." She pledged to replace the “failed system” with a “workable, effective, and fair system” that addresses the needs and rights for both sexual-assault victims and the accused.

“Every survivor of sexual misconduct must be taken seriously. Every student accused of sexual misconduct must know that guilt is not predetermined,” she said.

Leaving the current rules in place for now, DeVos said that a public comment period would open soon, in order to craft new rules. 

“We will seek public feedback and combine institutional knowledge, professional expertise, and the experiences of students to replace the current approach with a workable, effective, and fair system,” DeVos said.