-Just one day after Ex-President Trump (R-apist) LXXXVIII attempted to divert attention from his role in destroying Roe v. Wade (i.e., he did it and he’s proud to have done it) by releasing a video saying he supported states doing what they wished when it came to abortion rights, boy howdy did a state did just that. The state in question is the swing state of Arizona, and by a 4-2 margin of judges chosen by previous Republican administrations, the panel ruled that an 1864 law that was first put in place when Arizona was a republic and not a state should be considered the law of the state. That law not only places a total ban on all abortions, but does so under penalty of 2-5 years for anyone who does get an abortion or anyone who assists anyone in obtaining an abortion.
-Hardly shockingly, the state’s Democratic leaders, including its Governor and Attorney General (both women), denounced the ruling while also assuring women that they will not enforce the AZ SCOTUS decision, though it is still expected to cause enough confusion to curtail reproductive health measures in some women. Democrats have been working on a ballot initiative in anticipation of a decision like the one that just came down, so the chances of an election supporting abortion rights in November - when the Presidential election and an important Senate race will co-headline the ballot there – have skyrocketed. And the leading MAGA/GOP proponent of a total abortion ban pre-yesterday, Trump remora and eternal losing loser candidate Kari “I Live For Camera Filters!” Lake, worked frantically to try to distance themselves from the decision.
-Don’t expect it to work. AZ Democrat after AZ Democrat hung the decision on MAGA/GOP heads where it belongs, and the Biden campaign released an emotional commercial featuring a woman who lost her baby and nearly lost her life because of an inability to access reproductive care in a red state that ends with the woman breaking down into tears and a black screen with the words “Donald Trump Did This” showing on the screen, thereby taking Trump’s speech and strategy of punting and seeing the ball smash him right in his face, bronzer smeared on the football in its place.
-Meanwhile, Trump and his clown car of attorneys continue to try to fling whatever they can fling in New York in a desperate attempt to stop Monday’s start of the trial involving Trump paying off porn star Stormy Daniels to suppress the story of their ten-minute affair in the waning days of the 2016 Presidential election. Two motions – one to try to delay the trial because of the pretrial publicity Trump has created through his threats, a second to delay the trial and move it to the one borough Trump has consistently done well in (Staten Island) - were summarily dismissed with no public laughter detected.
-Undeterred, THIS JUST IN: Team Trump is attempting a third motion to delay that trial (because totally innocent people would rather endlessly delay a trial than let it go and get the innocent verdict that would likely vault him into the lead if it were true) trying once again to claim that Trump is a perfect being who never does anything wrong because being President means everything you do is always perfect (paraphrase)! That will also likely lose, though it also likely means there will be more attempts to end that trial.
-With the preponderance of polling now showing Biden seems to have taken a lead nationally and consistently enough that gambling sites are now adjusting betting odds in favor of Biden, Team Trump looks desperately to try to turn the momentum his way. This morning in Georgia, Trump droned and slurred at the inflation numbers, which ticked up to 3.5% nationally thanks to higher oil prices (a byproduct of Middle East tension and manipulations by Trump allies Saudi Arabia and Russia to help Trump), tried to label the uptick “RAGING!” and spewing that Biden wants to “quadruple” taxes (uh … no) while also again claiming credit for killing Roe v. Wade (because “everyone” including Democrats wanted to kill Roe) (uh … again … no), also claiming he would not sign a national abortion ban if he became President (which he is either lying about or would lose too many evangelicals if they believed him, which he clearly should not be), claiming again that Jewish voters who do not vote for Trump “hate their religion” (uh … what?!) and apparently believing everyone on the tarmac was named Brian (no word on whether Bwian will be weweased because of Twump).
-In Congressional news, the MAGA ‘impeachment’ of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be delayed until next week amid reports that when the case is remanded to the Senate, the Senate will either dismiss it outright or immediately vote to acquit Mayorkas without hearing the case. This is likely to enrage MAGA Leader Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Z-Q-R, GA) who is supposed to be one of the House leaders of the effort. It will likely steel her resolve to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Jay-EE-Zuz!, LA), creating a dynamic where Johnson will either need to cut a deal with Democrats to stay in power (with that deal undoubtedly involving desperately-needed military aid to Ukraine) (SLAVA UKRAINI!) or lose power and potentially pave the way for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to take the gavel (and then pass that Ukraine aid bill) (once more, SLAVA UKRAINI!)
-In sportsball news, more stellar news on the NCAA basketball championships – while ratings for both the Men’s and the Women’s tournaments were higher than they have been in years, for the first time in history the Women’s Final beat the Men’s Final by roughly 14 million to 10 million viewers. A number of factors may be in play, including the not-insignificant fact that the Women’s Final was broadcast on ABC on a Sunday afternoon while the Men’s Final had a 9:20 EDT tip-off on cable-only TBS – but the main factor was that, for the first time, the Women’s Tourney boasted a number of charismatic players (Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese) and coaches (Dawn Staley, Kim Mulkey, Geno Auriemma, and the retired-just-yesterday Tara Van Der Veer) who played through a compelling tourney with the players playing up to their potentials, making that tourney the more dramatic stories than the men’s division. Whether those numbers will continue in the future remains to be seen as the three players listed above enter the WNBA and work to build that league into new heights.
-The WNBA draft is this Monday, by the way.
-And we end with THIS JUST IN: in what may be a bit of a nod to younger voters who continue to make noise that they may not yet be ready to put their support behind President Biden, this morning the President mentioned for the first time he is “considering” dropping espionage charges against Julian Assange, the former leader of Wikileaks who has been on the lam for years due to a number of criminal espionage charges. The comment was made after a British judge listened to what could be the final attempt to stop Assange from being extradited to the U.S. (he is currently in Australia). Assange has been a cause celebre on the left for years after the Wikileaks release and charges of both espionage in the U.S. and rape in Sweden (those charges have been dropped). Watch This Space …
-On this date in 1938, Nazis asserted Austria ‘approved’ becoming part of Germany with a literally unbelievable 99.7% “yes” vote, commonly referred to as “the Anschluss.” On this date in 1970, Paul McCartney left The Beatles, effectively breaking the group up. On this date in 1986, Halley’s Comet made its closet passage near the Earth in recorded history. On this date in 1998, the Good Friday Agreement ended hostilities and created an independent government in Northern Ireland.
-Debuts on this date: Bananas on sale in Europe (1633), the safety pin (1849), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA, 1866), THE GREAT GATSBY (1925), color 3-D movies (HOUSE OF WAX,1953), 12 ANGRY MEN (1957), a photograph of a black hole (2019).
-Happy Birthday to James Bowie, Lew Wallace, Joseph Pulitzer, Frances Perkins, Clare Booth Luce, Harry Morgan, Chuck Connors, Sheb Wooley, Junior Samples, Max Von Sydow, Claude Bolling, Dolores Huerta, Omar Sharif, David Halberstam, Ken Squier, John Madden, Don Meredith, Paul Theroux, Bunny Wailer, Eddie Hazel, Ken Griffey Sr., Terre Roche, Peter MacNicol, Babyface, Brian Setzer, Ruth E. Carter, Peter Morgan, Orlando Jones, Kenny Lattimore, Q-Tip, Rachel Corrie, Mandy Moore, Vincent Kompany, Haley Joel Osment, Daisy Ridley, and Sadio Mane.
-Rest in Peace/Rest In Power to Horatio Gates, Emiliano Zapata, Stuart Sutcliffe, Marjorie Main, Nino Rota, Sam Kinison, Larry Linville, Little Eva, Dixie Carter, Yvonne Staples, and Al Jaffee.
-Feed the Worms: leaden action actor turned lunkheaded Putin apologist Steven Seagal entered Earth on this date.