14 votes

Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of July 21

Automatically posted
Tags: politics.usa, usa, recurring.weekly

This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

16 comments

  1. DefinitelyNotAFae
    Link
    Pregnant Mother in Tennessee Denied Care for Being Unmarried It's infuriating.

    Pregnant Mother in Tennessee Denied Care for Being Unmarried

    Last Thursday, at a town hall in Jonesborough, Tennessee, a 35-year-old woman shared her story: she was denied prenatal care by her physician because they objected to the fact that she wasn’t married, nor did she plan to be. She’d been with her partner for 15 years and they have a 13-year-old child.

    While going through her medical history, the physician told her that because she was unwed, they didn’t feel comfortable treating her, because it went against their values and she should seek care elsewhere. At the time of the appointment, the woman believed she was about four weeks into her pregnancy.

    On April 24th, Tennessee’s 2025 Medical Ethics Defense Act went into effect. It gives physicians, hospital systems and insurers, among others, the legal right to deny healthcare to patients based on religious, moral or ethical beliefs. There are no protections for people in rural areas with limited options. There’s no requirement to refer patients elsewhere. And there’s no legal recourse. The woman at the town hall explained that her representatives are not responsive to her questions, even as she repeatedly calls Sen. Marsha Blackburn. When she reached staff at Sen. Bill Hagerty’s office, they told her, “he’s not obligated to listen to his constituents.”

    It's infuriating.

    22 votes
  3. [4]
    moocow1452
    Link
    WSJ reporting that Trump's name appears among many others in Epstein files. https://www.wsj.com/politics/justice-department-told-trump-name-in-epstein-files-727a8038

    WSJ reporting that Trump's name appears among many others in Epstein files.
    https://www.wsj.com/politics/justice-department-told-trump-name-in-epstein-files-727a8038

    13 votes
    1. [3]
      hobbes64
      Link Parent
      2nd source: NYT Gift Article This is certainly much worse than it looks. Most likely, Trump was not just a client, but also involved in the business of trafficking young girls through his modeling...

      2nd source: NYT Gift Article

      This is certainly much worse than it looks. Most likely, Trump was not just a client, but also involved in the business of trafficking young girls through his modeling agency and beauty pageants.

      The weird thing about this story is that it is impossible to be surprised by any crime that Trump has committed. That why most scandals bounce off him. Everyone knows he's a criminal and just a bad person in general. Those of us that find this stuff disqualifying for a leader are constantly baffled by all the support that he has.

      15 votes
      1. [2]
        Lyrl
        Link Parent
        Aside from Maxwell, I haven't seen anything to support Epstein's associates from being guilty of anything additional to looking the other way from the abuse Epstein committed personally. I find...

        Aside from Maxwell, I haven't seen anything to support Epstein's associates from being guilty of anything additional to looking the other way from the abuse Epstein committed personally. I find convincing the consistent position of multiple rank and file Justice Department sources to media that the files are kept sealed to protect victims, witnesses, and people suspected due to speculation or bad tips but later cleared.

        https://www.nytimes.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Zk8.pzpc.-KCwmmV0qFOj&smid=url-share

        The very nature of the charges against Mr. Epstein contributed to some of the confusion about what he did. By calling him a sex trafficker, federal officials left many with the impression that Mr. Epstein was selling children to others to be abused, but that was never part of the criminal case against him.

        F.B.I. files about the rich and famous tend to be a mix of real intelligence, strange rumors and absurd speculation. For example, federal agents once entertained the notion that Frank Sinatra was in a secret conspiracy with his dentist as they sought to determine whether the singer and actor was a communist sympathizer.

        3 votes
        1. boxer_dogs_dance
          Link Parent
          Sen Ron Wydens angle of following the money might produce less collateral damage.

          Sen Ron Wydens angle of following the money might produce less collateral damage.

          4 votes
  4. [3]
    CannibalisticApple
    Link
    Kyle Langford, a Republican candidate for governor of California, tweeted an image of himself in front of Auschwitz with the message "My 0% unemployment plan." Just... Holy shit. When the...

    Kyle Langford, a Republican candidate for governor of California, tweeted an image of himself in front of Auschwitz with the message "My 0% unemployment plan."

    Just... Holy shit. When the Auschwitz Memorial Museum called him out, he doubled down and said "My German ancestors smile upon me." Just... holy shit. Honestly speechless.

    8 votes
    1. [2]
      Omnicrola
      Link Parent
      Proof that literally any idiot can run for elected office. Given where he's running he didn't have a snowballs chance in hell of getting elected before this idiocy, he's just after attention by...

      Proof that literally any idiot can run for elected office. Given where he's running he didn't have a snowballs chance in hell of getting elected before this idiocy, he's just after attention by trolling.

      4 votes
      1. CannibalisticApple
        Link Parent
        What's terrifying to me is that this might actually get him more supporters, or embolden others to be totally upfront. The fact this isn't instantly career ending is depressing.

        What's terrifying to me is that this might actually get him more supporters, or embolden others to be totally upfront. The fact this isn't instantly career ending is depressing.

        2 votes
  5. [6]
    Bet
    Link
    Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets A new executive order.

    Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets

    A new executive order.

    5 votes
    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      Ugh I feel ill.

      Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order.

      ensure that discretionary grants issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery fund evidence-based programs and do not fund programs that fail to achieve adequate outcomes, including so-called “harm reduction” or “safe consumption” efforts that only facilitate illegal drug use and its attendant harm;

      (c) With respect to recipients of Federal housing and homelessness assistance that operate drug injection sites or “safe consumption sites,” knowingly distribute drug paraphernalia, or permit the use or distribution of illicit drugs on property under their control:

      (i) the Attorney General shall review whether such recipients are in violation of Federal law, including 21 U.S.C. 856, and bring civil or criminal actions in appropriate cases; and

      (ii) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in coordination with the Attorney General, shall review whether such recipients are in violation of the terms of the programs pursuant to which they receive Federal housing and homelessness assistance and freeze their assistance as appropriate.

      Ugh

      I feel ill.

      10 votes
    2. [2]
      patience_limited
      Link Parent
      How convenient that we're building permanent facilities for housing deportees, which will soon be empty and awaiting new (citizen) residents. /s

      How convenient that we're building permanent facilities for housing deportees, which will soon be empty and awaiting new (citizen) residents. /s

      8 votes
      1. 52150281
        Link Parent
        It's almost like that's the plan from day 1.

        It's almost like that's the plan from day 1.

        1 vote
    3. [2]
      Grumble4681
      Link Parent
      I figured this was coming soon enough. I'm likely to be a target of this order at some point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktion_Arbeitsscheu_Reich It's also clear they're still following the...

      I figured this was coming soon enough. I'm likely to be a target of this order at some point.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktion_Arbeitsscheu_Reich

      It's also clear they're still following the same playbook.

      5 votes
      1. boxer_dogs_dance
        Link Parent
        I'm hoping that this won't come to fruition before Trump leaves power.

        I'm hoping that this won't come to fruition before Trump leaves power.

        1 vote