"This bill isn't about interfering with a so-called right to abortion," said a representative from National Right to Life. "It is about stopping infanticide." Republicans in Congress are working to add new protections in federal law for babies who are born during attempted abortions. In January of 2023, the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. According to the bill’s chief author, Congresswoman Ann Wagner, the bill “will provide commonsense protections for innocent children and their mothers and will ensure all babies receive the essential care they need at an incredibly vulnerable moment.” Over 20 years ago, President George W. Bush signed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act into law. That law states that any infants born during attempted abortions are considered people under federal law, but the law lacked enforcement mechanisms to ensure such babies are protected. As such, Republicans in the last several Congresses have introduced the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This legislation would mandate that infants born during an attempted abortion receive the same standard of care any other infant born at the same gestational age would receive. Furthermore, the bill requires that babies born during an attempted abortion be immediately taken to the hospital. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act also establishes criminal penalties for those who fail to protect these babies. “The Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act is non-controversial legislation,” said Jessica Anderson, the executive director of Heritage Action. “A baby’s right to life and medical care does not change because he or she was born in an abortion clinic instead of a delivery room. [This bill] would require that appropriate medical care be given to any child who survived an attempted abortion and that the child be transported and admitted to a hospital.” The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act in January of 2023 by a vote of 220-210. Among the individuals who voted against the bill was Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig. “This bill isn’t about interfering with a so-called right to abortion,” said a representative from National Right to Life. “It is about stopping infanticide.” After the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act was passed by the Republican-controlled House, the bill was sent to the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate. The Senate has not acted on the bill. Earlier this week, the Kremlin announced Russia has updated its nuclear deterrence policy in an attempt to modernize its defense strategy in response to Western military and political actions. Under the new policy, Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if it is attacked by a massive airstrike via drones, missiles, aircraft, etc., and it believes its sovereignty is threatened. Furthermore, such an attack on Russia by a non-nuclear power with the aid of a nuclear power (e.g., Ukraine using U.S., U.K., or French weapons and guidance) will be seen as an attack by a nuclear power, and could merit a nuclear response. Russian ally Belarus is included in this new policy, ostensibly to protect it from an attack by NATO or Ukraine. Historically, Russian nuclear doctrine was a “no first use” policy, while NATO strategy historically accepted nuclear weapons would be necessary to defeat Warsaw Pact conventional forces in a war in western Europe. Russia’s previous doctrine in 2020 authorized the defensive use of nuclear weapons to protect the territorial integrity of the state. According to the Kremlin, the change in policy is the result of decades of Western interference through NATO expansion, and the recent escalation of the Russia-Ukraine territorial dispute into a global proxy war in which the United States and its allies fund Ukraine with hundreds of billions of dollars in weapons and foreign aid. The Ukrainian military assault on the Russian Kursk Oblast, and Ukrainian airstrikes on Moscow are recent NATO-led escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war. Russian President Vladimir Putin claims these changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine will help deter nuclear war. The U.S. believes the changes are irresponsible, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken telling MSNBC: Look, it’s totally irresponsible, and I think many in the world have spoken clearly about that when he’s been rattling the nuclear saber, including China in the past. So I would just say especially to do that now while the world’s gathered in New York, including talking about the need for more disarmament, nonproliferation, I think that’s going to play very badly around the world. https://thenewamerican.com/news/russia-updates-nuclear-doctrine/ A Tesla electric vehicle caught fire while parked inside a garage that was flooded with saltwater from Hurricane Helene in Florida, prompting officials to issue warnings to EV owners in storm-affected areas. WFLA reports that dramatic surveillance footage released by Pinellas County authorities in Florida shows the moment a parked Tesla spontaneously burst into flames inside a garage that had been inundated by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene. The video reveals how the fire originated underneath the electric vehicle and rapidly spread, completely engulfing the car in flames within a span of just one minute as thick, billowing smoke filled the cluttered garage space. Authorities further advised EV owners to take necessary precautions to prevent similar fire hazards. They strongly recommended against charging, driving, or storing electric vehicles and e-bikes inside homes or garages if the vehicles had been exposed to saltwater flooding. The county stressed that any flooded electric vehicle should be moved at least 50 feet away from flammable materials and towed to a dealership for a thorough safety inspection before attempting to operate it again. In 2022, Florida Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis wrote an urgent letter to the NHTSA seeking guidance on how to deal with the threat of EV fires caused by stormwater: Last week, electric vehicles were seen catching on fire in Florida after becoming waterlogged during Hurricane Ian, giving firefighters “a new challenge” they “haven’t faced before,” Patronis said. “I joined North Collier Fire Rescue to assess response activities related to Hurricane Ian and saw with my own eyes an EV continuously ignite, and continually reignite, as fireteams doused the vehicle with tens-of-thousands of gallons of water,” Patronis continued in his letter to the NHTSA. Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sworn in its first police officer who is not a U.S. citizen, according to reports. The Minnesota Police Dept. has reported that Lesly Vera, a native of Somalia, was sworn in on Thursday as the department’s first non-citizen officer. Vera was seen at the swearing-in ceremony wearing a hijab over her head as she took the oath of office and received her badge. She is a legal resident alien and authorized to work, but is not a U.S. citizen. The Somali migrant community in Minneapolis is the largest in the United States and the city has been a target of Somali migration since the 1990s. Somalis were drawn to the city for its generous welfare programs and the chance to live as ex-pats among their own countrymen, but the community has recently been rocked by a massive fraud case entailing tens of millions in stolen Medicaid funding connected to a fake charity called Feeding Our Future run by leading local Somali residents. The door was opened for Vera last year when the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) adopted new rules that allowed state law enforcement agencies to elevate non-citizens to the role of police officer. The citizenship requirement was dropped and applicants now only need to be a legal resident and cleared to work in the U.S. to be handed a gun and badge. Minnesota is not the only state working to allow non-citizens to become police officers. California, Colorado, and Illinois are also crafting legislation to give non-citizens police powers. Minneapolis was rocked in 2017 when police officer and Somali-native Mohamed Noor shot and killed an Australian woman while responding to a 911 call. Officer Noor was eventually convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter, though the state Supreme court later vacated the third-degree conviction. Ultimately, Noor was sentenced to 57 months for murdering the woman. The city received widespread criticism over the move on social media. X chief Elon Musk, for one, was disturbed by the news that a non-citizen was given powers to detain, arrest, and jail citizens. Musk likened the situation to the fall of the Roman Empire, adding that “the Roman Army also increasingly relied on non-citizens.” Legendary actor and country singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson, most known for his roles in A Star is Born (1976) and Blade (1998), died at the age of 88 on Saturday. A representative for Kristofferson confirmed that the star died peacefully at his home in Maui over the weekend. In a statement, Kristofferson’s family said he’s “smiling down at us all.” His music career would lead him to five Grammy wins, including a lifetime achievement award in 2014.
Angie Craig voted against bill to establish protections for babies who survive attempted abortions:
Russia Updates Nuclear Doctrine:
Electric Time Bomb: Tesla Bursts into Flames Inside Garage Flooded by Hurricane Helene:
Minneapolis Swears In First Non-U.S. Citizen as Police Officer:
Kris Kristofferson, Country Music Icon, ‘Blade,’ ‘A Star is Born’ Star, Dead at 88:
