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Franks: False abortion law claims used for political gain

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:05 GMT

Recently we marked the first anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization landmark decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, which I applaud. The Supreme Court ordered a return of the power to regulate all aspects of abortions to individual states.Thus, electing more Democrats or Republicans to Congress or the White House would make no difference on this issue. Decisions must be made by each state’s legislature. To do otherwise would clearly be unconstitutional.Another option is to change the constitution with an amendment. That is it.So, why do politicians make promises they know they cannot fulfill? I hope I do not seem cynical with this question, but at times blunt remarks are necessary.We have had an election turn on this falsehood (that members of Congress can now change abortion laws). I can see these same politicians seeking to repeat this fallacy to gain advantage in the 2024 elections and that is of grave concern to me.The election results of 2022 should have...

Why music stars want Lisa Fischer singing backup

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:05 GMT

She was just packing up for her tour last week when the call came to make a record with Jackson Browne. Such is life for Lisa Fischer, who’s one of the pop world’s most renowned backing singers when she’s not out as a frontwoman.A standout in the movie “20 Feet From Stardom,” Fischer has proven a compatible match for some of the most iconic singers there are, including Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones. So when Browne invited her to sing, she knew what to do.“Usually what I do is down to the person who calls,” she said. “With Jackson, he was so sweet and he sent me this beautiful demo of him singing the song and playing guitar. And that gave me a week to become like a biscuit in the gravy of his music. You have to keep an open mind, because it’s a song that hasn’t been done yet. And he’s such a storyteller that his music shifts every time he tells a different story; this one was about a woman who’s a drummer. We ended up singing it through together — You end ...

Dear Abby: Lunch group’s driver a menace on the road

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:05 GMT

Dear Abby: My co-workers and I go out to lunch once a week. We used to take turns driving, but one co-worker is so genuinely thrilled to drive that over the last year we let her do all of it. Abby, she’s NOT a good driver. She hits the curbs making turns, and one time she hit another car in the parking lot because she wasn’t able to turn into the adjacent parking space correctly.Until recently, these incidents have been more embarrassing than worrisome, but yesterday she pulled out into traffic without checking for oncoming cars and we were nearly T-boned by a van that had the right-of-way. Her response? “Well! He didn’t brake for me at ALL!”She’s a nice lady; none of us wants to hurt her feelings, but we no longer feel safe with her behind the wheel. Her biggest problem seems to be that she wants to chat with everyone while she’s driving. She gets distracted by the conversation and doesn’t focus on the task at hand.How can we nicely t...

San Diego Girl Scout honored after saving father's life

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:05 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A seventh grade Girl Scout is being recognized as a hero after jumping into action and saving her father during an emergency at home.Cadette Girl Scout Amelia Umstadter performed CPR and called for her mother when her father, Karl Umstadter, experienced a choking incident and fall that left him unconscious, Girl Scouts San Diego said in a press release Thursday.Her mother, Anna Umstadter, was able to then call 9-1-1 while Amelia continued with CPR until her father began breathing and first responders arrived, according to officials.Girl Scouts San Diego says her quick actions saved her father's life, who escaped with only minor injuries. Woman gets into housing after more than a decade living on street “I learned first aid skills during a class at school and with Encinitas Junior Lifeguards,” Amelia said. “After going through this, my mom and I took the Girl Scouts San Diego First Aid course and are now CPR certified. I told my troop to also take the class, and I want...

Affirmative action for white people? Legacy college admissions come under renewed scrutiny

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:05 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The next big fight over college admissions already has taken hold, and it centers on a different kind of minority group that gets a boost: children of alumni.In the wake of a Supreme Court decision that strikes down affirmative action in admissions, colleges are coming under renewed pressure to put an end to legacy preferences — the practice of favoring applicants with family ties to alumni. Long seen as a perk for the white and wealthy, opponents say it’s no longer defensible in a world with no counterbalance in affirmative action.President Joe Biden suggested colleges should rethink the practice after the court’s ruling, saying legacy preferences “expand privilege instead of opportunity.” Several Democrats in Congress demanded an end to the policy in light of the court’s decision to remove race from the admissions process. So did Republicans including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is vying for the GOP presidential nomination.“Let’s be clear: affirmative a...

As if air travel isn’t hard enough, 5G wireless signals could disrupt flights starting this weekend

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:05 GMT

Airline passengers who have endured tens of thousands of weather-related flight delays this week could face a new source of disruptions starting Saturday, when wireless providers are expected to power up new 5G systems near major airports.Aviation groups have warned for years that 5G signals could interfere with aircraft equipment, especially devices using radio waves to measure distance above the ground and which are critical when planes land in low visibility.Predictions that interference would cause massive flight groundings failed to come true last year, when telecom companies began rolling out the new service. They then agreed to limit the power of the signals around busy airports, giving airlines an extra year to upgrade their planes.The leader of the nation’s largest pilots’ union said crews will be able to handle the impact of 5G, but he criticized the way the wireless licenses were granted, saying it had added unnecessary risk to aviation.Transportation Secretar...

The Supreme Court just issued its biggest rulings of the year. Here’s what you need to know.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:05 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court just finished issuing its biggest decisions of the term, killing President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts, ending affirmative action in higher education and issuing a major decision that impacts gay rights. The decisions over the past week cap off a term that began in October in which the justices also considered big issues involving voting rights and religion.The court will next meet in the fall to resume hearing cases. Here are a number of things to know about the Supreme Court’s most recent term:THERE WERE SURPRISESThe court has a solid six-justice conservative majority but ultimately issued some decisions in which the most conservative position did not win. That surprised some court watchers.In four major cases, conservative and liberal justices joined to reject the most aggressive legal arguments advanced by conservative state elected officials and advocacy groups. Those included decis...

Battle over Wisconsin’s top elections official could have ripple effects for 2024

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:05 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A fight over whether Wisconsin’s top elections official will keep her job has potential implications for the 2024 presidential contest in a perennial battleground where statewide margins are typically razor thin.Meagan Wolfe, the nonpartisan administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, has been a target of conspiracy theorists who falsely claim she was part of a plan to rig the 2020 vote to secure President Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the state.Republicans who control the state Legislature have called for Wolfe to resign over how she ran the 2020 contest, even though multiple reports and reviews found the election was fair and the results accurate. Democratic election commissioners are attempting to work around lawmakers to keep Wolfe in office indefinitely after her term ends Saturday.Both sides rely on arguments that raise unanswered legal questions and could take months to resolve through the courts.Meanwhile, election observers say...

New state laws target contentious topics of gender, guns and abortion

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:05 GMT

New state laws taking effect Saturday target some of the most divisive topics in America including abortion, gender and guns. Meanwhile, some motorists heading out for an extended Independence Day vacation may face higher taxes at the fuel pump.The start of July marks the start of the budget year in most states and also is a common date for new laws to take effect.This year, state legislatures continued a partisan push in opposite directions on contentious issues. As a result, people in some Republican-led states will face new restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming treatments while residents in some Democratic-led states will see stricter gun laws.Here’s a look at some of the new laws:GENDEROver the last few years, Republican-controlled states have been adopting laws to limit gender-affirming care for transgender minors, restrict school curriculums on human sexuality and specify which school bathrooms transgender people may use. Several of these laws take effect Saturda...

Shooting in France shows US is not alone in struggles with racism, police brutality

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:05 GMT

A police killing caught on video. Protests and rioting fueled by long-simmering tensions over law enforcement treatment of minorities. Demands for accountability.The events in France following the death of a 17-year-old shot by police in a Paris suburb are drawing parallels to the racial reckoning in the U.S. spurred by the killings of George Floyd and other people of color at the hands of law enforcement.Despite the differences between the two countries’ cultures, police forces and communities, the shooting in France and the outcry that erupted there this week laid bare how the U.S. is not alone in its struggles with systemic racism and police brutality.“These are things that happen when you’re French but with foreign roots. We’re not considered French, and they only look at the color of our skin, where we come from, even if we were born in France,” said Tracy Ladji, an activist with SOS Racisme. “Racism within the police kills, and way too many of them embrace far-right idea...