Tag: Trump Administration

This week, something in my laptop gave up the ghost and fried itself–my personal theory is that it saw this week’s COVID news and took matters into its own gears. I have promised to provide better working conditions if it accepts repairs; we’ll see if the motherboard finds that persuasive. In the meantime, the NNR continues on a loaner desktop! Please pardon any hiccups while we all adjust.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not an RNC!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers.  Onward to the news!   

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

This was a remarkably calm week on the Election Rejection front, likely because there are so many other places for right-wing wingnuts to put their attention right now.  That said, we did get a few bits and bobs–here’s what I have for you:

• Insurrection Updates.  Salesforce, the entity that handles the RNC’s emails which the RNC is also suing, made it clear this week that they plan to give the January 6 panel the goods despite said RNC lawsuit.  (Given the overall quality of Trump-branded attorneys over the past few years, I can’t really say that I blame them.)  Meanwhile, in the wake of evidence regarding a literal insurrection blueprint labeled “1776 Returns”, a judge decided this week that former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio will be held without bail pending trial.

For yet another week, the big news on the Biden Rebuilding front is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  Here’s what has happened:

• Land War Landmines.* The Russian invasion of Ukraine has now been ongoing for 25 straight days. The port city of Mariupol is being hit particularly hard, with Russia targeting multiple civilian shelters in an attempt to force a surrender.  Experts think the ongoing aggression could have global food supply implications, and obviously the humanitarian crisis remains very severe.  Several EU officials visited Ukraine this week, potentially signaling support coming from that corner, and Biden is attending a European council summit on the topic later in the week.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Congress by video on Wednesday, asking for further aid and generally trying to move the U.S. to further action.  

Your New Normal:

• SCOTUS Scuttlebutt. Today marked the beginning of the confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s SCOTUS nomination, which is expected to run for about three days in the Senate. So far it appears to mostly be going well, though of course it already features exactly as many Republican dog whistles as you might expect. Meanwhile, current Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was hospitalized over the weekend, apparently due to a flu-like infection that the family is saying is not COVID. That said, Thomas’s wife has said a lot of things this week, and I give basically all of them the lack of credibility that they are due.  

The Bad:

• State of the COVID-19. As I type this, parts of Europe and China are both showing strong signs of another variant COVID outbreak, this time an Omicron subvariant called BA2. The same variant is also already making up about a quarter of COVID infections here in the U.S. If this outbreak follows previous patterns, we’ll likely start to see a BA2 spike here within the next couple of weeks, which presumably also means a return of mask mandates and/or social distancing (one hopes). The timing sucks for a lot of reasons, but it’s particularly bad because the White House just ran out of funding for its testing and vaccine programs, and Congress declined to fund them further in the bills passed last week. This is forcing the programs to begin shutting down this week. Meanwhile, while Pfizer and Moderna are both seeking authorization for another round of boosters for adults over 65, only 44% of the population have even gotten the first set. Trust me, I too wish I were not typing any of this paragraph.

The Good:

• Recent Court Resilience. For yet another week, the main good news comes out of the courts. This time, a federal judge found that civil liability can be imposed on the Kentucky former clerk who famously ignored the Supreme Court in 2015 by refusing to give people marriage licenses. To unpack that with less legalese: Essentially, said clerk, Kim Davis, looked at a civil suit brought by the people she wronged and said “you can’t sue me because First Amendment.” The judge essentially responded to her by saying, “The Fourteenth Amendment says yes they can.”

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this goat trying a banana as well as a more consistently improved government.  I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments.  Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me a functional motherboard!

This week seemed to get rougher and rougher as it went, and it also dragged like a butt-scooting dog. Then we got to the weekend, which wrapped with a little light temporal larceny. So, you know, it has Been A Week. (Our house is coping through copious application of hamantaschen, and we’re willing to share if you are.)

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a Senate bill!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers.  Onward to the news!   

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

Things are a bit calmer again on the Election Rejection front, but that makes them no less strange.  Here’s what I have for you:

• Insurrection Updates.  There were a number of court case developments regarding January 6, between 1) the indictment of Enrique Tarrio, who leads the Proud Boys; 2) the criminal conviction on all counts of Guy Reffitt, who was the first January 6 defendant to go to trial; and 3) the lawsuit that the Republican National Convention is bringing against the entire January 6 House Panel, a piece of absolutely wild news that only gets wilder the longer you stare at it.  Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson was in the news because his embrace of Russian propaganda led to instructions from Putin to Russian media to give his segments as much air time as possible, according to a recent document leak. (I’ll talk more about the implications of said propaganda for the invasion of Ukraine below.)

As I mentioned above, the big news on the Biden Rebuilding front is invasion of Ukraine for another week.  Here’s what has happened:

• Land War Landmine.* Invasion of Ukraine by Russia has escalated for another week, and attacks continue on both military targets and civilian targets alike. News outlets have also reported the intentional abduction of mayors of two different cities.  U.S. and NATO officials think that recent Russian propaganda claiming that the U.S. has stockpiled chemical weapons in Ukraine–this would be the propaganda that Tucker Carlson is spreading–is likely a false-flag operation designed to create cover for Russia using chemical weapons in the region themselves.  The ongoing aggression has been devastating for Ukraine, with mounting casualties and over 2.5 million people displaced.  Countries all over the world are also still creating a vast array of consequences for Russian nationals in response, between 1) significant  military losses; 2) massive economic sanctions; 3) a ban on Russian oil imports and other energy products by several countries; 4) the plummeting value of the ruble; and 5) removal of Russia’s trade status by the EU and several affiliated countries.  

Your New Normal:

• Busy Week on the Congress Floor.  There were a number of bills that saw major movement this week, and some of them were very surprising. Both the House and the Senate managed to pass a bill that dramatically overhauls the U.S. Postal Service, providing much-needed financial support as well as more transparency and data collection.  Both houses also passed a government funding bill more generally, which included $14B in aid to Ukraine but did not end up keeping the $15B for COVID aid that was in the original version.  The Senate GOP also managed to block debate on a federal abortion bill.  The House did pass the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act, however, which will be the first federal anti-lynching legislation in the U.S. after it is reconciled with the Senate version. It is important to note, incidentally, that while lynching was most documented by the NAACP from 1882-1968, both recent high-profile cases such as the murder of Ahmed Arbery and documentation of lynching by hanging cases in the 21st century illustrate the modern need for this kind of legislation.

The Bad:

• State of the COVID-19. COVID news is a bit quiet this week, with cases on the decline in most of the country and no major changes to policy. There were a couple of drips and drabs, however. NIH reported findings of a recent study concluding that mandatory masking in schools reduced COVID rates during the delta surge. We also learned that mask mandates will continue on many forms of transportation, including air travel and public transit. And speaking of transportation, if you’re bored, you can always read more about the copycat Freedom Convoy that is doing loops on the Capitol Beltway, because nothing says freedom like sitting in traffic repeatedly on purpose.

The Good:

• Recent Court Resilience. We did see some positive court cases this week, so I guess that’s something. In Texas, the hateful policy declaring gender-affirming care to be a form of child abuse has already been enjoined, with a court noting it likely violates the State Constitution. Meanwhile, SCOTUS decided to leave court-drawn voting maps in place in both Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I think we can agree that it’s more than enough. For making it through, you nonetheless deserve this brief fine cinema as well as a more consistently improved government.  I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments.  Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me back my 2AM!

The news really feels like a jumble of odds and ends this week, and we haven’t had a miscellany week like this in a little while. That said, it’s better than the abject misery of the past few weeks, so I guess we’ll take it.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a court filing!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers.  Onward to the news!   

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

This was a big week for Election Rejection, because the House Panel took some really significant steps.  Here’s what I have for you:

• Insurrection Updates.  The House panel took a noteworthy step when they noted in a court filing that they believe they’ve found grounds for a criminal conspiracy charge against Trump.  It’s likely this is a nudge for A.G. Garland, who has considerably more ability to charge Trump than the panel does, though the filing itself regarded a request to release records germane to their investigation. (The judge on the case has already rejected their opponent’s attempt to get the request tossed as I type this.) Speaking of criminal charges, this week also marked the beginning of the first January 6 criminal trial, since most cases to date have been resolved with plea bargains. Meanwhile, the U.S. Archives is turning over White House visitor logs, and this week’s panel subpoenas include Donald Trump Jr’s partner. Biden has also denied executive privilege for several more relevant records.

Your New Normal:

• Land War Landmines.  Russian invasion of Ukraine continued for another week, and shows no signs of ending as I type this. Though the countries were in talks over the week several times, and at one point agreed to both “humanitarian corridors” for civilians to escape and a temporary cease-fire, Ukraine reports that Russia failed to honor both of these agreements. Ukraine is calling for a no-fly zone over Russia, which would require the cooperation of several other Western countries. The U.S. is currently weighing its best options of support on that front, as Putin has indicated that he would treat a no-fly zone as declaring war. At the moment, Congress is negotiating on multiple pieces of relevant legislation, though Republicans are already threatening to bail if it’s linked to government funding provisions. At the time that I type this, invasion has created over a million refugees, and multiple Russian independent press outlets that were covering events were forced to shut down due to risk of imprisonment and other logistical challenges.

The Bad:

• State of the COVID-19. The pandemic hit a grim milestone this week when we reached six million COVID-related deaths worldwide, in part due to another surge in Hong Kong. Nonetheless, the U.S. appears to move more and more towards an endemic COVID model, with the Biden administration announcing a “test to treat” approach that raises a number of questions about implementation. Finally, Florida’s surgeon general disturbed us all by recommending against pediatric vaccination, not bothering to cite any concrete research or even actual safety concerns, because Florida Official is Florida Man.

The Good:

• Biden Rebuilding. This week, Biden Rebuilding goes under the Good, because the administration took a number of decisive steps in positive directions. The administration has paused deportation of Ukrainians in the United States, and also created temporary protected status, which will allow people to live and work in the U.S. for at least eighteen months. The administration also put out multiple strong statements of support and meaningful executive guidance regarding gender-affirming care for LGBTQI youth, creating protections against the recent guidance in Texas. Finally, following up on good news from last week, Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearing will begin in two weeks on March 21.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, So that’s what I have for this week, because sometimes the news comes in small packages. For making it through, you nonetheless deserve this sleepy Shiba Inu as well as a more consistently improved government.  I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments.  Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me better sinuses!

The news is, quite understandably, very focused on the situation in Ukraine for another cycle, and that’s some grade-A nightmare fuel right there. Sadly, drinking the nightmare fuel is still important for many reasons, even though it’s awful.  I’m going to do my best to help break it down, and if all else fails, remember that small sips help.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a panel!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers.  Onward to the news!   

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

There was a whole flood of Election Rejection stories this week, and we saw some related bits and bobs that might as well go in this section as well.  Here’s what I have for you:

• Insurrection Updates. After the invasion of Ukraine last week, Trump was in the limelight an awful lot–emphasis on “awful.”  First he went on the radio to call Putin a “genius” who was “pretty savvy,” though his spokesperson’s feed opted not to include those quotes for some mysterious reason.  While I generally try to ignore the inane grindings of the orange noise machine, these soundbites proved the building blocks for his campaigning for 2024 at CPAC on Saturday night, and I think we have to take that seriously.  The signals about 2024 feel particularly noteworthy when stories are also hitting about the new Manhattan DA abandoning the Trump indictment groundwork laid by his successor.  There were some positive scraps of news this week too, though; apparently Ivanka Trump is in talks with the House January 6 panel, and so is Rudy Giuliani.

As I mentioned above, the big news on the Biden Rebuilding front is aggression with Russia.  Here’s what has happened:

• Land War Landmine.* A lot has happened since Putin “recognized Donetsk and Luhansk’s independence” and began ordering Russian troops into both regions on Monday.  Very early on Thursday morning, Putin declared a “special military operation” was occurring, and Russia launched a multi-front invasion of Ukraine.  By Friday, Russia had reached the capital city of Kyiv and captured the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl.  In response, President Biden and several other countries ordered prompt and escalating retaliatory sanctions. Then on Sunday, Putin put nuclear forces on high alert. The invasion has created over half a million refugees, though many Ukranians are also choosing to stay behind to fight.  Incredibly, there have been massive anti-invasion protests in Russia, where protest is currently a very dangerous thing to do.  Needless to say, this is a volatile situation with a lot of implications, and it’s a very dangerous and stressful time for a lot of people.

Your New Normal:

• LGBTQ+ Kids’ Concerns. A number of hateful pieces of legislation have moved forward this week against queer kids.  In Florida, a bill known as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill”, which prohibits discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity, has now passed in the House and moves to the Senate. In Texas, the governor has ordered mandated reporters such as teachers, doctors, and school officials to report gender-affirming care for transgender kids as “child abuse.”This apparently was done in response to an opinion from the state Attorney General, which some Texas district attorneys are already refusing to follow. I would be remiss if I did not stress that there is absolutely no scientific evidence to suggest that gender-affirming care is a form of abuse, though many credible medical organizations have put out statements indicating that withholding gender-affirming care can hurt transgender children.

The Bad:

• State of the COVID-19. The biggest COVID news this week is new CDC guidance that relaxes mask requirements, which according to the current CDC director was done “to give people a break from things like masking” for a while until there’s another surge. (If you find yourself wishing I made that quote up, I assure you, I wish that too.) That same CDC apparently also thinks people should wait longer before getting a second COVID shot if they haven’t already, because spacing them out can reduce risk of heart inflammation. In more amusing news, an attempt to organize an American version of Canada’s “Freedom Convoy” fell very flat when only five rigs showed up.

The Good:

• Biden’s SCOTUS Pick. Biden announced his selection for Supreme Court nomination this week, which turned out to be current appellate judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. This would be at least moderately exciting no matter what was going on, because it means he fulfilled one of his campaign promises, but Judge Jackson is an incredibly solid pick for many reasons. First of all, she was approved by the sitting Senate within the past year for her current seat on the D.C. Circuit, which creates less political cover for GOP obstruction in general. Second, her actual credentials are impeccable: She’s been a sitting judge for nearly a decade; she clerked for Justice Breyer at the beginning of her career; and she was an editor on the law review at Harvard Law School during her educational years. But I am particularly excited about Judge Jackson as a nomination because she also served as a public defender for two years, and if appointed she would be the first SCOTUS judge with public defense experience in modern history.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve these booped danger kittens as well as a more consistently improved government.  I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments.  Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me more hours in the day!

For most of the week, the news felt like it was holding its breath, which is never a comfortable feeling.  Then this evening, one of the things we were waiting for happened when Putin invaded Ukraine via Donetsk and Luhansk.  I can’t really say it’s better to have the shoe drop, but I’ll definitely keep everybody updated from here.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a text message!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers.  Onward to the news!   

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

There was a whole flood of Election Rejection stories this week, and we saw some related bits and bobs that might as well go in this section as well.  Here’s what I have for you:

• Insurrection Updates. On the January 6 front, the head of the Oathkeepers was denied bail by a second judge this week, meaning he’ll continue to be held in jail pending his July trial. Additionally, the Washington Post published a cache of text messages to then Chief of Staff Mark Meadows that were subpoenaed by the panel, and though they’re hardly a smoking gun, they’re definitely worth reading.  An attempt by Trump to claim immunity against civil lawsuits regarding January 6 was rejected by a district court judge on Friday. Meanwhile, a Trump appointee district court judge issued an absolutely bananas opinion holding that only the Department of Justice can sue under the Voting Rights Act–which will probably get overturned on appeal, but good gravy.  And speaking of Trump news, a judge in New York also ordered Trump and his children to testify in the NY AG’s civil suit–which technically is about his business practices, not election fraud, but you know what, same difference at this point.   

As I mentioned above, the big news on the Biden Rebuilding front is aggression with Russia.  Here’s what has happened:

• Land War Landmine.* As we entered the week, despite the stalemate over the weekend, the Biden administration cautioned that threat of Russia invading Ukraine remained very high.  Media began running more stories on Donetsk and Luhansk, regions of Ukraine where Russian-backed separatists had strongholds. Then yesterday, the U.S. told the U.N. that Russia had a list of Ukranians to put in camps, and continued urging diplomats and affiliates to move to safer locations. Just this evening, Russia “recognized Donetsk and Luhansk’s independence” and began ordering Russian troops into both regions.  Needless to say, this is a volatile situation with a lot of implications, and it looks seriously likely that we’re seeing the beginning of a land war in Ukraine.

Your New Normal:

• The Great Avocado Embargo. It feels kind of fitting that I honestly don’t have any normal news for you this week, but I do have one throwback to the Weird section. After a U.S. inspector who oversees the import of Mexican avocados received a death threat, we canceled avocado imports last Saturday, and the ban lasted for the whole week. But avocados are back on by the time I’m typing this, because the ban was lifted on Friday. So uh, welcome back to your new normal I guess?

The Bad:

• State of the COVID-19. State of the COVID-19. For another week, COVID news is startling in its disconnect. We’re still learning about the BA.2 subvariant, and we’ve reached a million excess deaths total during the pandemic (though not all are directly from COVID). Experts are concerned that people are losing the thread about practices. And with California officially transitioning to “endemic” status and most states removing mask mandates, while high-risk people are… well, still high-risk, it’s easy to see why experts are saying that. Meanwhile, the “Freedom Convoy” in Canada is also ending, mostly with arrests and towed vehicles, and as Canadian truckers try to distance themselves, U.S. Congress reps are looking into who started it.

The Good:

• Recent Medical Resilience. Recent Medical Resilience. This week, a third person was cured of HIV using a novel medical procedure called a haplo-cord transplant. Notably, this patient was the first woman cured using this method, and she’s also the first mixed-race patient. It’s an awesome advancement during a very strange time.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve stories about Hank the Tank as well as a more consistently improved government.  I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments.  Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me more hours in the day!

It’s Valentine’s Day as I type this, but I’m not really loving the news this week. We’re more on the “Bees!” side of St. Valentine’s legacy, all things considered, but that’s 2022 for you. Maybe next week we’ll get honey.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a convoy!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers.  Onward to the news!   

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

As a follow-up, this week we learned from Maggie Haberman’s new book that he also liked flushing document shreds down the toilet and/or eating them after he ripped them up (hopefully not at the same time). 

• Insurrection Updates.  You may recall that last week, Trump was in the news regarding his habit of ripping up official documents that he was legally required to preserve in office and hoarding classified information documents at Mar-A-Lago.  As a follow-up, this week we learned from Maggie Haberman’s new book that he also liked flushing document shreds down the toilet and/or eating them after he ripped them up (hopefully not at the same time).  We also learned that some White House call logs from January 6 are missing. The National Archives have asked the Justice Department to investigate all of this mishandling of records, because said behaviors are in fact flagrantly illegal. Meanwhile, all of this is a very disturbing backdrop to the Supreme Court’s decision this week to restore gerrymandered districting maps in Alabama.

There were also some not-awesome developments on the Biden Rebuilding front.  Here’s what has happened:

• Blinking Biden.  Biden announced a decision this week to award $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan funds to people suing the Taliban about 9/11, leaving only half of all available funds to actual Afghan people who are fleeing said Taliban. This came on the heels of his top science advisor, Eric Lander, stepping down due to systemic mistreatment of subordinates. Between that and the continued increase of inflation, it hasn’t been a particularly great week for the Biden administration.  But on the plus side, a talk with Putin on Saturday left both countries in a stalemate; though the U.S. is still evacuating diplomats, Russia has signaled that it might be open to more negotiation. 

Your New Normal:

• Congressional Updates. This was a weirdly functional week for Congress, all things considered. A bill to ban stock trading in Congress has been gaining traction in both the House and the Senate. Meanwhile, both houses also passed a workplace sexual misconduct bill that banned a corporate practice of forcing arbitration for workplace harassment claims. Both of these bills are particularly unique for their bipartisan support, although in fairness, it did take four years for a #MeToo bill to actually pass.

The Bad:

• State of the COVID-19. Over the last week, there were more and more stories about states removing their mask mandates as the omicron surge starts to subside. In the case of school mask mandates, there is some science to support the call, particularly for very young children who need to see faces in order to develop communication skills.  However, in the wake of Pfizer stepping back its timeline for vaccination of young children, this is a tough pill for some parents to swallow, and the CDC isn’t supporting it either.  And certainly for more general indoor mask mandates, which are also expiring or being removed in most states, there’s no real science to support the plan–particularly when we’re still coming back from the highest COVID death rates in a year. But speaking of mandates and poor decisions, the “Freedom Convoy” in Ottawa has continued on for another full week, blocking off more and more border crossing routes as the week went on.  Earlier today, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time ever, which means he’s essentially calling in the military to deal with it.

The Good:

• Recent Constitutional Resilience. In anticipation of the upcoming Supreme Court decisions on reproductive rights, Vermont is preparing to guarantee reproductive rights in their state constitution. They’re the first state to consider this kind of protection, but I’m hoping they won’t be the last.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this otter snoot as well as a more consistently improved government.  I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments.  Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me goofy memes for Palentine’s Day!