maeve harris @maeve@girlcock.club

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warns of 'potential violent extremist activity' in response to the actual extremist activity of 6 right wing Justices overturning Roe v Wade. I suppose people take exception to having their rights taken away. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/24/politics/dhs-warning-abortion-ruling/index.html

US Congress has passed the weakest imaginable gun control reform bill and sends it to the White House for Biden's signature. https://news.yahoo.com/congress-passes-bipartisan-gun-control-222213345.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEirvABi16CIHnM0ZRTre1FQLm-6F99FvNfenj8AJ8Ly2p5jMSinW86q3pgEFMBcFHZInC5veXkLppBMZqbAz4On3tkO-tfkeSpdVktZp-c6tezmBQ6IGt2net-u-tHt6GHO4AKjbkpAoaNgwcrm0UQM2Ql7sCp82zx41KgV0Mm3

US AG Garland says states may not ban FDA approved Mifepristone (plan B abortion pills) by denying their safety. Their is no settled law on the subject, and litigation is assured on the part of states dominated by Christofascists (TX, LA, etc) https://www.axios.com/2022/06/24/merrick-garland-fda-abortion-pills-state-bans

#SCOTUS, as I expect those of you on the other side of the international timeline already know, has revoked Roe v Wade, leaving states free to ban #abortion as they may see fit (e.g. ignoring rape, risk of life of the mother, etc). Justice Thomas, a fierce enemy of personal autonomy, urges his colleagues to overturn the protections of gay sex, contraception, same sex marriages. US feeling a lot like Poland https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0

Congresswoman Lauren #Bobert's Shooters Grill, which propelled her rise to Congress, is to be given the boot in August by the building's new owner, a #marijuana retailer (!) Whether the Boberts will find a new location in Rifle, CO, or close the business altogether has not been decided

#EU grants candidate status to #Ukraine and #Moldova, which borders on Ukraine. The transition from candidate to member usually takes years or decades, but one assumes Putin is pissed https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-brussels-european-union-ff560e01c6b3e4f9c70777fad97be397 (Link Corrected)

At least 6 Republican congressmen asked #Trump for a pardon for their activities on the January 6th assault on the US Capitol (persons who have committed no crime have no need for a pardon, ofc) https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/23/jan-6-panel-to-hone-in-on-trumps-efforts-to-meddle-at-doj-00041708

The Court's ruling would appear to put Maryland's similar restriction at risk. (MD is a 'may issue' state)

#SCOTUS strikes down NY State law that restricted the right of concealed carry of handguns to persons who had a good reason to need one (jewelers, cash couriers, etc). Now anyone in NYS can get a gun license. The majority voted with Justice Thomas' opinion that NY's 'proper cause' clause violated the 14th Amendment. Link to the decision in full is in the article. https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/new-york-gun-law-supreme-court-decision/index.html

The vilification and online hate for Amber Heard demonstrates how deep misogyny is ingrained in the culture. I don't give a shit for celebrities. People don’t want to see anything that indicates that this woman, pretty as she is, is really just a human. https://kotaku.com/amber-heard-johnny-depp-trial-gamergate-me-too-twitch-1849095122

The vilification and online hate for Amber Heard demonstrates how deep misogyny is ingrained in the culture. I don't give a shit for celebrities. People don’t want to see anything that indicates that this woman, pretty as she is, is really just a human. https://kotaku.com/amber-heard-johnny-depp-trial-gamergate-me-too-twitch-1849095122

#Thailand state agency says the Kingdom's economy will rise by 3% this year, and 3.7% next year. Happy talk incited by assumptions about tourism (which is probably tailing off for the season), and exports, which are boosted by the weakness of the #THB against the USD. Inflation is 7.1% https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/thai-economy-grow-3-year-37-next-year-state-agency-2762296

#Thailand is facing a serious fuel crisis, with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) prices spiking as much as 50% on the spot market (result of Russia's war). 20% of Thailand's power generation comes from LNG. Use of renewables is far underdeveloped https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2331513/thailand-at-risk-of-fuel-shortages-with-imported-gas-too-pricey

Supplements, which 60% of Americans take at a combined cost of 50 billion dollars are found useless in CDC studyhttps://www.studyfinds.org/vitamins-supplements-a-waste/

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, long a low nutrition staple for poor folk who could not afford decent food is being renamed Mac & Cheese, and rebranded as 'comfort food'. The price of this nearly worthless comestible has gone up 3.5% per package https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/22/business-food/kraft-mac-and-cheese-name/index.html

#Covid19 cases, almost exclusively the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants, have risen by 30% in #Scotland. Spread to the rest of the #UK is well nigh inevitable. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-61898853

Even the pitifully weak gun reform bill approved by the US Senate has been rejected by the US House #gop, who succumbed to incentives, metallic and otherwise, from the #NRA https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/22/congress-bipartisan-senate-guns-deal-00041430

N #Ireland: The #DUP, ignoring financial harm facing residents, remains intransigent in blocking the formation of the local legislature. The DUP insists on the total erasure of the Irish Sea Border, which is not going to happen https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-61862893https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-61862893

Oregon to raise minimum wage July 1, with separate rates for different regions: $14.75 for Portland Metro, $12.50 or $13.50 depending on where your city falls on the map. Imagine living in Portland on 2554 a month, you'd have to be living in grandma's basement https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2022/06/oregons-minimum-wage-is-going-up-july-1-heres-what-it-will-be-in-various-parts-of-the-state.html

The #SCOTUS has yet again taken a hammer to the wall of separation between church and state, in this case finding Maine discriminated by defying funding to schools that taught a specific religion as God's will https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-backs-public-money-religious-schools-maine-case-2022-06-21/