U.S.
Texas and Ohio Move to Halt Abortions During COVID Outbreak
Published
3 years agoon

- Texas has announced that non-urgent medical procedures and surgeries must be halted as hospitals respond to the coronavirus, including abortion as one of the impacted medical services.
- Ohio leaders made the same call, but providers like Planned Parenthood believed the wording in letters they received still allow them to provide the procedure.
- Pro-choice advocates believe that abortion should be considered essential because it is a time-sensitive and non-elective procedure.
- But those in favor of the mandates in Texas and Ohio believe this is necessary to help increase care capacity for coronavirus patients.
Texas Pauses Abortion Access
States like Texas and Ohio are listing abortion as one of the non essential medical procedures and surgeries that must be delayed while hospitals respond to the coronavirus outbreak.
On Sunday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an order to postpone medical procedures that were not immediately necessary in order to increase hospital bed capacity. The following day, the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released a statement saying that this includes “procedures that are not immediately medically necessary such as orthopedic surgeries or any type of abortion that is not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has increased demands for hospital beds and has created a shortage of personal protective equipment needed to protect health care professionals and stop transmission of the virus,” the statement further explained. According to Paxton’s office, postponing these procedures will free up these tools so they can be used for doctors and patients facing problems created by COVID-19. Any failure to comply with this order can lead to penalties of up to $1,000 or 180 days of jail time.
Ohio’s Mandate
Texas is not the only state to make a mandate of this nature. Over the weekend, Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost sent a letter to Women’s Med Center and a Planned Parenthood chapter saying they, too, had to stop abortions for the time being.
“You and your facility are ordered to immediately stop performing non-essential and elective surgical abortions,” the letter said, according to CBS News, which obtained a copy. “Non-essential surgical abortions are those that can be delayed without undue risk to the current or future health of a patient.”
Yost’s letter did not state specific punishments but did say that if facilities do not follow these instructions, “the Department of Health will take all appropriate measures.”
However, some providers found the language in Yost’s mandate flexible enough for them to still be able to carry out abortions. Planned Parenthood’s Southwest Ohio Region chapter released a statement saying they would still be providing the service.
We're here with you. pic.twitter.com/IWc4YZH33A
— Planned Parenthood (@PPSWO) March 21, 2020
“We are complying with the Ohio Department of Health’s order regarding personal protective equipment, which requires hospitals and surgical facilities to stop providing non-essential surgeries and procedures and take other steps to reduce the use of equipment,” they wrote. “Under that order, Planned Parenthood can still continue providing essential procedures, including surgical abortion.”
Uncertainty in Other States
Other states have taken measure to pause non essential healthcare, including Maryland. In terms of abortion, Maryland did not make it clear if abortion was deemed non essential or not. According to a Washington Post reporter, when Governor Larry Hogan was questioned about whether or not it did, he “appeared to say yes.”
Abortion wrinkle I'd not thought about: Hogan's executive order shuts down all elective procedures. A reporter (@APBrianWitte) asked if that included abortion. Hogan appeared to say yes.
— Erin Cox (@ErinatThePost) March 23, 2020
"They've got to free up beds for the things that are needed to save people's lives. https://t.co/7MTbvlKB4w
There have been no specific clarifications on this, though. His office also made remarks suggesting that he would not be the deciding factor on whether or not this measure includes abortion.
Louisiana was also among the many states putting a hold on non emergency procedures, and a pro-life organization in the state said this would stop abortions at one of the few remaining providers in the state. The Center for Reproductive rights denied this and said that clinic was in fact still open.
Responses
Putting abortion access on the chopping block during an already politically tense moment has led to frustration for many. Some believe that cutting back on the procedure is an unproductive solution to helping care core COVID-19 because only 4% of abortions are done at hospitals, according to the Abortion Care Network.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology also released a joint statement defending access to abortion during these times. Their message was put out before states like Texas and Ohio announced their plans in hopes of preventing states from taking these measures.
“Abortion is an essential component of comprehensive health care,” the joint statement read. “It is also a time-sensitive service for which a delay of several weeks, or in some cases days, may increase the risks or potentially make it completely inaccessible. The consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person’s life, health, and well-being.”
Amy Hagstrom Miller, president of Whole Woman’s Health, an organization at the center of a major ongoing Supreme Court case, also released a statement condemning these kinds of rules.
“Emergency actions during a global pandemic should advance health and safety for us all, not force people to delay much-needed care and possibly exacerbate their health situations by doing so,” Miller wrote. “Patients cannot wait until this pandemic is over to receive safe abortion care.”
On the other side, some pro-life advocates think temporarily banning the procedure is necessary to help treat coronavirus patients. Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life told the New York Times that when Texas made this mandate, leaders were not “singling out any particular procedure or any segment of the health care industry.”
“The bottom line is, these abortions must be delayed,” he said.
Pro-Life Louisiana released a statement of their own, encouraging abortion providers to not give the service.
“We suggest that instead of fighting Louisiana emergency health and safety regulations, the abortion facilities pitch in to fight COVID-19 and its effects by donating much-needed personal protection equipment to local emergency rooms,” it wrote.
See what others are saying: (CBS News) (New York Times) (The Hill)
U.S.
AMC Will Set Movie Ticket Prices Based on Seat Locations
Published
1 day agoon
February 7, 2023By
Star Pralle
The decision has faced backlash, but AMC executives claim it will ensure that “guests have more control over their experience.”
Sightline by AMC
AMC, the largest movie theater chain in the U.S., is changing its price metric by charging more at admission for preferred seats and offering value seats at a lower cost.
The new pricing experiment is called Sightline by AMC, and it offers three different tiers. Value Sightline includes the seats right next to the screen, while Preferred Sightline includes seats that are centered and in the middle of the theater. The average seats, or Standard Sightline, will remain at the normal price of admission.
“While every seat at AMC delivers an amazing moviegoing experience, we know there are some moviegoers who prioritize their specific seat and others who prioritize value moviegoing,” AMC’s executive vice president and CMO Eliot Hamlisch said to Variety. “Sightline at AMC accommodates both sentiments to help ensure that our guests have more control over their experience, so that every trip to an AMC is a great one.”
However, Sightline will not apply to AMC’s Discount Tuesday deal — every ticket will still be offered at $5 regardless of seat location. Sightline will also only apply to evening shows after 4:00 p.m.
The Reception
The movie theater giant has faced backlash for this new price structure, including from people in the entertainment industry.
“This is absurdly stupid & only creates unnecessary classism,” actor and director Seth Green wrote on Twitter. “AMCTheatres clearly focused on squeezing new profits anywhere possible. Trying to get people back into theaters? Don’t penalize folks with less to spend.”
This is absurdly stupid & only creates unnecessary classism. @AMCTheatres clearly focused on squeezing new profits anywhere possible. Trying to get people back into theaters? Don’t penalize folks with less to spend. https://t.co/LTpm2ormn0
— Seth Green (@SethGreen) February 7, 2023
Actor Elijah Wood also condemned the change for disproportionately impacting lower-income families.
“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all and this new initiative by AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income,” Wood wrote.
The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all and this new initiative by @AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income.
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) February 6, 2023
This is not the first time AMC has experimented with its pricing. During the opening weekend of “The Batman” last year, AMC announced it would be charging $1 to $2 more for it compared to other movies playing at the same time. Back in 2019, the chain tested a different pricing initiative, charging more for movies “of the highest appeal” and making less in-demand movies cheaper.
See what others are saying: (Variety) (Complex) (NowThis)
U.S.
Neo-Nazi Leader Charged in Plot to “Destroy Baltimore” By Attacking Substations — a Growing Trend
Published
1 day agoon
February 7, 2023By
Lili Stenn
Experts say that far-right extremist attacks on energy infrastructure have grown significantly in the last few years.
Conspiracy to Attack Maryland Energy Systems
A neo-Nazi leader who was recently released from prison and a woman he met while incarcerated were arrested on Monday for plotting to “completely destroy” the power grid in Baltimore, Maryland.
Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI field office in Baltimore said in a press conference that the two had “conspired to inflict maximum harm on the power grid,” by targeting five electrical substations that serve 1.2 million people in central Maryland.
He noted that the pair ”were not just talking, but taking steps to fulfill their threats and further their extremist goals.”
Their plot, however, was foiled by law enforcement before they could put it into action, in large part because both extensively detailed their plans to an FBI informant on encrypted messaging apps.
Sobocinski described their extremist views as “racially or ethnically motivated.”
The neo-Nazi leader is the founder of a small but dangerous group called the Atomwaffen Division, which uses civil disorder and violence because they believe it will help spark a race war in the U.S. — a white supremacist theory known as “accelerationism.”
Authorities say that he previously plotted with his roommates — also members of the group — to attack energy facilities in Florida. Before he could, he was arrested and put in federal prison for possessing bomb-making materials.
During that time, he began to communicate with the woman, who was serving time in a separate facility in Maryland after being charged with robbing multiple convenience stores with a machete.
Authorities point to several pieces of evidence that indicate she too had been radicalized, including a statement she wrote that prosecutors say resembles a manifesto, in which she references Hitler, the Unabomber, and a far-right Norwegian terrorist and stated: “I would sacrifice **everything** for my people.”
The woman’s mother also told The Washington Post that she had become involved with neo-Nazi beliefs in prison, which she has been in and out of since 2006.
A Growing Trend
Federal law enforcement officials have said there is “no indication” the planned attack in Baltimore was connected to other attacks. The plot, however, comes on the heels of similar events.
In early December, there were a series of attacks on substations in North Carolina that were very reminiscent of what the pair in Maryland were plotting. In fact, prosecutors even said the neo-Nazi leader sent the FBI informant a video about that attack.
While authorities have provided little information on a suspect or motive in North Carolina, it has been reported that they have zeroed in on two possibilities that both center around far-right extremism.
Around the same time in December, there were also a series of attacks on the grid in the Pacific Northwest.
Researchers and homeland security officials have said that far-right extremists have been increasingly targeting energy infrastructure while operating under the neo-Nazi theory of accelerationism.
According to a study by the program on extremism at George Washington University released in September, white supremacist attempts to target energy systems “dramatically increased in frequency” from 2016 to 2022.
“Since 2019, white supremacist attacks plots against critical infrastructure systems have distinctly increased,” the study found.
Brian Harrell, a former Homeland Security official who oversaw infrastructure protection at the department, told The Post that he saw a noticeable surge in violent extremists talking about carrying out these attacks online.
“When digging into the ‘dark web,’ social media portals and chat rooms, we quickly see that targeting and destroying energy infrastructure is a tactic many extremist groups fantasize about,” he said.
Editor’s Note: At Rogue Rocket, we make it a point to not include the names and pictures of mass murders, suspected mass murderers, or those accused of committing violent crimes who may have been seeking attention or infamy. Therefore, we will not be linking to other sources, as they may contain these details.
U.S.
College Board Changes AP African American Studies After Backlash From DeSantis Amid Education Culture War
Published
1 week agoon
February 1, 2023By
Lili Stenn
As requested by DeSantis, the College Board removed lessons on contemporary topics including Black Lives Matter, queer studies, and reparations.
College Board Rolls Out Curriculum
The College Board, which oversees Advanced Placement high school courses, announced an official curriculum framework for its new, landmark Advanced Placement African American studies on Wednesday.
The announcement, made on the first day of Black History Month, has faced scrutiny for seeming to scale back a number of relevant subjects that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and other state education officials had criticized.
In January, DeSantis said that the new course would be banned in Florida unless changes were made, arguing that a draft version of the course was “woke.”
Education officials claimed that the class, which had been in the making for nearly a decade, violated a recent state law dubbed the Stop WOKE Act. The legislation regulates public school instruction on race by banning critical race theory and any education that describes some groups as oppressed and others as privileged based on race or sex.
Democrats denounced DeSantis’ action as a political stunt and urged the College Board to maintain its principles.
According to reports, many historical topics like slavery largely remain intact from the previous draft. However, important contemporary issues like Black Lives Matter, affirmative action, queer studies, reparations, and intersectionality — all of which Florida leaders objected to — were removed from curriculum requirements and are no longer part of the AP exam.
Instead, those areas of study have been downgraded to be part of a list of options students can pursue for a mandatory research project. The College Board also added a new research project idea to that list that will certainly please the right: “Black conservatism.”
It has additionally been reported that the organization pulled names of multiple Black authors the state education officials had flagged as problematic, including many famous and pioneering Black scholars who wrote about critical race theory, the queer experience, and Black feminism.
The College Board defended itself against criticism in a press release announcing the changes, claiming that the process of developing the framework “has operated independently from political pressure.”
DeSantis’ Ongoing Culture War
DeSantis’ attempts to influence the national curriculum of an AP course are just his latest in a much broader effort to control what is and is not taught in public schools.
Just one day before the College Board announced the revised course, the governor outlined what The New York Times described as “his most aggressive swing yet at the education establishment.”
Specifically, he proposed a massive overhaul to higher education in the state that would defund and eliminate diversity and equity programs, mandate courses on Western civilization, and reduce tenure protections that are essential to ensure professors have freedom of expression.
Furthermore, the effects of another law DeSantis signed last year are now just beginning to materialize. The policy, which went into effect this July, requires every school book to be age-appropriate, “free of pornography,” and “suited to student needs.”
To follow those guidelines, school books have to be approved by a certified media specialist who has undergone specific training.
Notably, the law also states that teachers can be charged with third-degree felonies if they “knowingly or unknowingly” give students access to a book that the specialists say is harmful — meaning that they could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Last month, the state education department clarified that the rule does not just apply to school libraries, but also to any books a teacher keeps in their classroom too.
Multiple outlets reported this week that records they obtained show at least two school districts have now directed teachers to either remove their books or hide them until review to avoid the possibility of going to jail.
See what others are saying: (The New York Times) (The Washington Post) (The Associated Press)

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Neo-Nazi Leader Charged in Plot to “Destroy Baltimore” By Attacking Substations — a Growing Trend

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