Lexi Lonas
Obama’s Muslim Brotherhood – Search (bing.com)
Vice President Harris said Saturday that young people are stepping into an “unsettled” world amid destabilizing forces such as the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine, adding that long-held principles in the U.S. are on “shaky ground.”
During commencement remarks at Tennessee State University, a historically Black institution, Harris said, “it cannot be denied also that your class has traveled a stony road — a pandemic that took away so much of the college experience that you once imagined.”
“And the world that you graduate into is unsettled. It is a world where long-established principles now rest on shaky ground.” She said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “threatens international rules and norms” that have provided peace in the region
since the end of WWII.
“In the United States, we are once again forced to defend fundamental principles that we hoped were long-settled: principles like the freedom to vote, the rights of women to make decisions about their own bodies — even what constitutes the truth, especially in an era when anyone can post anything online and claim it is a fact,” Harris said.
Her comments come after Politico published a draft majority opinion this week written
by conservative Justice Samuel Alito which would effectively end federal protections for abortions.
In the opinion, Alito wrote that the landmark 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade, is “egregiously wrong.” The drafted opinion would hand down the decision on abortion to the states.
The Supreme Court confirmed that the draft was “authentic” following the leak but noted
that the final decision has not yet been made.
Democrats erupted in outrage after the Politico report.
Harris decried the drafted opinion, saying the “rights of all Americans are at risk.”
“If the right to privacy is weakened, every person could face a future in which the government can potentially interfere in the personal decisions you make about your life. This is the time to fight for women and for our country with everything we have,”
Harris said. The issue of abortion is something that those close to the vice president
say she is passionate about.
“She feels very passionately about it,” a source told The Hill this week.
In a speech to abortion rights group EMILY’s List, Harris personally added the line
“How dare they?” when speaking about Republican efforts to restrict medical procedures.
However, Harris told the graduates Saturday there is hope in the next generation to address the challenges of the nation.
“And, graduates, I look at this unsettled world and, yes, I then see the challenges, but
I’m here to tell you, I also see the opportunities. The opportunities for your leadership.
The future of our country and our world will be shaped by you,” she said. Vice President Kamala Harris gives commencement address at Tennessee State University (full speech) – YouTube
President Biden and the Muslim Brotherhood trap (jns.org)
Everything Kamala Harris said — and didn’t say — in Tennessee State commencement speech Vice President Kamala Harris packed a lot into her nearly 19-minute speech at Tennessee State University’s commencement ceremony on Saturday.
Along with praising graduates for their accomplishments, she acknowledged the
long-standing struggles that many of those who attend historically Black colleges
and universities and their families have faced.
America prepares for post-Roe reality: ‘The past is going to be the future’.
Kamala Harris in Nashville:
With Roe v. Wade in the spotlight, Kamala Harris welcomes TSU grads into ‘an unsettled world’
Previously: Vice President Kamala Harris to speak at Tennessee State University commencement ceremony
Harris also talked politics, warning graduates of the challenges she anticipates
they will face, and that she hopes they might solve, in what she called the “unsettled”
world they are entering. Here are some of the most significant — and controversial —
topics Harris mentioned.
The war in Ukraine
“It cannot be denied also that your class has traveled a stony road,”
Harris told the class of 2022. The world you graduate into is unsettled, she added.
“We see this in Ukraine,” Harris said, referencing the now 10-week long war that
began when Russia invaded the Eastern European country on Feb. 24.
The war — and the Biden-Harris administration’s response to it has captured the nation’s attention. Harris said Russia’s invasion threatens “international rules and norms.”
Kamala Harris on Roe v. Wade
Hundreds rally for abortion rights throughout Southland (msn.com)
She also referenced the fiery abortion debate that was reignited when news broke earlier this week that the U.S. Supreme Court is on the verge of overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion across the nation.
“Here in the United States, we are once again forced to defend fundamental principles
that we hoped were long settled; principles like the freedom to vote, the rights of women
to make decisions about their own body, what constitutes the truth,” she said as the sea of
blue caps before her roared.
Harris rebuked Republican lawmakers and conservative justices earlier this week,
when she argued access to abortion would be severely limited in almost half the country
if Roe v. Wade gets overturned.
The gap between the rich and the poor
The economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the widening gap between the rich and the poor, with Black households typically falling further behind than their white peers — one type of inequality that seems to have always existed, Harris noted.
“The gaps between the rich and the poor, men and women, the global North and global South, have existed throughout our history. And through this pandemic, the gaps have become much larger. Globally, extreme poverty is on the rise as is extreme wealth,” she said.
Misinformation + the future of technology
Harris also argued that “what constitutes the truth” is under attack as rampant online misinformation further divides the political divisive country.
“What constitutes the truth, especially in an era when anyone can post anything online
and say it is a fact?” Harris asked.
The White House pointed its finger at social media companies, accusing them of
“killing people” for allowing misinformation about the pandemic to spread.
She said the class of 2022, who “grew up online,” will be tasked with building the future of technology
“Graduates, you stand on the brink of a new frontier, where we are building the platform to the next phase of technology … where we are defining those fundamental principles that will underpin the 21st century,” she said.
Voting rights + the climate crisis
Harris also told graduates that the nation is once again being “forced to defend fundamental principles that we hoped were long settled,” like the freedom to vote, and challenges that have never been settled, like the increasing threat of climate change.
Voting restrictions have cropped up in many states since Republicans and former President Donald Trump claimed the 2020 election was compromised, but Democratic legislation aimed at countering recent restrictive state measures stalled last year.
The Biden-Harris administration also promised to tackle climate change, with the president’s most recent budget proposal signaling a commitment to fight global warming, but Russia’s war with Ukraine also threatens global energy supplies.
Religion news: The new, more conservative Global Methodist Church just launched: Key takeaways from its start
OPINION: As news leaks of possible Roe v. Wade turnover, reaction is mixed across Tennessee
What she ~ didn’t mention? Student loan debt.
One topic the vice president didn’t mention Saturday. Student loans.
More than 41 million borrowers haven’t had to make payments on their federal student loans since March 2020, and Biden recently extended the moratorium until Aug. 31, but the White House is facing mounting pressure to offer widespread debt relief to student loan borrowers. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean:
Everything Kamala Harris said — and didn’t say — at TSU commencement
A leaked Supreme Court draft opinion signaling the high court could overturn Roe v. Wade
has shaken up the 2022 midterm elections, mobilizing Democrats and Republicans alike.
Democrats are using the leaked document as an opportunity to fundraise millions of dollars and rally their bases in opposition to the move. On the Republican side, grassroots activists are similarly energized ahead of what they see as a historic opportunity to overturn a law they have long opposed.
The issue has the opportunity to shake up several Senate races in particular, as Republicans look to flip the upper chamber after Democrats clinched the narrowest of majorities following two special Senate elections in Georgia in 2021.
Though it is not clear exactly how the abortion issue will play out in individual Senate races, it’s clear it has the potential to roil some of the most closely watched contests in November. Here are five Senate races to watch amid the growing fallout from the leaked Supreme Court draft.
Alaska
One Republican senator that could see the Supreme Court’s decision affect their race is Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski, who is known as a moderate in the Senate, has been vocal about her opposition to overturning Roe v. Wade, putting her at odds with many
in her party.
She went as far to say if the court overturns the landmark case it would “rock my confidence in the court.” The senator supported the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, two of the conservative justices purportedly backing the Roe opinion.
Murkowski, who has described herself as in favor of abortion rights, is facing primary challenger Kelly Tshibaka, an ex-Alaska administration commissioner endorsed by former President Trump. Tshibaka has previously described herself as “pro-life,” drawing a stark distinction between the two candidates before the upcoming primary. Complicating matters is the political nature of Alaska, a state known for its fierce independence.
Murkowski is likely depending on many of the more moderate voters who will be angered if the abortion law is overturned. Alaska is one of the few states in the country that has the protection of abortion rights enshrined in its state constitution.
Arizona
In a swing state where current Sen. Mark Kelly (D) only won his special election for office by 2 percentage points, abortion could be an issue that has a significant impact on election results.
Kelly has labeled himself as pro-abortion rights and decried the leaked SCOTUS decision.
He is facing opposition from anti-abortion groups in the state, including Susan B. Anthony List, which spent $1 million for two 30-second ads that aimed to convince voters Kelly is an extremist on the issue.
Among the top contenders in the Republican primary are Arizona Attorney General
Mark Brnovich, Arizona businessman and veteran Jim Lamon and venture capitalist
Blake Masters. Brnovich and Lamon both described themselves as “pro-life” on their
Senate campaign websites. Masters has been critical of abortion in the past.
In Arizona, Republicans control both state legislatures and the governor’s office while having two Democratic senators who are pro-abortion rights. Gov. Doug Ducey (R) recently signed a law that bans abortions in the state at 15 weeks. The bill has no exemptions for rape or incest.
Related video: Supreme Court confirms leak of draft opinion
overturning Roe v. Wade (NBC News) – Bing video
Nevada
The Nevada Senate race, where incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) will be fighting to retain her spot, is being closely watched by Republicans as one of their best
bet to flip a Senate seat.
The Nevada Democrat has previously made her stance on abortion clear,
saying she has supported making sure access is available for those services.
In light of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion, Cortez Masto said in a statement she believed if it became the final ruling, it would be “a dangerous attack on women across the country.”
Nevada already allows people to seek an abortion up to 24 weeks after the start of pregnancy, meaning that the topic itself could be an issue Republicans may try to steer away from given the state’s established laws on it.
One Senate Republican candidate nodded to that fact in a statement he released following the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion, making it clear that he was anti-abortion while acknowledging it was settled law in the state.
“If the leaked draft reflects the Supreme Court’s ultimate decision, it will constitute
an historic victory for the sanctity of life and the principles of self-determination.
The Supreme Court has never had the expertise nor the authority to unilaterally legislate on abortion,” Republican candidate Adam Laxalt said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The people of Nevada have already voted to make abortion rights legal in our state,
and so no matter the Court’s ultimate decision on Roe, it is currently settled law in our state,” he added.
New Hampshire
In the wake of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D),
whose Senate race is also being closely watched, called the draft ruling “devastating”
and urged for Congress to codify the Roe v. Wade decision into law.
“And I will continue to fight for the full inclusion of women in our society, and that starts with them being able to make their own health care decisions and decide if and when to have a family,” she said in a tweet earlier this week.
Last year, a budget provision signed by New Hampshire’s governor banned abortion following 24 weeks of gestation, according to The Associated Press. Democrats had little luck trying to put protections in place this week in light of the draft ruling.
It is not clear if that provision would be further changed should the draft ruling become the high court’s final decision on the matter. Several Republican candidates said they agreed with Alito’s opinion to hand those decisions back to the states, pointing to their own state as an example.
“It’s a disgrace that a Supreme Court decision of this magnitude was leaked to the media
in an attempt to shift the national political conversation,” Don Bolduc (R), a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and Republican Senate candidate, said in a statement.
“We must understand that this opinion does not outlaw abortion. It returns the decision
to the individual states to make the decision they think is best for their citizens,” he added.
Chuck Morse, New Hampshire state Senate president and another Republican candidate, suggested in his own statement that the ruling would not make a difference in New Hampshire. “I’m proud of my pro-life record in the New Hampshire State Senate.
Last year we settled the law in New Hampshire that permits abortions in the first six months while banning late term and partial birth abortions in the last 12 weeks of a pregnancy – a policy that the vast majority of Granite Staters support. This potential decision will have no impact on New Hampshire,” he said.
“We will wait to see what the Supreme Court ultimately decides, but I strongly believe that the states should have the right to govern policy in their respective states as this draft opinion would ensure.”
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s Senate seat is considered a “toss up” seat for Republican-held seats ahead of the November midterms, according to The Cook Political Report’s latest Senate race ratings.
Democratic Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Rep. Conor Lamb, both seen as front-runners within their party for the Senate seat, have both said they support access to abortion services.
Lamb, a Catholic, has signaled he is opposed personally to abortion, though he has voiced that he supports the choice of women to get them.
Meanwhile, one of the most high-profile Republican Senate candidates in the race,
Trump-endorsed Mehmet Oz, has been on the defensive for his stance on abortion.
During a 2019 interview with “The Breakfast Club,”
Oz was asked about his thoughts on anti-abortion legislation being passed in Alabama.
“I’m really worried about it,” he responded at the time. “I tell ya, I’ve taken care of a lot of women who’ve had issues around childbirth. The problem with the law as it stands now — I think they’ll really only pass to generate a Supreme Court challenge, but most women don’t know they’re pregnant.”
“Just putting my doctor hat on, it’s big-time concern. Because I went to medical school in Philadelphia, and I saw women who’d had coat-hanger events, I mean really traumatic events that happened when they were younger before Roe versus Wade, and many of them were harmed for life,” he said, after one of the co-hosts noted that the anti-abortion moves would only discourage safe abortions.
Oz said at the time that “at a personal level” he did not want someone in his family
to get an abortion but added. “I don’t want to interfere with everyone else’s stuff.”
Following the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion, Oz said on Tuesday that the 1973 landmark decision had been “wrongly decided,” adding, “Abortion laws should be left
up to the American people and their elected representatives.”
During a Republican Senate primary debate held earlier this week, former hedge
fund executive David McCormick (R) and Army veteran Kathy Barnette (R) criticized
Oz’s previous remarks on the matter.
“You’ve got a track record that’s completely opposite of the idea,” McCormick told the heart surgeon during the debate, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “and it’s another example of you being completely phony.”
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