Abortion cases up for Supreme Court review

Alabama just passed the most restrictive abortion bill in the nation, banning abortion in almost all circumstances and threatening to jail doctors who perform abortion for up to 99 years – a de facto life sentence. Like other recently-enacted abortion bills passed in Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi and elsewhere, the Alabama legislation will almost certainly be blocked by the lower courts because it runs counter to the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v Wade abortion rights ruling. And that’s the point. Anti-abortion state legislatures and governors want the Supreme Court’s new conservative majority to overturn, or at least significantly curtail, the abortion protections enshrined in Roe.

But Alabama’s new law will not be the first to reach the steps of the high court. Numerous lawsuits over restrictive laws in nine states – which don’t go as far as Alabama but nevertheless could topple Roe – are already well on their way up the Supreme Court pipeline, with some already reaching the appellate court level. These laws aim to dictate:

Here are some of the lawsuits that could upend U.S. abortion rights if the high court chooses to hear them.

1 case

would make it harder for minors to get abortions.

Most U.S. states require minors seeking abortion to either notify or obtain consent from one or both parents — a policy critics say puts teens with abusive or neglectful parents at risk. Because the Supreme Court previously ruled that states can’t give parents an absolute veto over their daughter’s abortion, most state laws include some kind of “judicial bypass” allowing young women to petition a court to have an abortion without parental consent.

Alabama

Parental consent for minors

Plaintiff

Reproductive Health Services

About the case

The Supreme Court has previously upheld laws requiring parental consent for minors seeking abortions as long as those minors can petition a court for a judicial bypass — where they can argue, for example, that they shouldn’t have to tell an abusive parent about their decision. In Alabama, plaintiffs are challenging a law that allows judges to appoint an advocate for the fetus to question the young woman in such court hearings about “the negative consequences of undergoing an abortion.”

5 cases

could impose new restrictions on providers that could impede access to abortions.

While some states are moving to ban abortion outright, others seek to curtail access through requirements on abortion providers commonly referred to as Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, or TRAP laws. These policies can include anything from dictating the width of a clinic hallway to requiring doctors to obtain admitting privileges at local hospitals. Many providers are unable to meet these requirements and clinics have closed their doors.

Louisiana

Abortion doctors needing admitting privileges

Plaintiff

June Medical Services

About the case

Louisiana’s law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges to a hospital within 30 miles is currently blocked by the Supreme Court while both sides petition to have the case heard on the merits. If it goes into effect, it would leave just one abortion provider open in the state. The Supreme Court struck down a nearly identical Texas law in 2016, but two conservatives, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, have joined the high court since then.

Idaho

Abortion provider documentation

Plaintiff

Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Island

Defendant

Lawrence G. Wasden

About the case

Planned Parenthood is challenging an Idaho law that requires abortion providers to document and report every complication, arguing the law unfairly singles out and stigmatizes one type of medical care and leaves private patient data vulnerable to being shared with the government.

Kentucky

Ambulance and hospital agreements

Plaintiff

EMW Women’s Surgical Center and Planned Parenthood of Indiana & Kentucky

About the case

Abortion providers are challenging a Kentucky law requiring clinics to obtain agreements with local ambulance services and hospitals to transport and admit patients in the event of a complication. The lawsuit argues that abortion-related complications that require hospitalization are extremely rare and the ambulances and hospitals are already required to care for patients in an emergency.

Kentucky

Mandatory ultrasounds

Plaintiff

EMW Women’s Surgical Center

About the case

Kentucky is one of 11 states that require abortion providers to perform an ultrasound on every woman seeking an abortion, and one of just three mandating that the provider show the woman the ultrasound and describe it in detail— even if the woman doesn’t want that and it’s not medically necessary. The American Civil Liberties Union is representing three doctors and their patients in the legal challenge.

Texas

Fetal tissue disposal

Plaintiff

Whole Woman’s Health

About the case

Health care providers are suing over a Texas law requiring doctors to bury or cremate fetal tissue from abortions. They argue that there is only one facility in the state able to process the fetal tissue, meaning the law places an undue burden on abortion access.

1 case

could impose restrictions on when a woman can obtain an abortion.

Some states already require waiting periods before a woman can have an abortion. Others states have moved to ban abortions after 20 weeks — or as early as six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant. Several federal courts are weighing whether these constitute an “undue burden” on women seeking to terminate a pregnancy.

Mississippi

Abortion after 15 weeks

Plaintiff

Jackson Women’s Health Organization

About the case

The lawsuit challenges Mississippi laws that prohibit abortions after 15 weeks. It also mandates a 24-hour waiting period before the abortion.

2 cases

could let states decide that some reasons for seeking an abortion are invalid.

Some states would prohibit women at any point in a pregnancy from getting an abortion based on the “race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex” or disability of the fetus. Supporters say the ban prevents eugenics, while opponents say it unconstitutionally inserts the state into a private medical decision.

Indiana

Race, sex, disability of fetus

Plaintiff

Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky

Defendant

Commissioner of the Indiana State Department of Health

About the case

Medical advances make it possible to detect disabilities and potential disabilities earlier in pregnancy. Both Planned Parenthood and the state of Indiana recognize that access to this testing could lead to more women seeking abortion on the basis of fetal disability. The Indiana Enrolled Act prevents a woman from seeking an abortion based solely on the fetus’ disability, as well as gender or race. Planned Parenthood, the plaintiff, argues that this imposes an undue burden on a woman’s right to choose.

Ohio

Fetus with Down syndrome

Plaintiff

Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio

About the case

Planned Parenthood is challenging an Ohio law — one of the last then-Gov. John Kasich signed in office — that would prevent women from obtaining an abortion following a fetal Down syndrome diagnosis. A provider who performed such an abortion would face felony charges.

3 cases

could outlaw a common abortion method

Several states are moving to ban dilation and evacuation (D&E), a surgical method for second-trimester abortions. Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia have all passed these bans, though most have been blocked by courts. Most abortions take place in the first trimester, but those performed after 13 weeks frequently use D&E.

Texas

D&E abortion

Plaintiff

Whole Woman’s Health

About the case

A new law in Texas requires confirmation that a fetus’ life is terminated in utero before completing the evacuation phase of a D&E abortion. The law specifically prohibits “dismemberment abortions,” which it defines as “dismember[ing] the living unborn child and extract[ing] the unborn child one piece at a time from the uterus …” Whole Woman’s Health argues that while dismemberment abortion is not a medical term, its definition restricts women from choosing D&E abortions even when the fetus is not viable.

Arkansas

D&E abortion

Plaintiff

Frederick W. Hopkins

About the case

Several aspects of Arkansas’ abortion law face challenges, including the requirement that patients receive state counseling before receiving an abortion 18 to 26 weeks into pregnancy — which mandates at least three trips to the clinic, sometimes over long distances in the rural state. The plaintiff, an OB-GYN, argues that only one abortion clinic in the state performs D&E procedures and the repeat clinic visits constitute a burden on women without means of transport, paid time off, or child care if they have other children.

Alabama

D&E abortion

Plaintiff

West Alabama Women’s Center

Defendant

Thomas M. Miller

About the case

The Women’s Center argues that reducing access to second-trimester abortions falls disproportionately on the “most vulnerable residents.” These restrictions, it contends could subject women to significant medical risks.

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Fed up women of America speak out as states look to criminalize abortion

Image: Astrid Riecken/Getty Images

By Nicole Gallucci2019-05-15 17:11:50 UTC

It’s 2019, and rather than making every effort to fight for the equality, freedom, and basic human rights of Americans, several states are currently attempting to criminalize abortion.

Though anti-abortion bills have been introduced throughout the country for years, in states like Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, and more, on Tuesday night Alabama lawmakers voted in favor of the nation’s most restrictive abortion ban, one that would essentially prohibit all abortion procedures, only making an exception if a mother’s life is in danger or if the “unborn child has a lethal anomaly.”

If the bill is signed and passed by Republican governor Kay Ivey, it will mean that any doctor who performs an abortion in-state can be sentenced to up to 99 years in prison.

The outrageous bill comes a month after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a “fetal heartbeat” law, which bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. However, a heartbeat can be heard in the womb as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women even realize they’re pregnant. Earlier this month, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also signed a similarly infuriating heartbeat bill to restrict abortion.

As stricter abortion laws are being enforced across the country, and news of Alabama’s possible law continues to spread, women are passionately speaking out against it online. Some are calling out the fact that bills like this could lead to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the historic ruling that assured all women access to safe, legal abortions. Others have brought up the fact that Alabama’s bill does not make an exception for pregnancies by rape or incest, which means that a woman raped at any age, even a 12-year-old girl, would be forced to carry to term regardless of the circumstances. And some are arguing that the Alabama law is a direct attack on “poor and marginalized women.”

Among the many women both disgusted by the strict anti-abortion efforts and tired of having their bodies policed by men are politicians and activists like Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jameela Jamil, Busy Phillips, and more.

This ban is dangerous and exceptionally cruel—and the bill’s authors want to use it to overturn Roe v. Wade. I’ve lived in that America and let me tell you: We are not going back—not now, not ever. We will fight this. And we will win. https://t.co/WNlr7Ys73q

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 15, 2019

This law would force children – 12 year olds – to carry a pregnancy by their rapist.

This law would force people w/ mental disabilities to carry pregnancy by rape to term.

This law forces people to be pregnant against their own consent. It’s horrifying.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 15, 2019

just to say: wealthy women will still be able to afford access to a safe abortion, in secret, regardless of a ban. This happens all the time, around the world.

Yes the law in Alabama is an attack on women – but more specifically, it’s an attack on poor and marginalised women.

— Rossalyn Warren (@RossalynWarren) May 15, 2019

Y’all need to stop saying Alabama or Georgia lawmakers are hicks or hillbillies etc. What they are is systematically dismantling women’s rights one state at a time to eventually overturn Roe v Wade and before long it will be your state legislators.

— roxane gay (@rgay) May 15, 2019

Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio & now Alabama – these anti-abortion bills aren’t a coincidence, it’s a concerted effort by the GOP to overturn Roe v. Wade.

I’m sick and tired of this outright assault on women’s bodily autonomy – we will fight this with everything we’ve got.

— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) May 15, 2019

Alabama just passed a near-total ban on abortion.

No exceptions for rape or incest.

Doctors could face 99 years in prison for providing abortions.

This is a war on women, and it is time to fight like hell. https://t.co/lhwlbyeQsl

— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) May 15, 2019

We’re facing an all-out assault on women’s constitutional rights, explicitly aimed at overturning Roe v. Wade. We need to loudly proclaim that reproductive rights are nonnegotiable, and join together to defend them at every level—in Washington, in the courts, and in the states.

— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) May 15, 2019

How come the same lawmakers who say gun laws won’t stop gun violence believe abortion laws will stop abortion? https://t.co/7E6u31VRCO

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) May 15, 2019

Don’t move forward after reading this like everything is normal. Don’t shake your head at Alabama and then keep going about your day. Realize that this is a warning. It’s Alabama and abortion today. It’s you and your rights tomorrow. Your silence will not save you. So speak up. https://t.co/kIz78uAU1T

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 15, 2019

There is no punishment in this bill for the man doing the impregnating, except presumably the obligation to pay child support in some cases

— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) May 15, 2019

Just so we’re clear, now in Alabama, a man who rapes a woman and gets her pregnant will serve less time (if even convicted) than the person who removes the embryo that was forcibly put inside his victim.

— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) May 15, 2019

Jamil, who called Georgia’s recent abortion law “so upsetting, inhumane, and blatantly demonstrative of a hatred of women, a disregard for our rights, bodies, and mental health,” also shared her own personal abortion experience.

“I had an abortion when I was young, and it was the best decision I have ever made,” she explained. “Both for me, and for the baby I didn’t want, and wasn’t ready for, emotionally, psychologically and financially…”

I had an abortion when I was young, and it was the best decision I have ever made. Both for me, and for the baby I didn’t want, and wasn’t ready for, emotionally, psychologically and financially. So many children will end up in foster homes. So many lives ruined. So very cruel.

— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) May 13, 2019

The anti-abortion law is also especially targeted at those without the means/ability to move state. Women who are marginalized, poor or disabled will, as ever, be the ones to suffer the most. The wealthy will have so much more freedom.

— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) May 13, 2019

Busy Phillips, who recently opened up about having an abortion when she was 15 years old, weighed in on Alabama’s bill, encouraging women to share their stories with the hashtag #youknowme.

1 in 4 women have had an abortion. Many people think they don’t know someone who has, but #youknowme. So let’s do this: if you are also the 1 in 4, let’s share it and start to end the shame. Use #youknowme and share your truth.

— Busy Philipps (@BusyPhilipps) May 15, 2019

Hillary Clinton also condemned the bills and urged people to fight back against anti-abortion policies like it by supporting The National Network of Abortion Funds, and organizations that are working to elect more pro-choice candidates to office, such as Emerge America, Emily’s List, Run For Something, and Supermajority. Many also suggested donating to The Yellowhammer Fund, which helps women seeking care at one of Alabama’s three abortion clinics with funding, travel arrangements, lodging, and more.

The abortion bans in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Mississippi are appalling attacks on women’s lives and fundamental freedoms.

Women’s rights are human rights.

We will not go back.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 15, 2019

None of us should accept a future in which our daughters and granddaughters have fewer rights than we do.

Choose a way to help, ask a friend to join you, and let’s get to work.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 15, 2019

As women struggle to grapple with the idea of taking a monumental step backwards in history, men are speaking up in solidarity as well. Male politicians, actors, and activists are raising their voices and standing by women’s right to choose what’s right for themselves and their own bodies.

The Alabama legislature is ignoring science, criminalizing abortion, and punishing women.

Instead, the government’s role should be to make sure all women have access to comprehensive affordable care, and that includes safe and legal abortion.https://t.co/pU0rKy0fED

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) May 15, 2019

We will fight these dangerous efforts with everything we’ve got in legislatures across the country, in the courts, and at the ballot box. We will win.

Take action now by supporting organizations like @PPFA that provide critical health care to millions. https://t.co/jXx5wHhFBj

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) May 15, 2019

Make no mistake: right now, in front of our eyes, the Republicans are coming after Roe v. Wade. We won’t stand for this. We will fight back.

— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) May 15, 2019

This is absolutely unbelievable. If you’re not worried about roe v wade, you’re not paying attention. This is why voting matters!! https://t.co/gZ5lrj7tQ1

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) May 15, 2019

Imagine thinking your state is “pro-life” when you’re:

– 2nd in Gun Violence

– 45th in Health Care

– 50th in Education

– 45th in opportunity for residents

– 45th in crime and corrections

It sounds more like pro-forced birth than anything to do w/ the sanctity of life. #Alabama

— Matt Deitsch (@MattxRed) May 15, 2019

there’s not a single thing in this world a male could experience that would even come close to the indignity of being legally forced to carry your rapist’s baby to term

— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) May 15, 2019

The fate of the bill now rests in Republican Gov. Kay Ivey’s hands. She has six days to sign it into legislation, and if she does, the restrictions would go into effect six months later.

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Fed up women of America speak out as states look to criminalize abortion

Image: Astrid Riecken/Getty Images

By Nicole Gallucci2019-05-15 17:11:50 UTC

It’s 2019, and rather than making every effort to fight for the equality, freedom, and basic human rights of Americans, several states are currently attempting to criminalize abortion.

If the bill is signed and passed by Republican governor Kay Ivey, it will mean that any doctor who performs an abortion in-state can be sentenced to up to 99 years in prison.

This ban is dangerous and exceptionally cruel—and the bill’s authors want to use it to overturn Roe v. Wade. I’ve lived in that America and let me tell you: We are not going back—not now, not ever. We will fight this. And we will win. https://t.co/WNlr7Ys73q

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 15, 2019

This law would force children – 12 year olds – to carry a pregnancy by their rapist.

This law would force people w/ mental disabilities to carry pregnancy by rape to term.

This law forces people to be pregnant against their own consent. It’s horrifying.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 15, 2019

just to say: wealthy women will still be able to afford access to a safe abortion, in secret, regardless of a ban. This happens all the time, around the world.

Yes the law in Alabama is an attack on women – but more specifically, it’s an attack on poor and marginalised women.

— Rossalyn Warren (@RossalynWarren) May 15, 2019

Y’all need to stop saying Alabama or Georgia lawmakers are hicks or hillbillies etc. What they are is systematically dismantling women’s rights one state at a time to eventually overturn Roe v Wade and before long it will be your state legislators.

— roxane gay (@rgay) May 15, 2019

Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio & now Alabama – these anti-abortion bills aren’t a coincidence, it’s a concerted effort by the GOP to overturn Roe v. Wade.

I’m sick and tired of this outright assault on women’s bodily autonomy – we will fight this with everything we’ve got.

— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) May 15, 2019

Alabama just passed a near-total ban on abortion.

No exceptions for rape or incest.

Doctors could face 99 years in prison for providing abortions.

This is a war on women, and it is time to fight like hell. https://t.co/lhwlbyeQsl

— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) May 15, 2019

We’re facing an all-out assault on women’s constitutional rights, explicitly aimed at overturning Roe v. Wade. We need to loudly proclaim that reproductive rights are nonnegotiable, and join together to defend them at every level—in Washington, in the courts, and in the states.

— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) May 15, 2019

How come the same lawmakers who say gun laws won’t stop gun violence believe abortion laws will stop abortion? https://t.co/7E6u31VRCO

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) May 15, 2019

Don’t move forward after reading this like everything is normal. Don’t shake your head at Alabama and then keep going about your day. Realize that this is a warning. It’s Alabama and abortion today. It’s you and your rights tomorrow. Your silence will not save you. So speak up. https://t.co/kIz78uAU1T

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 15, 2019

There is no punishment in this bill for the man doing the impregnating, except presumably the obligation to pay child support in some cases

— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) May 15, 2019

Just so we’re clear, now in Alabama, a man who rapes a woman and gets her pregnant will serve less time (if even convicted) than the person who removes the embryo that was forcibly put inside his victim.

— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) May 15, 2019

I had an abortion when I was young, and it was the best decision I have ever made. Both for me, and for the baby I didn’t want, and wasn’t ready for, emotionally, psychologically and financially. So many children will end up in foster homes. So many lives ruined. So very cruel.

— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) May 13, 2019

The anti-abortion law is also especially targeted at those without the means/ability to move state. Women who are marginalized, poor or disabled will, as ever, be the ones to suffer the most. The wealthy will have so much more freedom.

— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) May 13, 2019

Busy Phillips, who recently opened up about having an abortion when she was 15 years old, weighed in on Alabama’s bill, encouraging women to share their stories with the hashtag #youknowme.

1 in 4 women have had an abortion. Many people think they don’t know someone who has, but #youknowme. So let’s do this: if you are also the 1 in 4, let’s share it and start to end the shame. Use #youknowme and share your truth.

— Busy Philipps (@BusyPhilipps) May 15, 2019

The abortion bans in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Mississippi are appalling attacks on women’s lives and fundamental freedoms.

Women’s rights are human rights.

We will not go back.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 15, 2019

None of us should accept a future in which our daughters and granddaughters have fewer rights than we do.

Choose a way to help, ask a friend to join you, and let’s get to work.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 15, 2019

The Alabama legislature is ignoring science, criminalizing abortion, and punishing women.

Instead, the government’s role should be to make sure all women have access to comprehensive affordable care, and that includes safe and legal abortion.https://t.co/pU0rKy0fED

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) May 15, 2019

We will fight these dangerous efforts with everything we’ve got in legislatures across the country, in the courts, and at the ballot box. We will win.

Take action now by supporting organizations like @PPFA that provide critical health care to millions. https://t.co/jXx5wHhFBj

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) May 15, 2019

Make no mistake: right now, in front of our eyes, the Republicans are coming after Roe v. Wade. We won’t stand for this. We will fight back.

— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) May 15, 2019

This is absolutely unbelievable. If you’re not worried about roe v wade, you’re not paying attention. This is why voting matters!! https://t.co/gZ5lrj7tQ1

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) May 15, 2019

Imagine thinking your state is “pro-life” when you’re:

– 2nd in Gun Violence

– 45th in Health Care

– 50th in Education

– 45th in opportunity for residents

– 45th in crime and corrections

It sounds more like pro-forced birth than anything to do w/ the sanctity of life. #Alabama

— Matt Deitsch (@MattxRed) May 15, 2019

there’s not a single thing in this world a male could experience that would even come close to the indignity of being legally forced to carry your rapist’s baby to term

— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) May 15, 2019

The fate of the bill now rests in Republican Gov. Kay Ivey’s hands. She has six days to sign it into legislation, and if she does, the restrictions would go into effect six months later.

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No more ‘do-over’ probes: White House claps back at Dem subpoenas

Donald Trump — Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

white house

A letter from White House counsel Pat Cipollone accuses House Judiciary Democrats of trying to “harass” Trump.

The White House on Wednesday issued a long-delayed response to House Democrats’ sweeping investigation into abuses of power by President Donald Trump, characterizing the probe as a politically-motivated “do-over” of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and suggesting Trump might assert executive privilege to shield internal documents.

In a 12-page letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone argued that Nadler’s inquiry is an improper assertion of congressional authority and intended to “harass” a political opponent rather than drive legislation. Cipollone called on Nadler to cancel his investigation altogether.

Story Continued Below

“Under the circumstances, the appropriate course is for the Committee to discontinue the inquiry discussed in the March 4 letter,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, it appears that you have already decided to press ahead with a duplicative investigation, including by issuing subpoenas, to replow the same ground the Special Counsel has already covered. I ask that you reconsider that approach.”

The letter is the latest salvo in a months-long standoff between the White House and congressional Democrats that has turned increasingly hostile, with Democrats charging the White House is obstructing legitimate investigations and Trump’s lawyers arguing that Democrats are simply looking to embarrass the president.

In early March, Nadler announced a wide-ranging probe into Trump’s political and business worlds, requesting documents and testimony from 81 people, companies, and government entities, including the White House. The investigation, he said, was intended to get to the heart of the most damning allegations against the president, including obstruction of justice and public corruption.

“This is a critical time for our nation,” Nadler wrote in a letter to each person or entity subpoenaed by his committee. “President Trump and his administration face wide-ranging allegations of misconduct that strike at the heart of our constitutional order.”

Nadler said Wednesday that the Trump White House is engaging in unprecedented stonewalling and obstruction of his committee’s investigative efforts.

“Until recently, no President had ever stated that his plan, across the board, would be to fight any and all oversight from Congress. In declaring that he plans to ‘fight all the subpoenas,’ President Trump has announced his hostility to our system of checks and balances, and is thereby seeking to hold himself above the law,” Nadler said at a congressional hearing on executive privilege and congressional overnight.

Nadler was referring to the president’s remark, in late April, that he planned to fight “all the subpoenas” issued by House Democrats, including the one sent to his former White House Counsel, Don McGahn.

“The subpoena is ridiculous,” Trump said. “I thought after two years we’d be finished with it.”

The White House’s letter is a new front in the mounting confrontation between congressional committees and the Trump administration. Wednesday is also a deadline for a House Intelligence Committee subpoena demanding Mueller’s report and underlying evidence. The Judiciary Committee is also working to schedule testimony from McGahn, a key witness in Mueller’s obstruction probe, and is fighting a move by Trump to assert executive privilege over the Mueller report and its underlying material.

The Judiciary Committee earlier this month voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over Mueller’s files to Congress by a May 1 deadline. And the House Oversight Committee is battling Trump’s personal lawyers in court as the president mounts an uphill fight against Congress’ subpoena to obtain his personal financial records from a private accounting firm.

Cipollone’s letter reprises legal theories that Trump’s personal attorney, William Consovoy, made during a federal court hearing on Tuesday, in an effort to invalidate the House Oversight Comittee subpoena for Trump’s personal records.

In that case, the judge, Amit Mehta, signaled doubts about the argument that Congress lacked a legitimate “legislative purpose” to obtain the records.

Cipollone’s Wednesday letter also argues that the committee is unable to investigate any actions that are exclusively the providence of the executive branch — including the president’s use of the pardon power, a part of Nadler’s probe. “Congress’s oversight authority does not extend to the President’s pardon power,” he writes.

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Ryan Reynolds hails ‘Deadpool’ as his ‘greatest gig’ ever

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The ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel has begun filming

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Mike Maccagnan Fired as Jets GM; HC Adam Gase to Serve in Interim Role

New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The New York Jets announced the firing of general manager Mike Maccagnan on Wednesday.

In a statement, Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson revealed that head coach Adam Gase will serve as the interim GM until they find a replacement:

New York Jets @nyjets

Statement from Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson on Mike Maccagnan. https://t.co/cHWNJzExLp

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Jets also parted ways with Brian Heimerdinger, who was the vice president of player personnel.

Schefter added that Philadelphia Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas is close to Gase and has been rumored to be in the running for the Jets’ GM job.

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.

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Weak spots emerge in China’s economy as trade war intensifies

Key parts of China‘s economy slowed down in April, underscoring the challenges faced by the government as it tangles with the United States in a trade war.

Retail sales grew at their slowest pace in 16 years. Industrial output and investments were also weak.

Despite the sobering data dump, the government described the economy’s performance as “reasonable.”

“Boosting domestic consumption is crucial for China to withstand the impact of slower exports when trade tariffs hurt,” said CMC Markets analyst Margaret Yang in a research note.

Retail sales grew by 7.2 percent year-on-year in April, significantly lower than the 8.7 percent growth recorded in March. Industrial production expanded by 5.4 percent, far lower than the 8.5 percent growth recorded in March, which was a four-and-a-half-year high.

Trade tensions

Tensions between the US and China intensified this week after China announced on Monday that it would raise tariffs on $60bn worth of US goods from June 1 onward. The move was in response to Washington’s decision last week to hike tariffs on $200bn worth of goods from China, and possibly another $300bn in the coming weeks.

US President Donald Trump has said he will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Japan next month to try and hammer out a trade deal. On Tuesday, Trump toned down his hawkish trade rhetoric, insisting that talks with Beijing have not collapsed and framing the escalating trade war as “a little squabble”.

The US and China are locked in a trade war. [FILE: Jason Lee/Reuters]

The talks stalled last week, reportedly after China tried to delete commitments from a draft agreement stating that its laws would be changed to enact new policies on issues from intellectual property protection to forced technology transfers. In response, China has blamed the US for going back on its word during previous rounds of talks.

Some analysts said the April slowdown in key indicators for China’s economy was to be expected following rapid growth rates in March.

“The retail data somewhat overstate the slowdown in the retail sector, with the comparison base having been skewed by additional working days in April,” Yue Su, a China economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), told Al Jazeera. “In line with the EIU forecast, the unusual lift in March was mainly tied to seasonal factors.”

“The EIU does not see the April statistics as raising significant concerns about the GDP outlook,” Su said, referring to gross domestic product, the most common indicator of the strength of an economy.

More stimulus?

Some analysts say the government may have to roll out more economic stimulus measures. It has already started making it easier for companies to borrow money to build infrastructure projects.

But the latest figures show that investment in things like buildings, equipment and land – so-called fixed assets – rose by 6.2 percent between January and April compared with the same period last year. This growth was below analysts’ forecasts.

“The main concern for the government is the slowing down in fixed-asset investment, despite the efforts to raise the supply of credit. Therefore, the failure of policy loosening to stimulate investment – alongside renewed US-China trade tensions – may point to a lengthier period of easing,” said Su.

In March, the Chinese government lowered its economic-growth forecast to between six and 6.5 percent for 2019, down from a previous estimate of around 6.5 percent.

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Taylor Swift Apologizes For Calling Out Joe Jonas During Their 2008 Breakup

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Taylor Swift and Joe Jonas used to be an item back in 2008. If you need some extra time to process that, we’ll wait.

Back with us? Good. Okay, those were different times, for sure – for instance, Joe Jonas is now married to Sophie Turner. Taylor is now in a relationship with actor Joe Alwyn, though the pair haven’t announced wedding plans just yet.

But even though it’s been over a decade since Swift and Jonas were dating, it seems there’s still something the pop star regrets about the time they were together – or, more accurately, when they broke up. On a recent Ellen appearance, DeGeneres asked Taylor what one of her most embarrassing memory was as part of a “Burning Questions” segment.

“Probably when I like, put Joe Jonas on blast on your show,” Taylor replied. “That was too much, that was too much. I was 18, yeah,” she admitted. We laugh about it now, but that was mouthy, yeah, some teenage stuff there.”

Swift is referring to a dig she made at Jonas in 2008, after he reportedly broke things off with her via phone call. Back in an interview promoting the release of her album Fearless, Swift dished on the “one song” about a guy who wasn’t in her life anymore.

“We haven’t talked since, but you know what, some day I’m gonna find someone really, really great who’s right for me,” Swift said of Jonas. “When I look at that person, I’m not even going to remember the boy who broke up with me over the phone in 25 seconds when I was 18.”

My, how things have changed since then! Now that Jonas has found the love of his life, and Swift seems to have found hers (she and Alwyn have been dating since 2016) it looks like the pair can comfortably laugh about the past together. It’s still a trip to look back and reminisce on what was going on back in 2008.

Don’t count out 2019, though – Swift has a new album on the way, and coincidentally, so do the Jonas Brothers! What a time to be alive.

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Israel’s Eurovision webcast hacked as protests continue

Israel’s webcast of the Eurovision Song Contest was hacked with animated images of explosions in the host city, Tel Aviv, amid growing calls by pro-Palestinian activists to boycott the event.

After the 41-country competition kicked off in the coastal city on Tuesday with a first semi-final, national broadcaster Kan’s webcast cut to animated satellite footage showing explosions in Tel Aviv set to a menacing soundtrack.

The hacking of Kan’s website did not affect the regular television relay of the show on Tuesday night in Israel or abroad.

Kan played down the incident, noting that the evening ended without any other incident as Greece, Belarus, Serbia, Cyprus, Estonia, Czech Republic, Australia, Iceland, San Marino and Slovenia made it through to Saturday’s finals.

“We know that at a certain stage there was an attempt, apparently by Hamas, to commandeer our digital broadcast,” Kan CEO Eldad Koblenz told Israel’s Army Radio.

“But I am happy to say that within a few minutes we managed to assume control over this phenomenon.”

Hamas, a Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip, had no immediate comment.

Earlier this month, Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with air raids, artillery and gunboat shooting as armed factions in Gaza fired hundreds of rockets at towns and settlements in southern Israel.

At least 25 Palestinians and four Israelis were killed before a ceasefire agreement was signed between Gaza and Israel.

Calls for boycott

Israel is hosting the Eurovision contest after local singer Netta Barzilai won last year. The winning country customarily hosts the following year.

Palestinians and their foreign supporters have called on, so far fruitlessly, countries to shun the Tel Aviv songfest as part of wider efforts to isolate Israel internationally.

Many boycott calls have targeted Madonna, who arrived in Israel on Tuesday, in the run-up to the American pop star’s guest performance at the Eurovision final. The second semi-final is on Thursday.

Rebuffing the pressure, Madonna said she would “never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda”.

On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters marched in Tel Aviv before the first semi-finals.

Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from the rally, said: “For the activists here, it [the protest] coincides with the first anniversary of the moving of the US embassy to Jerusalem and the border protest that took place in Gaza on the same day when more than 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli sniper fire.”

“The protesters are concerned that whole of Israel needs to be seen as an occupying force and it should be boycotted in its entirety,” he added.

People protest against the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv [Faiz Abu Rmeleh/Anadolu]

Israel has been accused of building settlements on occupied Palestinian lands that are considered illegal under international law.

According to official data obtained by the AP news agency, Israel’s government went on a spending spree in its occupied West Bank settlements following the election of President Donald Trump.

The government statistics, released by Israel’s finance ministry, showed Israeli spending in the West Bank in 2017, Trump’s first year in office, rose to about $459m, from about $330m in 2016.

Israel’s government has tried to clamp down on opposition by launching a PR campaign using Google Ads which refers to the words “boycott” and “Eurovision”, but leads to a glossy website extolling Israel as “Beautiful, Diverse, Sensational” – in a play on the BDS initials for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

The BDS – modelled after the South African anti-apartheid movement – was formed in 2005 by more than 200 Palestinian civil society organisations, urging non-violent pressure on Israel until it complies with international law.

Demonstrators have vowed to continue their protests throughout the week’s event.

“It’s an opportunity for propaganda and to market Israel as this cool, hip, multi-cultural European place, but actually it’s an apartheid state and hosting it here is a political decision to overwrite the rights of the Palestinians,” Shahaf Weisbein, the project coordinator for the Coalition of Women for Peace, told Al Jazeera.

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