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Senators Mark Warner, Tim Kaine Cosponsor Legislation to Honor Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA10), Combat Parkinson’s and Related Conditions

By
Blue Virginia
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5

From Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine:

WARNER, KAINE COSPONSOR LEGISLATION TO HONOR REP. WEXTON, COMBAT PARKINSON’S AND RELATED CONDITIONS

~ The Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act would create and update a national plan to combat Parkinson’s and related diseases ~  

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, (both D-VA) have cosponsored the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act. In April 2023, Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) shared her diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, and in September of last year her diagnosis was upgraded to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare and incurable brain disorder that rapidly deteriorates mobility and speech.

Specifically, this legislation would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to set up a National Parkinson’s Project, under which HHS would create and update a national plan to address Parkinson’s and related conditions, including Rep. Wexton’s diagnosis of PSP, provide an estimate of research needs, and establish an advisory council that would report to Congress.

 “Our friend Jennifer Wexton has been a model of grace and perseverance in the face of a difficult diagnosis,” said the senators. “We are proud to introduce this legislation that will devote time and resources towards tackling Parkinson’s disease and its related conditions so that one day we can find a cure for this devastating disease.”

The National Parkinson’s Project is modeled after the National Alzheimer’s Project which, as co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, Sen. Warner led efforts to introduce and pass. Sen. Kaine is leading the bipartisan Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Reauthorization Act, legislation to reauthorize funding for public health initiatives across the country to combat Alzheimer’s disease and preserve brain health.

Sen. Tim Kaine: “Alito and Thomas have brazenly destroyed this bedrock principle [of judicial fairness]”

By
lowkell
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9

Sen. Tim Kaine is absolutely right about this:

“A judge is supposed to act in a way that enables all parties and lawyers appearing before the Court to believe they will be treated fairly. Alito and Thomas have brazenly destroyed this bedrock principle.”

Of course, it’s not just Alito and Thomas, it’s also the fact that Mitch McConnell literally STOLE A SUPREME COURT SEAT (from President Barack Obama in the spring/summer of 2016 – for absolutely no legitimate reason). At this point, the US Supreme Court – one of the key pillars of our democracy, at least in theory – is increasingly a grave THREAT to that democracy, to the rule of law and to the constitution. In Alito’s and Thomas’ cases, they are both far right themselves, of course, but they both just *happen* to be married to women who are “Stop-the-Steal”/insurrectionist nutjobs. So obviously, they have ZERO business being on the Supreme Court – or ANY court.

Meanwhile, WTF is wrong with Democrats (Sen. Tim Kaine excluded)? Why are they not ALL going apeshit about Alito right now? Why is the US Senate not investigating Alito and Thomas? Where are all the other elected officials about this right-wing-partisan-political-hacks-in-robes Supreme Court??? (I’ll add more statements if/when I see them, but for now, I’m only seeing Kaine’s from the Virginia delegation – not even counting Trump Cult Republicans, who obviously are fine with destroying our democracy).

P.S. It’s even more disturbing to observe this horrible Supreme Court, given that 70 years ago, a different (and FAR better!) court issued the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, striking down racist segregation in schools. Can you even imagine today’s Court doing that???

Biden Campaign Memo on Biden-Harris 2024 Black Outreach

By
lowkell
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3

From President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign:

To: Interested Parties

From: Trey Baker, Biden-Harris 2024 Sr. Advisor

Subject: Biden-Harris 2024 Black Outreach

Date: May 17, 2024

Since day one, the Biden-Harris campaign has been authentic and consistent in our efforts to reach Black voters and ensure they are aware that no other administration in modern history has delivered for Black America in the way Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have.  From historic investments and engagement with Black media, to extensive travel by President Biden and Vice President Harris as well as innovative organizing programs that highlight the administration’s commitment to generating Black wealth – we are meeting Black voters where they are.

This weekend is a continuation of that work. The President will attend an event on Saturday in Georgia focused on engaging Black voters, which will provide our Georgia state team additional support in their efforts to reach and organize the community. Serving in his official capacity, the President will then deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College Sunday morning. As Biden-Harris Co-Chair and Morehouse Alum Cedric Richmond perfectly stated, Morehouse College remains one of the most valued, celebrated and distinguished institutions of higher learning in the United States and is responsible for educating some of the most significant Black men in our country’s history. Given the way the Biden-Harris Administration has delivered for Black America, and HBCUs, there is no better speaker for this year’s commencement ceremony than President Biden.

During the weekend, President Biden will also engage with local Black-owned small businesses as he frequently does on his trips. The President will visit a Black-owned small business in Detroit on Sunday ahead of his NAACP speech, and will have a valuable discussion with the business owners focused on this administration’s continued effort to build Black wealth and close the racial wealth gap. Black-owned small businesses have been critical to the Biden-Harris organizing strategy. An organizing model we developed with Detroit small businesses in March is now being rolled out across our battleground states, this month. The President will close out his weekend swing by delivering the keynote address at the NAACP Freedom Fund dinner, where he will once again talk directly to Black America about the issues we care about most.

No administration has delivered for Black America like Joe & Kamala

After Donald Trump failed us, no administration has delivered for Black America like President Biden and Vice-President Harris. While the Black unemployment rate skyrocketed under Trump, the Biden-Harris administration helped to create over 2.5 million jobs for Black workers, resulting in record low Black unemployment – Black business ownership is also growing at the fastest pace in 30 years.  After Donald Trump’s failed PPP launch helped his rich friends at the expense of minority businesses, President Biden worked closely with small businesses to recover. The share of Black households owning a business has now doubled since the pandemic. The President’s student loan forgiveness program has also disproportionately benefited Black Americans, who received nearly $160 billion in student loan debt forgiven. That’s right – BILLION. This measure is directly working to increase Black wealth and close the racial wealth gap. Even after Donald Trump’s Supreme Court Justices tried to stop us. These efforts are directly working to close the racial wealth gap as Black students take on 85% more educational debt than their white counterparts, and 86% of Black students graduate with debt.

Black child poverty was cut in half during the pandemic through the President’s Child Tax Credit, which we are fighting to bring back, despite resistance from MAGA Republicans in the House and Senate. More Black Americans have healthcare coverage than ever before, while Trump remains obsessed with ripping away our healthcare coverage by repealing Obamacare, the signature accomplishment of the first Black President. The President and Vice-President have also tackled the Black Maternal Health Crisis by allowing states to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage from just 60 days to 12 months—impacting approximately 65% of births for Black mothers. And, let’s not forget that Joe Biden has confirmed more Black women to the federal bench than all other Presidents combined.

No campaign has invested in Black outreach like we have

In September of last year, this campaign announced the earliest and largest investment in outreach to Black voters of any reelection campaign in history. Then, earlier this year, on the heels of the President’s electric State of the Union address, our March Month of Action. During the month of March the President and Vice President traveled to every single battleground, putting a focus on key black communities, such as Atlanta, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and others, talking directly to Black voters. President Biden had dinner with Eric Fitts, a North Carolina teacher who benefited from President Biden’s student loan relief program, and his two sons. The TikTok taken by one son during the visit has been viewed over 5 million times. In Saginaw, Michigan, the President also met with a father and son golfing team. Their meeting was first shared on Instagram by The Black Man Can, who has over 1 million followers.

Throughout the month of May, we are continuing these efforts with a seven-figure investment in Black media to communicate directly with voters where they are. The President has done more Black radio interviews than any other medium thus far on the campaign – eleven interviews this year alone.  This week, he spoke with Big Tigger, a major figure of our culture, ahead of his visit to Morehouse.

We’ve also had a dedicated campaign presence at festivals like J.Cole’s Dreamville Fest in North Carolina and engagement with the voters who traveled to Las Vegas for the Lovers & Friends Festival, increasing our reach with young black voters in particular. The Vice President and Second Gentleman have also engaged with cultural influencers like Sheryl Lee Ralph and Khadeen Ellis to talk about what’s at stake for reproductive rights for Black Americans.

We’ve partnered with black-owned small businesses to expand our organizing presence in key battleground states. In Michigan, Team Biden-Harris spent March and April engaging with thousands of small business owners — centered in communities of color — to leverage their networks for visibility and outreach. Beginning this month, Team Biden-Harris is scaling its small business outreach program to all of our battlegrounds.  Meanwhile, Donald Trump and the RNC are shutting down their much vaunted diversity centers.

The Vice President is also in the middle of an Economic Opportunity Tour in her official capacity, which focuses heavily on how the administration is putting Black wealth front and center.

Bottom Line: From the very beginning the President and Vice President have been clear that this campaign will not take a single voter for granted. We are not, and will not, parachute into these communities at the last minute, expecting their vote. Every day, from now until election day, we will continue working diligently to ensure that come November, Black voters send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris back to the White House to continue delivering for Black America in unprecedented ways.

—

Trey Baker

Senior Advisor, Biden-Harris 2024

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) Presses USPS Postmaster General to Address Service Issues After Hearing From More Than 1,800 Virginians

By
Blue Virginia
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2

From Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07)’s office:

Spanberger Presses USPS Postmaster General to Address Service Issues After Hearing From More Than 1,800 Virginians

Since Relaunching Her USPS Survey Last Month Following Audit of the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center, the Congresswoman Has Received More Than 1,800 Responses from Virginians Expressing Concerns About USPS Delays & Disruptions 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In direct response to the concerns of Virginians experiencing continued issues with mail and shipping services, U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today pressed the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to address these issues — particularly amid ongoing delays and disruptions originating at the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) in Sandston, Virginia.

Last month, Spanberger relaunched her USPS survey to hear from families, seniors, and business owners across the Seventh District who have been impacted by inconsistent and unreliable service. Specifically, she relaunched her survey after the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) released an audit report assessing the effectiveness and operational impacts of the new Richmond RPDC, which serves much of Virginia’s Seventh District and began operating in July 2023 as a result of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s “Delivering for America” plan. The report highlighted various issues on the local, regional, and national levels that have impacted service in Virginia — including poor synchronization between machines processing mail at the facility and the schedules of trucks transporting mail to and from the facility, and concerns about whether the RPDC model is generating the cost savings and efficiency improvements this model has promised.

In a letter sent to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, Spanberger outlined constituent reports of mail service issues — including delays, incorrect deliveries, missing mail, and the futility of filing missing mail reports and mail tracking forms. Additionally, she requested that USPS provide information on the steps it is taking to resolve the issues raised by the OIG in their audit report and to implement their recommendations.

Since relaunching her survey last month, Spanberger’s office has received more than 1,800 individual responses from seniors, families, and small business owners across Virginia’s Seventh District detailing significant delays in deliveries and shipments.

“Over the past month, I have heard from more than 1,800 Virginians who continue to experience unacceptable service from USPS. Virginians have reported not only delayed delivery of important bills and medications, but mail that has gone missing altogether — without any possibility to track it, or any recourse from USPS despite filing reports,” said Spanberger. “These service issues have gone far beyond basic inconveniences to imposing harmful consequences on Virginians’ health, finances, and lives.” 

Spanberger continued, “Notably, my constituents have frequently emphasized that their local post offices and mail carriers are hard-working and excellent at their jobs — and that these issues are clearly coming from the top down. This echoes the OIG’s findings in their audit report on the Richmond RPDC — which became the first consolidated processing center in the country as part of USPS’s 10-year Delivering for America plan to centralize outgoing mail and package processing.”

Click here to read the letter, and the full letter text is below.

—

Dear Postmaster General DeJoy,

In light of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) recent audit of the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) — which found that USPS had failed to coordinate with local management and staff at the Richmond RPDC or to provide them with the resources and guidance they needed for the enormous undertaking of consolidating the vast majority of the Commonwealth’s mail traffic through one facility, I write to request information on the steps your agency is taking to resolve the issues raised by the OIG in their audit report and to implement their recommendations.

  1. Has USPS finalized new machine sort plans and transportation schedules? If not, when will they be finalized?
  2. Has USPS identified all post offices that have relationships with smaller post offices in Virginia, to send mail to and from the Richmond RPDC? If not, when will these activities be completed?
  3. What steps is USPS taking to address inadequate staffing levels at the Richmond RPDC?
  4. What additional staff training has been conducted on standard work instructions for new processes, if any? What additional staff training is necessary to continue to improve coordination and efficiency at the Richmond RPDC?
  5. What volume of mail has been delayed or missing due to these issues since the implementation of the Richmond RPDC in August 2023?
  6. What contingency plans, if any, does USPS have prepared should it become evident through continued outcomes that the RPDC model fails to accomplish its promised cost savings and efficiency improvements?

I am requesting this information because over the past month, I have heard from more than 1,800 Virginians who continue to experience unacceptable service from USPS. Virginians have reported not only delayed delivery of important bills and medications, but mail that has gone missing altogether — without any possibility to track it, or any recourse from USPS despite filing reports. These service issues have gone far beyond basic inconveniences to imposing harmful consequences on Virginians’ health, finances, and lives.

Notably, my constituents have frequently emphasized that their local post offices and mail carriers are hard-working and excellent at their jobs — and that these issues are clearly coming from the top down. This echoes the OIG’s findings in their audit report on the Richmond RPDC — which became the first consolidated processing center in the country as part of USPS’s 10-year Delivering for America plan to centralize outgoing mail and package processing.

To illustrate the real impacts the Richmond RPDC’s issues have had on Virginians’ daily lives and the urgency with which these problems must be resolved, I am sharing a snapshot of the stories my constituents have shared with me. Judith from Spotsylvania reports that she has sent several checks through the mail which never arrived at their destinations — forcing her to pay a $35 fee multiple times to stop payment on those checks, write replacement checks, and then pay for a rush delivery through alternative mail carrier services. Janice from Prince William County has reported several missing packages to USPS that never arrived. Despite her taking the time to submit reports and tracking forms, USPS did nothing.

Several constituents in Fredericksburg — including a frustrated former mail carrier who laments “what was once a highly professional service” — reported to my office that their packages have been unnecessarily delayed for weeks. The tracking shows that upon arrival in Virginia, they were sent out again to other states as far away as Florida and California, only to be sent back to Virginia. As Robert states bluntly, “Sandston (Richmond) has a reputation as a place packages go to disappear.”

Another constituent, Cat from Orange County, recently told me during a town hall that her friend — who lives two miles down the road — sent her a piece of mail to the post office one mile from Cat’s house. The mail went from this post office all the way to the Richmond RPDC — more than 70 miles away — before making it to her house in Orange. Cat’s husband is currently recovering from an unplanned hip replacement, and she’s worried their medications will be delayed in the mail.

I look forward to hearing from you with updates on your efforts to resolve these issues and working with you to improve USPS service for Virginians as quickly as possible. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Friday News: “US military starts delivering aid to Gaza through floating pier”; Dow Hits 40,000 for First Time Ever; “At Justice Alito’s House, a ‘Stop the Steal’ Symbol on Display”; Filler-Corn Campaign Calls New Negative Ads “plainly sexist and rely on vile antisemitic tropes”

By
lowkell
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19

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, May 17.

Video: Regarding Debates, Sen. Mark Warner Says When the American People See Trump’s “rhetoric…anger…lack of any kind of plan,” “it won’t be good for…Trump”

By
lowkell
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2

See below for video and a few highlights from Sen. Mark Warner’s weekly press availability, held earlier this afternoon. Thanks as always to Sen. Warner for doing these – they’re very helpful!

  • “The Senate intelligence committee had what will be the first in a series of open hearings on the potential for foreign interference in our national elections this year. As someone who, from the intelligence committee, led the bipartisan investigation for when Russia massively intervened in 2016, our committee has continued to monitor this. And I have to tell you that with less than six months before the election, I’m worried. I’m worried that other nation states – not just Russia, but…China, Iran and  potentially others know that it is relatively easy and relatively cheap to interfere in our elections…second is just the fact that Americans of all political stripes are much more willing to believe wild conspiracy theories, and unfortunately so many Americans don’t trust anything from the federal government, so that means that it is a target-rich environment to spread disinformation. Third is that we have seen many of the social media platform  companies frankly not do enough and in many ways retreat from even what they did in 2020…And four, we’ve got the challenge of Artificial Intelligence…deep fakes…”
  • “I was one of the leaders to try to make sure that America met its commitment to Ukraine. I’m proud we are doing that, I’m proud those arms are flowing. But as chairman of the
    Intelligence Committee, we’ve got to speed those up because the Russians are pressing certain advantages they have around Ukraine’s second largest city Karkhiv…Ukraine is caught with not having enough arms; we need to continue to send those arms and frankly they’re going through a conscription process since Russia’s got so many larger population.”
  • “Unfortunately we did not even get a vote on the addition of the five flights at National Airport in the Senate. I think the forces who wanted to frankly make it easier for themselves to go home knew that we would win that vote just as had  happened in the House when this was put to a vote, and the members said no…I was very disappointed with the process; they basically ran out the clock and no amendments at all were voted on. I hope and pray that we don’t have another safety incident at Reagan National… but I will say this as people’s delays at National, remember the long runway at National is the busiest single runway in America, and about 90% of all the traffic now uses that runway…22% of the flights at National are already delayed, about an average of 67 minutes; next time for the DMV traveling public you’re sitting at National and you’re an hour or two hours delayed, I hope you’ll remember which of those Senators ended up not giving our region even a chance to have a vote.”
  • …”when I see some of the House Republican members attack the FBI with such bile; I would have never thought this would be coming out of the Republican Party that was traditionally supportive of law enforcement.”
  • “I think like virtually everybody, I was totally
    surprised by what happened yesterday [with the debate announcement]…talking to my fellow senators in both parties, I think everybody was totally surprised. And I tell you, Tim Kaine and I both have already weighed in on this online, we’re both bitterly disappointed  – that would have been the first debate ever at an HBCU and I can’t think of a better one than Virginia State there in Petersburg…We haven’t given up on  trying to see if the second debate – they’ve obviously made the first decision to do it in a studio in Atlanta, but I still think the second debate, we’re going to still push for VSU. And if for some reason that doesn’t happen, I absolutely believe that it would be incumbent on President Biden to show up at VSU to make his case on why he wants to be reelected…during the next 170 days.”
  • “I think, frankly,  campaigns are better served when they have a debate. I’ve debated my opponents in every campaign
    I’ve taken on. So I’m glad the American people are going to see the two candidates. I think one of the things that I believe will happen – because I don’t think most Americans at this point or most Virginians are fully tuned in  – and when they hear, unless there’s a dramatic change from former President Trump, when they hear the rhetoric, the anger, the lack of any kind of plan of what Donald Trump wants to do for America if
    he was elected again the president as opposed to what most all of his speeches are about, which is his personal grievances and who he’s angry at…encouraging division, particularly  against immigrants. I just don’t think that’s where the vast majority of Americans are at. So…I’ll let Nancy Pelosi and the Joe Biden campaign debate the debates, but I think at the end of the day, the American public will be well served. And I think as the American public focuses on literally the kind of rhetoric that’s coming out of Donald Trump’s mouth these days, that it won’t be good for Donald Trump.”

VA05 Far-Right-Extremist Rivals Bob Good and John McGuire Make Unholy Pilgrimage to Trump’s Trial in NY; McGuire Trashes Good as “fake MAGA, never Trumper, traitor”

By
lowkell
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7

If you had any doubts whatsoever that today’s Republican Party is an unhinged Trump cult, devoid of any principles, let alone “limited government, free markets, free people,” etc., check out the VA05 Republican primary contest between fascist/theocratic Rep. Bob Good (R-VA05) and insurrectionist/also-far-right-extremist John McGuire.

First off, check out the fact that both Good and McGuire this morning made the unholy pilgrimage to Trump’s trial in NY City, to show their unbridled support for their “dear leader” – and to trash the U.S. criminal justice system, rule of law, etc. Disgraceful. in every way.

Next, check out John McGuire’s interview on MAGA radio (“The John Fredericks Show“) this morning, in which McGuire said the following:

“You know what everybody’s calling [Bob Good] around the district is fake MAGA, never Trumper, traitor. He puts his finger in the wind and see what benefits Bob. And Trump can’t trust him. The district can’t trust him. You and I can’t trust him. Would you rather have somebody who’s been with you nonstop when the chips were down…since you came down the escalator…[or] someone who was opposed to you in 2016, someone who begged you for an endorsement and then less than a year later on the day you got these Marxist Democrat [sic] indictments, endorse a different candidate. And you probably remember…he went on CNN, and I’m going to abbreviate the interview, but the woman asked him, you’ve been trashing Trump. And Bob Good said ‘I never trash Trump’.  And then she said there’s a video of you trashing Trump. And Bob Good said there’s no video of me trashing Trump. And then she played the video… Good says that President Trump is not pro life. I mean, he’s the only president in my lifetime that went to the pro-life march…he’s the one that got Roe vs. Wade and sent the decision back to the state level.…[Good] said [Trump]’s not conservative, said he’s the only one that can lose to Biden. And of course in national interviews instead of telling the truth…I think all of us all Americans cannot stand politicians that talk out of both sides of their mouth.”
So all of this is disturbing on many levels, starting with the fact that a major – and formerly proud – US political party has devolved completely, selling whatever soul it had, from the party of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, George HW Bush, etc, into an anti-democracy, anti-rule-of-law, cult-of-personality (that personality being sociopath Trump’s), xenophobic, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, anti-environment, anti-science, anti-vaxxer, nightmare.  And, really sadly, it’s likely in “red” VA05  that whichever of these dangerous wackos wins the Republican nomination on June 18 will win in November. Just the thought of either of these fascists in Congress should send cold chills down everyone’s – including sane Republican voters’ – spine, but…nope.

Video: Lieutenant Governor Candidate Aaron Rouse Releases Campaign Launch Video, “Know Me”

By
Blue Virginia
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2

From State Sen. Aaron Rouse’s Lt. Governor campaign:

Lieutenant Governor Candidate Aaron Rouse releases campaign launch video
“Know Me” tells the story of Aaron Rouse and his path to becoming a State Senator and now a candidate for Lieutenant Governor

VIRGINIA BEACH – Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, State Senator Aaron Rouse, releases his campaign launch video, “Know Me.” You can watch the full video here: https://x.com/aaronrouseva/status/1791061281224466601

The video features the Friendship Village neighborhood in the Seatack Community of Virginia Beach, where Rouse and his family grew up. It tells the story of the people in power taking away their neighborhood basketball court and not listening to the needs of all Virginians.

Rouse shares how his teachers lifted him up; how he was the first in his family to go to college; and that after his NFL career, he came back home, served the city on Virginia Beach City Council, and fought for a new park and basketball court for Friendship Village. Then, he ran for the Virginia Senate to protect reproductive freedom in Virginia (and won!). Now he’s running for Lieutenant Governor to be a voice for all Virginians, from Abingdon to Arlington and everywhere in between.

The video will serve as the centerpiece of an extensive digital advertising campaign that began this morning.

Thursday News: “Who is Robert Fico, the Slovakian prime minister who was shot?”; “Trump trial resumes with more critical Cohen testimony”; “Why Biden’s Debates With Trump Could Be His Meal Ticket”; Trump Still Thinks Puppy-Killing Psycho Noem Is “Terrific”

By
lowkell
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16

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, May 16.

Six Ways That MAGA Republicans Are Attacking Women’s Health

By
Blue Virginia
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3

From Protect Our Care:

Six Ways That MAGA Republicans Are Attacking Women’s Health
Attacks on women’s health care from MAGA Republicans have skyrocketed in the year since Roe v. Wade was overturned. As a result, access to reproductive care is in turmoil for millions of women across the country. From banning abortion to fighting measures to combat maternal mortality, Republicans have done nothing but limit access to essential care for women. As we recognize Women’s Health Week, we must hold them accountable. Here are six ways that Republicans are waging war on women’s health care:

1.   Attacking Reproductive Health. One year ago Donald Trump’s appointees to the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the consequences for women’s health have been catastrophic, from cruel and archaic abortion bans to devastating uncertainty about access to IVF and other reproductive care. If MAGA Republicans get their way, there will be even more extreme judicial appointments and an all-out push to use the Comstock Act to create a de facto national

ban on abortion and sharply limit access to medications. Republicans, including at least 67 members of Congress and 22 Republican attorneys general, are battling in court right now to rescind the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, a safe and effective medication essential for abortion access.

Beyond abortion bans, Republicans have a long history of attempts to limit access to contraceptives and family planning. The Affordable Care Act’s contraception coverage requirement has drastically improved health care access and affordability for millions of women. The benefits have reached far and wide — improving health outcomes and sharply cutting out-of-pocket costs. Despite the overwhelming success of the ACA’s contraception coverage, Republicans have attempted to eliminate this essential care year after year through legislation and litigation.

2.   Destroying And Sabotaging The ACA. Republicans want to take us back to a time when being a woman was a pre-existing condition. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions of women have gained coverage and critical protections. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) prevents insurers from denying, dropping or charging more due to a pre-existing condition, such as cancer or even a C-section. It also bans insurers from charging women higher rates than men.

Republicans have spent years taking dozens of failed votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act. They have also taken their fight to overturn the ACA to the Supreme Court and failed all three times. This year extremists are still challenging a provision of the ACA that requires insurers to cover lifesaving preventive services for free. The case, known as Braidwood v. Becerra, is set to be decided by a panel of judges from the the MAGA-packed Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

During his first term, Donald Trump notoriously tried and failed multiple times to repeal the ACA, and throughout his 2024 campaign Trump has repeatedly reignited his calls to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act, which he claims is a “disaster.” The ACA made enormous strides for women’s health. By taking these actions, Republicans are fighting to strip protections from women that provide access to lifesaving care.

3.   Repealing The Inflation Reduction Act. Women are 1.3 times more likely to say they have skipped or postponed getting the health care they need due to cost. The Inflation Reduction Act is saving millions of women thousands of dollars on health care by holding big pharmaceutical companies accountable and bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, making health care plans more affordable with premium tax credit subsidies, and capping the price of insulin at $35 per month for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. Despite all this progress, Donald Trump claims that the Inflation Reduction Act is “not helping you at all” and MAGA Republicans in Congress are seeking to dismantle the law and its provisions making prescription drugs and health care premiums more affordable for tens of millions of Americans.

4.   Waging a War on Medicaid. Medicaid is an essential source of coverage for women and children. More than 18 million, or nearly 1 in 5, adult women are enrolled in Medicaid. Approximately 40 million, or half of all children in the U.S., are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Medicaid coverage brings affordable care and financial security to women and families.

Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are itching for a renewed war on Medicaid. The latest proposals from the Republican Study Committee and the Trump team-in-waiting at the Heritage Foundation would throw millions of people off their coverage through block granting and burdensome work reporting requirements. Almost two-thirds, or 62 percent, of those who would lose their Medicaid coverage as a result of work requirements, are women and disproportionately women of color.

5.   Blocking Improvements In Maternal Health. American women suffer appalling rates of maternal mortality. The solutions to this devastating problem are well within reach. However, Congressional Republicans simply refuse to take action, and at times, actively fight against lifesaving measures, such as extending postpartum Medicaid coverage. In 2021, not a single Republican member of the House voted for legislation that included the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, which is essential to addressing this ongoing crisis. The Biden-Harris Administration has established a pathway to coverage, providing states the opportunity to extend postpartum coverage under Medicaid from 60 days to 12 months following birth. Currently, 47 states have elected to extend Medicaid coverage for a full year postpartum with only Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, and Wisconsin as the remaining holdouts.

6.   Promoting Health Care Discrimination Against Women And LGBTQ People. The Trump administration took multiple steps to make it harder for women, people of color, and LGBTQ Americans to access health care. For example, in August 2019, the Trump administration began enforcing a rule that bars certain federally-funded clinics from referring women for abortions. As a result, the nation’s largest recipient of Title X funds, Planned Parenthood, was forced to exit the program, losing $60 million in funding previously used to provide birth control and reproductive health care services for low-income women. Trump also tried to make it easier for LGBTQ Americans to be discriminated against in health care settings and allowed providers to refuse patient care on the basis of the provider’s personal beliefs, a move that undermined access to care for patients who already face health care disparities. The Biden administration is now fighting in court against Republicans in the state of Florida and Texas to reverse these discriminatory policies.

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Protect Our Care is dedicated to making high-quality, affordable and equitable health care a right, and not a privilege, for everyone in America. We educate the public, influence policy, support health care champions and hold politicians accountable. We fight to expand access to affordable, high-quality health insurance, lower the cost of health care for individuals and families, and reduce inequities in health care based on gender, income, race, ethnicity, geography, or sexual preference.
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