Court Rules States Can Drop Planned Parenthood From Medicaid

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A circuit court ruled Monday that Texas and Louisiana can exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid funding, a win for the movement to deprive the abortion provider of federal funding.

The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overruled a district court’s preliminary injunction preventing the exclusion of Planned Parenthood from Medicaid funding. The court of appeals ruled in an 11-5 majority that Planned Parenthood did not have the right to challenge the state’s decisions regarding who receives Medicaid benefits.

Medicaid beneficiaries “have no right under the statute to challenge a State’s determination that a provider is unqualified,” the court’s chief judge wrote in the majority’s opinion. Because Planned Parenthood, or its patients, did not have the right to challenge Texas or Louisiana’s decision to remove it from Medicaid benefits, the states are allowed to proceed with removing the organization from Medicaid funding.

The legal battle over Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in the two states began in 2015 after the release of controversial undercover videos purporting to show Planned Parenthood employees discussing the sale of fetal tissue. Texas and Louisiana state officials moved to kick the abortion provider out of Medicaid funding, citing the videos as evidence that the organization showed a willingness to profit off the sale of fetal tissue. In 2017, a lower court blocked the states from cutting off the Medicaid funding.

The loss of Medicaid funding comes after Planned Parenthood withdrew from Title X funding because of a Trump administration rule forbidding participants in the program from providing direct abortion referrals. The organization cannot receive federal funding for abortion services but does receive Medicaid funding for other health care services it provides. (Read more from “Court Rules States Can Drop Planned Parenthood From Medicaid” HERE)

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National Guard Soldier Killed Herself After Being Gang-Raped by Colleagues, Higher-Ups Did “Nothing”

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A devoted Army National Guard soldier killed herself after she reported being sexually assaulted on the job — but the military branch did nothing to help, according to her mom. . .

The horror that led to Morgan Robinson’s suicide began two years earlier, when one of her supervisors allegedly sexually assaulted and harrassed her multiple times while they were stationed in Kuwait, according to CBS, which is investigating failures by the US military to address sex crimes internally.

But when Morgan reported the attacks, higher-ups did “nothing” to punish the supervisor or protect her, according to her mother. . .

While on the same deployment, Robinson was then sent to Afghanistan, where multiple soldiers allegedly gang-raped her, CBS reports. This time, she was too scared and disillusioned by the system to report it — and four months later, she committed suicide.

The Army began an investigation into her untimely death and later handed Debbie a report — but much of it was redacted. (Read more from “National Guard Soldier Killed Herself After Being Gang-Raped by Colleagues, Higher-Ups Did “Nothing” HERE)

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Nurse Who Claimed Dying COVID Patients Filled With ‘Anger and Hate’ Appears to Have Embellished Story

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Last week, CNN hosted a nurse who claimed in a Twitter thread that conservatives with COVID-19, whom she claimed to be treating, were denying the disease’s existence up to their dying breath. An investigation from RedState’s Scott Hounsell, however, suggests the nurse embellished her claims. . .

“Their last dying words are, ‘This can’t be happening. It’s not real,’” Doering claimed. “And when they should be spending time — FaceTiming their families, they’re filled with anger and hatred.”

In her Twitter thread, Doering claimed: “The ones that stick out are those who still don’t believe the virus is real. The ones who scream at you for a magic medicine and that Joe Biden is … [g]oing to ruin the USA,” she wrote. “All while gasping for breath on 100% Vapotherm. They tell you there must be another reason they are sick. They call you names and ask why you have to wear all that ‘stuff’ because they don’t have COViD because it’s not real. Yes. This really happens.”

After Doering’s appearance on CNN, which led many to question the validity of her claims and at the very least suggest CNN did absolutely no verification before inviting her on to speak, RedState’s Hounsell looking into the South Dakota coronavirus numbers and found Doering’s claims to be farfetched.

“Nurse Doering, a Marquette grad and licensed Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP) lives in a little town called Woonsocket, in Sanborn County. Sanborn County has had just one COVID-19 death since the beginning of the pandemic, according to South Dakota’s COVID-19 statistics website, which provides data from all the different regions and counties in South Dakota, and USFacts.org. That death occurred in October,” Hounsell reported. (Read more from “Nurse Who Claimed Dying COVID Patients Filled With ‘Anger and Hate’ Appears to Have Embellished Story” HERE)

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Appeals Court Rules Ban on ‘Conversion Therapy’ Unconstitutional

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A federal appeals court on Friday ruled that ordinances in Florida banning the licensed counseling of people with unwanted same-sex attractions are unconstitutional violations of the freedom of speech.

“We hold that the challenged ordinances violate the First Amendment because they are content-based regulations of speech that cannot survive strict scrutiny,” the ruling from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.

The decision was the first from a federal appeals court laws against so-called “conversion therapy” – a term rejected by proponents – since a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. In NIFLA v. Becerra, the high court ruled the government cannot force an individual or organization to express a message chosen by the government.

The current case, Otto, et al v. City of Boca Raton, found that bans by Boca Raton and Palm Beach County violate the Constitution.

The case was fought by Liberty Counsel, which represents Robert Otto and Julie Hamilton and their minor clients. (Read more from “Appeals Court Rules Ban on ‘Conversion Therapy’ Unconstitutional” HERE)

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As Governors Lock Down, Millions of Americans Are Booking Thanksgiving Travel

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. . .Some of the toughest [lockdowns are] in Washington state, Oregon, New Mexico and Michigan, where businesses are mostly closed. New Mexico also has a stay-at-home order, as does Ohio.

Other states like Oregon have limited social gatherings to six people from no more than two households. Washingtonians are prohibited from meeting indoors with people from outside their home, unless they meet certain criteria. . .

A forecast from the American Automobile Association that 50 million people will travel for Thanksgiving is indicative of the choice of some. A survey by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found almost two in five Americans plan go to a gathering of more than 10 people. A third said they would not require guests to wear a mask.

Earlier this month, American Airlines added over 1,400 domestic flights to its schedule around Thanksgiving, and expects the week of November 23 to be its busiest since March. Likewise, JetBlue has added 25 flights from New York City over the Thanksgiving weekend, while Delta will boost capacity with over 3,800 peak-day flights per day during this period. (Read more from “As Governors Lock Down, Millions of Americans Are Booking Thanksgiving Travel” HERE)

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Pope Francis Appears to ‘Like’ Bikini Model’s Photo

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A bikini model has claimed that Pope Francis’ Instagram account liked a racy photo of her dressed in stockings and suspenders.

Natalia Garibotto, 27, said the pontiff’s verified Franciscus account was among the 133,000 that “liked” an image of her standing at a school locker with a white crop-top[.]

The “like” is no longer there, and it is not clear if Francis controls his own account. (Read more from “Pope Francis Appears to ‘Like’ Bikini Model’s Photo” HERE)

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Pro-Life Catholics Denounce Bishops for Congratulating Biden

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Leaders of the American Life League (ALL), the oldest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the U.S., blasted the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) after they congratulated Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) for reportedly winning the election.

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement in the wake of the election, saying in part:

[W]e recognize that Joseph R. Biden, Jr., has received enough votes to be elected the 46th President of the United States. We congratulate Mr. Biden and acknowledge that he joins the late President John F. Kennedy as the second United States president to profess the Catholic faith. We also congratulate Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California, who becomes the first woman ever elected as vice president.

We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, patroness of this great nation, to intercede for us. May she help us to work together to fulfill the beautiful vision of America’s missionaries and founders — one nation under God, where the sanctity of every human life is defended and freedom of conscience and religion are guaranteed.

Judie Brown, the cofounder and president of ALL, responded in a statement earlier last week:

The USCCB has affirmed what many of us have suspected for many years, and that is that most Catholic bishops have no problem with a Catholic politician spitting at the face of Christ by supporting the vile murder of the preborn. Joe Biden is such a man; he claims to be Catholic, yet he gives 100 percent support for abortion every day of the week and in every manner of brutality against the innocent. The Catholic bishops have erred, and as a Catholic, I am ashamed of them.

(Read more from “Pro-Life Catholics Denounce Bishops for Congratulating Biden” HERE)

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Sex Offender Caught Allegedly Taking Photo of Woman in Bathroom Stall

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A serial sex offender was arrested Saturday after he allegedly took a picture of a woman in a restroom stall at the Lloyd Center mall in Portland, Oregon.

“Portland police received a report at 12:20 p.m. of a sex offense at the mall,” KGW 8 reported. . .

“Officers learned a woman was using the bathroom when a man attempted to take a photograph. The woman confronted the man and notified security, who detained Walter,” the article read. . .

The suspect, whom the media dubbed the “TriMet Barber,” has a history of cutting, gluing, or masturbating into women’s hair while riding TriMet buses and trains.

“Walter was sentenced to one year in jail in 2019 for inappropriately touching multiple women. He pleaded guilty to sexual harassment, sex abuse and interfering with public transportation. He was released for good behavior later that year,” the KGW report said. (Read more from “Sex Offender Caught Allegedly Taking Photo of Woman in Bathroom Stall” HERE)

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California Set To Reopen Strip Clubs Before Churches

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A California judge ordered San Diego to reopen strip clubs even as local officials crack down on churches.

San Diego Superior Court judge Joel R. Wohlfeil ordered the state to end any actions that prevent the clubs from “being allowed to provide live adult entertainment,” according to the decision. The owners of two strip clubs argued that their business is legally protected speech guaranteed by the First Amendment—the same argument that churches have been making about their own services.

The judge’s decision is not final as that in a full hearing, which will occur at the end of the month, but it temporarily allows the strip clubs to reopen for indoor services, as other institutions close. In their legal complaint, strip-club owners argued they have complied with social distancing requirements. They also warned that another shutdown would mean financial ruin. The judge temporarily sided with them.

Religious-liberty advocates said that the case could pave the way for lifting coronavirus restrictions against churches. Paul Jonna, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, which is representing churches challenging the restrictions, expressed confidence that this decision bodes well for the churches. If strip clubs are entitled to constitutional protections, then churches are as well, he told the Free Beacon. (Read more from “California Set To Reopen Strip Clubs Before Churches” HERE)

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Study: It Was a Mistake To Close Schools

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. . .Finally just such a study has appeared, as released by the medical paper repository Medxriv: “Association between living with children and outcomes from COVID-19: an OpenSAFELY cohort study of 12 million adults in England.” . . .

To quote from the study directly:

This is the first population-based study to investigate whether the risk of recorded SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe outcomes from COVID-19 differ between adults living in households with and without school-aged children during the UK pandemic. Our findings show that for adults living with children there is no evidence of an increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes although there may be a slightly increased risk of recorded SARS-CoV-2 infection for working-age adults living with children aged 12 to 18 years. Working-age adults living with children 0 to 11 years have a lower risk of death from COVID-19 compared to adults living without children, with the effect size being comparable to their lower risk of death from any cause. We observed no consistent changes in risk of recorded SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe outcomes from COVID-19 comparing periods before and after school closure.

What does this imply?

Our results demonstrate no evidence of serious harms from COVID-19 to adults in close contact with children, compared to those living in households without children. This has implications for determining the benefit-harm balance of children attending school in the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Read more from “Study: It Was a Mistake To Close Schools” HERE)

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