Missouri state Rep. Barry Hovis (R) said the majority of sexual assaults are either “date rapes or consensual rapes” during a debate in the state house over a bill that would ban abortion at eight weeks, the Washington Post reports.
He later told a reporter from the Kansas City Star that he misspoke, and that “there is no such thing as consensual rape.”
“Drawing jeers from abortion rights activists seated in the Missouri House, lawmakers on Friday approved a sweeping piece of anti-abortion legislation, a bill that would ban most abortions in the state of Missouri,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
“The final vote was 110-44, and the proposal now heads to Gov. Mike Parson (R) who is expected to sign the measure.”
“The bill bans abortions in the state of Missouri at eight weeks of pregnancy, except when the life of the mother is threatened. There are no exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking.”
“It is time for women to rise up, to be heard, to run for office. I mean all women.”
— Alabama state Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison (D), writing in Elle, after her colleagues passed a law outlawing abortion in the state.
“States passing restrictive abortion legislation have the lowest rates of women represented in politics,” The Hill reports.
“Alabama, which passed a measure this week that would ban almost all abortions, with exceptions only to save the life of the mother, has a female governor but only four female state senators, putting it in 47th place in a ranking of states by female representation.”
“In addition to Alabama, two other states that recently passed restrictive abortion laws ranked in the bottom 10 for representation of women in the state legislature: Mississippi, at 13.8%, and Kentucky, at 22.5%. Ohio, which recently passed a so-called heartbeat bill banning abortions after six weeks, is ranked 30th for representation. Just over a quarter, 26.2%, of the state legislature are women. Georgia, which also passed a heartbeat bill, is the only state in the top half of the rankings, at number 20 with 15 of 56 woman state senators and 57 of 180 woman House members.”
Axios: Where each state stands if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
“Missouri’s Republican-led Senate has now passed a bill to ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy,” the AP reports.
“Senators approved the legislation 24-10 early Thursday with just hours left before a Friday deadline to pass bills. It needs at least one more vote of approval in the GOP-led House before it can go to Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who voiced support for it on Wednesday.”
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed a law banning abortion in almost all cases, including rape and incest, the AP reports.
From her statement: “To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God.”
“I think that we raped women last night.”
— Alabama state Sen. Bobby Singleton (D), in a CNN interview, on passing a bill outlawing abortion in his state.
“After several hours of contentious debate, the Alabama Senate tonight voted 25-6 to pass what many say will be the strictest abortion ban in the nation,” the Birmingham News reports.
“The controversial abortion bill all but bans the procedure in the state. The bill would make it abortion a felony in Alabama, setting up what could be the country’s strictest anti-abortion law.
Reuters: “The bill was previously approved by the Alabama House of Representatives and will now go to Republican Governor Kay Ivey, who has withheld comment on whether she would sign it but generally is a strong opponent of abortion.”
The Guardian notes the bill was passed by “exclusively white, male politicians.”
A judge in Tennessee is facing repercussions after posting racist memes and articles to Facebook, including a post that called Muslims “foreign mud” and said Jews should “get the fuck over the Holocaust,” the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) will postpone a trip to Los Angeles to tout Georgia’s film industry as more movie executives and celebrities criticize his decision to sign the anti-abortion “heartbeat” bill into law, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“Several film production companies have vowed not to shoot anything in Georgia, and dozens of actors including Alec Baldwin, Don Cheadle and Sean Penn signed a protest letter saying they won’t work in Georgia if Kemp signed the bill into law.”
Georgia Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck (R) “has been indicted on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“A federal grand jury on Tuesday issued a 38 count indictment against the former insurance lobbyist and long-time representative of the Georgia Christian Coalition, alleging he committed fraud through a series of insurance-related schemes.”
“The proceeds of the alleged schemes earned him millions, some of which he even used for his campaign for statewide office.”
Two Republican state legislators in Oklahoma appeared to be joking about sexual misconduct allegations in remarks made near a hot mic, KWTV reports.
The conversation appeared to reference a reported investigation involving another Republican lawmaker and accusations he inappropriately touched a female representative.
“Ahead of Alabama’s potential vote on a near-total abortion ban, the state’s lieutenant governor took to Twitter to urge his fellow lawmakers to pass the legislation without exceptions for rape or incest,” CBS News reports.
Said Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth (R) in a video: “Abortion is murder. Those three simple words sum up my position on an issue that many falsely claim in a complex one.”
He that “there should be no amendments, which appeared to be a reference to exceptions for rape or incest.”
“Republican-led states are charging ahead with a spate of restrictive anti-abortion bills designed to trigger a legal battle that lands at the doorstep of the U.S. Supreme Court,” NBC News reports.
“Alabama, poised to pass the country’s toughest limits this week in what would amount to an outright ban on abortion, is just one of two dozen states that has proposed or passed measures restricting abortion this legislative session, an onslaught abortion rights supporters say is both unprecedented and strategic.”
“With the new conservative majority cemented on the Supreme Court, many politicians and anti-abortion rights groups see an opportunity to provoke a case that could finally put a dagger through Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide.”
“After a fight broke out, Alabama Senate on Thursday voted to table a controversial bill to criminalize abortions by making the act of performing a woman’s pregnancy a felony punishable by up to 99 years imprisonment,” the Washington Post reports.
“The bill, which appeared to pass by a vote of 23 to 6, was then tabled. Democrats shouted demands for a roll-call vote.”
“The vote was then tabled until next week. The bill would be the most restrictive in the country and would impose what is in effect a near-total abortion ban.”
The Alabama state Senate passed a bill that would make performing an abortion a felony, with few exceptions, the Washington Post reports.
The bill needs Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s (R) signature before it becomes law.
“Republican governors and legislators are using new highly restrictive abortion laws to get abortion back in front of what they believe is the friendliest U.S. Supreme Court in decades.”
Update: The Washington Post issued a correction on this story and said the bill had not yet passed and had been tabled for consideration next week.
“Blaming sexual images for ‘poisoning’ the minds of Arizonans, Republican senators adopted a measure declaring pornography a public-health crisis and urging the state to ‘systemically prevent exposure and addiction,'” the Arizona Republic reports.
“The resolution — approved by the House in February — deems the ‘societal damage of pornography…beyond the capability of the individual to address alone.’ It argues that porn can lead to human trafficking, sexual abuse, infidelity, low self-esteem and eating disorders, among other issues.”
“As the standoff over President Trump’s federal tax returns deepens in Washington, New York State lawmakers say they intend to advance a bill on Wednesday to allow congressional committees to see Mr. Trump’s New York State returns,” the New York Times reports.
“State Senator Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat, confirmed on Tuesday that the State Senate has enough votes to ensure passage of a bill… The State Assembly has been slower to embrace the bill. ”
“A tax return from New York — where the president has the headquarters of his business empire and a home in Trump Tower — could contain much of the same financial information as a federal return, which Mr. Trump has steadfastly refused to release.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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