Breakfast Bites (5/19)
Hello my friends,
It’s kind of the “thing” to hate on Mondays, but I’m going to dare to buck the trend and say I actually appreciate that it gives us a fresh start to each week. (If you work the M–F beat, that is.) I’m still right there with everyone who feels like weekends are far too short to get in all the work that needs to be done AND relax—Maine is actually considering a four-day work week—but there’s something about starting anew that I like. It goes right along with New Year’s Day and springtime bulbs popping up and getting fresh school supplies in August. There’s an underlying sense of possibility.
That’s something that I’d like us all to hold on to as we tread this path of protecting our democracy and standing up to authoritarianism: If we push hard enough, we have a chance to not just return to our old half broken systems, but to create something new that works better for all of us and the planet.
I’m going to move on to a few positive things to kick off the week, but first, a quick correction: In Friday’s issue I mentioned the new mayor in Omaha and incorrectly stated that it was “a city that has been solidly red.” It is actually known as the “blue dot” of Nebraska, but I was thinking of the mayoral position specifically, which was previously held by a Republican mayor. Sorry for that mistype!
Wins in the courts…
The Supreme Court issued a ruling that extends the injunction against continuing to deport anyone in northern Texas under the Alien Enemies Act. (For a simple read, go to this AP article.) However, this whole thing is a bit complicated—and I’m not a lawyer OR a justice, unfortunately!—so if you’re up for a longer (and really dense) read, you can check an almost up-to-date comprehensive history here, and this in-depth breakdown of the nuances of the ruling to understand how it’s likely to change things going forward.
In Michigan, Judge Sima Patel struck down requirements for a 24-hour waiting period and mandatory counseling for pregnant people who need an abortion, saying that they are unconstitutional. Michigan voters passed Proposal 3, codifying the right to abortion in Michigan’s Constitution, last November with strong bipartisan support.
Individual resistance…
DOGE attempted to set up an auxiliary “review” group at the US Government Accountability Office, which promptly denied the request and told DOGE they had no jurisdiction.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting did the same thing, citing the federal law that states CPB "will not be an agency or establishment of the United States Government."
In elections…
The Trump-effect struck again in Romania, where pro-European Union candidate Nicuşor Dan won Romania's presidential runoff. His opponent was a hard-right nationalist who admired Trump’s policies and wanted to halt aid to Ukraine. It’s a bit self-centered of us as a nation to assume that events here are the sole reason that pro-democratic/people’s rights candidates are starting to take the lead globally, and indeed unrest has been growing in Romania for a while, but I’m imagining that seeing our mess can’t have hurt.
That’s all for me for now, as the work week beckons. I wish you all health, productivity, and resilience, and I’ll “see” you on Friday.
Thanks for the Monday positivity, even if I didn’t read it until Tuesday!