Dear Commons Community,

Arizona’s Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions officially is being repealed today.

Arizona has been whipsawed over recent months, starting with the Arizona Supreme Court deciding in April to let the state enforce the long-dormant 1864 law that criminalized all abortions except when a woman’s life was jeopardized. Then state lawmakers voted on a bill to repeal that law once and for all.

Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed the bill in May, declaring it was just the beginning of a fight to protect reproductive health care in Arizona.  As reported by several news media outlets.

“I will continue doing everything in my power to protect reproductive freedoms, because I trust women to make the decisions that are best for them, and know politicians do not belong in the doctor’s office,” Hobbs said in a statement.

Abortion has sharply defined Arizona’s political arena since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. As the November general election approaches, the issue remains a focus of Democratic campaigns, and it will be up to Arizona voters to decide whether to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution.

It was after the state Supreme Court cleared the way for enforcement that Hobbs urged the state Legislature to take imminent action to undo the ban before it went into effect. Republican lawmakers, who hold a narrow majority in both chambers, derailed discussions about repealing the ban. At one point, the roadblocks resulted in chants of “Shame! Shame!” by outraged Democratic colleagues.

Emotions on the House floor and in the gallery ran high as House Democrats were able to garner the support of three Republicans to pass the repeal legislation two weeks later, sending the measure to the Senate for consideration. Two GOP senators joined with Democrats a week later to grant final approval.

Democrats were advocating for the repeal long before the Supreme Court issued its ruling. Even Hobbs called for action in her January State of the State address.

The battle in Arizona made national headlines again when Democratic state Sen. Eva Burch told fellow lawmakers in a floor speech in March that she was going to get an abortion because her pregnancy was no longer viable. She said in an interview that it was her chance to highlight that the laws passed by legislators in Arizona “actually do impact people in practice and not just in theory.”

In the weeks between the high court’s decision and Hobbs signing the repeal into law, Arizonans were in a state of confusion about whether the near-total ban would end up taking effect before the repeal was implemented.

A court order put the ban on hold, but questions lingered about whether doctors in the state could perform the procedure. California Gov. Gavin Newsom weighed in on the issue in late May, signing legislation allowing Arizona doctors to receive temporary, emergency licenses to perform abortions in California.

With the territorial ban no longer in play, Arizona law allows abortions until 15 weeks. After that, there is an exception to save the life of the mother, but missing are exceptions for cases of rape or incest after the 15-week mark.

Arizona requires those seeking an abortion prior to the 15-week mark to have an ultrasound at least 24 hours before the procedure and to be given the opportunity to view it. Minors must have either parental consent or authorization from a state judge, except in cases of incest or when their life is at risk.

Abortion medication can only be provided through a qualified physician, and only licensed physicians can perform surgical abortions. Abortion providers and clinics also must record and report certain information about the abortions they perform to the department of health services.

Voters will have the ultimate say on whether to add the right to an abortion to the state constitution when they cast their ballots in the general election.

Arizona for Abortion Access, the coalition leading the ballot measure campaign, was successful in securing the measure’s spot on the ballot. The Arizona Secretary of State verified 577,971 signatures that were collected as part of the citizen-led campaign, well over the 383,923 required from registered voters.

If voters approve the measure, abortions would be allowed until fetal viability — the point at which a fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks. It also would allow abortions after that time in cases where the mother’s physical or mental health is in jeopardy.

Tony

 Dear Commons Community,

Pope Francis yesterday slammed both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris  for what he called anti-life policies on migration and abortion, and he advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the “lesser evil” in the upcoming U.S. elections.

“Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ Francis said.  As reported by The Associated Press.

The Argentine Jesuit was asked to provide counsel to American Catholic voters during an airborne news conference while he flew back to Rome from his four-nation tour through Asia. Francis stressed that he is not an American and would not be voting.

Neither Republican candidate Donald Trump nor the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, was mentioned by name.

But Francis nevertheless expressed himself in stark terms when asked to weigh in on their positions on two hot-button issues in the U.S. election — abortion and migration — that are also of major concern to the Catholic Church.

Francis has made the plight of migrants a priority of his pontificate and speaks out emphatically and frequently about it. While strongly upholding church teaching forbidding abortion, Francis has not emphasized church doctrine as much as his predecessors.

Francis said migration is a right described in Scripture and that anyone who does not follow the Biblical call to welcome the stranger is committing a “grave sin.”

He was also blunt in speaking about abortion. “To have an abortion is to kill a human being. You may like the word or not, but it’s killing,” he said. “We have to see this clearly.”

Asked what voters should do at the polls, Francis recalled the civic duty to vote.

“One should vote, and choose the lesser evil,” he said. “Who is the lesser evil, the woman or man? I don’t know.

“Everyone in their conscience should think and do it,” he said.

The Harris and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

U.S. President Joe Biden, an observant Catholic, shares Harris’ strong support for abortion rights, a stance that prompted some Catholic bishops and other conservatives to call for him to be denied access to Communion.

After meeting Francis in person at the Vatican in October 2021, Biden came away saying the pope told him he was a “good Catholic” and should continue receiving Communion.

Francis, asked on previous occasions about some U.S. bishops who want to deny Communion to Biden over his support for abortion rights, has said bishops should be pastors, not politicians.

Friday’s news conference was not the first time Francis has weighed in on a U.S. election. In the run-up to the 2016 election, Francis was asked about Trump’s plan to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Francis declared then that anyone who builds a wall to keep out migrants “is not Christian.”

In responding Friday, Francis recalled that he celebrated Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border and “there were so many shoes of the migrants who ended up badly there.”

Trump pledges massive deportations, just as he did in his first White House bid, when there was a vast gulf between his ambitions and the legal, financial and political realities of such an undertaking.

Pope Francis keeps with the teachings of his faith!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Taylor Swift chose her words carefully while talking about the 2024 election at the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday night.

Though the superstar caused quite a stir with her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris after the debate on Tuesday, Swift stopped short of directly weighing in on politics during the music-packed show at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

She thanked her followers for voting for her to win the much-coveted Video of the Year honor, but she reminded people about another important contest on the horizon.  As reported by The Huffington Post.

“The fact this is a fan-voted award and you voted for this, I appreciate it so much,” she told the cheering audience. “And if you are over 18, please register to vote for something else that’s very important coming up: the 2024 presidential election.”

Swift left the stage without outright suggesting which candidate to support.

But on Tuesday night, the star dropped a bombshell endorsement of Harris mere minutes after the VP’s debate against former President Donald Trump wrapped.

In the “Karma” singer’s announcement, she praised Harris as someone who “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”

The Instagram post (above) was signed “Childless Cat Lady,” a cutting nod to Trump running mate JD Vance and his widely mocked comments about “miserable” left-leaning women without children.

It seems Swift’s political statement may be having an impact on the race.

A custom link the pop star shared to Instagram that redirected to Vote.gov had been clicked upwards of 400,000 times in 24 hours, according to the General Services Administration, the agency that oversees the website.

In such a closely contested election, Ms. Swift’s endorsement might prove helpful!

Tony

Courtesy of Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters.

Dear Commons Community,

“THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” the former president wrote on social media site Truth Social. Trump had participated in a debate against President Joe Biden in June before his debate against Harris on Tuesday.

Although Trump touted his performance on Tuesday against Harris, the majority of pundits including several on Fox News  thought Harris had won the debate largely because Trump was unable to stay on message.

The debate attracted 67.1 million television viewers, according to Nielsen data.

Harris, speaking at a rally shortly after Trump’s post went live, said: “I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate.”

While Trump said in his post that polls showed he won the debate, several surveys showed that respondents thought Harris did better.

Among voters who said they had heard at least something about Tuesday’s debate, 53% said Harris won and 24% said Trump won, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday.

The poll showed that 54% of registered voters believed that the single debate between Trump and Harris was enough, while 46% had wanted a second debate.

A majority of debate watchers said Harris outperformed Trump, according to a CNN flash poll released shortly after the debate. YouGov showed 54% of those surveyed said Harris won while 31% said Trump was the victor.

I agree with Chris Christie.  I do not think that the Harris camp should be pushing for another debate. She won big in the first debate, she has little to gain in a second one.

Tony

Photo by The Chronicle; Getty Images

Dear Commons Community,

In a report released yesterday, campuses in the University of North Carolina system outlined how they’ve complied with a directive to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts — such as eliminating staff positions, altering or ending programs, and cutting spending.

Across the system, institutions eliminated 59 jobs and restructured 132 positions. The DEI-related cuts added up to more than $17 million, a majority of which was redirected to “student success” initiatives, according to university officials.  As reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education. 

At a time when colleges across the country have been dismantling diversity programs in response to political pressure, the UNC report offers a particularly comprehensive look at how a wide-ranging group of institutions approached the purging of DEI.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the state’s flagship, accounted for the biggest changes: It axed 20 staff positions, reassigned 27 positions, and redirected more than $5 million away from DEI efforts.

The Chapel Hill campus eliminated seven positions in central administration, including the vice provost for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Reassignments include the senior associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion, who in a new role will focus on “professional and leadership development” for students and faculty.

North Carolina State University, a large research institution like Chapel Hill, reported 27 job reassignments, including all positions that had been located within the department of multicultural student affairs, the LGBTQ-pride center, the women’s center, and the African American cultural center.

Horrific!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

The City University of New York senior colleges were rated among four of the top five best-value colleges in the country, and five of the top 10, by The Wall Street Journal. CUNY’s Baruch College was named the nation’s top value school. Hunter College, City College and Brooklyn College were named, respectively, second, fourth and fifth, and Queens College eighth. The ranking, developed by The Journal in partnership with College Pulse and Statista, weighs the “net price” of attending a college against the value that college adds to graduates’ median salary compared to those of high school graduates.  Here is an excerpt from CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos announcement.

“We are delighted but not surprised to see that CUNY colleges have once again been recognized for their unmatched ability to provide a high-quality education and degrees that quickly and effectively pay for themselves,” said Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “CUNY’s powerful combination of quality and affordability continues to help students of all backgrounds achieve their personal and professional dreams.”

To estimate the time needed to defray the degree’s cost, the Wall Street Journal started with CUNY’s tuition, which is $6,900 per year at senior colleges for in-state students, and other costs of attendance such as room, board, books and supplies, along with grants, scholarships and financial aid; multiplied that number by four years, and divided it by the value added to a graduate’s salary. 

High Return

The five colleges selected were also among nine CUNY schools named by Forbes magazine last month in its list of “The 25 Colleges With The Highest Payoff,” which tabbed schools that offer the best return on investment (ROI). The other four schools included were York College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Lehman College and College of Staten Island.

The Wall Street Journal and Forbes both utilized research and analysis by public policy think tank Third Way, which has singled out CUNY colleges among the nation’s best in providing a pathway to economic mobility. In a 2022 report, Third Way identified colleges that enrolled the highest proportion of students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds and scored those schools on the basis of the time needed for students to earn back the cost of their education.   

BRAVO for CUNY!

Tony

Members of the ABC television crew, including moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis, pose for photos following a presidential debate hosted by ABC between Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, and Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 10, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Dear Commons Community,

Kamala Harris was the biggest winner on Tuesday night as she delivered a forceful performance in her debate with Donald Trump, but it also was a good night for Democratic party leaders who helped engineer her campaign and the ABC News debate moderators.

Trump, meanwhile, found himself constantly on the defensive and struggling to rebut Harris. President Joe Biden also came in for plenty of criticism, as did the now infamous Project 2025 by the Heritage Foundation.

Here is a list of winners and losers from the matchup between Trump and Harris in Philadelphia courtesy of USA Today.

Tony

————————————————————————–

Winners

Kamala Harris

Harris came into the debate trying to get under Trump’s skin, and she often succeeded. She prompted angry responses from him on everything from his rally crowds to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The debate largely was fought on ground chosen by Harris, with the vice president repeatedly baiting Trump into prickly rebuttals of her critiques on his record. Harris was under pressure to prove she could perform on the biggest stage. She delivered a poised performance that could help extend the early energy around her campaign. She also ended the night securing perhaps the most prized celebrity endorsement of 2024: Taylor Swift.

Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders

Pushing Biden out of the presidential race was a painful, awkward and difficult process for Democrats that risked dividing the party for an uncertain payoff. Harris’ performance offered validation that the pain was worth it for Democrats to get a candidate who could deliver a much more forceful and coherent message than Biden. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was a driving force in that process, and now looks prescient, as do other Democratic leaders in the House and Senate who kept the pressure on Biden.

Debate moderators

Fact checking a debate in real time isn’t easy. ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis handled it deftly, offering calm but forceful corrections to Trump’s claims about abortion, crime and immigrants without being overly combative and disrupting the flow of the contest. Trump is a challenge for any debate moderator, and some partisans may be upset that he was repeatedly fact checked. But Muir and Davis ensured their millions of viewers received accurate information.

Policy discussions

There were big questions about how much Trump would stick to policy, and whether he could avoid personal attacks on Harris. But there was plenty of substance in this debate. Trump didn’t even bite when the debate moderator asked about his previous comments questioning Harris’ racial identity, avoiding the question. Instead, the debate probed the candidates’ views on everything from abortion to economic policy and foreign affairs. Trump touted his policy proposals related to tariffs, tax cuts and immigration. Harris called for restoring the abortion protections once enshrined in the now-overturned Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision. There wasn’t much that was new for those who have been closely watching the campaign, but it could help define the candidates for anyone who hasn’t been paying close attention to the race.

Losers

Trump

Ever since Harris entered the race, Trump has been under pressure from his own allies to stay focused on policies and not delve into personal attacks. In particular, Republicans believe Harris is deeply vulnerable on the economy and inflation. Trump tried to hit on his favorite themes of the economy and immigration Tuesday, but often found himself veering off message and responding to Harris’ criticisms. He was on the defensive throughout the debate, with long stretches devoted to him rebutting Harris’ comments about his rallies, his response to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, how he is viewed by foreign leaders and other critiques. Trump’s responses were angry, rambling and went on tangents that took him far off course from favorable political ground.

Joe Biden

The lame duck president who dropped his reelection bid under pressure from Democrats continues to be an object of scorn from Republicans and Trump, who blasted his record on the debate stage. Although Harris often defended aspects of the Biden administration’s record, she also tried to distance herself from him as polls continue to show low approval ratings for his economic stewardship and other issues. “Remember this, she is Biden,” Trump said at one point, prompting Harris to declare: “Clearly I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump.” Harris pivoted to touting her own policy proposals as she tried to separate herself from Biden.

Heritage Foundation and Project 2025

The preeminent conservative think tank has become a preeminent pain in Trump’s behind this election cycle after laying out a bunch of policy ideas for a second Trump administration that could give many voters pause. The proposal calls for aggressively overhauling the federal government, including making it easier to fire civil servants and eliminating the Departments of Education and and Commerce. It also suggests banning pornography and says marriage should be “biblically based,” which could target same-sex marriage. Harris mentioned Project 2025 early in the debate, prompting Trump to disavow it, as he has in the past. “I have nothing to do with Project 2025,” he said. Yet many individuals close to Trump had key roles in creating the plan.

Election deniers

After long saying the 2020 election was stolen, Trump has attracted attention and criticism from his right flank in recent weeks for comments suggesting otherwise. He recently said he “lost by a whisker.” Asked about that Tuesday, Trump claimed he was being sarcastic and continued to claim there were problems with the election, falsely stating “there’s so much proof.” But even Trump didn’t say to have the heart for an extended defense of his election fraud claims. “You know what that doesn’t matter because we have to solve the problem that we have right now,” Trump said. “That’s old news.”

Dear Commons Community,

In the weeks and months after 9/11, as funerals and memorial services were held for those who perished in the attack, especially the 343 firefighers, bagpipes were heard playing Amazing Grace.

Dear Commons Community,

The debate last night between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was entertaining and filled with critical moments, most of which had Harris unhinging Trump. Media pundits generally saw Harris as the winner. 

Harris opened the faceoff  by marching across the stage to Trump’s lectern to shake his hand.

“Kamala Harris,” she said, introducing herself as the pair met for the first time ever. “Let’s have a good debate.”

“Nice to see you. Have fun,” the former Republican president responded.

The exchange set the tone for the 90-minute debate to come: Harris controlled the conversation at times, baiting Trump with jabs at his economic policy, his refusal to concede his 2020 election loss and even his performance at his rallies.

Trump, while measured early on, grew more annoyed as the night went on.

In her first answer, the former prosecutor said Trump’s tariffs would effectively create a sales tax on the middle class. She soon accused Trump of presiding over the worst attack on American democracy since the Civil War — the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. She charged him with telling women what they could do with their bodies. And she mocked Trump’s praise of dictators “who would eat you for lunch.”Harris effectively controlled much of the conversation with such attacks and baited Trump into responses that were at times vents, and at others, reminders of his wild rhetoric and fixation on the past.

“You did in fact lose that election,” Harris said of the 2020 race that Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden but still insists he won. “Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people,” she said, referring to Biden’s winning vote total.

But Harris may have got under her opponent’s skin the most when she went after his performance at his rallies, noting that people often leave early.

Growing visibly irritated, Trump insisted that his rallies were larger than hers.

A smiling Harris frequently shifted her message from Trump back to the American people.

“You will not hear him talk about your needs, your dreams and your needs and your desires,” Harris said. “And I’ll tell you, I believe you deserve a president who actually puts you first.

Even conservatives criticized Trump’s performance.

“Let’s make no mistake. Trump had a bad night,” Fox News host Brit Hume said. “We just heard so many of the old grievances that we all know aren’t winners politically.”

“She was exquisitely well-prepared, she laid traps, and he chased every rabbit down every hole,” added former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who often appears as a commentator on ABC News.

“Whoever prepared Donald Trump should be fired. He was not good tonight at all,” Christie said.

Below are urls of takeaways of the debate as compiled by several news outlets.

I thought Harris’ best line was when discussing the war in Ukraine:  “Putin would eat you (Trump) for lunch.”

In sum, Kamala smiled and was  brilliant.  Trump had a scowl on all night.

Tony

————————————

The Associated Press:

https://apnews.com/article/debate-president-trump-harris-takeaways-b648ff0b9baf10d4625548e815d7cfe3

The New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/11/us/politics/trump-harris-debate-takeaways.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20240911&instance_id=133975&nl=today%27s-headlines&regi_id=1596194&segment_id=177458&te=1&user_id=de942ea6955596b6a6f76dd4931eb204

The Huffington Post:

|https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-kamala-harris-debate-6-things_n_66e11d98e4b0f6ea72e30481