Texas and Abortion Rights
In one of the most debated cases since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Texas woman Kate Cox is battling the state to terminate a high-risk pregnancy. According to Cox’s doctor, the pregnancy is life threatening to both mother and baby and will most likely ruin her chances of fertility in the future. At 20 weeks pregnant, Cox first filed the lawsuit against Texas, questioning how it had the authority to stop her from having an abortion if it is medically necessary.
On December 7, 2023, a district court ruled that Cox can legally have the pregnancy terminated; although, according to CNN, she can still face civil and criminal charges in the future if she goes through with the procedure including first-degree felony and civil penalties of at least $100,000 for each. On December 8, the Texas Supreme Court temporarily banned her from undergoing the procedure.
As of yesterday, Cox’s lawyer announced she had left the state in order to have the procedure completed. Inspired by and alongside Cox’s case, over twenty women and four doctors have sued Texas and more are beginning to speak out.
The Unattainable American Dream
CBS News did a report on how the American Dream is becoming increasingly harder to achieve as costs for essential items become more expensive. It’s reported that to achieve the American Dream (owning a home, living comfortably, being able to retire) the average citizen needs to make about $3.4 million over their lifetime. Currently, the average citizen is barely breaking $1 million in their lifetime.
Russia-Ukraine War
Don’t forget that the Israel-Hamas War isn’t the only major conflict making the front page. The Russia-Ukraine war is ongoing, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington today, Tuesday, December 12, to request more aid at the invitation of President Joe Biden. According to CNN, the aid package is worth over tens of billions of dollars. Biden’s team hopes that Zelensky can win over Republicans to get the package.
This plea for aid comes after Russia began firing ballistic missiles over the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, for the first time in months. According to NBC, Kyiv officials confirmed that 8 ballistic missiles were shot down over Kyiv, causing injuries from the debris.
In other Russian news, in another report by NBC, Alexei Navalny, an adamant oppositionist of Putin and what he stands for is missing. Navalny is serving a 19-year sentence for extremism. He was supposed to appear for an online court hearing, but did not show. His lawyers were also unable to reach him. A spokesperson featured in the article said that, “Friday that the developments were concerning given that Navalny recently fell ill: “He felt dizzy and lay down on the floor. Prison officials rushed to him, unfolded the bed, put Alexei on it and gave him an IV drip. We don’t know what caused it, but given that he’s being deprived of food, kept in a cell without ventilation and has been offered minimal outdoor time, it looks like fainting out of hunger.’”
Great Salt Lake Pipeline?
The Great Salt Lake in Utah is shrinking, but Utah’s intended solution is far too taxing financially and electrically. NBC News reports that it would cost $300 million every year to pay for powering a pipeline from the Great Salt Lake to the ocean. This means that it would be difficult to pay for this solution, and it could cause major power issues for Utah as it would take about 11% of the state’s usual power demand.With this option of saving the Great Salt Lake possibly not feasible, the lake will only continue to shrink, which will cause even more environmental issues such as toxic dust storms and the collapse of an ecosystem.
