I’m not speaking out of turn. But I looked into Ezra Klein’s background. He grew up in the OC and spent his college and career in LA, NYC and DC. He’s never had any exposure to conservative areas for prolonged periods and didn’t build campaigns there. So I’m gonna take what he says with salt.

Whether a person wants to make a livelihood doing what they love is not an existential or philosophical question. You don’t tell someone with that basic and common dream that they’re successful when they’re robbed of it because worth isn’t tied to money. That’s at best esoteric and detached.

It would be interesting if someone asked Barack Obama if he agreed with Thurgood Marshall that klansmen had the right to express hate speech. As controversial as the Brandenburg decision was, it showed Marshall, who was a civil rights hero and NAACP attorney, was also a free speech absolutist.

I follow Christian nationalism trends and communities. The idea that Democrats could somehow capture that vote by hedging on abortion is so naive and laughable. The leaders of that movement make so much money off of making us look evil. That won’t stop by some evasive liberal rhetoric.

I get a kick out of these politicians posturing themselves as people who lobbied Biden to step aside during his first run. Nothing could be further from the truth. I actually called for him to do so in my newsletter before the primary started. What mattered was if they did it publicly. They didn't.

It’s interesting. When I write a story about how the government is spying on abortion rights groups, I lose access to the followers feature on Facebook.

They’re calling them extremists. Neighbors with signs and bubbles flagged as threats. Trump, Grassley, and the legacy of COINTELPRO all collide in this new piece because activism is not terrorism. reprorights.substack.com/p/how-exagge...

Texas midwife Maria Rojas is at the center of the first criminal abortion prosecution in 50 years. Her lawyers say Paxton overstepped & relied on weak evidence. Full story: reprorights.substack.com/p/texas-midw...

This is an old article I wrote about the Great Replacement Theory, which Charlie Kirk claimed to believe was happening, although his views focused more on immigration as the method used. Nonetheless, it has roots in conspiracy theories surrounding abortion. reprorights.substack.com/p/replacemen...

The antiabortion movement’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s killing: how absolutist faith-language, history, and violence intersect. Read more 👇 reprorights.substack.com/p/antiaborti...

Men and women over the age of 50 must accept that the decisions they make about who to empower as leaders who are younger will determine our political and cultural reality in 15 years. Will we have sensible leaders? That depends on whether you start helping them.

How far will the intersection of law, history & activism take the UK’s abortion debate? From Packer’s ordeal under colonial-era laws to 10,000 marchers in London — this piece maps the fight for real reform. Read: reprorights.substack.com/p/londons-ma... #ProChoice #LegalReform

Studies have shown that integration and regular interaction with people of different races and religions is the best way to rid a person of prejudices. So when and if the opportunity presents itself to surround m yourself with black people, or Jews or Muslims or Asians, then do so.

Maybe it’s because I’m a working class Uber driver, but I don’t care if I’m canceled or ostracized by the in crowd. I’m 41 years old and don’t give a shit if another middle-aged person thinks they’re better than me. Not sure why people don’t just say fuck that person and move on.

“America’s first martyr of the new Awakening” — how leaders like Lance Wallnau are reframing Charlie Kirk’s legacy after his shooting. Read how abortion policy, the NAR, and political extremism intersect in one volatile moment: reprorights.substack.com/p/charlie-ki... #ReproRights #CultureWars

🚨 NY Attorney General Letitia James is stepping in to defend the state’s shield law after Texas tried to enforce its abortion ban in Ulster County. A major showdown over reproductive rights is underway. 👉 reprorights.substack.com/p/attorney-g...

I had no idea that the VMAs were still a thing. I didn’t even realize MTV was around. I thought that was a relic of a bygone era. I don’t know anyone who watches MTV and there’s probably a shit ton of Gen Z people who have no idea what it is. For boomers, TRL was our Ed Sullivan show.

It’s alright that SNL has gone for a multicultural take on comedy. But you still have to develop some sketches that speak to the sensibilities of white working class men and women, like Wayne’s World or a lot of the Chris Farley stuff. That’s what made the show a hit in the first place.

Another good thing for Heidi insofar as roles would be to create screenplays like His Girl Friday, where you inject the humor and collegiality found in bustling newsrooms into some storyline where she wants to expose some handsome and powerful man, but ends up falling in love with his charm.

It’s interesting. The one SNL star who caught my eye, Heidi Gardner, was the one let go. I could see her doing rom coms with the same appeal as Meg Ryan. Hopefully it’s a blessing in disguise for her to start doing films like that. I’d go to the theater for it.

A county clerk in New York refused to file a Texas abortion judgment—citing the state’s shield law. Now he’s being sued, and the case could shape the future of telehealth & state sovereignty. 🔗 reprorights.substack.com/p/new-york-c...

Marine Capt. Christopher Cooprider fires back at allegations he spiked a neighbor’s drink with abortion pills. His lawyer calls it a “political assassination” & launches a $1.1B counterclaim. 👉 reprorights.substack.com/p/marine-cou...

One of these guys turned 41 this week. The other guy is going to his first MLB baseball game with a middle-aged guy explaining runs, RBIs, hits, working the count, sacrifice flys and other parts of the sport. @hilarym99.bsky.social

Texas is exporting its abortion ban—HB 7 lets anyone sue out-of-state providers, setting a chilling legal precedent nationwide. Read the latest local stories & analysis → reprorights.substack.com/p/texas-sena...

I’m not saying all credit should be given to community builders of race relations for the decrease in crime here. But men of any race can change inclinations to commit crime by recognizing they lead men of all races. And then they can exercise their influence to do so by changing perceptions.

A $1.1 B counterclaim in Texas: a wrongful-death suit tied to abortion politics explodes into court. Alleged poisoning, high-stakes litigation, and Jonathan Mitchell’s legal strategy collide. Full story: reprorights.substack.com/p/marine-cap...

Jonathan F. Mitchell engineered Texas's abortion crackdown—turning the courts into battlegrounds with his bounty-hunter enforcement. Want to see how legalism became weaponized? Read more: reprorights.substack.com/p/the-man-be...

Texas lawmakers just advanced HB 7, extending the state’s “bounty” model to abortion pills. What it means for women, courts, and the post-Roe landscape: 🔗 reprorights.substack.com/p/a-new-fron...

Good flick

Mexico has made real progress: more than half of the states have decriminalized abortion. But contradictory laws and conservative pressure still create fear for women and providers. Read the full story: reprorights.substack.com/p/mexicos-ab... #ReproRights #AbortionAccess #Mexico

🚨 On Aug. 22, Texas & Florida moved to join the Mifepristone case before Judge Kacsmaryk. Their filing leans on FDA records and declarations from antiabortion medical groups. Full breakdown here ⬇️ 👉 reprorights.substack.com/p/texas-and-...

I don’t think things will get better. For that to happen, we’d need visionary leaders who would develop new approaches to politics, art, film and journalism. Anyone who has that ability is shot down before they take off. We’re heading for a crisis where we don’t have any leaders built up.

It doesn’t surprise me that the establishment would marginalize a reporter who can dig into political finances and do true watchdog work.

People are oblivious to how imperiled repro rights are right now. They’re acting like nothing is happening. You’d think something would light a fire under their ass by now.

Honestly, the only thing I'm hoping for this year is for my newsletter to take off and for my book to sell well enough to allow me to quit driving Uber. I want a career in reproductive rights. If that happens, I'll also volunteer at the fire department and adopt a dog, as I'll have the time.

🚨 In Texas, lawmakers are pushing HB 7—the “strongest bill in the nation” targeting abortion pills. Friday’s hearing drew emotional testimony from doctors, faith leaders & women caught in the crossfire. Read @reprorightsnow 👇 reprorights.substack.com/p/texas-hous...

Illinois just strengthened access to reproductive health! Gov. Pritzker signed two transformative laws—one shielding providers who dispense medication abortion, the other requiring public colleges to offer contraception and abortion pills on campus. reprorights.substack.com/p/gov-pritzk...

I spoke to several women who attended Point Park this week. They’re not at all cognizant of any of the threats to repro rights, didn’t know what CPCs were and don’t have any steady source of information about abortion. We’re failing as leaders in connecting and guiding our young people.

So I have a few thoughts. First it’s time to change the culture insofar as how we treat young people with fresh ideas. What’s been driving decisions isn’t working. So that’s first. We need to be more boundary pushing and less politically correct. And we need to take ideas from Little Lake.

They should do a trend piece about Instagram marriages that ended in divorce.

A good thing to do for a cub reporter is to go to tour city hall and learn what every department does. Find the location of every office, know its staff and leader, understand its record layout and what documents are publicly available and on databases. Socialize with them outside of work too.

You shouldn’t run for office without mastering how government works at every level. You should know about ordinances, zoning and codes. You should know how courts work. You should know the function of every agency and department. Don’t ask us for power until you develop that understanding.

If you want to know what most of us liked about Hollywood, it wasn’t the glamour or exclusive tendencies. It was that we saw ourselves, friends, family and rivals in the characters played by you. We actually disliked it when we thought we were made to feel less sophisticated.

Storytelling suffered recently because characters must have flaws that set them back and that they have to overcome to realize their potential. In our society, people won’t acknowledge their flaws or confront and change them. They refuse to say they’re there. And so they can’t create them in story.

A new threat to IVF access is emerging— debates over “Restorative Reproductive Medicine” that sideline proven fertility treatments. Why policy is catching up to ideology → reprorights.substack.com/p/a-new-thre...

Consider donating to rebuild Riley's Pour House. It's an essential Irish business that was a good place to listen to our folk music and appreciate Irish culture. www.post-gazette.com/life/food/20...

With any sex scandal in politics, I don't think the general public cares about it nearly as much as reporters do or those political operatives and politicians virtue signaling about it. I'm not talking about Epstein or any specific scandal. It's just a general observation.