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On June 24, 2022, a majority ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States officially reversed the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which established that pregnant women had a constitutionally protected right to choose to have an abortion. This has quickly transformed the nation around reproductive issues. Eleven states had trigger laws which immediately banned or heavily regulated abortion once the decision became official. Another 12 states have legislation in place to do the same. Rather than take swift action to protect abortion rights, the Democratic Party which currently controls the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government chose to fundraise.

Democrats rightly chided Republicans, who have boasted for nearly 50 years that their political project would overturn Roe v. Wade. In that time, Republicans successfully advocated for1,000 restrictionson abortions. But on the other side of the ideological spectrum, the Democratic Party also focused blame on the left: Jill Stein voters from 2016, the fabled "Bernie Bros," Susan Sarandon followers, and Bad Faith Podcast subscribers. The party's analysis, to a significant degree, relied on attacking its left flank in defense rather than engaging in introspection about what it could have done to prevent Roe's reversal.

RELATED:Younger voters agree with Democrats but don't trust them. Here's how to fix that

A more substantive and introspective review would look back to Joe Biden, who has a long history of questioning the legitimacy of the Roe decision, for the way he aided abortion foe Clarence Thomas in his confirmation to the court. Indeed, it is hard to imagine Thomas becoming a justice in 1991 without Biden who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time leading a rhetorical assault on Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of sexual harassment. At the time, Biden was so confident that Thomas would not overturn Roe that he accused those who claimed otherwise of experiencing a "failure of logic."

Still, Biden is just one of the many Democrats who have demonstrated that abortion rights are not a central issue for the party. On two separate occasions sincethe original Roe decision, the Democrats have had supermajorities in Congress, which would have allowed them to end any Senate filibuster of a law codifying abortion rights. But on one such occasion, in 2009, Barack Obama stated that abortion rights were"not the highest legislative priority." Later in Obama's two terms, abortion rights advocates were admonished by party loyalists when they called for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was suffering from cancer at an advanced age, to step down so Obama could nominate a more viable justice to extend her legacy of protecting women's rights.

Democrats have routinely made the fear of losing Roe a key plank in their campaign strategy, and that specter has vaulted many a Democrat into office. It is not surprising that a party that can offer little other than the threat of a worse alternative has taken few decisive steps to safeguard abortion rights. For many Democratic candidates, the prospect of losing Roe has been their only point of leverage with voters, the linchpin of a "vote blue no matter who" electoral strategy. In practice, this has translated into a hollow "we're not the other party" message of fear.

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In 2016, after Democratic leadershipcolludedtodefeatthe pro-choice candidate Bernie Sanders in the primaries when some polls showed Sanders doing better than Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump they pickedClinton,who had at times stigmatized abortion and who choseSen. Tim Kaineof Virginia as her running mate. Kaine had supported and signed anti-abortion legislation as governor of Virginia. During Trump's administration, the New York Times ran articles making a "liberal" case for supporting his first two Supreme Court nominees, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. Bloomberg provided a similar argument for Amy Coney Barrett. All three voted to overturn Roe, to the surprise of almost no one.

Even after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe was leaked to the press in May, Rep.Jim Clyburn the South Carolina Democrat widely credited with saving Biden's 2020 presidential run campaigned on behalf of Rep. Henry Cuellar, an anti-abortion Texas Democrat, who was also endorsed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and numerous other party leaders. What a tangled web these Democrats weave.

Even after the Roe decision leaked in May, Rep. Jim Clyburn, who saved Joe Biden during the 2020 primaries, traveled to Texas to campaign for an anti-abortion Democrat.

Just as it has done in the five decades since Roe, the Democratic Party refuses to protect abortion rights when it has the power to do so. Instead, Democrats ignore that history and blame Republicans and dissident leftists rather than themselves. At least officially, they currently control both the legislative and executive branches of government. They could remove the filibuster and codify abortion rights tomorrow, but evidently would rather protect an extra-constitutional Senate rule (often used to support white supremacy) than women's right to choose. This is especially mystifying given that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has clearly stated that if the GOP reclaims the majority in the 2022 midterms, it may remove the filibuster in order to pass a national abortion ban. If the filibuster is likely to disappear anyway (and for overtly partisan reasons), what possible argument is there for not protecting abortion rights while the Democrats still can? Why are they going to repeat the strategic blunder of refusing to end the filibuster without getting anything out of it?

The story doesn't end there. Democrats could also wield their power to expand the Supreme Court. Yes, that would break with recent precedent (although the example of FDR's failed attempts to do so could certainly be reconsidered). Republicans had no problem breaking with precedent when they refused to entertain Obama's Supreme Court nominee in 2016 because it was an election year, and then reversed themselves by confirming Justice Barrett only days before the 2020 election. Shortly after Roe was overturned, the Biden administration once again refused to consider expanding the court. Such a radical maneuver may be exactly what is needed to counter reactionary rulings by unaccountable justices in defiance of stare decisis (the importance of legal precedent). But the Democrats are certainly not radicals; they are performers in an increasingly empty work of political theater.

Rather than propose an immediate plan of action, on the day of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe, Pelosi read a poem, Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted a picture of herself watching pro-choice protests, and Democratic members of Congress sang "God Bless America" on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. This vapid virtue-signaling was just the beginning. The same Democrats who failed to protect abortion rights for ages had the audacity to fundraise off this mass assault on women's rights. This was an email sent by Pelosi's office just days after the ruling:

Now that Trump's Supreme Court just ruled to rip reproductive rights away from every single woman in this country: How we act NOW will decide the future of reproductive rights. I don't say this lightly. We can either sit back and admit defeat to these far-right extremists... Or we can RISE UP, meet this ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION moment, and marshal a response so HISTORIC that we make every last anti-choice Republican REGRET what they've done. Please, I've never needed your support more than now. Can you chip in $15 so we can WIN these midterms and finally codify reproductive rights into law?

Pelosi's call to "act NOW" doesn't even try to explain why the party needs another $15 to use its current power to act now. Nor does it explain why Democrats have been so ineffective for nearly five decades. Pelosi even suggests that the other option is to "sit back and admit defeat to these far-right extremists," which has effectively been what Democrats have done for the last 50 years. What evidence is there that Pelosi who has herself been in Congress for 35 years will do anything different with these donations than her party has done for the past half-century? She is only one of many members exploiting this tragic ruling to fill their coffers and distract voters from the party's political ineptitude.

Here is the plan, apparently: Give Democrats more money and vote for them in November. But to do what, exactly? Blame Republicans, the media, the Russians and the far left for their own failures?

In her first major interview since the reversal of Roe, Vice President Harris rejected any plan to codify abortion rights, shooting down Sen. Elizabeth Warren's proposal to expand abortion access on federal lands, declaring "it's not right now what we are discussing," and saying, "We are 130-odd days away from an election, which is going to include Senate races." So the plan is to give Democrats $15 and vote for them in November. But to do what? Pretty much nothing. This is the way Democrats have governed since the 1970s. They are happy to fundraise around images of inclusivity, diversity, women's rights, labor rights, immigration and social progress, but consistently refuse to take substantive actions to achieve the most relevant goals. Instead, they blame Republicans, the news media, Russians, fake news, overzealous progressives and the "far left" for their failures. To say this is tiresome is a gross understatement.

Leaders do not blame, they lead. Movers and shakers such as Lyndon Johnson, warts and all, knew that the art of politics necessitated deal-making to get things accomplished. Today's Democrats rely on the art of inaction and lecture voters on what they contend is possible, rather than working to make the purportedly impossible become reality. Their argument is always that if the public wants us to protect X (such as abortion right), they need to elect more Democrats in November. How many more Novembers are we supposed to wait? Voting for the same milquetoast neoliberal centrists who made the collapse of Roe possible (or inevitable) will do nothing to change our current political reality. Indeed, that is the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Women deserve better, as do all of us. The Democratic Party should recognize this, and change course dramatically.

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Defund the Democrats: Stop giving money to the party of surrender and inaction - Salon

Donald Trump Jr., son of former US. President Donald Trump.Alex Wong/Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr. suggested the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade because Obama made fun of his father.

Obama poked fun at Trump for hyping the "birther" conspiracy theory at the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Trump was reported to have been furious with Obama over the jokes.

Donald Trump Jr. posted a meme suggesting the overturning of Roe v. Wade directly resulted from then-President Barack Obama making fun of his father at the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Trump Jr. posted a "domino effect" meme on Instagram with the caption "Fuck Around And Find Out!!!"

The meme featured the label "Roe v. Wade overruled," appearing to be the consequence of "Obama making fun of Trump at a dinner in 2011."

During the 2011 dinner, Obama famously poked fun at Donald Trump, who was in the audience, for his promotion of the racist "birther" conspiracy theory that Obama was not a United States citizen.

"Now, I know that he's taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald," Obama said of Trump.

"And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter - like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?"

Obama also mocked Trump's role as host of the TV show Celebrity Apprentice, talking about a recent episode in which Trump chose which celebrity to fire over poor steakhouse cooking.

"These are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir. Well handled," Obama said.

Around the time of the dinner, Trump had begun hinting at the possibility of running for president in 2012but ultimately did not.

Then-Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie, who attended the dinner, wrote in a recent book that Trump was "beside himself with fury" after Obama's speech.

On Friday, the US Supreme Court overturnedRoe v. Wade, undoing nearly 50 years of legalized abortion nationwide.

Many in conservative circles directly credited Donald Trump with the ruling, as he appointed three supreme court justices during his presidency, all of whom voted to overturn the landmark abortion law.

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Donald Trump Jr. suggested Roe v. Wade was overturned as a direct result of Obama making fun of his father in 2011 - Yahoo News

Its a wonder I didnt bite off the tip of my tongue while waiting for a take-out order at an Attleboro restaurant last week.

After placing the order, Pattie and I took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink. The 6 oclock news was just starting and the lead story was the Jan. 6 hearing held earlier that day.

I was sitting close enough to hear the woman to my left say to her husband, What a farce. With all the things wrong with this country, arent there more important things they can be doing?

Pattie knows I was about to say something and gave me a nudge as a signal to bite my tongue.

To her credit, what the woman said about this country was correct. There are a number of issues that need to be addressed by members of both political parties: the Supreme Court, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the high cost of gasoline, record inflation, mass shootings and, of course, the bitterness across the aisles of Congress.

Her conversation made it clear the woman was obviously one of the many on the right who viewed the mobs storming of the Capitol Building as nothing more than a tour group getting out of hand. After all, boys will by boys.

She probably thoughts the chants of Hang Mike Pence referred to a painting of the vice president and that its moving to a more prominent place in the building.

Im sure she also believes, like many of you reading this, that the former president played no role in what happened that day and that the far left did indeed steal the 2020 election from the greatest leader in this countrys history, while allowing other conservative candidates to gain seats in the House or Senate.

I ask those of you who agree with the woman seated next to me last week the same question I would have asked her had I not received a nudge:

Would you feel the same way if the president holding that rally had been Barack Obama?

Would you feel the same way if it had been Obama telling the crowd, We fight like hell. And if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore?

Would you feel the same way if the rally had been followed by thousands of Black Americans breaking into the Capitol, smashing windows and doors, assaulting police officers with flag poles, hockey sticks, fire extinguishers and bear spray?

The Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade broke as I writing that last paragraph. As Ive written on this page in the past, I am neither in favor of abortion or against it.

This wont be a popular opinion, but I do believe that the abortions that Massachusetts and the other states that allow them should be limited to only residents of those states.

Its not a reach to predict that states like Florida and Texas will sue the states that allowed and the doctors that performed abortions on their residents, even if the Supreme Court indicates otherwise. The women in those states who do not allow abortions need to either get involved to change their states laws or move to one more in line with their political views.

Am I the only one who is puzzled by one of the main reasons given when the Attleboro City Council rejected Mayor Paul Herouxs request to use a portion of the citys record amount of free cash to build a performing arts pavilion in Highland Park?

Fridays story by Sun Chronicle reporter George W. Rhodes cites the lack of a public hearing on the mayors request as one of the reasons why the request was voted down.

We have a fiduciary responsibility to hear both sides, Council President Jay DiLisio said during the meeting.

Im not an expert on the Attleboro City Charter, but I do know its the councils responsibility to schedule and hold public hearings and its fair to ask why they did not in this case.

I would hope the mayor and councilors do their homework before the subject is broached again. For example, I would like to know how much the city has spent on outdoor athletic facilities over the past few decades compared to those for the performing arts.

I suspect the totals arent even close.

Peter Gay is the executive director of North Attleborough Community Television Inc. North TV. The views expressed in his column are not necessarily those of North TV. Reach him at pgay@ northtv.net.

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Peter Gay: What if Obama had been behind Jan. 6? - The Sun Chronicle

Thomas Hoenig, the former Kansas City Federal Reserve president, weighs in, arguing that a 'recession is a fair call.'

The danger of the U.S. economy returning to a 1970s-style stagflation scenario is the highest it's been in decades, according to former President Barack Obama's top economic adviser.

Jason Furman, a Harvard University professor who previously served as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, warned that an aggressive Federal Reserve, rising interest rates and persistently high inflation have raised the possibility of a period of stagnant economic growth and high consumer prices.

"It's a real risk," Furman said during an interview with FOX Business. "It's the biggest risk of stagflation we've had in a long time. But it's not a guarantee that the economy goes into recession. Consumers still have a lot of money. They're still spending. So there's still some hope for the U.S. economy."

Stagflation is the combination of slowed economic growth and high inflation, characterized by soaring consumer prices as well as high unemployment. The phenomenon ravaged the U.S. economy in the 1970s and early 1980s, as spiking oil prices, rising unemployment and easy monetary policy pushed the consumer price index as high as 14.8% in 1980, forcing Fed policymakers to raise interest rates to nearly 20% that year.

FED RAISES INTEREST RATE BY 75 BASIS POINTS IN HISTORIC MOVE TO FIGHT INFLATION

Jason Furman speaks during the National Association of Business Economics economic policy conference in Washington, D.C., Feb. 25, 2020. (Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via / Getty Images)

Inflation accelerated again in May, the government reported earlier this month, with the consumer price index, rising by 8.6%, much higher than economists expected. It marks the fastest pace of inflation since December 1981, underscoring just how strong inflationary pressures in the economy still are.

Scorching hot inflation has created severe financial pressures for most U.S. households, which are forced to pay more for everyday necessities like food, gasoline and rent. The burden is disproportionately borne by low-income Americans, whose already-stretched paychecks are heavily impacted by price fluctuations.

The stock market has also suffered amid the backdrop of rising inflation and interest rate hikes with the S&P 500 down 20% this year.

As a result, the Federal Reserve is moving at the fastest pace in decades to tame consumer demand and bring inflation closer to its 2% target. Just last week, policymakers voted to raise interest rates by 75 basis points for the first time since 1994. The move puts the key benchmark federal funds rate between 1.50% and 1.75%, the highest since the pandemic began two years ago.

But the Fed's policies to hamper consumer demand and tame inflation are expected to slow the economy, with a growing number of Wall Street firms forecasting a recession in the next two years. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Deutsche Bank have all raised the odds of a downturn in 2022 or 2023, and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has conceded there's a real possibility of a recession.

"Its certainly a possibility," Powell told lawmakers Wednesday. "We are not trying to provoke and do not think we will need to provoke a recession, but we do think its absolutely essential that we restore price stability, really for the benefit of the labor market, as much as anything else."

POWELL CONCEDES FED MAY TRIGGER RECESSION, CALLS SOFT LANDING 'VERY CHALLENGING'

A man walks past the U.S. Federal Reserve building in Washington, April 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie via / Getty Images)

Hiking interest rates tends to create higher rates on consumer and business loans, which slows the economy by forcing employers to cut back on spending. Mortgage rates are already approaching 6%, the highest since 2008, while some credit card issuers have raised their rates to 20%.

Furman said that he expects central bankers to finish the year with interest rates near 4% as they race to catch up with inflation. But consumers shouldn't expect to see prices fall right away, he said.

"It's going to take a while for inflation to come down," he said. "I think inflation will be high all year, and maybe some things will start to fall. Maybe car prices will fall. At some point gasoline prices will fall. We've had oil prices start to fall. That should show up in lower gasoline. But if you're asking about average prices as a whole, that could take some time."

Rampant inflation has become a major political liability for President Biden ahead of the November midterm elections, during which Democrats are expected to lose their already razor-thin majorities. Surveys show Americans see inflation as the biggest problem facing the country. And many households blame Biden for the price spikes.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks to the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP Newsroom)

In response, the president has floated the possibility of temporarily suspending the 18.4 cents-per-gallon gas tax, a move that would require action by Congress. It is intended to help consumers cope with higher prices at the pump amid a record surge in the cost of fuel, but Furman slammed the proposal as a "gimmick" that will do little to line households' pockets and will instead deliver a major windfall to oil companies.

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"To curb inflation, most of that is the job of the Federal Reserve," Furman said. He suggested the White House could instead explore smaller strategies like reducing the federal deficit, lifting tariffs, increasing efficiency in the shipping industry or making it easier to get a permit to be a truck driver in order to ease supply chain disruptions.

"Lots of small policies you can pursue," he said. "But the big tools, those are all in the hands of the Federal Reserve."

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Former Obama economist warns stagflation threat level is 'highest in a long time' - Fox Business

JOURNALIST Alex Wagner is set to replace Rachel Maddow on MSNBC's coveted 9pm slot.

Wagner is known for her work on CBS This Morning but her marriage to former White House chef Sam Kass is gaining attention with some calling them politics' new "it couple."

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"The Rachel Maddow" show has been a staple on MSNBC with Maddow as the network's most-watched star.

She will continue to host the show on Mondays and cover breaking news stories while Wagner takes over from Tuesday to Friday.

Wagner's roots in politics run deep. She grew up surrounded by the political world as her father worked on Ted Kennedy's 1980 presidential bid.

She began her journalism career at the Los Angeles music journal Ray Gun but quickly realized politics was where she belonged. After switching gears, she joined George Clooney's anti-genocide organization Not on Our Watch.

When asked about working with Wagner, Clooney told Vogue, Whether we had to testify in front of the UN Security Council or were stuck in a Land Rover for days on back roads in Chad, she was unflappable.

In perfect political fashion, she even met her now-husband, Sam Kass, at a White House Correspondent Dinner Party. Kass is also a well-known name in Washington as a fixture in the Obama Administration.

Kass met the Obamas in Chicago while Barack was a young senator and Michelle was the vice-president at the University of Chicago Medical Center. His presence became a staple in their family and it earned him a position at the White House.

Kass's work in the Obama Administration extended well beyond his duties as a personal chef. He was a senior advisor on nutrition policy, executive director for Michelle Obama's anti-childhood obesity campaign, and a critical component of the former first lady's Let's Move advocacy.

Kass is still active in spreading awareness of food politics. He appeared on a segment of Now This News last year about the urgency of fixing the world's food systems.

After their introduction from MSNBC commentator, Richard Wolffe, Kass was reportedly smitten.

They bonded over their love of the Washington Nationals, prompting Kass to persuade friend Edward Cohen, whose family is the principal owner of the Nationals, to open Nats Park for a private date.

The two were married in August of 2014. The Obamas were in attendance.

After they were married, Kass decided to step down from his position at the White House to spend more time with Wagner.

He said in his goodbye interview: "This has been the greatest job of my life and I assume will be the greatest job of my life. But I'm going to be with my wife. Once you're married you kind of need to be together."

Wagner and Kass have two sons together, Cy and Rafael. Cy was born in July 2017 and Rafael in April 2019.

Not only have their accolades generated attention from the public, but those who know them rave about their compatibility.

Vogue writer Jacob Weisberg observed: Its striking how they balance and reinforce each other.

Shes in the lead, sparkling with stories; he hangs back, gruffly handsome, quick with a smile or laugh.

As Wagner moves up to host one of the most popular broadcast slots, the couple is sure to continue making headlines.

The political duo has shown to be one on the rise.

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Inside Alex Wagners marriage to Obamas former White House chef Sam Kass as shes tapped to replace Rache... - The US Sun