🇺🇸 Six Weeks in the Sunshine State

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Good morning, and happy Tuesday! Bryce Brooks, 16, died in a drowning accident two weeks ago while on vacation in Pensacola, Florida, after he tried to help four children struggling in a strong current. May he rest in peace.

Plus, should you roll down the windows or turn on the AC?

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🐘 Monday, April 17, Arizona: Trump vs. Biden: Biden 45, Trump 44 (POS)

🐘 Monday, April 17, Arizona: DeSantis vs. Biden: DeSantis 48, Biden 42 (POS)

🐘 Monday, April 17, Pennsylvania: Trump vs. Biden: Biden 46, Trump 42 (POS)

🐘 Monday, April 17, Pennsylvania: DeSantis vs. Biden: DeSantis 45, Trump 42 (POS)

TRENDING

Left: Why Biden Is Lying Low Ahead of 2024 Julian Zelizer, CNN

Left: Why Does Republican Party Have a Death Wish? Jackie Calmes, LA Times

Left: Are We on the Edge of a Recession? Kevin Dugan, New York Magazine

Right: Corrupted Science Behind Biden's Covid Vax Mandates James Bovard, New York Post

Right: The Rise of the Progressive Aristocracy Adrian Wooldridge, The Spectator

Right: Musk vs. Clueless, Censorious BBC Tom Slater, Spiked

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QUICK CLICKS

Illegal Chinese Cops, Putin Critic Put Behind Bars, Starship's Second Try

US: 2 NY residents allegedly ran secret Chinese police station: 'Significant national security matter' (Fox News)

US: White homeowner accused of shooting Black teen who went to the wrong house in Kansas City will face 2 felony charges, officials announce (CNN)

World: Vladimir Kara-Murza: Russian opposition figure jailed for 25 years (BBC)

World: How a rivalry between generals sparked a battle to control Sudan (Axios)

Entertainment: 'Yellowstone' will end after 5 seasons — but no one knows when it will air or even film (NY Post)

World: Spanish athlete emerges into daylight after 500 days in cave (NBC News)

Business: Ford unveils new Lincoln Nautilus to be imported from China (CNBC)

Business: SpaceX Plans Starship Launch April 20 in Second Lift-Off Try (Bloomberg)

ABORTION

Six Weeks in the Sunshine State

Last week, Florida enacted its Heartbeat Protection Act, which grants rights to unborn children after a fetal heartbeat is detected in the womb. This can be as early as six weeks in some cases. The legislation also provides mothers in Florida with more funding.

Reporting from The Right: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs six-week ‘heartbeat bill’ into law to limit abortion (Fox News)

Reporting from The Left: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bill banning abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy (NPR)

From The Flag: This comes as other states around the US have passed laws restricting abortion, especially following last year’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Here’s more from both sides.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Republicans Continue To Ignore Voters’ Preferences on Abortion

• DeSantis will learn this isn’t a winning political issue, something other Republicans have already realized.

• This may end up being an unforced error from DeSantis, as he’s now running to the right of Trump on abortion.

• Anti-abortion activists have effectively emboldened pro-choice movements in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned.

“DeSantis Is Playing the Politics of Abortion All Wrong” Julianna Goldman, Bloomberg: “The new law would allow abortion up to 15 weeks to save a woman’s life as well as for rape or incest. But the requirements for proof are extremely burdensome. Not to mention that, at six weeks, most women don’t even know they’re pregnant. … The situation creates enormous uncertainty that will play out over years, not months, and not just in Florida, but throughout the South. Florida’s current law is moderate compared to those of its neighbors, and the state has become a refuge for women from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, which have so-called heartbeat laws on the books. By signing the six-week ban, DeSantis can boost his conservative bonafides and distinguish himself from his main rival for the Republican presidential nomination… But outside the conservative bubble, voters have repeatedly shown that they want the right to abortion protected.”

“Ron DeSantis May Fall Into His Own Abortion Trap” Eleanor Clift, Daily Beast: “One year ago, DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban, ‘which is close to the sweet spot nationally,’ says Republican pollster Whit Ayres, ‘but it may not be for (GOP) primary voters.’ He can’t take on the Democrats and run for president without first getting through a primary electorate that is super charged on anti-abortion ideology. This is a trap of his own making since DeSantis, with his eye on the primary contest, sought the more extreme legislation and has said he will sign it. In a post-Roe world, isn’t a Republican asking for trouble when they seek the presidency with such a radical position on abortion? … As for the adage that you shouldn’t take positions in a primary that can foreclose your chances in the general, that’s only sort of true in our rapidly changing politics for an election that’s a year and a half away.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Republicans, facing devastating fallout from "Dobbs effect," refuse to quit abortion bans Heather Digby Parton, Salon

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Now It’s Up To the Florida Supreme Court, But DeSantis’ Die Is Cast

• Florida’s law will need to be upheld by the state Supreme Court, which is already considering a 15-week ban.

• Given the sensitivity of the abortion issue, signing this bill carries political risk for Ron DeSantis, but could help in the primaries.

• The media has it wrong on this one: voters, including Independents and women, want babies with a heartbeat protected.

“DeSantis Signs 6-Week Abortion Ban Into Law” Eric Lendrum, American Greatness: “... the bill prohibits the use of state funds in helping a woman get an abortion from out-of-state. It also limits the access of abortion pills to in-person purchases. The 6-week ban is set to go into effect only after the legal challenges to the state’s current 15-week ban are settled. That law is being challenged before the Florida Supreme Court, which previously ruled that abortions are legally protected under a woman’s right to privacy. In the aftermath of the historic Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision by the United States Supreme Court last year, Florida became one of the few states that actually saw an increase in abortions, as many women from neighboring southern states came to the Sunshine State to get an abortion that was otherwise outlawed in their home states.”

“Ron DeSantis & the Negative Partisanship of Abortion” Dan McLaughlin, National Review: “It’s a good bill, bringing real progress to an increasingly red state that previously moved cautiously on abortion, but preserving exceptions that may be unprincipled but are essential to pass the eyeball test with the public. … with multiple other states having already passed heartbeat bills, the national buzz around the bill will be less about Florida than about DeSantis signing it as he nears the launch of his expected presidential campaign. As with any decision to take a stand on a divisive issue, this is fraught with risks. … But leave aside for now the general-electorate politics of how heartbeats are the way in which normal humans talk about pregnancy. Of more immediate importance, signing the Florida heartbeat bill could prove to be a great strategy for DeSantis in the upcoming presidential primaries.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Ignore the Democrats' Lies. A Heartbeat Bill Can Only Help DeSantis Become President E.V. Osment, Newsweek

FLAG THIS

Survey Says: More in Florida Don’t Want a Six Week Ban

Polling data suggests more Floridians oppose a ban on abortions at six weeks, as a survey from late 2021 found 50% opposed such a law, while 42% were in favor (Saint Leo).

In 2020, during the runup to the presidential election, 56% of Florida voters said abortion should be “legal in most cases,” in comparison to 35% who felt the opposite (Ipsos).

A separate survey conducted around the same time found 68% agreed with Roe v. Wade, while 23% did not (Quinnipiac).

FLAG FINDS

3 Reads to Stretch Your Cash and Save on Stress

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🎓 A degree doesn’t need to break the bank. In-state college can be both a high-quality and affordable option. Here are the 10 states where the littlest goes the longest.

WATERCOOLER

Great San Francisco Earthquake, The Vanishing Handball Team, Impending Doom

On April 18, 1906, at 5:13 AM, an earthquake estimated at close to 8.0 on the Richter scale strikes San Francisco, California, killing an estimated 3,000 people as it topples numerous buildings. The quake was caused by a slip of the San Andreas Fault over a segment about 275 miles long, and shock waves could be felt from southern Oregon down to Los Angeles.

MEL Magazine: How Did an Entire Sri Lankan Handball Team Vanish in Germany?

The Walrus: AI Is Coming for Voice Actors. Artists Everywhere Should Take Note

Scientific American: Why Do Smart People Do Foolish Things?

Today I Learned there is a jellyfish whose sting causes feelings of impending doom.