Mike's Blog Roundup

At least two women in Georgia died after they couldn’t access legal abortions and timely medical care in their state, ProPublica reports.

The Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee launched a five-figure digital advertising campaign Monday in New York’s 4th Congressional District urging Haitian Americans to vote in November “in an act of unity against bigoted attacks,” NBC News reports. David Bernstein: Haitian Americans aren’t laughing.

“House Republicans have been in power for nearly two years — and they’re still unable to solve fiscal problems within their ranks,” the Washington Post reports. “The belligerent nature of the conference, coupled with a historically narrow majority, has made it almost impossible for any GOP leader to appease each corner of their constituency when nearly every Republican vote is necessary to pass bills along party lines.” “Now House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is once again in the middle of the tensions that almost a year ago saw his predecessor ousted in part for refusing to fund the government the way a small group of far-right members demanded.

“Hamas’s top leader Yahya Sinwar could well be dead today if not for a low-tech communications system honed in prison that shields him from Israel’s intelligence-gathering dragnet,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Sinwar has largely shunned phone calls, text messages and other electronic communications that Israel can track and that have led to the demise of other militants.

Washington Post: “Led by Trump, Republicans have increasingly embraced groundless allegations that were once relegated to the political fringes, ensuring they are part of the party’s message to voters in the final, critical months of this year’s election.” “Their approach has been on vivid display lately, from the debate stage in Philadelphia to other high-profile public appearances to social media — where false information has spread quickly and Trump has been posting a stream of artificial intelligence-generated images of himself with pets supposedly under threat.

NBC News: “Springfield is a town on edge. It’s been five days since it was thrust into the national spotlight by baseless — and to many, racist — rumors of Haitian residents killing and eating wildlife and pets, and its economic comeback has been dramatically overshadowed by tensions that once rarely reached beyond city council meetings.” “The city has been forced to close schools, City Hall and other municipal buildings because of bomb threats and safety fears tied to the rumors, and Haitian immigrants are afraid to leave their homes because of anger directed at them.” Daniel Drezner: Donald Trump and J.