We’ve launched a standalone blog following the latest developments after a vehicle explosion at the US-Canada border.
Join us here to follow the latest news and reaction:
The politics blog will pause for now.
Dramatic images and clips are coming through on the vehicle explosion at the international bridge near the Niagara Falls, but it’s a very fluid situation in terms of official information emerging at this point.
The FBI is investigating and, according to CNN, also the US Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) federal agency.
Reports so far suggest that a car that was entering the US from Canada, where there are toll booths and officials, exploded. There are no reports yet of any victims but this is all unfolding.
The FBI is investigating the car explosion on the Rainbow Bridge connecting Buffalo, New York and Victoria Falls, Canada. pic.twitter.com/3JxMezr1pI
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) November 22, 2023
A border crossing between the US and Canada has been closed after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls, the Associated Press reports.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s field office in Buffalo, in upstate New York, said in a statement that it was investigating the explosion on the so-called Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River.
Photos and video taken by news organizations and posted on social media showed a security booth that had been singed by flames.
Further information wasn’t immediately available.
New York governor, Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said she had been briefed on the incident and was “closely monitoring the situation”.
Images and clips are emerging on social media.
🚨#BREAKING: A vehicle entering a toll booth at Rainbow Bridge has caused a large explosion to go off, prompting evacuations.⁰⁰📌#NiagaraFalls | #Canada
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) November 22, 2023
Currently, multiple authorities and emergency personnel are on the scene, with evacuations underway after a vehicle… pic.twitter.com/CGJnKIm6u5
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Explosion at US-Canada border near Niagara Falls
The FBI and other law enforcement are investigating a vehicle explosion at the international bridge that connects the US and Canada at the Niagara Falls.
The cause of the explosion is not yet clear but there are some dramatic images and reports by the Associated Press citing the FBI that the border has been closed.
There is talk of a vehicle bomb or an electric vehicle battery combusting, we will bring you details as they unfold.
Canada/US Border closed at Niagara Falls, Rainbow Bridge due to a possible VBIED, car exploded. pic.twitter.com/tS2sSwwYOT
— NYCFireWire (@NYCFireWire) November 22, 2023
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Here is Michigan’s Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer explaining the Reproductive Health Act which sends a “poweful message – [that] Michigan is a place that fights for people’s right to make decisions about their own bodies”:
The Reproductive Health Act sends a powerful message: Michigan is a place that fights for people's right to make decisions about their own bodies. pic.twitter.com/XaFeYGKOd9
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) November 21, 2023
Michigan governor signs Reproductive Health Act into law
Michigan’s Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed a package of bills known as the Reproductive Health Act into law on Tuesday.
In a series of tweets announcing the signing, Whitmer said that the RHA repeals the state’s TRAP laws which are “medically unnecessary restrictions on hallway width, ceiling heights, HVAC systems, and janitor’s closets” that have “nothing to do with providing healthcare.”
All these restrictions do is jack up costs and decrease the number of providers available to Michiganders.
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) November 21, 2023
Every time an abortion clinic closes, lives are put at risk and patients are forced to drive hundreds of miles to the find care they need.
The RHA also repeals another “extreme law on the books from 1931 that would have criminalized nurses and doctors for prescribing medication abortion including mifepristone”, said Whitmer.
While other states restrict access to these pills, we are making sure Michigan health care providers and patients have every option available.
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) November 21, 2023
The RHA also ensures that students at the state’s public universities have access to information about their reproductive health options.
Third, the RHA ensures students at Michigan public universities have access to information about all their reproductive health options.
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) November 21, 2023
For too long, you could be denied access to information about your options—including abortion—depending on where you went to college.
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ACLU issues holiday guides on abortion discussion
The American Civil Liberties Union has issued several guides on how to talk about abortion access over the holidays.
In a guide by ACLU Alabama, the organization wrote:
“Alabama has one of the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality in the nation. Restricting abortion access only worsens this issue.”
Does the possibility of politics coming up at the dinner table have you feeling anxious? Don't sweat it, we've got you covered. Save this post & let us help guide the conversation.
— ACLU of Alabama (@ACLUAlabama) November 22, 2023
Up first: Abortion. Head into the holidays ready to discuss reproductive freedom with your folks. pic.twitter.com/sOV5RlWyRL
Meanwhile, a guide issued by ACLU Indiana said:
“Having deeper, nonjudgmental conversations in which you share personal, values-based stories has been shown to move the needle – even for people who start with opposite views. It isn’t magic, and it doesn’t work every time or even immediately, but these conversations can change the way Hoosiers think and talk about abortion.”
Be prepared for abortion access to come up in conversation over the holidays! 🦃
— ACLU of Indiana (@ACLUIndiana) November 22, 2023
Our conversation guide has what you need to know about:
💬 How to talk about the importance of abortion access
❓ Common misconceptions
🚫 Combating misinformation
➡️ https://t.co/eaSPAu4QZL ⬅️ pic.twitter.com/8GvdXt2cDU
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Washington’s Democratic senator Patty Murray has also voiced her support for abortion rights, urging the restoration of Roe v Wade, which the US supreme court overturned last year.
Murray tweeted:
“RT if you agree: we need to restore Roe v. Wade and the right to abortion for all women, no matter where they live.”
Last September, Murray led 29 senators in urging the Joe Biden administration to strengthen privacy protections for women seeking reproductive healthcare under the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act.
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Catholics for Choice, a Catholic abortion rights advocacy group, has tweeted support for advocates of abortion access who may have different political views from to those around them ahead of Thanksgiving, saying:
“We know the Thanksgiving table might feel isolating if you have different political views. Catholics who support abortion access are in the pews, teaching Sunday school, & even around your dinner table.
You are not alone.”
We know the Thanksgiving table might feel isolating if you have different political views. Catholics who support abortion access are in the pews, teaching Sunday school, & even around your dinner table.
— Catholics for Choice (@Catholic4Choice) November 22, 2023
You are not alone.
In an interview earlier this year with the Guardian about pro-choice Catholics fighting to seize the abortion narrative from the religious right, CFC’s president, Jamie Manson said:
“Catholics overwhelmingly support abortion is because their faith taught them the values of social justice, of the power of individual conscience and of religious freedom.”
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Alabama’s Republican senator Tommy Tuberville has falsely claimed that Democrats support reproductive policies that would allow abortions “after” a baby is born.
In an interview last week with Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of former president Donald Trump’s son Donald Jr, Tuberville, who is blocking a handful of military promotions due to his opposition of the defense department reimbursing service members for abortion-related travels, said:
“We’re going to pay for that by taxpayers’ money. They can’t tell us about the policy in terms of the abortion itself. You know, it’s been rape, incest or health of the mom but we asked in one of our hearings what month are you going to go by for the abortion. They couldn’t tell us if it was abortion after birth.”
Tuberville says that he is blocking promotions because women in the military may try to get abortions after birth under the current policy. pic.twitter.com/30pKpTt6yP
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) November 16, 2023
In response to Tuberville’s misleading claims about Democrats’ support for abortion after birth, Minnesota’s Democratic senator Tina Smith said:
Did Kimberly attempt to acquaint Senator Tuberville with the criminal code? Because this is utter nonsense. But harmful nonsense. Senator Tuberville blocking these promotions is hurting our military.
Did Kimberly attempt to acquaint Senator Tuberville with the criminal code? Because this is utter nonsense.
— Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) November 17, 2023
But harmful nonsense. Senator Tuberville blocking these promotions is hurting our military. https://t.co/WyWgIv6OPK
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Kamala Harris: abortion bans passed by ‘extremist’ people causing ‘chaos, confusion and fear’
Vice-president Kamala Harris has released a statement condemning abortion bans, saying that they are passed by “extremist so-called leaders” who continue to “cause chaos, confusion and fear”.
She added:
The women of America deserve better. Congress must pass a bill that restores the protections of Roe v Wade – and when they do, President Joe Biden will sign it into federal law.
Abortion bans passed by extremist so-called leaders continue to cause chaos, confusion, and fear.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 21, 2023
The women of America deserve better.
Congress must pass a bill that restores the protections of Roe v. Wade—and when they do, President @JoeBiden will sign it into federal law.
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Virginia Democrats pitch amendment to state constitution to protect abortion rights
Democrats in Virginia this week proposed amending the state constitution to enshrine abortion rights.
The proposal follows Democrats’ win in the state earlier this month in which they gained control of the state legislature, signifying a blow to Republicans’ plans that included curtailing abortion access.
The amendment seeks to establish that “every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom” in the state constitution.
In a statement on Monday, the majority leader, Charniele Herring, said:
Throughout the campaign cycle we told Virginians that a Democratic majority meant that abortion access would be protected in the commonwealth.
Today, that reigns true. Our resolution will begin the process of amending our constitution to protect reproductive rights in Virginia, building on the work that I and congresswoman Jennifer McClellan started many years ago.
It has become all too clear that without constitutional protection, access to reproductive healthcare is at risk for the commonwealth.”
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Lawyers from the conservative Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom, as well as Cooper & Kirk have asked the US supreme court on behalf of Idaho’s attorney general to strip prosecution protections for ER doctors who perform abortions in the state.
Bloomberg Law reports:
Idaho requested the US supreme court let it enforce a near-total abortion ban, pending appeal of a decision that found the ban makes it impossible for hospitals in the state to comply with a federal emergency care law.
Attorney general Raúl Labrador Monday filed an emergency application to stay an injunction that prevents the state from imposing penalties on physicians who perform abortions in emergency situations, except when necessary to save the pregnant person’s life.
The US didn’t show that it’s likely to succeed on a claim that the abortion law conflicts with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, Labrador said. It’s not impossible to comply with both laws because the emergency care law doesn’t require anything that Idaho law prohibits, he said.
2022 clip of new House speaker's comments on abortion as "American holocaust" surfaces
In a 2022 audio clip aired by CNN on Tuesday, the House’s newest speaker, Mike Johnson, said that allowing people to get abortions is “truly an American holocaust”.
During a radio interview in 2022, Johnson also said:
“I mean, the reality is that Planned Parenthood and all these – big abortion – they set up their clinics in inner cities. They regard these people as easy prey … That is what’s happening across the country now.”
Johnson also criticized what he called “activist courts”, saying:
“There’s been some really bad law made. They’ve made a mess of our jurisprudence in this country for the last several decades. And maybe some of that needs to be cleaned up.”
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The Missouri supreme court has refused an appeal surrounding the wording of a ballot question on abortion rights in the state.
On Monday, the state supreme court declined to hear an argument from Republican secretary of state Jay Ashcroft who proposed asking voters whether they are in favor of allowing “dangerous and unregulated abortions until live birth”.
In October, a state appeals court ruled against Ashcroft, calling his ballot summaries “replete with politically partisan language”.
Ashcroft, who is running for governor in 2024, appealed the court’s decision but was turned away on Monday by the state’s supreme court.
In response to the state’s supreme court rejection, a spokesperson from ACLU Missouri told Springfield News-Leader:
“The courts’ repeated rejection of the secretary of state’s arguments verify that his case has no legal bearing but, instead, shows he will sacrifice Missourians’ constitutional rights to gain the support and funding of special interest organizations to advance his political career.”
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Abortion activists across US launch fresh efforts to add measures to 2024 ballots
Good morning,
Activists across the country are racing to get abortion rights on the ballot in 2024.
The multi-state efforts follow a series of Democratic wins earlier this month in several states including Ohio, Virginia and Kentucky where voters rejected Republican attempts to limit or ban the procedure.
Abortion rights groups in Missouri – where abortion is completely banned with very limited exceptions – have proposed 11 different amendments that seek to expand abortion rights in the state, NBC reports.
In Nebraska, abortion rights groups launched a ballot measure last week that seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. The measure proposes a constitutional amendment that would protect legal abortion care until “fetal viability”.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Minnesota and abortion rights groups are divided on how exactly to put forth the question of abortion rights to voters. According to Axios, the state’s house speaker Melissa Hortman said that the idea is “in the mix when we talk about 2024”, but said that they “haven’t heard clearly from voters or from the caucuses here at the state capitol that [an amendment] is the next thing that we should do”.
Meanwhile, in an aired audio clip on Tuesday from 2022, Mike Johnson, the House’s newest speaker, said that allowing people to receive abortions is causing “an American Holocaust”.
Here are other developments in US politics:
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