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🇺🇸 Enshrined in Ohio

🇺🇸 Enshrined in Ohio

Plus, seeing double 17 times.

Good morning, and happy Thursday. A man found his father’s beloved old yellow car from the 1930s going up for auction — and, with his son’s help, bought and restored it over the course of the pandemic, reuniting their family with a rare and treasured heirloom.

Plus, kindergarten teachers in a Pennsylvania school district are seeing double this year — as 17 sets of twins entered the school.

Also, the EV revolution is here! See how our sponsor is leading the charge with lithium-ion batteries.

QUICK CLICKS

Ivanka Testifies, White Flags in Gaza, Ukraine and the EU

US: Ivanka Trump testifies in non-jury civil trial stemming from NY Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit (FOX News)

US: House votes to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib over her Israel-Hamas rhetoric in a stunning rebuke (AP)

US: Texas chemical plant explosion sparks large fire, evacuation and shelter in place orders issued (NBC News)

World: Gazans wave white flags and hold up ID papers as they flee south (CNN)

World: Qatar reportedly working deal to free some Hamas hostages, including Americans (USA Today)

World: Ukraine is ready to start process of joining European Union, Commission says (CNN)

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ABORTION

Enshrined in Ohio

On Tuesday, a series of state elections resulted in major wins for Democrats, especially where abortion access was concerned. Most notably, in Ohio, roughly 56% of voters voted “yes” on Issue 1, a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights into the state’s constitution. Republicans had tried to raise the threshold from a simple statewide majority vote to 60%, but the attempt failed in early August.

Reporting from the Left: Ohio Votes To Codify Abortion Rights Into State Constitution (Huff Post)

Reporting from the Right: Ohio voters approve amendment enshrining abortion access into state constitution (FOX News)

From The Flag: Sources across the spectrum framed the results as great news for Democrats and bad news for Republicans. Many left-rated sources suggested the results proved that voters support abortion rights, and framed it as a losing issue for the right. Here’s what they’re saying.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Winning Issue For Democrats

Republicans and the anti-abortion movement went all in on Tuesday, and they lost decisively.
Republicans had money and power at their fingertips, yet couldn't stop voters from enshrining reproductive rights in the state constitution.
Republicans are annoyed that democracy is working, with one saying issues like abortion and marijuana shouldn’t be direct ballot measures because more young voters will turn out.

Republicans can’t sugarcoat their losses on abortion rights anymore Rachel M. Cohen, Vox: “Democrats have been winning in special elections where they ran on abortion rights… Anti-abortion groups argued in turn that liberals were mistaking correlation for causation; they maintained that confidence in abortion rights messaging was misplaced, and voters would ultimately punish Democrats for their maximalist positions. They pointed out that Democrats tried and failed to unseat anti-abortion governors in the midterms, and applauded winning federal candidates who ‘went on offense’ on abortion, like Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. The lost referendums, anti-abortion groups insisted, stemmed largely from Republican leaders failing to campaign hard enough and from being outspent, something they promised to never let happen again. Anti-abortion leaders tested a host of new tactics this cycle — from rebranding abortion bans as ‘limits’ to claiming the Ohio abortion rights ballot measure was really about curtailing parents’ rights. None of them worked.”

Abortion rights triumph again in Ohio Andrea Grimes, MSNBC: “Ohio GOP officials repeatedly made dramatic and patently false assertions about later abortion, the loss of parental rights and ‘abortion on demand’ in an attempt to scare and shame voters. … That these efforts didn’t work is no reason to suppose the GOP will give up and play fair the next time around — if anything, we can expect to see them play even dirtier. Republicans cannot win with voters unless they cheat, lie and weaponize misogynist, racist and classist notions about abortion providers, people who have abortions, and American families writ large in order to achieve their ends. They have manipulated American voters and turned us against one another, convincing us to sacrifice our most cherished rights and tried to make us believe that people who have abortions are not our friends, our mothers and sisters and daughters, our wives and our co-workers, or our neighbors or our baristas or our lawyers or doctors or military service members or legislators.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Rick Santorum Says Quiet Part Out Loud After Republican Election Losses Tori Otten, The New Republic

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Not Great, Not Surprising

Republicans need to find a better middle ground on contentious issues if they expect to appeal to a broader electorate, including young voters.
It’s not surprising that this happened, but pro-life advocates should still continue their work as it will take time for the country to unlearn the 50-year mindset created by Roe v. Wade.
If Ohio, one of the reddest states on paper, can succumb to the scheming of abortion activists, then no Republican state is safe.

3 key takeaways on abortion, Trump and Biden Liz Peek, Fox News: “Another election, another bust for Republicans. It turns out that voters don’t care about inflation, open borders, rampant crime or censorship…they care about abortion. … In every election since the overturning of Roe v Wade by the Supreme Court last year, abortion has driven Democrat turnout and funding. It’s a double whammy, since young people who lean Democrat tend to be unreliable voters; if abortion policy is at play, they show up. Going into 2024, even as voters are irate about the state of the country, the GOP must find middle ground on this contentious issue or face even more defeats. … Key takeaways are: 1. Voters demand access to abortion even in red states like Ohio. Anti-abortion candidates face tough odds and calls for a national ban on abortion will not win votes. 2. An endorsement from former President Trump does not guarantee success even in a state like Kentucky, which Trump won in 2020 by 26 points. 3. Democrats are out-raising and out-spending Republicans; that needs to change if the GOP wants to win in 2024.”

Ohio's abortion outcome is not so surprising Nicole Russell, Washington Examiner: “Pro-life advocates have every right to be saddened, but they shouldn’t be surprised. …. But conservatives must remember that they hated Roe v. Wade for two reasons: It was a bad ruling, and it is unethical to murder unborn babies. The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision changed the former, not opinions on the latter. It returned the debate over abortion to the states, where it always should have been. This was an important step and worthy of celebration, but it in no way created a nation of unabashed pro-lifers overnight. A simple reversal of bad law did not fundamentally alter approximately 50 years of the mindset that unborn babies are blobs of flesh that can be annihilated if they’re inconvenient. Data confirm this. About 60% of people still think abortion should be legal in most cases. … Pro-life advocates in Ohio and elsewhere shouldn’t give up. A majority of Ohioans didn’t vote for the referendum, but it did pass. That should provide the clarity needed to continue to spread the message that babies aren’t a burden, families are necessary, and women can make better choices for their future.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Abortion Radicals Will Expand Their Schemes From Ohio To Your State. Here’s How To Be Ready Jordan Boyd, The Federalist

FLAG THIS

Broad Support for Abortion Access

Earlier in May, a Gallup poll showed a significant majority (85%) of Americans believe abortion should be legal in at least certain circumstances. Additionally, 69% believe abortion should broadly be legal in the first three months of a pregnancy, marking a record high.

Moreover, polling conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute in 2022 showed that 63% of respondents were opposed to Roe v. Wade being overturned, including 43% in strong opposition (Forbes).

Do you believe abortions will be an influential factor going into the 2024 election?

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BETTERHELP

Resolutions. Real solutions. Make changes that stick, in therapy.

The beginning of a new year invigorates people to make positive changes in their lives, but many of us end up feeling frustrated because we can’t stick to those changes for more than a few weeks.

That’s because most resolutions don’t stick. A minor setback can make us feel like we’ve “failed” at achieving our resolution and cause us to abandon it. We also try to take on too many resolutions at once. And there’s often little social support that comes along with our efforts – we feel like we have to achieve our goals by ourselves.

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WATERCOOLER

Berlin Wall Opens, Stock vs. Broth, Braille Origins

Memorial panel commemorating the construction and deconstruction of the Berlin Wall.

On This Day in 1989: East German officials opened the Berlin Wall, allowing travel from East to West Berlin. The following day, celebrating Germans began to tear the wall down.

Epicurious: What’s The Difference Between Stock and Broth?

The Conversation: What Is Dust? And Where Does It All Come From?

Nautilus: This Will Help You Grasp the Sizes of Things in the Universe

Today I learned Louis Braille invented the Braille system between ages 12 and 15 after having been blind for 7 years due to an accidental self-inflicted injury at age 5 that resulted in his own blindness.

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