Texas judges are cool, North Korea is decidedly not, and bats are the best of all. All of this and more in this week’s politics roundup
Texas bills temporarily blocked
Though Texas is sometimes known as the land of restrictive, right-wing politics, judges in the state have recently blocked two of the more harmful bills, just before they were to go into effect.
The first was Senate Bill 4, more commonly known as “SB4.” If passed, SB4 would allow law enforcement officers to ask the immigration status of all individuals who have been detained or arrested. It would also punish local officials who do not surrender immigrants for deportation. This move would have effectively outlawed sanctuaries in the state for illegal immigrants.
U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia granted a temporary injunction against SB4, arguing that it violated the Fourth Amendment. Judge Garcia did allow for police and other officials to ask about someone’s immigration status. However, law enforcement officers are limited in what they can do with that information. They may share that information with other entities, but cannot arrest someone solely because of their immigration status.
Texas abortion bill also blocked
Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel placed a two-week restraining order on an anti-abortion bill, part of Senate Bill 8. Under this particular legislation, doctors performing abortions would be required to stop a fetus’ heart before continuing with the termination. Advocates of the law claimed that it was a more “humane termination.” However, opponents said that it subjected women to unnecessary and potentially dangerous medical procedures.
In his 17-page ruling, Judge Yeakel wrote that “this court finds no authority for holding that government-mandated medically unnecessary, untested, or a more invasive procedure, or a more complicated and risky procedure with no proven medical benefits over the safe and commonly used banned procedure, is a permissible means of regulating previability abortions.”
A hearing on Sept. 14 will determine whether or not this bill will be subject to a temporary injunction and eventual hearing, similar to that imposed on SB4.
The state of the transgender troop ban
Still bad, as it turns out, and still kind of confusing. While it’s likely that the president wants all transgender people booted out of the military, others are taking a more measured approach. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, in fact, has put a kind-of hold on the current transgender ban. This means that, while new trans recruits are still barred from signing up, the fate of current transgender soldiers is still in question.
Mattis says that he needs input from a panel of experts before he can implement the president’s definitely good and completely, totally thought-through ban. It’s unclear how Mattis and this panel will follow facts to their conclusion.
A recent report by the Rand Corporation concluded that transgender troops were not detrimental to the military, be it financially or socially. Still, as many former White House officials have learned, Mattis could be in a tricky spot if he directly contradicts the president.
Checking in with Mueller
If he were here in person, special counsel Robert Mueller would probably politely, but firmly, ask me to stop speculating. He’s got a lot of work to do, after all.
However, it would serve us well to remember that the Russia investigation is still ongoing. Mueller and his team of lawyers are now reportedly working with Eric Schneiderman, New York’s state Attorney General. According to reports, they are focusing on Paul Manafort’s financial connections. Manafort was the current president’s campaign manager during the 2016 election.
Before you get too excited, nothing has happened yet. It’s not even clear if charges will be filed against Manafort or anyone else associated with the presidential administration. Still, between this and the July 26 raid of Manafort’s home, things don’t exactly look good.
North Korea fires a missile over Japan
After North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that he would sit back and see what the “foolish Yankees” would do before launching another missile, he… waited two weeks before launching another long-range missile.
This time, instead of landing in the ocean or, worse, on a populated island like the U.S. territory of Guam, North Korea’s missile went right over Japan. North Korea had already launched three short-range missiles into the ocean a few days earlier. South Korea and the U.S. have recently been busy conducting military drills, while presumably making sure that North Korea has a good view of the maneuvers. So much for restraint.
The missile in question flew over Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands. It proceeded to land in the sea east of Japan, about 1,700 miles from its origin. Japan, normally a non-militaristic country, has since ramped up its defense exercises.
Hurricane Harvey wreaks havoc, foretells a serious future
At this point, you’ve probably seen and heard plenty about the damage wreaked by Hurricane Harvey. The Category 4 storm hit the Texas coast on August 25 and proceeded to dump over 40 inches of rain on several areas, including densely populated Greater Houston. It has killed at least 46 Americans and caused serious damage to at least one chemical plant. FEMA director Brock Long has called it one of the worst storms in state history, while many more anticipate years of intensive recovery.
Other have been taking a long-term view of the storm within the context of climate change. Changing weather patterns and intensified water cycles could spell more intense storms, droughts, and other climate events in the future.
And, finally, your palate cleanser
We all like cute, fuzzy animals like dogs and cats, but the natural world has some more interesting and frankly adorable animals to look at (though, please don’t try to make a wild animal your pet).
What about bats? They’ve long been the victims of an unfortunate bad rap, thanks to centuries of folklore and misunderstanding. And while, yes, you should not cuddle up to a wild bat (even the small chance of contracting rabies is no joke), they are nonetheless fascinating animals.
Bat Conservation International has a long list of some very cool bat facts, to start. Did you know that bats are one of the most diverse animals on the planet? Meanwhile, the tiny bumblebee bat – also known as Kitti’s hog-nosed bat—is quite possibly the world’s smallest mammal. On average, it weighs only two grams.
Or maybe you prefer your bats on the humongous side? Take the golden-crowned flying fox, often delightfully called a “megabat”. It has a wingspan of up to 5 feet, 6 inches long.
Next: Trump-free Friday politics: August 25
Some bat species even sing, while others snack on the destructive emerald ash borer. In fact, they help pollinate many of your favorite fruit trees. Others will easily eat more than 2,000 insects in a night. Way better than having a bug land on you, right?