How state constitutions could protect abortion rights

Stephanie Baer is a reporter with "BuzzFeed News." She explains that even if the phrase "the right to an abortion" isn't explicitly in a state constitution, a lot of them mention a right to privacy. And that could be used to argue that a person has the right to make personal, private decisions about their body and their life. Take what's happening in Florida where Governor DeSantis signed a bill that bans abortion after 15 weeks. A legal challenge to that ban argues that the state constitution protects the right to a medical procedure.

In 2012, there was a ballot measure in Florida that would have amended the constitution not to protect abortion under that privacy clause. Voters said no. Even so, DeSantis continues to argue that abortion is not a protected right in the state. Now we're seeing a whole host of legal challenges in other states that have moved to ban abortions since the Supreme Court's decision came down.

The center for reproductive rights, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood have filed more than 10 legal challenges in different states. And in a lot of those cases, they are seeking temporary blocks. Plaintiffs in at least six of those cases argue that bans on abortion are a violation of people's right to privacy.

And, you know, what their attorneys and the clinics will say is that even a temporary block, every day, every hour, that these clinics can continue to be open or resume providing abortion services, can save lives and really help people who need abortion care.

"The Wall Street Journal" has a helpful sum-up of how Sri Lanka got to this point. For months now, public anger has been growing over how the government has handled the economy. The pandemic decimated the country's tourism industry, Food inflation is soaring, rolling blackouts are common. People spend hours every day in long lines for fuel and cooking gas.

Many people blame the president and, by extension, his family members, who've dominated the country's politics for decades. Critics have accused them of nepotism and corruption, which the family denies. Some protesters were so angry that they torched part of the prime minister's private residence. He was not home at the time. "Reuters" spoke with human rights lawyer Bhavani Fonseka at the Center for Policy Alternatives about just how uncertain things are right now.

Kelly reports on how resettlement efforts are being coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security. It's a complex, bureaucratic process involving many different agencies. And now, housing and staffing shortages are badly straining the system. People tend to get lost a lot in the system. I spoke to one case worker who had 50 different Afghans that she was working on at one time. And, you know, if you have 50 people calling you, it's impossible to address all their needs.

Kelly spoke to one Afghan family. The father had helped the U.S. military back in Kabul. He and his wife, four kids with a fifth on the way, They'd all been living in a single hotel room in Turlock, California. It's been months. The town has no public transportation. They walk an hour each way to take their kids to school every day. The mother told Kelly, she thought that they would come to America and find a house. That things would get better. One room, she says, is just not enough.

If you're wondering why we're talking about this hyper-local news story, I gotta list off all her wins for you cause that's the only way you're gonna understand. Okay, ready? She won the top prize for cake, pie, brownies, sweet bread, apple sauce, pumpkin sauce, best canned goods, best canned tomatoes, canned corn, pickled peppers, sauerkraut, relish, spaghetti sauce. Phew, okay. She also took the first, second and third place for best cookies, best candy and best savory bread. Her strawberry fudge won overall best baked good. And if that wasn't enough, she won for best embroidery, too.

Now, the county fair posted her wins to Facebook, and she went viral. Everyone wanted to know, who is this mysterious, super-talented person? A Dallas radio station, HOT 93.3, managed to track her down. Skeens told them that she was recently diagnosed with leukemia and that cooking has been a big part of her healing process. The radio host, Mason Mousette, also told Skeens how viral she's gone online.