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These Gripping Images From Legendary Photographers Were Supposed to Be Thrown Away

by ColbyNewberry Posted on May 28, 2016

Mother Jones

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The Farm Security Administration, created as part of the New Deal, helped farmers whose livelihoods were decimated by the dust storms and economic collapse gripping the United States. As part of that mission, a group of photographers documented the devastation and helped promote the government program. That team, which included some of the best photographers is the country, shot thousands of images, many of which became iconic photographs.

But there were many images the public wasn’t supposed to see. Photographer Bill McDowell assembled a collection of these killed images in Ground: A Reprise of Photographs From the Farm Security Administration (Daylight Books). The book contains repurposed outtakes from such photo heavyweights as Walker Evans (including images from his work on Let Us Now Praise Famous Men), Carl Maydans, Marion Post Wolcott, Arthur Rothstein, Russell Lee, and others.

Roy Stryker was the man charged with selecting and overseeing the FSA photographers. All the images went to Stryker’s office in Washington, DC, where his team cataloged and edited the photos, which were then eventually archived in the Library of Congress.

He had a harsh method for marking undesired images. During the editing process, the team would literally punch a hole in the negative. The tool left a black, round scar on the image, so they could never be printed.

It is not unlike editing photos from the back of your digital camera, deleting everything but the handful of shots you think you might actually use.

Mr. Tronson, farmer near Wheelock, North Dakota, 1937 Russell Lee/Library of Congress, from “Ground.”

In this case, however, these discarded images gained a new life. Photos once meant to be a very straight documentation of the United States now take on life as post-modern art pieces. More than just offering a glimpse at outtakes and giving insight to Stryker’s editing process, the photos stand on their own in this collection.

In many photos, Stryker’s punch-out looms over the picture like an ominous, black sun. In others, it completely obliterates a face or disrupts an otherwise serene landscape with a threatening black hole. The empty circle takes center stage in all the images. It is not subtle. McDowell’s sequencing of the photos includes close-up crops of many images where the punch-out hole becomes the subject of the photo.

Here’s an example of an original, unpunched image along with an edited version from the same shoot. A detail of this photo is above.

Mr. Tronson, a farmer near Wheelock, North Dakota Russell Lee/Library of Congress

Those versed in the world of photography (and even those not) likely know at least a few FSA photos well. This book mines that treasure trove a bit more deeply, offering a fresh take on a subject that has been studied by archivists, researchers, and historians for decades. It’s a wonderful, artfully edited book.

Untitled, Tennessee, 1936. Carl Maydans/Library of Congress

Getting fields ready for spring planting in North Carolina, 1936 Carl Maydans/Library of Congress

Levee workers, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, 1935 Ben Shahn/Library of Congress

Blueberry picker near Little Fork, Minnesota, 1937. Russell Lee/Library of Congress

Untitled, Nebraska, 1938 John Vachon/Library of Congress

Untitled, Alabama, 1936 Walker Evans/Libary of Congress

Resettlement officials, Maryland, 1935 Arthur Rothstein/Library of Congress

Untitled, Kansas, 1938 John Vachon/Library of Congress

Five bedroom house, Meridian (Magnolia) Homesteads, Mississippi, 1935 Arthur Rothstein/Library of Congress

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These Gripping Images From Legendary Photographers Were Supposed to Be Thrown Away

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13 Cartoon Portraits of Legendary Blues Artists

by MarlaBuxton Posted on April 25, 2016

Mother Jones

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Before I read the author’s note, there was something that confused me about William Stout’s great new book, Legends of the Blues, due out May 7 from Abrams ComicArts (with an intro by music journalist Ed Leimbacher). Where were Memphis Minnie, Mississippi John Hurt, and Reverend Gary Davis, three of my personal faves? How could he overlook them? Also, why did the artwork feel so familiar, yet so different from other stuff I’d seen from Stout—an acclaimed comics, fantasy, and pop-culture artist and illustrator whose work you’ve undoubtedly seen. And then it hit me: Robert Crumb! This, as it turned out, was the answer to both questions.

Way back when, cartoonist Crumb, a blues and old-time music freak who has drawn his share of artists and album art (you can view some of them here along with our Crumb interview), created a series of 36 Heroes of the Blues trading cards. They included, among others, Memphis Minnie and John Hurt; Stout, an avid blues fan, had loved Crumb’s cards and didn’t want to replicate them. But the others were fair game. Rhino Records founder Richard Foos, a friend of Stout’s, ended up licensing Crumb’s portraits for a series of greatest hits CDs for Shout! Factory. And since Crumb had moved on to other stuff, Foos approached Stout to produce some additional ones in a style similar to Crumb’s.

That’s how it started. But after his assignment was complete, Stout kept it up. He was hooked. While recovering from cancer treatments, he cranked them out, imagining that he would produce a bunch of new trading-card sets. In the end, Denis Kitchen, another friend (and the guy who commissioned Crumb’s original cards) suggested that Stout make them into a book instead.

Legends… profiles a whopping 100 blues artists—many of them you’ll recognize and many you won’t. It’s a must for blues fans or even dabblers—although Stout cautions that purists might be upset by his inclusion of crossover artists. Hey, whatever. The format is simple: Each spread contains the artist’s vital stats; recommended tracks; notable tributes and covers by other artists; and a short, punchy mini-profile of each one. The book comes with a 14-track CD compilation, with some nice gritty old tunes from the likes of Mississippi Fred McDowell, Bukka White, and Rev. Robert Wilkins—I’m listening to it right now!

But the real treat is Stout’s Crumby (sorry) portraits. Colorful, evocative, playful, they pay homage both to the original cards and to the great musicians Stout came to admire. There’s the badass blues guitarist Robert Johnson, said to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his chops. Champion Jack Dupree, who made the unlikely leap from pro boxer to pro musician. The highly talented yet modest sideman Papa Charlie McCoy. And Lucille Bogan, notorious for her raunchy lyrics. The Crumb effect runs especially strong with certain portraits—for instance, Slim Harpo, whose tunes were covered by a who’s who of 1960s rock icons. Here’s the Stones doing Harpo’s “Shake Your Hips” way back when.

So, okay, I missed those few musicians, but I also learned about plenty of folks I’d never heard of—including a good number of blueswomen. And the poor chap had to crank out 100 portraits. You could hardly ask him to do more. Except that he did so anyway. By the end of Stout’s drawing marathon, he had produced 150 portraits, so maybe a sequel is in the cards. Talk about collecting ’em all!

The book’s cover features a young Muddy Waters, a.k.a. McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913-April 30, 1983). Instruments: guitar, vocals. A spiritual protégé of Son House and Robert Johnson, the prolific Morganfield got his nickname because he loved playing in the mud as a kid. Recommended tracks: “I Can’t Be Satisfied,” “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” “Rollin’ Stone,” “Mannish Boy,” “She Moves Me,” “Hoochie Coochie Man,” ” I Just Want to Make Love to You,” “I’m Ready,” “Got My Mojo Working,” “You Shook Me.”

Lead Belly, a.k.a. Huddie Ledbetter (January 1888-December 6, 1949). Instruments: accordion, fiddle, 12-string guitar, mandolin, piano, violin, vocals. Ledbetter, who served several stints in prison, once received a pardon after writing a song appealing to the governor. Recommended tracks: “Black Betty,” “Gallis Pole,” “Boll Weevil,” “New Orleans (Rising Sun Blues),” “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?,” “The Bourgeois Blues.”

Big Maybelle, a.k.a. Maybelle Louise Smith (May 1, 1924-January 23, 1972). Instruments: piano, vocals. Won a Memphis talent contest at age eight, and went on to record several Billboard hits. Recommended tracks: “Gabbin’ Blues,” “Way Back Home,” “My Country Man,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “St. Louis Blues,” “Blues Early Early.”

Blind Boy Fuller, a.k.a. Fulton Allen (July 10, 1907-February 13, 1941). Instruments: guitar, vocals. Began losing his sight during his mid-teens from ulcers due either due to snowblindness or to chemicals thrown in his face by an ex-girlfriend. Recommended tracks: “Rag, Mama, Rag,” “Truckin’ My Blues Away,” “Get Your Yas Yas Out,” “Step It Up and Go,” “Mamie,” “Rattlesnakin’ Daddy.”

Lucille Bogan, a.k.a. Lucille Anderson and Bessie Jackson (April 1, 1897-August 10, 1948). Instruments: accordion, vocals. Known for her bawdy lyrics about booze and sex. Recommended tracks: “Shave Em’ Dry” (explicit version), “B.D. Woman’s Blues” (B.D. stands for “bull dyke”), “Seaboard Blues,” “Troubled Mind,” “Superstitious Blues,” “Black Angel Blues.”

Slim Harpo, a.k.a. James Moore (January 11, 1924-January 31, 1970). Instruments: harmonica, vocals. Music was always a side job for Slim, whose tunes were nonetheless covered by, among others, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and the Yardbirds. Recommended tracks: “I’m a King Bee,” “I Got Love If You Want It,” “Rainin’ in My Heart,” “Baby Scratch My Back,” “Shake Your Hips.”

Robert Johnson, a.k.a. Robert Leroy Dodds (May 8, 1911-August 16, 1938). Instruments: guitar, vocals. Johnson was rumored to have sold his soul to the devil for tuning his guitar just so. The influential blues master has been covered by the likes of Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones. Recommended tracks: “Crossroads Blues,” “Love in Vain,” “Have You Ever Been Lonely,” “Hellhound on My Trail,” “Stop Breakin’ Down Blues,” “From Four Until Late,” “Traveling Riverside Blues,” “Come On in My Kitchen.”

Mississippi Fred McDowell (January 12, 1904-July 3, 1972). Instruments: guitar, vocals. McDowell, who was actually born in Tennessee, divided his time between farming and music until he was “discovered” by folklorist Alan Lomax. Recommended tracks: “You Gottta Move,” “Baby Please Don’t Go,” “Good Morning Little School Girl,” “Jesus Is on the Mainline.”

Victoria Spivey (October 15, 1906-October 3, 1976). Instruments: organ, piano, ukulele, vocals. Spivey’s lyrics were sexually provocative and drug related; she retired from the music biz in 1951 to sing and play in church before returning to the stage in the 1960s, when she founded her own label, Spivey Records. Recommended tracks: “Dope Head Blues,” “TB Blues,” “Black Snake Blues.”

Clarence “Pine Top” Smith (June 11, 1904-March 15, 1929). Instruments: piano, vocals. Smith’s promising career ended abruptly when he was shot and killed during a dance hall ruckus. No photos of him exist, hence the shadowy face. Recommended track: “Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie.”

Big Joe Turner, a.k.a. Joseph Vernon Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911-November 24 1985). Instrument: vocals. Turner’s voice was so big he could rock a gin joint without a mic. He became a hit machine during the early ’50s with several No. 1 hits. Recommended tracks: “Roll ‘Em, Pete,” “Honey Hush,” “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” “Flip Flop and Fly,” “Cherry Red,” “Wee Baby Blues,” “Midnight Special.”

Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896-September 1, 1977). Instrument: vocals. A sought-after vaudeville performer and nightclub singer who then scored on Broadway and in Hollywood, Waters became the second-ever black actor to be nominated for an Oscar. Recommended tracks: “Heebie Jeebies,” “Am I Blue?,” “Down Home Blues,” “Shake That Thing,” “Maybe Not at All,” “Black Spatch Blues,” “Midnight Blues,” “Jazzin’ Baby Blues.”

Reverend Robert Wilkins (January 16, 1896-May 26, 1987). Instrument: guitar, vocals. In 1935, deeply upset by violence at a party he was playing, Wilkins quit secular music to become a minister and an herbalist. Recommended tracks: “That’s No Way to Get Along,” “Rolling Stone.”

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13 Cartoon Portraits of Legendary Blues Artists

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Mississippi Poised to Pass Breathtaking Anti-LGBT Law

by PrincesWestover Posted on April 1, 2016

Mother Jones

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The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a sweeping anti-LGBT law on Friday that will make it easier to discriminate against gender and sexual minorities in the state.

The so-called Religious Liberty Accommodations Act is meant to protect people, businesses, and organizations with “sincerely held” religious beliefs about the sanctity of traditional marriage. The bill also says gender is determined by “an individual’s immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics at time of birth.”

The Mississippi measure comes on the heels of similar anti-LGBT bills passed in North Carolina and Georgia in March. The North Carolina law was widely regarded as the broadest anti-LGBT law in the country for requiring transgender people from to use the restroom of the sex listed on their birth certificate and striking down existing LGBT nondiscrimination statutes. Georgia’s bill was vetoed by Gov. Nathan Deal.

But the Mississippi bill is so sweeping that it may be more discriminatory than even the North Carolina statute. The Mississippi bill would essentially make it impossible to sue for gender or sexuality discrimination if the motivation for the discrimination was religion.

Here are some of the bill’s provisions:

Any organization can decline “to provide services, accommodations, facilities, goods or privileges for a purpose related to the solemnization, formation, celebration or recognition of any marriage.”
Employers can make a “decision whether or not to hire, terminate or discipline an individual whose conduct or religious beliefs are inconsistent with those of the religious organization.”
Mississippians can deny housing based on religious beliefs.
Foster care organizations and adoption agencies can “decline to provide any adoption or foster care service” without fear of retribution.
The state can’t prosecute any person who “declines to participate in the provision of treatments, counseling, or surgeries related to sex reassignment or gender identity transitioning or declines to participate in the provision of psychological, counseling or fertility services” or any wedding- or marriage-related services.
Schools and business owners can establish “sex-specific standards or policies concerning employee or student dress or grooming, or concerning access to restrooms, spas, baths, showers, dressing rooms, locker rooms, or other intimate facilities or settings.”

During a brief debate on the bill, opponents said the bill was a step back for the state. Proponents said it would protect Mississippians from religious discrimination.

“We should not be intimidated, not buy into the April fool’s propaganda being disseminated by national media,” said Rep. Andy Gipson, an author of the bill. “This is an anti-discrimination bill.”

The bill overwhelmingly passed the House by an 85-24 vote. The Senate approved the measure once in March but will vote on it a second time next week because Democrats have asked for a procedural vote on Monday—likely as a delaying tactic.

If the state Senate approves the measure next week, it will go to Gov. Bryant’s desk for a signature. All indications are that he will sign. Earlier this week, Bryant said he doesn’t think the bill is discriminatory. “I think it gives some people as I appreciate it, the right to be able to say, ‘That’s against my religious beliefs, and I don’t need to carry out that particular task.'”

But when asked by reporters about his intentions on Friday, Bryant said he has not made up his mind yet because he still needs to “look at it” and decide.

This article has been revised.

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Mississippi Poised to Pass Breathtaking Anti-LGBT Law

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This Is How Bernie Sanders Will Win the Nomination

by JeniferGopinko Posted on March 28, 2016

Mother Jones

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After sweeping victories in three contests over the weekend, Bernie Sanders’ campaign has a message for Hillary Clinton: “Reports of our death are greatly exaggerated.”

Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver made that statement on a conference call with reporters on Monday, during which top aides argued that Sanders can still overcome Clinton’s delegate lead in the Democratic primary contest. That can happen, they said, both by winning more pledged delegates and by gaining the support of more superdelegates, the 712 party leaders who are free to support the candidate of their choosing at the party’s nominating convention.

“We are certainly in this to win it,” said Weaver, “and there is a path to do so.”

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This Is How Bernie Sanders Will Win the Nomination

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Live Tuesday Primary Updates: Trump Takes Hawaii

by MerleBlackburn9 Posted on March 9, 2016

Mother Jones

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Citizens in four states will cast votes in Tuesday’s nominating contests, with presidential candidates on both sides eyeing the night’s biggest prize: Michigan, where 59 Republican delegates and 130 Democratic delegates are up for grabs. Next up for both sides is Mississippi, where 40 GOP delegates and 36 Democratic delegates are at stake, followed by Republican contests in Idaho and Hawaii (51 combined delegates).

Click here for our 2016 presidential primary delegate tracker.

Early polling gives the advantage to Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who appears poised to maintain his lead over Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, even as his hold of the GOP electorate has appeared to wane. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is favored to extend her Democratic delegate lead in both Michigan and Mississippi; nationally, she holds a 7 point lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Mississippi’s polls are the first to close tonight, at 8 p.m. Eastern, with Michigan wrapping up at 9 p.m. Eastern. The Republican showdowns in Idaho and Hawaii are expected to close at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. Eastern, respectively. Tuesday’s outcomes will set the stage for next week’s critical primaries in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio. (You can track who has won delegates in each primary here.)

We’ll be here with the latest results as they come in.

UPDATE 16, Tuesday, March 8, 2:34 a.m. ET: With roughly 51 percent of precincts reporting, the networks are calling Hawaii for Donald Trump, who leads the field with 45 percent of the vote. Cruz is well behind at 31 percent. Rubio has 12 percent and Kasich 10 percent.

UPDATE 15, Tuesday, March 9, 1:41 a.m. ET: It’s early yet, but Trump is leading in Hawaii. With just 13 percent of precincts in, he’s at just over 42 percent. Cruz has around 28 percent, and Kasich and Rubio are neck and neck at around 14 percent.

UPDATE 14, Tuesday, March 9, 1:19 a.m. ET: Marco Rubio is having a bad night indeed. The Florida senator has gained zero delegates from tonight’s Michigan and Mississippi primaries. If he fails to reach the 20 percent threshold needed to win delegates in Idaho, he could miss yet another chance at getting a little traction in the GOP field. He’s currently just over 17 percent in Idaho, with 75 percent of precincts reporting. At a rally Tuesday night, even as Rubio and his spokesman dismissed reports that his own campaign staffers had told him to drop out, Rubio looked ahead to next week’s Florida primary, with 99 delegates are up for grabs. “It always comes down to Florida,” he said. With 151 delegates in his pocket, he’s a far cry from where he needs to be. Results will be coming in soon from Hawaii, where, with a little luck, Rubio could at least get himself on tonight’s delegate scoreboard.

UPDATE 13, Tuesday, March 9, 12:18 a.m. ET: Fox and NBC and CNN have projected a Cruz win in Idaho, where he now holds more than 42 percent of the vote with 53 percent reporting. But Clinton’s loss to Sanders in Michigan is the story of the night. The Democratic candidates debate again tomorrow evening. The GOP candidates will be debating on Thursday night.

UPDATE 12, Tuesday, March 8, 11:51 p.m. ET: Poll are completely worthless, at least for Michigan, where Hillary Clinton was projected by most to have a comfortable lead. In the Idaho GOP race, with 35 percent of precincts reporting, Cruz has increased his lead to 40.8 percent. Trump hangs back with 30.1 percent, Rubio with 18.2, and John Kasich a distant 6.9 percent.

UPDATE 11, Tuesday, March 8, 11:37 p.m. ET: Several networks have officially called Michigan for Bernie Sanders.

UPDATE 10, Tuesday, March 8, 11:28 p.m. ET: Results are coming in the Idaho GOP primary. With 17 percent reporting, Ted Cruz leads with just under 39 percent. Trump has around 30, and Rubio trails with 20. Bernie Sanders’ lead keeps inching up in the Michigan Dem primary—with 92 percent reporting, he’s carrying 50.4 percent to Hillary Clinton’s 47.7 percent. (CNN)

UPDATE 9, Tuesday, March 8, 11:01 p.m. ET: Leading by nearly 4 percentage points with 85 percent of precincts counted in the Michigan Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders thanked supporters for turning out in Michigan and elsewhere. “What tonight means is that the Bernie Sanders campaign, the people’s revolution that we are talking about, is strong in every part of the country,” he said, speaking to reporters in Miami. “We believe our strongest areas are yet to happen.” CNN reports that the Clinton campaign is preparing for a narrow loss.

UPDATE 8, Tuesday, March 8, 10:46 p.m. ET: Speaking in front of supporters tonight in Cleveland, Hillary Clinton slammed the divisive rhetoric among Republican contenders. “Running for president shouldn’t be about delivering insults,” she said, “it should be about delivering results for the American people.” Bernie Sanders is expected to speak with reporters shortly.

UPDATE 7, Tuesday, March 8, 10:29 p.m. ET: The Democratic race in Michigan is still too close to call. Bernie Sanders currently holds a narrow lead over Hillary Clinton, with more than 60 percent of precincts reporting. Sanders is strongly outperforming polling; as The New Yorker‘s Ryan Lizza points out, he has done well with Michigan’s black voters.

UPDATE 6, Tuesday, March 8, 10:08 p.m. ET: Donald Trump took a shot at Hillary Clinton at his press conference in Florida on Tuesday night, raising questions as to whether the Democratic front-runner would be allowed to run in the general election in light of a federal investigation into her use of a private email server during her stint as Secretary of State.

UPDATE 5, Tuesday, March 8, 9:37 p.m. ET: At a rambling press conference at his country club in Jupiter, Florida, Donald Trump thanked his supporters, including New York Yankees legend Paul O’Neill, for his string of victories in Michigan and Mississippi. Backed by a table bearing what he claimed to be his signature Trump steaks, water, and wine, the Republican front-runner echoed his confidence in running away with the Republican nomination and his ability to beat Hillary Clinton in the general election. “We started off with 17. We’re down to 4. They’re pretty much all gone,” Trump said. “There’s only one person who did well tonight, and that’s Donald Trump.”

UPDATE 4, Tuesday, March 8, 9:15 p.m. ET: Here’s a livestream of Trump’s speech from Florida:

UPDATE 3, Tuesday, March 8, 9:04 p.m. ET: With polls closing in Michigan, NBC News and Fox News have called the Republican primary there for Donald Trump, with John Kasich and Ted Cruz battling for second. Marco Rubio, on the other hand, has had a poor showing in both Michigan and Mississippi. Trump will be speaking in Rubio’s backyard in Jupiter, Florida, later tonight.

UPDATE 2, Tuesday, March 8, 8:31 p.m. ET: The networks are reporting that Donald Trump will win the Mississippi primary in what was a two-man race with Sen. Ted Cruz.

UPDATE 1, Tuesday, March 8, 8 p.m. ET: Just as polls closed in Mississippi, the networks are predicting that Hillary Clinton has won the Democratic primary there.

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Live Tuesday Primary Updates: Trump Takes Hawaii

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Scalia’s Death Might Have Saved Abortion Rights

by Kristee72Q Posted on February 17, 2016

Mother Jones

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The unexpected death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday will not change the court’s schedule. The nation’s highest court is still set to hear oral arguments on portions of Texas’ 2013 anti-abortion law this March, making their final decision on it by late June. And while the justice’s passing has left the fate of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt up in the air, the outlook may be positive for abortion rights.

The case, formerly Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole, centers on two provisions of HB 2, the omnibus Texas law first enacted in 2013; one provision requires that abortion providers have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, and another requires clinics to offer hospital-like standards.

The defendants, an abortion clinic represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, successfully argued in Texas state court that the provisions created an “undue burden” for Texas women seeking abortions by shuttering clinics and forcing women to travel hundreds of miles or leave the state for the procedure. The “undue burden” standard for abortion restrictions was established in a 1992 Supreme Court case, when the justices ruled that states cannot enact restrictions that pose an “undue burden” on women’s access to abortion services. But the 5th Circuit Court upheld both sets of restrictions last June, sending them up to the nation’s highest court for review.

Scalia, who before his death was the longest-sitting member of the Court, was one of five conservative justices and a conservative Catholic known for his opposition to abortion rights, gay marriage, and affirmative action. He was an outspoken adversary of Roe v. Wade, and in a 2011 interview he called the case an “absurdity,” adding, “You want a right to abortion? There’s nothing in the Constitution about that.”

“Scalia has been the brains behind the movement to conservatism within the judiciary,” Scott Horton, a human rights attorney and contributing editor at Harper’s magazine, told Democracy Now. “His role on the court is extremely important, and his departure immediately shifts the nature of the court.”

His absence means that if all the justices vote along conservative-progressive lines, the court would be split 4-4. When there is a split decision, the court would defer to the 5th Circuit’s opinion that upheld the restrictions, which would be disastrous for women seeking abortions in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, states that are under the jurisdiction of the district court.

But a split decision could also mean that Roe v. Wade would remain intact for now. That’s because, as abortion rights advocates had feared, the justices could not use Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt as an opportunity to issue a more sweeping opinion, one that would not only uphold the Texas law but gut abortion protections that have already been secured. Upholding the lower court’s decision would mean there would be no federal precedent determining whether admitting privileges and strict architectural standards are fair game for states interested in restricting abortion.

There is also a possibility that the court will actually rehear the case instead of affirming the lower court’s decision. In this scenario, the justices would order the matter be reheard next year, essentially starting from scratch once a new justice has been appointed. There’s precedent for this from the 1950s, after the death of Justice Robert Jackson, when the court heard re-arguments in three cases after Justice John Marshall Harlan was appointed. But according to experts, the court may decide not to delay because it could take upwards of a year to even appoint a replacement for Scalia.

“In other words, it is possible for the stakes to get even higher about Justice Scalia’s replacement, and rehearing legal challenges…would do just that,” wrote Jessica Mason Pieklo, a senior legal analyst for RH Reality Check.

Of course, a tie isn’t the only possible outcome. Some legal observers are suggesting that Justice Anthony Kennedy might side with progressives and vote to strike down the Texas restrictions. In that scenario, the Texas provisions as well as similar laws in Louisiana and Mississippi would be blocked, and lower court decisions striking down state laws would be upheld.

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Scalia’s Death Might Have Saved Abortion Rights

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Take a hint, “clean coal.” The world is so over you

by NatishaMaur4838 Posted on December 4, 2015

Take a hint, “clean coal.” The world is so over you

By on 4 Dec 2015 4:05 pmcommentsShare

Like that old classmate still hanging around your hometown pub, playing pool, and talking about the great business idea that he had back in high school, clean coal is about to sidle up to the world’s barstool and — in a slightly slurred and defeated voice — tell you that, despite a few setbacks, it could still work.

You’ll smile and nod and pretend to be interested, but in truth, a lot’s happened since your days of joyriding around the suburbs and late-night Kmart runs. It’s 2015, and an old Volkswagen bus-turned-mobile Blockbuster just doesn’t seem like a lucrative idea anymore. Likewise, the promise of guilt-free fossil fuels in a time of dropping renewable energy prices and mounting clean coal disappointments seems a bit passe.

For a quick refresher, the basic idea behind clean coal is this: Instead of pumping CO2 directly into the atmosphere, coal plants equipped with carbon capture technology would just grab that CO2 on its way out of the plant and shove it back into the ground from whence it came. Simple, right? Well, not really. Here’s more from the AP:

In 2013, Norway pulled the plug on a major carbon capture project it had likened to the moon landing, citing spiraling costs. Another big setback came on Nov. 25, just days ahead of the U.N. climate talks in Paris, when Britain abruptly canceled 1 billion pounds ($1.5 billion) in funding for carbon capture technology, raising doubts about the fate of two projects competing for the money.

There’s currently only one clean coal plant up and running — the Boundary Dam power station in Saskatchewan, Canada — that was designed to capture about 1 million tons of CO2 annually, but managed less than half that during its first year, the AP reports.

Not to be left out, the U.S. has been working on its own clean coal plant down in Mississippi for almost a decade. Check out this Grist Special Report from former Grist fellow Sara Bernard for an in-depth look at that whole mess. The project has been mired in construction delays and unexpected costs since it was first proposed in 2006. Its initial price tag of $1.8 billion has risen to about $6.5 billion, and its construction, which began in 2010 and was supposed to be done by now, still trudges on.

According to the International Energy Agency and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, carbon capture technology on its own — as in, not necessarily attached to a power plant — might be a necessary tool in avoiding a 2-degree Celsius temperature rise. Fortunately, the independent technology has had somewhat more success than its clean coal application, although not by much. Here’s more from the AP:

There are 13 large-scale carbon capture projects in the world, collecting 26 million tons of carbon dioxide a year, according to the International Energy Agency. But that’s less than one one-thousandth of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.

“There’s activity out there, but it’s not what various organizations would have hoped for,” said Juho Lipponen, who heads the IEA’s carbon capture unit.

In Paris, only eight of the 170 action plans submitted by individual nations point to carbon capture technology as a necessary mitigation tool, the AP reports:

Bill Hare, who heads the Climate Analytics institute in Berlin, said carbon capture may have missed its moment when investments didn’t take off despite a lot of “hype” a decade ago. Now, he said, the falling costs of renewable energy mean carbon capture has a lot of catching up to do.

“It’s probably harder to get this moving now than 10 years ago,” Hare said.

Likewise, Netflix and that VW emissions scandal will probably make your old buddy’s Blockbuster bus a harder sell today than it was 10 years ago. Although, let’s be real, it was a pretty killer idea back then.

Source:

‘Clean coal’ technology fails to capture world’s attention

, The Associated Press.

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Take a hint, “clean coal.” The world is so over you

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Ole Miss Finally Ditches State Flag from College Campus

by LashondWillison Posted on October 26, 2015

Mother Jones

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The University of Mississippi permanently lowered the state flag from its campus grounds on Monday, in a historic decision to distance itself from the flag’s controversial Confederate emblem.

The flag’s removal follows a 33-15 vote with one abstention by student senate members and faculty last week. Mississippi has been the only state to fully include the Confederate symbol in its flag.

“This is one small step in the structure change we want to see at the University,” the state’s NAACP chapter president Buka Okoye said. “I’m positive for the future because of how quickly the administration acted.”

The decision comes more than four months after a gunman opened fire inside a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina killing nine people. Once law enforcement officials identified the suspected gunman, photos of him embracing the Confederate flag surfaced, sparking a national debate over the emblem and its racist roots.

Weeks after the shooting, South Carolina finally removed the battle flag from flying above the statehouse grounds—more than 50 years after it was first raised to protest the civil rights movement.

Despite calls from Mississippi lawmakers, including two Republican senators, to do away with the Confederate symbol on the Mississippi state flag in the wake of the Charleston mass shooting, the move to do so likely faces an uphill battle in a state that has flown the symbol for more than a century.

“As Mississippi’s flagship university, we have a deep love and respect for our state,” the university’s interim chancellor Morris Stocks said in a statement on Monday. “Because the flag remains Mississippi’s official banner, this was a hard decision. I understand the flag represents tradition and honor to some. But to others, the flag means that some members of the Ole Miss family are not welcomed or valued.”

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Ole Miss Finally Ditches State Flag from College Campus

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Mitt Romney Admits Obamacare Was Based on Romneycare—and That It Worked

by GenevieHirsch Posted on October 23, 2015

Mother Jones

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Mitt Romney spent much of his campaign for president in 2012 battling “Obamneycare”: the claim that President Barack Obama’s health care initiative was based on Romneycare, the health care system Romney put in place as governor of Massachusetts.

Yet on Friday, Romney appeared finally to admit the obvious—that the Affordable Care Act was based on the Bay State’s successful health care initiative. What’s more, the man who ran on a platform of repealing Obamacare seemed to concede that the national health care law is working.

“Without Tom pushing it, I don’t think we would have had Romneycare,” Romney told the Boston Globe for an obituary of his friend, Staples founder Tom Stemberg, who passed away Friday. “Without Romneycare, I don’t think we would have Obamacare. So without Tom, a lot of people wouldn’t have health insurance.”

That was some admission, and a tremendous flip-flop for Romney. But then came—wait for it—another Romney flip-flop on this matter. On Friday afternoon, Romney took to Facebook to declare that he still opposed Obamacare:

Getting people health insurance is a good thing, and that’s what Tom Stemberg fought for. I oppose Obamacare and believe it has failed. It drove up premiums, took insurance away from people who were promised otherwise, and usurped state programs. As I said in the campaign, I’d repeal it and replace it with state-crafted plans.

Link:

Mitt Romney Admits Obamacare Was Based on Romneycare—and That It Worked

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Which States Are the Most Obese?

by FletaSWTvba Posted on September 21, 2015

Mother Jones

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Bulging waistlines have become the new normal in the United States, according to Monday’s State of Obesity report. Though only five states saw increases in adult obesity last year, researchers noted little improvement to the nation’s weight crisis overall: The average American adult is 24 pounds heavier than in 1980, when obesity rates were less than half of their present levels. The report is published annually by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

With more than one-third of Americans considered obese and nearly 70 percent overweight, rates of obesity-linked diseases have also risen steadily. Across the South and Midwest, where the obesity crisis is most severe (Arkansas, West Virginia, and Mississippi topped the scales in this year’s report), rates of hypertension and diabetes climbed past record highs. Racial and economic disparities are also acute: nearly half of black adults are now obese, compared with just under a third of White adults. The researchers said that higher rates of food insecurity, targeted marketing of unhealthy foods, and unequal health care access were all factors contributing to the disparity.

But the researchers also note a few areas where policy and lifestyle have curbed crisis-level rates. Obesity was less of an issue in states out West and in the Northeast where sedentary lifestyles are less common (the nation’s slimmest state, Colorado, also had the lowest rate of physical inactivity). And while the child obesity rate remains three times its level in 1980, the researchers add that outreach to parents, programs offering nutrition assistance, and healthy eating campaigns in schools seem to be making a difference: Obesity among children has declined since 2004.

Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

From – 

Which States Are the Most Obese?

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