Biden administration will pursue federal charges against anyone trying to stop a woman getting an abortion in Texas and protect clinics 'under attack', AG Merrick Garland says

 The Justice Department said Monday that it will not tolerate violence against anyone to obtain an abortion in Texas as federal officials continued to explore options to challenge the new state law that bans most abortions.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would 'protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services' under a federal law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

Garland said in a statement that federal prosecutors are still urgently exploring options to challenge the Texas law. 

He said the Justice Department would enforce the federal law 'in order to protect the constitutional rights of women and other persons, including access to an abortion.' 

Democrats are also scrambling to find ways to counter the law, including a new bill in Congress, while Republicans have accused Biden of federal overreach by trying to undermine the Supreme Court's decision last week not to overturn the new law.   

Liberals are also threatening to boycott Texas over their abortion law, with Portland considering banning all imports from and travel to the state. 

The new Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks - before some women know they´re pregnant. 

The federal law, commonly known as the FACE Act, prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services. 

The law also prohibits damaging property at abortion clinics and other reproductive health centers. 

Courts have blocked other states from imposing similar restrictions, but Texas' law differs significantly because it leaves enforcement up to private citizens through lawsuits instead of criminal prosecutors.

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The Justice Department said Monday that it will not tolerate violence against anyone who is trying to obtain an abortion in Texas as federal officials explore options to challenge a new state law that bans most abortions. Protesters march against the bill in Houston on Sunday

Justice Department officials have also been in contact with U.S. attorneys in Texas and the FBI field offices in the state to discuss enforcing the federal provisions.

'The department will provide support from federal law enforcement when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is under attack,' Garland said. 

'We will not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services, physical obstruction or property damage in violation of the FACE Act.'

Texas' Attorney General Ken Paxton has blasted President Biden's criticism of the Lone Star State's new abortion law claiming it is just 'trying to protect the unborn'.

Paxton slammed Biden as 'un-American' and maintained Texas has a 'right' to 'regulate as they see fit' during an appearance on Fox News on Sunday. 

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Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would 'protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services' under a federal law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act

'If anybody's un-American, it's the President, for not defending our borders and for what he's allowed in Afghanistan', Paxton said, hitting back at Biden who branded the new law 'un-American' on Friday.

Paxton added: 'All Texas is trying to do is protect the unborn. We have a right, I think, to do that. We had a right before Roe v. Wade.

'This system that the supreme court has set up is constantly changing based on different judges coming in and going out.

'And it hasn't worked. They need to go back to letting states regulate as they see fit. And each state can make their own decision and people can move the state they are most comfortable living in.'

Biden on Friday blasted the Texas abortion law as 'un-American' and said the Justice Department was exploring options to undermine it.

'The most pernicious thing about the Texas law, it sort of creates a vigilante system where people get rewards to go out and - anyway.

'And it just seems - I know this sounds ridiculous - almost unamerican what we're talking about,' the president said.

Biden also said he 'respects' but doesn't agree with people who believe life begins at conception, despite his Catholic faith opposing all forms of abortion.

'It just seems, I know this sounds ridiculous, almost un-American what we're talking about. Not to debate about, I respect people who think, who don't support Roe v. Wade. I respect their views.

'I respect those who believe life begins at the moment of conception and all. I respect that, don't agree, but I respect that. Not going to impose that on people,' Biden told reporters.

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Justice Department officials have also been in contact with U.S. attorneys in Texas and the FBI field offices in the state to discuss enforcing the federal provisions. A man from the Houston Socialist Movement marches against the Texas bill on Sunday

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Biden on Friday blasted the Texas abortion law as 'un-American' and said the Justice Department was exploring options to undermine it. He is pictured in Philadelphia on Friday night on his way to a long weekend in Wilmington, Delaware 

NASA awards Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and its 301-foot tall New Glenn rocket contract for future space missions starting in 2025

 Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is still one year from its first flight to space, but NASA is confident it will be a success and has named the firm’s New Glenn rocket as a potential provider for scientific missions.

Blue Origin was awarded a NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract that allows its 310-foot tall reusable rocket to launch a range of satellites into orbit and make supply runs to the ISS.

The announcement allows the American space agency to place orders with Blue Origin starting June 2025 through the end of 2027.

NLS II contractors must have the ability to successfully launch and deliver a payload to orbit using a domestic launch service capable of placing, at minimum, a 551-pound (250 kg) payload into a 124 mile (200 km) circular orbit at an inclination of 28.5 degrees.

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Blue Origin was awarded a NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract that allows its 310-foot tall reusable rocket to launch a range of satellites into orbit and make supply runs to the ISS

Jarrett Jones, senior vice president, New Glenn, Blue Origin, said in a statement: ‘We are proud to be in NASA’s launch services catalog and look forward to providing reliable launches for future NASA missions aboard New Glenn for years to come.’

‘The award builds on Blue Origin’s existing partnership with NASA and will advance science and exploration to benefit Earth.’

Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 and established a launch facility 15 years later in West Texas for its rockets New Shepard and New Glenn, which is set to launch next year.

New Shepard, which has completed a number of flight returns, is leading Blue Origin’s space tourism service and New Glenn will take satellites into orbit.

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The announcement allows the American space agency to place orders with Blue Origin starting June 2025 through the end of 2027. Jeff Bezos (pictured)

Blue Origin conducts test launch of space tourism rocket New Shepard

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However, New Glenn has yet to take off into space – it is set for its first launch sometime next year.

Blue Origin also says it will use the massive reusable rocket to provide access to the moon and is part of the firm’s broader mission that aims to one day send one million people to live in space.

Blue's launch vehicles face strong competition from several other aerospace companies, including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic.

However, SpaceX is leading the pack with 100 launches of its Falcon 9 rocket and two crewed missions the International Space Station.

The Musk-owned company also reached another milestone last week with the launch of its Starship rocket.

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New Shepard, which has completed a number of flight returns, is leading Blue Origin’s space tourism service and New Glenn will take satellites into orbit

Prototype Serial Number 8 (SN8) took off from the firm's Boca Chica, Texas testing facility at 5:45pm ET December 10, igniting its Raptor engines and soaring into the sky to successfully hit its goal of reaching an elevation of 7.8 smiles (41,000 feet).

When Starship finally touched down, it ignited in flames — and, once the fire and smoke had cleared, all that was left was a pile of debris topped by what remained of the craft's nose cone.

Musk, however, deemed the launch a success — saying that the prototype, even though it was destroyed, collected a trove of data that will bring SpaceX one step closer to sending humans to Mars aboard the rocket.

Italian woman, 74, dies after being reunited for one last embrace with the accordion-playing husband who serenaded her in hospital while they were kept apart by Covid

 An Italian woman who was serenaded by her romantic husband from outside her hospital window has died after they were reunited one last time. 

Carla Sacchi, 74, and her husband of 47 years, Stefano Bozzini, were kept apart due to Covid restrictions when she was being treated for cancer in northern Italy.

Her 81-year-old husband, Stefano, took his accordion to the street below her hospital window to serenade his beloved wife with her favourite songs.

Carla and Stefano were finally reunited one last time when she was allowed to return home before she died on Thursday. 

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Carla Sacchi, 74, and her husband Stefano Bozzini, 81, from northern Italy were reunited when she was allowed to return home from hospital before she died on Thursday

The mayor of Piacenza, Patrizia Barbieri, shared a touching picture of their reunion online as she paid tribute to the couple. 

She said that Stefano's gesture of 'tenderness' outside his wife's hospital window reminded us what it really means to love each other.

Heartwarming footage shows Stefano Bozzini playing his accordion from the street below the hospital in Castel San Giovanni earlier this month.

The video shows Stefano sitting on a chair in the empty street, wearing a feather hat and a red jumper playing a series of love songs, including some of his wife's favourites.

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Heartwarming footage shows Stefano Bozzini playing love songs on his accordion from the street below his wife's hospital window in Castel San Giovanni earlier this month

He opened his rendition with 'Spanish Eyes' by Engelbert Humperdinck, and ended his serenade by looking up at his wife and waving.  

Carla can be seen watching her husband play from a second-floor window of the hospital.

The emotional tale went viral on social media and the video was shared all around the world.  

His son Maurizio said Stefano had asked the hospital if he could 'perform a few songs for her to give her five minutes of happiness'.

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Stefano Bozzini (left) is seen playing his accordion to his wife Carla Sacchi (right) who watched from her second floor window. He opened his rendition with 'Spanish Eyes' by Engelbert Humperdinck, and ended his serenade by looking up at his wife and waving

Stefano told the Piacenza Libertà newspaper: 'It was a sunny day, I would have liked to play longer, for the whole day'.  

The hospital does not treat patients with coronavirus, but visitors were not allowed to enter the building due to restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of the virus.

The couple have been married since 1973 and Stefano learned to play the accordion on his own, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

Stefano is a retired member of the Italian army's Alpini mountain infantry and the hat he wears in the video is part of their uniform.

His nickname in the unit was 'Gianni Morandi of the Alpines' because he was always playing the accordion.

SHOCK VIDEO: Detroit Election Workers Trained To Kick Out Poll Watchers, Count Challenged Ballots, Throw Out Provisional Ballots

 

Hidden audio has emerged from an anonymous source who took the election work training classes in Detroit, Michigan.

And you won’t believe what the trainers are instructing the poll workers to do.

The audio, posted in a video on YouTube, reveals that election workers are trained to try to kick out poll watchers and anyone who challenges any ballot. “They have to wear a mask, and they have to stay six feet. That’s important because if you don’t have six feet, they can’t come back there,” advises the instructor, who then goes on to say that a person standing six feet away from the ballots cannot accurately see what is going on and can’t verify any signatures, “Unless they got really good vision or they brought their binoculars.”

Trainees are told that the number one thing people will scrutinize are the absentee ballots. The solution to someone challenging an absentee ballot?

Just call 911 on anyone who’s pestering the poll workers. “If they make a scene, get ’em up out of there. Call the police on ’em.”

The producers of the video then cut away to the text of Michigan Compiled Laws 168.733, which specifically states that “The board of election inspectors shall provide space for the challengers within the polling place that enables the challengers to observe the election procedure and each person applying to vote.” Section (4) of the law specifies “A person shall not threaten or intimidate a challenger while performing an activity allowed under subsection.“

The training session then goes on to explain what a worker should do with a challenged ballot. The instructor advises to put the ballot in the tabulator, which is the machine that actually counts the votes, and run it as if it were not challenged, and the vote will be counted by default. The video explains that this renders the challenged ballot unchallengable because once it goes into the machine it becomes anonymous and cannot be traced or tracked.

Michiganders can register to vote through election day. So, technically, someone can vote early or by mail in a nearby state, then travel to Michigan on the day of the election, register, and vote there. Would they ever get caught? Not likely. But these newly registered voters are supposed to bring special papers, and some papers state that their ballots are supposed to go right into the challenge que. Other papers say treat the ballot like a regular one.

The video then goes on to explain that anyone can access the master list of voters in Michigan, which provides names, address, and precinct information for every voter. Pretty much anyone could show up claiming to be someone they are not and give a name that matches one that is one the list.

Evidently there are some kind of laptops that are being issued to high schoolers, who are serving in “Electronic Pollbook Inspector” capacities. And they are getting paid hundreds of dollars.

The next part is a bit disturbing, as anyone who has had their absentee ballot stolen or had one issued to a fraudulent person, will not be able to vote. In fairness, this also means that people cannot double vote, but if they intended to do that, then they could just as easily use someone else’s name.

The trainer then says if the person swears they did not vote absentee, to issue that person a provisional ballot, which goes into a special envelope, that eventually just gets thrown out. So the person thinks they are casting their vote, when really it just goes into the garbage.

Even scarier is that these are teenagers working behind the scenes. Any of them can run any ballot they want through the tabulator, or toss them into the provisional stack to be thrown away. And the voter will be none the wiser.

The video closes out by offering instructions how to become a ballot watcher.

VIDEO WITH THE AUDIO OF THE TRAINING SESSION: