| THE BIG STORY
The Supreme Court allowed a Kentucky law requiring a woman to listen to a fetus’s heartbeat in order to get an abortion
The law also requires doctors to give the patient an ultrasound and then describe the ultrasound images.
The organizations challenging Kentucky’s law, including the American Civil Liberties Union, argued that it was a breach of the First Amendment because it forced patients to see and hear content they didn’t want to.
Meanwhile, Kentucky argued that the regulation was a part of the medical “informed consent” process. The US Court of Appeals agreed and upheld the law. Now that the Supreme Court has refused to hear the case, the law will go into effect in Kentucky.
Ultrasound laws were previously struck down in Oklahoma and North Carolina. The court’s rejection may give other states the confidence to pass similar laws without fear of them being blocked by the courts.
The big picture:
The rejection comes as Roe v. Wade faces multiple challenges in the lower courts and as the Supreme Court considers a law in Louisiana that requires abortion clinics and doctors to obtain admitting privileges from nearby hospitals.
The challenge to the Louisiana law will be the first abortion case argued before the Supreme Court since President Donald Trump solidified a conservative majority on the court.
Impeachment Today
Impeachment Trial III official trailer drop. Today on our daily impeachment podcast, t’was the lead up to impeachment, and all through the House… everyone was scurrying? It’s the final cases for and against impeachment. Listen and Subscribe. STAYING ON TOP OF THIS Two stories about the Democratic candidate race
First: There’s a persistent idea that Pete Buttigieg ignored black residents of South Bend. It’s not true. Buttigieg’s allies in South Bend’s black community, quiet for months as he defended himself with data that never told the full story, are finally hitting back.
Second: Deval Patrick said his record for fixing problems others only “have plans for” is resonating in New Hampshire. The two-term governor said he doesn’t want to “critique” other campaigns, but the jab shows a strategy for Patrick to dislodge the candidate many will see as the nameless target of his dismissal of “plans”: Elizabeth Warren.
SNAPSHOTS An official probe debunked Trump’s claim that the FBI planted a spy in his campaign. The Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General has contradicted some of the president’s conspiracy theories, but it also found misconduct by FBI agents who investigated the president's campaign.
Broadcast TV shows and actors were shut out of the Golden Globes for the first time ever. Netflix scored a stunning 17 nominations, while Hulu and Amazon Prime Video picked up five each. Apple TV+ scored three, for The Morning Show. Welcome to the streaming supremacy. Here are all the nominees.
The genealogy website that helped crack the Golden State Killer case has been bought by a forensic genetics firm. Crime scene DNA sequencing company Verogen acquired GEDmatch, the database credited with helping to solve some 70 rapes and murders. The company promises a firm line on protecting users who don’t want cops to access their genetic information.
Peter Frates, who used his ALS diagnosis to help make the Ice Bucket Challenge go viral, has died. Millions of dollars were raised for research as part of the viral social media fundraiser Frates helped propel with his own Ice Bucket Challenge video in July 2014. Frates’s family says he died Monday. He was 34.
The ice bucket challenge movement Frates helped inspire. Andrew Buckley / AP POWER MOVES Bombshell wants us to see the women of Fox News as heroes
It doesn’t open in theaters until next week, but Bombshell is already receiving significant Oscar buzz. The film from Jay Roach tells the story of the women of Fox News who took down chair Roger Ailes.
If you’ve been following the news, you broadly know the story: In 2016, Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson sued Ailes for sexual harassment, setting off a chain reaction of other women’s accusations — including from Megyn Kelly — which culminated with the ouster of Ailes.
Bombshell is being received as a kind of #MeToo movie about women finding their voice in the Trump era — and calling out institutions that ignore or outright support abuse and harassment.
But as Pier Dominguez writes, by failing to bring race and class into its analysis, Bombshell presents an overly simplistic empowerment narrative that overlooks how complicated the real women who ousted Ailes are.
WHAT ARE YOU READING? Four books we couldn’t put down last month
One thing that fills me with delight is getting to share with you our book recommendations. Today, some recent faves as recommended by the BuzzFeed Books newsletter. I’ll be picking up The Yellow House immediately — which book catches your eye? Don't set limits on yourself today, Elamin P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide). 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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