A slim majority of Americans (52%) support efforts to preserve the legacy and history of the Confederacy, while 44% oppose such efforts, a new poll finds. Why it matters: As Juneteenth gains popularity as a national holiday, most Americans still support keeping alive the "Lost Cause" myth, which arose after the Civil War and romanticizes the Confederate uprising, ignoring slavery as its root cause. The "Lost Cause" popularity persists even after the 2020 murder of George Floyd prompted...

Roger Stone, a longtime Republican operative who served as an adviser to Donald Trump, was secretly recorded at Mar-a-Lago spilling the beans on the former president’s strategy to challenge the results of the 2024 election should he lose again. The self-described “dirty trickster” of right-wing politics unknowingly divulged the plan to liberal reporters Lauren Windsor and Ally Sammarco, who posed as Trump fans and covertly videotaped him at a “Catholics Prayer for Trump” event on March 19....

Thailand’s Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to approve a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, clearing the last legislative hurdle for the country to become the first in Southeast Asia to enact such a law. Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity but has struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law. Thai society largely holds conservative values, and members of the LGBTQ+ community say they face discrimination in everyday life. The government and...

A Russian court has sentenced a US soldier to three years and nine months in jail on charges of theft and threatening to kill his girlfriend, state news agencies reported. Staff Sgt Gordon Black was sentenced by a court in Vladivostok in Russia's far east and will serve his time in a penal colony. Sgt Black, who was arrested in May, had pleaded not guilty to the murder threat charges but admitted he was "partially" guilty of stealing 10,000 roubles ($116; £89) from her. He will appeal...

Five U.S. cities are considered “impossibly unaffordable” when it comes to housing, placing them among the most expensive markets in the world, according to a new study. Researchers at Chapman University and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy in Canada analyzed 94 major cities in eight countries and determined San Jose, California is the least affordable housing market in the U.S. The Silicon Valley metro was the fourth most unaffordable in the English-speaking world. In fact, four of...

"It's realistic and it's true." The post “The best thing I’ve ever done”: Is ‘Plastic Ono Band’ really the defining John Lennon album? first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

She was the hottest actress in the 1980s, where can you watch her movies now.

There will be celebrities from 'Lassie' and 'My Three Sons' there too!

Thousands of protestors filled the streets of São Paulo, Brazil, last weekend in response to a proposed bill that would classify an abortion after 22 weeks as a homicide. Brazil’s Current Abortion Laws In Brazil, abortion is illegal except in cases of rape, when the mother’s life is in danger, or when there are severe fetal brain complications. In these situations, abortion is allowed up until birth. PL 1904/2024 was introduced on June 16 by Deputy Sóstenes Cavalcante and expedited directly to a vote without requiring a committee’s approval. Sóstenes introduced the bill after the Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes suspended the Council of Medicine’s resolution that prohibited physicians from performing abortions by inducing cardiac arrest. Moraes also prohibited any legal or disciplinary action for physicians who violated the ban when it was in effect, claiming it restricted women’s and doctor’s rights. During the previous administration, former President Jair Bolsonaro prohibited the induction of cardiac arrest after 22 weeks, which is the threshold for fetal viability. However, under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, all time restrictions for these exceptions were removed, allowing for abortions to occur up until birth.  Outrage on Both Sides of the Aisle Brazilian conservatives are outraged by Moraes’ suspension. They strategically expedited PL 1904/2024 to underscore the fact that any abortion more than five months into a pregnancy is cruel and should be unthinkable.  The Council of Medicine argues that an abortion at this time is “deeply unethical and dangerous in professional terms.” Left-wing opposition launched the “A child is not a mother” campaign to criticize the bill for its potential impact on child rape victims. The rate of child rape is notoriously high in Brazil, as the Brazilian Public Security Forum reported that more than 60 percent of the country’s 74,930 rape cases in 2022 had victims who were under 14 years old. Many critics argue that the legislation will affect younger rape victims who take longer to discover their pregnancies. However, there has been limited consideration of the severe emotional consequences that the rape victims will endure by aborting their children, as well as a lack of focus on reducing the pervasive sexual exploitation of minors. Dr. Pedro Spineti, the leader of the Brazilian Association of Catholic Physicians, points out that even guilty criminals sentenced to death are sedated to avoid pain, while innocent babies are left suffering during abortions. What’s Next? The decision to eliminate the Council of Medicine’s prohibition of abortions after 22 weeks is pending final determination by the entire Supreme Court. The Council of Medicine has also appealed Moraes’ initial ruling.  A vote has not yet been scheduled for PL 1904/2024, and it is unclear how it may affect the court’s upcoming decisions. Regardless, a 22-week restriction is a commonsense approach that would save thousands of lives.  The post A Brazilian Bill Criminalizing Abortion After 22 Weeks Ignites Political Firestorm appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.