Anti-abortion legal crusader Jonathan Mitchell has filed at least seven legal petitions in Texas in recent years asking to depose abortion funds, providers and researchers. While these filings have created fear and confusion, none have yet to be approved by a judge.

Now, Mitchell has moved on to targeting individual women. He has filed at least two petitions seeking to depose women he claims traveled out-of-state to terminate their pregnancies, one of which a judge granted; that ruling is on hold while an appeal proceeds.

Under state law, the person who terminates a pregnancy cannot face criminal or civil penalties. Texas abortion laws govern in-state conduct, and there is broad constitutional protection for interstate travel. A federal judge has previously ruled abortion funds are likely safe from prosecution, and just this week, a federal judge in Alabama upheld the right to leave the state to seek medical care that is legal in another state.

All of this would make it difficult, if not impossible, to take action against someone who assisted a Texan in getting an out-of-state abortion, legal experts say. But Mitchell has made his name turning long-shot legal theories into the law of the land through exactly this strategy of incremental, often losing, legal battles that exploit confusion about the law.

During an appearance on MSNBC on Sunday, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) continued her criticism of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for insulting her during a bill mark-up hearing that led to the Georgia Republican yelling across the chamber.....

"I also took this as an opportunity to again flex on MAGA and let them know that I will always be smarter than you and you can call me a DEI hire all you want to and launch all of the continuous insults that you want to against me but she is no match for me when it comes to intellect," she insisted. "She just decided, 'Oh, I have privilege so I'm just going to say whatever I want to say' and then leaned back and that is exactly what she did. And she knew that she would face no consequences, or at least she thought she would face no consequences."

"I refuse to be somebody's doormat," she warned. "And anybody suggesting that I should, I need you to look in the mirror and maybe check yourself if you believe it is okay for her to say whatever she wants to say to me and the role that I'm supposed to play is one that says, 'Oh, okay, I know she didn't really mean it or it wasn't really that bad or it's more important that I just sit here and be docile.' That is not who I'm going to be."

The Times reported Thursday:

After the 2020 presidential election, as some Trump supporters falsely claimed that President Biden had stolen the office, many of them displayed a startling symbol outside their homes, on their cars and in online posts: an upside-down American flag.

One of the homes flying an inverted flag during that time was the residence of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., in Alexandria, Va., according to photographs and interviews with neighbors.

“The upside-down flag was aloft on Jan. 17, 2021,” the Times reported, citing photos. In an email from Jan. 18, 2021, reviewed by the Times, a neighbor wrote to a relative that the flag had been upside down for several days at that point.

The Times reported that Alito said in an emailed statement that he “had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag” and that it “was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”.....

At any rate, Alito’s statement to the Times raises all sorts of questions that it doesn’t answer: Did he see the flag at his own home? If so, did he consider what it conveyed to the public as a Supreme Court justice weighing a 2020 election case? What was Mrs. Alito’s response supposed to convey? Does he agree or disagree with the message?

Regardless of the answer to these questions and others, it may be more important how the message from the Alitos’ home was received. The Times reported that neighbors “interpreted the inverted flag as a political statement by the couple.” That matters because, according to the high court’s (unenforceable) code of conduct, justices aren’t supposed to engage in political activity, which includes publicly endorsing or opposing candidates.

And when it comes to recusal specifically, the code says that a justice “should disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the Justice’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned, that is, where an unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances would doubt that the Justice could fairly discharge his or her duties.”

Despite all of that — and perhaps because of it, given the justice’s perceived victimhood — don’t expect Alito to recuse himself from Jan. 6-related cases. Indeed, he has already refused to recuse from a tax case this term, in a move further calling his judgment into question. In that case, Moore v. United States, in which a decision is still pending, Alito took the step of (unconvincingly) explaining his non-recusal in a statement. (Justice Clarence Thomas has, without explanation, ignored recusal calls in Jan. 6-related cases.)

In light of this new report, Alito should at least explain himself again. But even if he were to do so this time, given his past behavior and response to this latest story, don’t expect him to step aside.

So we are going to drop “A Crockett Clapback Collection.” This collection will feature various swag that includes random things I’ve said. The money will go to ensuring that we have a Democratic House! Give me a little time to really get the swag online etc., but B6 will drop first.

If you have things you want to see come to life let me know. Post graphics or just phrases that you want to see.

#bleachblondbadbuiltbutchbody

So we are going to drop “A Crockett Clapback Collection.” This collection will feature various swag that includes random things I’ve said. The money will go to ensuring that we have a Democratic House! Give me a little time to really get the swag online etc., but B6 will drop first.

If you have things you want to see come to life let me know. Post graphics or just phrases that you want to see.

#bleachblondbadbuiltbutchbody

PALM BEACH (The Borowitz Report)—The process server who handed Rudolph Giuliani a summons Friday night located him by following a trail of jet-black hair dye, the server has confirmed.

The server, an agent of the Arizona attorney general’s office, said his suspicion was aroused when he saw “drops of an inky black substance” leading to the home of a GOP operative.

“At first, I thought it might have been left by a car with a nasty oil leak,” he said. “What made me suspect Mr. Giuliani was that the goo had dripped in an erratic, weaving fashion.”

According to the server, the former New York mayor willingly accepted the summons, apparently mistaking it for a cocktail napkin.

Some big weather news today, the historic severe storm that started in Texas and ended in central Florida Thursday evening into Friday midday has now been designated a "derecho" wind storm. Early damage estimates are several BILLION dollars just in Houston, Texas alone. It started in Texas and ended in Florida, but the majority of the damage was in Texas, Louisiana, and the Florida Panhandle. I also plotted the Severe Storm Warnings that occurred and each icon a severe wind report.

These are what often happen in the Heartland and northern United States in the summer when they ride the periphery of a "heat dome" -- just like this one did.

A derecho is a significant, potentially destructive weather event that is characterized as having widespread, long-lived, straight-line winds associated with a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms.

Here’s what you need to know about derechos:

They can produce hurricane-force winds
While there’s no official or universal definition for a derecho, it is classified by a swath of wind damage extending more than 400 miles with wind gusts of 58 mph or greater along most of its length, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The SPC increased the required path of damage by more than 50% from 240 miles to 400 miles in January 2022 based on a 2016 study. The hope was that the added rigor would help reserve the term “derecho” for the most impactful, long-lasting and widespread events, SPC meteorologists told CNN.

“We’re really trying to highlight with just one word, the worst, most damaging wind event that you can potentially expect,” Matt Elliott, SPC warning coordination meteorologist, told CNN. “If we can keep it to these higher end events, then it can be really meaningful because when you hear that term it’s means that we’re talking about something extremely serious.”,....

They’re one of the costliest severe storms
Winds within a derecho can be as strong as a tornado, knocking out trees, powerlines, mobile homes, barns and other similar structures, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

They are most dangerous to those outdoors, whether in a rural or urban area. However, cities are particularly vulnerable to these high winds due to damage to electrical and communication lines, falling trees, and damage to buildings.

Some big weather news today, the historic severe storm that started in Texas and ended in central Florida Thursday evening into Friday midday has now been designated a "derecho" wind storm. Early damage estimates are several BILLION dollars just in Houston, Texas alone. It started in Texas and ended in Florida, but the majority of the damage was in Texas, Louisiana, and the Florida Panhandle. I also plotted the Severe Storm Warnings that occurred and each icon a severe wind report.

These are what often happen in the Heartland and northern United States in the summer when they ride the periphery of a "heat dome" -- just like this one did.

A derecho is a significant, potentially destructive weather event that is characterized as having widespread, long-lived, straight-line winds associated with a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms.

Here’s what you need to know about derechos:

They can produce hurricane-force winds
While there’s no official or universal definition for a derecho, it is classified by a swath of wind damage extending more than 400 miles with wind gusts of 58 mph or greater along most of its length, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The SPC increased the required path of damage by more than 50% from 240 miles to 400 miles in January 2022 based on a 2016 study. The hope was that the added rigor would help reserve the term “derecho” for the most impactful, long-lasting and widespread events, SPC meteorologists told CNN.

“We’re really trying to highlight with just one word, the worst, most damaging wind event that you can potentially expect,” Matt Elliott, SPC warning coordination meteorologist, told CNN. “If we can keep it to these higher end events, then it can be really meaningful because when you hear that term it’s means that we’re talking about something extremely serious.”,....

They’re one of the costliest severe storms
Winds within a derecho can be as strong as a tornado, knocking out trees, powerlines, mobile homes, barns and other similar structures, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

They are most dangerous to those outdoors, whether in a rural or urban area. However, cities are particularly vulnerable to these high winds due to damage to electrical and communication lines, falling trees, and damage to buildings.