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After Roe, high stakes for Michigan ballot measure to protect abortion rights

by indianexpress.com Leave a Comment

The latest front in the U.S. war over abortion was waged last week during an idyllic summer evening on Michigan’s lakeshore.

Their task took on new urgency after the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide and left the issue to individual states to regulate.

In Michigan, where opinion polls show the majority of people support abortion rights, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer filed a lawsuit to invalidate a 1931 state law that makes abortions a felony and establish a state constitutional right to abortion. A court has temporarily blocked that law from being enforced, but the Republicans who control the state legislature want to keep the ban on the books or enact a new one.

Political tensions in Michigan over the future of abortion could be a harbinger of what may play out in a handful of other U.S. states with a similar dynamic – an electorate that favors abortion rights governed by a legislature determined to restrict them.

Whitmer has made protecting abortion rights a centerpiece of her re-election campaign this year, saying she can veto any attempt by the legislature to pass a new ban.

“This could very quickly go from a state where abortion is safe and legal to one that makes it illegal with no exceptions,” Whitmer said in an interview on Friday. “That’s a very real threat.”

The coalition of abortion-rights and progressive groups behind the petition drive face a July 11 deadline to amass about 425,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot. As she gathered signatures outside the park in St. Clair Shores last week, volunteer Deborah Karcher, 46, said direct action is the best way to save reproductive rights.

“This is the will of the people,” Karcher said. “Even if you don’t agree with this, let’s get it on the ballot. Let the people decide.”

STATE FIGHTS

Outside Michigan, a voter backlash over abortion restrictions could figure in elections in other states including Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which all have either a competitive governor’s or U.S. Senate race this year.

With President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party under fire from critics on matters such as inflation and crime, abortion “is the first potential issue that could boost the Democrats rather than hurt them,” Jacobson said.

Whitmer is counting on that. The governor’s first term was rocked by criticism from the right over the state’s COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and schools. But recent polls have shown that more voters approve of her performance in office than Biden’s.

Whitmer’s Republican challengers, who will square off in an Aug. 2 primary, all support a ban on abortion and oppose the ballot measure.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the arm of the party that supports candidates for state legislatures, has said it is raising money to provide strategic planning and voter data analysis to support races in states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS

According to the Center for Reproductive Rights advocacy group, courts in 11 states have ruled that their state constitutions protect abortion rights. Court challenges in other states such as Florida are ongoing.

The proposed amendment to Michigan’s constitution would establish a right to “reproductive freedom” and would apply to decisions about fertility treatments and contraception as well as abortion. Opponents of the ballot measure have called the language of the amendment overly broad.

“Even if you are pro-choice, even if you support abortion, you should reject this abortion amendment,” Pollo said. “A majority of Michiganders do not support unregulated abortion.”

Nicole Wells Stallworth, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, noted that the amendment would allow the legislature to regulate abortions after fetal viability – the original standard set by Roe.

“This constitutional amendment would create a broad safety net for people wanting to own their own bodily autonomy as it relates to their reproductive rights and their reproductive freedoms,” Wells Stallworth said. “This measure is something that benefits all people.”

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One Dead at Michigan Air Show in Fiery Jet Truck Crash During Stunt

by www.breitbart.com Leave a Comment

One man is dead after a jet truck exploded during a stunt that went wrong at an air show in Western Michigan on Saturday.

Chris Darnell, 40, was killed while driving a jet-powered semi-truck in a stunt that ended in flames while two planes flew in the air above the truck. The accident occurred at 1:10 p.m. at the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival in Battle Creek, Michigan, WXYZ reported.

A bystander in the crowd at the airshow captured footage of the accident:

a tragedy at the field of flight today—at least one dead after a fiery accident. pic.twitter.com/16qI3TQqkE

— sam landstra (@samlandstra) July 2, 2022

It is unclear the exact cause of the accident, which is currently under investigation, according to WXYZ. The show was suspended after the explosion occurred.

Darnell’s father, Sean, in a post through the Shockwave Jet Truck & Flash Fire Jet Trucks Facebook page, blamed the accident on “mechanical failure.”

He later stated, “We are so sad. Just one month ago Chris turned 40. He was so well loved by everyone who knew him. Chris so loved the Air Show business.”

Darnell’s father paid further tribute to his son in another Facebook post on his personal page:

Marilyn and I and Brooke, Reese and Taylor have been overwhelmed with all the condolences sent from all around the country. Literally thousands of you have reached out. We wish we could personally answer every single one. We have lost our youngest son Chris in an accident doing what he loved; performing with SHOCKWAVE. Chris so loved life and his huge Air Show and Drag Racing Family.

Chris leaves behind a wife and two daughters, according to his father.

Darnell had been operating the Jet Truck involved in the crash since 2012, NBC News reported, citing the International Council of Air Shows. “The vehicle is based on a 1985 Peterbilt and powered by three J-34 jet engines,” the outlet noted.

Ryan Travers, a board member for the airshow, told Fox 17 the truck can reach speeds of up to 300 miles per hour during the stunt.

“It’s an absolute tragedy. It’s going to be hard to get over it, and it’s, it’s so, so new, fresh, unreal. I don’t know. I can’t put words on it right now. I just feel for the family,” Travers said. “[W]e saw the absolute worst and we never dreamed we would want to see it.”

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman .

Michigan police officer charged with murdering African immigrant after traffic stop

by www.abc.net.au Leave a Comment

A white police officer has been charged with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of an African refugee during an altercation after a traffic stop two months ago in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Key points:

  • An independent autopsy found Patrick Lyoya was shot in the back of the head at point-blank range
  • The killing sparked protests by activists who said it was another example of unjustified deadly force by police against young black men
  • Videos showed the two men grappling on a lawn and struggling over the officer’s stun gun before Mr Lyoya was shot

The criminal case against officer Christopher Schurr in the April 4 killing of 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya came just over seven weeks after an independent autopsy found Mr Lyoya was shot in the back of the head at point-blank range.

Announcing the charge at a news conference, the chief prosecuting attorney for Kent County, Christopher Becker, said Mr Schurr had turned himself in to authorities and would be arraigned in court in Grand Rapids on Friday.

Mr Becker said he provided the family members of Mr Lyoya, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a letter of explanation translated into their native language of Swahili.

The killing outraged Mr Lyoya’s loved ones and sparked protests by activists who condemned the shooting as another example of unjustified deadly force by police against young black men.

A forensic pathologist who performed an independent autopsy on Mr Lyoya concluded the officer had held his gun to the back of Mr Lyoya’s head and fired once, evidence that the family’s attorney, Ben Crump, said bolstered their view that Mr Lyoya was the victim of “an execution”.

A charge of second-degree murder, defined as an intentional, unjustified killing, carries a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole in Michigan, Mr Becker said.

Additional factors necessary to prove a case of first-degree murder, premeditation and deliberation, “just weren’t there”, he told reporters.

If the case goes to trial, jurors would likely be permitted to also consider the “lesser included charge” of manslaughter, which Mr Becker described as essentially same as second-degree murder but mitigated by actions taken in “the heat of passion”.

Mr Becker said he hoped the message taken from his decision to prosecute Mr Schurr would be “that we take this case seriously”.

The prosecutor said he arrived at his decision after reviewing a state police report on the incident, as well as evidence that included video footage taken from the dashboard of Mr Schurr’s squad car, from his body-worn camera and from a neighbour’s surveillance camera.

The videos, publicly released in April, show Mr Lyoya stepping out of the car on a rainy street, seemingly confused and asking “What did I do?” as the policeman repeatedly asks for a driver’s license and orders him to get back inside the vehicle.

Mr Lyoya appears to be complying, but then closes the driver’s side door and attempts to walk away, resisting the officer’s attempts to handcuff him.

Following a short foot chase, the two men grapple on a lawn, at one point appearing to struggle over the officer’s stun gun, before Mr Lyoya is shot.

The incident began after the officer stopped Mr Lyoya over suspicions involving his license plate.

Reuters

Posted , updated

Horror as jet truck driver dies in inferno as 300mph juggernaut EXPLODES while racing planes at Battle Creek Air Show

by www.thesun.co.uk Leave a Comment

A DRIVER died after his jet truck was engulfed in flames while racing at speeds of 300mph during an air show.

Horror footage shows the moment the vehicle exploded in front of shocked onlookers at the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show in Michigan on Saturday.

Last night, police tragically named Chris Darnell, 40, as the victim of the incident, which occurred shortly after 1pm.

The explosion was captured on camera by revellers during a jet-fueled semitruck pyrotechnic performance in the Fourth of July weekend air show at the Battle Creek Executive Airport.

Spectators were seen lapping up the spectacular aerobatics before the truck burst into a inferno.

As shocked onlookers gasped in horror, a tannoy announcer asked people to stay back as emergency services quickly rushed to the scene.

The vehicle, described as a Shockwave Jet Truck, was racing two planes, going up to 300 miles per hour, reported CBS Channel 3 .

As the parachute from the truck deployed, the truck engulfed in flames and exploded.

The explosion left thick black smoke in the air.

Suze Gusching, media relations for Field of Flight, told the Battle Creek Enquirer : “[The driver] was doing his show and going down the runway.

“He passed by the explosion, and his truck had exploded.”

The Shockwave Jet Truck is part of the Darnell Racing Enterprise’s show team, which includes the Aftershock Jet Fire truck and the Flash Fire Jet Truck.

The teams are based in Springfield, Missouri, and travel all across the United States to perform their shows.

According to the team website , the Shockwave Truck features three Pratt & Whitney J34-38 jet engines originally used by the US Navy T2 Buckeys.

The engines produce 36,000 horsepower and provide 21,000 pounds of thrust, allowing the truck to reach speeds of more than 350 mph.

An investigation by The Battle Creek Fire Department, Battle Creek Police Department, and Federal Aviation Administration is ongoing.

The air show, which was also celebrating the Air Force’s 75th Anniversary, was due to take place from June 30 to July 4.

Company organizers have since announced that the event has been postponed.

Man defrauds Apple of $1M in refunds on claims company sent empty boxes to customers

by appleinsider.com Leave a Comment

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A Michigan man on Monday admitted to running an “empty-box” fraud scheme that cost Apple some $1 million in refunds for products that were claimed undelivered.

Van-Seyla Mork, 25, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering in San Jose federal court as part of a plea deal, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

The scam, referred to as an “empty-box” scheme, saw Mork initiate fraudulent complaints over supposedly undelivered items purchased from Apple, presumably from the company’s online store.

On behalf of customers, Mork would call Apple support and claim an empty box had arrived at a customer’s home instead of a purchased product. The company subsequently issued refunds for the allegedly undelivered items, money that Mork stashed in multiple bank accounts in an attempt to confuse a potential future investigation.

In admitting the scheme, Mork said he was fully aware that the customer support calls were made under false pretenses, as he knew customers had indeed received their orders in the mail. How Mork collected the funds was not made clear and co-conspirators were not named by the U.S. Attorney or Federal Bureau of Investigation in the public release.

The ultimate vapor ware, “empty-box” scams typically see an online seller take advantage of marketplace refund policies by fulfilling orders with empty boxes. Certain online sales platform purchase guidelines shift responsibility for an item from seller to customer once a package is signed for at delivery, in some cases allowing nefarious vendors to avoid refund payouts.

Mork was charged in 2018 with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud and four counts of money laundering, but pled guilty to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering under a plea agreement. Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum penalty 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, plus restitution, while the maximum penalty for one count of money laundering is 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $500,000, plus restitution.

Mork is out on bond and is scheduled to face sentencing on Oct. 21.