Sarah Silverman Texas Anti-Abortion Law ... Declares War on Poor People

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ATTACKING THE POOR

Sarah Silverman is not mincing words -- the Texas anti-abortion law is a declaration of war, but only certain women are targeted.

We got Sarah Saturday night in WeHo on her way out of Craig's, and she was blunt ... the law which effectively outlaws most abortions is a war on poor people. As she says, rich women have the means to leave the state and get an abortion elsewhere.

Sarah is not a fan of boycotts ... she says it only hurts people in the state who are themselves, victims. The real targets, she says, should be the politicians who enacted the law.

As you probably know by now, the Texas law pretty much outlaws abortion after the first 6 weeks of pregnancy. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. And, the law puts a bounty on the heads of anyone who assists a woman in getting an abortion after 6 weeks. Anybody in the country can sue people who assist for $10k plus attorney's fees.

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to even hear the case before the law took effect Sept. 1st.  In effect, Roe vs. Wade is dead in Texas, at least for now, and SCOTUS has signaled Roe may be history next term when it passes judgment on a Mississippi law that poses a square challenge to the Constitutional right to an abortion.

Pete Buttigieg He & Hubby Welcome Adopted Babies ... Here's Penelope & Joseph!!!

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Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, are brand new parents ... with a couple bundles of joy they just introduced to the world this weekend.

President Biden's Transportation Secretary made the announcement Saturday, writing ... "Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents. We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family." He attached a photo of him and Chasten holding their kids.

The siblings are wrapped in blankets, while Chasten and Pete look at each other in a hospital bed. Presumably, these newborns are adopted -- it's no secret the couple have been trying to undertake the process for a good while ... and now, they're at the finish line.

Looks like their children might be twins ... but it's not entirely clear if they adopted from one birth parent or two. The babies are also about a month old now -- Pete first broke the news of their arrival back in mid-August, and this is the first time he's shared a pic.

He wrote at the time, "For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family. We're overjoyed to share that we've become parents! The process isn't done yet and we're thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us."

Congrats!!!

Bette Midler Ladies, It's Time to (Sex) Strike!!! To Protest TX Abortion Law

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Bette Midler has a solution to get Texas legislators to reverse course on their anti-abortion law -- just stop banging them ... as in, women should.

The actress tweeted out her thoughts for the proposed plan earlier this week, writing, "I suggest that all women refuse to have sex with men until they are guaranteed the right to choose by Congress."

In other words, a sex strike -- which is so simple (yet effective) that it might actually work! At least, that seems to be the consensus online ... folks are giving Bette props for coming up with such a devious plot, and some even be down to get started right away.

On the other hand, there are some who are pointing out some flaws in her logic here ... for a variety of reasons. For one, liberal women not doing it with dudes -- presumably conservative ones who might support the law -- is probably already happening anyway.

More importantly, as one Twitter user aptly noted, it's counterintuitive to withhold something like that just to get a point across ... because, yes, women like sex too. Who knew?!?

Of course, BM was probably half-joking with the sex suggestion -- but one thing she's definitely not kidding around with is how serious this issue is for her ... and millions of other ladies. Her follow-up tweets since then reflect as much -- she's very outspoken on it all.

She wrote this just yesterday, "This isn't about guns, speech, money or war. It's about women, their lives, their bodies and their autonomy. That's what allowed the court to do shoddy work, with careless disregard, because who's going to stop it?"

Bette goes on to say this law was passed in the dead of night because they figured no one would stop it and "because they genuinely believe that they're only women, and they deserve what they get."

Joe Kennedy III Condemns Sirhan's Parole Kennedy Family Divided

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Ex-congressman Joseph Kennedy III is outraged at the looming release of the man who killed his grandfather, Robert F. Kennedy ... standing in square opposition to two of RFK's own children.

Joe put out a statement Wednesday after last week's news that assassin Sirhan Sirhan was getting out of prison after 53 years. It's pretty scathing ... he says flatly, Sirhan doesn't deserve it.

He writes, "I echo the anger and heartache of my father, a majority of his siblings, and my grandmother at the California Parole Board's recent recommendation. For our family, there has been no apology, no acceptance of responsibility, and no remorse."

JKIII adds this ... "For our country, there has been no justification for letting the perpetrator of one of our most devastating political assassinations walk free."

Joe goes on to explain the U.S. cannot accept violence as an answer to political disagreement ... which he suggests is what led to Sirhan killing Bobby all those years ago. He adds he's all for rehabilitation of criminals, but for those who skirt responsibility -- like Sirhan  -- Joe says "there should be no accommodation."

It's a pretty fierce take on the strong likelihood that the 77-year-old will walk free soon. He's also standing against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Douglas Kennedy -- two of RFK's sons who've come out in support of SS's release.

The weight of the Kennedy family is on the side of keeping him in prison, but it looks like that's also the losing side.

Afghanistan Last U.S. Soldier Leaves After 20 Yrs

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Here's a painfully dramatic picture ... the last U.S. soldier leaving war-torn Afghanistan following a 20-year battle that's, arguably, changed nothing in the country.

His name is Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps. His unit's based out of Fort Bragg, N.C. and on Monday he became the final soldier to board a C-17 cargo plane out of Kabul airport to officially end the U.S. mission.

The night vision image shows Chris carrying his firearm and a look of resignation as the pullout ended under cover of darkness.

According to the Pentagon ... this 20-year war saw more than 775,000 American troops serve and more than 2,400 of them were killed in combat. The departure of Donahue's unit officially brings an end to America's longest war, and meets the August 31 deadline.

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Sunday attended a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to honor the 13 U.S. troops killed during last week's terrorist attack in Kabul as their bodies arrived in caskets wrapped with U.S. flags. The President vowed to hunt down those responsible for the attack.

With the U.S. now out of Afghanistan, the Taliban has taken over the entire country ... including Kabul airport. An L.A. Times reporter captured the moment Taliban fighters entered a Hangar at the airport to examine Chinook helicopters and other equipment.

Before the final pullout, U.S. troops disabled billions of dollars worth of military equipment left behind.

Afghanistan Exit Woman Gives Birth on Turkish Flight Out ... Baby's Citizenship Unclear

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A woman fleeing Afghanistan gave birth on a Turkish Airlines flight headed for the U.K. ... but the citizenship of the baby is something of a mystery.

Soman Noori, a 26-year-old Afghan with 2 kids, was on board the jet when she started having contractions. As the plane cruised at 33,000 feet above Kuwait, she gave birth.

The baby's name is Havva -- in English, Eve.

There have been other births during the evacuation as well.  Several other Afghan women gave birth either on a U.S. aircraft or at a U.S. military base in a foreign country.

One woman gave birth on a U.S. military plane that landed in Germany. Medics jumped on board when the plane landed and tended to her. The parents named the newborn girl Reach ... the call sign of the C-17.

According to the State Dept's Foreign Affairs Manual, "A U.S.-registered aircraft outside U.S. airspace is not considered to be part of U.S. territory," thus "a child born on such an aircraft outside U.S. airspace does not acquire U.S. citizenship by reason of the place of birth."

If a child is born over U.S. airspace, they would become a U.S. citizen.

It's unclear if a baby born on a military base in a foreign country would be eligible for U.S. citizenship.

As for planes flying to Europe ... there is generally no automatic citizenship. However, there's something called the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness ... and countries that have signed on offer citizenship in the country where the aircraft is registered.  This presents a problem for refugees ... the plane might be registered to a country that has no connection to the final destination of the aircraft.

Marine Corps Lt. Col. Disciplined After Railing on Military Brass ... For Disastrous Afghanistan Exit

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A Marine Corps lieutenant colonel was swiftly disciplined after railing on the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other military leaders for bungling the disastrous exit from Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a 17-year-veteran who has served in Afghanistan, says he knew the brass would come down on him like a hammer, but he felt it was his duty to publicly demand accountability for failing to protect the troops.

Lt. Col. Scheller was relieved of his duties after posting his video, in which he says, "People are upset because their senior leaders let them down. And, none of them are raising their hands and accepting accountability or saying, 'We messed this up.'"

The lieutenant colonel, who says he had a personal relationship with one of the fallen soldiers, says he knew his criticisms would result in a high cost to him, his family and his career, and also said he was urged by some of his fellow Marines not to say publicly what they were all feeling privately.

The Lt. Col. zeroed in on what he believes was a fatal error ... not securing the Bagram Air Base before evacuating our soldiers and Afghan allies.

The Marine brass said they disciplined Lt. Col. Scheller because they lost trust and confidence in his ability to command.

It's unclear if Lt. Col. Scheller will face further discipline.

President Biden Promises to Hunt Down ISIS Terrorists ... Prez Gets Emotional

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President Biden just delivered an unmistakable threat to terrorists responsible for the suicide bombings in Afghanistan that killed at least a dozen U.S. service members ... and he got emotional doing it.

Biden offered this not-so-subtle warning to those who carried out the attack, saying ... "We will hunt you down and make you pay."

The Prez then started to get emotional when remembering the 11 marines and 1 Navy medic killed in the explosion Thursday outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

At one point during his remarks, it looked like Biden was about to break down and cry.

As we reported ... the blast rocked the Kabul airport, where crowds of Afghans have been gathering to try and get into the airport and catch a flight out of the country.

The attack came on the heels of Biden's highly criticized decision to withdraw U.S. forces amid the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Biden's talking tough now, and promising America will not forget.

Donald Trump Booed at Alabama Rally ... After Urging Crowd to Get the Vaccine

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Donald Trump can say just about anything to his base and they will cheer ... anything, with one big exception -- urging folks to get the vaccine.

Trump was booed -- yes booed -- during a rally in Cullman, Alabama Saturday night, after urging the crowd to get the COVID shot. "I believe totally in your freedoms," he said. "I do, you gotta do what you gotta do, but I recommend taking the vaccines. I did it. It's good."  You'd think he just told them to surrender their guns, because the crowd turned on him.

"That's okay, that's alright," Trump said, pressing on. "But I happen to take the vaccine. If it doesn't work, you'll be the first to know. But it is working. You do have your freedoms, you have to maintain that."

And, there's more. Trump has bragged in the past about his "good relationship" with the Taliban.

At the rally, Trump praised the Taliban as "great negotiators" and "tough fighters." He also said, “with me in office the Taliban would not have ever dreamt of capturing our airfield or parading around with our American weapons.”

He even suggested we might send our troops back to Afghanistan ... curious, since he's the one who set the wheels in motion for the withdrawal.

Back to COVID ... Alabama has run out of ICU beds. In fact ... they're 29 beds above capacity.

Taliban Soldiers in American Gear Recreate WWII Iwo Jima Flag Shot

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The Taliban is rubbing America's nose in the mess left behind in Afghanistan -- and they're doing so with a massive troll move ... recreating an iconic war photo, for their own purposes.

A Taliban military unit that calls themselves the Badri 313 Battalion put out a ton of propaganda footage this week -- showing a bunch of these guys rocking what appears to be American uniforms and gear left behind in the chaos from the past few weeks.

They're out there patrolling the streets in fatigues that are eerily similar to what U.S. soldiers have worn in the area ... only now, the Taliban seems to have gotten ahold of it. The B313B boys also have rifles in hand, and they're also using jeeps that seem to be American too.

That's not the worst of it though -- in what appears to be a total F-U to the USA, the battalion also posted a photo of them raising a Taliban flag ... in the same style as the shot of American troops raising the U.S. flag atop Mt. Suribachi in Iwo Jima during WWII.

There doesn't seem to be a caption attached, but the message couldn't be more clear ... they see this as them claiming victory in the region, which is exactly what this pic has gone on to represent in our history. It's a slap in the face, really ... an audacious one at that.

BTW, what you're seeing here as far as artillery and weaponry and whatnot being used by the Taliban is just a taste of what's said to be part of a total estimate of about $28 billion worth of gear we'd sent to Afghan army forces dating back to the early 2000s.

Word is, anything that hasn't already been destroyed of late is now in their hands ... and there seems to be a lot that was abandoned in the ongoing mass evacuations there.

President Biden Afghan Exit? Great. Execution? Awful. Says Rep. Barbara Lee

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President Biden did right by getting the U.S. out of Afghanistan but Rep. Barbara Lee -- who was against the war from the get-go -- says there was one HUGE problem ... the execution sucked.

The Congresswoman from Oakland joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and praised 46 for getting U.S. troops out of Afghanistan because, in her words, there was "no military solution." She said adding 10,000 troops would have exacerbated the situation because it would have inevitably created another 20 futile years of military operations in the war-torn region.

That said ... Lee didn't let Biden off the hook. She took him and the administration to task over the execution. She called it "horrible" ... adding the U.S. has a moral obligation to make sure Americans, allies and journalists alike have a safe passage out of Afghanistan.

Biden told George Stephanopoulos he had no regrets over the U.S.'s chaotic exit from Afghanistan, because he said they didn't make any mistakes. Lee begs to differ ... and she's calling on U.S. troops to stick around until all appropriate personnel who want to get out ... do get out.

Biden was grilled on whether U.S. troops might stay beyond the August 31 deadline. The prez initially hedged saying it depended on the situation ... but finally relented and said he may keep troops there past the deadline until all Americans are out. He did not say the same for the Afghan allies who are at grave risk.

Lee -- the star of a documentary, 'Speaking Truth to Power,' dropping Friday -- says she doesn't feel vindicated 20 years after opposing the war on Afghanistan. She made the argument on the House floor just 3 days after the September 11 attacks ... and was the lone House member to cast a "no" vote authorizing then-President George W. Bush's actions.

Instead of feeling vindicated ... Lee says she feels sad and wants to find a way to help such a bleak situation.

President Biden No Mistakes Were Made ... in Chaotic Afghanistan Exit

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President Biden has no regrets over the U.S.'s chaotic exit from Afghanistan ... because he says they didn't make any mistakes.

The Prez told George Stephanopoulos he didn't think pulling out troops, U.S. citizens and allies from the war-torn country could have been handled any better.

When asked if any mistakes were made Biden said "no" before adding, "The idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens."

Biden, who gained wide popularity because of his empathy, did not show it when asked how he felt when he saw video of more than 600 Afghans packed into a C-17 at the Kabul airport. He did not express sorrow for them ... and that's uncharacteristic.

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WHAT ABOUT OUR AFGHAN ALLIES?

George grilled Biden on whether U.S. troops might stay beyond the August 31 deadline. Biden hedged at first, saying it "depends on where we are," but Stephanopoulos wouldn't let it go, and Biden finally said he might keep troops past that deadline to get all Americans out. He did not, however, say he would keep our troops there to get the 10's of thousands of Afghan allies out who helped us in the war effort.

It's widely believed many of these allies will be executed once the Americans leave.

Azita Ghanizada Trump & Biden to Blame for Afghanistan ... Dire Situation for Women

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Azita Ghanizada says Afghan-Americans like herself knew Donald Trump's brokered peace deal with the Taliban would "end disastrously" ... but she adds, President Biden didn't do anything to stop it from happening either.

The Kabul-born actress -- known for roles in "Complete Unknown," "Ballers" and "Magnum P.I." -- was in downtown L.A. Tuesday when she talked to us about the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan ... telling us it's a horrible situation to witness.

Like many Americans, Azita's placing the blame for the country's collapse on politicians of the past 2 decades -- from both parties -- but specifically calls out Trump for negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban in early 2020.

However, she also calls Biden's decision to hastily withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan a "stain" on his presidency ... and clearly thinks it contributed to the current crisis.

Azita's also very concerned about what this means for women's rights in Afghanistan, as the Taliban's promise to protect them is dubious at best ... and has already been contradicted by reports of a woman being executed for not wearing a burqa.

She tells us the fear is real for women in Afghanistan, as the Taliban being in control likely means women will be set back at least 20 years in society.

Finally, Azita's calling on the world to help the refugees who are trying to flee Afghanistan ... pointing out they are in a desperate situation.

This was very evident this past weekend, as hundreds of people stormed the Kabul airport to escape and even tried to cling to U.S. cargo jets as they evacuated ... and some even plummeted to their deaths.

TX Gov. Greg Abbott Tests Positive for COVID-19 ... Just Attended Packed Event

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott is now among the thousands who've recently tested positive for the coronavirus in his state, and his breakthrough case comes on the heels of him being in very close contact with a lot of people.

Abbott says he's tested daily and Tuesday was his first positive test result. According to a statement from his office ... he's receiving Regeneron's antibody treatment even though he's not experiencing symptoms, and will isolate at the Governor's Mansion and test daily.

The good news is, he's also fully vaccinated and says he's in good health. The bad news is ... just last night he attended a standing-room-only event in Collin County where, as you can see, there were no masks in sight and no social distancing.

Gov. Abbott says everyone he's been in close contact with Tuesday has been notified, but does not clarify if that includes all the people at Monday night's event. His wife has tested negative so far, but he also recently tweeted about meeting musician Jimmie Vaughan ... brother of the late legend, Stevie Ray.

The Texas governor has been under fire as cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been on the rise lately -- especially in nursing homes and cases are up even among kids.

Abbott's state, along with Florida, accounted for nearly 40 percent of the nation's new coronavirus cases last week, and he -- like FL Gov. Ron DeSantis -- has been a vocal opponent of mask mandates.

Kabul, Afghanistan Images of Women Painted Over ... As Taliban Takes Over

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The Taliban are continuing to take hold of Afghanistan, and instant changes reflecting their ideology are already cropping up in the nation's capital ... especially as it relates to women.

The so-called religious "students" and their vast discipleship are on the brink of sacking Kabul right now -- with mass evacuations underway among citizens and leaders (like Afghanistan's president, Ashraf Ghani, who's said to have fled) but also ... U.S. diplomats and other allies who are stranded at the embassy there, which is basically under siege.

Aside from the utter chaos that's descended upon the area over the past week or so -- it's becoming quite clear that with the Taliban at the helm again, which looks more and more likely by the day, their world is going to look vastly different ... and almost overnight, too.

One example of this that's manifesting this weekend is the fact that posters, billboards and advertising-like images of women in and around Kabul are starting to get painted over completely, presumably at the Taliban's behest. Check out this photo showing exactly that.

The thinking here seems to be in line with what the Taliban subscribes to -- a strict interpretation of Islamic law, which often sees women of its faith being covered up and often relegated to whatever a man has to say. One glance at this, and it would appear the Taliban wants to get the status-quo back ASAP -- unraveling 20 years of a U.S. presence there.

Of course, it's become a political nightmare on our shores -- with Republicans pointing the finger at President Biden for evacuating our troops in recent months. But, his counterpoint was ... well, this is something Trump brokered while in office, and he just followed through.

In the meantime, footage that has surfaced of what's going on on the ground level is shocking. The streets of Kabul are jam-packed with people trying to hit the airport to get outta Dodge. But they're out of luck because commercial flights have reportedly been suspended.

Instead, it looks like only military aircrafts are being used at the moment ... and there's video of people trying to board what appears to be a cargo plane of some sort -- the type that opens up in the back, normally used for transporting massive gear and equipment.

This is just a taste of the scene there, and it's gut-wrenching. Big picture ... some U.S. officials have openly warned what letting the Taliban have its run of the place might mean for national security -- AKA, potential terrorism threats that could arise from this insurgence.

Granted, these aren't necessarily the guys who carried out 9/11, per se -- that was mostly Osama bin Laden/Al Qaeda -- but nonetheless ... the concerns are still there.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Slams Anti-Maskers ... 'Screw Your Freedom!!!'

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WITH FREEDOM COMES RESPONSIBILITY

Arnold Schwarzenegger has had it up to HERE with anti-maskers ... blasting them as schmucks who have ZERO idea what freedom's really about.

The Terminator went off Wednesday after he was asked during an interview about COVID misinformation that's been spreading like the Delta variant ... wreaking havoc across the country.

Arnold spoke directly to, or at, anti-maskers saying, "Screw your freedom. Because with freedom comes obligations and responsibilities. You cannot just say, 'I have the right to X, Y and Z.' When you affect other people, that is when it gets serious."

He noted that anti-maskers have the freedom to NOT wear a mask but added ... "But you know something? You’re a schmuck for not wearing a mask."

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I'LL BE ... VACCINATED

Arnold, of course, has been a huge proponent of COVID-19 mitigations such as social distancing, wearing masks and the vaccine. Earlier this year ... he posted video of himself getting the shot at Dodger Stadium.

He also dropped some of his most famous lines while doing so ... including, "Come with me if you want to live," which is what the Model 101 Terminator told Sarah Connor.

Despite his verbal assault on anti-maskers ... Arnold said he didn't want to villainize anyone, and encouraged everyone to work together to beat the pandemic.