WOMEN’S RIGHTS
Courts block anti-choice laws in several states: “Although the Texas abortion law has not yet been challenged judicially, similar legislation from other states has — and the outcomes are reassuring. According to Bloomberg, eight laws have been temporarily or permanently blocked by the courts.
“The courts are playing Whack-A-Mole with state legislatures that restrict abortion, and women are winning. None of the restrictions that have been challenged in courts have succeeded.” — Burnt Orange Report 8/22/13
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GLBT RIGHTS
How Russia’s anti-gay law could affect the 2014 Olympics: “Gay rights activists have called for boycotts, protests, and even moving the Winter Games in response to the new legislation.”
” … [T]he 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, have been the source of international outrage for some time now. But when Russia’s Interior Ministry announced last week that the country’s so-called anti-gay law—which allows for fining and detaining gay and pro-gay people—would apply during the Games, gay rights and human rights activists around the world turned their focus to the small city on the coast of the Black Sea …
“We put together this backgrounder to help catch you up to speed on all things Sochi:” — Mother Jones 8/16/13
Police Detain Gay Rights Activist Russia 2013
Russian president outlaws all protests at Sochi Olympics: “Russia has officially outlawed all forms of protest for more than two months around the 2014 Winter Olympics, which begin in less than six months in Sochi. President Vladimir Putin signed an official decree, published in the official government newspaper, that will ban all “gatherings, rallies, demonstrations, marches, and pickets” that aren’t a part of Olympic ceremonies from January 7, a month before the Olympics begin, until March 21, a month and a half after they end.
“The protest ban’s most obvious effect will be to silence criticism on the Russian anti-gay law that bans “homosexual propaganda.” The law sparked a rash of criticism from world leaders …” — Think Progress 8/23/13
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CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Twitter Inc. forms political action committee, registers to
lobby: “A social-networking company is increasing its outreach to federal legislators and regulators and going beyond its messages of 140 characters.
“Twitter Inc. has registered to lobby the executive and legislative branches in areas of copyright/patent/trademarks, consumers, foreign relations and telecommunications. Specifically, they will lobby on issues related to patent reform, privacy, Internet freedom and net neutrality. Their lobbyist will be Republican William Carty, Twitter’s manager of public policy. Carty was former policy director on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and former senior policy counselor on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
“Twitter Inc. also announced that it was setting up a federal political action committee, Twitter#PAC, with the Federal Election Commission.” — Roll Call 8/10/13
AT RANDOM 