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| Sen. Jeff Flake - Photo: Gage Skidmore |
— Fusion (@Fusion) April 14, 2017
This 16-year-old flawlessly schooled Republican Sen. Jeff Flake: pic.twitter.com/pFaTRQUQpb
A Harris County grand jury investigating allegations that a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston illegally sold the tissue of aborted fetuses has cleared the organization of wrongdoing and instead indicted two anti-abortion activists behind the undercover videos that sparked the probe.
Secret videographers David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt were both indicted on charges of tampering with a governmental record, a second-degree felony that carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison. Daleiden received an additional misdemeanor indictment under the law prohibiting the purchase and sale of human organs.
In a court appearance to determine formal charges, accused Planned Parenthood gunman Robert Dear reportedly announced his guilt–and strongly hinted at a motive. “I am guilty. There will be no trial. I am a warrior for the babies,” Dear reportedly exclaimed before the charges were read.
Reporter Rick Sallinger with our partners at KCNC left the courtroom early to report the outburst, which is how 11 News obtained this information. Our reporters remain in the courtroom, where phones and laptops are not allowed.
Sallinger also reports that that Dear is refusing to meet with attorney after Wednesday, and stated, “This is my life.” If convicted, Dear could face a minimum sentence of life on prison or a maximum sentence of death. The DA’s office has several weeks to decide whether to seek the death penalty or not.
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| Sen. Susan Collins from Maine |
Collins led the charge on Senate floor Thursday announcing that defunding Planned Parenthood could lead to "the closure of several hundred clinics across the country, depriving millions of women of the health care provider of their choice."
Collins amendment was to strike language in the Senate's budget reconciliation bill, which redirected money from Planned Parenthoods to other community health clinics. Republican leaders included the defund language as a statement against Planned Parenthood, which sting videos alleged was selling fetal tissue.
Planned Parenthood has denied those accusations.
The last thing Americans should have to do, over the holidays or any day, is comfort the families of people killed by gun violence — people who woke up in the morning and bid their loved ones goodbye with no idea it would be for the last time.
And yet, two days after Thanksgiving, that’s what we are forced to do again.
We don’t yet know what this particular gunman’s so-called motive was for shooting twelve people, or for terrorizing an entire community, when he opened fire with an assault weapon and took hostages at a Planned Parenthood center in Colorado. What we do know is that he killed a cop in the line of duty, along with two of the citizens that police officer was trying to protect. We know that law enforcement saved lives, as so many of them do every day, all across America. And we know that more Americans and their families had fear forced upon them.
This is not normal. We can’t let it become normal. If we truly care about this — if we’re going to offer up our thoughts and prayers again, for God knows how many times, with a truly clean conscience — then we have to do something about the easy accessibility of weapons of war on our streets to people who have no business wielding them. Period. Enough is enough.
May God bless Officer Garrett Swasey and the Americans he tried to save — and may He grant the rest of us the courage to do the same thing.
BREAKING: Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting suspect now in custody, mayor says - @Clayton_Sandell
— ABC News (@ABC) November 28, 2015Police officers injured in a shooting in Colorado Springs, local media report https://t.co/QsPCtPrGUj pic.twitter.com/A3i4tmnFkC— CNN (@CNN) November 27, 2015Man says sister inside Planned Parenthood clinic was hiding under table, could talk only briefly: https://t.co/57H9v2T3uq
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) November 27, 2015The Latest: Witness says up to 20 shots fired near Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic: https://t.co/kx3Y7Ag1Nr
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 27, 2015UPDATING: 3 police injured in shooting near Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood; situation is still active https://t.co/xHx49oh9PJ
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) November 27, 2015Telling Republican the TRUTH About Planned ParenthoodThis is AMAZING. The ending is the best part.The congressman is Luis Gutierrez. Video by Occupy Democrats, LIKE our page for more!
Posted by Occupy Democrats on Friday, October 9, 2015
Chris Hayes explains how that misleading graph Rep. Jason Chaffetz showed at today's Planned Parenthood hearing SHOULD look
Posted by All In with Chris Hayes on Tuesday, September 29, 2015
“I come to the Senate floor today to ask my Republican colleagues a question,” she began. “Do you have any idea what year it is? Did you fall down, hit your head, and think you woke up in the 1950s? Or the 1890s? Should we call for a doctor?”
“Because I simply cannot believe that in the year 2015, the United States Senate would be spending its time trying to defund women’s healthcare centers. On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. The Republicans have had a plan for years to strip away women’s rights to make choices over our own bodies.”
“Just to be clear,” Warren continued, “even though the abortions performed at Planned Parenthood are safe and legal, the federal government is not paying for any of them. Not — one — dime.”
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked a vote to defund Planned Parenthood's Killing Fields. That sort of emasculated, chicken-hearted leadership is why Donald Trump is surging in the polls. Americans want leaders with man-parts big enough to do the right thing."
