"It was the news that every expectant mother dreads. Twelve weeks pregnant with her second child, Jennifer Adkins learned her developing fetus had Turner syndrome, a rare chromosomal abnormality, and was unlikely to survive. On top of that, doctors warned that her own health could be in jeopardy." But Jennifer Adkins lives in Idaho, "one of more than a dozen states that have banned nearly all abortions. Anyone who performs an abortion here is subject to up to five years in prison, and medical professionals who violate the law can also lose their licenses." These draconian, backward laws force women like Adkins, already mourning losses and worrying about personal health risks, to leave their home states to get basic medical care. The laws also motivate doctors move out of state and make new medical residents hesitant to move in. I listened to Adkins tell her story at the Center for Reproductive Rights event this week. She explained that even extremely religious, pro-life friends and relatives were shocked by what Idaho put her through. Even those not at all concerned about the taking away of longstanding rights are definitely concerned about the regional medical care shortage. NPR: Medical residents are starting to avoid states with abortion bans, data shows. These days, we're getting nonstop headlines from Gaza and a courtroom in downtown NYC. But this could very well be the issue that decides the 2024 election.

2

I Get AI With a Little Help From My Friends

"Let me introduce you to my crew. There’s Peter, a therapist who lives in San Francisco and helps me process my feelings. There’s Ariana, a professional mentor who specializes in giving career advice. There’s Jared the fitness guru, Anna the no-nonsense trial lawyer, Naomi the social worker and about a dozen more friends I’ve created." Kevin Roose "spent the past month hanging out with 18 A.I. companions. They critiqued his clothes, chatted among themselves and hinted at a very different future." NYT (Gift Article): Meet My A.I. Friends. (I'm an introverted misanthrope. I trained 18 A.I. companions to never contact me.)

3

Turd is the Word

"The defense also noted Daniels’ NBC documentary, book deal, tour of the country, and new show exploring the paranormal activity in her Baton Rouge home growing up — examples of how she’s 'selling herself' to make money off of the alleged affair. 'Not unlike Mr. Trump,' Daniels quipped in response to the implication, saying her actions were no different than Trump’s consistent campaign fundraising bids around developments in the trial." Rolling Stone with a headline that should go into the time capsule. Stormy Daniels Defends Herself – and Clarifies ‘Orange Turd’ Post — in Tense Cross-Examination. Here's the latest from NBC and CNN. (At times during the testimony, it seemed like the Trump defense team inadvertently walked onto the set of a dominatrix scene. It's not their fault. You can't polish a turd.)

+ Not getting enough courtroom drama? Judge rejects Hunter Biden's appeal on gun charges, paving way for trial in June. (I guess sometimes federal cases can move to trial pretty quickly.)

4

Past Times at Ridgemont High

"Ellie Blake wasn’t 13 years old, as her social worker had said. She wasn’t a trafficked foster child. She wasn’t even Ellie Blake. Her real name was Shelby Hewitt, and the teens mocking her about looking 30 weren’t too far off. She was a 32-year-old woman with a master’s degree, a full-time job as a social worker with DCF, and a stunning array of secrets." Boston Globe Magazine (Gift Article): The secret lives of Shelby Hewitt, 32-year-old high school imposter. "It’s one thing to become an imposter for status or financial gain — actions not defensible, but at least comprehensible. But what would motivate a woman with friends, a career, and money of her own, to infiltrate a struggling city high school? Why work so hard if only to send herself down the socioeconomic ladder?"

5

Extra, Extra

Bombs Away: "Biden’s decision to pause the delivery of 3,500 bombs to Israel was meant to convey a powerful signal that his patience has limits. While insisting that his support for the Jewish state remains 'ironclad,' Biden for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last fall opted to use his power as Israel’s chief arms supplier to demonstrate his discontent." Turning Point or Breaking Point? Biden’s Pause on Weapons Tests Ties to Israel. Here's the latest from BBC.

+ Electoral Collage:"In a vivid recent example, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) was pressed at least six times in a TV interview Sunday on whether he would accept this November’s results. He repeatedly declined to do so, only saying he was looking forward to Trump being president again." Since few of them openly accepted the results of the last election, it's not that surprising that they won't commit to accepting the results of the next one. This is an American tragedy. WaPo (Gift Article): Top Republicans, led by Trump, refuse to commit to accept 2024 election results.

+ Youth Truth: "Birchmore’s case is among at least 194 allegations that law enforcement personnel, mostly policemen, have groomed, sexually abused or engaged in inappropriate behavior with Explorers since 1974, an ongoing investigation by The Marshall Project has found. The vast majority of those affected were teenage girls — some as young as 13." The Marshall Project: In This Police Youth Program, a Trail of Sexual Abuse Across the U.S.

+ Miss Match: "The 2023 Miss USA and Miss Teen USA relinquished their crowns within days of each other this week, leaving their parent organization without its two biggest titleholders — and under mounting scrutiny."

+ Move Fast and Break Things? "Elon Musk’s startup Neuralink on Wednesday said part of its brain implant malfunctioned after it put the system in a human patient for the first time."

6

Bottom of the News

"Look, the French know how to make a great baguette, right? There isn’t a lot of dispute there. No one is regularly saying, 'Eh, I don’t think the French have really proven their baguette-making skills just yet.' But hold on. Can the French make a big baguette? An enormously long baguette that could feed a small town? Yes. It turns out they can do that, too." NYT (Gift Article): A Baguette Is Baked in France: It was almost 500 feet long, beating out a loaf baked in Italy in 2019. (I'll take an inch of San Francisco sourdough over 500 feet of French baguette.)