Alabama Outlaws Abortions, Do You Feel That's Best?

Alabama passes bill that would make almost all abortions illegal; House Dems target Trump lawyers


Alabama looks to outlaw nearly all abortions
Alabama’s state Senate passed a controversial bill on Tuesday that would outlaw nearly all abortions in the state and make performing one a felony unless the mother’s health is at risk. The bill will make the punishment for performing abortions up to 99 years or life in prison, although the woman who undergoes the procedure would not be subject to a felony charge. Democratic lawmakers pressed for amendments that would creation exceptions for instances of rape and incest but failed. The vote is expected to reignite a debate over Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion across the nation, and push Supreme Court justices to re-evaluate the laws. Meanwhile, a government report being released Wednesday says the nation's birth rates for women in their teens and 20s reached record laws last year, leading to the fewest babies in 32 years.

House Democrats investigating Trump's lawyers for possible obstruction
President Trump's legal team slammed House Democrats on Tuesday evening after a report that the House Intelligence Committee has been investigating possible obstruction by Trump's lawyers after the 2016 election. “Instead of addressing important intelligence needs, the House Intelligence Committee appears to seek a truly needless dispute,” Patrick Strawbridge, who represents attorney Jay Sekulow, told Fox News. The statement came in response to a New York Times article published Tuesday that said the committee, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., “is investigating whether lawyers tied to President Trump and his family helped obstruct the panel’s inquiry into Russian election interference by shaping false testimony.”

Biden has some other 2020 Dems hitting reset button
With Joe Biden surging to double-digit leads in polls as the frontrunner to face President Trump in 2020, some Democratic candidates are already reinventing their strategies and reintroducing themselves to the media. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, generated buzz by slamming former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and mocking the Clintons during her appearance Monday on the podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience." Once-leading contenders like Beto O'Rourke and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., , whose momentum was sapped by South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and then by Biden, have conducted a string of new interviews and plan town hall events over the next few weeks. Harris was interviewed by CNN's Jake Tapper last weekend and will appear on MSNBC on May 28. O'Rourke has been interviewed by Rachel Maddow and on "The View" this week and will be featured in a CNN town hall on May 21. Buttigieg will be on a Fox News town hall next Sunday, May 19. Still, as "Media Buzz" host Howard Kurtz noted in his column, "When you're relaunching, you're losing."

Freshman Dem 'sisters' stick together, vow not to be silenced
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., defended her colleague, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., from criticism over controversial remarks about the Holocaust, insisting that the backlash is "designed" to "silence" Muslim voices. Appearing on MSNBC, Omar said that she and Tlaib, whom she referred to as "my sister," have the "strength to endure any of the mischaracterization or efforts to distort and vilify and mischaracterize" their message. "I think we are seeing what happens when people really see these kind of attacks for what they are. It is designed to silence, sideline, and sort of almost eliminate [the] public voice of Muslims from the public discourse," Omar told MSNBC host Chris Hayes.

Duke star NOLA-bound?
The New Orleans Pelicans won the NBA Draft lottery Tuesday night, and with it, the likely right to select Duke superstar Zion Williamson in next month's NBA Draft. The Memphis Grizzlies received the second...