#the more mike falls out of his position as the heart the more he explicitly parallels his father. their matching triangle pockets at the end | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

asteriismos · 4 years

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Beautiful - Stanley Uris

Warning(s) : self conscious reader, eighteen! losers club, smut

Authors Note: I did this more of in a third person style, I was reading fics on ao3 and I got inspired and decided to try it out. Is this good? I am not sure

Request :

can you do a smut with Stanley where you're self-conscious about ur body but Stan wants to make you feel better by just praising you and how good you look 🥺🥺 I'm so soft for Stan 🥺🥺

Stanley Uris stood idly against the kitchen counter of Y/N’s home, watching as she cut up a red apple on the cutting board next to him. The window to their left was open, the light it let in illuminated the room with the golden setting sun. It was Saturday, a typical day where the losers would all go to the Quarry to swim or go to one of their houses and just hang around. Summers in Derry were always absolutely gorgeous, the rays of sunlight never let up until around nine at night, and the warm breeze offered solace to the people who were outside. Children rode their bikes all over, much like their group used to do before they grew up and got cars.

After ruining his own Bar Mitzvah a few years prior, his father neglected to give Stanley the money to get his own car. His mother, however adamant, was not able to convince the stern rabbi either, so Stan was one of the only people in the group without a car. Bill was the first one, fixing up a red beamer with his father around sophomore year, and for a while, that was the car Stan would drive around when his best friend let him. The only two other people who didn’t have a car were Eddie ( who’s mother swore would get him into a wreck ) and Beverly ( for obvious reasons surrounding her father’s neglect and abuse ).

He didn’t mind it much, to be honest. Yes, it would be nice to have a car to drive around and get places faster, but at the end of the day, riding his bike and feeling the wind in his hair was good enough for him.

“Here,” Y/N spoke to him, pushing the apple slices she put onto a plate towards him, snapping him out of his thoughts momentarily to look at her and smile as a thank you.

Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, some of the tips still wet from the group’s dive into the quarry. They both had come back to her house to hang out before Stan had to go back home for dinner.

Y/N and Stanley have been in a relationship for a few years now, ever since Stanley asked her to homecoming their freshman year of high school. In all honesty, he wasn't going to do it at first, because Stan didn’t want to make things complicated. He had liked Y/N for a long time, ever since Bill Denbrough introduced her to their group because she was in Bill’s biology class. The stuttering boy thought that she would be a good addition to the club, since she had just moved to Derry and didn’t have any friends yet. Bill was always the welcoming type, and she was not just going to turn down the chance of having not just one, but seven new friends. She got really close with Mike despite the fact that he’s homeschooled.

Richie had been the one to dare Stanley to ask her to the dance. Well, it wasn't really a thing that was out of the blue. Stan had made the mistake of talking about it with Richie, and Richie being Richie, he wasn't just going to let it go. He dared Stan to do it, which wasn’t that out of the ordinary because Richie would do this sort of thing all the time to him, tease him for being too chicken to do most things. Come on Stan the man! Grow a pair!

And so he did. It was a little bit awkward considering Y/N was still taller than him in freshman year and he hadn’t quite grown into his lanky body and hadn't figured out how to style his curly hair. And he was stuttering and going over his words so much that you could’ve mistaken him for Bill. She thought that it was cute and sweet, so of course she had said yes.

The rest was history.

As life went on and the kids grew older into mature teenagers, there still wasn't much that had changed with them personality wise. Deep down, all of them felt as if they were those scrawny fourteen year olds that used to ride their bikes around town and throw rocks into the house on neibolt streets windows for fun. The boys eventually grew taller than Y/N and Beverly, much to their dismay of course. Richie’s glasses now fit his face correctly, Bill went to speech therapy and got his stutter corrected, and Eddie didn’t use his inhaler anymore.

They were all grown up.

It was sad to think that in just a month they would be saying bye to Derry, the place that they had grown up in for so many years. Y/N was new, only been here for five, and yet she still felt like she was losing a piece of her. She didn’t want to leave, graduation had been hard enough. The last day of school when the entire senior class were throwing all their papers off the roof of the high school in celebration, the losers instead roamed the halls of the empty school, reminiscing in the memories they had made. The biology classroom Y/N first made friends with Bill, the corner under the stairs where the group would sit during free period and study in silence, the library where each of them have shared a cry in one too many times after a failed quiz or test. It was hard to say goodbye. Each of them had a piece of themselves somewhere in Derry. Even Richie did, even though he insisted that he hated this town.

The group were adamant about hanging out every single day, since it would be their last summer here, even if it wasn't a full one. Everyone tried to stay light and happy, but as the days passed and the weeks started to add up, things were getting more and more solemn.

“Do you think we’re all going to stay friends?” Stanley asked Y/N, biting into an apple slice and looking up at her. “Like when we’re in college?”

It wasn’t the first time that he’d asked such a thing, just this time it was only to her. He had asked it that summer with Pennywise, in the club house with all of his friends except for Y/N. She came the school year right after that summer, meaning she didn't have to experience any of the horrors that came with that summer that still haunted Stan to this day. All of them said that they would stay friends no matter what and he wanted to believe that so badly, but he couldn’t help but think about the fact that they were all going to such different places, would they stay friends?

Y/N didn’t quite know how to answer his question. Stanley always managed to ask her questions she had to think about thoroughly, he seemed to always have some sort of wandering mind filled with thoughts beyond his capability of even answering himself. He was in the smart classes in school and wanted to go to college for math and psychology, which sounded typical for Stan, two polar opposite things that he has somehow brought into one. She answered after a passing minute.

“I’d like to think that we all would.”

It wasn't exactly the answer that he was looking for, but then again, he wasn't sure what he would've liked to hear. Stan understood the uncertainty in her voice. The future was unknown to all of them, and the unknown was scary.

The boy nodded, curls falling into his face. He brushed them away, glancing over at the time on the clock programmed onto her kitchen stove. It was almost five, he would need to get going soon, no matter how much he didn’t want to. He wanted to keep spending all the time he could with Y/N, hell, he wanted to spend his entire life with her. It was no secret that Stanley was absolutely, disastrously in love with Y/N, everyone knew. Even if you didn't explicitly know that they were in a relationship, just the way that he looked at her would be a dead giveaway. He looked at her like she was the one who controlled the sun and the stars, spinning his entire world around and around into one web filled with love. He would walk to the end of the world for her if she wanted to do. And she felt the same way about him, if not even more. She would lose herself to him.

He turned towards her and extended his arms outward, pulling her into his embrace. They sat there together like this for a while, listening to each others steady breathing and relishing in the idea of each other. Stanley couldnt help but marvel at her beauty, his eyes flicking down to stare that the part of her face he could see from the position they were in. As strands of hair fell from outside the bun and onto her face, tickling he forehead softly. Her eyelashes, which batted every time she blinked, were so long that he thought of them as flower petals upon her face.

She didn’t know how beautiful he thought she was. He knew that for certain. Every time he would mention something about her appearance she would blush and tell him that she wasn't that attractive. And it tore Stanley Uris to pieces, seeing her beat herself up about the fact that she didn’t look like the other girls that have been propped up as what a beautiful woman had to look like. No matter how many times he would hold her by the face and repeat you are beautiful over and over again, she still would have doubts. Stanley wanted to show her how beautiful she truly was, to make her feel all the love that he had for her.

His hands came to her hips and spun her around so they were looking at each other. Her warm eyes peered into his own, feigning a soft smile and giggling at the sudden action. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his soft hair on her fingertips, playing with a few of the strands. She did really love his hair, and in the light of the dropping sun, the brown curly strands almost appeared to be golden. The freckles that peppered his face here and there moved with his own smile. That sight alone was breathtaking for the young girl, making her heart almost melt on the spot.

Stanley raised an eyebrow almost as a question, his face leaning towards hers. She raised herself up on her tip toes and attached their lips together, closing the gap between both of them as their arms brought each other closer and closer. It was easy to get lost in the moment for each of them, the intoxication of love is enough to make them play into their infatuations with each other. The kiss was small, pulling away after a few seconds. They stayed close, feeling each other’s hot breath on their faces. Stanley’s eyes flicked down to her lips back to her eyes. “You’re gorgeous,” He whispered to her, his grip tightening ever so slightly on her hips.

And then there was that look again on her face, the same one that she made every single time he complimented her. It wasn’t of offense, she thought that it was so sweet that he used words like this, it was just that she didn’t feel the same way about herself. Y/N didn’t think that she was the most beautiful in Derry, there were many other better, more beautiful women here. And yet Stanley Uris picked her. She was flattered, though it never stopped the insecure thoughts she had.

“Thank you, Stan but-”

“Don’t deny it,” Stanley interjected her, pulling his hand up and putting it across her mouth. Her eyes widened, breathing getting heavier. Her heart started to beat in her chest rapidly, feeling a blush coming up to her cheeks. “You’re way to hard on yourself, Y/N.” Stan kissed her reddening cheeks, then removed his hand and kissed her lips. This kiss was different from the previous one. This one was more passionate and feverish, which is when she realized what would probably occur if they kept kissing this way.

They’ve had sex before, a few times actually, starting around junior year last year. With both of them being virgins, they lost their virginities to each other over winter break when they were opening up presents together. Even though his family didn’t celebrate Christmas, he still insisted on giving his friends gifts, and then an extra special one for Y/N. It was a necklace that had their initials engraved on the back of it, and she knew that it must’ve cost a fortune. How did you even get this? There’s no jewelry stores in Derry? She had asked him. I went with Bill to the next town over a week ago. He replied. Y/N had yet to take it off. One thing led to each other and they were all over each other.

His lips left her own and began to trail down her neck, stopping every once a while to bite on the extra sensitive spots he knew she had. A soft mewling noise left her mouth, her eyes closing and leaning into his touch. The noises she made during their intimate affairs never failed to turn Stanley on, no matter how slight they were. Just the fact that he was the one making her that way was enough to get the dirty fantasies starting in his head.

Stanley allowed his hands to fall down her sides, fingers fiddling with the edge of the t shirt she wore. His fingertips grazed the soft skin underneath for just a second and her breath hitched in her throat, her hand reaching for his head and pulling him up so he was once again looking at her in the eyes. Her lips parted, asking, “Aren’t you supposed to be getting home soon?” She wasn't look for an excuse not to have sex, she wouldn’t ever pass up the opportunity, but Y/N didn’t want Mrs. Uris to worry about her son who was supposed to come home soon.

“I’ll be okay. I just want to make you feel good,” Stan whispered, his head ducking down and kissing her neck again. Y/N allowed herself to relax into his touch, feeling the tension in her shoulders begin to dissipate with every kiss, nibble, and lick he put on her skin. The shirt that he had once been playing with was now off of her revealing her bare chest, dropping to the floor. They went back to kissing again, Stanley’s arms held her up by her thighs and helped her to sit on the counter. Her legs wrapped around his waist and his shirt was thrown off as well.

He pulled for a moment and admired her, seeing the slight red marks he made on her skin, wanting - no, craving to make more on her bare breasts. And he did just that, kissing the dip in between her breasts and using one of his hands to play with one of them. His touches were so gentle, like he planned each and every single one with expertise to get just the right reaction out of her. It wasn’t the first time that he had seen her, all of her, before but it felt that way each time. He would never be able to explain in words the feeling he got when she was exposed to him.

She was trying her best to kick off her jean shorts, pulling down the zipper herself while he continued kissing her body. Sliding them down her legs and kicking them away, Stan put his hand once again on her waist. He swears that he could compare her body to the ancient statues of goddesses in Greece, the curves and dips resembled chiseled stone, almost taking his breath away. “You’re so beautiful, baby,” he muttered, his lips kissing along her chest and stomach, not missing an inch of skin with his lips.

They didn’t have much time, considering his need to get home, so he was quick to slide his hand into her underwear, his thumb brushing over where she needed him most. Her hips bucked into his hand, her hands pulling on his hair, his name falling out of her lips like a mantra. The way that she wanted him was something she has never felt with another person, Stanley was able to always take her to that state of arousal she couldn't achieve with herself. Two of his fingers finally slipped into her, curling slightly as they pumped in and out at an agonizingly slow pace.

Y/N thought that if he went any slower she would die, but she knew that he was simply doing this to get a rouse out of her. Which was the truth, Stanley liked to tease her sometimes. Her hand came down and wrapped around his wrist, trying her best to get him to go faster. Stan couldn’t help but chuckle out, his lips coming up to meet hers again.

The newly established pace along with his thumb still pressing on her bundle of nerves was already making her get closer and closer to her releasing. She was slightly sheepish at how easy he was making her come undone, but it just added onto the charm that Stanley had. He could be terribly sweet and incredibly sexy at the same time. And she knew that if he kept doing this that she would reach her high before she wanted to, she wanted to orgasm when he was inside her.

“Stanley, I want you inside me now,” Y/N was able to make out, his hand immediately stopping and pulling away from her. She didn't have to open her eyes to know that he was pulling off his jeans and boxers as fast as humanly possible, her own hands pushed down her soaking underwear.

He pressed himself against her, his tip already slick with her arousal. “You’re so wet for me,” He muttered. “So ready.”

And then he slid inside her, both of their moans filling up the entire room. His hips jerked up, a large smack was heard as their hips hit together. Y/N tried to adjust as best as she could as he started his pace slow. Her hands reached for his face and kissed him, moaning into his mouth whenever he buried himself inside of her. The pace quickened, their skin glistening with sweat. Y/N looked so natural and beautiful that he couldn’t control the groans that left his mouth. His hand reached down in between them and started playing with her clit, her moans getting higher and more frequent. He could get off of her moans just as they were, he was sure of that. They sounded borderline pornographic, perfect coming from her pretty pink lips.

“You take me so well, princess.”

Y/N spread her legs even wider than previously, feeling him be able to get even deeper inside of her. The constant hitting of that one spot in her making her go crazy with lust. She couldn’t think, hell, she didn’t know if she was even breathing anymore. The only thing in her mind was Stanley’s name, repeating like it was the only thing that she could say or think.

Stan himself was starting to feel his high form, the constant moaning from her in his ear along with how tight she is was making him get closer and closer. He could tell that Y/N was almost there as well, her head was thrown back in pure ecstasy from the pleasure that he was receiving. So he put his lips to her ear, and whispered in probably the deepest, most lustful voice that she thinks she’s ever heard before, “Come for me.”

That was enough to do it, and soon enough Y/N was coming undone right on top of her kitchen counter. His pace didn’t stop, it was relentless as he tried to chase after his high, finally achieving it with her. They road it out together, their moans synching together like they were one. His hips began to falter, becoming more erratic until he stopped, stilling inside her and keeping his gaze on the beautiful woman in front of him.

And Y/N could see it, the way that he looked at her. He could see the love that he harbored for her as if he was waving a sign. “I love you, Stanley,” She told him.

“I love you too, Y/N,” He said, pulling out of her and kissing her softly. “And you are the most gorgeous person I’ve ever met in my entire life, don’t ever forget that, please.”

Y/N knew that she wouldn't.

#stanley uris #stanley uris x reader #stanley uris imagine #stanley uris smut #eddie kaspbrak #richie tozier #bill denbrough #beverly marsh #mike hanlon #ben hanscom #IT movie #it movie imagine #it movie 2017 #it movie x reader #it movie 2019

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grapesodatozier · 4 years

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I Knew You’d Haunt All of My What-Ifs

madwheeler pining!! max is drunk and calls mike to drive her home. title from cardigan by taylor swift (yes it came out 17 hours ago and i have already named a fic after it lmao)

rating: teen and up

tags: underage drinking, almost confessions, high school, modern au, pining

words: 2,247

read on ao3 or below!!

The room only spun a little as Max washed her hands. Mostly it was a pleasant, fluid, buzzing feeling. It was warm and she grinned to herself as she swayed a bit. Parties were fun, but there was something about being drunk in a stranger’s bathroom that made her giggle. It was just fun, and it was the point when she realized how truly far gone she was.

Once out, she quickly found her friends in the throng of people in the crowded house. They were friends she’d made in class and known for a few years, and they were getting a few parties in before they went their separate ways for college. Max really liked them, but she had her doubts about how well the relationships would hold up after college. The only people she was really sure she’d always be friends with were the other party members. Still, she liked these girls, they were nice and funny and went to parties that her closest friends were too shy to go to, so she wanted to make sure she got some time in with them now.

“Max,” one of them, Katie, said, “I think we’re gonna head out now, do you have a way to get home?”

Shit. No, that had slipped Max’s mind. She knew if she asked that the other girls would walk her home, but they all lived on the complete other side of town, and she didn’t want to triple their walk. “Yeah, my friend’s picking me up,” she lied. “I’ll see you soon?” And then they were all hugging her goodbye and disappearing.

Max sighed and waited a bit before heading outside. She may have been better than the rest of the party at socializing, but she would never be a mingler, and most of the people at this party she hoped to never see again. So she walked to the curb and sat at the edge of the property, grateful for the fresh air that filled her lungs and cooled her heated cheeks. She pulled out her phone; it was nearly one in the morning. She knew that in the grand scheme of things, any of her friends would be happy to help her out—a party member requires assistance, yada yada, sweet nerd sentiments. Still, she felt bad calling so late. So she wasn’t quite sure why she was calling the person who would express that annoyance most freely, but the phone was already ringing.

“Max?” Mike’s confused voice came through on the second or third ring. He sounded so cute. As much as sober Max would never admit it, she really did love Mike’s voice. Even when he was whining he sounded kind of adorable, especially when it was over something small.

“Heyyy,” Max drawled, giggling a bit. Okay, so maybe she was a little drunker than she had thought.

“Oh my god, are you drunk?” Mike asked, exasperated.

“Maybe a little.”

She could hear Mike sigh. “And you’re drunk calling me why?”

Max’s heart was racing now. She shouldn’t be asking this, but it was too late, and the thought of seeing Mike, of being alone with him this late at night had too strong a pull for her drunk self to resist. “I kind of need a ride home. If you’re up, that is, if you’re in bed it’s fine, don’t worry about it.” As her cheeks heated up, she began to ramble: “Honestly, actually, I should just walk, it’s not that far—”

“Where are you?” Mike cut her off. Max leaned over and found the green street sign, reading off the name. “Max, that’s like a forty minute walk from your house, you’re not doing that by yourself at night while drunk. I’ll be there in like five or ten minutes, okay? Just stay there.”

“Okay,” Max said. She figured she wasn’t in any position to tell him not to tell her what to do, and she found that she didn’t want to.

She lay back when she heard him hang up, staring up at the stars to pass time. It made her smile to remember what Mike had said, that he wasn’t willing to let her walk home by herself. She knew that he cared about her, but hearing him make it so explicitly clear had her blushing and grinning up at the stars like a middle schooler.

The time became liquid as she thought about Mike while absently tearing at the grass beneath her. She began to worry that he would be mad at her. But when his car rolled to a stop beside her, he was climbing out of it immediately, calling her name as he rushed to her side. “Max? Max, oh my god, are you okay?”

Max giggled as she smiled up at him, still lying in the grass. “I’m super,” she grinned. The world spun as she sat up, and she had to lean into Mike to not fall over again. His t-shirt was thin and soft under her fingers, and she could feel how warm his skin was under the fabric. It made her head swim, the thought of touching his chest, running her fingers over his skin, feeling his heartbeat under her palm. Her eyes focused on his neck as she caught her bearings again, then looked up into his eyes. The deep brown seemed to glow gold under the streetlight.

“You almost gave me a fucking heart attack!” Though his voice was chiding, he was incredibly gentle with her as he helped her up. Max smiled when she noticed the blue plaid pajama pants he had on. God, he was cute. “Don’t fucking lie on your back when you’re drunk, you could choke on your own vomit! I thought you were dead or passed out or something!”

“Aw, were you worried about me?” Max sing songed as she walked around to the passenger side. She tried to make it teasing, but the vodka softened it, revealing how touched she was by it. Blushing, she hastily climbed into the passenger seat to escape the look Mike was giving her.

“Of course I was worried about you,” he said as he got into the car beside her. His voice was exasperated, but much softer than it had been. Max busied herself with putting on her seatbelt so she wouldn’t have to look at him.

“Thank you for coming to get me,” she whispered as Mike started the car. “I’m sorry I made you come out.”

She shouldn’t have been, but she was surprised to hear Mike say, “Don’t be. I’m glad you called me.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course! I don’t know what kind of friends you hang out with that would leave you at a party, but I’m glad you know I’m there for you even if they’re not.”

“It was my fault,” Max explained, “I didn’t wanna make them walk me home and then walk all the way back, so I told them I had a ride.”

“They should’ve stayed with you. What if some creep had found you alone? What if you were drunker than they realized and went running off somewhere and got in trouble?”

Max was taken aback by the venom in Mike’s voice. Sure, she knew how protective he was—hell, it was pretty much his biggest defining trait—but he’d never directed it so fiercely at her. He chided her for taking turns too sharply, or being careless on her skateboard, but it was never with more than a shake of his head. But now she could see his fingers gripping the steering wheel just a little harder than he needed to. Now other people had been careless with Max, and apparently that made a world of difference for Mike. The realization made Max glow.

She looked at his face. He was watching the road. It was dark in the car, but she could make out his profile, illuminated by the street lamps and moonlight and the glows that came from the houses around them. His hair looked fluffier than usual, a little messy, and the fuzzy, liquid warmth that encompassed Max drove her to run her fingers through it.

“Max!” Mike swatted at her, but he was laughing. “Stop it, I’m driving!”

“But it’s so soft!” Max giggled, resting her hand on Mike’s shoulder. God, Mike was cute. Why was he so cute? Why did he have to have such soft hair and such a nice voice? “So is your shirt,” she added, playing with the material between her fingers. She shivered as her knuckles brushed against the warm, soft skin of Mike’s neck.

“Wow, you are drunk,” Mike grinned. There was a light blush in his cheeks that made Max want to kiss them. Luckily, she still had some self restraint.

She didn’t want this moment to end. She so rarely got moments alone with Mike; she never knew how to ask for them. And now here they were, alone in a car on the deserted streets of their suburban town, college looming over them. She’d be in California soon, and while the warmth and the waves were a welcome future, she couldn’t help but mourn all of the memories she had here, all of the moves she’d never made. All of the maybes she’d never chased.

“Mike?” she said softly, her hand still on his shoulder.

He must’ve sensed the shift in the mood, as he was just as quiet as he gave a small, “Yeah?”

“You know I love you, right?” The words came spilling out. Not a confession, not the whole one, but nothing sober Max could ever find the words or the courage or the moment to say. “Like, I know I give you a hard time, but I love you. You’re a really good friend.”

Mike smiled the bashful smile that made Max’s heart flutter; he smiled like he’d never gotten a compliment before, like he couldn’t believe it. “You’re a good friend, too.” He didn’t say it back. It made Max sad for a moment, but she understood. Neither of them were good at explicit iloveyous, and he was sober. He was telling her he loved her by driving her home. Max understood the way he worked by now, so she was more than happy with what she got, really. But the melancholy, the time ticking down, it still weighed on her.

“Will you still be my friend after college?” Max didn’t mean for her voice to be so watery, she really didn’t, and she wasn’t crying, but maybe her lower lip was shaking a little.

For the first time since he’d started the car, Mike turned to look at her. He had the sweet little furrow between his brows, a calculating look in his eyes. Concern. He was looking at her and he cared, and Max wanted to melt into that feeling and stay there for as long as she could. “Of course we’ll still be friends,” he said. Max loved that passion that was in his voice, she loved hearing Mike talk about stuff he cared about, stuff he really meant. He had such a fire that stoked Max’s, and she liked to think she knew how to get him riled up as well. But that wasn’t what she wanted right now. What she wanted—well, what she wanted the vodka gave her. She leaned over the center console to rest her head on Mike’s shoulder. “Max, I’m driving,” he said, but it was half hearted this time, his voice soft, and he didn’t make her move. He took his turns gently, let her rest. Max closed her eyes and let it sink in: the way he smelled like laundry detergent; how warm and soft he was; the car vibrating softly around them. She tried not to kick herself for not seeking this out sooner.

Far too soon for her liking, they rolled up to her house. She sat up with a sigh, but she didn’t pull away. She didn’t look at Mike either. She just. Stayed for a moment before shifting back a bit to look at Mike. He looked so beautiful, even if it was dark in his car. She could see his eyes roaming over her face. The air was still, the houses all dark, no one on the street. It was like they were the only two people in the world.

“Thanks for driving me home.” Her voice sounded all too loud as it broke the silence between them.

“Of course.” Mike surprised her by running his thumb lightly over her hand. God, Max wanted to know what his fingers would feel like laced between her own. “Text me in the morning to let me know you’re alive, okay?” he asked with a smile. Max rolled her eyes but grinned back at him.

“As long as I’m not dead.”

They stayed still another moment, Mike’s hand still just barely on hers. Leaning into the warm liquid courage, Max leaned forward and kissed Mike’s cheek, quick and panicked. Then she was saying goodnight and climbing out of his car, rushing inside. From her living room, she watched his car linger for a moment before pulling away. And as she brushed her teeth, and changed into her pajamas, and fell into bed, and lay awake, the whole time she felt the downy soft feeling of Mike’s skin tingling on her lips, the warmth of his blush spreading through her chest.

#madwheeler #alcohol mention #tw alcohol

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happytreasure · 6 years

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yo it’s me continuing preggers Eddie. “you do know you’re gonna have to tell him eventually.” beverly says as she glances at a clearly stressed Eddie. “Well technically he doesn’t have to, he’ll figure it out when the baby comes out with the same god for saken hair and bucked teeth.” Bill counters as he throws popcorn into Mike’s awaiting mouth. Eddie turns and glares at them and if looks could kill they be way more than a few feet under. “You guys say it like this easy, how tf would you

would you tell your best friend since forever that your pregnant with his child.” “Easy. All you have to say is: Richie, i’m pregnant. and it’s yours.” Beverly shrugs and it’s kind of pissing Eddie of how she’s treating this like it’s some mundane thing like laundry. “It’s not that easy Beverly. God he’s gonna hate me. You guys know how he feels about kids.” Eddie starts up on a rant and while he’s ranting he doesn’t even realizes said person is standing in the door way with a gaped mouth tbc

the others try to stop him. “god i knew i never should’ve had sex w/ him I -“ “Eddie-“(Stan) “ who gets knocked up by their best friend-“ “Eddie.”(Benverly) “he doesn’t even want kids. oh no.” “Eddie”(Bill&Mike) “he’s gonna hate me and the baby! i’m gonna be a single parent and i’ll turn into my mother and-“ “EDDIE!(everyone sans richie) “What?” eddie finally breaks out of his rant and he turns deathly pale as he turns to what his friends are pointing at. the upcoming parents stare at tbc

stare at each other for what seems like forever before Eddie jerks back and Richie recognizes the look on his face before he can get out “Eddie don’t” Eddie has grabbed his jacket, pushed past Richie & running towards the elevator before anyone can move. “fast fucker” he curses before turning to the rest of his friends,”Anyone wanna explain to me what just happened?” As Ben goes to speaks Beverly stops him” Nope. You need to hear it from Eddie, himself. As much as we love you, you guys need

to talk to each other like adults and figure out what you need to do.” and with that she pushes him out of Stanlonbrough’s apartment and locks the door. Richie sighs before making his way to the elevator to go find what would be his future. Eddie ran and ran not looking back and when he finally stopped he realizes he’s at the ‘secret garden’ richie dubbed back when they first found it behind their apartment building they discovered it while taking a walk and hadn’t realized they walked tbc

out into the woods behind the building and there had been a little passageway to a clearing where the sun shined in beautifully and a few wild flowers lived and the bench they had put down seeing as it looked like no-one was using it and Eddie sighed in relief sitting down and looked up into the sky, eyes watering before he placed his head in hands. Eddie doesn’t know how long he cried but he doesn’t remember falling asleep either, so when he woke up in his bed and in new clothes

he had a minor heart attack but that was quickly floored by the urge to vomit. Eddie races to the bathroom and throws up heavily. he barely registers the hand on his back running comfortingly up&down. when it finally stops he stands up not even glancing at the richie as he brushes his teeth a little harder than usual which causes richie to take the brush from his hands. “Eddie, please talk to me.” Eddie swallows thickly before shaking his head,”there’s nothing to talk about.” Eddie slides under

Richie’s arm and makes his way towards the kitchen and he’s happy that Richie’s backed off even if it won’t last for long so he hurriedly pours his milk into his bowl of cereal and bolts to his room. Eddie’s been hiding in his room for about two hours now and he figures it’s safe to leave seeing as the last time he heard any movement was a half hour ago and it sounded like a door and figured Richie got tired of waiting for him to come out & left. when Eddie opens he finds out he is vey wrong

and before he can react Richie is pushing him back into his room and pulls himself inside before locking the door. “No one is leaving this room until we talk everything out. now go sit down, we have a lot to talk about.” Richie orders and Eddie immediately does what he says bc stern Richie is scary(and kinda hot but we’ll talk about that later). Eddie sits on the furthest corner of his bed with his knees pressed against his chest looking at anything but Richie.”Well. What are you

waiting for? start talking.”Richie demands and Eddie almost starts to protest with why but he’s knows this entire situation is his fault. “So as you can gather, I’m pregnant. With your baby.” Eddie starts awkwardly before he can say anything Richie interrupts,” Well duh. You haven’t slept with anyone beside me in the past three years.” and again Eddie goes to protest but stops once realizing Richie’s not wrong. “okay you don’t have to rub it in my face asshat and you haven’t slept w/ anyone

anyone else either. anyways i-uh found out about two weeks ago when i woke up vomiting and realized i missed my period and i went to buy a pregnancy test and Stan found me. we came back here and i took them and all three came out positive and that same day i scheduled for a doctor’s appointment and yea they confirmed that i was in-fact pregnant and my first prenatal visit is in two or three weeks. You don’t have to come any of them, i know how you feel about kid thing and it’s fine. i can do

do this on my own. i understand completely if you want nothing to do with me or the ba-“ Eddie falters when he finally looks up at Richie to see him right in-front him w/ this strange expression, he almost looks angry but the sadness dulls the look of anger. “Why wouldn’t I come?” Eddie goes to respond but is cut off. “Why wouldn’t I come? Why would I not be there every step of the way? This isn’t just your child Eddie, it’s mine too.” Richie snaps. “But, I-I” “But what?” “ but Richie I’ve

explicitly heard you say you don’t want children on multiple occasions, why would this one make any difference?” Eddie fumbles with the end of his shirt not looking his best friend in the eye. “It makes a difference because..” “because?” “it makes a difference because yeah i never wanted to have children if they weren’t with you. and i figured i’d never actually have a baby with you,ever. what would be the point in having a child with someone you’d never love as much as you loved someone

else?” “Love” “yes, love! like deeply in love. i’m so far gone it’s not even funny. how have you not noticed? oh my god you’re so oblivious.” “oblivious? i am not oblivious! if anyone here is, it’s you. i’ve been in love with you since the the fifth grade!” “ oh you’ve got nothing on me babe. i’ve been in love with you since the very first time we met and you punched me in the face for making fun of Bill’s stutter. and what grade was that? oh yeah, the third grade. i’ve got you beat sweet cheeks.” Richie smirke

d moving Eddie so that he was planted firmly in his lap.“Are we really arguing about who loved who longer?” Eddie asked leaning forward so that their foreheads touch. Richie hums before brushing his lips against Eddie’s soft ones. This kiss is slow and purposeful, like they are trying it put all of the years of pent up feelings into it.

“So, we’re really gonna do this. We’re gonna raise a child together.” Eddie whispers pulling back to tuck his face into Richie’s neck and sigh contently as Richie traces patterns into his back.“Yea, we’re gonna do this. It’ll be rough but we’ll make it as long as we stick together. If we’re together there’s nothing we can’t do.” Richie assures and Eddie raises up to peck him softly on the lip, “Let’s take a nap. I’m exhausted Bubba.” “I love you, I love you so much.” Eddie breathes into Richie’s chest after they find a comfortable position. “I love you too, more than you’ll ever know.” Richie says playing with Eddie’s wavy hair watching as he drifts to sleep.

god visited my inbox again and fed me well

#ask #anon #good food #reddie #trans eddie #Anonymous

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bountyofbeads · 5 years

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A divided House passes resolution on impeachment inquiry, setting stage for televised hearings and release of witness testimony

By Karoun Demirjian, Rachael Bade, Mike DeBonis and Elise Viebeck | Published October 31 at 11:36 AM ET | Washington Post | Posted October 31, 2019 |

A divided House approved legislation Thursday formally authorizing and articulating guidelines for the next phase of its impeachment inquiry, a move that signaled Democrats are on course to bring charges against President Trump later this year.

The 232-196 vote, which hewed closely to party lines, was likely to fuel the partisan fighting that has accompanied every stage of the impeachment probe and much of the Trump presidency. Nearly all Democrats backed the resolution, and House Republicans, who spent weeks clamoring for such a vote, opposed it.

At issue is whether Trump abused the power of his office to pressure a foreign leader to investigate his domestic political rivals.

In remarks before the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) described the impeachment inquiry as a “solemn” and “prayerful” process — “not cause for any glee or comfort.”

At the same time, Pelosi said, “I don’t know why Republicans are afraid of the truth.”

“Every member should support the American people hearing the facts for themselves,” she said in a floor speech. “That is what this vote is about. It’s about the truth. And what is at stake in all of this is nothing less than our democracy.”

House Republicans accused Democrats of seeking to undo the results of the 2016 election with “Soviet-style proceedings” against Trump.

“We’ve seen since the day that President Trump was inaugurated that there have been some people who made it public that they wanted to impeach him,” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said on the floor. “...That, madam speaker, is not why you impeach a president.”

“Don’t run a tainted process like this [resolution] ensures,” he said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called the impeachment inquiry “an attempt to undo the last election” and “an attempt to influence the next one as well.”

The House’s resolution clears the way for nationally televised hearings as Democrats look to make their case to the American people that Trump should be impeached.

At the same time, House investigators were hearing testimony from Timothy Morrison, the top Russia and Europe adviser on the National Security Council, who was expected to corroborate testimony from a senior U.S. diplomat who gave the most detailed account of the alleged quid pro quo.

[Democrats unveil procedures for Trump’s impeachment inquiry, rebutting GOP attacks]

Democratic leaders expected that two to four of their members would vote against the resolution. In the end, Reps. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.), who represent Republican-leaning districts, opposed it.

Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-S.C.), one of the few Trump-district Democrats who has been reluctant about backing an impeachment inquiry, voted yes.

“It’s about transparency in the process; I like the fact that the transcripts will be made public and the American public will get the chance to understand what’s going on,” he said Wednesday, adding that he still is not convinced Trump needs to be impeached. “I am not prejudging anything . . . until I see all the evidence.”

Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.), who was undecided as of Wednesday night, also supportd the resolution.

“I think the vote will allow a fair and open process and will finally let Americans judge for themselves,” Brindisi told Syracuse.com Thursday morning.

The House’s resolution allows the president and his counsel to request and query witnesses and participate in impeachment proceedings once they reach the Judiciary Committee, which is tasked with writing any articles of impeachment that will be voted on by the House. It also authorizes the House Intelligence Committee to release transcripts of its closed-door depositions to the public, and it directs the committee to write and then release a report on that investigation in the same fashion.

The resolution gives the Republican minority on both the Intelligence and Judiciary committees a chance to subpoena documents and testimony — provided that either the Democratic chairman or a majority of the committee agrees. And it establishes special procedures under which the chairman and top Republican on the panel can take up to 90 minutes to make their cases or defer to a staff lawyer to do so.

Before the roll call on Thursday morning, partisan tensions were visible on the floor of the House, as Democrats called attention to mounting evidence against Trump while Republicans decried the process as secretive and unfair.

“This moment calls for more than politics,” said House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) in a speech. “If we don’t hold this president accountable, we will be ceding our ability to hold any president accountable.”

“It’s a sad day for all of us,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), McGovern’s counterpart. “It’s not a fair process. It’s not an open process.”

Leading Republicans were adamant that not a single GOP member wwould back the measure — and they leaned heavily on Republicans who have openly criticized the president in the past.

“It is still not a fair process in my mind,” said Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), who, like most Republicans, voted against the resolution. “It is still a process where the Democrats call all the shots and we were not consulted along the way. . . . So, no. I’m a no.”

The resolution does not deal with the merits of impeaching the president, just procedure. But even Republicans who have expressed concern about points of Trump’s conduct — such as Walden, who Democrats believe could be swayable on an ultimate impeachment vote — held the party line on Thursday.

Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.), who like Walden recently announced his upcoming retirement and has refused to rule out voting to impeach Trump, also voted against the measure.

*********

This is a key insight. Greg is 100% right. The position of Trump & the GOP is not just that what he did with Russia in 2016 and with Ukraine in 2019 is ok, they will argue that it is right, a president's prerogative...and they will do it again and again.👇👇🤔

"Republicans have no wiggle room left. Trump has made it absolutely clear that he is willing to press the government into service to rig the next election on his behalf -- and that he’ll keep doing just that, by any means necessary."

New piece and thread Greg Sargeant by:

"In a spectacularly disingenuous interview, @SecPompeo told Fox News that Trump's conduct was "appropriate" and confined to pressing Zelensky to investigate "corruption.""

"So here's a list of officials who were deeply alarmed by this "appropriate" conduct":

https://t.co/CFTYb2CNcZ

"Trump keeps saying, "Read the transcript!""

"This is not evasion. It's an explicit declaration that his pressure on Ukraine is *fine.*"

"Trump is stating clearly that he will use the government to cheat in 2020 in any way he can. Pompeo and Barr are all in:"

https://t.co/CFTYb2CNcZ

🔥This is the crucible on which to hammer at his support in the Senate.

🔥🔥America needs to know how wrong this pressure was- threatening to allow Russian aggression to have its deadly way.

🔥🔥🔥When a vote to acquit is rightly seen as a vote for kill Ukrainians for dirt, we’re done.

New developments confirm it: Pompeo and Barr are all-in on Trump’s corrupt scheme

By Greg Sargent | Published October 31 at 10:33 AM ET | Washington Post | Posted October 31, 2019 |

The impeachment inquiry is set to shift into a more damning mode, as House Democrats will vote Thursday on processes establishing the public hearings phase. This comes as a new witness, top national security adviser Tim Morrison, is set to shed more light on the quid pro quo at the heart of the scandal consuming Donald Trump’s presidency.

But while the inquiry concerning Trump himself continues to march forward, another big question looms: What should we do about the fact that numerous Trump Cabinet officials are in on his corrupt scheme as well, and are placing the government at its service?

These Cabinet officials are either actively validating the idea that there was nothing whatsoever wrong with conduct that we all now know actually happened — that is, Trump’s pressure on a foreign leader to help him corrupt our election on his behalf — or are working to cover it up.

This is driven home by a spectacularly disingenuous interview that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave to Fox News on Wednesday night. Pompeo floated a bizarre conspiracy theory hinting that the Obama administration held up military assistance to Ukraine to do a favor to Joe Biden’s son Hunter.

“I listened to the call,” Pompeo also said, referring to Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “appropriate.” Pompeo added:

I heard the president very clearly on that call, talking about making sure that corruption, whether that corruption took place in the 2016 election, whether that corruption continued to take place, that the monies that were being provided would be used appropriately, was very consistent with what I’ve understood President Trump and our administration to be doing all along.

One searches the White House summary of the call in vain for any mention of broad-based “corruption.” Instead, Trump pressed Zelensky to investigate a conspiracy theory that Ukraine set up Russia to take the fall for sabotaging the 2016 election, and explicitly targeted potential 2020 opponent Joe Biden, based on a narrative involving Hunter and the Burisma company that is complete nonsense.

In saying all this, Pompeo is echoing Trump’s constant refrain that his call was “perfect." But Morrison’s testimony, set for Thursday, could provide new information that further dismantles this running claim.

'WHAT TIM MORRISON KNOWS'

Morrison may corroborate parts of the damning testimony from William B. Taylor Jr., the acting ambassador to Ukraine. Taylor testified that around Sept. 1, Morrison described a conversation with Gordon Sondland — the ambassador to the European Union — in which Sondland said he’d told a top Zelensky aide that the military aid was conditional on Zelensky committing to investigate Burisma.

Taylor also testified that on Sept. 7, Morrison told him of a “sinking feeling” after learning from Sondland of strong signals that Trump had conditioned the money on Zelensky announcing an investigation of Biden. Taylor said this was confirmed in a Sept. 8 conversation.

These calls prompted Taylor to send those now-infamous texts raising alarms about this quid pro quo.

Morrison will reportedly confirm key aspects of this account. CNN reports that Morrison may nuance this, but if he merely confirms he conveyed word of this quid pro quo to Taylor, that will be deeply damaging.

'LOTS OF OFFICIALS WERE DEEPLY ALARMED'

So let’s take stock of all the officials who acted deeply alarmed by Trump’s “appropriate” and “perfect” conduct:

The Post reports that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified that after he alerted White House lawyer John Eisenberg to his shock over the call, Eisenberg proposed stashing the transcript on the top-secret server. Vindman also testified he saw a threat to national security.

At least four national security officials alerted Eisenberg in similar fashion (that may include Vindman).

White House lawyers actually did stash the transcript on that server, which is normally reserved for ultra-sensitive secrets.

The whistleblower, whose claims have largely been validated, reported that numerous White House officials were “deeply disturbed” by Trump’s conduct.

Former national security adviser John Bolton described the scheme as a “drug deal."

Marie Yovanovitch, who was ousted by Trump as ambassador to Ukraine to enable the shadow Ukraine policy on Trump’s behalf, saw that policy as a threat to national security.

Taylor repeatedly texted about his deep alarm over withholding of military aid to leverage the investigations Trump wanted, and testified about that alarm.

Morrison got a “sinking feeling” about that quid pro quo, according to Taylor.

How do we square all this deep alarm about the pressure on Ukraine with the constant refrain that the conduct was just fine?

What this all must inescapably show is that the administration’s actual black-letter position — articulated by the White House counsel — is that the conduct as detailed in the transcript is just fine.

Pompeo is echoing this. And Attorney General William P. Barr is busily enlisting other foreign officials to help validate a set of narratives — which may even overlap with the one that Trump is pushing Ukraine to help validate — that will absolve Russia of its interference on Trump’s behalf in 2016, as Trump wants.

Barr’s Justice Department also tried to cover up Trump’s pressure on a second foreign power (Ukraine) to interfere on his behalf in 2020, advising against the transmission of the whistleblower complaint to Congress, and declining to investigate its charges.

As one Democrat argued to me, the Democratic argument now should be that Republicans have no wiggle room left. Trump has made it absolutely clear that he is willing to press the government into service to rig the next election on his behalf — and to cover it up. He has made it absolutely clear that he’ll keep doing just that, by any means necessary.

If Republicans don’t stop this, it can only mean they’re perfectly fine with it, or are even actively supportive of it.

*********

White House official expected to confirm diplomat’s account that Trump appeared to seek quid pro quo

By Carol D. Leonnig and John Hudson | Published October 31 at 11:18 AM ET | Washington Post | Posted October 31, 2019 |

Tim Morrison, the top Russia and Europe adviser on President Trump’s National Security Council, is expected to corroborate the testimony of a senior U.S. diplomat who last week offered House impeachment investigators the most detailed account to date for how Trump tried to use his office to pressure Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden, said a person familiar with the matter.

Morrison is expected to tell impeachment investigators on Thursday that the account offered by William B. Taylor Jr., the acting ambassador to Ukraine, is accurate. He also is expected to note that he alerted Taylor to a push by Trump and his deputies to withhold both security aid and a White House visit for the Ukrainian president until Ukraine agreed to investigate the Bidens and interference in the 2016 presidential election, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions.

Morrison is expected to say that he did not necessarily view the president’s demands as improper or illegal, but rather problematic for U.S. policy in supporting an ally in the region, the person said.

Morrison’s testimony comes as the House votes on a resolution formalizing the impeachment inquiry and a day after he told colleagues that he plans to leave the Trump administration. His testimony was sought because of his proximity to critical White House decisions and recurring presence in testimony from previous U.S. officials. House investigators have also requested testimony from Morrison’s boss, former national security adviser John Bolton.

Morrison will corroborate that he spoke with Taylor at least twice in early September. The first conversation was to alert him that Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, had told the Ukrainians that no U.S. aid would be forthcoming until they announced an investigation of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company that had hired Biden’s son Hunter, the person said.

Morrison also is expected to tell lawmakers that he spoke with Taylor again on Sept. 7 to share a “sinking feeling” about a worrisome conversation between Trump and Sondland, the person said. Morrison will say that, during that conversation, Trump said he wasn’t seeking a “quid pro quo” but went on to insist that Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky had to publicly announce that he was opening investigations of Biden and 2016 election interference.

Robert Luskin, an attorney for Sondland, said that Sondland never mentioned Biden by name and did not know that Burisma was linked to the vice president’s son.

Morrison’s testimony could take away an often-cited Republican complaint that many of the accounts from U.S. officials describing a quid pro quo are secondhand. Taylor mentioned Morrison’s name 15 times in the 15-page opening statement of his congressional testimony, portraying him as an official often in the know about critical U.S. policy in Ukraine.

Morrison has been on the job for about 15 months, having joined the National Security Council during Bolton’s tenure as national security adviser. In a statement on Wednesday, a senior U.S. official said Morrison “decided to pursue other opportunities — and has been considering doing so for some time.”

To replace Morrison, the White House has hired Andrew Peek, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran, said a person familiar with the decision.

Morrison’s departure from the National Security Council removes an important vestige of Bolton’s tenure in the administration. Bolton handpicked Morrison to join the NSC because of his shared opposition to arms-control agreements, which both men consider an unacceptable constraint on American power. Morrison was initially brought on as the senior director for weapons of mass destruction and biodefense.

He is a staunch foe of nuclear nonproliferation advocates, who view arms control accords as the only workable means to reducing the risk of nuclear war and managing defense budgets.

During his tenure, Morrison oversaw the U.S. withdrawal from the Reagan-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and continued to look for ways the United States could pull out of other nuclear accords.

This summer, Morrison urged Republican offices not to support an amendment to a defense authorization bill encouraging the administration to extend a landmark nuclear arms-reduction treaty known as New START, which will expire in February 2021.

In July, Morrison replaced Fiona Hill — who also testified in the impeachment inquiry — as the president’s top Russia adviser.

Taylor testified that Morrison told him Trump didn’t want to provide “any assistance at all” to Ukraine.

“That was extremely troubling to me,” Taylor said, adding, “If the policy of strong support for Ukraine were to change, I would have to resign. Based on my call with Mr. Morrison, I was preparing to do so.”

Morrison later notified NSC lawyers about the pressure being exerted on Ukraine, according to Taylor’s testimony.

Reis Thebault and Anne Gearan contributed to this report.

*********

Trump impeachment effort passes first test of support in Congress

By Patricia Zengerle, Richard Cowan | Published October 31, 2019, 6:14 AM ET | Reuters | Posted October 31, 2019 |

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives took a major step in the impeachment effort against U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday when lawmakers approved rules for the next stage of the Democratic-led inquiry into the president’s attempt to have Ukraine investigate a domestic political rival.

The Democratic-controlled House voted by 232 to 196 to establish how to hold public hearings in Congress, which could be damaging for Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

It was the first formal test of support for the impeachment probe and showed that Democrats have enough backing in the House to later bring formal charges, known as articles of impeachment, against Trump if they feel they have enough evidence.

House Democrats say Trump has abused his office for personal gain and jeopardized national security by asking Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy to investigate Trump’s Democratic political rival Joe Biden, a former U.S. vice president, and his son Hunter, who had served as a director for Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

Biden is a leading candidate in the Democratic presidential nomination race to face Trump in the November 2020 election.

“It’s a sad day. No one comes to Congress to impeach a president,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the vote.

Republicans have largely stuck by Trump, blasting the effort as a partisan exercise that has given them little input.

“This is Soviet-style rules,” said Representative Steve Scalise, the chamber’s No. 2 Republican, as he stood next to a poster depicting the famous onion domes of Moscow’s St. Basil’s Cathedral.

The vote largely broke along party lines. Only two Democrats voted against and no Republicans backed it.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the inquiry a sham.

If the House eventually votes to impeach Trump, that would set up a trial in the Republican-controlled Senate. Trump would not be removed from office unless votes to convict him by a two-thirds margin.

*********

Democrats push impeachment rules package through House

By ALAN FRAM and MATTHEW Daly | Published October 31, 2019 12:05 PM ET | VIDEO | AP | Posted October 31, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats rammed a package of ground rules for their impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump through a sharply divided House Thursday, the chamber's first formal vote in a fight that could stretch into the 2020 election year.

The tally was 232-196, with all Republicans against the resolution and just two Democratic defectors joining them: freshman Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey and 15-term veteran Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, one of his party's most conservative members. Both represent GOP-leaning districts.

The vote laid down the rules as lawmakers transition from weeks of closed-door interviews with witnesses to public hearings and ultimately to possible votes on whether to recommend Trump's removal from office.

The action also took on more than technical meaning, with each party aware that the impeachment effort looms as a defining issue for next year's presidential and congressional campaigns.

The vote, which occurred on Halloween, drew a familiar Twitter retort from Trump: "The greatest Witch Hunt in American History!"

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats of an "unhinged obsession with this illegitimate impeachment proceeding."

During the debate, Democrats spoke of lawmakers' duty to defend the Constitution, while Republicans cast the process as a skewed attempt to railroad a president whom Democrats have detested since before he took office.

"What is at stake in all this is nothing less than our democracy," said Pelosi. Underscoring her point, she addressed the House with a poster of the American flag beside her and began her remarks by reading the opening lines of the preamble to the Constitution.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Trump had done nothing impeachable and accused Democrats of trying to remove him "because they are scared they cannot defeat him at the ballot box."

No. 3 House GOP leader Steve Scalise, R-La., accused Democrats of imposing "Soviet-style rules," speaking in front of a bright red poster depicting the Kremlin.

Independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, who left the Republican Party earlier this year after saying he was open to considering whether Trump should be impeached, also backed the measure.

The investigation is focused on Trump's efforts to push Ukraine to investigate his Democratic political opponents by withholding military aid and an Oval Office meeting craved by the country's new president.

Democrats said the procedures — which give them the ability to curb the president's lawyers from calling witnesses — are similar to rules used during the impeachment proceedings of Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. Republicans complained they were skewed against Trump.

It is likely to take weeks or more before the House decides whether to vote on actually impeaching Trump. If the House does vote for impeachment, the Senate would hold a trial to decide whether to remove the president from office.

Both parties' leaders were rounding up votes as Thursday's roll call approached, with each side eager to come as close to unanimity as possible.

Republicans said a solid GOP "no" vote would signal to the Senate that the Democratic push is a partisan crusade against a president they have never liked.

Democrats were also hoping to demonstrate solidarity from their most liberal elements to their most moderate members. They argued that GOP cohesion against the measure would show that Republicans are blindly defending Trump, whatever facts emerge.

"It will show the other party has become the party of Trump. It's really not the Republican Party any longer," said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich.

Republicans said they'd use the vote to target freshman Democrats and those from districts Trump carried in 2016. They said they would contrast those Democrats' support for the rules with campaign promises to focus on issues voters want to address, not on impeaching Trump.

The House GOP's campaign arm sent emails to reporters all but taunting some of those Democrats including freshman Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H. "Pappas wants to be a one-termer," one said.

GOP leaders called the rules "Speaker Pelosi's sham process designed to discredit the Democratic process" in their daily impeachment email to lawmakers.

Pelosi decided to have the vote following weeks of GOP claims that the inquiry was invalid because the chamber had not voted to formally commence the work.

The rules lay out how the House Intelligence Committee — now leading the investigation by deposing diplomats and other officials behind closed doors — would transition to public hearings.

That panel would issue a report and release transcripts of the closed-door interviews it has been conducting.

The Judiciary Committee would then decide whether to recommend that the House impeach Trump.

According to the rules for hearings, Republicans could only issue subpoenas for witnesses to appear if the entire panel approved them — in effect giving Democrats veto power.

Attorneys for Trump could participate in the Judiciary Committee proceedings. But in a bid for leverage, panel Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., would be allowed to deny "specific requests" by Trump representatives if the White House continued refusing to provide documents or witnesses sought by Democratic investigators.

The rules also direct House committees "to continue their ongoing investigations" of Trump.

Top Democrats think that language will shield their members from weeks of Republican complaints that the inquiry has been invalid because the House had not formally voted to begin that work.

Democrats have said there's no constitutional provision or House rule requiring such a vote.

0 notes

junker-town · 7 years

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2021 NBA player rankings, Nos. 50-41: We still don’t know how to rank DeMar DeRozan

Plus, the present and future of Danny Ainge’s vision, and the wackiest pick of the entire exercise.

Now, we’re getting serious. Now, we’re getting into the top 50 NBA players in 2021. This is where we begin to look clairvoyant or (more likely) especially off.

This section of our list featured a little bit of everything, including name-brand All-Stars, emerging youngsters on two of the league’s blue bloods, and the silliest pick of the entire exercise. Plus, our third selection who hasn’t even played a college game, and a point guard with something to prove.

50. DeMar DeRozan

Age in 2021: 31 (12 seasons)

CHRIS GREENBERG: Saying that a 28-year-old All-NBA third team player will still be very good in a few years is the least fun part of this exercise. But that doesn’t mean DeMar DeRozan will slip below the top 50 player in 2021.

I’ll pick him so you don’t have to.

Everyone else’s reactions

ZITO MADU: I need DeRozan to remain relevant just so he can continue to drive nerds mad.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: In 2021, there will be a 4-point line and DeRozan will still be shooting 2s.

KOFIE YEBOAH: In 2021 the Adam Silverbot3000 outlaws mid-range jump shots and DeRozan will still be shooting 2s.

CHRIS GREENBERG: But he’ll be making them 2s. Lots of them.

More reading material

49. Jayson Tatum

Age in 2021: 23 (4 seasons)

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: In just a few summer league games, Jayson Tatum proved one thing: He can straight-up score. Some say he’s cut from a similar cloth as Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce. Others fear he could end up closer to the vein of Tobias Harris. Either way, Tatum is icy offensively and could be the centerfold of the next generation of Celtics.

Everyone else’s reactions

MATT ELLENTUCK: Tatum’s game seems outdated for the current league to me. He takes a high number of off-balanced shots, often falls into the deep-2 crutch, and goes ISO way more than any team should want. He’s crafty as hell, though, and so young that maybe he can change his game entirely. I hope he gets the attention in Boston he needs.

TOM ZILLER: I think this is somewhat too high given how young he’ll still be in four years, and how he’ll likely have a squeeze for ample minutes on a great team. But if this were a 2023 project, I’d be with it.

We should also note that Kristian picked a teenager, for the record.

CHRIS GREENBERG: Luckily for Tatum (and for Kristian), Brad Stevens has plenty of experience teaching college-age kids and maximizing the talents of NBA players. If Stevens made Evan Turner work, he might just be able to help Tatum justify this selection.

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48. Kyle Kuzma

Age in 2021: 25 (4 seasons)

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: My wildest pick of this entire thing and I’m still not mad about it. Yup, I picked that Kyle Kuzma was going to be a top-50 player in the entire league in four years.

He may not even get any playing time with the Lakers in 2018. Then once LeBron and company arrive in town, the Kyle Kuzma experience will really be over.

OR: SUMMER LEAGUE KYLE KUZMA WILL FLOURISH FOREVER.

Everyone else’s reactions

MIKE PRADA: Well, I’m glad you’re not mad about it at least, because I am.

KOFIE YEBOAH: That’s a bold strategy, Cotton!

TIM CATO: Live every day with the confidence of Whitney falling in love with a summer league standout.

MATT ELLENTUCK: Find someone who trusts you the way Whitney trusts in a rookie she’s known for a handful of summer league games.

RICKY O’DONNELL: If someone didn’t pick a player like Kyle Kuzma in the top 50, why are we even doing this?

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: I don’t think anyone saw Kuzma’s emergence coming. I also don’t think he’ll be top-50 in four years. The Lakers want stars. Stars play at the forward positions. Sorry, Whit.

TOM ZILLER: This is worse than Prada’s old Austin Rivers pick. I didn’t think it could be done. Congrats, Whit.

DREW GARRISON, SILVER SCREEN AND ROLL: Kuzma is still very much an unknown prospect, but much like Lakers fans fawning over his play, it seems he's already made at least one believer from his outstanding Las Vegas Summer League run.

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47. Gordon Hayward

Age in 2021: 31 (10 seasons)

TIM CATO: Hayward has improved his scoring average every single season in his career. Last year was his most efficient, notching an almost 60 percent true shooting percentage. He’s an underrated defender, too.

He’ll be 31 by the time 2021 hits, and the age decline might start creeping up on him. But hell, I’m not sure we’ve seen Hayward at the best he can be yet.

Everyone else’s reactions

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: This is a good pick. Hayward’s back with Brad Stevens, once and for all. I think he’ll age well and adapt well to the game as it continues to change over the next four years. And I agree with Tim when he says he’s not sure we’ve seen Hayward at his best yet.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: I think a 31-year-old Gordon Hayward is a good pick. He’ll still be able to shoot the lights out, still be a smart defender, and still be a competitor. Good pick, Timofey, good pick.

TOM ZILLER: My concern is the gunners coming up behind him. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum might be stealing minutes wholesale within a couple of years. Can Hayward play small ball four consistently?

MATT ELLENTUCK: How good Hayward is at 31 will explicitly be determined by how good his hair still looks. Hope he finds a good barber on the east coast.

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46. Kemba Walker

Age in 2021: 31 (10 seasons)

KOFIE YEBOAH: It was tough picking Kemba Walker here because it’s not easy diagnosing where his career goes from here. While he just became an All-Star, he’s 27 and there are many point guards who will gun for the top spot in the next few years.

On the other hand, Kemba is a shifty scorer who is the heart and soul of that Hornets team. His steady improvement isn’t something to scoff at.

Will Kemba still be on the Hornets in 2021? Will the Hornets be any good? Trickier questions.

Everyone else’s reactions

TIM CATO: I, too, have no clue how to predict the rest of Kemba’s career. It does feel last year’s All-Star nod might be his peak, but ...

JOSHUA PRIEMSKI, AT THE HIVE: He dropped 52 on Rudy Gobert and the Jazz once! No. 46 is way too low.

MIKE PRADA: Love Kemba’s game and think he’ll age nicely. This seems about right. That next contract might be a little rough, though.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Kemba’s a really good person. I’m pulling for him.

TOM ZILLER: I’m worried about the Hornets, but not about Kemba.

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45. Jaylen Brown

Age in 2021: 24 (5 seasons)

MIKE PRADA: It’s always a crapshoot predicting which young wing players turn into Jimmy Butler and which become Jeff Green, but I have a good feeling about Brown. He played useful minutes for a really good team, he’s already an ace defender against smaller players, he’s flashed some nice passing ability, and he can really get to the cup off spot-up opportunities.

The question is that jump shot, as it is for every young wing. Given his pedigree at the youth levels, his age, and his current franchise, I’m bullish on his stroke developing sufficiently to turn him into one of the better young wings in the game.

Everyone else’s reactions

TOM ZILLER: Good pick. He could be the best Celtic in four years, and the Celtics should be good.

TIM CATO: I’m pretty sure he’ll never average more than 15 points per game. Still, if you can combine 15 points with his defense, maybe he’s a top-45 player anyway.

RICKY O’DONNELL: I’m selling on Jaylen Brown. I just don’t think he’s a high-feel player. But if anyone can get the most out of him, it’s Brad Stevens.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: I like Jaylen! I think he can guard three positions and let’s not forget: HE WAS A ROOKIE ON A CONTENDER! He hasn’t even developed yet. Good pick, Prada, good pick.

CHRIS GREENBERG: While the Celtics were looking absolutely overmatched by and terrified of the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Brown was balling out. He was the only silver lining for Boston on a dark night.

Of all of Jaylen Brown's moments in Game 1, reading LeBron sitting deep on him and crossing over into a pullup was probably the sweetest. http://pic.twitter.com/IL8kuELORC

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) May 18, 2017

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44. D’Angelo Russell

Age in 2021: 25 (6 seasons)

MATT ELLENTUCK: D’Angelo Russell has a new home in Brooklyn, and it’s a match made in heaven. Russell gets to be the star again, and the Nets will do everything in their power to please him.

Russell is a good player who had the misfortune of starting his NBA tenure in a chaotic situation. That obviously stunted his early growth, and the Lakers had Lonzo on their brain for quite some time.

In four years, Russell will be 24, and hopefully by then his strengths as a scorer and playmaker will be developed under the right coaching staff.

Everyone else’s reactions

ANTHONY PUCCIO, NETS DAILY: Given Kenny Atkinson and Brooklyn's plan to groom these young players to be ready by this time, Russell should be higher. The consensus in Brooklyn is that Russell is going to be a star and four years should be enough for him to get there.

TOM ZILLER: [whispers] He’s not better than Jeremy Lin.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: **GASP** Ziller, watch your mouth.

In four years, Linsanity will be an afterthought and Russell will have signed whatever applicable max contract he can to stay in Brooklyn. My guess: four years, $165 million with a player option on year 5.

TIM CATO: That’s a joke, right?

KOFIE YEBOAH: Linsanity will never die.

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: Sometimes you just need a change of scenery.

MIKE PRADA: I have no idea what to make of Russell. I could see him achieving this ranking and more in four years. I could also see him as a backup. Fascinating prospect.

ZITO MADU: My beautiful, troublesome son. There’s a Russell-shaped hole in my heart that Lonzo Ball’s punch-passes can’t fill.

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43. DeAndre Ayton

Age in 2021: 23 (3 seasons)

RICKY O’DONNELL: Ayton has ideal size for a center, impressive speed and agility, and striking skill level. He can really shoot the ball from the outside, so much so that he spent most of his high school career telling people he was a wing.

I worry about his rim protection skills as a future full-time center, but there simply won’t be many people who can match up with him offensively.

Everyone else’s reactions

TOM ZILLER: Shoot your shot, Ricky.

MIKE PRADA: Ricky actually knows these high schoolers, unlike most of us, so I trust this pick.

MATT ELLENTUCK: This man has played zero college basketball games yet and we’ve got him ranked ahead of Gordon Hayward. Sure!

MIKE PRADA: You act like there are never good third-year players in the NBA. They’re not that rare.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Another high schooler I’m gonna pass on. Y’all are really letting it fly.

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42. Brandon Ingram

Age in 2021: 23 (5 seasons)

ZITO MADU: The one player who was off-limits for trades, so he has to be good. Everyone on the Lakers is betting on him being good. He got better toward the end of his rookie season and has all the skill to be good.

God, I hope he’s good by 2021.

Everyone else’s reactions

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: If Zito didn’t pick a Laker, the world would be broken. I think this is about right. Ingram could be an All-Star in four years. And if he’s not, something, somewhere, went terribly wrong.

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: The one pick that made me jealous. I wish I had done this.

MATT ELLENTUCK: I still think Ingram will be better than Ben Simmons and you can go right ahead and at me if you please.

TIM CATO: I briefly thought about taking Ingram in the 20s, even. (Glad I didn’t, but he slipped too far.)

MIKE PRADA: Aren’t we making too much out of one good Summer League game? Ingram’s very young, but he looked quite lost for a lot of his rookie year. This range for him feels about right to me.

DREW GARRISON, SILVER SCREEN AND ROLL: This feels low for Ingram, but so much of his value is based on him developing. It's tough to confidently project him making a huge impact until his career is in full swing.

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41. Blake Griffin

Age in 2021: 32 (12 seasons)

TOM ZILLER: Like Steve Ballmer, I am completely unafraid of injury risks. Come at me. (This is where I note I selected both Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.) Who’s gonna take Austin Rivers to complete the new Clippers triumvirate? Where you at, Prada?

Everyone else’s reactions

LUCAS HANN, CLIPS NATION: This seems a bit low for Griffin, whose play style has surprisingly evolved since he came into the league to be suited to age relatively well.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: I think Aaron Gordon will be better than Blake Griffin by 2021.

MIKE PRADA: I agree with Kristian. I fear Blake’s history of injuries, combined with bad Clippers juju.

TOM ZILLER: You all say you believe in Aaron Gordon, yet I drafted him at No. 61 while y’all were taking 15-year-olds.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: I did no such thing.

MIKE PRADA: It’s more that I don’t believe in Blake Griffin’s longevity. And Thon Maker and Jaylen Brown are at least 20, thank you very much.

MATT ELLENTUCK: Y’all are weird as hell for thinking Aaron Gordon is about to be better than Blake Griffin.

MIKE PRADA: Not what I’m saying! I’m saying I think Blake will decline in four years to the point where Gordon doesn’t have to improve all that much to pass him.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: SMH Matt E, twisting my words.

KOFIE YEBOAH: Bruh it feels like Blake Griffin has been in the league for centuries. I’m just waiting for his movie career to take off at this point.

CHRIS GREENBERG: For what it’s worth, Vince Carter put up 20 points per game in his age-32 season. Also Vince might still be playing in 2021.

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INTRO | FULL LIST | TOP 100 OF 2017 | HOW WE DID IN 2013 | SNUBS | 101-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1 | THE CASES FOR NO. 1

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nancy-astorga · 7 years

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The Trump-era Supreme Court could erode abortion access with a ‘death by 1,000 cuts’

With control of the presidency, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and at least one Supreme Court seat to fill, the GOP has the opportunity to make sweeping changes in the next four years.

Since opposing abortion is part of the Republican Party’s platform, Americans can expect a reproductive-rights fight will be part of the agenda.

On his fourth day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reinstating a gag order keeping nongovernmental organizations that receive federal funding from discussing abortion abroad.

While Trump once supported abortion, he has since reversed his position, saying in his first interview after winning the election that he wants to appoint “pro-life” judges with the goal of overturning Roe v. Wade. His highly conservative nominee to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat, Neil Gorsuch, is expected to try to carry out this mission.

The landmark Supreme Court case, decided in 1973, gave women a constitutional right to safe, legal abortions — and the justices have upheld that precedent for over four decades.

‘Death by 1,000 cuts’

Roe would likely fall in one of two ways, according to Dawn Johnsen, a constitutional scholar from Indiana University and the legal director of NARAL Pro-Choice America from 1988 to 1993.

The most drastic way the court could get rid of Roe would be to overturn the case. The more likely scenario, however, would see the court letting Roe stand but incrementally upholding laws that restrict access, making abortions impossible to get — rendering the procedure virtually illegal over time.

States have been trying to pass outright bans for years. They’ve been most successful at enacting laws that make it more difficult or upsetting for women to get abortions. Some laws require women to have funerals for aborted fetuses, or require waiting periods between appointments.

Glenn Cohen, a health-law expert and professor at Harvard Law School, said two kinds of laws provide the most likely paths for SCOTUS to overturn or undermine Roe.

The first are known as fetal-pain laws. They aim to ban abortions when a fetus can feel pain, which legislators typically claim is after 20 weeks, though scientists disagree.

The Supreme Court has ruled that abortions are legal up to viability — when a fetus can survive on its own outside the womb — but has neglected to define exactly when that is, and hasn’t taken on a fetal-pain statute, Cohen said.

The second kind of law is what reproductive rights activists call Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers, or TRAP laws, that impose strict requirements on abortion clinics and providers.

A TRAP law was at the heart of a major case taken up by the court this past year, Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt. The law in question required abortion clinics in Texas to meet strict standards, from the exact size of the examination rooms to admission privileges doctors had to secure for admitting patients to local hospitals.

In June, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-3 decision that the law “provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions, and constitutes an ‘undue burden’ on their constitutional right to do so.”

Presumably, that means the high court has a 5-3 majority at the moment that supports abortion, Cohen said. If it were to switch course and uphold similar laws over time, the court could chip away at abortion access in the US.

The gradual erosion of Roe v. Wade is a much more likely scenario for diminishing abortion access, according to Cohen, because Chief Justice John Roberts often plays the “long game.” Roberts hasn’t explicitly come out against Roe or abortion (as is tradition with justices), but he has said he respects the precedence of Roe yet supported abortion restrictions in Supreme Court cases while on the bench.

“Roberts, in particular, has often preferred the method of ‘death by 1,000 cuts’ to get rid of decisions he does not like — narrow it, make small changes, et cetera., in a series of cases,” Cohen told Business Insider. “He is very honorably committed to the idea of the integrity of the court, and my own sense is he would not favor a dramatic action that would cause half the country to lose faith in the court.”

What would happen if Roe were overturned?

The short answer: Abortion rights would be up to the states.

If Roe fell, 13 states have laws on the books banning abortion, so the practice would be illegal there immediately. Other states would likely act quickly to pass similar “trigger” laws.

As Trump said in his first interview as president, that would mean women in those states would “have to go to another state” to get an abortion.

Restrictive abortion policies at the state-level tend to have a “hugely disproportionate impact on poor women, immigrant women, women of color, and women in rural areas,” said Stephanie Toti, the lead attorney on the Whole Woman’s Health case and a senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Your ZIP code will start to determine whether you have access to safe abortion.

That would likely become even more apparent if Roe fell.

“What we would end up with is a country where there is a patchwork of rights depending on where you live,” Toti told Business Insider. “Your ZIP code will start to determine whether you have access to safe abortion, and other reproductive health services, or not.

“As we learned from our recent experience in Texas, while the very restrictive clinic shut down law was in effect in that state, not every woman can afford to travel out of state to access abortion care,” she added.

Research coordinated by the University of Texas supports Toti’s assertion. After Texas’ law went into effect in 2013, the number of clinics providing abortions in the state dropped in half, from 41 to 18, as of November 2015 — increasing the number of women who lived over 50 miles from a clinic in Texas from 1.2 million to 4.2 million.

How likely is it that Roe will be overturned?

Toti said she doesn’t think Roe is in “any immediate jeopardy,” largely because both the Supreme Court and a majority of Americans support abortion.

Pew Research Center polls have found that 59% of US adults today support the legality of abortion in general and 69% want the Supreme Court to uphold Roe — both numbers that have risen over time.

On January 31, Trump announced his Supreme Court justice nomination, Neil Gorsuch, to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat.

The 49-year-old judge was appointed to the 10th Circuit US Court of Appeals by President George W. Bush in 2006. While he’s never ruled directly on abortion, he did vote against the so-called contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act in the Hobby Lobby decision before it went up to the Supreme Court and a majority of justices agreed with Gorsuch’s opinion.

Even if the Senate approves Gorsuch’s nomination, Toti said, the court will likely still have a 5-4 majority that would uphold Roe.

“Less than four months ago, a majority of Supreme Court justices reaffirmed more than four decades of precedent holding that every woman has a fundamental, constitutional right to access abortion. We are confident that the court will not back away from that,” Toti said. “Regardless of how the current vacancy is filled, that majority decision stands as controlling precedent.”

It will likely be some time before Gorsuch can actively participate in cases, as well. Toti estimated that the lengthy Senate approval process will sideline the new justice from deciding on cases until at least October 2017. And even if Gorsuch is aggressively anti-Roe, Trump would still need another justice to retire or die to shift the balance, an unlikely scenario in the next four years.

Not everyone is as optimistic as Toti. If Trump is elected for a second term, the chances of him choosing another justice go up — as do the chances of Roe falling.

Johnsen, the constitutional law expert, pointed to Vice President Mike Pence, who has enacted some of the strictest antiabortion laws in the country as governor of Indiana, as evidence of which way the political winds are blowing.

“I am very pessimistic about it, and that’s because I’m thinking about the range of ways Roe can fall that would not require the Supreme Court to actually say, ‘We are overruling Roe v. Wade,'” Johnsen said. “We’ve seen the kinds of laws that would shut clinics, and ban abortions for reasons, and force women to be interrogated by their doctors — and that all could be upheld without the Supreme Court actually saying, ‘We’re overruling Roe v. Wade.'”

Abortion rights advocates prepare for a fight

Advocacy groups are gearing up for a fight, and they received an outpouring of donations after the election to help them wage costly court battles across the country.

“We will continue to fight for a country in which all women have access to safe abortion, contraception, and safe pregnancy care,” Toti said. “We haven’t met that ideal yet. We don’t have that situation now. There are women in many parts of the country who face lots of challenges, but we are going to keep pushing to move forward and to make things better, and we won’t allow backsliding.”

Erica Sackin, director of political communications for Planned Parenthood, told Business Insider that the healthcare provider is “absolutely gearing up for a huge fight,” and that the wave of donations they received underline how many people support upholding Roe — including those who voted for Trump.

“We’ve seen a number of laws across the country that try to take away women’s access to safe, legal abortions. At the heart of it, these laws are unpopular, and they are dangerous,” Sackin said. “For the people who come to Planned Parenthood, for the people who need to access abortion, this isn’t about politics. It’s about basic healthcare.”

SEE ALSO: Planned Parenthood is gearing up for a fight

DON’T MISS: Here’s where Trump stands on abortion and other women’s health issues

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: ‘Is abortion murder?’ — Watch Trump’s latest garbled response

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nancy-astorga · 7 years

Text

The Trump-era Supreme Court could hurt abortion access with a ‘death by 1,000 cuts’

With control of the presidency, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and at least one Supreme Court seat to fill, the GOP will have the opportunity to make sweeping changes in the next four years.

Since opposing abortion is part of the Republican Party’s platform, Americans can expect a reproductive-rights fight will be part of the agenda.

While Trump once supported abortion, he has since reversed his position, saying in his first interview after winning the election that he wants to appoint “pro-life” judges, including a highly conservative nominee to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat, with the goal of overturning Roe v. Wade.

The landmark Supreme Court case, decided in 1973, gave women a constitutional right to safe, legal abortions — and the justices have upheld that precedent for over four decades.

‘Death by 1,000 cuts’

Roe would likely fall in one of two ways, according to Dawn Johnsen, a constitutional scholar from Indiana University and the legal director of NARAL Pro-Choice America from 1988 to 1993.

Glenn Cohen, a health-law expert and professor at Harvard Law School, said two kinds of laws provide the most likely paths for SCOTUS to overturn or undermine Roe.

The first are known as fetal-pain laws. They aim to ban abortions when a fetus can feel pain, which legislators typically claim is after 20 weeks, though scientists disagree.

The second kind of law is what reproductive rights activists call Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers, or TRAP laws, that impose strict requirements on abortion clinics and providers.

The gradual erosion of Roe v. Wade is much more likely scenario for a diminishing of abortion access, according to Cohen, because Chief Justice John Roberts often plays the “long game.” Roberts hasn’t explicitly come out against Roe or abortion (as is tradition with justices), but he has said he respects the precedence of Roe yet supported abortion restrictions in Supreme Court cases while on the bench.

What would happen if Roe were overturned?

The short answer: Abortion rights would be up to the states.

If Roe fell, 13 states have laws on the books banning abortion, so the practice would be illegal there immediately. Other states would likely act quickly to pass similar “trigger” laws.

As Trump said in his first interview as president, that would mean women in those states would “have to go to another state” to get an abortion.

Your ZIP code will start to determine whether you have access to safe abortion.

That would likely become even more apparent if Roe fell.

How likely is it that Roe will be overturned?

Toti said she doesn’t think Roe is in “any immediate jeopardy,” largely because both the Supreme Court and a majority of Americans support abortion.

Pew Research Center polls have found that 59% of US adults today support the legality of abortion in general and 69% want the Supreme Court to uphold Roe — both numbers that have risen over time.

Trump has said he’ll announce his Supreme Court justice nomination this coming week, and reports indicate he’s narrowed it down to three conservative judges, one of whom has called Roe an “abomination.”

Even once Trump fills the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat, Toti said, the court will likely still have a 5-4 majority that would uphold Roe.

It will likely be some time before Trump’s nomination can actively participate in cases. Toti estimated that the lengthy Senate approval process will sideline the new justice until at least October 2017. And even if that justice is aggressively anti-Roe, Trump would still need another justice to retire or die to shift the balance, an unlikely scenario in the next four years.

Not everyone is as optimistic as Toti. If Trump is elected for a second term, the chances of him choosing another justice go up — as do the chances of Roe falling.

Abortion rights advocates prepare for a fight

Advocacy groups are gearing up for a fight, and they received an outpouring of donations after the election to help them wage costly court battles across the country.

SEE ALSO: Planned Parenthood is gearing up for a fight

DON’T MISS: Here’s where Trump stands on abortion and other women’s health issues

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: ‘Is abortion murder?’ — Watch Trump’s latest garbled response

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