Daily Dispatch 2/12/24: Rising Texas Teen Pregnancies Could Go National With GOP Wins, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: An increase in teen pregnancies that followed Texas' abortion restrictions could become a national problem if Republicans are triumphant this fall: https://www.salon.com/2024/02/12/a-rise-in-texas-teen-pregnancies-could-foreshadow-national-trends-experts-warn/ ...Progressives need to get familiar with the legal concept of "extraterritoriality" - the GOP push to enforce Texas culture-war laws outside our borders: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/09/texas-abortion-transgender-care-outside-state-borders/ ...The direct connection between our state's stamping out of reproductive freedom and Donald Trump exists in attorney Jonathan Mitchell: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/us/elections/jonathan-mitchell-trump-ballot-case.html A UT law professor says conditions at the border don't constitute an "invasion", but that Governor Abbott will continue arguing that they do: https://www.npr.org/2024/02/12/1230835881/texas-law-professor-says-influx-of-migrants-doesnt-meet-the-definition-of-invasi ...While Abbott's frequent border visits continue disrupting the peace of Eagle Pass: https://www.kxan.com/state-of-texas/state-of-texas-border-visits-fuel-frustrations-over-policy-failures/ ...And Mexico "categorically rejects" SB-4, set to take effect next month: https://www.ketk.com/news/texas/mexican-government-says-it-rejects-texas-immigration-enforcement-bill/ ...And SB-4, even before enactment, is already causing problems for Hispanic and Black Texans: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2024/02/12/how-sb-4-threatens-the-well-being-of-immigrant-families-in-texas/ ...And there's shareable video on the current border situation on the border situation: https://twitter.com/ProjectLincoln/status/1756151249626701968?t=sovlW-I7P1kHIqw9EUuMbw&s=03 Last night's Super Bowl saw an ad for Robert F. Kennedy Jr that plagiarized his family's political legacy and was paid for by major Trump backers: https://x.com/SawyerHackett/status/1756858017268584684?t=zqL_kSEC-ZUHZPdIRdQ2KA&s=03 ...And the Super Bowl ads for the "He Gets Us" Christian campaign were also bankrolled by nefarious Christian groups, including those backed by the founder of Hobby Lobby: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/11/us/he-gets-us-super-bowl-commercials-cec/index.html Texas Monthly highlights seven terrible candidates (yes, one is a Democrat) on ballots across Texas: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-elections-2024-primary-fringe-candidates/ We celebrate Black History Month throughout February! Progress Texas has a full schedule of events to follow: https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-african-american-arts-and-artisans-black-history-month Progress Texas is seeking to add 29 new recurring donors during our February membership drive - we'd appreciate the support: https://progresstexas.org/donate