Via OilPrice.com,

• A study on government electricity and gas price data reveals that Brits pay the world’s highest energy bills.

• Norway is the country with by far the biggest increase in electricity prices worldwide

• The UK’s energy price cap was recently raised from 28p to 34p per kWh.

New research reveals that the UK has the highest electricity bills.

Brits pay more for their power than anywhere else on the planet.

A new study looked at Government data on electricity and gas prices from the past five years to analyse the impact of the worsening cost of living crisis and discover which countries have had the biggest year-on-year increase in energy prices. The data, compiled by BOXT, was shared with City A.M. today

The UK’s energy price cap was recently raised from 28p to 34p per kWh.

Much like the rest of the world, prices have increased due to reduced supply from Russia due to the Ukraine conflict, as well as the after-effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK’s neighbours in the Republic of Ireland have the second highest electricity cost, paying 18.99p per kWh. That’s 53 per cent more expensive than the average of these 24 countries.

However, prices are slightly more affordable when it comes to gas in Ireland, which stands at 5.21p per kWh.

The countries with the highest electricity prices

Residents of Spain are paying an average of 18.51p per kWh. Electricity prices in Spain recently hit a historical high and were recently capped at €130 (£112) per megawatt hour, down from €210 (£181).

Norway is the country with by far the biggest increase in electricity prices worldwide – 91 per cent increase in electricity cost in pence/kWh since 2016.

Top 10 countries with the biggest electricity bill price increase:

The second highest electricity rises are in Finland – Since 2016, Finnish residents have seen their electricity bills increase by almost two-fifths (37%) on average.

Tied in third place are the Czech Republic, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, with a 35% increase in electricity prices. 

Typically it is Saudi Arabia that makes headlines for its yearly mass executions. For example in March of this year the kingdom executed 81 men in a single day, which is a record in the modern political history of the country. 

But another close regional US ally now grabbing headlines for the practice of mass execution is Kuwait. This week it put seven people to death, including women, state-run KUNA news agency confirmed Wednesday. 

“The inmates who were hanged on Wednesday were four Kuwaitis, a Pakistani, a Syrian and an Ethiopian. Two of the seven were women,” Al Jazeera reported. 

The last such execution in Kuwait was in 2017, when seven people were hanged on the same day. State media indicated the executions this week were for premeditated murder and other unnamed charges, and were carried out at a central prison.

The European Union, as well as international rights monitors such as Amnesty International had attempted to intervene, urging a halt to the executions, but to no avail.

“The EU calls for a halt to executions and for a complete de facto moratorium on carrying out death penalty, as a first step towards a formal and full abolition of the death penalty in Kuwait,” the EU said in a statement. It condemned the death penalty as a “a cruel and inhumane punishment.”

You will find more infographics at Statista

The EU indicated that Kuwait’s ambassador to Brussels will be summoned over the matter. Historically, Kuwait and other regional governments have conducted executions on convictions of drug trafficking as well. 

Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

The Ukrainian leadership was well aware of what happened but decided to propagate the most dangerous conspiracy theory in history in an attempt to spark World War III. The Western public would do well to dwell on this since it means that they’ve been forced by their governments into subsidizing what can objectively be described as a literal apocalyptic death cult that lied to their leaders in an attempt to get them to bomb Russia and thus likely end the world.

NATO and Russia briefly stood on the brink of World War III Tuesday evening after Ukraine accidentally bombed Poland. The incident happened as its forces were trying to intercept incoming Russian missiles during what’s been described as Moscow’s fiercest attack of its special operation thus far that some speculated coincided with the failure of rumored ceasefire talks. Instead of shooting down the Russian missile, Kiev’s S-300 malfunctioned and ended up dropping into Poland, where it killed two people.

The Ukrainian leadership was well aware of what happened but decided to propagate the most dangerous conspiracy theory in history in an attempt to literally spark World War III. Zelensky lied to the world by describing his forces’ accidental bombing of Poland as “a Russian missile strike on collective security” and telling NATO that “We need to act.” His Foreign Minister in turn gaslit by claiming that all allegations that his side was responsible for this incident are nothing but “Russian propaganda”.

To his credit, Biden told the press in response to a question about whether Russia was responsible that “There is preliminary information that contests that. It is unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we’ll see.” In the same article reporting his words, the Associated Press also cited three unnamed US officials who said “preliminary assessments suggested the missile was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile”.

There’s no reason to doubt Biden’s assessment nor that of those three unnamed US officials. After all, if any of them had any credible reason to suspect that Russia bombed NATO-ally Poland – whether accidentally or not – then they’d have reacted very differently due to their collective security commitments under Article 5. Quite clearly, just like with the Nord Stream terrorist attack that was in all likelihood carried out by the Anglo-American Axis, NATO doesn’t truly hold Moscow responsible.

This objective conclusion, which is informed by the public assessment shared by none other than the US President and therefore can’t by any stretch of the imagination of described as so-called “Russian propaganda”, proves that Kiev was indeed conspiring to trick NATO into starting World War III. That realization contradictions so-called “conventional wisdom” of the Ukrainian Conflict thus far since the public in the US-led West’s Golden Billion has been under the false impression that Kiev is “winning”.

Had that really been the case, then its President and Foreign Minister wouldn’t have lied to the world by blaming Russia after their own forces accidentally bombed Poland, which was indisputably an attempt to manipulate NATO into directly reacting in what almost certainly would have been a kinetic manner. A conventional attack by NATO against Russia, whether within its universally recognized pre-2014 borders or those former Ukrainian regions that reunified with it afterwards, would have sparked a wider war.

The very fact that Kiev’s top officials literally conspired to set that apocalyptic scenario into motion suggests that their side isn’t as confident with its newfound on-the-ground gains as it publicly claims. Rather, they seem to fear that the rumored ceasefire talks between Russia and the US over the past week coupled with its NATO patrons’ limited military-industrial capacity to maintain the scope, scale, and pace of their aid will inevitably result in unbearable pressure upon it to compromise with Moscow.

That’s unacceptable to its hyper-nationalist leadership and those of its people who’ve been brainwashed into expecting the maximum fulfilment of their side’s objectives in the conflict, which translates into reconquering the Crimea, Donbass, and Novorosissya regions that all reunified with Russia. Failing that, it’s unlikely that Zelensky and his clique could maintain their grip on power in the face of populist protests, especially if hyper-nationalist elements of the SBU support that Color Revolution scenario.

It was therefore purely with their own political interests in mind that they conspired to trick NATO into starting World War III by lying to their allies in claiming that it was Russia that deliberately bombed Poland and not their own forces that accidentally did so while trying to shoot down its enemy’s missiles. Put simply, the Ukrainian leadership would rather risk a nuclear apocalypse provoked by their conspiracy theory than risk being overthrown through a popular uprising backed by the SBU.  

The Western public would do well to dwell on this since it means that they’ve been forced by their governments into subsidizing what can objectively be described as a literal apocalyptic death cult that lied to their leaders in an attempt to get them to bomb Russia and thus likely spark World War III. The Ukrainian leadership is therefore a danger not just to its own people and Russia’s, but to the entire world. There’s no doubt that its patrons must urgently force it to accept a ceasefire before it’s too late.

Authored by Pepe Escobar via The Asia Times,

Xi has few reasons to take Biden – rather, the group writing every script in the background – at face value…

Balinese culture, a perpetual exercise in sophisticated subtlety, makes no distinction between the secular and the supernatural – sekala and niskala.

Sekala is what our senses may discern. As in the ritualized gestures of world leaders – real and minor – at a highly polarized G20.

Niskala is what cannot be sensed directly and can only be “suggested”. And that also applies to geopolitics.

The Balinese highlight may have featured an intersection of sekala and niskala: the much ballyhooed Xi-Biden face-to-face (or face to earpiece).

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs preferred to cut to the chase, selecting the Top Two highlights.

1. Xi told Biden – rather, his earpiece – that Taiwan independence is simply out of the question.

2. Xi also hopes that NATO, EU and US will engage in “comprehensive dialogue” with Moscow.

Asian cultures – be they Balinese or Confucianist – are non-confrontational. Xi laid out three layers of common interests: prevent conflict and confrontation, leading to peaceful coexistence; benefit from each other’s development; and promote post-COVID global recovery, tackle climate change and face regional problems via coordination.

Significantly, the 3h30 meeting happened at the Chinese delegation’s residence in Bali, and not at the G20 venue. And it was requested by the White House.

Biden, according to the Chinese, affirmed that the US does not seek a New Cold War; does not support “Taiwan independence”; does not support “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”; does not seek “decoupling” from China; and does not want to contain China.

Now tell that to the Straussians/neo-cons/neoliberalcons bent on containing China. Reality spells out that Xi has few reasons to take “Biden” – rather the combo writing every script in the background – at face value. So as it stands, we remain in niskala.

That zero-sum game

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was dealt a terrible hand: how to hold a G20 to discuss food and energy security, sustainable development, and climate issues, when everything under the sun is polarized by the war in Ukraine.

Widodo did his best, urging all at the G20 to “end the war”, with a subtle hint that “being responsible means creating not zero-sum situations.”

The problem is a great deal of the G20 arrived in Bali bent on zero-sum – seeking confrontation (with Russia) and hardly any diplomatic conversation.

The US and UK delegations avowedly wanted to snub Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov every step of the way. France and Germany is a different matter: Lavrov did speak briefly with both Macron and Scholz. And told them Kiev wants no negotiation.

Lavrov also revealed something quite significant for the Global South:

“US and the EU have given the UN Secretary General written promises that restrictions on the export of Russian grain and fertilizers will be lifted – let’s see how this is implemented.”

The traditional group photo ahead of the G20 – a staple of every summit in Asia – had to be delayed. Because – who else – “Biden” and Sunak, US and UK, refused to be in the same picture with Lavrov.

Such childish, un-diplomatic hysterics is profoundly disrespectful towards ritual Balinese graciousness, politeness and a non-confrontational ethos.

The Western spin is that “most G20 countries” wanted to condemn Russia in Ukraine. Nonsense. Diplomatic sources hinted it may be in fact a 50/50 split. Condemnation comes from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, UK, US and EU. Non-condemnation from Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye and of course Russia.

Graphically: Global South against Global North.

So the joint statement will refer to the impacts of the “war in Ukraine” on the global economy, and not “Russia’s war in Ukraine”.

The collapse of the EU economy

What was not happening in Bali enveloped the island in an extra layer of niskala. Which brings us to Ankara.

The fog thickened because on the backdrop of the G20, the US and Russia were talking in Ankara, represented by CIA director William Burns and SVR (Foreign Intel) director Sergei Naryshkin.

No one knows what exactly was being negotiated. A ceasefire is only one among possible scenarios. And yet heated rhetoric from NATO in Brussels to Kiev suggests escalation prevailing over some sort of reconciliation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was adamant; de facto and de jure, Ukraine can’t and does not want to negotiate. So the Special Military Operation (SMO) will continue.

NATO is training fresh units. Next possible targets are the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and the left bank of the Dnieper – or even more pressure in the north of Lugansk. For their part, Russian military channels advance the possibility of a winter offensive on Nikolaev: only 30 km away from Russian positions.

Serious Russian military analysts know what serious Pentagon analysts must also know: Russia used at best only 10% of its military potential so far. No regular forces; most of them are DPR and LPR militias, Wagner commandos, Kadyrov’s Chechens and volunteers.

The Americans suddenly interested in talking, and Macron and Scholz approaching Lavrov, point to the heart of the matter: the EU and the UK may not survive next winter, 2023-2024, without Gazprom.

The IEA has calculated that the overall deficit by then will approach 30 billion cubic meters. And that presupposes “ideal” circumstances this coming winter: mostly warm; China still under lockdowns; much lower gas consumption in Europe; even increased production (from Norway?)

The IEA ‘s models are working with two or three waves of price increases in the next 12 months. EU budgets are already on red alert – compensating the losses caused by the current energy suicide. By the end of 2023, that may reach 1 trillion euros.

Any additional, unpredictable costs throughout 2023 mean that the EU economy will completely collapse: industry shutdown across the spectrum, euro in free fall, rise of inflation, debt corroding every latitude from the Club Med nations to France and Germany.

Dominatrix Ursula von der Leyen, leading the European Commission (EC), of course should be discussing all that – in the interests of EU nations – with global players in Bali. Instead her only agenda, once again, was demonization of Russia. No niskala here; just tawdry cognitive dissonance.

Authored by Terri Wu via The Epoch Times,

A new special report on cultural Marxism is urging Congress to hold hearings on Black Lives Matter (BLM) organizations.

America’s political leaders shouldn’t shy away from investigating any organizations with the words “Black Lives Matter” in their titles for fear of the “racist” label, said the report’s authors Mike Gonzalez, an expert at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, and Katharine Gorka, a national security expert and former research fellow with the Foundation.

“Because [BLM organizations] have been the vector for the introduction of cultural Marxism into the lives of all Americans, getting serious about the threat that the BLM organizations represent is the most immediate, and easiest, thing that Americans can do to confront Marxism,” the report read.

The authors define cultural Marxism as a more sophisticated and nuanced version of Marxism led by American Marxists “under the pretense of social justice.”

Instead of pitting workers against capitalists, cultural Marxists use race and gender to drive wedges between various racial groups, and children and parents to destroy the nuclear family in America, the authors said.

The report argues that critical race theory—a framework that views America as systemically racist—in education, America’s war on climate change, and corporate America’s environmental, social, and corporate governance rules are all parts of Marxist strategies.

On Nov. 14, a discussion about this report was held at the Foundation, Gonzalez told the audience that it’s legal to be a communist in the United States, but people should be aware of the BLM leaders’ Marxist beliefs and intentions.

According to the U.S. Crisis Monitor, 633 riots took place in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, Gonzalez said in a previous Epoch Times interview.

The Insurance Information Institute noted that these riots were the costliest civil unrest in U.S. history, with insured losses estimated at over $2 billion.

“I think the country should know whether you [leaders of BLM organizations] have unleashed this level of violence and have had these riots because you believe in these ideas,” Gonzalez said at the event.

Leaders of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF), an umbrella organization for the BLM movement, had openly said they were “trained Marxists,” and they should be the subject of congressional investigations, according to the special report’s authors.

…

Read more here…

Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan is going to the Supreme Court.

After Biden’s plan to buy votes in exchange for forgiving a portion of one’s student loan was halted by two federal courts in recent weeks, both of which found it to be unconstitutional, the admin’s Justice Department is asking for quick action to block both rulings and allow the plan to take effect even as it plays out in the nation’s courts.

As a result, the White House plans to ask the Supreme Court to reinstate the president’s student debt cancellation plan, according to a Thursday legal filing warning that :Americans will face financial strain if the plan remains stalled in court” when loan payments are scheduled to restart in January.

In a legal filing Thursday, the administration announced plans to appeal one of those rulings, by a federal appeals court in St. Louis, to the nation’s highest court. It also said it’s prepared to appeal the other case if needed.

The White House has said it will prevail, but even supporters of the plan worry about its chances before a conservative Supreme Court that has scaled back Biden’s authority in other ways, including in a June decision curbing the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to limit power plan emissions.

Keeping the debt relief on hold would leave the government with an “unnecessarily perilous choice,” the administration argued in its filing. If it restarts student loan payments as planned on Jan. 1, millions of Americans will get billed for debt that was promised to be canceled. Which probably means the president should not have promised to cancel it; meanwhile if the government extends the payment pause, it will cost billions of dollars in lost revenue. It builds on arguments the administration made in other filings this week, warning that many Americans won’t be able to pay their student debt bills in January if the cancellation plan remains halted.

Biden’s plan promises $10,000 in federal student debt forgiveness to those with incomes of less than $125,000, or households earning less than $250,000. Pell Grant recipients, who typically demonstrate more financial need, are eligible for an additional $10,000 in relief.

Almost 26 million people already have applied for the relief, with 16 million approved, but the Education Department stopped accepting and processing applications last week after the plan was ruled illegal.

For typical borrowers, monthly payments would be $200 to $300 higher than they would be if Biden’s plan goes through, the Education Department said. The strain could lead to soaring default rates, and push the country into an even deeper recession.

“We anticipate there could be an historically large increase in the amount of federal student loan delinquency and defaults as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Education Undersecretary James Kvaal said in a Tuesday filing. “This could result in one of the harms that the one-time student loan debt relief program was intended to avoid.”

In other words, the president is hoping that his unconstitutional scheme in which taxpaying citizens fund the liberal education of deadbeats so the US recession isn’t even deeper than it currently is, is overturned by a conservative dominated supreme court. GLWT.

Hundreds of Twitter’s remaining employees have reportedly resigned ahead of Elon Musk’s “extremely hardcore” cultural reset of the company. After Musk gave an ultimatum to his employees to either commit to the company’s new “hardcore” work environment or leave, many more workers declined to sign on than he expected, potentially putting Twitter’s operations at risk, according to Bloomberg sources, as well as internal Slack messages seen by The Verge and employee tweets.

On Thursday afternoon, so many employees decided to take severance that it created a cloud of confusion over which people should still have access to company property. According to a memo seen by Bloomberg and reports from Platformer’s Zoe Schiffer, Twitter closed its offices until Monday; urging employees to “please continue to comply with company policy by refraining from discussing confidential information on social media, with the press or elsewhere.”

We’re hearing this is because Elon Musk and his team are terrified employees are going to sabotage the company. Also, they’re still trying to figure out which Twitter workers they need to cut access for.

— Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) November 17, 2022

According to Bloomberg, in the final hours before his deadline, Musk tried to convince people to stay. Key staff were brought into meetings as the Thursday evening deadline neared to hear pitches on the social network’s future, according to people familiar with the matter. Musk, who had earlier said he was strictly against remote work, also sent a follow-up email Thursday softening his tone.

“All that is required for approval is that your manager takes responsibility for ensuring that you are making an excellent contribution,” he wrote, adding that staffers should have in-person meetings with their colleagues not less than once per month.

Despite the ultimatum, no Twitter employees have been deactivated — even those who’ve publicly resigned, the Platformer also reported, adding that “Musk and his team only collected the list of “yes’s” — employees who said they want to be part of Twitter 2.0. They’re still trying to track who is out.”

So far no Twitter employees have been deactivated — even those who’ve publicly resigned. Musk and his team only collected the list of “yes’s” — employees who said they want to be part of Twitter 2.0. They’re still trying to track who is out.

— Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) November 18, 2022

Elon’s attempt to ease the terms of the ultimatum wasn’t enough, and Twitter’s internal communications channels filled with employees offering a salute emoji, which has become a symbol for departing the company. Former staff tweeted the salute publicly, too, along with their internal Slack messages.

Some employees who were departing speculated that so many were leaving, along with their knowledge of how the product works, that the social network may have trouble fixing problems or updating systems during its normal operations, according to people familiar with the matter. Indeed, starting around 4pm ET or around the time of the resignation wave, Down Detector has observed a surge in Twitter outages.

Adding to the complexity of Musk’s attempt to overhaul the company, there have been reports that the designers leading Musk’s Blue verified project have also quot, along with the lead web engineer. Furthermore, Many Twitter employees who maintained critical infrastructure have resigned.

NEW: The designers leading Elon Musk’s Blue verified project are out, along with the lead web engineer. Many Twitter employees who maintained critical infrastructure have resigned. This is going to look like a very different company tomorrow.

— Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) November 18, 2022

As reported earlier, Musk on Wednesday had asked employees to formally state whether they were willing to keep working at the company – a commitment that would include “working long hours at high intensity.” Employees had until 5 p.m. Eastern time Thursday to fill out a Google form.

The form included just one possible response: “Yes.” Anyone who failed to accept the form by the deadline was told they would be out of the company with three months severance.

“I’m not pressing the button,” one departing employee posted in Slack according to The Verge. “My watch ends with Twitter 1.0. I do not wish to be part of Twitter 2.0.”

The ultimatum came less than two weeks after he laid off 50% of Twitter’s workforce, or roughly 3,700 employees. Many Twitter workers consulted lawyers this week to determine what to do. The form included almost no details about the severance packages, and it was not immediately clear whether employees would receive legal protections that would allow them to keep vesting stock awards or maintain insurance coverage.

Twitter had roughly 2,900 remaining employees before the deadline Thursday. Remaining and departing Twitter employees told The Verge that, given the scale of the resignations this week, they expect the platform to start breaking soon. One said that they’ve watched “legendary engineers” and others they look up to leave one by one.

“It feels like all the people who made this place incredible are leaving,” the Twitter staffer said. “It will be extremely hard for Twitter to recover from here, no matter how hardcore the people who remain try to be.”

Multiple “critical” engineering teams inside Twitter have now either completely or near-completely resigned, said another employee who requested anonymity to speak without Musk’s permission. For example, the team that maintains Twitter’s core system libraries that every engineer at the company uses is gone after Thursday. “You cannot run Twitter without this team,” the employee said.

Departing employees also tweeted their decisions to leave:

💙🫡 pic.twitter.com/2LOoeLLbvR

— parker lyons  (@tweetsbyparker) November 17, 2022

While those departing the company may think it’s a jobseeker’s market they may be surprised at how rapidly the Silicon Valley job market has turned against them.

Ain’t all bad #hardcore 🤘 pic.twitter.com/L2tCas5jRg

— AODHAN FLYNN (@aodhan) November 17, 2022

And just like that, after 12 years, I have left Twitter. I have nothing but love for all my fellow tweeps, past and present. A thousand faces and a thousand scenes are flashing through my mind right now – I love you Twitter and I’ll forever bleed blue 🫡💙

— Satanjeev Banerjee (@satanjeev) November 17, 2022

It’s been a ride pic.twitter.com/0VDf5hn2UA

— Matt Miller (@brainiaq2000) November 17, 2022

Meanwhile, Twitter recruiters have already started reaching out to outside engineers to see if they want to join “Twitter 2.0 – an Elon company,” according to a message sent to one recruit that was seen by The Verge.

“I have worked here at Twitter for over 11 years,” one employee wrote in Twitter’s Slack as the salute emojis poured in Thursday. “Back in July, I was the 27th most tenured employee at the company. Now I’m the 15th.”

Meanwhile, Musk reportedly brought back leaders who had departed, either as part of his own layoffs or through resignation, to convince others to stay, A Bloomberg source said. One returning leader is Ella Irwin, who will manage employees in Trust and Safety.

Musk later sent a follow-up email on remote work, according to a screenshot viewed by Bloomberg. “Any manager who falsely claims that someone reporting to them is doing excellent work or that a given role is essential, whether remote or not, will be exited from the company.”

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A judge in Georgia on Nov. 15 found the state’s ban on abortions unconstitutional and ordered authorities to stop enforcing it.

Georgia House Bill 481, known as the LIFE Act, declared that unborn children were living people with rights and banned abortions once a heartbeat was detected.

At the time it was enacted, though, key portions violated the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court precedent, principally the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that concluded access to abortion was a constitutional right, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said in a 15-page ruling.

“At that time—the spring of 2019—everywhere in America, including Georgia, it was unequivocally unconstitutional for governments—federal, state, or local—to ban abortions before viability,” McBurney said. “And yet the LIFE Act, through Section 4, did just that: a doctor faced with a request to end a pre-viability pregnancy, i.e., at a time when the fetus absolutely could not survive outside the mother’s womb, would be committing a felony if she honored her patient’s wishes.”

A federal judge made the same decision in an earlier case but the order was overturned by an appeals court after the Supreme Court reversed Roe in its June ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Under Georgia law, however, the timing of a new law being enacted determines constitutional tests.

The legislature may pass a new ban since Dobbs changed the Supreme Court precedent but “only after our Legislature determines in the sharp glare of public attention that will undoubtedly and properly attend such an important and consequential debate whether the rights of unborn children justify such a restriction on women’s right to bodily autonomy and privacy,” McBurney said.

He declared that authorities are enjoined from enforcing the post-heartbeat ban on abortion. Authorities have to refer to an earlier law, which bans abortions after 19 weeks unless a doctor deems an abortion necessary to avert the death or “serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman,” or to preserve the life of an unborn child.

The case against the ban was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, and other groups.

“We celebrate this victory in Georgia that restores the right to abortion and reproductive freedom,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, said in a statement.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, has already filed notice to the Georgia Supreme Court that he’ll appeal the ruling.

Read more here…

New post-midterm election polls find that Republicans in critical primary states favor Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over former President Donald Trump by substantial margins. 

Polling conducted Nov. 11-13 by WPAi Intelligence on behalf of the conservative Club for Growth Action found that DeSantis is the preferred candidate of 48% of Iowa’s likely Republican voters, compared to just 37% for Trump. The margin is even wider in New Hampshire: Republicans prefer DeSantis by a 52% to 37% margin. 

In what must be a particular humiliation for Trump, he trails DeSantis in their shared home state of Florida by 26 points — 56% to 30%.  

Separately, a post-midterm poll commissioned by the Texas Republican Party found 43% of Texas Republicans prefer DeSantis, compared to 32% who back Trump. 

Not only are those leads substantial, but they also show DeSantis’ position has strengthened in the wake of his resounding reelection victory in Florida, where he not only defeated Charlie Crist by a whopping 19 percentage points, but also helped lead Republicans to a statewide thrashing of Democrats — to include turning majority-Hispanic Miami-Dade county red. In 2018, he lost the county by 20 points. 

In August polls conducted for Club For Growth Action, Trump led DeSantis in Iowa, was tied with him in New Hampshire, and trailed by just seven points in Florida. Now, he finds himself well behind in all three. 

Trump tumbled fast in Texas too. Just last month, the former president easily led among Lone Star State Republicans, 46% to 29%, but is now down 11 points.  

It remains to be seen if some of the glow of DeSantis’ reelection will prove temporary, or if Trump is able to boost his own prospects by attacking his undeclared rival.  

In the days leading up to the midterm elections, Trump called the popular Florida governor “Ron DeSanctimonious.” After the election, Trump threatened him, hinting he would reveal “things about him that won’t be very flattering…I know more about him than anybody, other than, perhaps, his wife.”

Likely referring to Trump’s jabs at DeSantis, Club for Growth president David McIntosh said:

“Our polling shows that Republican primary voters recognize Trump’s insults against Republicans as hollow and counterproductive, and it’s taking a significant toll on his support.”

The polls themselves may be a sign that Trump is also in growing disfavor with Republican Party leadership and allied organizations. Politico characterized the very release of the Club For Growth Action poll as a shot across Trump’s bow: 

“The conservative Club for Growth is sending a warning shot at former President Donald Trump on the eve of his expected 2024 campaign launch — and indicating it might back his chief potential rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.    …

The release of the memo represents the latest twist in a complicated relationship between the Club for Growth and Trump. After savaging Trump during the 2016 campaign, the conservative group became an ally during his White House tenure.“

Tensions came to a boil in this year’s Ohio Senate primary, as Club for Growth backed Josh Mandel while Trump backed J.D. Vance. Politico reports that, as things deteriorated, Trump sent a pointed message to Club For Growth’s McIntosh: “Go fuck yourself.” Trump’s candidate won the primary and the general election.