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The Satanic Temple seeks to undo what Samuel Alito et al just did.
Exquisitely merging their sacrosanct tenets - reproductive rights, church/state separation, the freedom to offend and artful devil's advocacy - The Satanic Temple is opening a "religious abortion clinic" to offer free, virtual, medication abortion to "involuntarily pregnant women" who need it. The "non-theistic" group, with "Satanic good works" from food drives to After-School Satan Clubs, named the clinic for Alito's mother, because, "In 1950, (she) did not have options, and look what happened."
Based in Salem, Mass., the Satanic Temple is somewhat of a baroque misnomer. Co-founded a decade ago by social activists Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry, TST is a non-theistic group that seeks to "encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority, oppose injustice and undertake noble pursuits" while remaining faith-based enough to qualify for federal protections and benefits afforded religious organizations - just without the deity part. While they "don't have any supernatural beliefs," they argue the Satanic label is more than just a political ploy; it "provides a metaphorical narrative construct by which we contextualize our values," and renders them "every bit of a religion in that religion and the privileges and exemptions that come with it shouldn’t be the exclusive rights of superstition." To date, they've been most visible righteously advocating to enforce the sometimes-waning separation of church and state: In one campaign, they erected a bronze statue of the god Baphomet outside the Arkansas State Capitol after lawmakers put up a Ten Commandments statue there, prompting horrified Christian groups to protest with hymns and signs reading, "Let Them Offend Our Lord No More."
Now, after years of supporting bodily autonomy and suing to block anti-abortion laws in Idaho, Indiana, Texas' Heartbeat Act, they're launching the first TST Health online abortion clinic Feb. 14 in New Mexico, where abortion remains largely legal, amidst a surge of anti-abortion laws and rabid rhetoric about "pre-born babies" and a "pro-life war" against "pro-death forces." Battling "reproductive laws that violate our religious conscience (and) necessary health and safety standards," they claim abortion as an “essential part of a religious practice” protected by the First Amendment and state religious freedom laws. Their clinic will provide free telehealth consultation with licensed medical staff, followed by a scrip for pills "discreetly" sent by mail, to women medically eligible for but lacking access to abortion; in return, the women must perform a "religious abortion ritual" of reciting a modest Satanic affirmation like, “One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone." TST hopes to launch clinics in several more states; you can donate here. Their first facility really will be named “The Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Satanic Abortion Clinic," to remind us what's at stake. "Prior to 1973, doctors who performed abortions could lose their licenses and go to jail," says Jarry. "In 1950, Samuel Alito’s mother did not have options, and look what happened." Holy hell, we wish them well.
Billy Joe Shaver - "Get Thee Behind Me, Satan" - Music World Musicyoutu.be
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Exquisitely merging their sacrosanct tenets - reproductive rights, church/state separation, the freedom to offend and artful devil's advocacy - The Satanic Temple is opening a "religious abortion clinic" to offer free, virtual, medication abortion to "involuntarily pregnant women" who need it. The "non-theistic" group, with "Satanic good works" from food drives to After-School Satan Clubs, named the clinic for Alito's mother, because, "In 1950, (she) did not have options, and look what happened."
Based in Salem, Mass., the Satanic Temple is somewhat of a baroque misnomer. Co-founded a decade ago by social activists Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry, TST is a non-theistic group that seeks to "encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority, oppose injustice and undertake noble pursuits" while remaining faith-based enough to qualify for federal protections and benefits afforded religious organizations - just without the deity part. While they "don't have any supernatural beliefs," they argue the Satanic label is more than just a political ploy; it "provides a metaphorical narrative construct by which we contextualize our values," and renders them "every bit of a religion in that religion and the privileges and exemptions that come with it shouldn’t be the exclusive rights of superstition." To date, they've been most visible righteously advocating to enforce the sometimes-waning separation of church and state: In one campaign, they erected a bronze statue of the god Baphomet outside the Arkansas State Capitol after lawmakers put up a Ten Commandments statue there, prompting horrified Christian groups to protest with hymns and signs reading, "Let Them Offend Our Lord No More."
Now, after years of supporting bodily autonomy and suing to block anti-abortion laws in Idaho, Indiana, Texas' Heartbeat Act, they're launching the first TST Health online abortion clinic Feb. 14 in New Mexico, where abortion remains largely legal, amidst a surge of anti-abortion laws and rabid rhetoric about "pre-born babies" and a "pro-life war" against "pro-death forces." Battling "reproductive laws that violate our religious conscience (and) necessary health and safety standards," they claim abortion as an “essential part of a religious practice” protected by the First Amendment and state religious freedom laws. Their clinic will provide free telehealth consultation with licensed medical staff, followed by a scrip for pills "discreetly" sent by mail, to women medically eligible for but lacking access to abortion; in return, the women must perform a "religious abortion ritual" of reciting a modest Satanic affirmation like, “One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone." TST hopes to launch clinics in several more states; you can donate here. Their first facility really will be named “The Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Satanic Abortion Clinic," to remind us what's at stake. "Prior to 1973, doctors who performed abortions could lose their licenses and go to jail," says Jarry. "In 1950, Samuel Alito’s mother did not have options, and look what happened." Holy hell, we wish them well.
Billy Joe Shaver - "Get Thee Behind Me, Satan" - Music World Musicyoutu.be
Exquisitely merging their sacrosanct tenets - reproductive rights, church/state separation, the freedom to offend and artful devil's advocacy - The Satanic Temple is opening a "religious abortion clinic" to offer free, virtual, medication abortion to "involuntarily pregnant women" who need it. The "non-theistic" group, with "Satanic good works" from food drives to After-School Satan Clubs, named the clinic for Alito's mother, because, "In 1950, (she) did not have options, and look what happened."
Based in Salem, Mass., the Satanic Temple is somewhat of a baroque misnomer. Co-founded a decade ago by social activists Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry, TST is a non-theistic group that seeks to "encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority, oppose injustice and undertake noble pursuits" while remaining faith-based enough to qualify for federal protections and benefits afforded religious organizations - just without the deity part. While they "don't have any supernatural beliefs," they argue the Satanic label is more than just a political ploy; it "provides a metaphorical narrative construct by which we contextualize our values," and renders them "every bit of a religion in that religion and the privileges and exemptions that come with it shouldn’t be the exclusive rights of superstition." To date, they've been most visible righteously advocating to enforce the sometimes-waning separation of church and state: In one campaign, they erected a bronze statue of the god Baphomet outside the Arkansas State Capitol after lawmakers put up a Ten Commandments statue there, prompting horrified Christian groups to protest with hymns and signs reading, "Let Them Offend Our Lord No More."
Now, after years of supporting bodily autonomy and suing to block anti-abortion laws in Idaho, Indiana, Texas' Heartbeat Act, they're launching the first TST Health online abortion clinic Feb. 14 in New Mexico, where abortion remains largely legal, amidst a surge of anti-abortion laws and rabid rhetoric about "pre-born babies" and a "pro-life war" against "pro-death forces." Battling "reproductive laws that violate our religious conscience (and) necessary health and safety standards," they claim abortion as an “essential part of a religious practice” protected by the First Amendment and state religious freedom laws. Their clinic will provide free telehealth consultation with licensed medical staff, followed by a scrip for pills "discreetly" sent by mail, to women medically eligible for but lacking access to abortion; in return, the women must perform a "religious abortion ritual" of reciting a modest Satanic affirmation like, “One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone." TST hopes to launch clinics in several more states; you can donate here. Their first facility really will be named “The Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Satanic Abortion Clinic," to remind us what's at stake. "Prior to 1973, doctors who performed abortions could lose their licenses and go to jail," says Jarry. "In 1950, Samuel Alito’s mother did not have options, and look what happened." Holy hell, we wish them well.
Billy Joe Shaver - "Get Thee Behind Me, Satan" - Music World Musicyoutu.be
"We've got the FBI patrolling the streets." said one protester. "We've got National Guard set up as a show of force. What's scarier is if we allow this."
Residents of Washington, DC over the weekend demonstrated against US President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard in their city.
As reported by NBC Washington, demonstrators gathered on Saturday at DuPont Circle and then marched to the White House to direct their anger at Trump for sending the National Guard to Washington DC, and for his efforts to take over the Metropolitan Police Department.
In an interview with NBC Washington, one protester said that it was important for the administration to see that residents weren't intimidated by the presence of military personnel roaming their streets.
"I know a lot of people are scared," the protester said. "We've got the FBI patrolling the streets. We've got National Guard set up as a show of force. What's scarier is if we allow this."
Saturday protests against the presence of the National Guard are expected to be a weekly occurrence, organizers told NBC Washington.
Hours after the march to the White House, other demonstrators began to gather at Union Station to protest the presence of the National Guard units there. Audio obtained by freelance journalist Andrew Leyden reveals that the National Guard decided to move their forces out of the area in reaction to what dispatchers called "growing demonstrations."
Even residents who didn't take part in formal demonstrations over the weekend managed to express their displeasure with the National Guard patrolling the city. According to The Washington Post, locals who spent a night on the town in the U Street neighborhood on Friday night made their unhappiness with law enforcement in the city very well known.
"At the sight of local and federal law enforcement throughout the night, people pooled on the sidewalk—watching, filming, booing," wrote the Post. "Such interactions played out again and again as the night drew on. Onlookers heckled the police as they did their job and applauded as officers left."
Trump last week ordered the National Guard into Washington, DC and tried to take control the Metropolitan Police, purportedly in order to reduce crime in the city. Statistics released earlier this year, however, showed a significant drop in crime in the nation's capital.
"Why not impose more sanctions on [Russia] and force them to agree to a cease-fire, instead of accepting that Putin won't agree to one?" asked NBC's Kristen Welker.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday was repeatedly put on the spot over the failure of US President Donald Trump to secure a cease-fire deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Rubio appeared on news programs across all major networks on Sunday morning and he was asked on all of them about Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin ending without any kind of agreement to end the conflict with Ukraine, which has now lasted for more than three years.
During an interview on ABC's "This Week," Rubio was grilled by Martha Raddatz about the purported "progress" being made toward bringing the war to a close. She also zeroed in on Trump's own statements saying that he wanted to see Russia agree to a cease-fire by the end of last week's summit.
"The president went in to that meeting saying he wanted a ceasefire, and there would be consequences if they didn't agree on a ceasefire in that meeting, and they didn't agree to a ceasefire," she said. "So where are the consequences?"
"That's not the aim of this," Rubio replied. "First of all..."
"The president said that was the aim!" Raddatz interjected.
"Yeah, but you're not going to reach a cease-fire or a peace agreement in a meeting in which only one side is represented," Rubio replied. "That's why it's important to bring both leaders together, that's the goal here."
RADDATZ: The president went in to that meeting saying he wanted a ceasefire and there would be consequences if they didn't agree on a ceasefire in that meeting, and they didn't agree to a ceasefire. So where are the consequences?
RUBIO: That's not the aim
RADDATZ: The president… pic.twitter.com/fuO9q1Y5ze
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 17, 2025
Rubio also made an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," where host Margaret Brennan similarly pressed him about the expectations Trump had set going into the summit.
"The president told those European leaders last week he wanted a ceasefire," she pointed out. "He went on television and said he would walk out of the meeting if Putin didn't agree to one, he said there would be severe consequences if he didn't agree to one. He said he'd walk out in two minutes—he spent three hours talking to Vladimir Putin and he did not get one. So there's mixed messages here."
"Our goal is not to stage some production for the world to say, 'Oh, how dramatic, he walked out,'" Rubio shot back. "Our goal is to have a peace agreement to end this war, OK? And obviously we felt, and I agreed, that there was enough progress, not a lot of progress, but enough progress made in those talks to allow us to move to the next phase."
Rubio then insisted that now was not the time to hit Russia with new sanctions, despite Trump's recent threats to do so, because it would end talks all together.
Brennan: The president told those European leaders last week he wanted a ceasefire. He went on television and said he would walk out of the meeting if Putin didn't agree to one, he said there would be severe consequences if he didn’t agree to one. He spent three hours talking to… pic.twitter.com/2WtuDH5Oii
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 17, 2025
During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," host Kristen Welker asked Rubio about the "severe consequences" Trump had promised for Russia if it did not agree to a cease-fire.
"Why not impose more sanctions on [Russia] and force them to agree to a cease-fire, instead of accepting that Putin won't agree to one?" Welker asked.
"Well, first, that's something that I think a lot of people go around saying that I don't necessarily think is true," he replied. "I don't think new sanctions on Russia are going to force them to accept a cease-fire. They are already under severe sanctions... you can argue that could be a consequence of refusing to agree to a cease-fire or the end of hostilities."
He went on to say that he hoped the US would not be forced to put more sanctions on Russia "because that means peace talks failed."
WELKER: Why not impose more sanctions on Russia and force them to agree to a ceasefire, instead of accepting that Putin won't agree to one?
RUBIO: Well, I think that's something people go around saying that I don't necessarily think is true. I don't think new sanctions on Russia… pic.twitter.com/GoIucsrDmA
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 17, 2025
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump said that he could end the war between Russian and Ukraine within the span of a single day. In the seven months since his inauguration, the war has only gotten more intense as Russia has stepped up its daily attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
"I had to protect my life and my family... my truck was shot three times," said the vehicle's driver.
A family in San Bernardino, California is in shock after masked federal agents opened fire on their truck.
As NBC Los Angeles reported, Customs and Border Protection (CPB) agents on Saturday morning surrounded the family's truck and demanded that its passengers exit the vehicle.
A video of the incident filmed from inside the truck showed the passengers asked the agents to provide identification, which they declined to do.
An agent was then heard demanding that the father, who had been driving the truck, get out of the vehicle. Seconds later, the agent started smashing the car's windows in an attempt to get inside the vehicle.
The father then hit the gas to try to escape, after which several shots could be heard as agents opened fire. Local news station KTLA reported that, after the father successfully fled the scene, he called local police and asked for help because "masked men" had opened fire on his truck.
Looks like, for the first time I'm aware of, masked agents opened fire today, in San Bernardino. Sources posted below: pic.twitter.com/eE1GMglECg
— Eric Levai (@ericlevai) August 17, 2025
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the agents' actions in a statement to NBC Los Angeles.
"In the course of the incident the suspect drove his car at the officers and struck two CBP officers with his vehicle," they said. "Because of the subjects forcing a CBP officer to discharge his firearm in self-defense."
But the father, who only wished to be identified as "Francisco," pointed out that the agents refused to identify themselves and presented no warrants to justify the search of his truck.
"I had to protect my life and my family," he explained to NBC Los Angeles. "My truck was shot three times."
His son-in-law, who only wished to be identified as "Martin," was similarly critical of the agents' actions.
"Its just upsetting that it happened to us," he said. "I am glad my brother is okay, Pop is okay, but it's just not cool that [immigration enforcement officials are] able to do something like that."
According to KTLA, federal agents surrounded the family's house later that afternoon and demanded that the father come out so that he could be arrested. He refused, and agents eventually departed from the neighborhood without detaining him.
Local advocacy group Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice said on its Instagram page that it was "mobilizing to provide legal support" for the family.