May 18, 2019

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Slams Republicans for Trying to Turn America Into a “Far-right Christian Theocracy”

“At least be forthright about your desire to subvert and dismantle our democracy into a creepy theological order led by a mad king.”

    Mother Jones DC

Dan Herrick/ZUMA

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In the wake of Alabama enacting a law that could send doctors who perform abortions to prison for life, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is attacking Republicans for trying to turn the United State into a “far-right Christian theocracy.”  

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wrote in a Friday Twitter thread that if Republicans were truly concerned about “the unborn,” they would be fighting climate change, not burning fossil fuels “til there’s hell on Earth.”

Ocasio-Cortez added that if Republicans cared about babies, they would also support policies like universal healthcare and have a plan to address climate change.


She concluded by writing that the GOP is not being honest about its efforts to let America be run “by a mad king.” 


 

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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