Four days: Kamala Harris' unlikely journey, via Chicago, plays a huge role in Biden's legacy
Editor’s note: This story is a compilation of Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatches, “Via Chicago,” originally published online from the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago the week of Aug. 19.
Women’s rights are slipping away
To the Editor:
I was in my 20s in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Legislative and legal decisions this year brought back memories from those days, and not pleasant ones.
I won’t force my beliefs on you
To the Editor:
One of the things I find baffling about those on the other side of the political divide is that their fight for certain policies is inconsistent with a core value they espouse.
Roundtable sheds light on threat to abortion care
June 24 marked the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade. Since then, 21 of 50 states have enacted some variation of abortion restrictions, whether that be an outright ban or a time limit for when the procedure can be performed.
Could Trump be a president for all?
To the Editor:
Recently Donald Trump spoke at the NRA convention and promised to roll back gun control measures enacted under Biden and fire the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Western Dems sense an opportunity on abortion
It’s been just over two years since a leaked draft opinion suggested the U.S. Supreme Court would vote to overturn its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion ruling, and it’s now been nearly two years since that actually happened.
Important freedoms are under siege
To the Editor:
We now live in a free country. We cherished the freedom to worship as we choose; the freedom to pick our leaders, and the right to a free press; the freedom to teach our children as we choose; and the freedom to make choices about our bodies and who we love.
Don’t legislate your ‘beliefs’
To the Editor:
According to a couple of newsletters I got, the week of May 14-20 was National Women’s Health Week, urging me to consult with my certified and licensed doctors about screenings and best health practices to keep myself healthy.
Abortion bill will test Republican supermajority
It’s been a little over a year since a draft of the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling was leaked, and a little under a year since the ruling was issued, overturning Roe v. Wade. Now, North Carolina’s Republican-dominated General Assembly will finally have its abortion bill — if they can get past Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s promised veto.
Western legislators weigh in on upcoming General Assembly session
North Carolina’s General Assembly convened last Wednesday, beginning a new session with new dynamics that will come into play as members seek to resolve a host of long-lingering issues.
