Estimated reading time: 3m 15s

March 14, 2023

It's Taco Tuesday, readers! It's also Pi Day, but that doesn't lend itself to fun alliterations when you're greeting people. Regardless of what you're eating today, I hope that you enjoy your meal and try not to get crumbs on your keyboard because they're so hard to clean out.

The word of the day today is "symbolism." Politicians in Washington put a lot of stake in it. They often know when a piece of legislation has little to no chance of making it out of committee or passing a vote on the Senate floor, but they'll submit it anyway because it signals something to the people who are watching. In this week's newsletter, we're taking a look at the people and institutions who are sending us some very strong signals about what they want. Will their desires actually come to pass? Who can say? But even if it doesn't, these people are showing us who they are. We should believe them and hold them to account.

In a post-Dobbs America, does the Hyde Amendment really matter?

President Biden's proposed budget currently excludes the Hyde Amendment, a statute that effectively prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion care. Biden's budget from last year also initially excluded the Hyde Amendment, but it was later inserted and reenacted by an overwhelming majority in Congress.

"We know that the majority of the public believe Medicaid should cover abortion care, and so his budget without Hyde is in line with the majority of people," one abortion rights activist said.

A new visa rule to protect immigrant workers may fall short of its goal

Under a new OSHA rule, undocumented immigrants may be eligible for a T or U visa, allowing them to remain in the U.S. to assist authorities in investigating crimes in which they were victims and offering a path to permanent status for victims and their close family members.

But it doesn't fix the underlying issues at the heart of the matter.

House GOP uses West Virginia law as a model for targeting transgender student athletes

Last week, West Virginia's attorney general petitioned the Supreme Court to allow the state to implement its Save Women’s Sports Act, which would force transgender women to play on sports teams corresponding with their gender assigned at birth. Congressional Republicans followed suit, introducing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, which would amend Title IX to define a person's sex based "solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth."

There's a lot at stake for parents in Florida right now

From conception through a child’s college years, Florida parents face new restrictions in nearly every arena of parenting. The Sunshine State may offer a forecast for what parents in other states can expect in the coming year.

Here's just a sample of what Florida parents are dealing with right now.

Headlines that turned my head this week

I am absolutely riveted by everything about last week's collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. I haven't been this captivatedby a business imploding since the Elizabeth Holmes trial got underway at the end of 2021. I won't pretend to fully grasp how bank collapses work because that's way above my pay grade. But these articles have helped me get a better understanding of what's happening!

If you're worried about the security of your deposits, here's my advice: Don't. The overwhelming majority of Americans are beneath the $250,000 FDIC insurance limit, meaning that if by some twist of fate your bank did collapse tomorrow, your money would be safe.

That's all I've got for this week. Thanks for reckoning with me,

Aria

Reckon | 1731 1st Avenue North | Birmingham, AL 35203

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