Sotomayor shreds Supreme Court over Texas abortion law

Rocker Meat Loaf dies at 74.

By Liza Hearon Friday, Jan. 21 SOTOMAYOR SHREDS SUPREME COURT OVER TEXAS ABORTION LAW Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor castigated the state of Texas and her fellow justices after the nation's high court denied a request from abortion providers to move a case challenging Texas' restrictive abortion law to a district court, calling the decision a "grave disservice to women." "I will not stand by silently as a state continues to nullify this constitutional guarantee. I dissent," she said. [HuffPost]   TRUMP: GEORGIA ELECTION COERCION 'EVEN MORE' PERFECT THAN UKRAINE EXTORTION Former President Donald Trump is under criminal investigation in Georgia for trying to coerce state officials into overturning his election loss there. And yet: "My phone call to the Secretary of State of Georgia was perfect, perhaps even more so than my call with the Ukrainian President, if that's possible," Trump wrote in a statement released by his political committee. [HuffPost]   JOE MANCHIN SEEMS CHEERFUL Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) expects Democrats to start over on the Build Back Better legislation with a "clean sheet of paper" after he killed the bill last month. "We will just be starting from scratch," a cheerful Manchin told reporters. Several Democrats told HuffPost they're ready to make whatever compromises they need in order to get the conservative Democrat on board with the legislation. [HuffPost]   'BAT OUT OF HELL' ROCKER MEAT LOAF DIES Meat Loaf, the Grammy Award-winning singer and actor, died Thursday night at age 74 with his wife Deborah by his side. "From his heart to your souls…don't ever stop rocking!" his family wrote of the star born as Marvin Lee Aday. [HuffPost] Five hacks to try if you only have a minute to destress. How to decide if two one-ways are better than a round-trip flight. Five reasons you should still be wearing your face mask. Singer's son slams anti-vaxxers after her COVID-19 death. Fauci: COVID vaccines for kids under 5 could be approved by next month.  Get the latest coronavirus updates on our dedicated page. GIULIANI REPORTEDLY IN CHARGE OF FAKE ELECTORS Rudy Giuliani reportedly coordinated the filing of forged election certificates by slates of fake Republican electors in five states for the 2020 presidential race. Officials in some of the states have referred information about the operation to federal prosecutors. This is "not protected speech," said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. "It's an attack on the very fabric of our system of government." [HuffPost]   GET A HEAD START IF YOU WANT YOUR TAX REFUND ASAP The IRS said that it is dealing with staffing shortages and a backlog of over 6 million individual tax returns from last year as of late December, and expects "enormous challenges" during this year's tax filing season. Here are some tips for getting ahead and ensuring your refund comes as quickly as it can. [HuffPost]   NEWSOM FIGHTS VACCINE MANDATE AT EXPENSE OF INCARCERATED PEOPLE California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is fighting in court against a vaccine requirement for prison workers, even as COVID-19 cases are again soaring through the state's crowded prisons. While incarcerated people have gotten vaccinated at higher rates in California prisons than staffers, the pandemic has disproportionately harmed incarcerated people. [HuffPost]   JAN. 6 COMMITTEE ASKS IVANKA TRUMP TO COOPERATE The House select committee investigating last year's Capitol riot has asked Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, who at the time was a White House senior adviser, to provide information. Earlier this month, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said that the committee has "firsthand testimony that his daughter Ivanka went in at least twice to ask [Trump] to please stop this violence." [HuffPost]   THE RIGHT'S WAR ON GOVERNMENT IS WORKING AND IT COULD COST LIVES Last week's COVID-19 vaccine ruling probably won't be the last time the Supreme Court blocks federal agencies from protecting public health or safety, writes Jonathan Cohn. The boundaries of government power have been the subject of debate for a long time, and Justice Neil Gorsuch's anti-government view may be a lot less rooted in constitutional history than conservatives would have everybody believe. [HuffPost] New ways to pin down the sex of old bones are overturning long-held, biased beliefs about gender and love. Congress is trying to figure out what to do about crypto's colossal carbon footprint. Americans are divided on abortion. The Supreme Court may not wait for minds to change. When NFTs invade an art town. In parched Beijing, claims of a "green" Olympics may not hold water. Rep. Lauren Boebert asked Jews touring U.S. Capitol if they were doing "reconnaissance." All the products you need to make snow removal less stressful. The best books and podcasts for queer parenting. Trump revives beef with one of his most bizarre foes in rambling "Hannity" call. Smartmatic voting firm sues Mike Lindell, alleging he lied about election to sell pillows. Jimmy Kimmel taunts Fox News hosts with "embarrassing" Trump reminder. "WOW!": Stephen Colbert stunned as Mitch McConnell accidentally says what he means. Howard Stern warns what he'd do to unvaccinated if he were in charge. Adele postpones Las Vegas residency: "My show ain't ready." What's coming to Netflix in February. Twitter users pan "inclusive" M&M's rebrand that nobody asked for. Lady Gaga wanted a "House of Gucci" sex scene with Salma Hayek. In "And Just Like That," hearing loss is the punchline of the joke ... again. If only this worked for everything! Dog saved after drone carrying sausage lures her to safety. Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? — Subscribe here!   ©2021 HuffPost BuzzFeed, Inc 111 E 18th St, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost   Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe