A lot of news moving tonight. But I wanted to flag that North Carolina Republicans are now trying to push through a set of abortion restrictions on the model of what’s moving in Texas. To add another thread of bizarreness, the new abortion restrictions have been tacked onto an existing bill to ban sharia law in the state.
More signs of a showdown overnight in Egypt. SCAF, which amounts to the top leadership of the Egyptian army, has issued a statement on its Facebook page saying in so many words it’s ready to fight to the death. Read More
Report: Egyptian Military about to take more sweeping steps than anticipated including MB house arrest http://t.co/3m3nuBS3dO via @eahram
— Shibley Telhami (@ShibleyTelhami) July 3, 2013
Remember when the Senate voted 79-19 to provide fighter jets & tanks to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood? http://t.co/b1jOxO6dUQ @SenRandPaul
— Justin Amash (@repjustinamash) July 3, 2013
If you missed the happenings overnight (US time) in Egypt, let me give you a quick run-down. The key from last night is that Morsi and the Egyptian military have both – using slightly different phrasings – pledged a battle to the death over control of the state, making a confrontation at the end of the military’s 48 hour deadline almost inevitable. Read More
Early this morning, the Texas anti-abortion bill sailed through a House committee on a party-line vote. Now it heads to full House.
North Carolina Republicans attach strict new abortion restrictions (a la Texas) onto bill to outlaw Sharia in state.
Morsi just issued an statement on FB, calling for national coalition government to lead the country until parliamentary elections. #Egypt
— Iyad El-Baghdadi (@iyad_elbaghdadi) July 3, 2013
Note that there is some unclarity as to whether this is Morsi or ‘the Presidency’, which in such a chaotic moment is not necessarily the same thing.