On Saturday, a far-right convoy calling itself “God’s army” is set to host rallies at different border towns along the US-Mexico border to decry what they call a migrant “invasion.” Throughout the week, the group’s organizers made their way from Virginia Beach to Jacksonville, Florida, before splitting into three groups heading to rallies in Yuma, Arizona, San Ysidro, California, and near Eagle Pass, Texas. On a “Take Our Border Back” website, they called on “all active & retired law enforcement and military, veterans, mama bears, elected officials, business owners, ranchers, truckers, bikers, media and LAW ABIDING, freedom-loving Americans.” 

HAPPENING NOW: In San Ysidro, California, the stage is set and dozens of people have started gathering for the third leg of the Take Our Border Back Convoy. The group will have a rally and then caravan to Yuma, Arizona. Follow our live blog for updates: https://t.co/KmiUpgdBNt pic.twitter.com/37G3NzAe9q

— Border Report (@BorderReportcom) February 3, 2024

The convoy, whose organizers have been known to disseminate anti-vaccine and election denial messages, as well as QAnon conspiracy theories, emerged in reaction to growing tensions around an ongoing border standoff between Gov. Greg Abbott and the federal government in Eagle Pass, Texas. The Lone Star State’s National Guard has taken control of a park there, sealing it off with concertina wire and denying US Border Patrol access to the migrant crossing area where a woman and two children recently drowned in the Rio Grande. 

Abbott’s defiance has earned support from Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and 25 Republican governors. “My thoughts are that the feds are staging a civil war, and Texas should stand their ground,” Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) posted on X.

Cesc Fabregas has issued a warning to Arsenal ahead of their match against Liverpool.

The Gunners host Liverpool tomorrow in a must-win game if they are serious about clinching the Premier League title.

Mikel Arteta’s men have been outside the top two since the end of last year after losing back-to-back matches.

The Gunners are facing Liverpool at a time when the Reds are in form and hold a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

It is a critical game for both clubs, and Fabregas believes Arsenal cannot afford to keep dropping points at this stage of the season.

Arsenal Women’s Australian international, Kyra Cooney-Cross, is destined for greatness, according to Vivianne Miedema. The 21-year-old moved to Arsenal last summer, from Swedish women’s club Hammarby. She has only appeared six times for Arsenal, totaling 290 minutes, in the 12 WSL games she may have played.

Most people who have watched Kyra on the ball, would agree that she has been fantastic; it’s just that she hasn’t had the chances, due to the huge talent & experience that is Arsenal Women’s midfield. The young midfielder is wonderful; the ball sticks to her feet like glue, and she is inventive. She is a joy to watch play for Arsenal and she was an utter joy to watch at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, in Australia.

Arsenal Women’s Dutch international star, Vivianne Miedema, who has recently returned to the pitch, after a long recovery from an ACL injury, has nothing but praise for the talented youngster. And coming from Miedema, who is the all-time top goal scorer in the WSL, as well as the all-time top goal scorer for the Netherlands, that is high praise indeed.

“If there’s someone who will tell her off, then it will be me,” Miedema said of Cooney-Cross, tongue in cheek.

“She’s a massive talent; she’s a raw diamond, I think, and the future is going to be amazing for her.” as per Optus Sport.

Takehiro Tomiyasu has reportedly committed his long-term future to Arsenal, with the official announcement expected upon his return from the Asian Cup.

Tomiyasu has proven to be a valuable player for Arsenal since joining the club, and the Japanese star has established himself as a reliable presence.

Impressed by his performances, Arsenal has chosen to reward him with a new contract, thereby extending his tenure at the club.

During the last transfer window, the Gunners received inquiries from several clubs for his signature, particularly from Serie A.

Having previously spent time at Bologna before his move to the Emirates, Tomiyasu attracted interest from the likes of Napoli and AC Milan, both keen on bringing him back to the Italian league.

Arsenal has received a positive development ahead of their upcoming match against Liverpool, with the possibility that Darwin Nunez might be unavailable for the Reds.

Nunez, a pivotal player for Liverpool, demonstrated his potency by striking the bar four times in Liverpool’s recent fixture against Chelsea, underscoring his threat in matches.

Despite possessing one of the league’s most robust defences, Arsenal is keenly aware of the challenges that an adept attacker like Nunez can pose, and would undoubtedly prefer not to contend with his dynamic presence.

The Uruguayan concluded the Chelsea game nursing a minor injury, prompting Jurgen Klopp to indicate that there exists a likelihood of him being absent for the forthcoming Arsenal match. This potential absence could constitute a significant boost for Arsenal as they prepare to face Liverpool.

The German manager said, as quoted by The Sun:

Jonas Eidevall and our Arsenal Women will make the short trip to Chigwell Construction Stadium on Sunday, to face off against 11th on the table West Ham Women. West Ham have had a rough season and only sit a few points above the relegation zone, and will be hoping to pull a swift one over the Arsenal Women at home, to try and keep their WSL hopes alive.

The last time we met was in November last year 2023, where Arsenal walked away 3-0 winners, after a dominate game from our Gunners. On that occasion Arsenal managed to score three goals in the first half, and walked away with all three points. A win is necessary for our women, if we want to keep challenging for this years WSL title. Although, on paper, we should be winning this game, will need to be at our best and hopefully get a few goals to add to our tally.

Yes, West Ham Women may have had a hard season thus far, but there’s still a lot of quality throughout the squad. Arsenal Women will still need to be alert, and at their best, if they want to walk away winners.

West Ham manager Rehanne Skinner certainly believes that her side “are capable of creating an upset”

Here’s a run down of West Ham’s danger women and who we will need to look out for.

This story was originally published by Slate and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Rebecca Helm despises the phrase “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”

This moniker is used to describe the vast stretch of ocean from the West Coast of North America to Japan that is crammed with an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of trash, most of which are plastic.

“I think it’s a really awful practice to name a part of the world after something bad that’s happened to it,” says Helm, a marine biologist at Georgetown University’s Earth Commons Institute.

Moreover, she thinks that this term misleadingly implies that this area is a barren wasteland, when in fact there is a trove of marine life living alongside the floating plastic bottles, dirty fishing nets, and discarded Styrofoam cups. Along with the occasional shark or sea turtle passerby, this region—which is actually called “the North Pacific High”—hosts a unique array of tiny species that live at the sea surface, from electric-blue seadragons to minuscule snails that ride bubbles like rafts across the open ocean.

More than 150 Democratic members of Congress have written to President Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra with a demand: Do more to prevent the criminalization of pregnant people post-Dobbs and to support those who are unfairly targeted by law enforcement. 

The letter, dated Thursday, highlights the case of Brittany Watts, the 34-year-old Black woman from Ohio who was charged with a felony in October over her handling of an at-home miscarriage; when she later sought care at a hospital, a nurse reported her to police. While a grand jury ultimately declined to indict Watts earlier this month, the letter notes that “the fact that Ms. Watts faced degrading law enforcement interrogation and that such a case was even brought forward at all is alarming and cruel.” It also emphasized that—as I reported earlier this week—Watts’ experience is indicative of broader inequities related to the criminalization of pregnant people, with women of color far more likely to face “punitive responses” from healthcare professionals. That includes the criminalization of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriages—which, as in Watts’ case, can be mistaken for self-managed abortions.

Spearheaded by members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, the letter urges federal officials to provide “educational, financial, and legal services support to any person who experiences or is threatened with pregnancy criminalization,” and to reduce the likelihood of criminalization in the first place through three specific measures: investigating prosecutions of pregnant people as forms of sex-based discrimination; reminding hospital and medical staff of patients’ rights to privacy under HIPAA; and enforcing the section of the Affordable Care Act that prohibits discrimination based on sex when federally-funded healthcare personnel “improperly report to law enforcement when patients miscarry, terminate a pregnancy, or seek other pregnancy-related care.” 

The letter also notes that—as my colleague Katie Herchenroeder and I reported in November—the fallout from the Dobbs decision “has only escalated efforts to charge people with crimes related to their pregnancies.” As Katie and I wrote a few months ago: 

On top of abortion clinics closing, obstetrics programs and maternity wards—from Alabama to Idaho—have also shuttered, putting providers out of work and leaving 1.7 million women living in counties without abortion or maternity care access, according to an analysis conducted by ABC News and Boston Children’s Hospital. Providers who are still working risk losing their license or going to jail if they miscalculate what thin exceptions to abortion bans mean for the care they can give. And with some bans incentivizing people to report those having abortions to law enforcement, criminalization is poised to get worse.  

Yesterday, I wrote about the “Take Our Border Back” convoy headed to three southwestern cities and the grab bag of conspiracies its participants embrace. But, wait, there’s more! Moms for America—not to be confused with that other right-wing moms’ group, Moms for Liberty—has joined the convoy, and here is what their leader, Kimberly Fletcher, has to say about why they’re going:

Here’s why Moms for America is going to the border.
Join us and follow us along the way
https://t.co/Nd0gHJP6uH#Texas #Texasborder #texasbordercrisis #BorderCrisis

As Kimberly makes her way to the Texas border please join us after at our Summit and Gala.
Grab tickets now… pic.twitter.com/tLdD84v2Ba

— Moms for America (@momsforamerica) February 1, 2024

Fletcher, who was subpoenaed for her involvement in the rally that preceded the January 6 Capitol insurrection, has spoken up about the border before. In 2018, Fletcher told the conservative outlet The Blaze about how, on a recent trip to the border, she had learned about a six-year-old migrant girl who “had been raped by 30 men!” But when FactCheck.org tried to verify the story with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, they learned that there was no evidence that the supposed rape ever happened. When the fact checkers called Fletcher for comment, she told them that she had heard the story from someone else. Politifact didn’t find any evidence to support Fletcher’s story, either.

This story was originally published on Judd Legum’s Substack, Popular Information, to which you can subscribe here.

Since its initial publication in 1970, millions of children have read In the Night Kitchen, the classic picture book by celebrated author Maurice Sendak. The book is about a young boy who has a surreal dream about baking a cake that needs to be finished by morning. It was named a Caldecott Honor Book, one of the most prestigious awards in children’s literature. 

At least two copies of In the Night Kitchen are available in elementary school libraries in Indian River County, Florida. This concerned Jennifer Pippin, the chair of the local Moms for Liberty chapter, because the main character, Mickey, is sometimes depicted without clothes. In an interview, Pippin told Popular Information that she believes the book may be “harmful to minors.” She was worried that if a “5-year-old picks up this book and has never seen a picture of a penis… [t]he parent wouldn’t be able to discuss this with the child.” This is an example of one of the offending images:

Pippin submitted formal challenges to the Indian River County School District seeking the removal of In the Night Kitchen, which she calls “pornographic.” Pippin challenged other books with drawings of figures without clothes, including Unicorns Are the Worst, a book about a goblin complaining about how much people like unicorns. The concern about Unicorns Are The Worst is this picture of a goblin’s butt:

Following Pippin’s challenges, which occurred in November and December of 2023, the books were removed from the library shelves. 

The Supreme Court of Oregon on Thursday ruled that 10 Republican and Independent state senators cannot run for reelection this year. Their transgression? Not showing up for work.

Since 2019, Republicans, Oregon’s minority party, have been staging walkouts to prevent the majority party from passing progressive measures, like a proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and to protest Covid restrictions. The AWOL senators were facing fines of $500 for every day of missed work, but that didn’t stop them: During the 2019 walkouts, some senators even went into hiding or fled the state. Then-Goc. Kate Brown (D) admonished them. “Public servants are chosen by and entrusted to represent their constituents, and working for the people of Oregon is an honor and a privilege,” she said. “Playing games and avoiding tough conversations is a dereliction of that responsibility and trust.”

Conservatives’ unusual strategy works in Oregon because it is one of the few states that require at least two-thirds of its 30-member Senate to be present to conduct legislative business. The legislature tilts blue but consistently has more than a third of Republican and Independent senators.

In 2022, voters amended the Oregon Constitution to have more stringent attendance rules for state legislators—no more than 10 absences—or else they would be banned from holding state office for the next term. Hannah Love, a campaign strategist for the ballot measure, explained to Oregon Public Broadcasting that “Oregonians…do not want to let the gridlock of the extreme partisan walkouts hold our democracy back any longer. They know that as regular people, we can’t walk off the job with zero consequences or accountability. And we’re sick of politicians who think they can play by a separate set of rules.” The measure passed with 68.3 percent of the vote, but there were sharp detractors. “What they’re trying to do is use extortion to prohibit freedom of speech,” said John Large, chair of the Lane County Republicans.

Despite the new attendance rules, 10 lawmakers still boycotted the senate in 2023 over a bill to expand gender affirming care and access to abortion. Their main point of protest was language allowing minors under the age of 15 to receive an abortion without parental consent or notification. “That, to us, is the issue,” said Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend). They walked out of work for six weeks. The bill ultimately passed, but the final language required parental notification for minors under the age of 15 getting abortions. Both parties celebrated the passage as a win.

Earlier this week, a right-wing group calling itself the “Take Our Border Back” convoy began its journey from Virginia to the US southern border. The organizers, who plan to hold anti-immigration rallies in three border cities, say their goal is “to call for immediate action to secure our borders before irreversible serious consequences befall our nation.”

Their catalyst, presumably, was the standoff in Eagle Pass, Texas, where the Texas National Guard has blocked the US Border Patrol from patrolling a section of the US-Mexico border along the Rio Grande. Abbott has accused President Biden of failing to enforce laws that protect the US border, and has said that Texas “has the legal authority to control ingress and egress into any geographic location in the state.” The convoy organizers appear to agree: In their promotional materials, they complain about politicians “who are enabling tens of thousands of illegal entrants, criminals, and known terrorists from over 160 countries worldwide to cross daily into our country along our southern border!”

“That’s the kind of thing that happens with these border things—in the aftermath, you have an increase in paramilitary activity around the border, extrajudicial efforts to round up undocumented immigrants.”

It’s hard to predict exactly what this convoy will amount to. Initial reports on its size were underwhelming—some accounts estimated that the initial size to be around 40 vehicles, a far cry from the 700,000 that the organizers had hoped for.

Small though the convoy may be, extremism experts that I spoke with told me they were still watching it closely. Noelle Cook, a researcher who is working on a book about the women who participated in the January 6 Capitol insurrection, has been monitoring long-dormant channels from the 2022 People’s Convoy, in which vehicles converged outside of Washington, DC, to protest Covid vaccine mandates. Recently, Cook says, these channels have come alive with fans following the new convoy from home. For the organizers, these channels are “a way to get people across the country thinking that they can participate in something.”

And in those online spaces, networking opportunities abound. The organizers draw from a veritable grab bag of right-wing movements and conspiracy theories: The Christian nationalist organizers refer to the convoy as “God’s army;” the QAnon adherent leaders use hashtags associated with the conspiracy theory; the Covid denialist leaders spread the word about the convoy in anti-vax forums. The cross-pollination of these various factions is one thing Devin Burghart, the president and executive director of the extremism tracking group Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, is paying close attention to.

In mid-October, Wesley Bell, St. Louis County’s first-ever Black prosecuting attorney, appeared at a virtual event for Missouri Democratic voters eager to discuss the race he was running against Sen. Josh Hawley. “We’re in a place to get this guy,” Bell boasted. Come Election Day, he said, “I’m going to wake up either as the St. Louis County prosecutor or the US senator-elect.”

But less than three weeks later, Bell abruptly called a press conference. Standing in front of a wall of posters bearing his name—and with the words “U.S. Senate” covered by white masking tape—Bell announced he’d instead decided to primary Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), one of the most progressive members of the House.

Bush had been making national headlines as a leading voice for a ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 6,000 Palestinians had already been killed in the Israeli bombardment launched after Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack. (As of this writing, the death toll has risen to over 26,000.) In a tweet a day prior to Bell’s announcement, Bush had decried Israel’s military operations as an “ethnic cleansing campaign.” ​​

Bell insisted there was “nothing personal” about his decision, but he called Bush’s statements “offensive” and contrasted himself with her—on the war and more generally—by pledging to “stand with the president.” Asked by a reporter whether US aid to Israel should be conditioned on adherence to international law, he responded, “I think we have to stand with our allies.” And, drawing a clear contrast with his new opponent on criminal justice issues, Bell called Bush’s support for defunding the police “misguided,” claiming it hurt Democrats electorally. The following day, he released a list of endorsements that included a number of prominent Jewish members of the St. Louis community, as well as a handful of police chiefs in the district.

On Tuesday, another possible line of attack emerged for Bell, as news broke that Bush was under federal investigation for allegedly misspending security money. (In late 2023, a congressional ethics board recommended a complaint regarding campaign funds being used to pay her husband for “security” be dismissed.)

While Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled the country promoting his state’s effort to ban everything from books to student pronouns in what turned out to be a failed presidential campaign, Black community educators felt swamped by an energized public ready to learn the history their state is intent on denying them.

“It has been overwhelming,” says Kristin Fulwylie, executive director of the Black History Project, an education nonprofit that oversees Black history courses in Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, and Fort Lauderdale. “There’s a lot of energy. Our students are really eager and asking for new additions to our programs.” 

Many of these extracurricular programs have grown in strength since last February, when the College Board publicly capitulated to DeSantis’s stripped down version of the Advanced Placement (AP) African American studies course. Florida Commissioner of Education, Manny Diaz Jr., took to Twitter to claim that the course was “filled with Critical Race Theory” and “woke indoctrination” for including lessons on intersectionality, Black queer studies, and the reparations movement for decendents of the formerly enslaved, among others. Conservative officials across the state parroted the same rhetoric to ban lessons on race, gender, and sexuality, dismantle diversity and inclusion initiatives, and target LGBTQ students. Not only did Florida legislators succeed in forcing changes to the AP African American studies course, a flood of censorship legislation –from the Stop WOKE Act in 2022 to last year’s “curriculum transparency” law–has criminalized teaching Black and LGBTQ authors and subjects. Disturbingly, school libraries and even assigned reading lists must now be vetted by “media specialists” who have been trained by the state. 

Some educators outside of Florida’s strictly monitored classrooms have responded by bringing the fight to the schools; others have carved out new spaces to learn on their own terms, filling libraries, community halls, and cultural centers or what researchers call “third spaces.” 

Freedom Schools

Gabriel Magalhaes and Declan Rice were subbed off during Arsenal’s 5-0 victory against Crystal Palace and it seems they may have suffered injuries.

Both players were instrumental in Arsenal winning the game, and when they left the pitch, some Gooners may be worried.

After the fixture, Mikel Arteta was asked about his substitutions, and he explained on the BBC:

“Declan Rice was feeling a sensation in his hamstring so we didn’t want to take any risks at 3-0.

“Gabriel had a tackle in the first half on his knee. I hope not [too serious] but we will see.”

Leandro Trossard scored one of Arsenal’s goals in their 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace this afternoon, justifying his inclusion ahead of Gabriel Martinelli in the starting lineup.

The Belgian faced challenges in displacing Martinelli when he joined the club in the second half of last season, but he consistently proves his worth as a top player when given the chance.

While the spotlight often falls on the performances of players like Bukayo Saka, Trossard’s contribution to the team should not be overlooked. According to the BBC, he has now been involved in 11 goals from 14 games in all competitions at the Emirates this season, making him one of Arsenal’s most productive players.

Mikel Arteta appears to be pleased with Trossard’s contributions, and considering his recent form, we could see more of him in the second half of the season.

Just Arsenal Opinion

Gabriel Martinelli secured a late brace for Arsenal in their 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace this afternoon.

Despite being one of the club’s top scorers last season, the Brazilian has struggled to make an impact in the current campaign, resulting in him losing his starting spot. In the match against the Eagles, Leandro Trossard got the nod ahead of him.

However, Martinelli seized the opportunity when he came on as a substitute, scoring two identical yet clinical strikes. This impressive performance is likely to send a message to his manager, and he will be hopeful that it earns him a starting spot in the next game. Sky Sports’ James Green suggests that this could be a positive turning point in Martinelli’s season.

He said on Sky Sports:

“That late double will give Martinelli a huge amount of confidence. He’s struggled a lot this season to hit the heights we saw last year, but he took those two really well. 

Arsenal’s interest in Xavi Simons may have RB Leipzig concerned. PSG’s Xavi Simons, who is on loan to RB Leipzig, is progressively establishing himself as one of the best playmakers around.

The 20-year-old Dutch international has been in terrific form this season, contributing 15 goals in 26 outings (across all competitions). That’s six goals and nine assists.

The Bundesliga side may begin to believe they must persuade PSG to sell him to them on a permanent basis.

However, the Germans will have to beat a number of teams to win the Dutch international’s signature. Barcelona and Bayern Munich are reportedly in the running, although neither is likely to offer a threat in that transfer. Arsenal, on the other hand, might pose a significant threat, considering the belief Premier League clubs have a willingness to spend money to sign players they want.

“Bayern have him on the list, but I think for this summer, they have many players on the list for this position, and Simons will be particularly expensive if PSG would be prepared to sell him,” the head of football at the BILD Group informed CaughtOffside in an exclusive update on Simon’s transfer race.

On Friday, Utah’s state House of Representatives distinguished itself by becoming the country’s first legislative body to pass an anti-trans bill in 2024.

It also happens to be dangerously extreme, by seeking to make it a criminal offense for people to use a bathroom in a public building that doesn’t correspond with the gender on their birth certificate. According to Erin Reed, who tracks anti-trans legislation nationwide, the law raises the prospect of people forced to “potentially undergo a genital examination if under criminal investigation for being in the bathroom.” People determined under the law to have used the wrong bathroom inside public spaces, from colleges to Salt Lake City’s airport, could be sent to jail for up to 6 months. 

The bill, which would need to pass the state’s Senate and be approved by the governor to become law, is so extreme that Reed and others have said it could even ensnare cisgender people and subject them to prosecution if someone thinks they’re peeing in the wrong place.

As Chris Geidner writes at Law Dork, “It is extreme legislation that explicitly retrofits the crimes of voyeurism and criminal trespass in the state to allow for the prosecution of many transgender people for using the right bathroom.”

When pressed on the House floor, the bill’s sponsor could not point to a single example of inappropriate behavior by a trans person in an Utah bathroom. But members of the Utah House—which meets for only 45 days a year and just started its 2024 session on Tuesday—nonetheless voted 57 to 17 to police bathrooms.

GOP presidential contender Nikki Haley responded to former President Donald Trump’s gaffe from Friday night, in which he confused her with Nancy Pelosi and suggested that she had something to do with the security failures at the US Capitol on January 6. 

“Last night, Trump is at a rally and he’s going on and on mentioning me several times as to why I didn’t take security during the Capitol riots,” she told an audience in Keene, New Hampshire. “I wasn’t even in DC on January 6.”