Susan Rinkunas

@susanrinkunas

Journalist: abortion and politics. Cofounder @‬. Seen in The New Republic, The Guardian, Slate, Mother Jones, MSNOW, Jezebel. WGAE Council. From PA, now in BK susanrinkunaswrites @gmail Signal susanrinkunas.73

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Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· 27d

It appears that a raccoon has broken into my apartment

Photo of a gray domed cat bed that is slumped over on a wood floor. Poking out the front is the very fluffy striped tail of my cat Birdie which could be mistaken for that of a raccoon

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· 28d

"[Todd] Blanche has committed himself to extending protections for life to the letter of the law," says a group that believes the president can declare via executive order that the 14th Amendment bans abortion from the moment of fertilization in all 50 states aul.org/law-and-poli...

screenshot from above linked press release with one sentence highlighted in green:
John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life, stated, “*Acting Attorney General Blanche has committed himself to extending protections for life to the letter of the law.* We urge members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to swiftly advance the nomination of Mr. Blanche before the full Senate and allow him to continue his service to the nation as Attorney General of the United States.”

https://aul.org/2026/07/14/americans-united-for-life-endorses-confirmation-of-acting-attorney-general-todd-blanche/

screenshot from Americans United for Life:

contents
1 Introduction
2 The Fourteenth Amendment’s Recognition of Preborn Personhood
4 The President’s Independent Duty to Interpret the Constitution
6 A Human Life Executive Order

Authors:
Catherine Glenn Foster, MA, JD
Chad Pecknold, PhD
Josh Craddock, JD [this guy now works in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which advises the president on legal matters, yikes]

note that this document doesn't say "fertilization" but uses antis' preferred term of "conception." page 3:
"Science, across the fields of embryology, physiology, and genetics, instructs unequivocally that the preborn are members of the human species from the moment of conception, or from that instant which Dr. Maureen Condic of the U.S. National Science Board precisely describes as the moment of 'sperm-egg fusion,' and thus the preborn are 'persons' as that term is applied to every member of the
human family."

https://aul.org/law-and-policy/lincoln-proposal/
https://aul.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Lincoln-Proposal.pdf

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· 29d

What do you mean a press release about Lindsey Graham‘s death mentions singing aborted embryos www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8GsB4f6/

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 12

Top anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America loved that Graham pushed for a national ban. They said in a statement today that aborted embryos and fetuses “are singing to him now”…….

Press release screenshot:

For Immediate Release: July 12, 2026 | LINK
Contact: media@sbaprolife.org | View Newsroom
SBA Pro-Life America Mourns the Passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham, Tireless Champion for the Unborn
Washington, D.C. - SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser issued the following statement today in response to the tragic and sudden passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham.
"Lindsey Graham was an unwavering pro-life champion and a friend. A man of vision and tenacity, he gave wise counsel and advocacy in countless difficult moments fighting for the rights of the unborn child. He expended himself to the work he was called to do, stepping up when no one else would. On the fundamental value of the not-yet-born child to live, he said to all who would listen: 'It's not about geography!' Indeed, his ability to persuade transcended geographic and political boundaries.
"All those little voices never heard here in this world are singing to him now. SBA Pro-Life America joins the chorus of thanks.
"I will deeply miss my friend. There will be no replacements for Lindsey Graham. Just protégés."
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is a network of more than one million pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.

Also available online:
https://sbaprolife.org/newsroom/press-releases/sba-pro-life-america-mourns-the-passing-of-sen-lindsey-graham-tireless-champion-for-the-unborn

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 12

Rest in piss to a man who desperately wanted to pass a nationwide abortion ban at 15 weeks after the fall of Roe www.jezebel.com/lindsey-grah...

Jezebel screenshot:
Headline: Lindsey Graham Introduces Nationwide Abortion Ban After Promising 'Every State Will Decide' for Itself
"If we take back the House and Senate, I can assure you we'll have a vote on" a federal 15-week abortion ban, Graham said Tuesday.
By Caitlin Cruz | September 13, 2022 | 5:05pm
ABORTION ›POLITICS
[photo of a snarling Lindsay Graham]

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 10

It's once again time to play Who Will Give My Dresses a Second Life Before ThredUp Recycles Them? green size 8 www.thredup.com/product/wome... black size 6 www.thredup.com/product/wome...

Photo of a French Connection green cocktail dress on a mannequin:
size 8. Kelly green pleated and belted sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline. The belt hardware is gold tone.
knee length, lined, dry clean only,

Photo of a White House Black Market black knee-length cocktail dress on a mannequin:
size 6
halter neckline (with tie at the back), ruching at bodice and built-in cups. zip closure, a-line silhouette, knee length, dry clean only
link
https://www.thredup.com/product/women-white-house-black-market-black-cocktail-dress/226040766

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 10

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said it's too easy for people to feed their families with SNAP benefits and suggested they should have to go to food banks so they feel embarrassed. The real embarrassment is lack of living wages stateline.org/2026/07/09/f... h/t @kelciemmorris.bsky.social @stateline.org

In the survey, 29% of states identified narrowing eligibility policies as a potential risk and 11% saw a wholesale withdrawal from SNAP as a potential risk.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, said churches, food banks and other organizations would ensure that people are fed there.

Stitt, the chair of the bipartisan National Governors Association, said he believes federal programs like SNAP are operated with “a lot of fraud and abuse.” He also suggested that the program had become too seamless, with cards that resemble credit cards allowing recipients to easily purchase groceries.

**“Maybe it’s going back to the day where there was a little stigma attached and you had to actually go to a food bank and pick up commodity cheese and commodity groceries, and it had a little stigma so you were a little bit embarrassed,”** he told Stateline. “Maybe we should go back to a little bit of that instead of just making it so easy…”

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 9

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 9

Racicot hoped the New York Times story would have been enough. It wasn't. She agrees with Platner politically for christ's sake www.politico.com/news/2026/07...

politico screenshot 1/2:
Racicot previously described “reckless” and “unsettling” behavior by Platner to The New York Times, but says she didn’t go public with the specific assault claim because she didn’t want to be known as a rape victim.

Racicot said she later felt compelled to go public about her experience because the reaction to the Times story was dominated by controversy about another woman, Lyndsey Fifield, who alleged Platner mistreated her and faced attacks because of her ties to the Republican Party. (Contacted by POLITICO, Fifield stood by the allegations she made to the Times and declined to comment further.)

“My part of the story was just a read-over,” Racicot said in an interview. “And the story was Lyndsey, and the accusations of her being politically motivated.”

“My part of the story was just a read-over,” Racicot said in an interview. “And the story was Lyndsey, and the accusations of her being politically motivated.”

Racicot said she was torn over coming forward in part because she agrees with Platner politically.

“One of the reasons I didn’t come forward sooner was, the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics, but not supporting him as a person,” she said. “I just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person.”

In a statement, the Platner campaign reiterated his denial and accused critics of trying to drive him out of the race.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 7

Lawyer for Pennsylvania notes that the Trump administration tried to manufacture controversy around the safety and effectiveness of birth control as a reason why it's OK to gut the Obamacare coverage requirement 👀

screenshot of transcript from argument in Obamacare birth control case:
Aimee Thompson for Pennsylvania: The second way I would say that the court is not required to defer to the agencies is how they assess the safety and efficacy and benefits of contraception. Throughout that part of the rule, which the agencies use to undermine a compelling interest in the [Affordable Care Act birth control coverage] mandate, the agencies purport to lift up [public] comments that express doubt about whether contraception is safe, whether it's efficacious, whether the contraceptive mandate has worked at all. I will note, as an aside, the record shows that there were maybe a handful of comments, I think less than five [out of nearly 45,000], that raised any type of citation to studies that purported to have any of these concerns.

But that aside, the agencies then declined to take a decision repeatedly on scientific questions, on empirical questions, so they did not demonstrate expertise—and this court is not required to defer to agency expertise where the agency has not demonstrated any expertise. Instead, they use this manufactured controversy around the safety and efficacy of contraception to undermine their compelling interest for purposes of RFRA and that analysis is not entitled to deference.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 7

DOJ lawyer previously: "plans are required by law to have summaries of benefits that will let employees know whether contraception is covered" PA lawyer: expecting women to sue their employers to get birth control coverage is ridiculous

Judge: why aren’t those post-hoc [enforcement] mechanisms sufficient?
Thompson: Those post-hoc enforcement mechanisms, first, it's not clear how that would happen. It appears that they are expecting female employees of companies to page through the voluminous coverage policies that they get, but then are they supposed to go to court and litigate against their employer on the grounds that they don't believe their employer has a sincere religious objection to the contraceptive coverage or the accommodation? That is an incredible burden to place on employees and on women who, again, by law are supposed to be guaranteed contraceptive coverage out of the Women's Health Amendment, and it's also just never how RFRA [religious freedom restoration act] has operated

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 7

Becket Fund lawyer for Little Sisters of the Poor just brought up weak Biden position: "They both left this rule in place for the entire four years, and when they had a proposed rule change, they were going to leave the religious exemption rule entirely in place." www.autonomynews.co/trump-is-sti...

screenshot from Autonomy News:
In early 2023, the Biden administration proposed new rules to eliminate the vague moral exemption and create a workaround policy for people whose employers had religious objections. But the administration withdrew its proposals at the end of 2024, weeks before Trump would return to office.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 7

Alarmingly, Trump officials keep making comments to lawmakers, courts, and the press where they sow doubt about the safety of birth control, conflate abortion and contraception, and question the actions of Biden’s FDA. Danger zone: www.autonomynews.co/trump-is-sti...

Autonomy News screenshot with one sentence highlighted in blue:
Conservatives have long claimed—falsely—that certain contraceptives, especially IUDs and other emergency contraceptives like Plan B and Ella, are “abortifacients.” In fact, this argument was a major feature of early opposition to the ACA’s contraceptive coverage mandate. The first Trump administration bolstered these claims in litigation over its contraceptive coverage rules: **Trump’s DOJ refused to say that certain forms of birth control do not cause abortions, and said the federal agencies no longer “take a position” on the matter**.

Beetlestone took the administration to task for this shift in her opinion, writing, “Although the Agencies purportedly did ‘not take a position on the scientific, religious, or moral debate on’ whether some kinds of contraception are abortifacients, the Agencies indeed had previously taken the opposite view.” In other words, federal agencies explicitly did not consider contraceptives abortifacients prior to Trump’s first term.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 7

If the Trump admin is successful, the changes would come at a time when it's attacking low-cost birth control—and nearly two dozen states have early abortion bans. “This is a really important case...that has flown under the radar” - Michelle Banker of @nwlc.org www.autonomynews.co/trump-is-sti...

screenshot from Autonomy News:
A coalition of 11 medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Family Physicians, argued in another brief that the Trump administration’s solution for people who lose birth control coverage was merely “suggesting that they might avail themselves of other governmental programs or obtain contraceptive coverage elsewhere.”

But the White House is actively targeting the avenues that help people get low- or no-cost birth control, Banker said. It froze grants in the Title X family planning program, then announced that it would shift the focus from contraception to childbearing. It halted the majority of grants in the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, whose grantees provide information about contraception. Plus, the one-year “defunding” of large abortion providers led to the closure of nearly 30 Planned Parenthood clinics, and the end of a primary care practice in Maine.

And Trump could make it even harder to access birth control and abortion in the months ahead.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 3

Garfield ass

Photo of my large brown tabby cat Nala sitting in a low cardboard box (it contained canned food) and giving Garfield vibes. She’s on the carpet next to my coffee table.
If you zoom in under the black couch behind her, you’ll see a second cat lurking. That’s Birdie.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 1

The doctor's attorneys wrote on 6/29: "More than three months after this Court’s deadline to amend, nearly a year after filing suit, and with a motion to dismiss on file for months, Plaintiff Jerry Rodriguez seeks to start over." And on 6/30, he did storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INTRODUCTION
More than three months after this Court’s deadline to amend, nearly a year after filing suit, and with a motion to dismiss on file for months, Plaintiff Jerry Rodriguez seeks to start over. Without once even mentioning Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16(b) or its “good cause” standard, which applies to motions to amend filed after the deadline, Plaintiff seeks to add a new plaintiff and bring new factual allegations. Plaintiff offers no excuse for seeking to amend well after the deadline, and his failure to even attempt to show good cause is sufficient on its own to defeat the motion. See Allstate Life Ins. Co. v. Saenz, 2016
WL 6909404, at *4 (S.D. Tex. Feb. 19, 2016) (“[The moving party’s] failure to address the Rule 16(b)(4) standard suffices by itself to justify denial[.]”).

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 1

Mitchell represented a convicted abuser in Texas who tried to stop a doctor from prescribing mifepristone to Texans under California's shield law. As we covered on @autonomynews.co, the doctor's lawyers said the man couldn't sue for wrongful death of a fetus www.autonomynews.co/alabama-thre...

Autonomy News screenshot 1/2:
A California physician being sued for wrongful death of a fetus after he prescribed abortion pills to a Texas woman asked a federal judge to dismiss the case. Lawyers for Remy Coeytaux argue that plaintiff Jerry Rodriguez, a man upset about his ex-partner’s abortion, doesn’t have legal standing to sue for either wrongful death or for a $100,000 bounty under a Texas law known as HB 7.
Coeytaux’s lawyers believe the law violates both the Texas and U.S. Constitutions, and say that Rodriguez cannot sue under HB 7 because he’s been convicted of a family-violence offense. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Rodriguez was convicted of assaulting one woman in 2006 and threatening to kill another in 2009. (The woman mentioned in Rodriguez’s lawsuit also told police in October 2024 that he punched and choked her, and had “strangled her 8 times” over the previous five months.)
Rodriguez is represented by anti-abortion legal activist Jonathan Mitchell, who hopes to use the case to strike down “shield” laws that allow clinicians to prescribe mifepristone across state lines.
https://www.autonomynews.co/pennsylvania-court-overturns-abortion-coverage-ban-ohio-judge-mad-he-cant-deny-more-abortions-april-20-news-roundup/#federal-news

Autonomy News screenshot 2/2:
In his ongoing lawsuit against California abortion provider Dr. Remy Coeytaux, “bounty hunter” abortion ban architect Jonathan Mitchell is trying to add the daughter of his client, Jerry Rodriguez, as a plaintiff in the case. To recap, Rodriguez is suing Coeytaux for the wrongful death of a fetus, claiming Coeytaux prescribed abortion pills to Rodriguez’s ex-partner—whom he is alleged to have abused.
Coeytaux’s lawyers say Rodriguez’s past conviction for a family-violence offense makes him ineligible to sue under HB 7, the new, supercharged version of Mitchell’s original Texas bounty hunter law, which allows people to sue over alleged medication abortions to the tune of $100,000. Rodriguez’ daughter would also be a relative of the fetus in question, making her theoretically eligible to sue under HB 7. Mitchell sure takes on some curious clients.
https://www.autonomynews.co/alabama-threatens-abortion-pill-websites-new-york-budget-leaves-out-trans-care-june-15-news-roundup/#extremism

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jul 1

NEW: Anti-abortion lawyer Jonathan Mitchell dropped a blockbuster lawsuit against a California doctor that was a vehicle to resuscitate the 19th-century Comstock Act as an abortion ban and to challenge telemedicine "shield" laws. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

screenshot
U N I T E D S T A T E S D I S T R I C T C O U R T
F O R T H E S O U T H E R N D I S T R I C T O F T E X A S
G A L V E S T O N D I V I S I O N
Jerry Rodriguez,
Plaintiff,
v.
Remy Coeytaux,
Defendant.
Case No. 3:25-cv-225
NOTICE OF DISMISSAL
Plaintiff Jerry Rodriguez dismisses his action without prejudice under Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(i). Each party will bear its own attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses.
Dated: June 30, 2026
Respectfully submitted.
/s/ Jonathan F. Mitchell
Jonathan F. Mitchell
Attorney-in-Charge
Texas Bar No. 24075463
S.D. Tex. Bar No. 1133287
Mitchell Law PLLC

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 30

Huge failure from both reporter on the beat for 50(!) years and her editor Calamur said he'll be reviewing the process for posting breaking news. "This sort of shit should not happen," he said. www.npr.org/sections/npr...

Screenshot 1/2:
NPR had the lengthy story about Alito's retirement already written, because that's what newsrooms do in anticipation of significant retirements and even deaths.
Totenberg spoke with both her intern, who was at the court with her, and NPR Executive Editor Krishnadev Calamur and told them what she heard. Calamur surfaced the story that NPR had previously prepared for the day Alito did announce his retirement and published it.
The information was also broadcast on NPR's airwaves. NPR was offering special live coverage of the court's decision on the birthright citizenship case.
"We profoundly regret the error and the confusion that this has caused and Nina has reached out to Alito to apologize personally,"
Calamur told me.

Screenshot 2/2:
In the minutes atter it was published, Totenberg called Calamur to tell him she was mistaken.
"I was looking to see who else was reporting it, and nobody was reporting it, and then, basically, we realized that it was not true, Calamur said. "She called and said, 'I made a mistake,' and we rushed to make a retraction."
Totenberg is one of the most experienced reporters covering the Supreme Court. She's done so for NPR since 1975. Her status
contributed to the error.
"She's the preeminent Supreme Court reporter in the courtroom," Calamur said. "So I'm assuming that's what she heard. ... She's in the room. It's like when we report opinions. I'm not waiting to see what the Times is reporting. It's when Nina says, here's what happened, and we do it. That's the trust you build up."

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 30

Please launch me directly into the sun

Screenshot of a cold pitch I got from a PR person. (No, I do not cover summer promotions.)

[email subject ljne] July 4th: Fertility Care Promotion
Hi Susan,
Are you working on any July 4th or summer promotion coverage?
My client HRC Fertility is running a special summer offer tied to the United States' 250th birthday, with $2,500 off select fertility packages from July 1 through September 30.

To mark the United States' 250th birthday, HRC Fertility is offering $2,500 off select fertility packages from July 1 through September 30. This limited-time offer applies to some of its most popular treatment options, including the Stork Blossom, Stork Embrace, Stork Haven, Stork Hope, Dream, Dream Plus, Nest, and Promise packages, giving patients a reduced rate on standard package pricing during the promotional period.

HRC Fertility continues to focus on expanding access to reproductive and fertility care for patients exploring
IVF and related treatments. With cost still being one of the biggest barriers in fertility care, this promotion is part of their broader effort to make treatment more accessible for individuals and families considering their options.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 30

archive.ph/HSf11

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 30

The comments section is predictably fantastic but don’t miss this gem: this person’s nana had a lusty pencil drawing of Tom Selleck in a photo album

Screenshot of Comments from the above linked video
house and I figured this was taxes or something
8,078 comments =
lynna
what i found in my grandmas 😭😭😭😭
[Lusty the pencil drawing of Tom Selleck]
5-30
Reply
richplumm • Creator I'll take a copy *
5-30 Reply

Enlarged photo of the lusty the pencil drawing of Tom Selleck. He’s opening his shirt to reveal chest hair, chiseled abs, and also his pants are unzipped??

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 30

Quick take a break from the horrors and feast your eyes on what’s in this grandma‘s binder www.tiktok.com/t/ZTSMW6r4S/

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 29

Meme photo of Ben Affleck standing on a stoop smoking a cigarette. His face is all of us waiting for these final Supreme Court opinions.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 29

“Help us destroy more writing careers by being a good writer” www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/44...

About The Role
Anthropic is looking for a writer and editor to help shape how we talk about our research, products, and company. Part of this job is building something. You'll join our Editorial Publishing team, which is responsible for creating a home for writing that gives readers a sense of what Anthropic is, and makes our mission more concrete. You'll write, edit and commission essays, explainers, and profiles for a curious general audience — pieces that take a research finding, the building of a new product feature, or a debate happening inside the company and make it legible and interesting to a general readership.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 29

Good answer from Raphael Warnock to a baiting question from Jake Tapper thehill.com/homenews/cam...

screenshot for 4 paragraphs from The Hill and the third is highlighted in blue:
“You know, as I’ve said, we have robust and rambunctious arguments about the direction of the party, but the focus is on the concerns of ordinary people,” Warnock replied. “Look, I don’t believe in abolishing the police. You can’t have security without police. You don’t have a country without borders. But this debate will go on.”

He added that Black Americans “are not a monolith. They will respond as they are hearing candidates center their concerns.”

**“I think part of the problem with politics, quite frankly, in our country, is that we made the politics about the politicians,” he continued. “Which candidate is in, who’s out, who’s up, who’s down, what’s going to happen to this politician come November? I’m worried about what’s going to happen to ordinary people who can’t afford their lives right now.”**

Warnock said both parties have “not adequately responded” to Americans’ concerns over the cost of living. He urged Democrats to “center the people” and hold “Donald Trump and his henchmen accountable.”

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 27

Gap black sleeveless V-neck dress with rear cutout (which works with a regular bra). Size small but loose. 100% cotton, amazing for hot days. Slightly longer rear hem. So much life left—save her from recycling! www.thredup.com/product/2261...

Gap black sleeveless V-neck dress. Size small but loose. 100% cotton. slight ruching at shoulders

photo of the back of the dress on a mannequin: Black sleeveless dress with rear cutout (that still works with a regular bra). slightly longer rear hem

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 27

look at this sporty little American Eagle dress! Size medium, sheer raglan sleeves with stripes and rounded hem www.thredup.com/product/wome...

Black American Eagle dress on a mannequin. Size medium loose fit. Sheer raglan sleeves with one stripe, and rounded hems.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 27

Twist-front black cotton dress from the Gap. (these are all size medium.) ThredUp says they're going to be recycled if they don't sell soon—which is a shame because they're in excellent condition www.thredup.com/product/wome...

Twist-front black cotton dress from the Gap on a mannequin. The twist is off to the left side.

Susan Rinkunas@susanrinkunas· Jun 27

Or this one! It's so lightweight and amazing for swampy summer days www.thredup.com/product/wome...