Media top headlines September 13
In media news today, an MSNBC historian uses 9/11 to campaign against Republicans, an LA Times columnist calls Larry Elder a 'very real threat' to communities of color, and the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler gets mocked for praising NYC's vaccine mandate
"Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver attacked the Texas Heartbeat Act in a profanity-laced tirade during the return of his show on Sunday.
After calling it "an incredibly draconian new abortion law," Oliver immediately began denouncing both the law and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
"This law will have catastrophic effects. Providers say it would have prevented at least 85% of the procedures previously completed in the state. And when Governor Abbott was pressed on why he signed a bill that would essentially force someone who'd experienced rape or incest to carry a pregnancy to term, his response... was something," Oliver said.
Olive then offered a more profanity-laced rant claiming "Abbott clearly doesn’t understand" abortion and rape victims.
TEXAS ABORTION LAW SHOWCASES ‘PRONOUNCED’ MEDIA BIAS ON DIVISIVE ISSUE, OBSERVERS SAY
"Oh, f--- off. Just f--- right off. Set aside you're announcing ‘We'll arrest rapists,’ like it's a brand-new idea and you're Tim Cook unveiling a new iPhone, we could talk about how Abbott clearly doesn't understand that it's not just scary, faceless criminals on the streets perpetrating rapes, but most often, it's actually someone known to the victim," Oliver said.
Oliver also emphasized that the current efforts from Abbott and other pro-life lawmakers only serve to "demonize" abortion.
"We could talk about how arresting rapists doesn't actually fix the problem of women needing legal, safe abortions. We could even talk about the myriad of reasons women get abortions, and how framing the issue around the most horrific situations just further demonizes the procedure. But honestly, it might really just be quicker just to say f--- off, Greg, as shorthand for all the other stuff we don't have time to get into," Oliver said.
He even went as far as to criticize his show’s parent company AT&T for refusing to take a stance on abortion.
"And listen, not taking a stance on this issue, right now, is taking a stance. And both-sides'ing abortion isn't really the PR slam dunk they think it is. Although it's certainly on brand. AT&T clearly likes their public statements the same way they like their cell signal: Hilariously f---ing weak," Oliver said.
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Other late night hosts have also denounced the Texas Heartbeat Act before Oliver. On Wednesday, "Full Frontal" host Samantha Bee referred to the Supreme Court as "gutless monsters" for upholding the law. Seth Meyers also proclaimed "democracy is on fire" following the Supreme Court decision on his "Late Night" show.