Open thread for night owls: One in five abortion clinics targeted with 'severe violence' last year

For providers and their families, the threat of violence by radical extremists is not theoretical. It is prepared for, and always just around the corner.

In one case, as described in Living in the Crosshairs, Kristina Romero, an employee of a clinic in the southern United States, drove the clinic doctor to work every day after picking him up from an undisclosed location. They'd vary the pick-up locations to increase security, and sometimes even used a decoy doctor to confuse protesters. But the harassment escalated. "One day I left to pick up the doctor, and I got to the corner of my house and there's a big picture of the doctor with a bull's-eye on him, and every corner that I turned [there] was another picture, so obviously they'd followed me," Romero said. "The pictures were all up the main street I travel on, all the way back to my house." She said she knew at that point that protesters were watching and trying to scare both her and the doctor. "That was probably one of the creepiest days," she added.

TWEET OF THE DAY

BLAST FROM THE PAST

At Daily Kos on this date in 2011—Joe Walsh reportedly offered $3.5 million in election help to switch districts: 

Wow. I've been mystified as to why Joe Walsh, the most visible trainwreck of the Republican freshman class, changed his mind and decided to seek reelection in the heavily-Democratic 8th CD rather than in the very red 14th where he'd long been planning to run. Walsh got deliciously screwed in redistricting and wasn't left with a lot of good options: The 14th is also home to fellow GOPer Randy Hultgren, so that would have meant a major primary battle. But the redrawn 8th isn't really a district that Republicans have much of a shot in, especially baggage-laden out-and-proud tea partiers.

But it looks like we might finally have our explanation:

Walsh — lured by the thought of an easier primary and the promise, according to top Illinois GOP officials who requested anonymity and influential Barrington Republican Jack Roeser, of $3.5 million in general election fundraising help from House Speaker John Boehner — will now make a bid in the recently drawn 8th District, roughly centered in Schaumburg and including Addison, Elk Grove, Hanover and Wheeling townships.

Again, wow. Does Joe Walsh really think this money will be there for him? It's not like he'd even have much of a chance at victory even with such a huge infusion of coin, but I guess he's stupid enough to believe he might get it. However, I can't believe Boehner would be stupid enough to spend this kind of cash—or any cash—on a guy like Walsh in a district like this. And forget about the general election—Walsh might need the dough for the primary.

On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: The Trumpster fire rages on, and the Gop is paralyzed. Joan McCarter says we’re still in the dark about just what poison is in Republican pills. Cruz plays coy on Trump’s Muslim ban. And a law-abiding gun owner decides to stop abiding, when inconvenient.

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