Overturning Roe v. Wade, DHS Disinformation Board, WH Correspondents’ Dinner

Ravi, Cory, and Rikki start by going into what we know and what we don’t about SCOTUS potentially overturning Roe v. Wade. Rikki drills down on what makes this leak so unprecedented and how it might have made its way to the public via Politico. [0:53]

The hosts then review what this decision would mean in practical terms for the millions of Americans affected before turning to the legal arguments for and against Roe and Justice Alito’s justification for doing away with it. 

Cory and Ravi explain how overturning Roe could set a precedent for reversing precedent in the future, seemingly contradicting both Justice Gorsuch and Kavanaugh’s assurances on their respect for stare decisis in their confirmation hearings. 

Cory compares this potential decision to prominent prior examples of overturning precedent as Ravi and Rikki turn to the heated polarization of public opinion when it comes to abortion. Ravi finally closes with a brief breakdown of the political fallout if Roe v. Wade does in fact fall. 

Rikki then brings us to a story roiling all kinds of commentators: Biden’s horrendously named Disinformation Governance Board. She takes us through the Orwellian comps and argues that its undefined scope leaves it more than open to the condemnation it’s getting. [25:20]

Ravi pushes back on the notion that this board will have much of any impact, given its limited scope, but agrees with Rikki on the troublingly partisan leanings of the woman tasked to head it up, Nina Jankowicz. 

Finally, Cory takes us through some of the best digs of the night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, closing with host Trevor Noah’s ode to journalism to close the night. [34:26]

Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows (POLITICO, 5/2)
10 key passages from Alito’s draft opinion, which would overturn Roe v. Wade (POLITICO, 5/2)
There’s No Knowing What Will Happen When Roe Falls (The Atlantic, 4/25)
What would happen if Roe v. Wade were overturned (Washington Post, 9/2/21)
Ben Shapiro Tweet (5/2)
Rick Hasen Tweet (5/2)
Why Ruth Bader Ginsburg Wasn’t All That Fond of Roe v. Wade (New York Times, 9/21/20)
Roe v. Wade is ‘precedent,’ Kavanaugh says, but there’s more to the future of abortion (CNN, 9/6/18)
Senators Question Gorsuch on Roe v. Wade (Wall Street Journal, 5/22/17)
Trump and Clinton on Roe v. Wade (PBS NewsHour, 10/19/16)
Amid Texas Abortion Ban, Voters Strongly Support Reproductive Rights (Data for Progress, 9/7/21) 
Disinformation board to tackle Russia, migrant smugglers (AP, 4/28)
Mayorkas cites misinformation about Homeland Security’s disinformation board (POLITICO, 5/1)
Mayorkas: Disinformation board won’t monitor American citizens (CNN, 5/1)
Biden Establishes a Ministry of Truth: The Disinformation Governance Already Looks like a Partisan Instrument (WSJ, 5/1)
The Disinformation Governance Board is a bad name and a sillier idea (WaPo, 5/2)
Trevor Noah’s best burns at the White House correspondents’ dinner (WaPo, 4/30)
Biden on Fox News and COVID vaccines (4/30)
Trevor Noah on standup after the Oscars slap (4/30)
Noah on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (4/30)
Noah on the value of journalism (4/30)