Today is National Chocolate Cake Day, and because I actually have a minute, a short story of chocolate cake resilience.
For Christmas, I bought the 11yo several bars of ruby chocolate – after it came up how many times on the last season of GBBO, we were both curious to try. Totally worth it as a splurge. Because it’s special, we’ve been reserving it for recipes that’ll really make it shine. So this weekend, the plan was a 6” dark chocolate cake with a ruby ganache. Sounds great, right?
Well, no. I can’t tell you the last time I had a recipe turn out like this.
I did think the batter was awfully thin, but I don’t tinker with baking recipes as much as I do others. The mess tasted great, but absolutely would not set… at least, not enough to be a cake. But plenty enough to be truffles!
And they were good.
Rachel trivia: one of my first jobs out of college was teaching ballroom dance, and we tangoed to this.
White House
Rewire News Group | Joe Biden Might Not Be the Worst—and That Feels Weird to Say | Imani Gandy
Abortion/Repro
Ms. | In His First Days, Biden Can Make a Difference in Domestic Abortion Policy | Dabney P. Evans, Subasri Narasimhan, Liesl Schnabel
WSJ | Biden to Lift Some Curbs on Abortion Funding, Reopen ACA Enrollment | Sabrina Siddiqui, Stephanie Armour
Ms. | The Biden-Harris Administration Must Treat Fertility Treatment as a Matter of Reproductive Choice | Madison Chapman
Transgender Military EO
The Capital Times | Joe Biden’s reversal of transgender troop ban benefits far more than the military | Jessie Opoien
NBC | With ban lifted, transgender service members free to figure out what comes next | Jo Yurcaba
Newsweek | Revoking Trump's Military Transgender Ban Isn't Enough | Kristin Beck
NPR | 'Time For Us To See Action': A Call To Carry Out Biden's Order On Trans Troops | Farah Eltohamy
Abortion
AP | Republican-controlled states advance bills to limit abortion | Iris Samuels
The Hill | House Republicans vow not to support spending bills that repeal Hyde Amendment | Juliegrace Brufke
Los Angeles Times | With court appointments and GOP legislatures, Roe vs. Wade is under attack | Cottie Petrie-Norris
Colorado
Colorado Times Recorder | Lauren Boebert Is Pushing a Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood | Madeleine Schmidt
Iowa
Des Moines Register | Bill would require Iowa doctors to give information on medication abortion 'reversal'; critics call the information unsound | Ian Richardson
The Gazette | Iowa House panel advances 'informed consent' medication abortion bill | James Lynch
Montana
KBGF-TV | Anti-abortion and pro-abortion rights advocates react to proposed Montana abortion legislation | John Riley
New Jersey
Newark Post | Man accused of firebombing Newark Planned Parenthood plans to plead guilty | Josh Shannon
South Carolina
AP | Rape and incest exceptions quietly added to SC abortion bill | Jeffrey Collins
Post and Courier | SC Senate begins debate on abortion ban bill, adds exceptions for rape or incest | Jamie Lovegrove, Adam Benson
WIS-TV | SC Senate adds an exception for rape and incest to Fetal Heartbeat Bill | Adam Mintzer
The State | SC GOP infighting over exceptions dominates debate on ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion bill | Emily Bohatch
South Dakota
KELO-TV | ‘Born-alive’ bill heads to S.D. House floor | Bob Mercer
Sioux Falls Argus Leader | Abortion survivor bill advances to South Dakota House | Jonathan Ellis
Texas
KVUE-TV | Rosie's Law: Bill introduced to restore health insurance coverage of abortion in Texas | Drew Knight
KXAN-TV | ‘Abortion is healthcare’: Austin Democrats file bills to restore insurance coverage for ‘Rosie’s Law’ | Russell Falcon
Spectrum News San Antonio | Rosie's Law Would Allow Medicaid and Private Insurance to Cover Abortions | Eric Griffey
Virginia
WAVY-TV | Virginia General Assembly passes bill to make some abortions more affordable | Jackie DeFusco, Emma North
WRIC-TV | House passes bill to repeal ban on private insurance coverage of abortions | Emma North
LGBTQ+
American Independent | Republicans in Congress carry on Trump's legacy of attacking trans people | Casey Quinlan
GOVERNING | 2020 Brought Legislative Progress, Pushback on LGBTQ Issues | Carl Smith
New York Times | Aetna Agrees to Expand Coverage for Gender-Affirming Surgeries | Reed Abelson
Law360 | Aetna Coverage Expansion Seen As Win For Trans Clients | Alexis Shanes
The 19th | Equality Act would fill key gaps in civil rights law for women, people of color, the faithful | Kate Sosin
Idaho
Idaho Press | Add the Words legislation introduced for 15th time in Idaho | Brian Holmes
Enjoy as I nerd out a little bit on state bill tracking and legislative procedures. We all have our things, and this is one of mine.
Montana
Two bills moving this week specific to trans kids, HB 112 and HB 113. HB 113 failed after five Rs changed their vote, on the third reading, on the floor, which you can tell by the bold font is not a thing that happens so much. Final tally was 51-49. HB 112 is slated for its final floor vote today.
Missoulian | Montana House votes down bill targeting gender-affirming care for transgender people | Holly Michels
Montana Public Radio | Montana Lawmakers Reject Bill Aimed At Regulating Transgender Health Care | Shaylee Ragar
Montana Free Press | HB 113 narrowly fails final House vote | Mara Silvers
New York
Albany Times Union | GOP criticizes repeal of 'Walking While Trans' law ahead of COVID relief | Amanda L Fries
North Carolina
Watauga Democrat | Boone Town Council considers LGBTQ+ non-discrimination ordinance | Kayla Lasure
North Dakota
KVRR-TV | Bill requires students to participate in sports based on sex assigned at birth | Jim Monk
Outsports | Margaret Court: ‘I was used’; North Dakota debates trans athletes | Dawn Ennis
South Dakota
Okay. HB 1076 was voted down in committee, would’ve could’ve should’ve been dead. But in SD, reps can invoke what’s called a “smoke out” – ‘cause cultural appropriation in all things, I guess? – where they can pull a bill to the floor regardless of the committee vote, if at least a third of the members agree. So the bill survives.
Argus Leader | 'Disrespectful' bill to require biological sex on birth certificate revived, despite initial rejection | Danielle Ferguson
South Dakota Public Broadcasting | House Revives Bill That Prevents Sex Designation Change On Birth Certificate Hours After Rejection | Lee Strubinger
KOTA-TV | UPDATE: ‘smoke out’ rule revives transgender bill in SD House
Texas
OutSmart | Two Anti-Trans Bills Introduced in Austin | Lourdes Zavaleta
Pregnancy & Parenting
Motherly | 'Motherhood is a job'—and these 50 leaders say you should get paid | Jamie Orsini
Working Mother | Amy Schumer, Eva Longoria and More Call on Congress to Pay Moms $2,400 a Month | Quinn Fish
Motherly | More working parents say it’s difficult to manage childcare during the pandemic | Jamie Orsini
Working Mother | Mom Denied Work Flexibility Asks for a Leave of Absence-And Is Fired. Now She's Suing | Quinn Fish
WSJ | Parents of Remote Learners Have Smaller Roles in U.S. Workforce | Yoree Koh
North Carolina
Blue Ridge Public Radio | NC Ranks Low In Maternal And Infant Health, But The Crisis Is Widespread | Dana Miller
Reproductive Health & Justice
Arkansas
Utah
Deseret News | Are contraceptives essential health care? Legislators debate bill to give inmates birth control | Ashley Imlay
Work & Money
Thrive Global | Women Need to Keep Helping Women, Even Though It’s Hard Right Now | Jennifer DaSilva
New York
CBS | New York bill would decriminalize sex work while punishing pimps and buyers | Megan Cerullo
Virginia
Public News Service | Virginia Groups Push Passage of Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights | Diane Bernard
More, More, More
NPR | Puerto Rico's Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Gender Violence | Adrian Florido
INSIDER | How women in American politics have sent messages with their clothes through the years | Darcy Schild