The late feminist and anti-apartheid activist Rhoda Kadalie, who died in April, led the fight to include abortion rights in the South African Constitution, but became more skeptical of the pro-choice movement once she arrived in the U.S.
The reason: Kadalie presumed that a woman’s right to an abortion would apply to the early stages of pregnancy, and was shocked by the insistence among American pro-choice activists that abortion should be available up to the moment of birth itself.
“I’m 150 percent pro-abortion,” Kadalie said in 1996. “Women have had abortions for centuries and in a country like ours where many women don’t have a choice when it comes to contraception, they have a right to abortion if they choose it.” [1]
Kadalie publicly debated Christian conservatives, including African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader Rev. Kenneth Meshoe. The daughter of a prominent pastor, Kadalie was able to enlist Biblical arguments in favor of her position.
Her argument was that given the endemic violence against women in South African communities — of every color — and the frequency of rape, plus the horrific conditions in which illegal abortions were often performed, abortion was an act of mercy.
She accused pro-life activists of acting in a sprit of vengeance, more concerned with punishing women for premarital sex than in addressing the welfare of poor women who were forced into pregnancy and could not support a child financially.
Thanks to Kadalie and other feminists, the right to abortion was included in the Bill of Rights in South Africa’s new, post-apartheid constitution as the “right to bodily integrity“:
Everyone has the right to bodily and psychological integrity, which includes the right
a. to make decisions concerning reproduction;
b. to security in and control over their body; and
c. not to be subjected to medical or scientific experiments without their informed consent.
But Rhoda’s perspective began to shift in the U.S.
Before retiring to the Los Angeles area in 2018, she had already been a keen observer of American politics for many years, and predicted that Donald Trump would winning 2016 when few others did.
Kadalie rejected the so-called “Women’s March,” which held demonstrations in Washington, DC, and across the U.S. on January 21, 2017, to oppose President Trump as soon as he took office, declaring him illegitimate from the outset.
Pushing back against critics, she wrote in a Facebook post:
South African feminists condemning me for not liking Hillary Clinton and for opposing this women’s march. They are glaringly oblivious of their own undemocratic stances of opposing Trump when they supported the Clintons and their sordid lives. … Banging on about Planned Parenthood that sold body parts of fetuses for stem cell research. You don’t understand the first principle of democratic competition and the role of opposition.
Four years later, in a column for the online Afrikaans publication Maroela Media, Rhoda criticized the Democratic Party’s radical stance on abortion, which had shifted to “late-term abortion”: “As the party of the welfare state, Democrats view voters as clients, as dependents, who must be eternally grateful to government for saving them. … Demands, not only for taxpayer’s funds for contraceptives and abortion, but also for late-term abortion have become institutionalised.”
Privately, Kadalie told this author (her son-in-law) that she was shocked by late-term abortion. Though she would not call herself “pro-life,” she had been alienated by the pro-choice movement’s seeming indifference to the possibility that the fetus might be a child.
If today’s protests against the looming reversal of Roe v. Wade (1973) have been somewhat more muted than expected, Rhoda’s shift might contain the clue: late-term abortion is a bridge too far, even for some pro-choice women.
[1] Sharon Sorour. “Rhoda Kadalie: Born to Lead.” Femina, Jun. 1996. p. 78.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the forthcoming biography, Rhoda: Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order!. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
Elon Musk has declared that he will vote Republican at the next election, despite having always voted for Democrats in the past.
Musk made the comments during a live recording of the All-In Podcast on Monday, when asked about why he was so invested in purchasing Twitter and turning it into a private company. Musk argued that there was a serious need for a digital town square that is inclusive, politically balanced, and transparent about their algorithms.
However, this is currently not the case at Twitter, where people don’t know “what the heck is going on” on the Big Tech platform. “Why is one tweet doing well? Why is another tweet not?” he asked. “Is it the algorithm? Did someone manually intervene? Why are some accounts banned with no recourse apparently?” Musk continued.
He said that the current reality was that Twitter has a “very far-left” bias, which could not continue. “I would class myself as a moderate, neither Republican nor Democrat, and in fact I have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats, overwhelmingly,” he added.
“I’m not sure, I might never have voted for a Republican, just to be clear. Now this election I will.”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) May 17, 2022
It is unclear whether Musk was referring to the upcoming midterm elections, or the next presidential election in 2024.
Musk reiterated that the point that he had never voted Republican before, but planned to now, was further evidence that his purchase of Twitter was not meant to be “some sort of right wing takeover, as some people on the left may fear, but rather a moderate wing takeover,” to ensure that “people of all political beliefs feel welcome in the digital town square.”
The South African billionaire’s purchase of Twitter is currently on hold, pending an investigation into the levels of fake and spambot accounts on the platform, but confirmed that he was still “committed” to acquiring it. He has also indicated that he may be willing to buy it for a price lower than the originally negotiated $54.20 per share.
On Monday, Siru Murugesan, a Senior Engineer for Twitter, was caught on camera by Project Veritas admitting that the company’s “commie as f*ck” staff “censors the right” and hates billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk for being a “capitalist.”
According to Murugesan, Twitter’s blatant censorship of right wing views is “true. There is bias. It is what it is today.”
Siru Murugesan, a Senior Engineer for Twitter, was caught on camera by Project Veritas admitting that the company’s “commie as f*ck” staff “censors the right” and hates billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk for being a “capitalist.”
“Elon [Musk] believes in free speech,” he added, explaining that “some of my colleagues are like super left, left, left, left, left” on the political spectrum. “Our jobs are at stake — he’s a capitalist, and we weren’t really operating as capitalists, more like very socialist,” Murugesan said. “We’re all like Commie as f–k.”
“‘I think it’s just like the environment, like you’re there and you become like this Commie — they call it ‘Commifornia,’” he said, referring to Twitter staffers’ nickname for California.
I don’t know [if] the two parties can truly co-exist on one platform,” he continued. “We’re actually censoring the right, and not the left.”
According to Murugesan, Twitter’s blatant censorship of right wing views is “true. There is bias. It is what it is today.”
While Twitter has not released a statement to the public in response to the explosive Project Veritas video footage, the Big Tech giant reportedly sent out an internal email to staff warning them about the video.
“As we expected, a video was posted this evening by Project Veritas depicting a Tweep allegedly speaking about a number of company issues,” the email reportedly states.
“We are in contact with the person involved and doing everything we can to help them. There may be more videos to come, and we’re continuing to monitor the situation,” Twitter’s email continues.
“Please remember that we all have an obligation to protect confidential, proprietary information and not discuss internal conversations, policies, or products outside of work.
The leaked recording came shortly after Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal wrote a 13-tweet thread about how his platform fights spam bots, apparently prompted after Musk expressed doubt in the company’s claim that only 5% of its users are bots and put his acquisition of the company on hold.
Musk was unimpressed with Agrawal’s lengthy explanation for how the big tech platform fights spam, with the South African billionaire responding with an unflattering emoji and a probing question about Twitter’s advertising practices, Valiant News reported.
So how do advertisers know what they’re getting for their money? This is fundamental to the financial health of Twitter.
Voters in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho, and Oregon all head to the polls Tuesday to select their nominees in both GOP and Democrat primaries in what is thus far this year perhaps the biggest election night yet.
Center-stage is Pennsylvania’s GOP U.S. Senate primary, where celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz – with former President Donald Trump’s endorsement – aims to secure the nomination and advance to the general election. Both Oz and businessman David McCormick, who despite his Wall Street history has run one of the most America First campaigns this cycle, have spent north of eight figures bashing each other to smithereens in a brutal ad campaign. Kathy Barnette, the author and conservative commentator whose powerful personal story has captivated voters, has surged into the top tier in the final weeks of the campaign, giving both of the big spenders a run for their money. Who wins between Oz, McCormick, and Barnette, will have major implications for the future of the GOP, for the party’s chances in the general election in Pennsylvania, and whether the GOP has a shot at retaking the U.S. Senate majority in these upcoming midterm elections in November.
The winner of that primetime primary is likely to face Democrat Lt. Gov John Fetterman in the general election, assuming Fetterman can swat away primary opponents, including Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA), even after suffering a stroke that has left him hospitalized in the final days of the campaign.
In addition to many key congressional primaries as well, voters in Pennsylvania will also select nominees in both parties for governor. On the Democrat side, Attorney General Josh Shapiro is a shoo-in and looks to make his general election bid formal on Tuesday night. On the GOP side, divisions remain despite a last-second endorsement of state Sen. Doug Mastriano from Trump. Mastriano, a deeply-flawed candidate with a messy history on the issues, has relied on a divided field to poll well ahead of the rest of his opponents. Other Republicans, most prominently former Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), have waged a desperate campaign in an attempt to hold him off.
In North Carolina, Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) appears to be coasting into the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate – something that just a few months ago was no sure thing. However, Budd, with Trump’s endorsement, has rallied late in the spring to a commanding lead in the polls representing a generational shift inside the GOP towards outsider candidates like him and J.D. Vance in Ohio, who won his primary a couple of weeks ago. Several down ticket congressional primaries are up for grabs, too, most notably whether Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) can hold off a primary challenge, and some open seats will test Trump’s endorsement there as well.
In Oregon and Kentucky, Democrat infighting in their primaries could potentially be the story of the night, and other races loom large there possibly. In Idaho, GOP Gov. Brad Little faces GOP Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin in a primary. Trump endorsed McGeachin, another test of the former president’s strength inside the party, especially in a deep red state like Idaho.
Follow along here for live updates as the results pour in from across the country. The polls begin closing in parts of Kentucky at just 6 p.m. ET and the rest of the state at 7 p.m. ET. In North Carolina, the polls are open until 7:30 p.m. ET, and in Pennsylvania until 8 p.m. ET. In Idaho, the polls close at 10 p.m. ET, and in Oregon most of the polls close at 11 p.m. ET though some in areas that follow Mountain Time close at 10 p.m. ET.
UPDATE 8:14 p.m. ET:
Oz is leading in the early Philadelphia County returns, but McCormick has the early statewide lead for now.
UPDATE 8:10 p.m. ET:
It’s worth noting those first Pennsylvania Senate GOP primary results are from Allegheny County, where McCormick is expected to do very well. Some early results from Northampton County on the other side of the state also have McCormick leading there too. It’s still very early, so this race will tighten big time as other counties begin reporting.
UPDATE 8:07 p.m. ET:
The very first results are coming in in Pennsylvania. With 1 percent reporting according to the New York Times, David McCormick has a huge lead. McCormick, at 42.6 percent, is way ahead of Mehmet Oz’s 22.7 percent while Kathy Barnette is at 15.6 percent. It is still very early here so expect this to tighten and change significantly.
UPDATE 8:05 p.m. ET:
An update on Cawthorn’s situation–Wasserman says it is looking good for young flashy congressman at this point:
#NC11 update: Edwards (R) leads Cawthorn (R) 38%-27%, but Edwards’s best vote troves – the early votes in his Buncombe/Henderson/Transylvania state senate district – are entirely reporting.
So this thing is going to tighten. And, it’s probably not going to a runoff.
In North Carolina’s 13th congressional district GOP primary, Bo Hines–the Trump-backed pick–has a healthy lead so far but it is early. With 23 percent reporting according to the New York Times, Hines has 30.9 percent–close to a double digit lead–and leads by about 1,500 votes.
UPDATE 8:00 p.m. ET
The polls have closed in Pennsylvania, where the banner race of the night–the U.S. Senate GOP primary–is, and results there are expected imminently.
UPDATE 7:54 p.m. ET:
It is worth noting that the open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina that Budd just won the nomination for and is easily the favorite over Beasley in November’s general election is being vacated by retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC). Similar to in Ohio a couple weeks ago, where the outgoing Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) saw the GOP primary for his seat won by another outsider J.D. Vance, this seems to be the beginning of major changes to the Republican Party–and the U.S. Senate–in 2022.
UPDATE 7:52 p.m. ET:
On the other side of the aisle, Democrat Cheri Beasley has wrapped up her primary and will face Budd in November in the critical swing state of North Carolina:
BREAKING: Cheri Beasley wins Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in North Carolina primary election. #APRaceCall at 7:47 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/2nlgpji7ac
The polls were not closed for even 20 minutes before the Associated Press made the official call for the Trump-backed Ted Budd, who is now the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate:
BREAKING: Ted Budd wins Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in North Carolina primary election. #APRaceCall at 7:47 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/2nlgpji7ac
This was clearly a landslide, or blowout, election victory for both Budd and Trump.
UPDATE 7:49 p.m. ET:
Meanwhile, in the 11th district, Cawthorn might be in a bit of trouble:
In #NC11, state Sen. Chuck Edwards (R) leads Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R) 38%-27% in the early vote w/ a huge lead in Asheville. But we’re going to have to wait for EDay votes.
With 11 percent reporting according to the New York Times, Budd has a commanding lead over McCrory and former Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC). Budd has 57.8 percent to McCrory’s 25.5 percent while Walker has just 8.7 percent.
UPDATE 7:40 p.m. ET:
Ted Budd has taken a huge lead in the very early results, and Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report has already called the race for him:
I’ve seen enough: Rep. Ted Budd (R) wins the GOP primary for #NCSEN and will face Cheri Beasley (D) in the fall.
News organizations have yet to call it, but it seems like Budd is as expected coasting to victory. This is another win for Trump, and more importantly was not always as sure a thing as it turned out to be in the last few weeks. As recently as late winter or early spring, Budd was trailing in the polls or even with his opponents. Trump’s early endorsement, as well as a strong campaign from the conservative outsider, seem to have generated significant momentum for him and propelled him to way out in front in this critical race. Budd is likely to face Democrat Cheri Beasley in the general election.
UPDATE 7:36 p.m. ET:
Another Trump endorsement, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), won his primary:
BREAKING: Andy Barr wins Republican nomination for U.S. House in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District. #APRaceCall at 7:31 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/2nlgpji7ac
One to watch closely in North Carolina is the primary challenge that Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) is facing. He’s endorsed by Trump, but has been dogged by a series of attacks in recent weeks. The primary runoff thresholds also, per some experts, benefit him:
Election rules matter: if NC’s primary runoff threshold were 50% or even 40%, #NC11 Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R) would be the underdog for renomination. Because it’s just 30%, he enters tonight the slight favorite.
Another Trump endorsement, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), has won his primary:
BREAKING: Thomas Massie wins Republican nomination for U.S. House in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District. #APRaceCall at 7:23 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/2nlgpji7ac
The polls have now closed in North Carolina, where the GOP U.S. Senate primary is set to be the banner race but several down-ticket primaries matter as well. Results should be coming very soon and if the polls showing Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) significantly leading huge over former GOP Gov. Pat McCrory are right a call should be imminent.
UPDATE 7:23 p.m. ET:
Those 26 Trump endorsements on the line on Tuesday night are as follows, according to Trump’s team:
Idaho-Governor: Janice McGeachin Idaho-Senate: Mike Crapo Idaho-01: Russ Fulcher
Kentucky-Senate: Rand Paul Kentucky-01: James Comer Kentucky-02: Brett Guthrie Kentucky-04: Thomas Massie Kentucky-05: Hal Rogers Kentucky-06: Andy Barr
North Carolina-Senate: Ted Budd North Carolina-03: Greg Murphy North Carolina-05: Virginia Foxx North Carolina-07: David Rouzer North Carolina-08: Dan Bishop North Carolina-09: Richard Hudson North Carolina-10: Patrick McHenry North Carolina-11: Madison Cawthorn North Carolina-13: Bo Hines
Pennsylvania-Governor: Doug Mastriano Pennsylvania-Senate: Mehmet Oz Pennsylvania-08: Jim Bognet Pennsylvania-10: Scott Perry Pennsylvania-11: Lloyd Smucker Pennsylvania-13: John Joyce Pennsylvania-14: Guy Reschenthaler Pennsylvania-16: Mike Kelly
UPDATE 7:21 p.m. ET
The polls have closed in Kentucky, and several of Trump’s endorsed candidates have already won. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) won his primary easily:
BREAKING: Rand Paul wins Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Kentucky primary election. #APRaceCall at 7:10 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/2nlgpji7ac
BREAKING: Harold Rogers wins Republican nomination for U.S. House in Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District. #APRaceCall at 7:16 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/2nlgpji7ac
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