On Thursday a 12-person council \u2014 which includes Governor Greg Abbott \u2014 recommended sweeping changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).<\/p>\n
If enacted FEMA would be scale down the federal government\u2019s role and financial obligations after a natural disaster \u2014 like a hurricane, tornados, wildfires or an earthquake.<\/p>\n
Taken together, the recommendations would put more responsibility on states and local governments.<\/p>\n
Critics of the effort say this change will make it more difficult for communities to recover after a natural disaster.<\/p>\n
Guest: Antonieta C\u00e1diz Vargas is the Executive Director of Climate Power En Acci\u00f3n.<\/a><\/p>\n Mail access to the abortion pill<\/p>\n The U.S. Supreme Court has restored nationwide access by mail to Mifepristone until Monday May 11. This came after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals last week blocked mail delivery of Mifepristone and required in-person dispensing nationwide. Compassionate release<\/p>\n The Texas prison system has a compassionate release program called MRIS \u201cMedically Recommended Intensive Supervision\u201d that can release inmates who are so sick, disabled, or near death that continued imprisonment may no longer serve a meaningful public-safety or punishment purpose.<\/p>\n But an examination of the Texas MRIS program by the Texas Civil Rights Program finds it underused and calls the program a \u201cfailure.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the latest round in the fight over abortion access in the nation.
Nourbese Flint is the president of All Above All<\/a> a national abortion-rights and reproductive justice advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n