Tag Archives : Build House

Nobody is helping veterans with chronic illnesses from burn pits

Millions of veterans are struggling to survive painful, gruesome and precarious symptoms of toxic exposure. The Senate has the opportunity to change the trajectory of their medical benefits and ultimately, their lives. It’s time to provide lifesaving care to veterans who have suffered unspeakably.

Army Veteran Nick Ooley, 35, deployed to Iraq in 2008. Today, Ooley cannot jog or play basketball with his 11-year-old. He can’t go anywhere without his inhaler and carries his breathing machine everywhere. He and other veterans are suffering from burn pit exposure — and being denied, ignored and uncompensated by the U.S. government.

A burn pit is an open-air, uncontrolled hole in the ground used by the military to dispose of waste. Discarded toxic items such as paints, chemicals, plastics, metals, Styrofoam, rubber, medical and human waste, batteries, ammunition and more burn constantly, penetrating bases with their toxic smoke. At times, jet fuel or kerosene is used as ignition for the fires.

Beginning on overseas military bases began during Operation Desert Storm and continuing today, burn pits particularly affect service members in the Middle East. “Burn pits were everywhere. We did convoy security, so we would travel to Al Taqaddum, Fallujah, Baghdad, all over. When we would drive through or get stationed in those areas, we would breathe this smoke all the time. It was so thick during the day that the lights would come on like it was dark,” says Ooley.

Burn pits are known as “the Agent Orange of the post-Desert Storm and 9/11 generations.” Veterans exposed to the smoke have reported asthma, lung injuries, cardiovascular problems, rare cancers, tumors and many other problems.

For years, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) refused to acknowledge the hazards that veterans faced from toxic exposure and denied nearly 78 percent of disability claims related to toxic exposure. The VA argued there is insufficient data to substantiate claims that burn pits are to blame. To validate claims related to toxic exposure, the VA forces veterans to identify the specific toxic chemical emitted by a specific burn pit on a specific date, causing the specific disability for which the veteran applied. 

Today, the VA has a burn pit registry, where veterans can detail their exposure, as well as any health problems they are experiencing, in an effort to create causation between health issues and burn pit exposure, which would expedite their claims. But claims are still being denied or taking too long to be approved, leaving veterans and their families without the health care and benefits they deserve.

Ooley recently developed neurological issues, including headaches, progressive vision loss, and loss of function in his right hand and leg. With no help from the VA, he went to the Cleveland Clinic for a nerve test. The test concluded that the nerves on his right side are unresponsive. In August, Ooley woke up and couldn’t talk. Speech therapy has helped him to regain some speech, but he has a long way to go. Doctors still can’t explain why this is happening. 

Ooley and other veterans aren’t asking for anything they don’t deserve. They knew the risks inherent in military service, but never imagined the horrors of toxic exposure. In addition to the VA’s lack of assistance, the U.S. government is barring veterans from pursuing justice: the Supreme Court rejected an appeal allowing veterans to sue the companies contracted to dispose of trash overseas.

The House and Senate both introduced strong, broad veteran toxic exposure bills in 2021. The Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2021 was introduced by VA Chairman Mark Takano and, over the last year, the House and the Senate aggressively negotiated the final bill we have today. Both chambers have passed the bill, but unfortunately, the Senate version had a minor administrative error, which could have invalidated the entire law.  The House had to make the correction and send it back to the Senate, which is where we are today.

This bill provides health care for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals through burn pits and airborne hazards, streamlines the VA review process, and requires medical exams for Veterans with toxic exposure disability.  

While The Independence Fund directly supports exposed veterans and fights on Capitol Hill against the VA’s apathy to toxic exposure, we need your help. Help us bury Congress in an avalanche of letters from voters by signing our letter to your senators. Members of Congress are accountable to voters, and they need to know that the urgency is real. The lives of heroes remain in the balance.  

Bob Carey is vice president of advocacy and strategy at The Independence Fund. Follow him on Twitter @ShoebobCarey.

Source: TEST FEED1

Trump slams Pelosi's planned Taiwan visit: 'She will only make it worse'

Former President Trump on Friday criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) planned trip to Taiwan, which has been condemned by China but generally praised by congressional Republicans.

Beijing has warned Pelosi against visiting the island, saying it would challenge a “red line” and will be met with “resolute countermeasures.” The Chinese government has stepped up military drills near Taiwan, which it claims sovereignty over, in the past few months. 

Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that “the China mess is the last thing she should be involved in — She will only make it worse.” 

“Everything she touches,” he wrote, “turns to Chaos, Disruption, and ‘Crap.'”

Trump’s comments put him at odds with some members of his party who have commended Pelosi for seeking to defend democracy and human rights. 

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), the chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, said the United States should show solidarity with Taiwan and not “cower” to the wishes of the Chinese government. 

The White House, meanwhile, has not been an enthusiastic backer of Pelosi visiting, with President Biden saying that the U.S. military “thinks it’s not a good time right now,” though he has made no public moves to try to stop her.

Biden had a 2 1/2-hour call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, during which the two leaders discussed a range of issues including the status of Taiwan. 

Biden reiterated to Xi that the U.S. opposes any actions that change the status quo or threatens peace across the Taiwan Strait. The White House and Chinese readouts of the call did not mention Pelosi’s trip. 

The Speaker is reportedly extending invitations to members of Congress to join her. She invited Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), but he is unable to attend, his spokesperson confirmed to The Hill.

Pelosi reportedly was originally planning to visit Taiwan in April, but she canceled her trip after getting COVID-19.

Source: TEST FEED1

Allergan reaches tentative $2.37 billion settlement on opioid marketing lawsuits

Drugmaker AbbVie on Friday said it has agreed in principle to pay more than $2 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits related to the marketing of opioids by Allergan, a former opioid manufacturer that has since been bought by AbbVie.

The complete terms of the settlement have not yet been finalized, and a bipartisan group of state attorneys general said precise state allocations have yet to be announced. 

The company did not respond to a request for comment, but disclosed the settlement in its quarterly earnings report on Friday. 

If finalized, the Allergan settlement, together with the Teva Pharmaceuticals settlement announced earlier this week, would provide as much as $6.6 billion nationwide. 

Allergan formerly made Norco- and Kadian-branded and generic opioids. Teva bought Allergan’s generic drugs unit in 2016 and its settlement was contingent on Allergan reaching a nationwide deal.

The $2.37 billion settlement would end the lawsuits of more than 3,000 state and local governments. Some states like New York have reached separate settlements with the company, and the figure would include those settlements as well.

“We’ve worked hard to get the best result for Americans harmed by the opioid crisis, and it’s rewarding to take another step in the right direction,” Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller (D) said in a statement. “We continue to make it a priority to hold manufacturers responsible, while ensuring victims of this epidemic receive the help they need.”

Miller’s office led the negotiations with Teva and Allergan.  

The lawsuits allege Allergan deceptively marketed opioids by downplaying the risk of addiction, overstating their benefits, and encouraging doctors to treat patients showing signs of addiction by prescribing them more opioids. 

The lawsuits also allege the company failed to maintain effective controls to prevent the diversion of opioids.

“As I said earlier this week, there’s no amount of money that can make up for the death and destruction that these companies caused by putting their profits before people’s lives,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) said in a statement. 

“Even so, I have and will continue to aggressively hold these companies accountable for the harm they’ve caused in order to protect the people of Minnesota. I’m encouraged by the potential of the Teva and Allergan settlement frameworks to provide critical resources to address the ongoing opioid epidemic.”    

Source: TEST FEED1

More missing texts, this time from Trump DHS officials, raise new Jan. 6 questions

Missing text messages for top Trump administration Homeland Security officials in the days surrounding Jan. 6, 2021, are raising new questions about why the agency’s watchdog did not alert officials to the potential destruction of records. 

According to a document obtained by the Project on Government Oversight, text messages for former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf as well as his deputy, Ken Cuccinelli, were unable to be located. 

The late February message to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General Joseph Cuffari indicates that record retention issues at the agency extend beyond the Secret Service and that DHS’s own watchdog failed in multiple instances to notify lawmakers about the missing messages.  

The news was first reported by The Washington Post, which described the text messages as being lost in a reset of their government phones when they left office after President Biden’s inauguration. 

The correspondence from DHS’s management division alerted Cuffari that the messages could not be extracted and were no longer accessible.

The revelation of additional messages that the department is no longer able to account for comes after Cuffari was asked by lawmakers earlier this week to step aside from investigating what he said earlier this month were “erased” text messages of Secret Service agents.

Lawmakers, including Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of both the House Homeland Security Committee and the Jan. 6 select committee, said Cuffari may have violated the law by failing to alert DHS or lawmakers about the potential mismanagement of government records.

The latest development also indicated that Homeland Security Under Secretary for Management Randolph Alles, who also previously led the Secret Service, also had his phone reset and his messages were unaccounted for.

Neither Cuffari’s office nor DHS responded to requests for comment.

Both Wolf and Cuccinelli met with Jan. 6 investigators to face questions about pressure from former President Trump for DHS to seize voting machines. Baseless allegations that the machines had been hacked are thought to be behind the pressure campaign.

But their texts from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 could also shed light on how top national security advisors were reacting as the Capitol was stormed. 

The Jan. 6 committee swiftly subpoenaed the Secret Service text messages after being alerted by Cuffari — roughly seven months later — that the messages were “erased” as part of a device replacement program. Secret Service contends any data that was lost was due to a migration to a new mobile management software.

Lawmakers serving on the panel said it could provide another line of inquiry.

“We’re certainly going to be looking into any emails or text messages that were within the scope of what we requested and that have been lost or destroyed,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told The Hill. 

A suite of legislative committees made the request for such documents just days after the Jan. 6 attack and ahead of any planned tech updates at DHS.

“I just don’t know why everybody’s texts and emails are suddenly disappearing all over the place. So I assume it’s not just a technological problem. But we’ll get to the bottom of it,” Rep Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said.

“We would expect that they would be there and we expect to get all of the records and we will work for both legal and technological answers where evidence mysteriously disappeared,” Raskin added.

Secret Service has previously said they are unsure whether any texts are missing as they instruct agents not to use text messages for security reasons. Agents were instructed to archive any records ahead of the migration. Still, the agency ultimately turned over just one message to the Jan. 6 committee — a text from former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund pleading for help. 

“Well, I’m concerned. First of all, if that information exists, what’s the format? If it’s missing, how did it end up being missed? These individuals are not connected to the Secret Service, although they are in the Department of Homeland Security. So obviously, we’ll have to look and see the connection, if any, between that,” Thompson said.

Source: TEST FEED1

Bipartisan bill would create mechanism to expunge federal marijuana misdemeanors

Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) introduced a bill on Friday that would create a mechanism for federal misdemeanor marijuana offenses to be expunged, amid a new push for decriminalization at the federal level. 

Carter said in a press release shared with The Hill that the legislation, which is being co-sponsored by Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), will provide an “expedited, orderly process” to clear non-felony offenses that are lingering in the federal system. He said it will restore justice to millions who have suffered “inordinate collateral consequences” from marijuana-related misdemeanors. 

“These misdemeanors — even without a conviction — can result in restrictions to peoples’ ability to access educational aid, housing assistance, occupational licensing and even foster parenting,” Carter said. “Delivering justice for our citizens who have been impacted by marijuana-related misdemeanors is a key component of comprehensive cannabis reform.” 

More than half of all states have at least decriminalized weed, but it remains illegal at the federal level. More than 20 states have passed legislation to create a process for having certain marijuana-related convictions expunged, vacated, set aside or sealed from public view, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. 

Multiple cannabis reform advocates backed the legislation in the release. 

Weldon Angelos, the president of The Weldon Project, which works to provide financial assistance to those serving time in prison for cannabis-related offenses, said the legislation will be “lifechanging” for many Americans and their families. 

“For far too long, millions of Americans have been affected by the lifelong consequences of marijuana-related convictions on their record for simply possessing a small quantity of cannabis,” he said. 

Davis did not immediately return a request from The Hill for comment. 

Members of Congress have recently introduced multiple other pieces of legislation to reform federal laws on marijuana use. 

The House passed a bill in April, which was introduced by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), in an almost party-line vote to eliminate criminal penalties for people who manufacture, distribute or possess marijuana. The legislation faces an uncertain future in the 50-50 Senate. 

The House also passed a bill that month to allow legal cannabis businesses to use banking services.

Source: TEST FEED1

House Democrats tee up last-minute vote Friday on assault weapons ban

House Democrats announced a last-minute vote on a bill to ban assault weapons on Friday, looking to pass the highly anticipated legislation before lawmakers break for the month-long August recess.

In a letter to colleagues just after 11 a.m. on Friday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the House would vote on the assault weapons ban that afternoon, calling the legislation “a crucial step in our ongoing fight against the deadly epidemic of gun violence in our nation.”

The House took a key step toward passing the assault weapons ban Friday morning, approving a resolution for same-day authority that allows the chamber to fast-track top priorities.

The chamber approved the resolution in a largely party-line vote of 218-206. Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Kurt Schrader (Ore.) were the only two Democrats to oppose the measure.

The House is slated to debate and vote on the bill later Friday. During her weekly press conference on Friday, Pelosi said she expects the measure to pass.

The House Judiciary Committee advanced the assault weapons ban last week, which was the first time in more than 20 years that a congressional panel had moved a measure to outlaw the sale, transfer and possession of the popular firearms. Democrats last enacted an assault weapons ban in 1994, but it expired 10 years later.

Pelosi announced on Wednesday that the House would delay votes on the assault weapons ban and community safety legislation to give lawmakers more time to negotiate remaining disagreements on police provisions.

Democrats initially planned to move the assault weapons ban and community safety legislation under the same rule, but some liberals have raised issues with a lack of accountability in the police bills. Pelosi ultimately decided to separate the two measures and take up the assault weapons ban on Friday, punting the police funding legislation to a later date.

Pelosi on Friday said the House will take up the police funding and public safety measures in the second week of August when the lower chamber reconvenes to consider other legislation.

Liberal Democrats, particularly those in the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), have been opposed to the idea of providing local police agencies with more funding without guardrails and enhanced oversight measures designed to rein in police abuse, which disproportionately affects minority communities.

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who leads the CBC, had a long discussion Thursday with Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), a principal sponsor of one of the policing bills, to work out the kinks. And during House votes Friday morning, Beatty and other members of the CBC huddled for another lengthy talk with Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who has sponsored another piece of the policing package.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), chairman of the Rules Committee, said negotiators needed a little more time to work out those wrinkles.

“We’re developing some consensus around it,” McGovern said. “They’re working on accountability and they’re making progress.”

With that in mind, the vote on the community safety package will likely come in two weeks, McGovern said, when the House is expected to return to Washington to consider a climate, health and tax package the Senate is taking up next week.

“Providing that nobody else in the Senate gets COVID, and the skies are clear so they can land, and they get the paperwork over to us, then we’ll [return],” he said. “It won’t be next week, it’ll be the week after.”

Mike Lillis contributed.

Source: TEST FEED1

DeSantis files complaint against Miami restaurant after kids attend drag show, citing 1947 ruling on ‘men impersonating women’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) this week filed a complaint against a Miami restaurant after a video of children attending a drag show at the establishment was posted by the popular right-wing social media account LibsofTikTok and shared thousands of times.

DeSantis in the complaint filed Tuesday against R House, which hosts drag brunch events, alleges the restaurant violated state law and cites a 1947 state Supreme Court ruling that “men impersonating women” in a “suggestive and indecent” fashion constitutes a public nuisance.

In hosting drag performances in the presence of young children, the restaurant has also violated a state disorderly conduct statute and a separate statute prohibiting the operation of a business “for the purpose of lewdness,” according to the complaint, a copy of which was obtained by Changing America.

If the complaint is successful, R House’s liquor license could be revoked.

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“Having kids involved in this is wrong,” DeSantis said Wednesday during a press conference. “That is not consistent with our law and policy in the state of Florida, and it is a disturbing trend in our society to try to sexualize these young people.”

“That is not the way you look out for our children,” DeSantis continued. “You do not expose them to things that are inappropriate.”

The complaint reflects a larger crusade spearheaded by DeSantis and his administration against ideas or issues they consider inappropriate for children. The state made national headlines earlier this year when it passed its Parental Rights in Education law – known to its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law – which prevents public school teachers from discussing topics including sexual orientation and gender identity with their students.

The state’s Board of Education last year banned critical race theory from public school classrooms, grouping it in the same category as Holocaust denial and other “theories that distort historical events.” DeSantis has called critical race theory, which addresses systemic racism in the United States, “state sanctioned racism,” alleging it will teach children to “hate each other.”

On Thursday, Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., a former Republican state senator who voted to pass the “Don’t Say Gay” law, warned school leaders across the state in a memo that following recent guidance from the Biden administration to expand Title IX protections for transgender students could violate state law.

During his press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis said the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation had begun an investigation into R House in Miami after being made aware of a video posted by LibsofTikTok, which frequently posts photos and videos of LGBTQ+ people and events to stir controversy and fuel outrage.

In the video, a drag performer holds the hand of a young girl and leads her around the restaurant during a performance.

“The video shows what appears to be a transgender dancer leading a young girl by the hand and walking through Respondent’s dining area,” the complaint states. “The dancer’s buttocks were fully exposed, and his ‘g-string’-style bikini bottom was stuffed with dollar bills — a practice that is commonly known to occur at strip clubs. The dancer’s breasts — unmistakably female in appearance — were also fully exposed except for the nipple and areola, which were covered with adhesive ‘pasties.’”

In a statement to the Miami Herald, R House ownership called the incident a “misunderstanding” and said it is working with the state through an attorney to “rectify the situation.”

“We are hopeful that Gov. DeSantis, a vociferous supporter and champion of Florida’s hospitality industry and small businesses, will see this as what it is, a misunderstanding,” the restaurant’s owners said, adding that they hope the matter “will be resolved positively and promptly.”

Source: TEST FEED1

The climate crisis almost destroyed my town — yours could be next

In times of crisis, our nation has proven willing to act swiftly and boldly. We’ve deployed troops and military aid to conflict zones around the world. We’ve dispatched humanitarian relief and care to areas stricken by disease or disaster. We are, and always have been, a country of action. 

Yet, with the current climate crisis roaring across our own nation, we remain largely stagnant, even regressive in our fight. We are retreating against the threat of catastrophic weather events and turning away from the environmental and economic impacts of climate destruction. Federal elected officials watch as American homes, businesses and communities catch fire, even when they hold the power, the legislative plan, that can extinguish the flames. 

Here in South Lake Tahoe, we’ve seen the devastating effects of wildfires, and just last year, the Caldor fire came close to destroying our town. Just to our west, the town of Grizzly Flats was destroyed by the same fire. Now, the Oak fire is burning near Yosemite. We have repeatedly warned officials of the increasing frequency, duration and intensity of these disasters. It is no longer just a western problem. In fact, the New York Times recently released a report showing Americans now live with significant wildfire risk. 

For those who don’t face the deadly fires and choking smoke every season, many are faced with equally catastrophic floods, hurricanes, drought, blizzards, overwhelming heat or tornadoes. Not to mention the soaring cost of the fuel needed to cool our homes in the summer, warm them in the winter, and power our vehicles throughout the year.

The climate crisis is, quite literally, at our nation’s doorstep, and it’s being accelerated by our dependence on fossil fuels. Most recently the oil and gas industry continues its relentless push to open more leasing of our public lands for oil and gas drilling. The companies claimed that these contracts were critical to bringing down prices at the pump, but that was simply a lobbying strategy. 

The truth is many of these companies hold their leases without drilling, effectively locking out others from accessing those lands and frequently damaging the land in the process. Companies who operate on public lands often do so recklessly, putting the quality of our air, land and water at risk of contamination. Furthermore, the entire program is considered “high risk” for government fraud, waste and abuse, meaning American taxpayers are often left holding the bill while gas companies cash their checks. 

For decades, the onshore leasing program has shortchanged taxpayers while communities have had to spend limited funds on climate emergencies. In fact, it’s estimated that the program’s outdated royalty rate cost taxpayers $13.1 billion in revenue between 2012 and 2021. Oil and gas companies know that if they can hold back progress for just a few more weeks until Congress adjourns for summer recess and election season, they will be safe to continue to exploit our land, water and wallets for another year. 

But we can’t wait another year. We can’t wait another month. With conditions in the Southwest the driest they’ve been in 1,200 years, we’re already experiencing, again, a deadly and destructive fire season that now lasts throughout the year. According to experts, it’s only going to get worse, with the risk of fire damage spreading across the south creating a deadly fire region that stretches from coast to coast. 

The need for action now has never been clearer. The City of South Lake Tahoe was the first city in our nation to make a pledge toward fully powering our community with carbon-free electricity by 2030. Now is the federal government’s turn to step up. 

The administration has a plan, and a smart one, to fight back against both the environmental and economic destruction caused by climate change. Not only is this plan data-driven and science-based, it’s also wildly popular. We have the information we need to combat this threat and we have the support of American citizens. Now, members of Congress must fulfill their duties and responsibilities to their voters and pass strong climate legislation. Our nation desperately needs a defensive charge against the catastrophic destruction of climate change and I urge Congress to pass legislation that does just that.

Devin Middlebrook was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe, California and now serves as the city’s Mayor. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Mega Millions: Here's what's more likely than you winning

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) — Being struck by lightning, being killed by a shark — what do they have in common?

They’re much more likely to happen than you winning the Mega Millions jackpot.

No one claimed the top prize after Tuesday night’s drawing. Since then, the jackpot has grown to a cool $1.1 billion, with a cash option of $648.2 million. The next drawing is Friday night.

While we can all ponder what we would do with that kind of money, we may all be getting a reality check instead of a money check.

After all, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350 or 0.00000033 percent.

Here are some things that are more likely to happen:

But 1 in 302 million is still a chance. In fact, you’re much more likely to win than being hit by a meteorite —thankfully!

How’s this for a mind-blowing fact: You are 30.4 billion times as likely to win the Mega Millions than you are to get a perfect NCAA bracket, if you just guess or flip a coin to determine your teams. That’s right, billion with a “B.”

Even if you know a little about basketball and are more strategic in choosing your bracket, you’re still 397 times as likely to win the Mega Millions jackpot.

Friday’s jackpot of $1.1 billion is the second largest in history. It’s only the third time that the billion-dollar mark has been hit.

“We look with anticipation on the growing jackpot,” said Pat McDonald, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “Seeing the jackpot build over a period of months and reaching the billion-dollar mark is truly breathtaking. We encourage customers to keep play in balance and enjoy the ride. Someone is going to win.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Ketanji Brown Jackson gets a bobblehead

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson can add another distinct honor to her résumé: she’s the inspiration for a new bobblehead.

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum announced Friday that Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, is being immortalized in bobblehead form.

The Milwaukee-based museum is selling $30 figures that show a smiling mini version of Jackson standing tall in her judge’s robe in front of a replica of the Supreme Court. The seven inch, limited-edition bobbleheads are poised to ship in September.

“When the Senate voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson, history was made,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame co-founder Phil Sklar said in a statement announcing the launch, following the 51-year-old former federal public defender’s April confirmation.

“We celebrate the momentous day in the 233-year history of the Supreme Court,” Sklar said.

In addition to the Jackson bobblehead, the Hall of Fame is also releasing collectibles of 16 other current and former Supreme Court justices.

Bobbleheads of justices including Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall, among others, will be available for pre-order on Friday and are expected to ship in December.

The release comes at a sticky time for the court — a Gallup poll conducted in June, just before the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion rights was overturned, found that only a quarter of Americans have confidence in the Supreme Court.

Sklar said the brigade of bobbleheads gives the public “the chance to collect bobbleheads representing the Supreme Court justices that have a very influential impact on our lives given their roles in our government and the impact their decisions have.”

Source: TEST FEED1