Weekend Reviews: Bill Clinton Hospitalized With Non-COVID-19 Infection 

Bill Clinton was admitted into the University of California Irvine’s Medical Center on Tuesday evening with a urinary tract infection that had spread to the bloodstream. The 75-year-old Clinton appears to be responding well to treatment and is reportedly recovering quickly. 

Clinton has been undergoing antibiotic treatment at the facility and has not contracted COVID-19. The President has been recovering promptly and is reportedly up and walking. Angel Ureña, Clinton’s spokesperson, has stated: “He is on the mend, in good spirits and is incredibly thankful to the doctors, nurses, and staff providing him with excellent care,’’ 

The former President’s primary physician has stated that Clinton was admitted to the ICU in order to take utmost precaution and not because he necessarily needed to be there. Additionally, Clinton’s regular medical team is based in New York and has been in constant communication with the doctors and nurses in Irvine. 

This is not the first health scare that the former president has undergone. Clinton underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2004 and suffered a partially collapsed lung in 2005. Since then, due to diet and lifestyle changes, the former President has largely returned to a heavy political touring circuit and prominence in the public eye, most notably campaigning in support of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 and 2016 presidential runs. Doctors have stated that the former President’s current hospitalization is not related to his past medical history. 

The Clintons were in California for a private event in support of their foundation. Bill had reportedly begun feeling fatigued on Tuesday and subsequently was brought to the hospital. Hillary “represented both of them.”  at the event and subsequently went to the hospital in order to be with the former president. 

Bill Clinton was President of the United States from 1993-2001, replacing former President George H.W. Bush. Clinton was impeached by House Republicans in 1998 for his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, only to be acquitted by the senate in 1999. 

British MP David Amess Dies After Stabbing Attack 

David Amess, a member of the British Parliament, was assassinated Friday by a 25-year-old suspect who was apprehended at the scene. Police have not disclosed details on the motive or identity of the suspect, who is currently being held on suspicion of murder. 

“We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the wider public,” authorities have stated. 

The attack occurred while Amess was convening with constituents at a church in the seaside town of Leigh-on-Sea, a small village about 40 miles east of London. Paramedics arrived on the scene and attempted to apply life-saving care, but were unsuccessful in saving the politician’s life. In a statement it was said: 

“Despite the best efforts of paramedics, sadly, he died at the scene. A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in custody. We have recovered a knife from the scene and are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.”

The 69-year-old Amess was one of the longest-serving members of the British Parliament, having been a member for over 38 years. The attack is the latest in a series across a broad spectrum of time that has brought attention to the fact that politicians in the United Kingdom typically do not travel with heavy security. In 2010, Stephen Timms, also a Labour MP, was the victim of a stabbing attack. 

The attack has sent shockwaves through the British political community, with Boris Johnson stating that “All our hearts are full of shock and sadness today at the loss of Sir David Amess, killed in his constituency surgery in a church after almost 40 years of continuous service to the people of Essex and the UK.”

DOJ Attempts To Prevent Texas Abortion Law From Taking Effect 

The Biden Administration is taking steps to stop a controversial Texas law that bans the vast majority of abortions. This comes after the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit opted to leave the legislation in place after the Justice Department had filed a lawsuit against Texas stating that the legislation violates the constitution. Says Anthony Coly, spokesman for the DOJ, “The Justice Department intends to ask the Supreme Court to vacate the Fifth Circuit’s stay of the preliminary injunction against Texas Senate Bill 8.” 

The law is a GOP-crafted piece of legislation that makes abortion illegal once a fetus has surpassed the stage of development at which a heartbeat is detected, which typically comes around the six-week mark. The law has been heavily criticized as being severely oppressive towards women and is considered the biggest blow towards reproductive rights in decades. 

The law has been in effect since Sept 1st and has created scenarios where Texas women have had to travel to neighboring states in order to obtain the procedures they seek. The bill makes no distinction for abortions sought under the pretense of rape or incest or for underage women who seek out the procedures. 

The DOJ has also taken issue with another element of the law: Anyone in Texas who brings a successful lawsuit against an abortion provider who has proven to disobey the order can earn at least $10,000 in damages for reward, essentially establishing a bounty on abortion providers. 

The U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland, has stated that the law is “clearly unconstitutional.”