Politico: “Online providers and groups are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of people requesting abortion pills or seeking information on consultations for the drugs since the draft opinion ending Roe v. Wade was first reported on Monday.”
Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 187
Bad Instincts
Trial Balloon · Ep. 187: Bad Instincts
Threat to Roe Puts GOP on Defense
“In the top Senate battlegrounds, Democrats are buying up television time and sounding off at every opportunity about Republican plans to curtail abortion rights. They have seized on the moment — and consider it a possible turning point,” Politico reports.
“Many Republicans, though, are shrugging. Among those in the most competitive contests, reaction to the news that the Supreme Court was poised to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision has been muted, marked by statements in support of overturning Roe and great caution to avoid placing abortion at the center of their campaigns.”
Where Does the Anti-Abortion Movement Go?
New York Times: “The sprawling anti-abortion grass-roots campaign is rapidly approaching an entirely new era, one in which abortion would no longer be a nationally protected right to overcome, but a decision to be legislated by individual states.”
“For many activists, overturning Roe would mark what they see as not the end, but a new beginning to limit abortion access even further. It also would present a test, as those who have long backed incremental change could clash with those who increasingly push to end legal abortion altogether.”
Justin Trudeau Makes Surprise Visit to Ukraine
“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a surprise visit to Irpin, Ukraine on Sunday, the town’s mayor Olexander Markushyn said in a Telegram post alongside photos of Trudeau walking around the town,” Axios reports.
“Trudeau also traveled to Kyiv, where he presided over the raising of the Canadian flag at the country’s embassy and announced its reopening, per Politico.“
A Highly Winnable Fight
Andrew Sullivan: “A healthy political party would thrill at this opportunity — a winning issue where the GOP has gone off the deep end. In the states likely to ‘trigger’ total bans if Roe falls, 43 percent of adults on average say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 52 percent say it should be illegal in most or all cases. That’s a highly winnable fight.”
“In states which might re-enact some kind of abortion restrictions, ‘an average of 49 percent of adults say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, compared with 45 percent who say otherwise’ — even more promising terrain for Democrats.”
Quote of the Day
“The fall will be swift.”
— Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), quoted by ABC News, on the Supreme Court potentially ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.
GOP Ward Leader Ousted Over ‘Ballot Harvesting’ Scheme
“GOP ward leaders voted to oust one of their own Saturday, hours after an Inquirer story highlighted his role in diverting dozens of mail ballots for Republican voters in South Philadelphia to a P.O. box under his control, raising concerns of a potential ‘ballot harvesting’ scheme,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Tennessee Criminalizes Mail-In Abortion Drugs
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a bill Thursday criminalizing abortion-inducing drugs that are provided via mail, CNN reports.
Exchange of the Day
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) was interviewed on Meet the Press by Chuck Todd:
TODD: You’ve just said that you believe life begins at conception. If there is legislation brought to you to ban contraception, would you sign it?
REEVES: Well, I don’t think that’s going to happen in Mississippi. I’m sure they’ll have those conversations in other states.
TODD: But you’re not answering the question.
REEVES: As is always the case with things — well, that’s always the case. There’s so many things that we can talk about.
Jill Biden Makes Surprise Visit to Ukraine
“Jill Biden, the first lady, traveled to western Ukraine in an unannounced trip on Sunday, the latest sign of support from the United States, which has significantly increased military aid for Ukraine in recent weeks,” the New York Times reports.
“Dr. Biden met Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, at a school in Uzhhorod, a town of 100,000 people a few miles from the border with Slovakia. The town’s population has doubled in recent weeks with the arrival of people fleeing fighting elsewhere in the country.”
Said Mrs. Biden: “I wanted to come on Mother’s Day. I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop and this war has been brutal and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine.”
Happy Mother’s Day!
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The GOP Establishment Looks Screwed for 2024
“The conventional view of J.D. Vance’s victory in Ohio’s Senate primary this week was that it demonstrated the power of Donald Trump’s endorsement,” Politico reports.
“But the election results also delivered something else: an outline of the 2024 GOP primary’s establishment lane, the one expected to be occupied by the likes of Govs. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas or Larry Hogan of Maryland, former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey or someone else from the party’s traditionalist wing.”
“In a crowded contest in which a field of free-spending Republicans competed for the Trump vote, the performance of the one serious contender who distanced himself from the former president proved revealing.”
Mastriano Holds Double-Digit Lead in GOP Primary
A New Democratic poll in Pennsylvania, reviewed by City & State, shows Doug Mastriano (R) leads the Republican gubernatorial field with support from 28% of voters, a 14-point lead over the next-closest candidate, former U.S. attorney Bill McSwain (R).
McSwain was second with support from 14% of voters, while former Rep. Lou Barletta (R) came in third with 12%. Dave White (R) was fourth with 11%, and two other candidates – former Rep. Melissa Hart (R) and Jake Corman (R) – received 6% and 3%, respectively.
Selena Zito: A Doug Mastriano win would cost the GOP the House and Senate in that state.
Midterms’ Biggest Abortion Battleground Is Pennsylvania
New York Times: “Pennsylvania, one of a handful of states where abortion access hangs in the balance with midterm elections this year, is a test case of the political power of the issue in a post-Roe world, offering a look at whether it will motivate party bases or can be a wedge for suburban independents.”
“After a draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would end the constitutional guarantee of abortion rights was leaked last week, Republicans downplayed the issue, shifting attention instead to the leak itself and away from its substance. They also argued that voters’ attentions were fleeting, that abortion was hardly a silver bullet for Democratic apathy and that more pressing issues — inflation and President Biden’s unpopularity — had already cast the midterm die.”
“To Democrats, this time really is different.”
Kai Kahele Kicks Off Bid for Hawaii Governor
“Rep. Kai Kahele (D-HI) today ended months of speculation by announcing that he is running for governor in the Aug. 13 Democratic Primary,” the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports.
Immigration Clamp Down Causing Labor Shortage
The U.S. is experiencing a labor shortage that’s partly fueled by a drop-off in immigration, which ground to a halt during the pandemic, the AP reports.
By some estimates, the U.S. now has 2 million fewer immigrants than it would have if the pace had stayed the same.
Brazil’s Lula Makes Presidential Candidacy Official
“Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva officially launched his bid to return to Brazil’s presidency on Saturday more than a decade after he left office,” Bloomberg reports.
“The widely expected announcement, marked by an official event in Sao Paulo, kicks off a new phase of the campaign, in which Lula and his running mate Geraldo Alckmin will start traveling across the nation trying to gather broad support to defeat President Jair Bolsonaro in the October vote.”
Madison Cawthorn Paid His Cousin $141,000
“A relative and close adviser to Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) has pocketed more than $141,000 from taxpayers and campaign donors since 2020,” WRAL reports.
“The documents also show a roughly eight-month period during which the 26-year-old North Carolina congressman paid Stephen Smith, his second cousin, simultaneously from Cawthorn’s congressional office and campaign. The payments were addressed to Smith at a Hendersonville address. The address matches that of Cawthorn’s, state voter registration records show.”
For members: Let Us Count the Scandals
