“The Arkansas Supreme Court blocked an abortion-rights initiative from appearing on the state’s ballot this fall, upholding a July decision by the secretary of state to reject the measure for not following rules related to paid signature gatherers,” NBC News reports.

“The decision means Arkansas will not be among the handful of states where voters will have the chance to weigh in on abortion-related measures on the November ballot, as the court’s majority opinion denies “further relief” to the group behind the proposed constitutional amendment.”

“Voters will get to decide in November whether they want to protect the right to an abortion in the constitution of Montana, which on Tuesday became the eighth state to put the issue before the electorate this fall,” the AP reports.

“The Montana Secretary of State’s Office certified that the general election ballot will include the initiative on abortion rights. All but one of the eight states are seeking to amend their constitutions.”

After months of avoiding specifics, Trump told CBS News that he would not use the 150-year-old Comstock Act to ban mail delivery of the drugs if elected in November.

Said Trump: “The federal government should have nothing to do with this issue.”

Politico: “Many prominent conservatives and anti-abortion activists were outraged by the remark, calling it ‘nonsensical’ and ‘cowardly,’ and warning that it could dampen turnout and enthusiasm on the right heading into a close election.”

“Democrats on Monday evening will spotlight the stories of women placed in medical peril because of state abortion bans, part of an effort by the party to capitalize on the lasting anger over the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade,” the New York Times reports.

“All three women who are scheduled to speak on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago have become prominent supporters of the party’s ticket on the campaign trail, offering their deeply personal testimonials in campaign ads, White House meetings and political events.”

A new KFF poll finds 74% of women ages 18 to 49 said that they “somewhat” or “strongly” oppose leaving it up to the states to decide whether abortion is legal.

Sen. J.D. Vance, who has been dragged for his controversial comments about women ever since Donald Trump selected him as his running mate, added to the list by suggesting that it isn’t “normal” for women to care about abortion rights, the Daily Beast reports.

Asked Laura Ingraham on Fox News: “One of my dear friends said to me tonight that all these suburban women—all they care about is abortion, and they don’t understand the decision is with the states now. It’s not banned nationally, even if some people want it to be banned nationally. What do you say to suburban women out there who are marinating in this propaganda?”

Replied Vance: “Well, first of all, I don’t buy that, Laura. I think most suburban women care about the normal things that most Americans care about, right? They care about inflation, they care about the price of groceries, they care about public safety in the streets where their kids play.”

Politico: “Democrats in New York, following significant losses two years ago, are deploying a now-familiar playbook in half a dozen battleground House races: Accuse Republicans of opposing abortion rights, an approach that has worked in tough races across the country.”

“The party is reviving those anti-abortion attacks in New York and say, this time, they have proof of their claims: the incumbents’ voting records.”

“Donald Trump still doesn’t have an answer on how he’ll vote on an abortion measure in his home state. And it’s about to become a lot harder for him to avoid it,” Politico reports.

“Four months ago, Trump announced he favored leaving the issue of abortion to the states. Now, state-level referendums on the lightning-rod issue are making ballots across the country — including, on Monday, in the battleground state of Arizona, and on Tuesday in Missouri.”

“And in Florida, where Trump is a registered voter, the former president has yet to say how he’ll cast his own vote on the measure known as Amendment 4, which would abolish the state’s newly-enacted ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.”

“An amendment that would enshrine abortion access in Missouri’s constitution will appear on the state’s general election ballot,” NBC News reports.

“Arizona’s ballot will include a major reproductive rights measure this fall alongside the presidential, Senate and other battleground races, putting a key issue directly before voters in the swing state,” NBC News reports.

“Donald Trump suggested in a news conference Thursday that he is open to curbing access to abortion pills through federal regulations, declining to rule out a sweeping move that some antiabortion allies have advocated,” the Washington Post reports.

Donald Trump wouldn’t say Thursday how he’ll vote on a proposed Florida state constitutional amendment that would overturn the state’s six-week abortion ban, Politico reports.

Said Trump: “So I don’t want to tell you now. But Florida does have a vote coming up on that and I think probably the vote will go in a little more liberal way than people thought. But I’ll be announcing that at the appropriate time.”

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) characterized pregnancies resulting from rape or incest as “inconvenient” in a 2021 interview.

Said Vance: “It’s not whether women should be forced to bring a child to term, it’s whether a child should be allowed to live even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society.”

“Kamala Harris is making abortion rights central to her candidacy for president as Republicans struggle to articulate a winning message on the issue,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“In contrast with President Biden, who was reluctant to say the word abortion, the vice president has campaigned aggressively on it since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the constitutional right to the procedure. At the White House, she has met with abortion providers and women who have had abortions. Earlier this year, Harris was believed to be the first president or vice president to visit an abortion clinic.”

Vice President Kamala Harris condemned a six-week abortion ban that went into effect in Iowa today, calling it a “Trump abortion ban.”

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) won’t talk about Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate selection process, but he was more than eager to go on offense against Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), Punchbowl News reports.

Said Kelly: “What I really worry about is what he would do being one heartbeat away from the president.”

He added: “Here’s a guy who, when he’s talking about women who have been raped or are pregnant because of incest, that two wrongs don’t make a right. What is wrong about a woman who’s been raped to be able to terminate a pregnancy? What’s wrong with that?”