(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to block the House Ways and Means Committee from accessing his tax returns.
The committee has requested six years’ worth of Trump’s returns as part of an investigation into IRS audit practices of presidents and vice presidents.
In his petition to the Supreme Court, Trump accused the committee of seeking his taxes under false pretenses.
“The Committee’s purpose in requesting President Trump’s tax returns has nothing to do with funding or staffing issues at the IRS and everything to do with releasing the President’s tax information to the public,” the petition said.
A federal appeals court ruled in August that tax returns should be handed over to the House committee. The committee first sought the returns in 2019.
Trump most recently failed to block the request on Thursday when the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals shot down his request to reconsider a unanimous opinion from one of its three-judge panels approving the committee’s access to the documents.
While Trump’s team claims the panel’s bid to obtain the tax returns is purely political, the committee insists the documents are valuable to assess how the Internal Revenue Service performs presidential audits.
“The law has always been on our side,” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said in a statement after Thursday’s ruling. “Former President Trump has tried to delay the inevitable, but once again, the Court has affirmed the strength of our position. We’ve waited long enough—we must begin our oversight of the IRS’s mandatory presidential audit program as soon as possible.”
At the heart of the dispute is a federal tax law mandating that the Treasury Department “shall furnish” tax information requested by the Ways and Means Committee, a law Trump’s lawyers suggest is unconstitutional.
Democrats have been clamoring to get a glimpse of Trump’s tax returns since 2015 when he launched his bid for president and broke decades of precedent by not releasing the documents.
Besides having his personal tax returns sought after, Trump is also facing pressure by criminal probes into his personal business, possession of government documents after leaving office and efforts to block the certification of the 2020 election results.
(NEW YORK) — One version of amoxicillin, a common antibiotic used to treat issues like ear infections in kids, is in short supply, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
The shortage of amoxicillin means that parents and other caregivers may need to visit multiple pharmacies in order to fill a prescription for liquid amoxicillin or may need to ask their doctor for an alternative medication. Some pharmacies may also be able to adjust the strength of the supply on hand to meet demand.
The FDA lists the oral solution of amoxicillin in its drug shortage database, describing it as “currently in shortage.”
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists also lists amoxicillin in its drug shortages database, noting that multiple different manufacturers of the drug are experiencing shortages.
Amoxicillin is an antibiotic that can be prescribed for bacterial infections.
In addition to ear infections, amoxicillin is commonly prescribed to children for strep, whooping cough and some urinary tract infections.
One manufacturer of the drug, Sandoz, a division of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, told ABC News that what it described as a “supply situation” is the result of a “significant uptake” in demand for amoxicillin.
The increased demand combined with several other factors, including supply chain issues, is leading to the short supply, according to the company.
“The combination in rapid succession of the pandemic impact and consequent demand swings, manufacturing capacity constraints, scarcity of raw materials, and the current energy crisis means we currently face a uniquely difficult situation,” Sandoz said in a statement. “We are working with key stakeholders including governments to find ways to manage this critical situation.”
Amoxicillin is not used to treat COVID-19, RSV or the flu, but the drug’s limited supply comes at a time when many pediatric hospitals across the country say they are reaching capacity due to an early rise in respiratory illnesses.
Last week, pediatric bed occupancy in the U.S. was the highest it’s been in two years with 75% of the estimated 40,000 beds filled with patients, according to an ABC News analysis.
Walgreens told ABC News on Friday the pharmacy chain is “not seeing any constraints around availability of amoxicillin at this time.”
CVS told ABC News it has seen “isolated” shortages of the drug.
“We’ve seen isolated supplier product shortages of certain doses of the medication,” the company said in a statement. “We’re working with manufacturers to replenish supply as quickly as possible.”
ABC News’ Sony Salzman, Eric Strauss, Alicia Zellmer and Emma Egan contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot ahead of Monday night’s drawing is an estimated $1 billion, only the second time in the game’s 30-year- history that the main prize has hit that milestone.
The cash value is estimated at $497.3 million, according to Powerball.
No one matched the winning numbers on Saturday night, where the jackpot was $825 million. Saturday’s numbers were 40, 19, 57, 31, 46 and the Powerball was 23. The powerplay number was 3.
Powerball said players won over $38 million in non-jackpot prizes on Saturday. Six tickets in California, Maryland, Michigan and Texas were valued at $1 million and a ticket holder in Florida won $2 million.
The jackpot is Powerball’s largest prize so far this year, the second-largest Powerball jackpot ever and the fifth-largest in U.S. lottery history, according to a press release from Powerball.
The largest prize in Powerball history was $1.586 billion sold in January 2016 and shared by three winners in California, Florida and Tennessee.
What are your odds of winning the lottery
The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to a statement from Powerball.
How late can you buy Powerball tickets
According to Powerball, “sales cut-off times vary by selling jurisdiction. Please check with your local lottery for more information.”
What time is the Powerball drawing
The Powerball drawings happen Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
ABC News’ Nadine El-Bawab contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — More than six months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose forces began an offensive in August, has vowed to take back all Russian-occupied territory. But Putin in September announced a mobilization of reservists, which is expected to call up as many as 300,000 additional troops.
Latest headlines:
-Russia launches waves of missiles at energy targets
-Blinken accuses Russia of ‘weaponizing food’
-Russia’s partial mobilization is complete
-‘We are seeing casualties mount up,’ Ukrainian politician tells ABC News
-Russia threatens to target US satellites
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 31, 7:07 PM EDT
Russia’s withdrawal from grain deal ‘collective punishment’ for world: State Department
State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Monday lambasted Russia’s recent decision to withdraw from the U.N.-brokered deal that allowed for grain to be exported through the Black Sea — likely to be a chief focus of this week’s G-7 ministerial meeting and potentially the G-20 Leaders’ Summit next month.
“We deeply regret Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is having immediate, harmful impacts on global food security,” Price said during a press briefing. “Russia should return to full participation in the initiative, and we urge all parties to swiftly agree to sustain this crucial program through the months to come.”
“Any disruption to the initiative risks spiking food prices, lowering the confidence of insurers and commercial shippers who have returned to Black Sea routes, and further imposing hardships on low-income countries already reeling from dire humanitarian crises and global food insecurity,” he added.
Price said Russia’s reneging had already caused future contracts for foodstuff to rise, even though some ships appear to have been allowed to pass through the water routes with their cargo following Moscow’s announcement.
“We’ve seen Russia engage in what appears to be collective punishment for the people of Ukraine,” he said. “But Moscow’s suspension of the initiative would be tantamount to collective punishment for the rest of the world — but especially lower- and middle-income countries that so desperately needed this grain.”
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Oct 31, 3:32 PM EDT
Ukraine energy company warns about attacks on energy infrastructure
Following a series of coordinated strikes across Ukraine this Monday morning, Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK says it’s running out of equipment and spare parts needed for repairs of the damaged infrastructure facilities.
“Unfortunately, we have already used up the stock of equipment that we had in our warehouses after the first two waves of attacks that have been taking place since Oct. 10,” said DTEK Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk. “We were able to purchase some equipment. But unfortunately, the cost of the equipment is now measured in hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Most parts have been already used for repairs following previous Russian strikes, he added.
Oct 31, 4:54 AM EDT
Russia launches waves of missiles at energy targets
Russia on Monday morning again launched a series of coordinated strikes across Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure, including in the Kyiv region.
Ukraine’s military said it shot down 44 cruise missiles as the Russians launched “several waves of missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities” across the country.
About five distant booms could be heard in central Kyiv at about 8 a.m. local time.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, confirmed that a power plant has been hit, meaning mid-morning around 350,000 homes in the capital were left without power. Kyiv’s water supply has also been compromised, according to a water company.
A local official said “critical infrastructure” had also been hit in the Chernivtsi region in southwestern Ukraine.
Critical infrastructure has also been hit and damaged in Zaporizhzhia in the south, according to another local official.
Other regions of Ukraine appear to have been targeted, including Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Poltava and Lviv.
There are currently no reports of significant casualties.
ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Oct 30, 10:02 AM EDT
Blinken accuses Russia of ‘weaponizing food’
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed Russia’s decision to pull out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative as a statement from the Kremlin that “people and families around the world should pay more for food or go hungry.”
Russia announced it is withdrawing from the U.N.-brokered grain deal in response to a drone attack Saturday in the waters of the Sevastopol Bay, in the Black Sea near Crimea.
Russia’s decision, Blinken said, is jeopardizing grain shipments he described as “life-saving.”
“In suspending this arrangement, Russia is again weaponizing food in the war it started, directly impacting low- and middle-income countries and global food prices, and exacerbating already dire humanitarian crises and food insecurity,” Blinken said in a statement released Saturday night.
He said 9 million metric tons of food has been shipped under the agreement, which was signed and launched in July. He said the shipments have reduced food prices around the world.
“We urge the Government of Russia to resume its participation in the Initiative, fully comply with the arrangement, and work to ensure that people around the world continue to be able to receive the benefits facilitated by the Initiative,” Blinken said.
Blinken’s statement echoed what President Joe Biden said earlier Saturday, calling Russia’s withdrawal from the initiative, “purely outrageous.”
“It’s going to increase starvation. There’s no reason for them to do that, but they’re always looking for some rationale to be able to say the reason they’re doing something outrageous is because the West made them do it. And it’s just not,” Biden said. “There’s no merit to what they’re doing. The UN negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it.”
(CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.) — Two people are dead after a shooting erupted at a post office in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sunday night and ended when the suspect died crashing into a strip mall business while attempting to flee, police said.
The shooting unfolded about 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Police officers responded to a report of shots fired at a post office in a neighborhood southeast of downtown Chattanooga, police Chief Celeste Murphy said at a news conference early Monday.
“Right now, all we know is that we have two people who are shot and the investigation is ongoing,” Murphy told reporters.
Murphy confirmed the post office shooting and a vehicle crash six miles away were connected to the same incident.
“The situation is contained. There is no further threat to the public,” Murphy said.
She said a motive for the shooting is under investigation. The names of the two people killed were not immediately released.
It was not immediately clear if the two people killed were employees of the post office. The postal facility was closed to the public at the time of the shooting.
The suspect, who was also shot in the incident, fled in a pickup truck, police said. The suspect drove about six miles before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into a business at the Northgate Mall.
The truck plowed through the front door of the Apple Nail Bar and continued through a wall into an adjacent FedEx office.
Alex Nguyen, who owns the Apple Nail Bar, told ABC affiliate station WTVC-TV in Chattanooga that he was scheduled to take over the business on Tuesday.
“I don’t know where to start to clean up because there’s so much work to do,” Nguyen said.
Murphy said the incident was contained to the post office and the mall where the crash occurred.
(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — A Grand Rapids police officer charged with second-degree murder of Patrick Lyoya will go to trial.
Christopher Schurr, a seven-year veteran of the Grand Rapids Police Department, has pleaded not guilty.
Judge Nicholas Ayoub reviewed evidence presented in Schurr’s preliminary hearing last week.
Lyoya, a 26-year-old native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was shot in the head on April 4 after Schurr pulled him over for a faulty license plate. His death prompted protests throughout Grand Rapids.
Body camera video showed Schurr shouting at Lyoya to “get in the car.” The footage was released nine days after the shooting.
Schurr can be heard asking Lyoya if he spoke English and then demanding that Lyoya show his driver’s license. Lyoya turned to a passenger in the car, closed the door and started to walk away from Schurr, according to the video.
Lyoya started to run. Schurr grabbed Lyoya and struggled with him before eventually forcing him to the ground, shouting “Stop resisting,” “Let go” and “Drop the Taser,” according to the video. The body camera was deactivated during the struggle, according to police.
Police said Lyoya grabbed at Schurr’s stun gun during the altercation. Schurr then shot Lyoya while he was on the ground, according to cellphone footage of the incident.
Cellphone footage from Lyoya’s friend Aime Tuiishme showed the moment Schurr shot Lyoya in the back of the head. The fatal shot was confirmed by both an independent autopsy report as well as the Kent County medical examiner.
Neighborhood resident Wayne Butler spoke to the court on Thursday, describing the altercation as “wrestling” and noted that Lyoya was not “on the offensive.”
Schurr was fired from the Grand Rapids Police Department in June after waiving his right to a discharge hearing.
(DELPHI, Ind.) — A Delphi, Indiana, man, Richard Allen, has been arrested for the 2017 murders of eighth graders Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter announced at a news conference Monday.
Best friends Libby and Abby were on a hiking trail in rural Delphi when they were killed in the middle of the day on Feb. 13, 2017.
The shocking slayings cast fear across the small Indiana town and garnered national intrigue.
This marks the first time a suspect has been named in the mysterious double murder. Police have still not released how the girls were killed.
Latest headlines:
-‘Right here among us’
-Suspect enters not guilty plea
-Police ask for more tips
-Man arrested in Delphi murders
Here’s how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Oct 31, 12:55 PM EDT
‘Right here among us’
Libby German’s grandmother and guardian, Becky Patty, was surprised to learn the man arrested for the murders of Libby and Abby Williams was a Delphi resident.
“It’s a small community,” she told ABC News hours after Richard Allen’s arrest was announced. “For it to be one of us, it’s hard.”
“How can somebody do that and then just go on living life like nothing happened?” Libby’s grandfather, Mike Patty, added.
Libby’s sister, Kelsi German, said she always felt the girls’ killer must be someone familiar with the Delphi area, but she said she didn’t want to believe the suspect “was right here among us.”
Mike Patty commended the police officers who he said were diligent and “sacrificed their own family time” to work on his granddaughter’s case.
“They never let up,” he said.
“There’s a lot of questions we have that are unanswered,” he added, “but all in due time that will come.”
For Libby’s sister, the arrest brings “new obstacles and emotions that we have to learn how to deal with.”
German said she visited her sister’s grave on Sunday to talk to her about the updates in the case.
Oct 31, 12:36 PM EDT
More than 70,000 tips submitted
More than 70,000 tips have been submitted since the murders in 2017, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter told ABC News.
“The eyes of America were on this” case, Carter said, because Delphi — a “wonderful community” — is like so many other American towns.
“We committed a long time ago this day would come,” he said of the arrest.
“Evil never wins,” he added.
As for the girls’ families, Carter said, “I wish I could take their hurt away, but I can’t.”
Carter would not talk about the suspect, Richard Allen, or what led police to him.
Oct 31, 10:25 AM EDT
Suspect enters not guilty plea
The man charged with the girls’ murders, Richard Allen, had his initial hearing and entered a not guilty plea, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said.
Allen was taken into custody on Oct. 26 and is being held at the White County Jail, officials said.
He’s being held without bond and is set to return to court in January, McLeland said.
“Per the court order, we cannot talk about the evidence that’s in the probable cause” affidavit, McLeland said.
The prosecutor would not say when Allen became a suspect or if he knew Abby or Libby.
McLeland said it’s “concerning” to him that Allen is a local Delphi resident. He called the arrest a “step in the right direction.”
Oct 31, 10:13 AM EDT
Police ask for more tips
In the wake of the arrest, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said, “Peace came over me — and I didn’t expect that to happen.”
He said in a message to the families that he hopes they “have found some peace in this complicated world.”
Carter urged the public to “please continue offering tips,” as the investigation is ongoing.
(NEW YORK) — The suspect accused of attacking Paul Pelosi told authorities he wanted to break Nancy Pelosi’s kneecaps to show members of Congress that there are “consequences to actions,” according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Monday.
The new revelation came Monday as the Department of Justice filed federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping against the man suspected of attacking Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, last week.
David DePape, 42, is accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer in the couple’s San Francisco home just before 2:30 a.m. Friday, according to San Francisco police.
While San Francisco prosecutors have yet to announce charges against DePape, federal charges were always a possibility due to early evidence suggesting the suspect appeared to be motivated to allegedly break into the home, at least in part, to reach the speaker, sources told ABC News.
DePape was charged with one count of assault of an immediate family member of a United States official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He is also charged with one count of attempted kidnapping of a United States official on account of the performance of official duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
DePape is expected to be charged locally with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and elderly abuse, authorities said following the attack.
The attack was intentional, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said Friday, describing a chaotic scene at the home once police arrived.
Paul Pelosi and DePape each had one hand on a hammer when officers from the San Francisco Police Department arrived before DePape was allegedly able to wrestle the hammer away and begin “violently” attacking Paul Pelosi with it, Scott said.
Officers then tackled DePape and disarmed him, Scott said.
Paul Pelosi called 911 after DePape entered the home, allowing the dispatcher to hear what was happening during the altercation with DePape, police said. Paul Pelosi later told police that he had been asleep when DePape, whom he had never seen before, entered his bedroom, according to the complaint.
DePape allegedly later told officers “that he was going to hold Nancy hostage and talk to her” and that he wanted to use the House speaker to lure another unnamed individual, the affidavit states.
The suspect also allegedly told investigators that he intended to break Nancy Pelosi’s kneecaps if she didn’t tell him the “truth” about “lies told by the Democratic Party” and said she would have to be wheeled into Congress, therefore showing other members of Congress that there are “consequences to actions,” according to the criminal complaint.
Paul Pelosi was struck at least twice with the hammer, sources told ABC News. He underwent successful surgery on Friday to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands, the speaker’s spokesperson, Drew Hammill, said in a statement. Although his injuries are significant, he is expected to make a full recovery, Hammill said.
DePape allegedly shouted “Where’s Nancy?” repeatedly after entering the home through a sliding glass door and moving about the house, law enforcement officers familiar with the investigation told ABC News. The speaker was in Washington, D.C., at the time, according to Capitol Police.
The suspect was carrying a bag that contained duct tape and zip ties, two law enforcement officials briefed on the probe told ABC News on Sunday.
DePape was hospitalized with injuries following the attack. While police are still investigating the motive, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank dedicated to researching extremism and disinformation, said DePape “likely was motivated by a wide range of conspiratorial beliefs.”
“In the last two months, DePape has posted dozens of articles and videos to his blogs spreading conspiracies and hateful rhetoric related to COVID-19, women, Hillary Clinton, the Jewish community, federal law enforcement (e.g., FBI), government censorship, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the climate crisis, QAnon, the 2020 election, the transgender community, and ‘grooming’ in schools,” the ISD said in a statement, though no posts were found specifically mentioning Nancy Pelosi.
Among the number of social media posts being examined by investigators include some in which DePape allegedly espouses conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines, 2020 false election theories, frustration with the Jan. 6 congressional hearings and anger over the conviction of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd, law enforcement officials told ABC News.
DePape is expected to be arraigned Tuesday. It is unclear whether he has retained an attorney.
ABC News’ Alex Mallin, Luke Barr, Meredith Deliso, Mike Levine and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
(BOSTON) — The oldest unidentified homicide victim in Massachusetts, known as the “Lady of the Dunes,” was officially identified on Monday almost 50 years after she was found dead.
FBI investigators in Boston said the victim was Ruth Marie Terry, 37, of Tennessee.
Terry’s cause of death was a blow to the head, the FBI said. Her hands were missing, “presumably removed by her killer so she could not be identified through fingerprints, and her head was nearly severed from her body,” said Joe Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division.
On July 26, 1974, her dismembered body was found in the dunes in Provincetown.
Investigators said investigative genealogy helped them identify the body.
“This is a unique method that can generate new leads for unsolved homicides, as well as help identify unknown victims,” Bonavolonta said. “This is, without a doubt, a major break in the investigation that will, hopefully, bring all of us closer to identifying her killer.”
The news has been delivered to the victim’s family, he added.
“At this point in time, we can tell you she was born in Tennessee in 1936,” Bonavolonta said. “Ruth was a daughter, sister, aunt, wife, and mother. Investigators have also determined that in addition to Tennessee, she had ties to California, Massachusetts, and Michigan.”
(WASHINGTON) — When the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade — the landmark decision that guaranteed the right to abortion — it was thought the decision would drive voters to the polls for the midterm election.
Surveys have indicated younger female voters strongly oppose restrictions and care more about abortion rights than any other issue.
Democrats were banking on abortion rights being a key issue going into the midterm elections, but a large percentage of Americans say it is not critical to their vote.
According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Sept. 25, abortion is not the most top-of-mind issue for most voters, Democrat or Republican.
Among all voters, the economy was the top issue, with 84% saying it was highly important. This was closely followed by education and schools, with 77% calling it highly important; inflation, with 76%; and crime, with 69%.
Abortion came fifth on the list, with 62% referring to the issue as an important one.
“I’m a little skeptical of the recent polling on this. I think we don’t know the impact of the abortion issue, because it’s not your usual public policy issue,” Elaine Kamarck, founding director of the Center for effective Public Management at the Brookings Institute, told ABC News.
Why abortion is not top-of-mind
Oklahoma State Rep. Jim Olsen, a co-author of one of the state’s anti-abortion bills and a Republican, told ABC News his constituents are concerned with what affects them directly.
While an estimated one-in-four women will have an abortion by age 45, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group focusing on sexual and reproductive health, Olsen says abortion doesn’t concern the majority of the population.
“My wife, my daughters, my mother, my mother-in-law, none of them have ever had an abortion,” he said. “It’s not an issue that directly touches us because none of them would have made that choice, legal or illegal. But what touches a lot of people is the skyrocketing inflation.”
Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, a nonprofit organization that has supported abortion-restricting laws in the state, told ABC News she hears state residents more concerned about the economy. A recent Wallethub study found the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area had seen inflation rise the most of all U.S. cities, with a 13% increase in prices over the last year.
“Arizonans are concerned about the economy,” she said. “The Phoenix area has one of the highest rates, if not the highest rate of inflation in the country. … That’s top of the mind for voters.”
But Supermajority, a group focused on mobilizing female voters co-founded by Cecile Richards, a former president of Planned Parenthood, told ABC News even though its polling suggests women are not single-issue voters, the group has seen a surge in volunteer sign-ups and there are indications of an increase in voter registration in some states.
In Michigan, where an abortion question is on the ballot, women are out-registering men by a margin of 8.1% and Democrats are out-registering Republicans by 18%, according to data analysis conducted by TargetSmart.
Amanda Brown Lierman, director of Supermajority, also told ABC News that on the ground, a lot of women were shocked by the court’s decision. She said there is “a lot of rage out there” and that abortion has become a highly motivating issue for them.
Could abortion be a sleeper issue?
Although polling indicates abortion is not a top of mind issue, the September ABC News/Washington Post poll found 64% opposed the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the public trusts Democrats to handle abortion over Republicans by a wide 20 points.
Researchers told ABC News abortion could be a sleeper issue that may have an impact at the polls.
Kamarck argued it is a clearly delineated issue with Democrats supporting abortion rights and Republicans supporting some sort of abortion ban, which is not the case when it comes to things like inflation. She also said there is an intensity when it comes to how passionate voters are on the issue, regardless of their position, and that this is an issue of intense interest to women, who make up the majority of the electorate.
Unlike other voter demographics, “very small movements among the women’s vote turn into very, very big numbers,” Kamarck said.
Republicans candidates who were strongly anti-abortion are now “trimming their sails” and retreating from their previous positions to more moderate ones, according to Kamarck.
Republican Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had previously opened the door to a federal ban, stepped away from Sen. Lindsey Graham’s proposed 15-week ban in September, saying party members would likely prefer abortion be dealt with at the state level.
Graham including exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother in the bill is also a step back from his previous harsh stance on abortion, Kamarck said.
Oklahoma has one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation, with no exceptions for rape or incest, only if the life of the mother is in danger. Rep. Olsen said he’s seen a “little bit of a push” towards allowing more exceptions to the law, although it’s not something he supports.
Voters in Kansas, a traditionally red state, unexpectedly struck down an anti-abortion measure that would have removed protections for abortion rights from its state constitution earlier this year. The measure was defeated with wide margins — 59% to 41% — in the high-turnout primary, which was the first state-level test of voter movement on abortion since Roe was overturned.
“I think that’s a good measure of intensity and how this issue may transcend party identification, because not all Republicans are avidly pro-lifers,” Kamarck said.
