Trump asks judge to delay hush money trial while Supreme Court weighs his immunity claim

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(WASHINGTON) — Attorneys for former President Donald Trump on Monday asked the judge overseeing his hush money case in New York to delay the trial, currently scheduled to begin March 25, while the U.S. Supreme Court weighs Trump’s argument that he is immune from prosecution for conduct that occurred while he was in office. 

Trump has not argued the charges should be dropped over the immunity claim, but that the trial be put off and prosecutors be precluded from introducing evidence. 

“President Trump respectfully submits that an adjournment of the trial is appropriate to await further guidance from the Supreme Court, which should facilitate the appropriate application of the presidential immunity doctrine in this case to the evidence the People intend to offer at trial,” defense attorney Todd Blanche wrote in Monday’s court filing. 

The Supreme Court announced last month that it will hear oral arguments in April on whether Trump can claim sweeping presidential immunity for actions taken while in office, after Trump asked the court to decide the matter in the face of special counsel Jack Smith’s federal election interference case against him. 

Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election. 

In their motion filed Monday, Trump’s lawyers said prosecutors plan to introduce documents and testimony relating to a time period when Trump was in office, including statements posted to Twitter about Cohen. 

“The People’s recent proffer implicates presidential immunity because President Trump was President of the United States at the time of those actions in 2018. He made at least some of the 2018 statements at issue — and potentially all of them, though it is hard to be sure in light of the People’s vague in limine description — in his official capacity as the nation’s Chief Executive,” the defense motion said. 

The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined when contacted by ABC News. 

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What to know about Biden’s 2025 budget proposal

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Monday released his budget for fiscal year 2025, highlighting his efforts to help middle-class Americans get a leg up as the general election kicks off. 

The proposals include restoring the expanded Child Tax Credit, bolstering Medicare drug pricing negotiations, national paid family leave programs, affordable housing and more. 

The White House argued that Biden’s budget would cut the deficit by $3 trillion over the next 10 years, primarily through adjustments to the tax code targeting the ultra-wealthy and cutting to “wasteful subsidies.” 

The budget release comes days after Biden’s State of the Union address, a campaign-style speech in which he focused on contrasting his vision for the country with that of Republicans — namely his 2024 rival Donald Trump. 

“The budget details the president’s vision to protect and build on this progress and deliver on the agenda laid out in his State of the Union by lowering costs for families growing the economy from the middle out and bottom up by investing in all America to make sure the middle class has a fair shot and we leave no one behind,” Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said in a call with reporters. 

The policies, however, have little path forward in the currently divided Congress. Lawmakers are responsible for setting the budget, and are still working to fund some key agencies through the rest of this fiscal year. 

House Republican leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, quickly dismissed the plan. 

“House Republicans reject Biden’s misguided budget proposal and have taken action to steer our nation back to a path of fiscal sanity,” they said in a joint statement, adding: “The House’s budget plan for the next fiscal year, preceding the President’s proposal, reflects the values of hardworking Americans who know that in tough economic times, fiscal discipline is non-negotiable. House Republicans understand the American people expect and deserve nothing less from their government.” 

Asked what in the budget may actually be achievable, the White House declined to get into specifics but said it welcomed working with Republicans on these issues. 

“We’re going to work across the aisle in good faith to try and get these things done for the American people,” deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden traveled to New Hampshire, where he will deliver remarks on the economy. “We think that the president’s agenda is incredibly popular, and we encourage Republicans to join us.” 

Here is a closer look at what is included in Biden’s budget proposal. 

 

Health care savings 

The budget proposes increasing the pace of Medicare drug negotiation and bringing more drugs into negotiation sooner after they launch. Last year, the administration named the first 10 prescription drugs that will be subject to negotiations — medications to treat heart failure, blood clots, diabetes, kidney disease, arthritis, blood cancers and more — under the Inflation Reduction Act. 

 

Biden’s budget would also expand the IRA’s rebates and $2,000 out-of-pocket prescription drug cost cap beyond Medicare and into the commercial market. 

It would also extend the $35 cost-sharing cap for a month’s supply of insulin to the commercial market. 

 

Child Care Savings

Biden’s plan would restore the expanded Child Tax Credit by an average of $2,600 for 39 million low- and middle-income families. 

 

It would also establish an affordable child care program for families earning less than $200,000 and a national paid leave program of up to 12 weeks for eligible workers. 

Plus, it would allocate $8.5 billion to states for Child Care and Development Block Grants — the primary federal funding source for child care subsidies. 

 

Home ownership tax credits 

The budget includes a new tax credit for middle-class first-time homebuyers of up to $10,000 over two years. 

Biden also calls on Congress to provide a one-year tax credit of up to $10,000 to middle-class families who sell their starter home to unlock further inventory in the housing market. 

The budget would also provide for first-time homebuyers a $5,000 annual mortgage relief credit for two years. 

 

Foreign policy funding 

Overall, the president’s budget includes $850 billion in discretionary budget authority for 2025 for the Department of Defense — a 4.1% increase from the previous year. 

It also includes a request for unmet needs from the administration’s October 2023 supplemental request for urgent security needs through the end of 2024. 

 

Tax changes 

The majority of Biden’s budget would be paid for by adjustments to taxes, such as reversing the 2017 Trump corporate tax cut. Under Biden’s plan, the corporate tax rate would go from 21% back up to 28% — though it would still be lower than the 35% rate prior to the Trump-era cut. 

The proposal also includes a 25% minimum tax on people with wealth of more than $100 million and would deny corporate deductions for all compensation over $1 million for employees, targeting the high wages of some CEOs. 

Plus, a 39.6% marginal rate would be applied to households making over $1 million. 

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HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge to step down

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(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge announced Monday that she is stepping down from her cabinet position later this month — marking only the second cabinet secretary to do so during the Biden administration. 

“From her time as a mayor, to her years as a fierce advocate in the U.S. House of Representatives, Marcia’s vision, passion, and focus on increasing economic opportunity have been assets to our country. I’m grateful for all of her contributions toward a housing system that works for all Americans, and I wish her well in her next chapter,” President Joe Biden wrote in a statement on her departure. 

Fudge sat for an exclusive interview with USA Today and said she is leaving public office for retirement. Her last day is March 22. 

“Don’t look for me to ever be on another ballot or another appointee or anything like that,’‘ she told USA Today. “I really do look forward to being a private citizen.” 

Fudge, who has served in the role for three years, was only the second black woman to lead the agency. 

When Fudge departs, Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman will serve as acting secretary. 

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‘House of cards’: Special counsel slams Hunter Biden’s effort to dismiss tax charges

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(WASHINGTON) — Special counsel David Weiss has filed his rebuttal to efforts by President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden to have his nine tax-related charges in California dismissed, slamming his arguments in court filings as a “conspiracy theory,” a “house of cards,” and “shapeshifting claims.” 

In response to Hunter Biden’s claim of selective prosecution, Weiss’ office used his own words against him, drawing from comments Hunter Biden made during his congressional testimony last month. 

Noting that Hunter Biden, in his motion to dismiss the tax case last month, accused Weiss’ office of bowing to political pressure from Congressional Republicans, Weiss, in his response issued Friday, pointed out that Hunter Biden “testified to Congress that the Special Counsel had undermined the impeachment inquiry conducted by House Republicans.” 

“Which is it?” Weiss wrote. “Indeed, the defendant has no evidence to support his shapeshifting claims because the Special Counsel continues to pursue the fair, evenhanded administration of the federal criminal laws.” 

Hunter Biden in February filed a flurry of motions to have the nine-count tax indictment Weiss’ office filed late last year dismissed, accusing prosecutors of selectively targeting him and filing duplicative charges on three counts of failure to pay and tax evasion, and claiming that the statute of limitations had expired on one of the charges. 

Hunter Biden also argued that the immunity stipulation in a section of the parties’ ill-fated plea deal from last summer remains in effect. His legal team wrote that that the tax charges “violate” the terms of the diversion agreement, and accused prosecutors of attempting to “backtrack and renege” on the deal. 

Weiss’ office, in his response Friday, claimed that it was Hunter Biden — not prosecutors — who walked away from negotiations. Weiss’ office “proposed changes to the agreements” after the July 26 hearing where the deal fell apart, he wrote. 

“The defendant rejected these counterproposals and refused further negotiations,” Weiss wrote. 

Weiss made additional rebuttals to many of the other motions to dismiss, which included claims of improper venue and statute of limitations. 

Weiss’ office charged Hunter Biden in December with nine felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from his failure to pay $1.4 million in taxes for three years during a time when he was in the throes of addiction. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

The back taxes and penalties were previously paid in full by a third party, identified by ABC News as Hunter Biden’s attorney and confidant, Kevin Morris. 

The federal judge overseeing this case will hold a hearing on these arguments later this month. 

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E. Jean Carroll’s attorneys ask judge to approve Trump’s $91M bond in her defamation case

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(WASHINGTON) — Lawyers for former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll have requested that the judge in her defamation case against Donald Trump approve the $91,630,000 bond secured by the former president, subject to a small change in one of the terms. 

The change reduces the amount of time between the resolution of Trump’s appeal and Carroll’s payment. 

“Depending on the Court’s preference, Your Honor can so order this letter, or the parties can submit a stipulation or other appropriate documentation to effectuate this change,” Carroll’s attorneys wrote in a letter sent Monday to Judge Lewis Kaplan. 

The agreement on the bond is expected to negate the need for a proposed hearing on the matter Monday afternoon. 

Trump in January was ordered to pay $83.3 million plus interest in damages to Carroll for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her allegation that he sexually abused her in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. 

Trump on Friday secured a $91,630,000 bond to cover the judgment and filed a notice of appeal of the judgment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 

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Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to obstruction charges in new federal indictment

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(NEW YORK) — New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty Monday to obstruction charges contained in a new federal indictment filed in Manhattan that added to the bribery and corruption charges he already faced. 

“Once again not guilty your honor,” Menendez said. 

Menendez came to court alongside his wife, Nadine, who also pleaded not guilty to the new charges. 

Federal prosecutors said the couple allegedly tried to make bribes — that took the form of a new Mercedes-Benz and a mortgage payment — look like loans. The pair allegedly instructed their attorneys at the time to tell federal investigators they thought a mortgage payment on Nadine Menendez’s house and a payment for her Mercedes-Benz were loans when, in fact, prosecutors said they knew the payments were bribes. 

When Menendez and his wife learned of the federal investigation in 2022, prosecutors said they sought to cover up the bribe payments. 

Menendez, his wife and two New Jersey businessmen — all of whom pleaded not guilty to the new obstruction counts — are scheduled to stand trial in May. 

On Monday, Judge Sidney Stein declined Bob Menendez’s request to adjourn the trial date in light of the new charges. 

“From my standpoint, the May 6 date stands,” the judge said. 

A third businessman who had been charged in the case, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty earlier this month and agreed to cooperate. Uribe supplied Nadine Menendez with the luxury convertible in exchange for the senator’s help, prosecutors said. 

The new indictment, which brings the total number of charges Bob Menendez faces to 18, followed Uribe’s plea. 

Prosecutors have alleged the senator took gifts — gold bars, wads of cash and luxury watches, among others — in exchange for doing official favors for Uribe and the governments of Egypt and Qatar. He is the first sitting member of Congress to be charged with conspiracy by a public official to act as a foreign agent. 

Bob Menendez has denied all wrongdoing and called the prosecution “overzealous.” 

When asked Monday by ABC News whether he would run for reelection, the senator — who has held his seat since 2006 — said he “wouldn’t be announcing it in a courtroom.” 

Federal prosecutors said it would take four to six weeks for them to put on a case. Defense attorneys expect to take at least a week. 

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Progressive groups launch ‘Reject AIPAC’ effort as Democratic divides over Israel deepen

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(WASHINGTON) — A coalition of nearly two-dozen progressive groups on Monday launched a seven-figure effort to defend progressive Democrats in Congress who have criticized both Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and continued U.S. support for Israel — marking a major new development in the intraparty battle over support for Israel in the Democratic Party.

The “Reject AIPAC” bloc, which includes Justice Democrats, Our Revolution, the Sunrise Movement and the IfNotNow Movement, plans to rally voters as part of a “electoral defense campaign” to support Democrats who have been criticized by the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

The coalition will also organize demonstrations calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and for lawmakers to impose new conditions on U.S. military support for Israel as Israel targets Hamas fighters — while encouraging lawmakers to sign a pledge to not take campaign contributions from AIPAC.

The latter group has deep ties in Washington, across both sides of the aisle, and regularly endorses both pro-Israel Republicans and Democrats every election cycle.

United Democracy Project, the organization’s super PAC, has received millions of dollars from Democratic megadonors, such as Haim Saban, as well as Republicans donors including hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer and Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, according to Open Secrets.

In a statement to ABC News, the anti-AIPAC coalition accused AIPAC of working to “silence growing dissent in Congress” over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, “even as Democratic voters overwhelmingly support a ceasefire and oppose sending more blank checks to the Israeli military.”

Already, AIPAC has endorsed Missouri Democratic candidate Wesley Bell and New York Democratic candidate George Latimer, who have launched primary campaigns against progressive “Squad” member Reps. Cori Bush, of Missouri, and New York’s Jamaal Bowman, who have been vocal in pushing back on Israel’s campaign in Gaza.

The group spent tens of millions of dollars in Democratic primaries in the 2022 midterm elections and supported the successful campaign of Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., when she faced fellow Democratic Rep. Andy Levin, a progressive who had voiced criticism of Israel.

AIPAC, and Democratic Majority for Israel, another pro-Israel super PAC, have been among the most prolific outside spending groups in recent election cycles.

United Democracy Project (UPD) has already raised $45 million so far this election cycle, more than $26 million of that pouring in after October, disclosure filings show. That’s a big jump from what the group raised during the last election cycle, when they brought in just under $35 million throughout the two-year period.

The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI)’s super PAC reported raising a relatively smaller $3.5 million so far this cycle.

Both groups have devoted much of their resources to a House race in California’s 47th District, with UPD spending more than $4.6 million unsuccessfully opposing Democratic California state Sen. Dave Min, who will be facing Republican counterpart Scott Baugh, and DMFI’s political action committee similarly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars opposing Min and supporting his Democratic primary rival.

AIPAC has been clear that it makes political decisions on one criteria: “commitment to strengthening the US-Israel relationship,” a spokesperson told Politico earlier this month.

“We support scores of progressive candidates including the Democratic leadership and nearly half of the membership of the congressional Progressive Caucus, Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus,” the spokesperson said then.

According to a February poll from Quinnipiac University, 48% of registered voters slightly oppose sending more military aid to Israel, while 44% approve.

Roughly 53% of Democrats oppose sending more aid to Israel, while 38 approve of it. Among independents, 55% oppose more aid and 38 approve; roughly 63% of Republican responded supported more aid, and 32 percent opposed it, according to the poll.

More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza the last five months of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.

Hundreds of thousands of Gazans in the territory are on the brink of famine, the U.N. has said.

Israeli officials insist the military takes steps to curb civilian casualties, despite the death toll, and they deny accusations that Israel isn’t letting enough aid into Gaza, blaming U.N. and its partner agencies for creating logistical challenges — which the organization disputes.

ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim contributed to this report.

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Buttigieg calls out Katie Britt’s misleading use of sex trafficking victim’s story to attack Biden

ABC News

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday called out Alabama Sen. Katie Britt’s misleading use of an anecdote on sex trafficking to attack President Joe Biden’s record on border security in her response to his State of the Union address.

“I’ll leave it to her to explain the falsehoods, but I think it illustrates the bigger issue,” Buttigieg told ABC News “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos. “She’s a United States senator and the United States Senate right now could be acting to help secure the southern border.”

He highlighted a recent bipartisan agreement on immigration changes that didn’t pass the chamber as Donald Trump criticized it.

Buttigieg said the proposal included “tough compromises for all sides, something that the bases of both parties might not have loved but that would have made a real positive difference — only for that to be killed by the chill effect that the former president put on congressional Republicans, telling them not to support anything that would represent a policy win for President Biden.” (Trump said the proposal was insufficient to fix the problem.)

Thursday night, in delivering the official Republican response to Biden’s State of the Union speech, Britt told the story of meeting a woman at the border who recounted her experience of being raped by cartels beginning when she was 12 years old.

According to several reports, including from The New York Times and Associated Press, the apparent victim Britt was referencing has chronicled her abuse in the past, saying it happened in Mexico between 2004 and 2008 — during George W. Bush’s presidency.

The woman, a Mexican citizen named Karla Jacinto Romero, told the Times she learned about Britt’s remarks via social media and found it “very strange.”

“I am involved in the fight to stop trafficking and I don’t think it should be political,” she told the paper.

In her State of the Union rebuttal, Britt made it appear as though Biden’s actions were related to the that victim’s experience.

“We wouldn’t be OK with this happening in a third-world country,” she said. “This is the United States of America, and it is past time, in my opinion, that we start acting like it. President Biden’s border policies are a disgrace. This crisis is despicable.”

She defended her word choice in a separate appearance on Fox News on Sunday, insisting that Biden’s actions had made human trafficking incidents more likely.

Buttigieg shot back on “This Week,” telling Stephanopoulos, “We have a very clear choice between congressional Republicans who seem to prefer that this issue remain bad so that they can attack the president over it and those who would actually like to solve it or at least improve it and address it.”

The secretary also pointed to failed efforts since the Bush administration to pass bipartisan immigration reform, including the Senate deal this year.

“Will 2024 go down in history as yet another failed attempt with bipartisan compromise, or will congressional Republicans follow the lead of their own negotiators and the president of the United States and actually do something about it?” Buttigieg said.

But Americans are split between Biden and Trump, who is set to be the Republican nominee for president, on who would do a better job leading the country, polling shows.

A new ABC News/Ipsos survey finds that 36% of U.S. adults trust Trump to do a better job, while 33% say Biden would and 30% say they trust neither to lead the U.S.

Republicans trust Trump (82%) more than Democrats trust Biden (72%).

The poll also finds Biden trailing Trump on key issues, including the economy, inflation, crime and the border.

“How do you explain that? How do you turn it around?” Stephanopoulos asked Buttigieg on “This Week.”

The secretary said he believes Biden deserves more credit for his work on the economy — citing high job creation and low unemployment — but that “credit doesn’t improve unless you go out and take credit and explain how these things were achieved.”

“That’s one of the reasons why I’m so energized by the president’s State of the Union address, where he talked about the achievements that had come about on his watch and why — and then just as importantly talked about the future,” Buttigieg said.

“Of course it requires work to get that story out, especially when there’s a firehose of negativity talking down the economy and trying to change the subject from the president’s achievements,” Buttigieg later added, calling that “just politics.”

He went on to say, “The nature of our world and certainly the nature of today’s media environment is people aren’t just going to go hand the credit to the president. We need to be out there.”

Britt, in her response to the State of the Union, also criticized Biden on his broader record as president, saying he is “dithering and diminished” and asking the American public if they feel they are better off today compared to three years ago, when Trump was in office.

Stephanopoulos said many in the public seem to agree that they aren’t better off now, but Buttigieg maintained that Biden helped the country emerge from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

What’s more, he said, Biden’s State of the Union showed him “in command, showing strength and clarity of vision.”

Stephanopoulos pressed Buttigieg on how an 81-year-old incumbent president could be the candidate of change, a dynamic that is often “so critical in presidential elections.”

Polling has long shown broad concerns about Biden’s age and fitness for another term, which the president dismisses.

“Look at the changes that he’s brought about. Take some of the issues that matter most to newer generations. Climate is a great example, right?” Buttigieg responded, before also listing LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive freedom as other areas of focus for the Biden White House.

“It’s a good example of that saying that what matters most is the age of a leader’s ideas,” Buttigieg said.

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Americans split on who they trust to do a better job as president: POLL

ABC News

As President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are poised to secure their party’s nomination and gear up to face off in another general election campaign, Americans are split on who they trust to do a better job leading the country, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.

According to the poll, conducted using Ipsos’ Knowledge Panel, 36% of Americans trust Trump to do a better job leading the country as president, while 33% trust Biden and 30% trust neither.

More Republicans trust Trump to do a better job leading the country (82%) than Democrats trust Biden (72%). Among independents, 32% trust Biden, 31% trust Trump and 37% trust neither.

The candidates’ favorability ratings are similar, and similarly low, with 33% of Americans having a favorable impression of Biden compared to 29% for Trump. Just over one in five Americans (21%) have an unfavorable view of both the current and former president. Whether this group votes and who they vote for will be a key driver of the 2024 outcome.

Among those who view both candidates unfavorably, an overwhelming majority — 72% — trust neither candidate to do a better job leading the country while only 19% trust Trump to do a better job leading the country and even fewer — 9% — trust Biden.

Biden made the case for his second term during his third State of the Union address on Thursday, delivering a fiery speech that touted his record.

His forceful speech appears to have been well-received — 29% of Americans found it to be better than they expected, according to the poll, while 12% found it worse than expected and 24% the same as they expected. Another 35% of Americans did not read, see or hear about the address. Of those who reported reading, seeing, or hearing something about the speech, 44% found it to be better than they expected and 18% said it was worse than expected.

Among the key target group of “double haters” (those with unfavorable views of both men), half said they did not read, see or hear anything about the speech while 19% thought the president did better than expected and 7% thought he did worse than expected.

When it comes to the job Biden is doing on major issues and how Trump handled these same issues when he was president, Americans grade Trump more favorably than Biden on the economy (49%-37%), inflation (45%-31%), crime (41%-35%) as well as on immigration and the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border (45%-29%).

Americans give higher marks to Biden over Trump on climate change (42%-33%) and abortion (47%-35%). Among Americans who view both candidates unfavorably, 36% approve of Biden’s handling of abortion.

Americans who view both candidates unfavorably are less likely to approve of Biden’s handling of the economy (15%), inflation (12%), crime (16%) and immigration (7%).

Americans’ approval of how the president is handling the war between Israel and Hamas has gotten worse — decreasing from 41% in October to 30% in the latest poll.

Among Americans overall, Biden’s ratings on abortion have improved by eight points, up from 39% approval in October to 47% now. Biden highlighted abortion policy in his State of the Union address. Whether voters find abortion to be a crucial issue compared to the economy, inflation and immigration and the situation at the border where Trump does better will be a key determinant of the 2024 presidential election.

METHODOLOGY – This ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted using the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel® March 8-9, 2024, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 536 U.S. adults. Results have a margin of sampling error of 4.5 points, including the design effect, for the full sample. Sampling error is not the only source of differences in polls. Partisan divisions are 25-25-41 percent, Democrats-Republicans-independents. See the poll’s topline results and details on the methodology here.

ABC News’ Dan Merkle and Ken Goldstein contributed to this report.

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Former Georgia GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan under consideration as No Labels candidate

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(NEW YORK) — No Labels may finally have a candidate in consideration for its third-party “unity ticket” in the 2024 presidential election.

Sources familiar with the group’s efforts to field a third-party ticket tell ABC News that No Labels representatives have had meetings with former Georgia GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan about running as the group’s presidential candidate.

Duncan wouldn’t comment on this report, but isn’t shutting down speculation.

On Friday, No Labels voted to move forward with the effort to field a bi-partisan challenge to the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

According to the sources, Duncan has meet with the No Labels leadership and this weekend will be meeting with Republican donors in a series of meetings set up by No Labels.

Duncan served as Georgia’s lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023. While he is a conservative Republican, he has been sharply critical of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Last month, Duncan wrote an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explaining why he would not support Trump for president. “So now the uncomfortable part: admitting to your neighbors the ends don’t justify the means any longer,” he wrote.

“Trump has become incapable of leading in a respectable or mature way. Until more of us are willing to acknowledge that hard truth, we will be on the outside looking in.”

No Labels Chief Strategist Ryan Clancy said, “Now that No Labels’ delegates have given the go ahead for us to accelerate our candidate search for a Unity ticket, voters will read plenty of speculation about who would be on it.”

He continued, “But No Labels has not yet chosen a ticket and any names floating around are being put out there by someone else.”

No Labels will announce a formal selection process next Thursday, March 14.

Several potential candidates such as Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, Sen. Joe Manchin and Gov. Larry Hogan were once in consideration, but have since distanced themselves in recent weeks going their separate ways.

In response to previous names floated, Clancy said on ABC News Live, “The one thing I would tell people is for months there have been names floated out there associated with the No Labels ticket. The only problem is none of those names have been put out there by us. So if you’re reading any names today, or over the weekend, none of those names are out there because no labels, put them out there. Those names are out there because you know people like to do baseless speculation.”

ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.

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