Politics

(WASHINGTON) — Even though the general election matchup is already set between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, there have been plenty of fireworks down the ballot ahead of presidential and congressional primaries in Maryland, West Virginia, and Nebraska on Tuesday.

Downballot races in Maryland, for example, have led to bitter intraparty fights and questions over the role of spending in some races; while Senate primaries in West Virginia could offer a glimpse of who might replace retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. And Biden himself could face another protest vote in Maryland.

Here are five things to watch in Tuesday’s races:

Who will triumph in the bitter Democratic Senate primary in Maryland, and what role will spending play in the race?

Democrats in Maryland are bracing for the end of what has become a bitter primary between frontrunner candidates Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. David Trone, each of whom say they’re the better bet to likely take on former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in November.

Trone, the wealthy founder of Total Wine & More and a congressman in his third term, has injected over $50 million of his own money into the race and flooded local airwaves with advertising. He and groups supporting him have spent at least $45 million on ad reservations in the race, rapidly eclipsing Alsobrooks and groups supporting her, according to tracking from AdImpact.

But the congressman has said that the fact that he can self-finance his run allows Democrats to spend party money in races where they hope to flip seats or hold onto threatened ones. Speaking to reporters last Tuesday, Trone did not want to commit to not taking money from Democratic campaign committees, but said his self-funding “will give them a lot more flexibility to spend money elsewhere.”

Alsobrooks, meanwhile, has some groups spending heavily to support her run. EMILY’s List, a major political action committee that supports pro-abortion access female Democratic candidates, said it is spending over $2 million on airing ads criticizing Trone and has thrown its support behind Alsobrooks in the primary.

“She has a lived experience that is the voice we desperately need in the United States Senate,” Jessica Mackler, president of EMILY’s List, told ABC News in a recent interview.

How will Republican Senate candidate Larry Hogan perform in the Republican primary?

Whoever wins in the primary will likely face popular former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, whose 11th-hour candidacy turned the race into one with major implications for which party controls the Senate. Hogan launched his Senate bid in February after flirting for months with a third-party presidential bid through No Label’s now-discarded efforts to field a “unity ticket.”

Political experts and observers have said that in spite of his name recognition, Hogan faces a steep uphill battle to flip the seat red — given that Maryland is a deep-blue bastion.

During a brief interview with ABC News at an early voting location in Potomac, Maryland, Hogan acknowledged the challenge ahead.

“I think we’re arguably the bluest state in America … this will be the hardest challenge that I’ve ever had,” he said.

While Hogan is considered the frontrunner in the Republican primary, it may be worth watching how much vote he picks up from Republican primary voters, and how he does in some parts of the state. Hogan is a sharp critic of former President Donald Trump and presents himself as a moderate conservative — which puts him at odds with Trump’s strong support among Republican primary voters.

“Tracking turnout among Republicans will be telling with regard to enthusiasm for Hogan,” Michael Hanmer, ​the director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, told ABC News. “A relatively high rate of turnout will be a clear signal in his favor given the lack of competition and his critiques of Trump.”

Will heavy outside spending impact the race in Maryland’s 3rd Congressional district?

Some Democrats in Maryland have raised concerns about how an outside group is spending millions in the race for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional district — with high-profile candidate and former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who rose to prominence after being among the officers defending the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, calling the expenditures troubling.

The United Democracy Project (UDP), a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has spent over $4.2 million in independent expenditures to support one of Dunn’s primary opponents, state Senator Sarah Elfreth, according to Federal Election Commission filings as of May 10. Those expenditures include direct mailings, media placement, media production, and phone banking.

UDP did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News about its spending in support of Elfreth, but the group told Jewish Insider in April that it is not targeting Harry Dunn specifically.

Dunn wrote in a statement in April, “Our grassroots movement won’t be scared off by this dark money spending.”

In response to a request for comment from ABC News about the expenditures from UDP and criticism from other candidates over them, Pat Murray, campaign manager for Sarah Elfreth’s campaign, wrote that the campaign is proud of its many Maryland resident donors and support from progressive groups. 

“We are disappointed that other candidates launched last minute negative attacks, but that’s a clear sign that they know Sarah is the frontrunner and in a strong position to win on Tuesday,” Murray said.

Who will likely replace retiring Sen. Joe Manchin in Virginia?

The marquee race on Tuesday in West Virginia will be the GOP primary for U.S. Senate, where candidates are vying to replace retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat. Republicans are eyeing the seat as a likely pickup.

The race could also be an indication of whether Republican voters are looking for candidates who frame. Current GOP Gov. Jim Justice, who has portrayed himself as experienced and who netted Donald Trump’s endorsement, has a polling and slight fundraising advantage over U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, who portrays himself as an anti-establishment candidate, ahead of their faceoff.

Before Manchin announced his plans not to seek reelection, the battle for West Virginia’s Senate seat was shaping up to be one of the most competitive of the general election cycle. Now, national Democrats are largely remaining on the sidelines.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is not endorsing in the race and Steve Daines, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, called the November contest “over” in the majority-Republican state.

Will there be a major “Uncommitted” protest vote against Joe Biden?

Activists have called on Democratic primary voters in some states to choose the “uncommitted” option on their ballot in states that include it, as a way to protest President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and support of Israel.

There has been a similar organized effort in Maryland, where “Uncommitted to any Presidential Candidate” is an option on the Democratic presidential primary ballot. (Voters will also see Biden, author Marianne Williamson, and now-withdrawn candidate Rep. Dean Phillips.)

“We’re urging people to vote ‘uncommitted’… because the Biden Administration has not listened to the vast majority of the Democratic voters that want a cease-fire in Gaza,” Anna Evans-Goldstein, an organizer for the Listen to Maryland campaign, told ABC affiliate WMAR.

The Biden campaign told ABC News in a statement, “The President believes making your voice heard and participating in our democracy is fundamental to who we are as Americans. He shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East. He’s working tirelessly to that end.”

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(NEW YORK) — Political allies of former President Donald Trump, many of whom are possibly jockeying for future positions with him, have begun to attend his New York hush money criminal trial as it enters its fourth week, highlighting how Trump has attempted to make New York his campaign stomping grounds in the wake of his required court attendance.

On Tuesday, Trump’s former Republican challenger and now staunch supporter Vivek Ramaswamy is expected to attend court with him, according to his spokesperson. His appearance follows attendance from Republican Sens. J.D. Vance and Tommy Tuberville, New York GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, and Republican state attorneys general — Steve Marshall of Alabama and Brenna Bird of Iowa — on Monday. Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott traveled with Trump to court last week.

Those who have appeared with Trump have highlighted the gag order the former president is under, which prevents him from speaking about potential witnesses, jurors, prosecutors or court staff and their families.

Trump has already been found to have violated the gag order 10 times, and now as Judge Juan Merchan threatens Trump with a potential jail sentence should he violate the order again, the lawmakers attending court have begun to make the attacks for him.

On Monday, Vance, who is seen as a contender to be Trump’s vice president, attempted to discredit Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, who testified on Monday.

“This guy is a convicted felon,” Vance said about Cohen outside the Manhattan courthouse. “Does any reasonable, sensible person believe anything that Michael Cohen says?”

“The thing that the president is prevented from saying, which is a disgrace, is that every single person involved in this prosecution is practically a Democratic political operative,” he continued.

The statements from the politicians have begun to echo Trump’s previous statements and talking points. The former president previously shared multiple articles attacking Judge Merchan’s daughter, who is a digital advertising consultant with Democratic clients, before prosecutors asked, and were granted, an expanded gag order to include family members.

The appearances have also been a show of loyalty as Trump wades through a large list of potential ticketmates with no plans of choosing a vice presidential candidate anytime soon, he said in April.

“Well, I’m not in a rush and we’ll do it sometime around the convention, but we have a lot of great people in the Republican Party,” Trump said in an interview with ABC affiliate WPVI-TV in April, when asked about a potential vice presidential candidate.

The surrogates have been able to use their New York visits to make news media appearances to reiterate Trump’s political and legal messages as he remains stuck in court. At the same time, it gives them a chance to prove themselves as a possible running mate.

Vice presidential hopefuls have also appeared alongside Trump at the limited campaign events he has held during his days off from court. They have also been special guests at numerous fundraisers.

This past weekend as he rallied in Wildwood, New Jersey, Trump teased “something” with North Dakota GOP Gov. Doug Burgum, who endorsed Trump after suspending his own presidential bid late last year. Burgum was also a guest speaker over the weekend.

“He made his money in technology, but he probably knows more about energy than anybody I know, so get ready for something,” Trump said. “OK, just get ready. But Doug Burgum has been incredible.”

In fundraising emails over the last few weeks, the Trump campaign has been asking his supporters who they want to see as his running mate, at the same time fundraising small-dollar donations off their curiosity over who it would be — even as the former president himself has repeatedly said he doesn’t plan to make his announcement until closer to the Republican National Convention this summer.

Now, in the coming weeks, a slew of his vice presidential hopefuls are also joining him at campaign fundraisers as he courts wealthy donors during his time away from the trial.

On Tuesday, Republican Sens. Tim Scott and Marco Rubio, and GOP Govs. Burgum and Kristi Noem of South Dakota are set to join Trump at a high-dollar fundraiser in Manhattan, hosted by billionaire financier Howard Lutnick.

Other major Republican donors and fundraisers are cohosting, including former Trump ambassadors Duke Buchan and Woody Johnson, Seryl and Charles Kushner, billionaire John Paulson, who had hosted the Palm Beach fundraiser last month where Trump raised $50 billion, and John Catsimatidis, the WABC owner who reportedly canceled Rudy Giuliani’s radio show over false election claims.

On Wednesday, on his day off from the trial, Vance will join Trump again, this time at a luncheon fundraiser in Cincinnati, Ohio. Then later that day, Trump is flying out to Lexington, Kentucky, for another dinner fundraiser, hosted by Joe Craft and former Ambassador Kelly Craft.

On Thursday, Trump is required to spend the day in court, but on Friday, May 17 — the day he got a day off from court to attend his son Barron Trump’s graduation — Trump is scheduled to headline a fundraiser in Minnesota for the state Republican Party’s Lincoln Reagan Dinner.

The fundraisers come as Trump has publicly complained multiple times that his trial is preventing him from traveling to battleground states. However, Trump has spent most of his off-days from court attending closed-door meetings, only holding three campaign rallies since his trial started — two of which came on the same day.

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(CHICAGO) — A teenager from Chicago walked in her graduation ceremony this month after earning her Ph.D at 17.

Dr. Dorothy Jean Tillman II was only 10 when she became a freshman at the college of Lake County, majoring in Psychology. In 2020, she earned her Master of Science from Unity College. She was accepted in 2021, when she was 15, into the Doctor of Behavioral Health Management Program at Arizona State University.

Speaking to “Good Morning America,” Tillman said she has always held education in such high regard in part due to her family’s background.

“People in my life like my grandmother, who was part of the Civil Rights Movement, she of course harped on the importance of education and consistently learning something always,” Tillman said.

“But the way I always held education so high on my own, aside from being raised that way was finding different things to be educated about it doesn’t just have to be all of the subjects that they teach you in school there’s so many things in the world to learn about that we wish we knew about,” she said. “I feel like that urge to learn something new just never didn’t exist for me.”

Tillman said, growing up, she had always felt drawn towards psychology and related fields.

“They’ve always made me so curious,” she said. “And so grinding away, I could continue to study in that area. With even more that was attached to it. It was just really intriguing to me.”

In December 2023, at 17, Tillman successfully defended her dissertation to earn her doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health from ASU’s College of Health Solutions. On May 6, she walked at ASU’s commencement ceremonies.

Tillman told “GMA” prior to the big day that she was feeling “so excited,” just like any other student.

“I love having a reason to celebrate and throw a big soirée,” she said. “Just that walk, and especially with people I haven’t been there, seeing every day, since my program is online, it’s just gonna feel really fulfilling to finish.”

Dr. Leslie Manson, a clinical associate professor at ASU, told “GMA” that Tillman is the youngest person in school history to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health.

“It’s a wonderful celebration, and we hope … that Dorothy Jean inspires more students,” Manson said, adding of Tillman, “But this is still something so rare and unique.”

Throughout Tillman’s time at ASU, Mason said she saw her growth in gaining the skills of professional writing as well as leadership, noting that Tillman is “inquisitive” and “intelligent.”

“She has innovative ideas and motivation, which is wonderful,” Mason explained. “And truly, I think what is inspiring is that she embodies that meaning of being a true leader.”

Mason added that “other students can really learn the piece of dedication” from Tillman.

“So that motivating energy, those are the pieces that I think other folks can really turn to and feel inspired about,” she said. “That curiosity is always there. And I think all learners come with that. But it’s great to be able to see it in someone so young as well.”

Her inspiration and how she gives back to community

Tillman’s journey to success wouldn’t be made possible without the support from her mom whom she said is one of her biggest motivators.

“Seeing my mother consistently worked so hard to continuously uphold our family’s legacy, and be that person that everyone was able to go to, if they needed anything… Always seeing [her] like [a] ‘Wonder Woman’ definitely made me want to grow up [into] an accomplished person,” she said.

An advocate for education, Tillman is also the founder and CEO of the Dorothyjeanius STEAM Leadership Institute, where she runs programs like summer camps to help kids find balance between arts and STEM subjects.

“I feel like adding art and putting a focus on it throughout science, technology, engineering, and math, makes the kids excited to learn all those things,” she said. “And it opens them up to all of the possibilities and all the knowledge provided in that area of just STEM.”

As for her plans after graduation, Tillman said she is “just like any other teenager, still figuring out what my specific dreams and goals are.”

“And I’m really just grateful that the world is my oyster, and that I’ve done so much so young. And I have time to like, kind of think that through,” she said.

Discussing her advice to other youngsters, Tillman said she would remind them to be careful about being influenced on what they see on social media, noting that some posts “aren’t real.”

“There’s a lot more to whatever it is than what you’re seeing, you know, and so to always remember that is definitely important,” she said. “And to always remember that everyone has points in their life where they feel like they’re figuring it out…And so figuring things out, not knowing what you want, isn’t a bad thing. But making the choice not to sit down and try to figure it out is.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Nikki Haley will meet with roughly 100 of her biggest donors who supported her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination this week, taking another step toward reemerging back into public life following her defeat at the hands of her chief rival, former President Donald Trump, sources familiar with the event confirmed to ABC News.

The retreat, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, will take place on Monday and Tuesday in Charleston, South Carolina, not far from Haley’s home in the state’s low country.

Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, is still not expected to endorse her former ally, now the presumptive Republican nominee, at the meetings or to ask donors to give to other campaigns. Rather, the event is being billed as an opportunity for Haley to thank her backers for their support throughout her own campaign.

The decision not to endorse Trump has been one that has loomed large over her public persona, fueling speculation as to what the former South Carolina governor’s next steps may be.

Telling supporters on the day she dropped out that it was now up to Trump “to earn the votes of those in our party, and beyond it, who did not support him,” the move made Haley an outlier in her class of 2024 GOP candidates. Many of the Republicans who once challenged Trump for the nomination quickly fell into line behind him after exiting the race.

But while Haley has maintained a comparatively low profile since dropping out more than two months ago, she has continued to rack up hundreds of thousands of votes in state Republican primaries — most recently garnering more than 120,000 votes in Indiana, about 22% of the vote.

Overall, Haley has won nearly 4 million votes to date, roughly 20% of the total votes cast thus far.

Haley’s name was briefly floated as a potential vice-presidential contender for Trump on Saturday following a report from Axios that appeared to confirm she was in the running — a rumor Trump and his campaign quickly rebuked.

“Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the V.P. slot, but I wish her well,” Trump posted on his social media platform shortly after the rumor surfaced.

But what lies ahead politically for her in a party now dominated by Trump remains unclear.

Last month, Haley was tapped to chair the conservative Hudson Institute think tank. In a statement announcing the appointment, Haley said she would make it her mission to “defend the principles that make America the greatest country in the world.”

In recent weeks, she has begun actively posting again on social media, criticizing President Joe Biden’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza and blasting on-campus college protests expressing solidarity with civilians in Gaza — but no mention of Trump or his campaign to defeat Biden.

In the final days of her campaign, Haley painted the stakes of the GOP primary in increasingly starker terms, telling the Wall Street Journal in late February that nominating Trump to lead the Republican ticket would be like “suicide for our country” and at other times called him “not qualified” following disparaging remarks Trump made about her husband’s military service record.

Despite no longer being a candidate, Haley maintained a healthy campaign war chest through the end — closing out her candidacy with $7.8 million cash on hand in her principal campaign committee and another $11.7 million in her joint fundraising committee, according to records filed with the FEC. Haley’s leadership PAC also reported having about $3.4 million in the bank in April.

She is now eligible to convert that money into a new political Super PAC or could transfer it to an existing network of PACs she already created, though she has not yet signaled how — if at all — those funds could be used in the coming months.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is expected to quadruple tariffs on electric vehicles from China from roughly 25% to 100%, and raise other tariffs on key industries including semiconductors, solar, and batteries in an announcement Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the decision.

The action has implications for the 2024 presidential election, as Biden aims to bolster his image as being tougher and smarter on China than former President Donald Trump. In key swing states, Biden has vowed to protect American workers from foreign competition and said last month in Pennsylvania that he would significantly raise steel tariffs on China.

The decision was made after a yearslong-required review of the tariffs that Trump imposed on some $300 billion of imports. Most of those Trump-era tariffs will remain in place.

By implementing a steep increase on EV tariffs, the Biden administration aims to prevent a flood of cars made in China from hitting the U.S. market — a market China has not been a significant player in up to this point.

The level of the tariffs on the additional sectors were not clear as of Monday.

Trump has said he would consider imposing tariffs of 60% or more on all Chinese imports and mocked Biden’s plan during his rally in New Jersey this weekend.

“He says he’s going to put a 100% tariff on all Chinese electric vehicles. Isn’t that nice?” Trump said. “Biden should have done this four years ago.”

The Biden administration claims its approach is more targeted and strategic than Trump’s approach.

President Biden has focused on improving domestic manufacturing and increasing green energy investments during his administration. The tariffs point to growing concerns that overproduction of these kinds of goods by China could significantly hurt his agenda – particularly in an election year when both candidates are pledging to be tough on China.

But some economists warn that increasing tariffs will inflame tensions with China, increase costs to consumers, and worsen inflation.

Ian Bremmer, the president and founder of Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm, said the higher tariffs on EVs could complicate Biden’s climate agenda.

Bremmer said that “Chinese vehicles are far better on the EV side than anyone else out there.”

“The interesting political point here is that Biden is meant to be the pro-climate president,” Bremmer said. “But we don’t support reducing emissions when it comes at the expense of American labor. And we don’t care if that means it’s less competitive and the Americans are going to have access to more expensive, low quality electric vehicles. That’s the message that they’re sending.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in his company’s earnings call earlier this year that Chinese car companies are the “most competitive car companies in the world.”

“Frankly, I think if there are not trade barriers established, they will pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world,” Musk added.

During her visit to China last month, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned about growing investments in “new” industries targeted by the PRC’s industrial policy,” including electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar.

“China is now simply too large for the rest of the world to absorb this enormous capacity. Actions taken by the PRC today can shift world prices. And when the global market is flooded by artificially cheap Chinese products, the viability of American and other foreign firms is put into question,” Yellen said in press conference remarks in China.

“We’ve seen this story before. Over a decade ago, massive PRC government support led to below-cost Chinese steel that flooded the global market and decimated industries across the world and in the United States. I’ve made clear that President Biden and I will not accept that reality again,” she added.
 

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(WASHINGTON) — Nikki Haley dropped out of the 2024 Republican presidential primary in March, but she’s continued to rack up sizable numbers in state GOP primaries in the months ever since.

ABC News spoke with some of Haley’s so-called “zombie” voters about why they keep supporting her even though former President Donald Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee.

Once Trump’s final Republican primary challenger, Haley suspended her campaign on March 6, the day after suffering considerable losses on Super Tuesday.

But in the two subsequent months, she has appeared on at least 20 ballots in states and territories that hadn’t removed her name from the ballot, a common practice among election divisions nationwide.

In states where Haley appeared on the ballot shortly after she suspended her campaign — including Georgia, Washington, Arizona, Florida and Illinois, where she won at least 13% — it’s possible that a share of her primary votes could have been from early in-person or mail-in ballots cast ahead of her exit from the race.

But in states such as Indiana, where she earned more than 22% this past Tuesday; in Pennsylvania, where she earned 16% on April 23; and in Wisconsin, where she earned 13% on April 2, voters were likely aware of her campaign’s suspension and some cast ballots for her in protest to Trump.

ABC News spoke with a number of Haley supporters in recent weeks. Some are committed to backing Biden in November; it’s unclear where others might turn.

“Obviously, it’s a symbolic expression at this point, one that’s very important,” said Craig Snyder from Philadelphia, who said he “absolutely” cast his ballot for Haley following her leaving the primary contest as a Trump protest vote.

He said he’s supporting Biden in November’s general election.

“The pattern that’s gone on now in several states of somewhere between 15-20% turning out in primaries voting for a candidate who is no longer a candidate, is that is a pretty clear expression that there is this sizable group of Republicans — obviously minority, but sizable group of Republicans — that feels as I do that Donald Trump has taken the party in a bad direction and Ambassador Haley really offered a better alternative,” Snyder said in an interview with ABC News.

“Even in the last several states where she hadn’t dropped out of the race, the outcome was very clear. I think this is primarily a statement about about the direction of the party a statement against Trump,” he added.

The latest example of the impressive “zombie” Haley votes came in Indiana, which held its presidential primaries last week. By Friday, with 98% of the expected vote reporting, Trump is projected to win the primary in Indiana by 78% of the vote, followed by Haley with 22% — more than 128,000 votes.

Much of Haley’s success in Indiana did come from Democratic-leaning parts of the state, though it’s unclear how many, if any, voters crossed party lines to cast ballots for her. In Marion County, which encompasses Indianapolis as the most populous county in the state, Haley had 33%. In Hamilton County, which encompasses some Indianapolis suburbs, Haley had 35%.

“I don’t usually vote the the primaries … But it was more strategic because I loathe Trump,” Leeann Krikau of Elkhart, Indiana, told ABC News. Krikau said she typically votes Democratic.

Biden’s campaign credited Haley’s Indiana performance to Trump’s lack of momentum in suburban areas, saying the same thing was happening in swing states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania. The Biden campaign added that the trend could have devastating impacts on the former president’s general election chances in places where there were razor-thin margins in 2020.

“This is a continuation of the longstanding trend throughout the GOP primary — voters came out to vote against Donald Trump and his extremism (even when he’s not running against anyone). In critical swing states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and others, voters who are critical to winning 270 electoral votes are coming out to vote against Donald Trump,” Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a memo following the Indiana election.

“Bottom line: Donald Trump has a general election problem. And he’s clearly not even remotely interested in solving it — he said he didn’t think he would ‘need’ those who voted for Haley,” Moussa continued.

Trump’s team hinged Haley’s numbers last Tuesday as an effect of their open primary system, meaning any registered voter could participate in either party’s primary and Democrats could support Haley.

“Indiana has an open primary and Democrats had little competitive contest on the ballot,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to ABC News.

He added that Trump “clinched the primary weeks ago” that the campaign has “spent no money or resources on a primary campaign.”

But the open primary argument doesn’t hold weight in other places. In Pennsylvania, a pivotal battleground state, Haley earned 16% — or more than 157,000 — of the votes after she dropped out in a closed primary where only registered Republicans were able to participate.

In Arizona, another state with a closed primary, Haley earned 18% — or more than 110,000 votes.

Amanda Stewart Sprowls from Tempe, Arizona, is a longtime active Republican voter who supported Trump in both 2016 and 2020. This cycle, she cast a ballot for Haley during the state’s March 19 primaries and is “100% committed to not voting for Trump,” but isn’t sold on Biden.

“We’re basically Republicans in revolt right now. We we need to take a stand and demonstrate that we’re not happy with the Trump candidacy,” she told ABC News. “But that doesn’t mean that we’re voting Democrat.”

Stewart Sprowls said she is unsure if she’ll sit out, vote third party or back Biden in the general. She said she’d consider Biden only if he trends closer to the center of the political spectrum.

“Biden definitely has an opportunity to earn our votes,” Stewart Sprowls said.

Alissa Baker, a Haley supporter from Loudoun County, Virginia, agreed that the share of votes for the former ambassador following her exit might be concerning to both Trump and Biden.

“I think it speaks a lot to the fact that people are not satisfied with the choice that, you know, seem to be the presumptive decisions that we’re gonna have for November and they’re saying, you know, we do really want something different,” Baker said to ABC News, adding that the trend should be a “warning sign” to both campaigns.

Matthew Labkovski from Boca Raton, Florida, is another undecided Haley voter — he mailed in his ballot, however, ahead of her exit from the race. The a 26-year-old said he would have still voted for Haley on primary day — despite her suspension — as a direct signal to Trump.

“I wanted him to know that just because he’s getting a majority, a majority doesn’t mean the whole country,” Labkovski said.

He indicated that he was unsure of who he’d support in the general election, but is leaning toward sitting out or writing in a candidate’s name, likely Haley’s.

Even some of the Haley supporters who cast ballots for her on primary days while she was still in the race remain unsure of who they might back during the general.

Jack LaFrankie, a 25-year-old who voted for Haley in North Carolina on Super Tuesday, is still undecided about who he’ll support in the 2024 race. He told ABC News that he would write someone’s name in if the election were held today.

LaFrankie’s observation that people are still voting for Haley in these GOP primaries, despite her withdrawal from the race, is a testament to the resilience of Republican voters, he said. It suggests they are not quick to switch to Trump, demonstrating their steadfast commitment to their political beliefs, LaFrankie said.

“I think it shows that there are still, even after she dropped out, there’s just a lot of Republicans who are not on board the Trump train,” LaFrankie said. “And even though it’s not a viable option, they’re still just making the effort to go out and make their voice heard … they don’t approve of what has happened just to the whole Republican Party.”

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie and Oren Oppenheim have contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — A key Senate ally to President Joe Biden and the top House Republican on a key foreign affairs committee offered starkly different views Sunday on Biden’s warning that he could suspend some military aid to Israel.

In separate interviews Sunday with “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., expressed openness to suspending delivery of some of the largest weapons the United States has sent Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a full invasion of Rafah without sufficient protections for civilians in place. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Biden’s warning sent a dangerous signal to allies and foes alike.

The responses come after the Departments of State and Defense wrote that while it is “difficult to address or reach conclusive findings on individual incidents,” given “Israel’s significant reliance on U.S.-made defense articles,” it’s “reasonable to assess” that some have been used in instances “inconsistent” with Israel’s obligation under international law, according to a new report Friday.

The report was mandated by National Security Memorandum 20 to examine the use of U.S.-supplied arms in active conflict zones. Israeli officials were briefed on the contents of the NSM-20 report around the time it was given to Congress, according to a senior Biden administration official.

“I think whatever munitions, such as the 2,000 bombs that have previously been used in Gaza, that are supplied only by the United States, and that can cause massive civilian casualties may well be paused,” said Coons, who noted that defensive weapons deliveries would not stop and that Hamas’ use of civilians as “human shields” plays a role in the deaths.

The Biden administration opted to pause a shipment of some 3,500 bombs to Israel earlier this month because of concerns the weapons could be used in Rafah, where more than one million civilians are sheltering “with nowhere else to go,” a senior administration official previously told ABC News.

“Of course you want the conditions with [a] humanitarian [plan] to be in place, of course, you want the tents in place, but to say you cannot invade Rafah,” McCaul said in his own interview, referencing the Palestinians who have taken refuge in the southern Gaza city. “We’re telling the Israelis dictating their military strategy. This is the last point, the last step in the completion of their military objective. And for us to step in and say no, you can’t go into Rafah and finish the job I think is tantamount to an arms embargo.”

Their responses also come amid a growing public rift between Biden and Netanyahu.

The president has repeatedly voiced concerns over the rising casualties from Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which was launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack. The concerns boiled over into warnings that certain weapons deliveries could be halted if Rafah is invaded without moving refugees into a safe area.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, insisted Israel will not be pressured into altering its military plans and that it already has enough weapons to attack Rafah if it so chooses. Netanyahu has said operations in Rafah are inevitable and necessary to eliminate Hamas.

US withheld bomb shipment to Israel out of fears it could be used in Rafah
Critics of the president have said the State Department memo and Biden’s warning are insufficient, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., saying last week that the report “ducked all the hard questions” — an assertion Coons sought to downplay.

“Well, I disagree,” Coons told Raddatz. “I think President Biden has taken forceful action, so much so there’s been a lot of blowback for his recent public statement.”

McCaul, however, said he thought Biden’s warning went too far.

“Netanyahu said, I’ve talked to him, ‘I’m going to do this alone if I have to.’ Where it matters, Martha, is the signal and the message we’re sending the rest of the world that you can’t count on the United States, can’t trust the United States,” he said.

Both lawmakers, however, expressed concern about the dire situation in Gaza, with Coons telling Raddatz a peaceful solution could help open doors for Israel beyond the strip.

“I hope Prime Minister Netanyahu is thinking about his legacy. Right now, his legacy is the huge strategic and defensive failure of Oct. 7, and his legacy could be a real gap, a break in the long, strong bipartisan strategic relationship between the United States and Israel. I think that would be tragic. His legacy could instead be achieving regional security and peace for Israel,” he said, noting possibilities for peace with countries like Saudi Arabia.

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(NEW YORK) — United States Sen. Bob Menendez is set to go on trial starting Monday in his federal bribery case.

The New Jersey Democrat is accused of accepting cash, gold bars, luxury wristwatches and other perks from New Jersey businessmen in exchange for official favors to benefit the businessmen 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.

Menendez, 70, has denied all wrongdoing and called the prosecution “overzealous.”

Here’s what to know about the case:

Menendez indicted on bribery, extortion and more

A federal grand jury in New York returned a sweeping indictment against Menendez in September 2023 that accused him and his wife, Nadine Menendez, of having a corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen.

The indictment on bribery and extortion charges alleged that he and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daides between 2018 and 2022 in exchange for using the senator’s power and influence to seek to protect and enrich the businessmen and benefit the government of Egypt.

In June 2022, federal agents searched Menendez’s New Jersey home and found “fruits” of the pair’s “corrupt bribery agreement” with the three businessmen, according to the indictment. Investigators found over $480,000 in cash, some stuffed in envelopes and hidden in clothing, as well as $70,000 in Nadine Menendez’s safe deposit box, according to the indictment.

Also found in the home were over $100,000 worth of gold bars, “provided by either Hana or Daibes,” according to the indictment.

In exchange for bribe payments, Menendez was meant to help lift a block on U.S. military aid to Egypt and “improperly advised and pressured” a U.S. agricultural official to protect an exclusive contract for Hana to be the exclusive purveyor of halal meat to Egypt, according to the indictment. The senator is also accused of seeking to disrupt criminal investigations into Uribe and Daibes.

In October 2023, federal prosecutors filed a new charge against Menendez accusing him of violating a prohibition on members of Congress from acting as an agent of a foreign principal. The superseding indictment alleged that the senator “made multiple requests for the U.S. Department of Justice to commence an investigation against another person for allegedly failing to register under FARA [the Foreign Agents Registration Act].”

A superseding indictment filed in January accused Menendez of making positive comments about Qatar in exchange for items of value, including luxury wristwatches valued between $10,000 and $24,000.

Another superseding indictment filed in March charged Menendez and his wife with new counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice related to their alleged attempts to cover up the bribe payments when the couple learned of the federal investigation in 2022.

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.

With the latest superseding indictment, Menendez faces 16 total charges in the case while his wife faces 15. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Menendez: ‘I intend to prove my innocence’

Menendez has vehemently denied any wrongdoing in the months following the initial indictment.

“I’m innocent — and I intend to prove my innocence, not just for me, but for the precedent this case will set for you and future members of the Senate,” Menendez said on the Senate floor in January.

He complained bitterly about federal prosecutors filing multiple superseding indictments, saying it “allows the government to keep the sensational story in the press. It poisons the jury pool and it seeks to convict me in the court of public opinion.”

He also said that “prosecutors sometimes shoot first before they even know all the facts.”

“The government seeks to use baseless conjecture, not facts, to create the connective tissue to substantiate the allegations,” Menedez said. “They show a picture of watches but not proof of receiving any such gifts.”

Menendez has said the wads of cash found in his jacket, his closet and in other parts of his home were the results of legitimate withdrawals he makes from his savings account, what he likened to “old fashioned” paranoia of the son of a Cuban immigrant worried about confiscation.

Following the most recent indictment in March, Menendez denied all wrongdoing and called the prosecution “overzealous” and the superseding indictment “a flagrant abuse of power.”

“The government has long known that I learned of and helped repay loans — not bribes — that had been provided to my wife,” the statement said.

Menendez and wife to be tried separately

Menendez and his wife are being tried separately due to Nadine Menendez’s undisclosed medical condition. Her trial is scheduled to start on July 8.

An attorney representing Menendez’s wife previously told ABC News that she “denies any wrongdoing and will vigorously defend against these allegations in court.”

Menendez may seek to blame his wife when he stands trial, according to a court document unsealed last month.

The potential line of defense was filed secretly earlier this year, before the judge ruled in April that Menendez and his wife would be tried separately. Defense attorneys said Menendez could take the stand in his own defense and implicate his wife by suggesting she kept information from him and he was unaware of her allegedly illegal activities, according to the filing.

Co-defendant pleads guilty

One of the three businessmen charged in the case has since pleaded guilty.

Uribe agreed to cooperate as part of his plea and to “truthfully and completely disclose all information with respect to the activities of himself and others,” according to court records filed in March.

Uribe pleaded guilty to seven counts including bribery, conspiracy and obstruction. He admitted to giving the luxury car to Nadine Menendez in exchange for the senator’s help, prosecutors said.

The recent obstruction accusations in the superseding indictment filed in March appear to result from this guilty plea.

The other two businessmen charged in the case have pleaded not guilty to their respective charges and are also set to go on trial in Manhattan federal court along with Menendez.

Menendez does not resign

Menendez has served as senator for New Jersey since 2006. He stepped down as the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee following the initial indictment in September 2023 though has refused to resign despite calls to do so from a majority of his Democratic Senate colleagues.

In March, Menendez announced that will not seek another term as a Democrat but he left open the possibility of running in November as an independent.

“I will not file for the Democratic primary this June,” he said in a video statement. “I am hopeful that my exoneration will take place this summer and allow me to pursue my candidacy as an independent Democrat in the general election.”

Prior corruption case ended in mistrial

This is the second time the senator has been charged with corruption. A 2015 indictment ended in a mistrial in 2018 after a jury failed to reach a verdict on all counts and a judge acquitted him on some charges.

The previous charges against Menendez centered on his relationship with Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen, a close ally of the senator. Menendez allegedly accepted gifts from Melgen in exchange for using the power of his senate office to benefit the doctor’s financial and personal interests.

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(WASHINGTON) — In a pioneering measure to hold companies responsible for environmental damage, Vermont is poised to make oil and gas giants shell out billions in climate change cleanup.

Vermont’s Climate Superfund Act, which parallels the Environmental Protection Agency’s superfund program, would mandate high-emission corporations — such as ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron — to be financially accountable for a portion of the costs of extreme weather damage in the state.

“For decades, fossil fuel corporations knowingly destroyed our planet for short-term profits,” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders told ABC News.

If approved, companies responsible for more than one billion tons of greenhouse gas pollution in the state would make payments calculated based on each corporation’s emissions from 1995 to 2024, according to the legislation.

The bill would use data from the Carbon Majors database, which analyzes historical production data from 122 of the world’s largest oil, gas, coal and cement producers, to litigate the climate liability claims.

Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources would then allocate the funding for the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program Fund to enhance infrastructure, weatherproof public buildings and address the health impacts of climate change, the bill states.

The groundbreaking measure would make Vermont the first state in the country to enact a bill of this kind, with New York, California, Maryland and Massachusetts attempting to push similar policies.

“I am proud that Vermont will go further than any other state in forcing the fossil fuel industry to pay for the destruction caused by the crisis of climate change,” Sanders said.

Marking a bipartisan victory, the bill passed in both Vermont’s Senate and House with an overwhelming majority and is headed to Republican Governor Phil Scott’s desk to sign or veto.

If vetoed, Vermont’s General Assembly is prepared to reconvene next month to consider an override vote, according to Vermont Public.

Proponents of the bill say the Superfund Act is the first legal step in a decades-long environmental crusade to hold polluting companies responsible for damaging waste.

“This effort comes down to a simple lesson that we all learn as kids: If you make a mess, you have to clean it up,” Elena Mihaly, vice president of the Vermont chapter of the Conservation Law Foundation, told ABC News.

In July 2023, catastrophic flooding drenched communities across Vermont, leaving two people dead, bridges and roads decimated and over a billion dollars in property damage in its wake, according to Mihaly.

“Last year’s devastating floods showed just how vulnerable Vermonters are to the climate chaos spurred by the fossil fuel industry,” Mihaly said, adding, “It’s Vermonters who bear the full burden of that chaos on our physical, mental and financial well-being.”

Adversaries of the bill warn the legislation would pit the state against billion-dollar corporations in a legal battle that could never make it out of the courtroom.

“A decision was made to go to war with corporations that probably have as many attorneys as we do citizens,” Vermont Sen. Russ Ingalls, who cast one of the three votes against the bill, told ABC News, adding, “We will be squashed like a bug.”

Ingalls contends the Superfund Act would “cause our property taxes to rise by nearly 15%,” arguing that the potential “millions” spent in litigation could be better spent.

A spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute (API), the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry, argued the Superfund Act would “stall” corporation’s progress to create “low-carbon solutions.”

“America’s natural gas and oil industry is working to address climate change and build a lower carbon future, while simultaneously meeting the world’s growing energy needs,” API’s Scott Lauermann told ABC News.

“This proposal is nothing more than an unnecessary new fee on American energy that would only stall the innovative progress underway to accelerate low-carbon solutions while delivering the energy communities need,” Lauermann said.

Environmental experts fear that promises of a sustainable future are not pushing the needle far enough when extreme weather damage has left communities displaced, and a state scrambling to respond.

“The reality is, the climate crisis is here,” Ben Edgerly Walsh, climate and energy program director for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, told ABC News. “It’s already costing even little Vermont hundreds of millions of dollars — so, we have to do right by our citizens and invest more in resiliency and adaptation.”

Infrastructure projects funded by corporations would include flood protections such as upgrading stormwater drainage systems, making defensive upgrades to roads, bridges, railroads and transit systems, retrofitting sewage treatment plants and other infrastructure sites vulnerable to flooding and more, according to the bill.

Mihaly believes “the Climate Superfund bill is a rational, lawful and necessary means of holding the fossil fuel industry accountable to pay their fair share of those burdens.”

“The global fossil fuel industry has contributed to making a mess in Vermont – and it’s time for them to help clean it up,” Mihaly said.

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(SAN FRANCISCO) — Federal prosecutors are seeking a maximum sentence for the man who was convicted of breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home and attacking her husband Paul with a hammer in 2022.

The Department of Justice filed a sentencing memorandum Friday in anticipation of next week’s sentencing of David DePape, saying he should be held in prison for 40 years for his crimes.

DePape was convicted in November for the Oct. 28, 2022, break-in and attack of Paul Pelosi.

Paul Pelosi, 84, suffered a skull fracture and was hospitalized for six days. The attack was captured on police body camera footage by officers who responded to the scene.

Federal prosecutors contend that the crime was an act of terrorism and that DePape should get more than the guidelines.

“The defendant planned a violent hostage-taking of the Speaker Emerita, and then nearly killed her husband. The defendant planned and unleashed violence and has stayed true to his belief that the actions were necessary,” prosecutors said in the sentencing memorandum.

The attempted kidnapping charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison while DePape’s second charge carries a maximum of 30 years in prison. Federal prosecutors asked that 20 years of the second charge run consecutively with the first count instead of concurrently.

DePape admitted on the stand that he broke into the home because he wanted to speak with Rep. Pelosi about what he claimed was Russian interference in the 2020 election. He claimed that Paul Pelosi was not his target.

DePape told investigators if she told the truth, he said he “would let her go, and if she ‘lied’ he was going to break ‘her kneecaps,'” according to the criminal complaint.

“The violent lessons that the defendant wanted to teach are not permitted in this country, and the sentence that this court imposes must reflect the nature and circumstances of the offense,” federal prosecutors said in the memorandum.
In addition to the 40-year prison sentence, federal prosecutors want eight years of supervised release when DePape does get out of prison.

DePape’s attorney did not immediately comment on the government’s recommendations.

DePape is also facing state charges in connection with the attack including attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

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