Politics

The Associated Press reports: A solid majority of Americans oppose a federal abortion ban as a rising number support access to abortions for any reason, a new poll finds, highlighting a politically perilous situation for candidates who oppose abortion rights as the November election draws closer. Around 6 in 10 Americans think their state should generally allow a person to …

The Hill reports: Democrats emerging from a closed-door meeting Tuesday to discuss President Biden’s political future offered support for their party leader a day after the White House’s full-court press to beat back critics within his party, even as some detractors pushed for a reset. In a meeting that ran for roughly two hours, the debate was lopsided in favor …

The Oklahoman reports: James Inhofe, the firebrand Republican Senator whose political career covered six decades, has died, the Tulsa World reported Tuesday. Inhofe, 89, served in the Oklahoma Legislature, as mayor of Tulsa, in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the the United States Senate. Funeral services are pending. Inhofe was the definition of a career politician, had served …

Playbook reports: The newest member of the House, Rep. Greg Lopoz (R-Colo.), is destined for a truly obscure congressional trivia question. He was sworn in yesterday for a term that will last less than six months, warming the seat for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who is likely switching districts pending November’s election. But his vote counts the same as any …

ABC News reports: It was supposed to be a show of strength — the leaders of NATO’s member countries gathering in Washington, D.C., to display their remarkable unity in the face of some of the most serious threats to the alliance in its 75-year history. But as former President Donald Trump edges ahead in some polls, the looming U.S. election …

Alaska Public Media reports: Joshua Kindred, who resigned as a U.S. District Court judge for Alaska last week, had an “inappropriately sexualized relationship” with one of his law clerks, engaged in “unwanted” sexual conduct and then lied about it to the chief judge, according to the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit. The findings are summarized in a 30-page order, …

The Washington Post reports: Smartmatic, the voting technology company enmeshed in complex defamation lawsuits against Fox News and Newsmax, has a powerful new financial ally: billionaire tech entrepreneur Reid Hoffman. Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn, has made a multimillion-dollar investment intended in part to help the company sustain its costly litigation. Smartmatic has said the two news outlets smeared it …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: State officials said they passed up millions of dollars in new federal food assistance money because they have more than enough programs to feed Florida’s hungry children this summer. But advocates for the hungry say the numbers tell a different story. “The perception put forward by the state is that there is no need for other …

CNN reports: The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week could be an “attractive” target for violent extremists or other people looking to sow chaos by disrupting a high-profile political event, according to a threat assessment from federal agencies and the Milwaukee Police Department obtained by CNN. This election season has seen a “resurgence in disruptive tactics targeting election symbols” …

Politico reports: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary effectively endorsed Donald Trump for president in an interview and, on the eve of this week’s NATO summit, blasted the United States for having a “war policy” in Ukraine rather than a strategy for achieving peace. Orbán contrasted U.S. policy unfavorably with what he described as a credible “peace plan” from China. …

Axios reports: Senate Democrats won’t meet Monday to discuss their support for President Biden continuing his re-election bid, despite an effort by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) to organize such a meeting, Axios has learned. Warner’s meeting had been seen as a potential watershed moment for Senate Democrats, who have remained largely silent on Biden’s future amid calls for him to …

First, a report from Al Jazeera: France’s left-wing leader Jean-Luc Melenchon says the left is “ready to govern” after emerging as the largest political bloc in parliament, but the country faces a political deadlock as no party won a clear majority. The New Popular Front (NFP) coalition led by Melenchon won a plurality in France’s National Assembly in the second …

Reuters reports: France’s left-wing New Popular Front coalition won the most seats in the second voting round of parliamentary elections, leading pollsters said on Sunday, putting them on track for an unexpected win over the far right National Rally (RN) party but short of an absolute majority in parliament. Cries of joy and tears of relief broke out at the …

The Hill reports: Rep. Adam Schiff said on Sunday, “Of course,” that he is concerned about former President Trump’s personal threats against him, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s Monday ruling that core presidential powers are immune from criminal prosecution. “Of course,” Schiff told NBC News’s Kristen Welker, when asked on “Meet the Press” about Trump’s accusations of fraud …

Reuters reports: Voter turnout in France’s parliamentary run-off election on Sunday rose sharply from the last time in 2022 in a ballot that could see the far-right National Rally (RN) emerge as the strongest force. Although the RN is expected to win the most seats in the National Assembly, the latest opinion polls indicated it may fall short of an …

Via press release from the White House: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom to congratulate him on his appointment as Prime Minister. The leaders reaffirmed the special relationship between our nations and the importance of working together in support of freedom and democracy around the world. The President conveyed that …

The Washington Post reports: Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) is attempting to assemble a group of Democratic senators to ask President Biden to exit the presidential race, according to two people with direct knowledge of the effort. Warner is telling Democratic senators that Biden can no longer remain in the election in the wake of his faltering debate performance, according …

Reuters reports: Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer will oversee a parliament more ethnically diverse and more female than ever after securing a landslide victory in the election on Thursday that ended 14 years of Conservative rule. Black, Asian and ethnic minority lawmakers will represent around 13% of the House of Commons, up from 10% in 2019, when Britain last …

The Arkansas Times reports: They did it. They did it on a shoestring budget, with no organizational support from national groups. Just Arkansas women with clipboards, hustling. With 100,000 signatures in hand and more still being counted, backers of the Arkansas Abortion Amendment say they’ve got the numbers they need to put reproductive rights on the November ballot. And so …

Politico Europe reports: Slovak Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová blamed the LGBTQ+ minority for Europe’s declining fertility rates in a July 3 interview with Slovak tabloid Topky.sk. “We heterosexuals are creating the future, because we make babies. Europe is dying out, babies are not being born because of the excessive number of LGBTQ+ [people]. And the strange thing is [that it’s …