Politics

Reuters reports: Britain’s Conservative Party all-but conceded election defeat to Keir Starmer’s Labour on Wednesday, a day before polling stations even opened, and warned that the opposition party was on course for a record-breaking victory. Opinion polls show the centre-left Labour Party is set for a big win in Thursday’s vote that would end 14 years of Conservative government and …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Anti-abortion groups launched a campaign Monday to oppose a ballot initiative that would protect abortion rights in Florida, calling the proposal “extreme” and “deceptive.” The effort is getting sizable support from the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops and two Catholic dioceses although so far they are being vastly outspent by the pro-4 side. “Amendment 4 was …

NBC News reports: A proposed amendment to enshrine access to abortion in Arizona’s constitution is one step closer to appearing on the November 2024 ballot after organizers submitted far more than the required number of valid signatures to state officials on Wednesday. Arizona for Abortion Access, the group leading the effort, announced it had collected the signatures of more than …

“Joe Biden is a good man and has been a good president. But last week’s debate disturbingly demonstrated that he is unable to effectively prosecute the case against Donald Trump—much less inspire and mobilize voters to the polls. “President Biden passed transformative legislation. He helped bring us out of the pandemic—and led one of the greatest economic recoveries in the …

“It’s a pretty dark world. There’s a lot of darkness, a lot of negativity, and it’s just really at odds with what feels good for me as a human being. And, you know, it’s a really rough business. So for me and my family, it feels right to not participate. “On a human level, it’s my father and I love …

Raw Story reports: Stormy Daniels spoke with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in an interview that aired Tuesday night, detailing harassment and dire financial struggles she faces due to the case. “The biggest thing is that they’re not hiding like they used to,” she said, referring to those wishing to harm her and her family. “It used to be bots, you know, …

NBC News reports: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told her Brothers of Italy party on Tuesday that it should expunge from its ranks anyone who idolizes Italy’s fascist past. Her call came after an undercover media investigation last week released a video of members of her party’s youth wing making fascist salutes and chanting “Sieg Heil.” In a letter to party …

Reuters reports: U.S. President Joe Biden pulled even with his Republican challenger Donald Trump this week in the race to win the November election, a sign the contest remains close even after a widely panned debate performance by the Democrat, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Biden and Trump each had 40% support among registered voters in the two-day poll …

Politico reports: Two hardline anti-abortion delegates to next week’s GOP platform committee have been stripped of their positions, according to several members of the Republican National Committee, underscoring a broader fear among evangelicals and other social conservatives that the party is poised to moderate its stance on abortion at the direction of former President Donald Trump. The Trump campaign’s efforts …

Rep. Jared Golden writes for the Bangor Daily News: After the first presidential debate, lots of Democrats are panicking about whether President Joe Biden should step down as the party’s nominee. Biden’s poor performance in the debate was not a surprise. It also didn’t rattle me as it has others, because the outcome of this election has been clear to …

NBC News reports: “The people of our district are reaching out to our campaign demanding that we pursue a recount. Our donors, our volunteers, and our supporters expect it,” Rep. Bob Good’s campaign manager and senior advisor Diana Shores said in a statement to NBC News. Shores’ statement comes ahead of the Virginia State Board of Elections meeting Tuesday afternoon, …

The Houston Chronicle reports: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear an appeal from the adult entertainment industry seeking to upend a Texas law that requires pornographic websites to verify the age of their users. The justices will review an appellate ruling that allowed the age verification to go into effect. Arguments will take place in the fall. In …

Politico reports: Demand Justice, a progressive judicial advocacy group, is mounting a major effort to advocate for Supreme Court reforms and prepare for the effects a second Trump administration could have on the judiciary. According to plans first shared with POLITICO, the group intends to spend $10 million by the end of this year on a range of activities, from …

The Associated Press reports: Florida prosecutors knew the late millionaire and financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually assaulted teenage girls two years before they cut a plea deal that has long been criticized as too lenient and a missed opportunity to imprison him a decade earlier, according to transcripts released Monday. The investigations uncovered Epstein’s close ties to former President Bill Clinton …

Reuters reports: Opponents of France’s National Rally (RN) stepped up their bid to block the far-right party from power on Tuesday as more candidates said they would bow out of this weekend’s run-off election to avoid splitting the anti-RN vote. Some 180-plus candidates have confirmed they will not stand in Sunday’s second-round for France’s 577-seat national parliament, according to local …

NBC News reports: A new law in California will require bars and clubs to offer drug-testing devices in an effort to protect patrons from drinks spiked with “date rape drugs.” The law, Assembly Bill 1013, took effect Monday. It will require 2,400 establishments with Type 48 licenses from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, which authorizes the sale of …

Axios reports: House Democrats are previewing plans for a forceful legislative and investigative push against the Supreme Court’s ruling that presidents have legal immunity for “official acts.” It is part of House Democrats’ effort to frame themselves in the 2024 election as a potential bulwark against unified conservative control of a federal government led by former President Trump. House Minority …

The Associated Press reports: Thousands of Jewish ultra-Orthodox men clashed with Israeli police in central Jerusalem on Sunday during a protest against a Supreme Court order for them to begin enlisting for military service. The landmark decision last week ordering the government to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as …

The Toronto Star reports: Thousands of people danced, sang and celebrated at Toronto’s Pride Parade on Sunday until the procession was suddenly stopped mid-route, and then cancelled, by a protest. About 30 demonstrators, calling themselves the Coalition Against Pinkwashing, held banners and chanted on Yonge Street, just south of Wellesley Street, three and a half hours after the parade’s 2 …

Politico reports: “That whole abandoned Biden thing — that’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard,” Sen. John Fetterman said Sunday morning in an interview with Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” “I mean, if you are more inclined to vote for a Democrat or be a Democrat, if you’re willing to walk away from Joe Biden — you’re by defecting …