Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.
In today’s edition, senior politics editor Mark Murray comments on a new poll that shows abortion boundaries as a political issue for Democrats. Plus, national political reporter Bridget Bowman reports on how pro-Israel groups infiltrated the GOP primaries. The prosecution is in the court of Donald Trump.
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New polls show abortion power and limitations as 2024 issue
By Mark Murray
Abortion remains a strong force for Democrats in the polls with 60% of voters. dislike Roe v. overreach. Wade and supporting the right to abortion in most cases.
But the issue also has its limits — at least in the context of the showdown between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
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This is a carryover from a recent pair CBS News/YouGov Arizona and Florida polls, where abortion Roe v. Wade’s fall has been a key dynamic. Florida has a six-week abortion ban entered into forcethe state also has a measure on the ballot in November establishes abortion rights in the state constitution. And in Arizona, the governor signed the law cancels the state’s 1864 abortion ban. An abortion rights amendment is also expected to be on the state’s ballot.
Good news for Democrats: Nearly two-thirds of voters in both states believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and a slight majority say abortion will be a major factor in their vote.
Additionally, 6 in 10 voters would support a state amendment establishing a constitutional right to abortion in every state.
This is the clear power of abortion. But other findings from the surveys show the limits of this power.
While slight majorities in both states say abortion will be a major factor in their vote, that’s well below the 8 in 10 voters who say about the economy and inflation, and the 7 in 10 who say about the state of democracy. .
And it may be the most significant set of abortion numbers in the poll: Half of voters say Trump would vote Roe v. He deserves neither credit nor blame for taking down Wade.
That compares with about 10% to 15% of voters who give Trump credit and about 35% to 40% who blame him in those states.
So while Democrats and the Biden campaign have attacked Trump for being personally responsible for overturning Roe with his three appointments to the Supreme Court, large swaths of voters in Arizona and Florida aren’t buying that argument.
At least not yet.
Pro-Israel groups raise spending against Republicans
By Bridget Bowman
Disagreements over Israel often draw pro-Israel fringe groups into contentious Democratic primaries. But this year, Israel’s war with Hamas is increasingly targeting Republicans.
The United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, did not participate in any GOP primaries during the last election cycle. This time, he targeted three Republican candidates for Congress.
The Republican Jewish Coalition has also interfered in two GOP primaries to date and potentially more to come. While the coalition has participated in Republican races in the past, it is participating in more races this year.
Some Republicans are embracing a more isolationist foreign policy, echoing former President Donald Trump’s “America first” mantra, calling for a focus on domestic rather than foreign affairs. Others opposed sending more aid to Israel.
Kentucky’s 4th District: The UDP is running ads Tuesday against Rep. Thomas Massie, who faces two primary challengers. But the group said it is more focused on whether Massie chooses to seek higher office in the future, such as Mitch McConnell’s Senate seat, rather than defeating him in a primary in his conservative district.
23rd Circuit of Texas: The UDP and RJC are also targeting gun rights activist Brandon Herrera, who is challenging Rep. Tony Gonzalez in next week’s GOP runoff. The groups highlighted Herrera’s past comments highlighting veteran suicides and Nazi Germany.
Virginia’s 5th District: RJC has endorsed state Sen. John McGuire, who is challenging House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Goode, but has yet to disclose any spending ahead of the June 18 primary.
Indiana’s 8th District: The two groups spent a combined $3 million against former Rep. John Hostettler, who was defeated in the GOP primary race this month. Hostettler opposed the October 2000 resolution supporting Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians.
Prosecutors are keeping their case against Donald Trump for a dramatic day of testimony
By Adam Reiss, Jillian Frankel and Dareh Gregorian
Prosecutors rested their case against Trump on Monday after another dramatic day of testimony from former lawyer Michael Cohen, while the judge presiding over the trial struck down one of the former president’s witnesses for disrespectful conduct.
State Judge Juan Merchan briefly kicked the public out of a New York courtroom after he berated defense attorney Robert Costello outside the presence of the jury. Costello responded publicly and audibly to the prosecution’s objections and Mercha’s rulings.
Costello is a veteran New York criminal defense attorney who represented Rudy Giuliani and whom Cohen discussed the possibility of hiring at one point. Cohen never kept it up, and the pair have publicly trashed each other ever since.
Costello was the second defense witness called by Trump after a paralegal in defense attorney Todd Blanche’s office testified about Cohen’s phone records. Despite Trump’s pretrial claim that he will “definitely” testify in the case, it is unlikely that he will take the stand.
Cohen wrapped up his testimony in dramatic fashion – he admitted to defrauding Trump and his company of money, while maintaining that Trump had signed off on a hush-hush payment at the center of the lawsuit.
Merchan announced at the start of the trial Monday that closing arguments scheduled to begin Tuesday would be pushed back a week because of the holiday weekend. They are now tentatively scheduled for May 28.
Read more from Trump’s trial →
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- 🤝 Hard work: Biden has made unifying the country a key part of his 2020 plan, but the US remains bitterly divided. But his allies say he is still working toward that goal and could appoint Republicans to Cabinet positions if re-elected. More →
- 🇮🇱 Push back: Biden said that it is “outrageous” that the International Criminal Court is trying to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders. More →
- 📺 On air: The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights group, is set to spend $15 million to help get Biden re-elected by focusing its efforts on six battleground states. More →
- ⚖️ Hurry up and wait: The hottest ticket in New York is Trump’s hush money court, and some are willing to pay big to let others wait in line. More →
- 🗳️ Balancing act: Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis, who is still fighting over her role overseeing Trump’s Georgia election meddling case, also needs to convince voters to keep her in her job. It begins with Tuesday’s primary, which includes The Washington Post. More →
- 🙅🏻 Rubio’s disclaimer: Trump’s potential running mate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., declined to say whether he would accept the results of the presidential election during an appearance on “Meet the Press” on Sunday. More →
- 🎂 Surprise party: Rudy Giuliani’s 80th birthday included a surprise (and probably unwanted) birthday present: his indictment in the Arizona election meddling case. More →
For now, that’s it from The Politics Desk. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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