Trump says abortion should be left to states; Vatican takes stance on gender theory

Today’s top stories

• Trump’s in a tough spot when it comes to abortion, NPR’s Domenico Montanaro explains on Up First. That’s because Trump appointed three conservative justices during his presidency, which made it possible for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. Trump also knows that this ruling hurt Republicans in the elections that came after Roe V. Wade was overturned. “Trump is very much aware of the mobilizing effect of the Supreme Court actions, in favor of the Democrats,” Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion said. With this recent announcement, Trump is essentially abandoning the issue, Montanaro explains. But that doesn’t mean voters will too. NPR’s polling shows that college educated white women are shifting towards Biden this election.  

• NPR’s Jason DeRose explains that the Vatican does not see this as a move away from its existing teachings. Just last year, Pope Francis allowed priests to bless people in same-sex marriages. This new document continues to allow priests to bless same-sex couples. But it makes a clear distinction between the issue of sexual orientation – whether a person is gay, lesbian or bisexual – and the issue of gender identity – whether a person’s sex assigned at birth matches what that person understands his or her gender to be. DeRose explains that while the church may have more progressive views about sexual orientation, the language in this document is very similar to how conservatives often talk about being transgender as a choice, which is something major medical and psychological groups dispute. 

• Roughly 62% of Missourians support the death penalty in the case of first-degree murder, according to a  SLU/YouGov poll. And both Republican and Democratic governors in Missouri have supported capital punishment. Death penalty opponents, like State Rep. Tony Lovasco, says that the only way to change that attitude is if someone innocent is executed. And though this is definitely not the case for Dorsey, his case does prompt some big questions about the legal system in the state. “I think it’s important that we focus on the technical aspects of the case and the criminal justice system and really how this fits into public policy at large,” Lovasco told NPR.

Deep dive

• Many eligible voters are naturalized U.S. citizens who are too busy navigating daily life in a new country – and working – to learn a complicated new political system. For some, taking a day off work to vote may not be an option. 
• Those who are interested in politics are often ignored by political campaigns. Those casting ballots for the first time are often seen as “low-propensity” voters by campaigns and are less likely to be targeted. 
• Systemic barriers affecting people of color continue to persist, even after the passage of landmark legislation like the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But organizers say change takes time, and as one of them put it, “We got this like within five, 10 years.” 

Picture show

• From Indiana to Maine, NPR was there to document it all. Check out the pictures that our network captured – from high resolution images of the moment of totality in the sky to the reactions of people on the ground

Before you go

1. Indigenous leaders in New Zealand have signed a treaty granting whales legal personhood in an effort to pressure governments to do more to protect the sea mammals, which are the sacred ancestors of indigenous Polynesians.
2. A man was arrested for an alleged arson attack on Senator Bernie Sanders’ office in Vermont. The attack damaged the building, but the occupants of the building were unharmed. 
3. The University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball team won the NCAA championship Monday night. The Huskies defeated Purdue University by 15 points, becoming the first team in 17 years to win back-to-back championships. 

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.