Politics

More specifically, one of the directives Biden will issue will allow states that have not outlawed abortion to apply for specific Medicaid waivers that would, in effect, help them treat women who have traveled from out of state.

“I wish I was with you in person, quite frankly,” Biden said. “But I’m getting there.”

Wednesday’s order is the latest in a series of executive actions from the Biden administration since the constitutional right to an abortion was eliminated in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in June.

Near the end of Biden’s remarks, he once again called on Congress to codify Roe vs. Wade into law.

“If Congress fails to act, the people of this country need to elect senators and representatives who will restore Roe and protect the right to privacy, freedom and equality.”

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By Nandita Bose and Alexandra Alper

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the Supreme Court and Republicans are clueless about the power of American women as he signed a second executive order aimed at protecting abortion rights.

The order asks the federal health department to consider allowing Medicaid funds to be used to help facilitate out of state travel for abortions. Like Biden’s first order signed in July, it is meant to address the recent Supreme Court decision to end the nationwide constitutional right to abortion.

It is expected to have limited impact, as Republicans in U.S. states push a wave of laws restricting abortion, access to medication and funding for such services.

The president’s actions come a day after Kansas voters rejected one such effort, to remove abortion protections from the state’s constitution. The vote was a resounding win for the abortion rights movement in the first statewide electoral test since the Supreme Court ruling.

“I don’t think the court has any notion for that matter or the Republican party for that matter…how women are going to respond. They don’t have a clue about the power of American women,” Biden said. “Last night in Kansas they found out.”

He called the Kansas result a “decisive victory” and said voters in the state sent a “powerful signal” that makes clear politicians should not interfere with the fundamental rights of women.

“This fight is not over and we saw that last night in Kansas,” Biden said. The Supreme Court “practically dared women in this country go to the ballot box and restore the right to choose,” that it had just stripped away, Biden said.

Last month, Biden said the Supreme Court, which is weighted 6-3 with conservative judges, was “out of control” after ruling in June to overturn Roe v Wade, ending a half-century of protections for women’s reproductive rights. His first order in early July directed the federal government’s health department to expand access to medication abortion and ensure that women who travel for abortions are protected.

The latest action builds on those measures. But like the first one it remains vague about how those goals can be achieved. It asks the Health and Human Services Department to consider using funds including Medicaid, the federal and state funded insurance program it oversees, to support low-income women traveling out-of-state for abortion services, a senior administration official said.

It calls on Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to consider inviting states to apply for Medicaid waivers when treating patients who cross state lines for reproductive health services, the official said, without giving additional details.

The Hyde Amendment, a Congressional measure, states that Medicaid will not pay for an abortion unless the woman’s life is in danger or the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, making the effectiveness of the order uncertain.

It also directs the department to ensure health-care providers comply with federal non-discrimination laws when offering such services and orders it to collect data to measure the impact of the ruling on maternal health, the official added.

The president signed the order at the first meeting of the interagency task force on reproductive healthcare access, which was formed in July.

Senate Democrats rejected Biden’s call to lift the chamber’s “filibuster” rule requiring 60 of the 100 senators to agree on most legislation to allow them to pass a law establishing a national right to abortion.

In the evenly divided Senate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote.

Since then Biden has pivoted to urging voters to elect more Democrats to Congress in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, when Republicans are favored to win back a majority in the House of Representatives and perhaps also the Senate. He reiterated his appeal to voters on Wednesday.

Democrats hope the issue may help drive voters to the polls in November.

Protecting abortion rights is a top issue for women Democrats, Reuters polling shows. More than 70% of Americans think the issue should be left to a woman and her doctor.

On Tuesday, Biden’s Justice Department sued Idaho to block a state law that it said imposes a “near-absolute ban” on abortion, marking its first legal challenge to state abortion laws since the Supreme Court ruling.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose, Jeff Mason and Alexandra Alper in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone, Leslie Adler and Diane Craft)

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday it has estimated that a $430 billion drugs, energy and tax bill proposed by Senate Democrats would result in a net decrease in the deficit of $101.5 billion over a decade.

The crucial cost estimate https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2022-08/hr5376_IR_Act_8-3-22.pdf from the nonpartisan fiscal referee agency shows only about one-third of the $300 million in deficit reduction touted https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/inflation_reduction_act_one_page_summary.pdf by the bill’s Democratic sponsors. But it does not include the effect of additional receipts expected from increased Internal Revenue Service enforcement activity.

The CBO estimates that extra revenue at about $204 billion over 10 years, but said it could not include that in its overall cost estimate due to its congressional guidelines.

The CBO said the bill would cut the deficit by $17.9 billion in fiscal 2023, but would increase deficits somewhat from fiscal 2024 though 2027, while cutting deficits again from 2028, with a $42.6 billion deficit reduction in 2031.

(Reporting by Eric Beech and David Lawder in WashingtonEditing by Costas Pitas and Matthew Lewis)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Blake Masters wins Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Arizona primary election.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Blake Masters, chief operating officer of Thiel Capital who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has won the Republican nomination in Arizona’s U.S. Senate race, the Associated Press said on Wednesday.

Masters, whose campaign was largely funded by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, beat Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and power company executive Jim Lamon to face off against incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

(Reporting by Moira Warburton and Kanishka Singh in Washington, Editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump loyalist wins GOP primary for post overseeing Arizona elections after embracing election fallacies.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A former White House spokesman whose testimony was broadcast before a House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot is joining Sarah Sanders’ campaign for Arkansas governor.

Sanders’ campaign on Tuesday announced Judd Deere will serve as its communications director. Deere was among several senior staff hires announced.

“All of them bring unique experiences and expertise, which makes this campaign, along with our incredible supporters, even stronger,” Sanders said in a statement.

Sanders, a Republican, is running against Democrat Chris Jones.

Sanders served as White House press secretary under former President Donald Trump and Deere is a former deputy press secretary. Video of a deposition Deere gave was aired during the Jan. 6 committee’s hearings last month.

In one part of his testimony, Deere talked about his reaction to Trump’s Jan. 6 tweet criticizing Vice President Mike Pence for refusing to block the certification of President Joe Biden’s election. Deere called the tweet “extremely unhelpful.”

“The scenes at the U.S. Capitol were only getting worse at that point,” Deere testified.

Deere has worked as a spokesman for two of Sanders’ former rivals. Before joining the White House, he was spokesman for Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. He also worked for Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin’s 2014 campaign. Rutledge and Griffin ran against Sanders for the GOP nomination for governor before dropping out to run for other offices.

“I am humbled by the confidence & trust Sarah has in me, & I’m excited for the work ahead!” Deere tweeted Tuesday.

Deere has also worked for Republican Sens. John Boozman of Arkansas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Mike Crapo of Idaho.

Sanders, who is the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, is heavily favored in the race for governor in solidly red Arkansas. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson is barred by term limits from seeking reelection.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris jointly endorsed U.S. Rep. Karen Bass on Tuesday to become the next mayor of Los Angeles, providing a boost to her campaign against billionaire developer Rick Caruso and cementing her place as the pick of the Democratic establishment.

In a statement, Biden and Harris said they were eager to work with Bass and her “innovative strategies” to deal with the city’s homeless crisis and rising crime rates.

“Karen Bass has our friendship, and she has earned our respect through her leadership in Congress on crime prevention strategies, effective and fair policing, and the welfare of children and families,” Biden and Harris said.

The endorsement was not a surprise. Bass was on Biden’s short list when he was selecting a vice president and Harris, a fellow Californian, has known her for years.

Bass — a favorite of the party’s progressive wing — could become the first woman to hold the city’s top job, and the second Black person.

Caruso, who is known for building high-end malls, is a political shape-shifter who calls himself a “centrist, pro-jobs, pro-public safety Democrat.” According to government records, he was a Republican for over two decades before becoming an independent in 2011. Caruso changed back to Republican in 2016 — a year when he served as California campaign co-chair for Republican John Kasich’s presidential bid — and then to independent again in 2019. He became a Democrat shortly before entering the mayor’s race in February.

Caruso has spent more than $40 million on the race, much of it his own money. Bass led the field by a comfortable margin in the June primary, setting up a November runoff with Caruso, the second-place finisher.

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SEATTLE (AP) — Patty Murray is running for a sixth term in the U.S. Senate and, if reelected, she’d join two former Democratic stalwarts as the longest serving senators from Washington state.

Murray, 71, was first elected to the chamber in 1992 during the “Year of the Woman” and has aggressively promoted her support of abortion rights ahead of Tuesday’s primary. Her most high-profile opponent is Republican Tiffany Smiley, a well-funded first-time candidate who says it’s time Washington had a new senator.

Murray’s nearly 30 years in the Senate place her behind only Democratic Sens. Warren Magnuson and Henry “Scoop” Jackson for longest service in the Senate from the Evergreen State. The powerhouse duo served 36 years and 30 years, respectively, and were among the most powerful senators of the mid-20th century.

Murray is now a member of the Democratic leadership and has risen to chair of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Murray would be the favorite in the November election as Washington hasn’t elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1994. But she’s taking no chances in what could be a tough year for Democrats with rising inflation and economic turmoil.

Murray’s campaign has spent more than $1 million to run television ads since June blasting Smiley for supporting Roe v. Wade’s reversal.

“I want a country where everyone can make their own choices,” Murray has said.

Murray and Smiley appear on the same nonpartisan primary ballot Tuesday, where the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party.

Smiley, 41, is a mother of three who has highlighted her advocacy for her husband, a military veteran who was blinded in an explosion while serving in Iraq in 2005.

Smiley worked as a triage nurse until her husband, Scotty, was blinded. She quit her job and flew to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be by his side.

Smiley says she worked tirelessly to stop the Army from pushing her husband, a West Point graduate, into a medical retirement. Instead, he became the first blind active-duty officer in the Army, and is featured in her political ads.

She recently announced her campaign had raised $2.6 million in the second quarter and had $3.5 million in cash on hand. Murray reported raising $2.6 million in the same quarter, with about $6.6 million in the bank at the end of June.

Smiley, a former nurse from Pasco, Washington, said the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe leaves it to voters in individual states to decide if they wanted to allow abortions. Smiley said she doesn’t support a nationwide ban on abortion, despite what Murray has contended in her ads.

Murray, Smiley has said, is “resorting to misleading scare tactics. It shows desperation.”

Murray is also highlighting her efforts to help middle-class families, saying there should be more tax cuts for them than for corporations.

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Associated Press writer Nicholas K. Geranios contributed to this story.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Three Republican U.S. House members who voted to impeach Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 insurrection are being challenged in Tuesday’s primary elections by rivals endorsed by the former president.

The primaries for Reps. Peter Meijer, Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse are the biggest test yet for GOP incumbents who broke with Trump after a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to keep him in power. Trump has vowed revenge against the 10 House Republicans who crossed party lines for the impeachment vote.

Of the 10, four opted not to run for reelection in this year’s midterm elections. As for the ones who did, Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina lost to a Trump-endorsed challenger in June, while Rep. David Valadao of California survived a challenge that same month from a fellow Republican, advancing to the general election. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming is bracing for defeat in her Aug. 16 primary against a Trump-backed rival.

In other races Tuesday, two Democratic incumbents in Michigan are facing each other in a newly drawn congressional district, and two members of the progressive “Squad” have primary challengers in Missouri and Michigan. In Arizona, GOP voters will decide whether to nominate a major QAnon figure for a congressional seat.

Some of the top elections:

FACING VOTERS AFTER IMPEACHMENT VOTES

The three House Republicans facing primary challenges Tuesday for impeaching Trump say they don’t regret their vote.

In Michigan, Meijer voted for impeachment just days after he was sworn into office for his first term. The former president has endorsed Meijer’s opponent, John Gibbs, a businessman and missionary who served in the Trump administration under Housing Secretary Ben Carson.

Gibbs has contended Meijer is not a true Republican because he voted to impeach Trump, and Gibbs chastised Meijer for supporting bipartisan gun control legislation that President Joe Biden signed into law in June.

Meijer, a member of the Army Reserves who served in Iraq, has criticized Biden over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as his handling of the economy. The congressman’s family is well known in the Midwest as owners of the chain of Meijer grocery megastores, and he has a large fundraising advantage over Gibbs. The winner will face Democrat Hillary Scholten in November in the state’s Democratic-leaning 3rd Congressional District.

In Washington state, the two Republicans who voted for impeachment are competing in crowded primaries, from which the top two vote-getters, regardless of political party, will move on to the general election in November.

Herrera Beutler’s primary against eight challengers, four of whom are Republicans, in Washington state’s 3rd Congressional District will be one of the toughest of her career. Trump is backing Joe Kent, a former Green Beret who has promoted the former president’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen.

Herrera Beutler has been in Congress since 2011 and represents an area that has favored Republicans.

In the central part of Washington, Newhouse, a four-term congressman, is facing seven challengers, six of whom are Republicans, in the solidly conservative 4th Congressional District. His rivals include Loren Culp, a former small-town police chief who refused to concede the governor’s race in 2020. Culp has Trump’s backing but has lagged other candidates in fundraising.

CANDIDATE LINKED TO QANON

Ron Watkins, one of the most prominent figures in the QAnon conspiracy movement, is running for a House seat in Arizona’s sprawling 2nd Congressional District.

He served as the longtime administrator of online message boards that helped seed the conspiracy movement whose adherents believe a group of satanic, cannibalistic child molesters secretly runs the globe.

Watkins no longer runs the message boards and has denied fueling the QAnon movement. He said he is running for Congress because he hopes to “fix the machine from the inside.”

He is considered a long shot in the crowded GOP field, having been outpaced in campaign fundraising by the other candidates.

State Rep. Walter Blackman and Eli Crane, a former Navy SEAL who owns a bottle opener business and was endorsed by Trump, are considered the leading GOP contenders. The winner will take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom O′Halleran in November in a district that favors Republicans.

FROM COLLEAGUES TO COMPETITORS

Two incumbent Michigan Democrats, Reps. Andy Levin and Haley Stevens, are running against each other for a newly drawn 11th Congressional District in suburban Detroit. They’re vying for a left-leaning area, which means the winner of Tuesday’s contest will likely win the seat in November.

Stevens flipped a district in 2018 that was long held by Republicans. Before running for office, she led the auto bailout under President Barack Obama.

Levin also won his first term in 2018, taking over the seat long held by his father, Rep. Sander “Sandy” Levin. He’s been endorsed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

CHALLENGING THE ‘SQUAD’

Two members of the Squad in Congress are facing primary challenges on Tuesday.

In Michigan, Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces three Democratic challengers as she seeks a third term in office. She’s running in a newly drawn Detroit-area district where the winner is expected to easily carry the 12th Congressional District seat in November. Tlaib’s main competition is longtime Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, who has strong name recognition in the city.

In Missouri, first-term Rep. Cori Bush is facing a challenge in the state’s 1st Congressional District. State Sen. Steve Roberts is betting that Bush, a vocal advocate for defunding the police and moving money to social services and mental health programs, is too liberal even for heavily Democratic St. Louis.

Roberts has twice faced rape allegations, though prosecutors said they didn’t have enough evidence to merit charges. He has accused the Bush campaign of dredging up the allegations to distract from her record.

Bush has touted her accomplishments, including persuading the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up radioactive waste near a St. Louis County creek, pushing for climate change action and standing against evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

10 YEARS AFTER TUCSON SHOOTING, INTERN SEEKS GIFFORDS’ SEAT

Daniel Hernandez Jr., the hero intern credited with saving Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ life after an attempted assassination in 2011, is running for her former seat in Congress.

Hernandez, who recently stepped down from the state Legislature to focus on his campaign, faces another former lawmaker in the Democratic primary. However, the once highly competitive district centered in Tucson now favors Republicans after the boundaries were redrawn.

Hernandez was a 20-year-old college student in his first week interning for Giffords when he went to her “Congress on your corner” constituent event. A gunman there opened fire, killing six and injuring 13. Hernandez kept the Democratic congresswoman conscious and applied pressure to her head wound until paramedics arrived.

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Associated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago, Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Ariz., Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Mich., Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Chris Grygiel in Seattle and Jim Salter in St. Louis contributed to this report.

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Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics.

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