DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ How Six-Week Abortion Bans Went From Fringe to Reality
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Jess Bidgood | More About Jess Bidgood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just over a decade ago, six-week abortion bans were seen as too radical even by many members of the anti-abortion movement, who worried they carried too much political and legal risk. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, cuts off access to the procedure before many women even know they are pregnant, leaving millions of women in the South hundreds of miles from a clinic offering abortion. The ban represents another victory for the true believers of the anti-abortion movement that seek sharp curbs on the procedure. But when such a ban was first introduced, mainstream abortion opponents who preferred gradually chipping away at abortion rights felt such restrictions could backfire and undermine their broader goals. I asked her how the six-week ban moved from the fringe to the mainstream — and why those early warnings from anti-abortion allies might be coming true now.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Elizabeth Dias, Lisa Lerer, Roe, Wade Organizations: Gov, Republican Locations: Florida

☆ How the Movie ‘Civil War’ Echoes Real Political Anxieties
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Lisa Lerer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From the multiplex to social media, the prospect of America collapsing into armed conflict has moved from being an idea on the tinfoil-hat fringes to an active undercurrent of the country’s political conversation. Voters at campaign events bring up their worries that political division could lead to large-scale political violence. A cottage industry has arisen for speculative fiction, serious assessments and forums about whether the country could be on the verge of a modern-day version of the bloodiest war in American history. And “Civil War,” a dystopian action film about an alternative America plunged into a bloody domestic conflict, has topped box office sales for two consecutive weekends. Of course, the notion of a future civil war remains a mere notion.

Persons: Pollsters Locations: America, Brownsville , Texas, Boston

American voters absorbed their first view of an extraordinary split-screen campaign this week, with President Biden sprinting across one of the country’s top battleground states and former President Donald J. Trump sitting — and appearing to snooze — in a New York courtroom. Just as it has for years, the country’s political map has hardened into a battle across a handful of crucial swing states. Mr. Trump’s required appearance in a Lower Manhattan courtroom effectively leaves him little choice but to continue to be a weekend warrior in those states. Now, for much of the week, Mr. Biden has the electoral landscape largely to himself. Mr. Biden campaigned across Pennsylvania, casting Mr. Trump as an out-of-touch plutocrat and collecting endorsements from the Kennedy family.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, snooze, Trump’s, Mr, Kennedy, “, John F, Robert F, ” Organizations: — Locations: New York, Lower Manhattan, Pennsylvania, Scranton, Philadelphia

☆ Election Updates: Trump’s first criminal trial begins and Biden and Harris hit the trail.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

When former President Donald J. Trump goes on trial on Monday in Manhattan, President Biden and his allies are not likely to say much. The media coverage will be constant, especially if Mr. Trump takes the stand, which he has floated as a possibility. Mr. Biden and his campaign have said nothing publicly about the criminal indictments against Mr. Trump, worried about improperly influencing the cases or stoking Mr. Trump’s repeated allegations — made without evidence — that Mr. Biden has engineered the charges. Many of the deep-pocketed outside Democratic groups supporting the Biden campaign are charting a similar path. When Mr. Trump goes on trial on Monday, he will be the first U.S. president to face criminal prosecution.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden, Trump’s, —, Alvin Bragg, “, ”, Steve Schale, ” Mr, Stormy Daniels, Brandon Weathersby, He’ll, Biden won’t, they’re, Donald Trump, Suzan DelBene, ” Lisa Lerer, Ruth Igielnik, Michael Gold Organizations: White, Mr, Democratic, Biden, PAC, New York Times, Siena College, Philadelphia, Republican Party, House Democrats Locations: Manhattan, Michigan , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Scranton, Pa, Pittsburgh, Washington

☆ Four Years Out, Some Voters Look Back at Trump’s Presidency More Positively
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Lisa Lerer | Ruth Igielnik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Views of Donald J. Trump’s presidency have become more positive since he left office, bolstering his case for election and posing a risk to President Biden’s strategy of casting his opponent as unfit for the presidency, according to a new poll by The New York Times and Siena College. While the memories of Mr. Trump’s tumultuous and chaotic administration have not significantly faded, many voters now have a rosier picture of his handling of the economy, immigration and maintaining law and order. Ahead of the 2020 election, only 39 percent of voters said that the country was better off after Mr. Trump took office. Now, looking back, nearly half say that he improved things during his time as president. The poll’s findings underscore the way in which a segment of voters have changed their minds about the Trump era, recalling those years as a time of economic prosperity and strong national security.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Biden’s, Trump Organizations: The New York Times, Siena College Locations: New York

☆ 2024 Election Trump hits the campaign trail Saturday before the beginning of his trial Monday.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Chris Cameron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

During a campaign rally, Vice President Kamala Harris blamed former President Donald J. Trump for the Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold a near-total ban on abortion. Crowd: “That’s right.” Former President Donald Trump did this. In Tucson, Ms Harris referred to those plans, which The New York Times has reported would rely on enforcing the Comstock Act. “Here’s what a second Trump term looks like,” Ms. Harris said. On Friday, in contrast, Ms. Harris leaned into the issue.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald J, Trump, Roe, ”, Donald Trump, Ms, Harris, “, Wade, Biden, Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake, Ms Harris, “ Kamala Harris, ” Carol Tobias, Joe Biden, Lisa Lerer Organizations: Arizona Supreme, Trump, Republicans, Democrat, Republican, Democratic, White, New York Times, U.S Locations: Arizona, Tucson, Ariz, Florida, United States

☆ Republican Women Are Divided on Abortion as Bans Spread
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Elizabeth Dias | Lisa Lerer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rebecca Gau, a self-described “reasonable Republican” in Mesa, Ariz., is conflicted about many things that her party promotes. But she knows exactly what she thinks about Arizona’s new — or rather, very old — Civil War-era abortion ban. “Are you nuts?” she said, adding that she was frustrated with the ban and Republican politicians inserting themselves into women’s health choices. Across the country, fractures are emerging among conservative and centrist Republican women, as they confront an unrelenting drumbeat of new abortion bans and court rulings. For years, the party’s message was simple and broad: Republicans oppose abortion.

Persons: Rebecca Gau Organizations: Republican Locations: Mesa, Ariz

They see Ms. Lake, who is in a competitive race that could determine control of the Senate, as an important ally. “It is time for my legislative colleagues to find common ground of common sense: the first step is to repeal the territorial law,” State Senator Shawnna Bolick posted on X. The State Senate president, Warren Petersen, and the State House speaker, Ben Toma, both Republicans, supported the abortion ban. Credit... Matt York/Associated PressDemocrats said it was urgent to pass a repeal before the court’s ruling upholding the 1864 law takes effect. Image The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday that upheld an 1864 law regarding abortion.

Persons: Kari Lake, Donald J, Trump, Roe, Wade, Lake, Shawnna Bolick, Bolick, Arizona Democrats clamored, Warren Petersen, Ben Toma, Mr, Toma, Matt York, Katie Hobbs, —, ”, Doug Ducey, “, that’s, Caitlin O'Hara, The New York Times “, Juan Ciscomani, David Schweikert, Ciscomani, Schweikert, “ Arizona’s MAGA, Hannah Goss, Ruben Gallego, Stephanie Stahl Hamilton Organizations: Arizona Republican, Arizona Republicans, U.S, Supreme, Republicans, Democratic, Arizona Democrats, Senate, State House, Republican, Arizona Capitol, ., Associated Press Democrats, ”, Gov, Arizona Supreme, The New York Times, State Legislature, “ Arizona’s MAGA Republicans, Democratic Party, Democrat Locations: Arizona, ”

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Arizona on Friday to assail former President Donald J. Trump over abortion restrictions, with plans to blame him for bans in the state and across the country. In her remarks at a rally in Tucson, Ms. Harris will lean into the Biden campaign’s new attack line on laws pushed by Republicans that have cut off abortion access for millions of American women: Donald Trump did this. This week, Arizona became the center of the national debate on reproductive rights after a ruling by the state’s top court upheld an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions. The decision gave Democrats around the country an opportunity to focus their races on abortion rights, a strategy that has led to unexpected victories for the party over the last two years. The Biden campaign has already released two new ads this week hammering Mr. Trump on abortion.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald J, Trump, Harris, Donald Trump, Biden, Roe, Ms, ” Organizations: Biden, Republicans Locations: Arizona, Tucson

In a meeting with her staff last week, Vice President Kamala Harris offered a prediction: Former President Donald J. Trump would not support a national abortion ban. Instead, she said, he would take a position that would muddy the waters on an issue that she believed could be deeply damaging for his campaign. We need to make him own this, she told her aides. On Tuesday, Arizona’s top court upheld an 1864 law that bans nearly all abortions. And on Friday, before more than 100 abortion rights activists and supporters, Ms. Harris plans to deliver a simple message: Blame Donald Trump.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald J, Trump, Harris, Arizona’s, Donald Trump Organizations: White House Locations: Tucson, United States

Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicBy the time his first term was over, Donald J. Trump had cemented his place as the most anti-abortion president in U.S. history. Now, facing political blowback, he’s trying to change that reputation. Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent for The Times, discusses whether Mr. Trump’s election-year pivot can work.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Lisa Lerer, Trump’s Organizations: Spotify, The Times

Even though the court put its ruling on hold for now, President Biden and his campaign moved quickly to blame former President Donald J. Trump for the loss of abortion rights, noting that he has taken credit for appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned a constitutional right to abortion. Just a day earlier, Mr. Trump had sought to defang what has become a toxic issue for Republicans by saying that abortion restrictions should be decided by the states and their voters. Mr. Trump offered no immediate response to the decision, but Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for his campaign, said: “President Trump could not have been more clear. These are decisions for people of each state to make.”Nowhere are the politics of abortion more distilled than in Arizona, where liberal advocates have been pushing for a ballot measure in November that would enshrine abortion rights in the State Constitution. Supporters of the measure say they have already gathered enough signatures to put the question on the ballot ahead of a deadline in early July.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, Karoline Leavitt Organizations: Arizona’s, “ Locations: Arizona, State

☆ On Abortion, Trump Chose Politics Over Principles. Will It Matter?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Lisa Lerer | Elizabeth Dias | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They demanded Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. With Roe v. Wade left on the “ash heap of history,” as anti-abortion leaders are fond of saying, they find themselves no longer calling the shots. And on Monday, their biggest champion, the man whom they call the “most pro-life president in history,” chose politics over their principles — and launched a series of vitriolic attacks on some of their top leaders. With his clearest statement yet on the future of abortion rights since the fall of Roe in 2022, Mr. Trump laid bare how faulty a messenger he had always been for the anti-abortion cause. When he first flirted with a presidential run in 1999, Mr. Trump was clear about his position on abortion: “I’m very pro-choice,” he said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Roe, Wade, ”, I’m Organizations: Republican, Mr, Conservative Political, Conference

☆ Welcome to the Jess Bidgood Era
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Lisa Lerer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

I’m so pleased to tell you that after a long and exhaustive search, we have found our next newsletter writer, Jess Bidgood. Jess is new to this newsletter but not to The New York Times. And Jess is just the right person to chart us through this uncharted territory. She has a keen eye for character, endless curiosity about the country and a wonderful sense of humor. After that, you’ll find her in your inbox three times a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Persons: Jess Bidgood, Jess, Chris Sununu, She’ll, you’ll Organizations: New York Times, Gov Locations: Boston, New Hampshire

On Tuesday, lawyers for Ms. Lake indicated she would not dispute the facts of a defamation lawsuit that Stephen Richer, the Maricopa County recorder, had filed against her. But they seem to be more durable and pervasive in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, riling up residents long after campaigns have closed up shop. Credit... Rebecca Noble for The New York TimesThe numbers back up Arizona’s outsize role in election fraud claims. At a news conference on Monday, Gary M. Restaino, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, said seven of the nation’s roughly 18 federal cases regarding election threats involved people targeting Arizona election officials, though the suspects are not Arizonans. Image Bill Gates, a Maricopa County supervisor, during Arizona’s primary presidential election in Phoenix earlier in March.

Persons: Joseph R, Biden, Donald J, Kari Lake, Trump, baselessly, hasn’t, Lake, Stephen Richer, Richer, —, ”, Joshua Garland, Rebecca Noble, Gary M, “, Mr, Restaino, Lake’s, ” Mr, they’re, Katie Hobbs, Bill Gates, Gates, Lake —, ‘, ’ ‘, ’ ”, “ It’s Organizations: Republican, Arizona State University, “, The New York Times, Arizona, U.S, Supreme, Lake’s Democratic, Mr, Republicans Locations: Arizona, Maricopa, Maricopa County, Phoenix, Georgia, U.S, . Credit, Gitmo

☆ Biden, Fighting for Credit and Raising Cash, Gets Help From Clinton and Obama
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Lisa Lerer | Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Of the triumvirate of recent Democrats in the White House, Mr. Biden is the one who historians, political strategists and policy experts argue has racked up the most expansive list of legislative accomplishments — and has received the least amount of credit for them. It is a roster of achievement that surpasses Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the two Democratic former presidents who will join him on Thursday in New York. And yet Mr. Biden’s approval ratings are the lowest of all three men. While voters broadly support some of Mr. Biden’s key policies, they are far more pessimistic about the future. And they’re not confident in his ability to serve a second term.

Persons: Biden, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, ” Leon Panetta, Clinton’s, Obama’s, Mr Organizations: Democratic Locations: New York City, New York

☆ 4 Presidents, 2 Events and a Preview of Campaign Clashes to Come
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Lisa Lerer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The epicenter of the presidential campaign shifted to New York on Thursday, as the incumbent president and three of his predecessors descended on the area for dueling events that illustrated the kinds of political clashes that could come to define the general election. For Democrats, it was a high-profile fund-raiser for President Biden in Manhattan. On Long Island, former President Donald J. Trump attended a wake for a New York City officer who was killed during a traffic stop on Monday. Together, the day’s events made for an unusual moment in a general election campaign that has so far been largely defined by appearances in courtrooms and at small, invitation-only events. Mr. Biden, along with Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, arrived for a joint fund-raiser at Radio City Music Hall that campaign aides said raised $25 million.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton Organizations: New, New York City, Radio City Music Hall Locations: New York, Manhattan, Long

A deadly virus and a public health lockdown remade daily routines with startling speed, leaving little time for the country to prepare. Four years later, the coronavirus pandemic has largely receded from public attention and receives little discussion on the campaign trail. Though diminished, the pandemic has become the background music of the presidential campaign trail, shaping how voters feel about the nation, the government and their politics. The pandemic hardened voter distrust in government, a sentiment Mr. Trump and his allies are using to their advantage. Fears of political violence, even civil war, are at record highs, and rankings of the nation’s happiness at record lows.

Persons: Joseph R, Biden, Donald J, Trump, —, Kathy Hochul, “ We’re, ” Organizations: White House, ” Locations: New York

While White House officials say they have largely reached the limits of their power to protect abortion rights, the issue has emerged as a linchpin of their re-election strategy. The tour is part of a White House initiative led by Ms. Harris to highlight abortion rights. The mere sight of a top Democratic official walking into an abortion clinic will offer the clearest illustration yet of how the politics of abortion rights have shifted for the party — and the nation. Mr. Biden has promised to restore federal abortion rights and preserve access to medication abortion, which faces new threats from a case set to be argued before the Supreme Court this month. He barely mentioned abortion rights during his 2020 campaign, a reflection of his discomfort with discussion of the issue and how little his strategists believed abortion energized swing voters.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Harris, Roe, Wade, Tim Walz, . Walz, Betty McCollum, shied, Biden’s, Donald J, Mr, Biden, ”, Reid J, Epstein Organizations: White, The, of Family, Gov, Minnesota, Democratic, Republicans Locations: Twin Cities, Minnesota, KFF, Texas, Roe

☆ Kamala Harris Will Visit Abortion Clinic, in Historic First
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Lisa Lerer | Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to meet with abortion providers and staff members on Thursday in the Twin Cities, a visit that is believed to be the first stop by a president or vice president to an abortion clinic. The appearance at a health center will be the latest leg in a nationwide tour by Ms. Harris, who has emerged as the most outspoken defender of abortion rights in the administration. While White House officials say they have largely reached the limits of their power to protect abortion rights, the issue has emerged as a linchpin of their re-election strategy. Ms. Harris plans on Thursday to tour the center with an abortion provider and highlight what the administration has done to try to preserve access to the procedure as conservative states enact growing restrictions. Minnesota has become a haven for abortion seekers since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ushering in restrictive laws and bans in neighboring states.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Harris, Roe, Wade Organizations: White, The, of Family Locations: Twin Cities, Minnesota

☆ The Trump-Biden Rematch Is Here. Americans Are Processing.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Lisa Lerer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After weeks of campaign ads, political speeches and voting in more than two dozen primary contests, Americans are coming to terms with a reality that many have tried to avoid: a rematch. For months, large swaths of Democratic, independent and moderate Republican voters have moved through familiar emotional stages, processing the prospect of President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump fighting it out, once again, for months. They have dealt with denial, believing other candidates would emerge, and bargaining, entertaining fantasies about last-minute entrants, nationally viable third-party candidates and speedy legal prosecutions. “You ever hear people say, ‘You’re picking, but that’s not the choice you want’?” said Shalonda Horton, 50, as she walked into a polling place in Austin, Texas, to vote for Mr. Biden on Tuesday. “When I get in there, I’ll say, ‘Lord, help me.’”In Los Angeles, Jason Kohler, who calls himself a progressive Democrat, said he was casting his ballot for Mr. Biden only with resignation.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, “, that’s, ”, Shalonda Horton, Mr, ’, Jason Kohler Organizations: Republican, Trump Locations: Austin , Texas, Los Angeles

☆ Amid Age Concerns, the White House Tries a New Strategy: Let Joe Be Joe
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Katie Rogers | Lisa Lerer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He is making visits to ice cream parlors and barbecue joints, and asking to meet with influencers who can disseminate images of him on TikTok and Instagram. He is talking more often to reporters and fielding questions on the Middle East, Republicans and, of course, his age. “I have been saying for several months to the campaign, ‘Please, let him be Joe Biden,’ and so have many others,” Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware and a close ally of the president, said in an interview. “It is not only good for the campaign. It is good for him and it’s good for the country when Joe Biden gets a chance to get out from behind the podium and be less President Joe Biden and more Joe.”

Persons: influencers, Biden, Donald J, Trump, ’, enraging, “, Joe Biden, Chris Coons, Joe, ” Organizations: Republicans Locations: East, Delaware

☆ Key Primary Races in California and North Carolina to Follow on Super Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Lisa Lerer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Typically, Super Tuesday looms large on the political calendar as the moment the presidential race moves from one-state-at-a-time contests into more than a dozen states, all at once. The delegate haul is immense, representing as much as one-third of each party’s total. Down the ballot from the presidential race, several states are hosting consequential primary contests. These races lack the high profile of the presidential campaign, but they can give us hints about the kind of race the country may face in November. Here are three worth watching:California SenateThe California Senate primary was expected to be a titanic clash over the future and ideology of the Democratic Party.

Persons: Donald Trump, Biden Organizations: Super, California Senate, Democratic Party Locations: California

☆ Majority of Biden’s 2020 Voters Now Say He’s Too Old to Be Effective
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Lisa Lerer | Ruth Igielnik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Widespread concerns about President Biden’s age pose a deepening threat to his re-election bid, with a majority of voters who supported him in 2020 now saying he is too old to lead the country effectively, according to a new poll by The New York Times and Siena College. The survey pointed to a fundamental shift in how voters who backed Mr. Biden four years ago have come to see him. A striking 61 percent said they thought he was “just too old” to be an effective president. The misgivings about Mr. Biden’s age cut across generations, gender, race and education, underscoring the president’s failure to dispel both concerns within his own party and Republican attacks painting him as senile. Seventy-three percent of all registered voters said he was too old to be effective, and 45 percent expressed a belief that he could not do the job.

Persons: Biden’s, Biden Organizations: The New York Times, Siena College, Mr

☆ After South Carolina, Trump’s March to the Nomination Quickens
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Lisa Lerer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But his overwhelming victory on Saturday in South Carolina, where he defeated Nikki Haley in her home state, makes it all but official. The Republican nominating contest isn’t a competition. The stakes were extraordinarily high: Many of his Republican opponents see Mr. Trump as, at best, unelectable and, at worst, a threat to the foundations of American democracy. And yet, as the campaign has moved through the first nominating contests, the race has not revealed Mr. Trump’s weaknesses, but instead the enduring nature of his ironclad grip on the Republican Party. “I think the party will be done with Trump when Trump is done with the party,” said David Kochel, a longtime Republican strategist who is opposed to Mr. Trump.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Nikki Haley, It’s, ”, David Kochel, “ Organizations: Republican, Republican Party, Capitol, Trump, Mr Locations: Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire, New York City

Search resuls for: "Lisa Lerer"

25 mentions found