Trump is blasted by conservatives after failing to take a stance on a national abortion ban. The parents of school shooter Ethan Crumbley will face victims’ families at their sentencing. And relive the wonder of the total solar eclipse through stunning images.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump’s abortion stance unleashes conservative criticisms
Donald Trump has kept his cards about a national abortion ban close to the chest throughout his campaign for another term in the White House. Yesterday, that silence continued, in a way, as he revealed his stance on abortion — passing the buck back to states to decide on bans. Almost immediately, fellow conservatives fired back.
One of them was Trump’s Republican ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has introduced a bill to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy and has vowed to keep pressing for federal limits. In reaction to Trump’s new message on abortion, Graham said “most Americans oppose late-term abortion.”
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“For the pro-life movement, it’s about the child, not geography. So if you’re turning the pro-life movement into a geographical movement, I think you’re making a mistake,” Graham said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence joined in the criticism, calling Trump’s statement “a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans who voted for him in 2016 and 2020.”
In a 4 1/2-minute video released on his Truth Social media platform, Trump refused to take a position on a national abortion ban. He also made several false claims, including that “we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint” in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision. In reality, a majority of Americans have consistently said in polling that they favor the Roe v. Wade protections that the court dismantled.
In the past, Trump had hinted that he might embrace a national ban, referring to a 15- or 16-week threshold as a consensus position. Trump did not say what he would do if he won the presidency and Congress sent him a national ban.
More Donald Trump news:
- Special counsel Jack Smith urged the Supreme Court to reject Trump’s presidential immunity position in the federal election interference case, arguing history “refutes” the premise of his argument.
- An appeals court denied Trump’s bid to delay the New York hush money trial, which is scheduled to start on Monday.
- Judge Juan Merchan released the jury questionnaire for the hush money trial.
Crumbley parents face victims’ families and their fate
A sentencing hearing for James and Jennifer Crumbley, the first parents to ever be charged and convicted in the U.S. for their child’s mass shooting, is set to begin this morning. Two sources close to the case said the couple will appear together, the first time they would have seen each other since last fall. They’ll also face the families of victims of the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School carried out by their son Ethan, who was sentenced to life in prison.
Prosecutors in Oakland County are asking for sentences of 10 to 15 years in prison each. Lawyers for both parents are asking for the judge to give them credit for the more than two years already spent in jail.
It’s possible James Crumbley will face a harsher sentence after prosecutors said he made threats while in jail, legal experts say. Prosecutors have also pointed out James Crumbley’s “lack of remorse” in seeking a harsh sentence.
UConn Huskies win back-to-back NCAA titles
UConn defeated Purdue 75-60 to clinch its second consecutive NCAA men’s basketball championship. Tristen Newton paced UConn with 20 points, while Stephon Castle added 15 points. After a back-and-forth first half, the Huskies gained their first double-digit lead near the midpoint of the second half before they pulled away.
Purdue’s center Zach Edey ended with a game-high 37 points and 10 rebounds. The team has been to the Final Four three times, reaching the championship game once, but it has never won the NCAA Tournament. See more highlights from last night’s tournament finale.
How a blood pressure medication became an acne treatment
The prescribing rates for spironolactone, a blood pressure drug, for acne in women rose about 300% between 2017 to 2020, according to a study in JAMA Dermatology. In fact, by 2020, dermatologists were prescribing the spironolactone to treat acne at similar rates to antibiotics. But spironolactone isn’t considered a so-called first-line treatment for acne, and its use for that purpose isn’t approved by the FDA.
Spironolactone works by blocking a hormone called aldosterone and helps the kidneys flush salt and water out of the body to lower blood pressure. Its use as a blood pressure medicine was approved in 1960. By the 1980s — after doctors learned the medicine also disrupts other hormones in the body, including ones that cause acne — some dermatologists began prescribing it to women as an acne treatment. Since then, “its use has just grown and grown,” one dermatologist said.
Now, some doctors say they’d like to see more studies performed to understand the drug’s potential long-term effects.
Lawyer fatally shoots his ex-daughter-in-law and another attorney
A deposition at a Las Vegas law firm turned deadly yesterday when a lawyer opened fire on two people before turning the gun on himself, two sources familiar with the investigation said. The shooting happened yesterday morning at the Prince Law Group office during a deposition in which the shooter was representing his son.
The two victims were the lawyer’s ex-daughter-in-law and the attorney representing her in the deposition. That attorney was also the woman’s husband, the sources said. A source said the attorney who was slain was the shooter’s former law partner and that they had known each other for 30 years. Here’s what else we know.
The best eclipse views — and when to see one again
“This is magical,” NBC News’ Lester Holt said he was plunged into darkness during yesterday’s total solar eclipse. Around him, cheers from others watching the eclipse in Indianapolis could be heard. That sense of wonder echoed across much of the U.S., as crowds stretching from Texas to Maine took in the rare celestial event. Here are some of the most stunning images.
In Cleveland, babies in an intensive care unit were dressed in special onesies and eye gear. NBC News host Gadi Schwartz witnessed totality from 20,000 feet in the air. In Arkansas, couples said “I do” during the Total Eclipse of the Heart Festival. See more highlights from the day.
So when can another swath of the country expect to witness another eclipse? The next total eclipse to cross coast to coast is will be on Aug. 12, 2045, and it will cut through California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. There will also be a few other eclipses in between, in different parts of the world.
Politics in Brief
Student debt: President Joe Biden announced revised plans to cancel federal student debt that would benefit millions, almost a year after the Supreme Court struck down his original proposal. Here’s who could benefit from his new plan.
2024 election: A campaign staffer for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raised the prospect of blocking Biden from being re-elected by sending the election to the House of Representatives. But Kennedy’s campaign said the statements “in no way reflect” their strategy.
Election security: Election officials across the country are leaving their jobs at historic highs, new data shows, putting thousands of new officials in place to oversee a tense and high-stakes presidential contest.
Fight over electric vehicles: Donald Trump has zeroed in on President Biden’s agenda to transition from gas-powered to electric cars in the U.S., particularly in Michigan, and he’s using increasingly violent rhetoric.
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Staff Pick: FAFSA glitches leave graduating seniors in the dark
Getting into college should be an exciting time for high school seniors. Instead, FAFSA’s botched overhaul has delayed need-based financial aid offers for so long that students have been forced into difficult decisions. One student applied to a new set of schools that she knew her family could afford. Another will attend her last-choice university because she’ll receive free tuition. Parents are making tough choices too. — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor
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