Politics

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Anti-abortion activists and pro-abortion rights supporters took to the streets of Washington on Tuesday after news that the U.S. Supreme Court may overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that legalized abortion.

A leaked initial draft majority opinion suggests the court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, Politico reported on Monday.

Reuters was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the draft opinion. The Supreme Court and the White House declined to comment.

Within hours of the news, anti-abortion activists chanting “hey, hey, ho, ho, Roe v. Wade has got to go” and abortion rights supporters shouting “abortion is healthcare” were facing off outside the court.

Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics and has been for nearly a half century.

A 2021 poll by the Pew Research Center found that 59% of U.S. adults believed it should be legal in all or most cases, while 39% thought it should be illegal in most or all cases.

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the draft opinion, which is dated Feb. 10, according to Politico, which posted a copy online.

Based on Alito’s opinion, the court would find that the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed abortions performed before a fetus would be viable outside the womb – between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy – was wrongly decided because the U.S. Constitution makes no specific mention of abortion rights.

“Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each state from regulating or prohibiting abortion,” Alito said, according to the leaked document.

Protester Annie McDonnell, 19, a student at George Washington University, said: “The first line in the draft is that this is a moral issue. If it’s a moral issue, you shouldn’t be depriving us of our choice.”

“Justices get out of my vagina,” said one protest sign.

The unprecedented leak sent shock waves through the United States.

“This decision is a direct assault on the dignity, rights, & lives of women, not to mention decades of settled law. It will kill and subjugate women even as a vast majority of Americans think abortion should be legal. What an utter disgrace,” said former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The ruling would be the court’s most sweeping since former President Donald Trump succeeded in naming three justices to the court, cementing a 6-3 conservative majority.

“The Republican-appointed Justices’ reported votes to overturn Roe v. Wade would go down as an abomination, one of the worst and most damaging decisions in modern history,” said U.S. House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats.

The news broke a little more than six months before midterm elections that will determine if Democrats hold their razor-thin majorities in the U.S. Congress for the next two years of President Joe Biden’s term.

“Congress must pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land in this country NOW,” said Independent Senator Bernie Sanders.

California governor Gavin Newsom said the state will propose an amendment to “enshrine the right to choose” in the state’s constitution.

“We can’t trust SCOTUS to protect the right to abortion, so we’ll do it ourselves,” Newsom said on Twitter, referring to the Supreme Court.

ABORTION PROVIDERS STUNNED

The decision appeared based on an oral argument in December on Mississippi’s bid to revive its ban on abortion starting at 15 weeks of pregnancy, a law blocked by lower courts.

The Politico report said a court majority was inclined to uphold Mississippi’s abortion ban and that there could be five votes to overturn Roe. An official ruling is expected before the end of June.

Four of the other Republican-appointed justices – Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett – voted with Alito in the conference held among the justices, it added.

After an initial vote among the justices following an oral argument, one is assigned the majority opinion and writes a draft. It is then circulated among the justices.

At times, in between the initial vote and the ruling being released, the vote alignment can change. A ruling is only final when it is published by the court.

The news of the draft opinion stunned abortion providers.

Andrea Gallegos, executive administrator at Tulsa Women’s Clinic in Oklahoma, had just finished calling some 25 patients to tell them their Tuesday abortion appointments would need to be canceled because of a soon to be enacted Oklahoma law modeled on a highly restrictive Texas abortion ban.

“I can’t say that I’m surprised,” she said.

“Now all these other conservative states like Oklahoma are passing the exact same legislation that Texas did, I have to say I became less optimistic and way more scared for what the future of Roe looks like.”

The Roe v. Wade decision recognized that the right to personal privacy under the U.S. Constitution protects a woman’s ability to terminate her pregnancy.

Christian conservatives and many Republican officeholders have long sought to overturn it.

If Roe is overturned, abortion is likely to remain legal in liberal states. More than a dozen states have laws protecting abortion rights. Numerous Republican-led states have passed various abortion restrictions in defiance of the Roe precedent in recent years.

Democrats said the draft opinion underscores the importance of this year’s elections, in which they are seeking to maintain control of the House and Senate. Republican lawmakers criticized the leak, suggesting it was an attempt to inappropriately pressure the court into changing course.

The anti-abortion group the Susan B. Anthony List welcomed the news.

“If Roe is indeed overturned, our job will be to build consensus for the strongest protections possible for unborn children and women in every legislature,” its president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, said in a statement.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley, Gabriella Borter and Moira Warburton; Editing by Scott Malone and Michael Perry)

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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — When New York Gov. Kathy Hochul took office last year after her predecessor resigned in a sexual harassment scandal, one of her first big decisions was appointing a lieutenant governor who could help restore trust in government.

Her choice — and attempt at a reset — imploded last month when her pick, Brian Benjamin, resigned after his arrest on corruption charges.

Now the Democrat is hoping to try again, vetting candidates for a new partner as legislative allies move to change state law in a way that would get Benjamin off the ballot in the primary election and allow Hochul to campaign with a new, yet-to-be named running mate.

Hochul’s choice for a job that normally fades into the background is now a high-stakes decision that could make it tougher to shake off two primary challengers and weigh her down in the general election in November.

“If she gets the wrong person, it gives the Republicans an issue,” Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said. “The question of this choice is being used against her to question her capacity to govern and to make decisions.”

Hochul has said Benjamin’s April 12 arrest surprised her. She dismissed questions Monday about how carefully she vetted Benjamin, a former state senator, pointing to the tight timeframe she had to find a second-in-command after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in August and she took his place.

“We had to get someone. It was not a situation that was desirable. Can we do it all over again differently? Yes, and we will do it very differently,” she said.

Her decision of a new partner is expected in the coming days. But in order to take her new pick on the campaign trail, she first needs lawmakers to allow her to remove Benjamin from the June primary ticket.

Existing elections law says a candidate can only get off the ballot in case of death, moving out of state or running for another office.

The state Senate and Assembly started considering a bill Monday that would allow candidates to decline their spot on the ballot if they’ve since been charged with or convicted of crimes.

Hochul told reporters Monday that the bill is about ending dysfunction in Albany. She denied that it’s solely focused on her gubernatorial bid.

“When you think about it, every time I talk to a voter, they can’t believe that that was even the law,” she said. “So why not fix it now since this came to light? They know that a governor deserves to have a running mate of her choosing.”

Mike Murphy, a state Senate Democrats spokesperson, said lawmakers expected to start voting on the bill Monday afternoon.

Once that bill passes, Benjamin can decline his party’s nomination and remove himself from the June primary ballot, something he said Monday he intends to do.

“I am innocent of these unsubstantiated charges. However, I would be unable to serve under these circumstances,” Benjamin said in a statement posted to Twitter.

The Democratic Party and its committee on vacancies would be able to fill Benjamin’s spot with a candidate of party leaders’ choosing, according to a summary of the bill that outlines existing state election law.

“The expectation is that this will be accomplished today and that’ll create the necessary vacancy for there to be someone that goes before the committee on vacancies, they can start doing their work then,” Hochul said.

Republicans, as well as some Democrats, blasted the bill as an unfair changing of election rules at the last minute.

“Instead of working to lower crime and taxes, Kathy Hochul is more focused on salvaging her political future by desperately working to change state law to cover up that she put a known-corrupt LG on her ticket,” Suozzi said.

Hochul’s office didn’t immediately provide answers to questions Monday about when she will announce her new running mate.

Veteran campaign lawyer Jerry Goldfeder said the Democratic party has ample discretion when it comes to picking a new nominee.

“If this passes, they’ll be able to do it, as long as the person fulfills the qualifications for lieutenant governor,” he said.

Hochul, who is white and from Buffalo in western New York, has been pressured to select a person of color who has ties to New York City.

That was a consideration she made when choosing Benjamin, a former state lawmaker who hails from Harlem and was the second Black man to hold the job.

Hochul could also potentially tap one of two lieutenant governor candidates already on the ballot: immigration advocate Ana Maria Archila, and former New York City council member Diana Reyna. Both are running in hopes of serving alongside progressive Jumaane Williams and centrist Tom Suozzi, respectively.

Luis Miranda, a New York political consultant and board chair of the progressive political group Latino Victory, is among those who’ve publicly called on Hochul to appoint New York’s first Hispanic lieutenant governor, a symbolic choice in a state that prizes diversity.

Latinos make up roughly one-fifth of the population but have not yet been elected to statewide office in New York or citywide office in New York City.

“It will make a difference and it will be noticeable and great for the Latino community, and quite frankly, good politics,” Miranda said.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday he is weighing a presidential run in 2024 and his decision won’t be affected by whether former President Donald Trump decides to join the race.

Hutchinson, a two-term Republican governor who is restricted under Arkansas law from seeking a third term, said it was time for the national GOP to move on from Trump in regards to the candidates he’s endorsing in the 2022 midterm elections as well as “the direction he wants to take our country.”

Asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” if he was mulling a presidential run, Hutchinson replied: “I am. But you have got to get through, of course, this year, but that’s an option that’s on the table.”

Making clear he was “not aligned” with Trump, Hutchinson added: “I think he did a lot of good things for our country, but we need to go a different direction. And so that’s not a factor in my decision-making process.”

Currently the chairman of the National Governors Association, Hutchinson in recent months has become a fixture on cable television — at times drawing the ire of Trump — in defending his veto of legislation targeting transgender youths in the state and warning fellow Republicans about tying their fortunes too closely to the former president. After the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which led to Trump’s impeachment by the House, Hutchinson said he wanted Trump’s administration to end. He’s made it clear since early 2021 that he would not back a Trump 2024 bid and urged public officials to look ahead rather than focus on Trump’s false claims of a stolen 2020 election.

Though Trump remains the most popular figure among Republican voters who dominate primary elections, several GOP figures are considering presidential runs on a platform opposing the former president. Beyond Hutchinson, they include Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

Other candidates eyeing possible runs are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, though they have been less clear about their intentions if Trump enters the race. Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, has said she would stand down on a potential bid if Trump opts to run a second time.

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NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (AP) — Robert C. Krueger, who followed two U.S. House terms with a brief interim appointment to the Senate before launching a sometimes-hazardous diplomatic career, has died at age 86, his family said Sunday.

Krueger died Saturday morning in his New Braunfels home with his wife by his side after suffering from congestive heart failure, daughter Sarah Krueger said.

Funeral arrangements were pending.

Most of Krueger’s career was as an academic at Duke University, the University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, Oxford University and Texas State University.

Even while pursuing that career, Krueger, a Democrat, ventured into politics in 1974 with his first election to the U.S. House. After two House terms, President Jimmy Carter appointed him as a U.S. ambassador at large and coordinator for Mexican affairs. He served in that capacity until the end of the Carter administration in 1981.

Krueger returned to elective politics when he won a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission in 1990. He served from January 1991 until Texas Gov. Ann Richards tapped him to complete Lloyd Bentsen’s unexpired U.S. Senate term in January 1993 when Bentsen left to become President Bill Clinton’s Treasury secretary. However, Krueger lost to Republican Kay Baily Hutchison in a June 1993 special election.

Krueger returned to diplomacy when Clinton named him U.S. ambassador to Burundi in 1994. The eastern African country was embroiled in civil strife at the time. Krueger had to be airlifted when his convoy was attacked by unidentified gunmen in June 1995, killing one convoy member and injuring several others, and was recalled from the post for his safety.

Krueger was U.S. ambassador to Botswana in 1996-99 and a special U.S. representative to the 14-nation Southern African Development Community in 1998-2000. He then returned to academia as a visiting fellow at Merton College, Oxford, and continued his academic pursuits until his 2017 retirement from a lectureship position at Texas Tech University.

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(Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to demonstrate his power over the Republican Party with more than 150 endorsements of candidates in November’s midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for 2023 and 2024.

Twelve key picks — including some against incumbent members of his party — will show Trump’s influence.

Primary elections in the weeks ahead will test Trump’s sway with Republican primary voters, though only Nov. 8 will show how many Trump-backed candidates can win office.

J.D. VANCE

* U.S. Senate seat for Ohio vacated by retiring Senator Rob Portman

* May 3 Republican nomination contest

Trump-backed Vance is best known as the author of best-seller “Hillbilly Elegy” which documented the descent of factory towns in states like Ohio into poverty and drug abuse. He has styled himself as an angry populist in the Trumpian mold but a recent public opinion poll on the Republican nomination contest pointed to a close race with former Ohio state treasurer Josh Mandel.

TED BUDD

* U.S. Senate seat for North Carolina vacated by retiring Senator Richard Burr

* May 17 Republican nomination contest

Budd, a rank-and-file member of the House of Representatives, had little statewide name recognition before he sought the Republican nomination for what is expected to be a tight race in November. Even with Trump’s endorsement, Budd has trailed former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory in public opinion polls for much of the race, though in recent polling Budd has taken a modest lead.

MEHMET OZ

* U.S. Senate seat for Pennsylvania vacated by retiring Senator Pat Toomey

* May 17 Republican nomination contest

Oz is a celebrity doctor whose public image took a blow in 2014 when he told lawmakers probing bogus diet product ads that some of the products promoted on his show lacked “scientific muster.” Trump’s decision to endorse Oz has divided Republican Party leaders in Pennsylvania, with a former hedge fund CEO David McCormick and conservative commentator Kathy Barnette also contenders for the Republican nomination. The three candidates were virtually tied in a recent public opinion poll. The winner of the primary will face a Democrat in what is expected to be among the tightest races of the November elections.

HERSCHEL WALKER

* Versus U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia

* May 24 Republican primary

Walker, a retired football star, is favored to win the Republican nomination contest and public opinion polls already point to a close race in November against Warnock, a Democratic pastor. But Trump-endorsed Walker, who has never held elected office, has vulnerabilities including past allegations of domestic abuse. Groups backing Walker’s Republican primary opponents are planning ad campaigns that argue Walker can’t beat Warnock because of his baggage.

DAVID PERDUE

* Versus Georgia Governor Brian Kemp

* May 24 Republican primary

In 2021, Perdue conceded that he lost his U.S. Senate to Democrat Jon Ossoff, but in March 2022 reversed himself, voicing false claims that the election was stolen, although the evidence of fraud that he cited was part of a case that was ultimately dismissed by a judge. Despite Trump’s endorsement of Perdue over Kemp, the state’s Republican governor who angered Trump by dismissing the former president’s false statements about election fraud, Kemp has a double-digit lead over Perdue in public opinion polls.

KATIE ARRINGTON

* Versus U.S. Representative Nancy Mace

* June 14 Republican primary for South Carolina’s 1st congressional district

Trump’s backing of Arrington is noteworthy because the South Carolina state representative is challenging a sitting Republican lawmaker who voted against Trump’s impeachment. Mace irked the former president shortly after taking office in January 2021 when she said Congress should consider censuring Trump for his role in his supporters’ assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Arrington has trailed Mace in public opinion polls.

RUSSELL FRY

* Versus U.S. Representative Tom Rice

* June 14 Republican primary for South Carolina’s 7th congressional district

Trump’s pick to unseat incumbent Republican Rice, one of a handful of Republicans who voted to impeach the former leader, is a state representative whose campaign had nearly a half million dollars in the bank on March 31, pointing to a potentially competitive race with Rice.

LOREN CULP

* Versus U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse

* Aug. 2 Republican primary for Washington’s 4th congressional district

Trump’s pick to challenge Newhouse is former small-town police chief Loren Culp, who in March called for the execution of a Black man accused of badly injuring a woman by throwing her down the stairs of a train station. Trump had endorsed Culp in February, angered by Newhouse’s vote 2021 impeachment vote. While Newhouse’s campaign had nearly $1 million in the bank on March 31, Culp’s campaign had $23,543.

JOHN GIBBS

* Versus U.S. Representative Peter Meijer

* Aug 2 Republican primary for Michigan’s 3rd congressional district

Gibbs, a former housing official under Trump, saw his nomination to head the U.S. Office of Personnel Management flounder after lawmakers from both parties questioned his history of inflammatory tweets, including references to baseless conspiracy theories about Democrats and Satanism. His opponent Meijer, who voted to impeach Trump, is far ahead in fundraising. The winner of the nomination contest will face a Democrat in what is expected to be among the tightest House races in November.

JOE KENT

* Versus U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler

* Aug 2 Republican primary for Washington’s 3rd congressional district

Former special forces officer Joe Kent has campaigned with far right U.S. representative Matt Gaetz of Florida and told Oregon Public Broadcasting he held a social media strategy call with white nationalist Nicholas Fuentes, though he said he disagreed with Fuentes’ “ethno-nationalism.” Kent’s campaign had more than $1 million in the bank on March 31, setting up a strong challenge to incumbent Herrera Beutler, who voted to impeach Trump.

KELLY TSHIBAKA

* Versus U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska

* August 16 open primary contest

Trump is backing Tshibaka, a former Alaska state administration commissioner, to unseat Murkowski, who was one of just seven Republican senators that voted to convict Trump in 2021 on charges he incited insurrection. The Alaska contest has taken on the shade of a proxy war between Trump and Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, who vowed to do everything possible to help the campaign of Murkowski, one of the Senate’s few moderates. Tshibaka’s campaign had nearly $1 million in the bank on March 31, suggesting she could be a formidable opponent.

HARRIET HAGEMAN

* Versus U.S. Representative Liz Cheney

* Aug. 16 Wyoming at-large-district Republican primary

Trump threw his backing behind Hageman, a land-use lawyer, in September 2021, looking to punish Cheney, who was stripped of her role as the No. 3 House Republican for voting to impeach the former president on a charge of inciting insurrection. Hageman led Cheney by 20 percentage points in a December public opinion poll.

(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)

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Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles announced Saturday night that he will enter the 2023 governor’s race, joining what’s shaping up to be a crowded Republican contest to select a nominee to challenge Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

Quarles told a GOP gathering in Lexington that he will seek the state’s top elected position. He had officially announced his candidacy in an interview on WKYT-TV’s Kentucky Newsmakers program.

Quarles, in his second term as agriculture commissioner, has long been seen as a strong contender, having built up his name recognition in GOP strongholds across rural Kentucky. His entry into the race could signal a flurry of potential announcements in the coming weeks and months.

At a Republican gathering earlier Saturday in Oldham County, Quarles tried to link Beshear to President Joe Biden, pointing to surging inflation and fuel prices.

“If there’s one thing we can all agree on today, is that Gov. Andy Beshear and President Biden both need to be one-termers,” Quarles said.

Beshear has stressed his stewardship of the state’s economy while leading the Bluegrass State through the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s two largest-ever economic development announcements — both related to battery production for electric vehicles — have come during his term. Recent polling showed the governor receiving high job-performance ratings from Kentuckians.

But the governor faces a tough reelection fight in a state trending heavily toward Republicans.

State Auditor Mike Harmon announced last year that he will seek the GOP nomination for governor.

Several other Republicans are thought to be weighing gubernatorial bids, including Attorney General Daniel Cameron, former United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft, state Sens. Ralph Alvarado and Max Wise, state Rep. Savannah Maddox and Somerset Mayor Alan Keck.

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican, said Saturday that he anticipates a large field of GOP candidates for governor next year

“I think we’re going to need more paper for the ballots,” he quipped in an interview with The Associated Press at the GOP gathering in Oldham County.

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By Karen Freifeld and Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -A New York judge expressed surprise on Friday that Donald Trump, a man he described as perhaps the world’s most famous real estate developer, was unable to provide any documents sought in a probe of the Trump Organization, his family company.

Justice Arthur Engoron in New York state court in Manhattan said at a virtual hearing that he would go on holding the former U.S. president in contempt of court and fine him $10,000 a day despite a request from Trump’s lawyer to lift both orders.

“He’s Donald Trump, the most famous real estate developer in the world, arguably,” the judge said. “I am surprised he doesn’t seem to have any documents; they’re all with the organization.”

On Monday, Engoron issued the orders over Trump’s failure to comply with New York Attorney General Letitia James’ subpoena for documents. On Wednesday, Trump signed an affidavit saying he did not believe he had any relevant documents and, if there were any documents, the Trump Organization would have them.

On Friday, Engoron, who read Trump’s affidavit at the hearing, said the document bore “his inimitable signature” in what appeared to be a Sharpie. But he said that it lacked useful detail about where Trump kept his records.

In order to purge the contempt finding, Trump would have to submit an affidavit swearing to where his files were located, how they were stored, and who had access to them, as well as state whether he turned over his personal electronic devices for searching and imaging, the judge said later in a written order.

At the hearing, Engoron homed in on the small pieces of paper with an adhesive strip on one side that Trump is known for using. “He’s famous for post-its,” the judge said. “When he wants something done, he puts a post-it on something. I don’t think we’ve received any post-its.”

Trump Organization general counsel Alan Garten testified as part of the attorney general’s probe that Trump used post-it notes to communicate with employees, court records show.

But Trump lawyer Alina Habba said Trump does not have any post-its.

“You can fine us for 10 months but you’re not going to get any more documents from Donald Trump,” Habba said. “He doesn’t have the documents that you want.”

James says her probe has already turned up evidence that the Trump Organization – which manages hotels, golf courses and other real estate around the world – has given banks and tax authorities misleading financing information in order to obtain financial benefits such as favorable loans and tax breaks.

Engoron said he would consider Habba’s request to terminate the fine. “But if you don’t hear from me, the clock is still ticking,” he said.

A Republican, Trump denies wrongdoing and calls the probe politically motivated. James is a Democrat. Habba said on Friday that she would continue appealing against both the contempt order and the fine following Engoron’s oral ruling.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld and Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)

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By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House will issue guidance Friday to federal agencies in a bid to ensure effective implementation and oversight of the $1 trillion infrastructure spending law, officials told Reuters.

President Joe Biden will meet Friday with about a dozen inspectors general (IGs) and other oversight officials, the White House said, along with other key administration officials overseeing infrastructure spending.

Biden wants to empower IGs – independent government watchdogs – to ensure appropriate oversight of the big government spending plan approved in November, the officials said.

The 14-page guidance memo, reviewed by Reuters and being issued on Friday by White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young, says agencies must designate a senior official to be accountable for infrastructure spending implementation and to lead regular reviews.

Agencies should work with IGs as they design infrastructure programs and hold joint review meetings with IGs and OMB on significant programs, Young wrote.

The guidance says agencies should use “enterprise risk management practices … to identify and mitigate risks during program design.”

An administration official told Reuters the federal government was working to hire about 8,000 people to implement the infrastructure law, with the majority to be hired in 2022. The guidance says the jobs include “human resources, contracting officers, grants managers, and data scientists.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote this week on Twitter the department “is ready to bring on thousands of new employees.” Buttigieg’s department is overseeing about $200 billion in competitive and discretionary grant programs.

A fact sheet seen by Reuters says the administration wants agencies to “make evidence-based decisions, transparently describe the criteria for investment decisions, (and) set and track measurable goals, performance indicators, and milestones.”

The guidance also directs agencies to make it easier for smaller governments to apply for grants, including providing technical assistance to local and tribal communities, and says agencies must report monthly infrastructure spending to government website USAspending.gov for public disclosure.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bradley Perrett)

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By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan majority of U.S. voters oppose politicians punishing companies over their stances on social issues, a cold reception for campaigns like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ against Walt Disney Co, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The two-day poll completed on Thursday showed that 62% of Americans – including 68% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans – said they were less likely to back a candidate who supports going after companies for their views.

DeSantis signed a bill last week that strips Disney of self-governing authority at its Orlando-area parks in retaliation for its opposition to a new Florida law that limits the teaching of LGBTQ issues in schools.

For DeSantis, a rising star in the Republican Party, it was an attempt to bolster his conservative credentials as a culture warrior ahead of a possible run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

But even when prompted along the lines of DeSantis’ own argument for his action – that laws should remove benefits of government tax breaks from corporations that push a “woke” agenda – 36% of Republicans nationally said they would be less likely to support a candidate with such a view.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll still showed that DeSantis, 43, is a potential force in national Republican politics.

Presented with a list of prominent politicians, a full 25% of Republican respondents said DeSantis best represents the values of their party, second only to former President Donald Trump who was favored by 40% of Republicans. Texas Governor Greg Abbott garnered 9%.

But the poll also showed a nation deeply divided on how schools teach about sexual orientation and gender identity — the subject of the controversial Florida law.

Half of U.S. voters support laws banning classroom discussion on sexual orientation or gender identity for children age 5-11, including 69% of Republicans and 36% of Democrats.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English and throughout the United States. It gathered responses from 1,003 adults and had a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of about 4 percentage points.

(This story corrects name in first para)

(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis)

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By Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden said American teachers are being unfairly targeted in “the culture wars,” and warned against book banning in an event at the White House Wednesday.

Biden, speaking at an annual 2022 National and State Teachers of the Year award ceremony, said politicians are trying to score points by banning books, in an apparent reference to conservatives and Republicans in states from Texas to Tennessee.

“American teachers have dedicated their lives to teaching our children and lifting them up,” Biden said to murmurs of agreement from the teachers. “We’ve got to stop making them the target of the culture wars. That’s where this is going.”

Across the United States, more than 1,000 titles, mostly addressing racism and LGBTQ issues, have been removed from school libraries in recent months, according to the writers’ organization PEN America.

He also defended U.S. teachers, who have been criticized by groups like “Moms for Liberty,” for they way they teach about race and slavery in the United States.

“Today, there are too many politicians trying to score political points, trying to ban books,” Biden said. “Did you ever think when you were teaching you’d be worrying about book burning and banning books all because it doesn’t fit someone’s political agenda?”

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by David Gregorio)

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