Gender gap on abortion rights hit record high: Gallup
The gender gap between men and women who identify as pro-choice has widened to its largest point on record, according to a new Gallup poll.
Sixty-one percent of women view themselves as pro-choice when it comes to abortion while 41 percent of men call themselves pro-choice, the poll released Monday found.
The 20-point difference between the genders is the largest gap since Gallup began tracking public opinion on abortion twenty years ago.
The numbers are slightly lower than they were last year, knocking down the overall percentage of U.S. adults who consider themselves to be pro-choice to 51 percent.
Gallup noticed an immediate increase in support for abortion access among Americans after the Supreme Court's decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had established a constitutional right to abortion.
In 2022, the percentage of U.S. adults who considered themselves pro-choice increased to 55 percent, up from 49 percent the previous year.
Women's support for abortion access though has significantly outweighed men's since then.
In 2022, 61 percent of women called themselves pro-choice, marking a 9-point increase from the year before.
Meanwhile, 48 percent of men referred to themselves as pro-choice that same year, representing a 3-point increase from 2021.
Women's support for abortion access has since generally increased or remained steady, while men's support has fallen.
'The net result is that the gender and partisan gaps in Americans' views on abortion are at historical highs, and the country as a whole has moved slightly left in its abortion views,' wrote Lydia Saad, director of social research at Gallup.
'Although some of the changes seen in 2022 have eased, the public opinion landscape remains more accepting of abortion than it was prior to Dobbs.'
Gallup's poll findings are based on telephone interviews of 1,003 adults across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., conducted May 1-18.
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Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Why on earth is Dr. Phil involved in immigration raids? Another made-for-TV event from a reality star president
Can someone explain to me what, exactly, Dr. Phil has to do with immigration policy or constitutional law in these United States? Many outrageous and unsettling things happened in Los Angeles over the weekend. On Friday, multiple immigration raids, in downtown's Fashion District and outside a Home Depot in Paramount, sparked a not unusual response that led to police involvement, during which many, including union official David Huerta, were arrested. Ostensibly dissatisfied with the handling of the situation, President Trump, over objections from both L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, made the highly unusual — and potentially illegal — decision to send in the National Guard. Tensions escalated and by Sunday, portions of L.A. freeways were shut down as some protesters and/or outside agitators vandalized downtown stores, defaced buildings, hurled rocks from downtown overpasses onto law enforcement vehicles and set fire to a few Waymo cars. Trump's border advisor, Tom Homan, threatened to arrest Newsom if citizens of this sanctuary state continued to interfere with immigration raids, and Newsom publicly dared him to do it, adding that California would be suing the Trump administration for making the situation worse by sending in the National Guard. On Monday, Homan appeared to backtrack on his threat while Trump said he would support it. It was both a little — no one should have been surprised that ICE raids in L.A. would spark protests and these were, relatively speaking, small and nonviolent — and a lot. Sending in the National Guard was an obvious military flex, designed to to bait Angelenos while perhaps distracting Americans from Trump's far greater troubles. But nothing said 'this is a made-for-TV event brought to you by the same reality-star-led administration that proposed making legal immigration into a television competition' as the presence of Phil McGraw. Who, after being embedded with ICE officials during raids in Chicago earlier this year, spent some of this weekend kicking it with Homan in L.A.'s Homeland Security headquarters. As first reported by CNN's Brian Stelter, Dr. Phil was there to get 'a first-hand look' at the targeted operations and an 'exclusive' interview with Homan for 'Dr. Phil Primetime' on MeritTV, part of Merit Street Media, which McGraw owns. Dr. Phil is, for the record, neither a journalist nor an immigration or domestic policy expert. He isn't even a psychologist anymore, having let his license to practice (which he never held in California) lapse years ago. He is instead a television personality and outspoken Trump supporter who was on hand to … I honestly don't know what. Provide psychological support to Homan as he threatened to arrest elected officials for allowing citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech while using local law enforcement to prevent any violence or destruction of property that might occur? Offer Homan another platform on which he could explain why Trump is breaking his own vow to target only those undocumented immigrants who have committed violent crime? Or maybe just provide a familiar face to help normalize rounding up people from their workplaces and off the street and sending in the National Guard when this doesn't appear to be happening smoothly enough. There is, of course, the chance that McGraw asked Homan some tough questions. In a clip from the interview posted on X, he appears to begin his interview by asking what exactly happened this 'busy' weekend in L.A. Homan replies that multiple law enforcement agencies were 'looking for at-large criminals' and serving search warrants as part of a larger money laundering investigation, including at one company where 'we knew about half of their employees were illegally in the United States' and in 'service of those warrants, we arrested 41 illegal aliens.' Still, after years of claiming to be nonpolitical, McGraw gave the president a full-throated endorsement at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally in 2024 while denouncing diversity initiatives. McGraw said the name of his media company pays homage to Americans who made it 'on hard work … not on equal outcomes or DEI.' McGraw's presence during immigration raids, and his choice as the person who should interview Homan even as things escalated in L.A., would seem downright weird if it weren't so politically perilous. Merit Street Media is one of a growing number of new news outlets claiming to offer 'fresh perspective' on 'American values' while hewing almost exclusively to Trump's MAGA message and offering 'safe spaces' to conservatives. Then-presidential candidate Trump told Dr. Phil in August — in reference to those involved in his felony conviction — 'revenge can be justified' and that he would win California if Jesus were counting the ballots. Using McGraw as a platform to explain Trump and Homan's divisive immigration policy and incendiary decision in L.A. most certainly underlines the criticism that these raids, and the fallout they will inevitably cause particularly in sanctuary states and cities, are being conducted with maximum spectacle awareness. If McGraw isn't a direct part of the policy, he appears to be a big part of its publicity. Which is a bit alarming. Over the years, McGraw has been criticized about his treatment of guests (some of whom sued) and staff. In 2020, he issued an apology for comparing the mounting deaths from COVID-19 to the (far smaller) number of deaths due to drowning in swimming pools. After his fellow Oprah alum, Dr. Mehmet Oz, ran for the Senate last year, McGraw shrugged off the notion that he would ever follow suit, saying he 'doesn't know enough about it.' 'When you start talking to me about geopolitics and all the things that go into that — I'm a neophyte, I don't think I would be competent to do that.' Nor is there any indication that he is well-versed in immigration or constitutional law. If Trump and Homan honestly wanted a recognizable TV brand to help walk Americans through the legal complications of what happened in L.A. over the weekend, they should have asked Judge Judy.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
President Donald Trump pushes ahead with his maximalist immigration campaign in face of LA protests
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump made no secret of his willingness to exert a maximalist approach to enforcing immigration laws and keeping order as he campaigned to return to the White House. The fulfillment of that pledge is now on full display in Los Angeles. The president has put hundreds of National Guard troops on the streets to quell protests over his administration's immigration raids, a deployment that state and city officials say has only inflamed tensions. Trump called up the California National Guard over the objections of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom — the first time in 60 years a president has done so — and is deploying active-duty troops to support the guard. By overriding Newsom, Trump is already going beyond what he did to respond to Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, when he warned he could send troops to contain demonstrations that turned violent if governors in the states did not act to do so themselves. Trump said in September of that year that he 'can't call in the National Guard unless we're requested by a governor' and that 'we have to go by the laws.' But now, the past and current president is moving swiftly, with little internal restraint to test the bounds of his executive authority in order to deliver on his promise of mass deportations. What remains to be seen is whether Americans will stand by him once it's operationalized nationwide, as Trump looks to secure billions from Congress to dramatically expand the country's detention and deportation operations. For now, Trump is betting that they will. 'If we didn't do the job, that place would be burning down,' Trump told reporters Monday, speaking about California. 'I feel we had no choice. ... I don't want to see what happened so many times in this country.' 'A crisis of Trump's own making' The protests began to unfold Friday as federal authorities arrested immigrants in several locations throughout the sprawling city, including in the fashion district of Los Angeles and at a Home Depot. The anger over the administration's actions quickly spread, with protests in Chicago and Boston as demonstrations in the southern California city also continued Monday. But Trump and other administration officials remained unbowed, capitalizing on the images of burning cars, graffiti and Mexican flags — which, while not dominant, started to become the defining images of the unrest — to bolster their law-and-order cause. Leaders in the country's most populous state were similarly defiant. California officials moved Monday to sue the Trump administration, with the state's attorney general, Rob Bonta, arguing that the deployment of troops 'trampled' on the state's sovereignty and pushing for a restraining order. The initial deployment of 300 National Guard troops was expected to quickly expand to the full 2,000 that were authorized by Trump. The state's senior Democratic senator, Alex Padilla, said in an interview that 'this is absolutely a crisis of Trump's own making.' 'There are a lot of people who are passionate about speaking up for fundamental rights and respecting due process, but the deployment of National Guard only serves to escalate tensions and the situation,' Padilla told The Associated Press. 'It's exactly what Donald Trump wanted to do.' Padilla slammed the deployment as 'counterproductive' and said the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department was not advised ahead of the federalization of the National Guard. His office has also pushed the Pentagon for a justification on the deployment, and 'as far as we're told, the Department of Defense isn't sure what the mission is here,' Padilla added. Candidate Trump previewed immigration strategy during campaign Much of this was predictable. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to conduct the largest domestic deportation operation in American history to expel millions of immigrants in the country without legal status. He often praised President Dwight D. Eisenhower's military-style immigration raids, and the candidate and his advisers suggested they would have broad power to deploy troops domestically to enact Trump's far-reaching immigration and public safety goals. Trump's speedy deployment in California of troops against those whom the president has alluded to as 'insurrectionists' on social media is a sharp contrast to his decision to issue no order or formal request for National Guard troops during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, despite his repeated and false assertions that he had made such an offer. Trump is now surrounded by officials who have no interest in constraining his power. In 2020, Trump's then-Pentagon chief publicly rebuked Trump's threat to send in troops using the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that empowers the president to use the military within the U.S. and against American citizens. Current Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signaled support on his personal X account for deploying troops to California, writing, 'The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE,' referring to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The Defense Department said Monday it is deploying about 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles to support National Guard troops already on the ground to respond to the protests. White House responds to an 'incompetent' governor Protesters over the weekend blocked off a major freeway and burned self-driving cars as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades in clashes that encompassed several downtown blocks in Los Angeles and led to several dozen arrests. Much of the city saw no violence. But the protests prompted Trump to issue the directive Saturday mobilizing the California National Guard over Newsom's objections. The president and his top immigration aides accused the governor of mismanaging the protests, with border czar Tom Homan asserting in a Fox News interview Monday that Newsom stoked anti-ICE sentiments and waited two days to declare unlawful assembly in the city. Trump told Newsom in a phone call Friday evening to get the situation in Los Angeles under control, a White House official said. It was only when the administration felt Newsom was not restoring order in the city — and after Trump watched the situation escalate for 24 hours and White House officials saw imagery of federal law enforcement officers with lacerations and other injuries — that the president moved to deploy the Guard, according to the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss private deliberations. 'He's an incompetent governor,' Trump said Monday. 'Look at the job he's doing in California. He's destroying one of our great states.' Local law enforcement officials said Los Angeles police responded as quickly as they could once the protests erupted, and Newsom repeatedly asserted that state and city authorities had the situation under control. 'Los Angeles is no stranger to demonstrations and protests and rallies and marches,' Padilla said. 'Local law enforcement knows how to handle this and has a rapport with the community and community leaders to be able to allow for that.' The aggressive moves prompted blowback from some of Trump's erstwhile allies. Ileana Garcia, a Florida state senator who in 2016 founded the group Latinas for Trump and was hired to direct Latino outreach, called the recent escalation 'unacceptable and inhumane.' 'I understand the importance of deporting criminal aliens, but what we are witnessing are arbitrary measures to hunt down people who are complying with their immigration hearings — in many cases, with credible fear of persecution claims — all driven by a Miller-like desire to satisfy a self-fabricated deportation goal,' said Garcia, referring to Stephen Miller, a White House deputy chief of staff and key architect of Trump's immigration crackdown. The tactics could be just a preview to what more could come from the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. GOP lawmakers are working to pass a massive tax-and-border package that includes billions to hire thousands of new officers for Border Patrol and for ICE. The goal, under the Trump-backed plan, is to remove 1 million immigrants without status annually and house 100,000 people in immigration detention centers. ___ Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Barabak: Putting the bully in bully pulpit, Trump escalates in L.A. rather than seeking calm
When four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King, President George H.W. Bush expressed the shock and horror many Americans felt. "What you saw and what I saw on the TV video was revolting," Bush said in a nationally televised speech from the Oval Office. "I felt anger. I felt pain. I thought: How can I explain this to my grandchildren?" Bush spoke after dispatching National Guard troops to Los Angeles following three days of civil unrest sparked by the not-guilty verdicts — some of the worst domestic violence the country had ever seen. He acted at the request of California Gov. Pete Wilson and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. Bush offered no apologies. To the contrary, he said "there can be no excuse ... for the murder, arson, theft, and vandalism that have terrorized the law-abiding citizens of Los Angeles." At the same time, however, Bush sought to address some of the underlying issues — the racist history of the LAPD, chief among them — that festered for decades before exploding into molten rage. And he promised to use Washington's power to pursue justice, which eventually led to a federal trial of the officers who battered King. Read more: The legal issues raised by Trump sending the National Guard to L.A. That is, historically, what presidents have done: Facing volatile circumstances, confronting crises, they summon the powers of their office to explain, to ameliorate, to reassure and above all, to try to calm the situation. Not Donald Trump. Anger and aggrievement are the twin engines that power the president's glowering soul. He used the pretense of some relatively modest, scattered protests to seize control of California's National Guard and unilaterally dispatch troops to Los Angeles — launching an assault on the Constitution and the limits of presidential power yet again. He demonstrated anew his eagerness to divide and conquer and, with swagger, put the bully into bully pulpit. "He does not see that calming role as being very integral to what he does," said Julian Zelizer, a Princeton historian and author of a book on Trump's first term. "He is definitely willing to provoke conflict and to fuel division rather than to move in the opposite way. ... Instead of calming a situation, it's the opposite. It's ramping up a situation." Before we continue, let's be clear. As Bush said, there's no excuse for arson, theft or vandalism. Violent protest doesn't bring about justice. It only begets more violence. It justifies crackdowns like the one Trump has so eagerly employed — playing into the president's hands, as Gov. Gavin Newsom put it. Moreover, waving the flag of a foreign country isn't prideful, or politically smart in the least. Rightly or wrongly, it's inciteful, serving only to distract from and hurt the pro-migrant cause the flag-wavers profess to champion. And, to be clear, there are some people who use protests like the ones against Trump's immigration raids as a cover and excuse to pursue an extraneous agenda of violence and anarchy. They're doing more than just physical damage. None of which, however, justifies the conduct of a president who, when faced with flames, comes running with gasoline. Instead of a steady hand or the consoler-in-chief, we have a political arsonist residing in the White House. The fact Trump dispatched troops to tamp down protests in Los Angeles, the biggest blue megalopolis in the nation's biggest blue state, cannot be ignored. "The president loves to take symbolic acts," said George Edwards, a presidential scholar at Texas A&M University, in this instance targeting California and an enduring nemesis, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and using immigration — long an issue at the heart of his political agenda — as his sword and shield. "Aside from an incidental goal of keeping peace," Edwards said, "I think that's important in his mind." You can practically see Trump salivate. And there is something else worth noting, as the president calls in the Guard and positions himself as the savior of law-and-order. "They spit, we hit!'" Trump blustered, warning demonstrators of the consequences they would face if they assaulted police and troops in such a manner. This from a president who unconditionally pardoned 1,500 criminals convicted in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and its peace officers — one of whom attacked a policeman by plunging a stun gun multiple times into his neck. "You tase, we're unfazed!" — is that how it's going to be, so long as the violence is conducted on Trump's behalf? Read more: Breakdown between Trump and Newsom fueling Los Angeles crisis In the decade since his descent down a gilded escalator — and emergence as the most dominant and consequential political figure of the 21st century — Trump has proven himself a peerless master of distraction and deflection. And so it is again. Elon who? But in looking out for his own interests, and conflating policy with personal grudges, Trump has abdicated one of the major responsibilities of a president: to dampen unruly passions, to quell violence and, as the preamble of the Constitution states, to "insure domestic tranquility." "Any moment like this is very dangerous," Zelizer said, "because the more force that that is there, the more potential there is for something bad to happen." We can hope for the best. But this will probably not end well. Get the latest from Mark Z. BarabakFocusing on politics out West, from the Golden Gate to the U.S. me up. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
