Faith-Based Groups That Assist Migrants Become Targets of Extremists

At The New York Times, Miriam Jordan writes that Catholic Charities and other faith-based organizations providing humanitarian aid to migrants continue to be the targets of conspiracy theories and attacks from far-right activists and some Republican lawmakers. Escalating threats of violence and harassment have led to increased security measures at Catholic Charities facilities, and underscore the danger that inflammatory rhetoric from activists and lawmakers can create for groups providing assistance to migrants. PRRI’s 2023 American Values Surveyfinds that more than seven in ten Republicans (72%) see newcomers as a threat, compared with a far lower percentage of independents (43%) and Democrats (21%).

Why Arizona Organizers Aren’t Shying Away From Saying ‘Abortion’

Grace Panetta for the 19th News reports on the significance of Arizona for Abortion Access, the only campaign in Arizona to use the term ‘abortion’ in its name. Following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, Arizona has undergone a series of legal battles, which has resulted in unclear policies for both patients and doctors. Chris Love, a spokesperson for Arizona for Abortion Access, highlights that by using the term ‘abortion’ in their name, they are working to destigmatize the term and clarify to voters what they are trying to achieve. PRRI finds over half (60%) of Arizonans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and only 8% believe it should be illegal in all cases. PRRI’s 2020 Census of American Religion data was also recently cited in a piece by Nationhood Lab, Abortion’s Regional Divide, which you can read here.

22 Experts Predict What the Trump Conviction Will Mean for 2024 and Beyond

At POLITICO, Alex Kent examineswhat top political minds and historians believe the single biggest consequence of Donald Trump’s historic conviction will be. PRRI Board Member and Emory University Political Scientist Andra Gillespie cites new polling showing that two-thirds of respondents said that the verdict in the hush money case would have no bearing on their vote choice in November. Gillespie wrote, “In the long run, this verdict reinforces the idea that this election is fundamentally about mobilization and turnout.” PRRI polling conducted shortly before the last presidential election in 2020 showed that nearly half of Republicans (49%) who approved of Trump’s presidency declared there is almost nothing Trump could do to lose their approval.

Police Investigate Theft of More Than 200 Pride Flags in Massachusetts

The Guardian’s Maya Yang reports that police are investigating the theft of more than 200 Pride flags in Carlisle, MA that were taken overnight from a prominent local traffic circle days before the start of Pride month. Yang noted that the theft of the flags “comes amid heightened discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities across the US,” citing PRRI research showing that public support for nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ communities and same sex marriage has declined in the last year.