Reproductive Rights at the State of the Union
President Joe Biden called out attacks on abortion and IVF during last night’s State of the Union address, where a number of invited guests had ties to post-Roe disputes over reproductive rights. Ahead of the speech, Robert P. Jones, Ph.D., PRRI’s President and Founder,joined MSNBC’s The ReidOut to discuss Republicans’ agenda on reproductive rights. Jones pointed out that only 9% of Americans support a total ban on abortion, according to PRRI data. More than six in ten Americans say abortion should be legal in most or all cases (64%), including 68% of young Americans ages 18 to 29, 64% of those ages 30 to 49, 63% of those ages 50 to 64, and 62% of those age 65 and over.
Congress Drops Funding for LGBTQ+ Community Center After ‘Libs of TikTok’ Scorn
Katherine Tully-McManus, Anthony Adragna, and Jennifer Scholtes at POLITICO report that lawmakers have withdrawn a $1 million earmark to renovate and expand a Philadelphia LGBTQ community center from the funding package Congress is expected to pass this week. According to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (PA), the funding was pulled unbeknownst to him after the conservative social media account Libs of TikTok accused the center of hosting sex parties and singled out Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Fetterman for supporting the funds. Congressional Republicans also blocked other LGBTQ earmarks, including funding for an LGBTQ housing program in Pennsylvania and affordable housing units for LGBTQ seniors in Boston.
Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Sparks Fears of More Hate Crimes Against Latinos
Russell Contreras at Axios reportsthat activists and political leaders are increasingly concerned by racist rhetoric about immigrants from former President Donald Trump and others. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found that several cities reported record highs in hate crimes in 2023, and anti-Latino hate crimes specifically increased by 21% in the last two years, according to the FBI. PRRI’s 2023 American Values Survey found that nearly four in ten Americans (38%) agree with the statement “Immigrants are invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background,” compared with 57% who disagree.
Unpacking Trump’s Pseudo-Religion
At Salon, Chauncey DeVega asked a panel of experts for their thoughts and insights on Donald Trump’s claims of personal divinity and use of “Christianity.” PRRI’s Robert P. Jones told DeVega that the theological rationales for supporting Trump are “all over the map.” He continued, “These are not rigorously developed religious rationales but rather theological fragments that are serving as backfill to support fealty to Trump.… If you turn this kaleidoscope theology over enough, you can see that it is pointing to something bigger: the worldview of white Christian nationalism.” PRRI’s latest report found that support for Christian nationalism nearly perfectly correlates with vote for Trump in the 2020 election, particularly among white Americans.
