Could abortion be a vote-winner for Democrats nationally?

Former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is concerned for the future of the GOP. Walker is an authority here: he’s one of the few elected officials to have ever won three elections in four years, after Democrats mounted a boneheaded attempt to recall him from office back in 2012. What worries Walker now, per comments he made to Fox News Thursday, is the result of this week’s election for his own state’s Supreme Court that saw liberals secure a judicial majority for the first time since 2008.

That election centered…

Could abortion be a vote-winner for Democrats nationally?

Former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is concerned for the future of the GOP. Walker is an authority here: he’s one of the few elected officials to have ever won three elections in four years, after Democrats mounted a boneheaded attempt to recall him from office back in 2012. What worries Walker now, per comments he made to Fox News Thursday, is the result of this week’s election for his own state’s Supreme Court that saw liberals secure a judicial majority for the first time since 2008.

That election centered largely on abortion — the soon-to-be justice who won, Janet Protasiewicz, made very clear that she was pro-choice. Wisconsin is one of those states where abortion is up in the air: an 1849 law bans most abortions though it’s not clear whether it still applies. What is clear, however, is that the politics of abortion have changed. Once, the very existence of Roe v. Wade was enough to drive out pro-life door-knockers and conservative voters. Now, the absence of Roe is firing up progressives.

That’s not to say Republicans can’t win on the issue — the progressive preference for abortion on demand is fanatical and garners little support in polls. Yet most Americans aren’t straightforwardly pro-life either. Figuring out a way forward must be a priority lest Walker’s worries be validated.

–Matt Purple

On our radar

ME AND MRS. JONES Rebekah Jones, who ran against and was roundly beaten by Matt Gaetz in the contest for Florida’s 1st district in 2022, turned in her thirteen-year-old son to law enforcement after he made repeated threats to shoot up a local middle school. Jones initially attempted to present the arrest as “the reality of living in DeSantis’s Florida.” She rose to progressive stardom after claiming to be a “whistleblower” on Ron DeSantis misreporting Covid deaths — which later proved to be unsubstantiated.

TENNESSEE FRISKY Two Tennessee Democrats were expelled from the state legislature Thursday after leading a gun violence protest into the Capitol building in Nashville. Republicans ousted Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, while a third representative, Gloria Johnson, survived the expulsion vote.

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Don Lemon to be squeezed out at CNN?

The studio walls are quickly closing in on Don Lemon after accusations of his borderline psychotic behavior towards female colleagues emerged.

Variety reported that the CNN anchor sent malicious, threatening texts to his former co-anchor Kyra Phillips, after she was picked over him for an assignment in Iraq. Don said she was “going to pay for it,” before destroying her desk. That’ll teach her!

While he may be unpleasant, woman-hating and just plain weird, there is something far more embarrassing that Don has been accused of: name-dropping. Colleagues have claimed that he makes a point of mentioning important people he’s socialized with, and even has a handwritten note from Stedman Graham taped to his computer. There’s no saving your reputation after that. Little birdies tell Cockburn that the best is yet to come. Could time be up for Don at CNN? NewsNation is hiring…

–Cockburn

Is Ukraine about to strike back?

As the battle for Bakhmut continues to rage, Ukraine is getting its forces ready for a major counteroffensive, according to CNN. Having spent the winter pummeling Russia’s forces in the eastern city and taking out supply nodes behind the frontlines, Kyiv’s forces are setting the stage for their next move. New NATO weapons, including main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, will play a central role in any successful battle.

Moscow has prepared for this moment, bolstering its defensive lines over the past months. The Ukrainians have acknowledged that this may well be their last chance to bring the war to a swift and favorable end, making the stakes for Kyiv particularly high — failure now could mean a more disadvantageous peace. Success will require a skillful combined arms assault, utilizing the full array of equipment and tactics available to Ukraine’s forces.

New Leopard 2 tanks and Bradley and Marder infantry fighting vehicles — all superior to most of what Russia has to offer — will be front and center, used to smash through enemy lines and widen any gap created through successive flanking maneuvers. If Ukraine can achieve this, Russian lines in the area may begin to collapse under the strain.

Where Kyiv will make its move is the big question, one that will have analysts guessing until the first tank rolls over Russian trenches. Ukraine could sweep south, cutting off Russian forces north of Crimea and opening the door for a potential strike at the peninsula. Alternatively, Kyiv could move in the east, similar to its fall offensive when it surged through the Kharkiv region. Deception will rule the day, and multiple simultaneous offensives will likely be the preferred route, forcing Moscow to ration its forces across the frontline.

However the Ukrainians choose to execute their offensive, this will be a critical moment in a world-changing war now in its fourteenth month.

–John Pietro

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Poll watch

PRESIDENT BIDEN JOB APPROVAL

Approve 43.9% | Disapprove 53.0% | Net Approval -9.1 (RCP average)

2024 NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Joe Biden: 34%
Pete Buttigieg: 18%
Michelle Obama: 14%
Bernie Sanders: 11%
Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer: 4%
Marianne Williamson, Andrew Yang: 2%
(St. Anselm)