Trump’s fundraising email subjects veer from hugs to guillotines. What to know about mifepristone after the Supreme Court struck down a challenge to accessing the abortion pill. And a landslide in Wyoming deepens the disparities between the ultrawealthy and local workers.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump’s fundraising emails are a roller coaster
Politicians (and scammers) have long leaned on emotional appeals to get people to part with their money.
Former President Donald Trump’s recent trials have been a huge driver of his fundraising, spiking around his 2023 indictments and arraignments, and then driving tens of millions of dollars into his presidential campaign after he was found guilty in his New York hush money trial last month.
Trump’s campaign has been sending supporters a stream of fundraising solicitations with email subject lines ranging from “I love you” and “Do you need a hug?” to “I am a Political Prisoner.”
“It’s like a reading multiple-personality battery test. I’m not sure exactly what they’re aiming for,” Democratic strategist Tim Lim said.
The emails from Trump’s campaign haven’t always been so light. There are darker ones on his legal troubles — “Where should I ship my mugshot?” — and his grievances with Democrats — “Put Biden on trial” — that often reflect some of his more extreme campaign rhetoric. This week, an email with the subject line “Haul out the guillotine!” was sent as he accused his political opponents of going after him and his supporters. Trump’s vibe in his emails has been veering from intimacy to fear and back again.
Read more:
- Trump held a closed-door meeting with at least 80 CEOs yesterday in Washington. He had a clear pitch, according to people familiar with the meeting — that CEOs are going to see tax cuts and a curtailment of business regulations if he is re-elected.
- Republicans hosted a “pep rally” for Trump as he made his first visit to Capitol Hill since before the Jan. 6 attack.
Abortion pill remains accessible for now, but fear persists
The Supreme Court unanimously rejected a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone yesterday, saying the anti-abortion doctors who brought the case didn’t have standing to sue. The justices agreed that the plaintiffs failed to show they had suffered any injury, and the ruling means that the commonly used drug can remain widely available for now.
But the court signaled that the doctors had other avenues for challenging access to the pill. Writing for the court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said, “The plaintiffs may present their concerns and objections to the president and FDA in the regulatory process or to Congress and the president in the legislative process.”
NBC News reporter Chloe Atkins reports that many women still fear prosecution for using mifepristone in the 21 states that have banned or restricted abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned. One of those women, a single mother of five, recounts her fear of being arrested after arriving at a hospital bleeding heavily hours after taking abortion pills. Find out more about the state of access to mifepristone.
Elsewhere in the political battlefield of reproductive health, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic-led bill to codify federal protections for in vitro fertilization nationwide. President Joe Biden chastised the Republicans who opposed the measure, saying in a statement, “This is outrageous and unacceptable.”
Extremes collide in Florida: Summer weather and DeSantis’ agenda
As the Northern Hemisphere tiptoes into summer, Florida is already in the crosshairs of what is likely to be a season of extremes. Storms battered South Florida this week, with almost a foot of rain falling in just hours over some parts Wednesday, causing severe flooding just weeks after an early-season heat wave sent heat indexes well into the triple digits across the same region. And all of this comes ahead of what forecasters say could be an exceptionally active hurricane season.
Those extremes have a common denominator — they’re all amplified by climate change. That’s a reality at odds with the state’s politics. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has emerged as one of the country’s most vocal and active politicians in opposing efforts to address climate change. Last month, he signed into law a bill to deprioritize climate change in the state’s energy policies, largely scrubbing the phrase from its statutes. Experts say these policies are in stark contrast to climate science, causing a dissonance that makes it more challenging to protect people and prepare them for the realities of living in a warming world.
Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel vie for Paris spots at U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials
Olympics hopefuls, including members of the U.S. National Team, will be competing for 52 spots over eight days at the 2024 Olympic swimming trials. Seven-time gold medalist Katie Ledecky is aiming to compete in her fourth Olympics, and will be participating in the 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle events. Two-time Olympian Gabrielle Rose will be swimming in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, and is hoping to become the competition’s oldest qualifier at 46 years old.
The first marquee event takes place tomorrow night with the men’s and women’s 400 freestyle final. This will be the first event that qualifies athletes for the Paris Olympics. The biggest star in men’s swimming, eight-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel, will compete next week in the 50 and 100 freestyle events.
The swimming trials will air live on NBC, NBCOlympics.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock on June 15-23. The semifinals and finals are at 8 p.m. ET daily, live on NBC and Peacock.
A landslide in Wyoming deepens disparities between ultra-wealthy and local workers
A highway collapse connecting workers in Idaho to jobs in Wyoming has brought attention to a long-standing schism between the wealthy and the people who cater to them. A massive landslide caused the closure of a 10-mile stretch of Teton Pass that links the two states, jeopardizing the workforce around the tourist hubs of Jackson Hole, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park.
Billionaires and investors are hiking up home prices in Wyoming, forcing workers to live farther away from their jobs. On the Wyoming side, the median home price is more than $3 million, compared to $800,000 in Idaho. People who work at landscaping companies, hospitals and other sectors serving those wealthy communities are now facing an indefinite road closure that is upending their lives.
Politics in Brief
Clarence Thomas: A Senate investigation has revealed that Clarence Thomas took additional trips on a private jet paid for by his billionaire friend and GOP megadonor Harlan Crow that were not included in the Supreme Court justice’s financial disclosure forms.
Pontiff in Puglia: Biden is expected to meet with Pope Francis on the sidelines of the G7 summit today. Francis will be the first pope to attend the discussions, and plans to focus his attention on artificial intelligence, its technological advantages and potential dangers.
Sand in the gears: In protest against Trump’s guilty verdict in his hush money case, six Republican senators vowed to slow Biden’s judicial nominees.
Hunter Biden: The president, who has already ruled out a pardon for his son who was convicted on three gun-related charges, said that he will not commute Hunter Biden’s sentence and that he abides by the jury’s decision.
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Staff Pick: Downsize my ride
Pickup trucks are growing larger and more expensive, but some people and small-business owners are saying yes to smaller. Japanese-made Kei trucks are a fraction of the size of a modern Ford, Chevy or Toyota pickup, but their owners swear by them. Some states have sought to ban Kei trucks, but today they are street legal in 19 states. Find out why some consider the basic, no-frills utilitarian hauler “a life-changing vehicle.”
—Bryan Logan-Sher, breaking business news editor
In Case You Missed It
- Tesla shareholders voted to reinstate Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package that was previously voided by a Delaware judge who said the compensation was excessive.
- Taylor Swift announced that her Eras concert Tour will end in December.
- A woman is facing 30 years in prison for having bong water that tested positive for methamphetamine found in her car.
- A former ICU nurse was arrested for allegedly swapping a patients’ pain medication with tap water.
- UFC announced Conor McGregor’s fight against Michael Chandler will no longer headline UFC 303 in Las Vegas due to an injury.
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Only 7% of dads want clothes for Fathers Day. So NBC Select’s editors found 39+ last-minute gifts he’ll actually use. And there are sales at sites like The Home Depot and REI.
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Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Both.
