The Daily Signal - Debate Night, SCOTUS Abortion Decision, Republican Support for Same-Sex Marriage Falls | June 27

Starting point is 00:00:00 Republicans press, a top Department of Homeland Security official on the threat of terrorists crossing the border. I'm Virginia Allen, and this is the Daily Signal Top News for Thursday, June 27. Well, before we dive into top news today, a quick reminder that the first presidential debate between former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden is happening tonight. They are going to face off on the debate stage at CNN's studio in Atlanta, CNN's Jake Tapper. and Dana Bash will be co-hosting the debate tonight. And this debate is a little bit unique because it's not being done in front of a live audience. And there are questions about whether that might lead to the energy being much lower in the room. And because former president Donald Trump often feeds off that energy, there are questions about how he's going to handle that.

Starting point is 00:01:00 Americans are also eager to see how Trump and Biden will face off against each other, since there are silencers on those microphones. we expect that there will be less talking over one another than maybe we've seen in previous debates. The debate begins at 9 p.m. Eastern. If you don't want to stay up late or you just want to catch the highlights and don't want to sit through the whole thing, be sure to check out the Daily Signal website. We are going to have full coverage, fact checks, highlights. You can also follow us across social media platforms just to catch some of the clips from tonight's debate, as well as commentary on our website.

Starting point is 00:01:35 Check it all out at daily signal.org. and we will be sure to give you all the highlights on top news tomorrow. During a hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday, lawmakers questioned a top department of homeland security official over growing concerns on terrorists crossing the southern border. DHS Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Ken Weinstein told the members of Congress during the hearing that America is in a very fraught time regarding security threats. but he did not directly respond to the question over whether Biden's border policies have essentially invited terrorists into the country. Representative Dan Bishop asked Wainstein, are you prepared to say that opening the border has subjected the United States to an extravagantly increased risk of significant terrorism?

Starting point is 00:02:27 Here's what Wainstein had to say in response. I'm prepared to say that we're hyper-focused on the threat coming across the border, and that's why I've detailed all the things that INA is focusing on. I'm also prepared to say that CBP, as I understand, issues publicly the number of watchlisted individuals that they encounter on the border. So we're not trying to sugarcoat or, you know, hide the fact that there's a threat there. In fact, I'm being instructed by my secretary to focus like a laser beam on that threat. Later in the hearing, Arizona Republican representative, Eli Crane,

Starting point is 00:02:57 asked Weinstein whether America's potential vulnerability to terrorism at the border is a self-inflicted wound. Waynestein replied that he does not buy into that idea. The Supreme Court is releasing its final decisions in major cases this week before the end of its current term. The court released its decision in a large abortion case out of Idaho this morning. In a 6-3 decision, the court chose to reinstate a lower court's order that required Idaho hospitals to perform emergency abortions to protect the health of the mother. Idaho law had prohibited abortions except when a physician. determined that the abortion was necessary to prevent the death of the mother. The preliminary ruling said that the court is dismissing the case as improvidently granted,

Starting point is 00:03:45 meaning that the court decided it should not review the case. This means that the lower court's previous ruling stands and abortion can be performed in Idaho when not just the life, but the health of the mother is at risk. This case gained quite a bit of additional attention in the last 24 hours, as the decision to that case appeared to accidentally be posted online last night. It was taken down pretty quickly and that initial posting appears to have just been a clerical air, unlike the leak of the Dobbs decision two years ago. An exclusive from the Daily Caller News Foundation has uncovered new information regarding sex change procedures on minors.

Starting point is 00:04:28 According to the caller, the American Academy of Pediatrics has worked very closely with a transgender medical activist group called the World Professional Association of Transgender Health. Together, the American Academy of Pediatrics and World Professional Association of Transgender Health have worked to advocate for children to receive sex changes. World Professional Association of Transgender Health supports minors receiving puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and having sex change surgeries. More and more Republican-led states have and are passing bills that ban those types of sex change surgeries, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones specifically on minors. But emails obtained by the caller show that the American Academy of Pediatrics discussed with the

Starting point is 00:05:18 World Professional Association of Transgender Health how they can skirt those bans. The American Academy of Pediatrics did acknowledge the relationship that the two organizations have. In an email, they told the caller the American Academy of Pediatrics routinely partnered. with relevant U.S. Medical and Mental Health Associations and Global Health Organizations on a wide range of health issues, including the World Professional Association of Transgender Health. For a deeper dive into the story, you can check out the Daily Caller's full piece in today's show notes.

Starting point is 00:05:54 Republican support for same-sex marriage has fallen in the past two years. That's according to polling from Gallup. Over 69% of Americans say that they support same-sex marriage. marriage, and in 2021 and 2022, 55% of Republicans said that they supported same-sex marriage. But today, that number has dipped. Right now, 46% of Republicans say that they favor legalize same-sex marriage, according to Gallup. Meanwhile, 83% of Democrats say that they favor, and 74% of independents say that they back same-sex marriage. For a deeper dive into those numbers, you can catch the full Gallup pull results in today's show notes.

Starting point is 00:06:37 With that, that's going to do it for today's episode. Thanks for being with us for the Daily Signal's top news. Join us tomorrow morning for my conversation with Representative Michael Cloud to discuss the DEMATILD Act. Also, be sure to subscribe to the Daily Signal podcast wherever you like to listen so you never miss out on our morning interview editions or afternoon top news. We'll see you right back here tomorrow morning for Representative Michael Cloud's conversation on the DIME Act.

Starting point is 00:07:04 And don't forget to follow the Daily Signal across social media platforms and at DailySignal.org to catch all the highlights from the Trump Biden debate tonight. Hope you enjoy watching the debate. But again, if you don't want to watch the whole thing, you can catch all the highlights and important moments at The Daily Signal. The Daily Signal podcast is made possible because of listeners like you. Executive producers are Rob Blewey and Kate Trinko. Hosts are Virginia Allen, Brian Gottstein, Mary Margaret O'Lehann, and Tyler O'Neill.

Starting point is 00:07:37 Sound design by Lauren Evans, Mark Geiney, and John Pop. To learn more or support our work, please visit DailySignal.com.

The Daily Signal - Debate Night, SCOTUS Abortion Decision, Republican Support for Same-Sex Marriage Falls | June 27

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