The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Potential next steps if Roe is overturned

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

TALK OF THE MORNING 

Republicans aren’t exactly … eager … to talk about next steps: 

“Senate Republicans are dodging questions about whether they would seek restrictions or bans on abortion at the federal level if the Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade decision and the GOP wins back congressional majorities.”  

Keep in mind: Republicans could very well take control of the House and Senate in the midterms. 

The process would be very difficult, though: “Even if Republicans win back the House, Senate and White House, if the filibuster remains in tact, the lawmakers would need 60 votes in the Senate for abortion limits, an extremely high hurdle.” 

But there does appear to be some support — from Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), for example: “There’s not the votes on a federal abortion ban at this point, but I think every child’s valuable and I think we will get there eventually.”  

How this could play out, via The Hill’s Peter Sullivan: https://bit.ly/3P2gyoC   

➤IF ROE IS OVERTURNED, IT COULD CHANGE REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS GLOBALLY: 
NPR’s Joe Hernandez explains how: https://n.pr/3kFsAXk

It’s Thursday. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up.

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What is keeping Democrats up at night — what’s next?: 

Democrats are concerned about what the Supreme Court would do next if Roe v. Wade is struck down. https://bit.ly/3yeQd0G 

A few issues that come to mind: Gay marriage and access to birth control 

From Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman: “Gay marriage. Consensual sexual activity between adults. Family planning. They are all part of the word ‘privacy’ which Alito can’t find in the Constitution, just like he can’t find ‘abortion.’”  

More Democratic fears: https://bit.ly/3yeQd0G 

➤ONE ISSUE THAT COMES TO MIND — ABORTION PILLS: 
Via The New York Times’s Pam Belluck and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Medication abortion allows patients to terminate early pregnancies at home. Some states are moving to limit it, while others are working to expand access.” https://nyti.ms/3ywZlOH 

➤ ‘ABORTION PILLS BY MAIL ARE HARD TO STOP, BUT … RED STATES ARE TRYING’: 

Via The Washington Post’s Christopher Rowland, Laurie McGinley and Jacob Bogage: https://wapo.st/3P1wfMU 

In the White House 

Did you know that Biden hadn’t said the word ‘abortion’ publicly as president until this week?: 

“President Biden’s longtime discomfort with the issue of abortion, fueled by his Catholicism and his personal and complex stance on access, has come under scrutiny this week with the leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion that shows a majority of justices supporting the reversal of Roe v. Wade.” https://bit.ly/3kLbCqk 

^ Seriously, this week was the first time for Biden to publicly mention abortion: “The president is often criticized for attempting to balance his faith with his support for abortion access. But Biden hasn’t publicly used the word abortion out loud during his presidency until this week and he also hasn’t called for an end to the filibuster in order for Congress to codify Roe v. Wade as he has for other legislative matters.”  

Why this matters, via The Hill’s Alex Gangitano: https://bit.ly/3kLbCqk 

➤ ‘WITH ROE UNDER THREAT, BIDEN IS AN UNLIKELY ABORTION RIGHTS CHAMPION’: 
Via The New York Times’s Peter Baker: https://nyti.ms/3vNKvS6 

🏛 In the Supreme Court 

Safe to say Alito’s name recognition just increased:

Via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton, “Conservative Justice Samuel Alito is coming under new scrutiny and criticism after his draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade leaked Monday evening, creating a firestorm in Washington.” https://bit.ly/3kONrY1 

Alito is not usually front and center: “Alito … has taken a back-seat to his more prominent conservative colleagues, Justice Clarence Thomas and the late-Justice Antonin Scalia, for much of his career.” 

But now: “[Alito is] hailed as a hero by anti-abortion rights conservatives and denounced as a villain by Democrats who say he’s driven by a personal political agenda.”  

What this means going forward: https://bit.ly/3kONrY1 

On the campaign trail 

Cue Scar from ‘The Lion King’: 

Embed: https://giphy.com/gifs/nine-to-five-jxzEhHBMmH7tm 

Politico’s Jonathan Lemire and Meridith McGraw write, “A Biden-Trump rematch is increasingly likely. But neither side wants to move first: Each man thinks they could beat the other. But they also may not run … unless the other chooses to do so.”  

The full story: https://politi.co/3MUtMCk 

🦠 Latest on COVID 

This is a very, very sad stat: 

Via Bloomberg’s Thomas Mulier and Clara Hernanz Lizarraga, “The Covid-19 death toll probably climbed to almost 15 million in its first two years — about one out of every 500 people globally — according to a new World Health Organization estimate.” https://bloom.bg/38VIU3l 

Keep in mind: “The WHO’s new estimate is more than twice the figures from individual governments’ reports showing about 6.2 million Covid deaths.”  

➤ BY THE NUMBERS 

Cases to date: 81,391,274 

Death toll: 993,341 

Current hospitalizations: 12,883 

Shots administered: 577 million 

Fully vaccinated: 66.2 percent of Americans 

CDC data here. 

🐥Notable tweets 

I love a good FOIA: 

Votebeat’s Jessica Huseman tweeted, “happy six year anniversary to the receipt of this FOIA.” Screenshot of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request: https://bit.ly/38Xj7bj 

⏱On tap 

The gist: The Senate is in. The House is out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. 

10:15 a.m. EDT: President Biden received the President’s Daily Brief. 

1:30 p.m. EDT: Vice President Harris and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh host a meeting at the White House with grassroots worker organizers. ‘ 

1:45 p.m. EDT: A Senate confirmation vote for Kathryn Huff to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy. The Senate’s full agenda today.

📺What to watch 

2 p.m. EDT: White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing. Livestream 

4:15 p.m. EDT: President Biden and first lady Jill Biden host a Cinco de Mayo reception in the Rose Garden. Livestream

In lighter news 

Today is National Enchilada Day!

Cue a collective ‘awwwwwwww’:

NBC’s “Today” announced the newest Gerber baby yesterday. https://on.today.com/38Ucuqf 

Meet Isa: “She is also the first Gerber baby with a limb difference, as baby Isa Slish from Oklahoma was born missing part of her right leg.”  

Photos of the cutie: https://on.today.com/38Ucuqf

And to mix things up today, I thought I’d leave you with a little puzzle. Find the dog.