Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks to auto workers before the arrival of President Joe Biden at the Community Complex Building in Belvedere, IL, November 09, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Think Big America, a nonprofit organization affiliated with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, on Monday starts running its first paid advertising campaign of the 2024 election cycle across three “reproductive rights battleground states” where the group is supporting ongoing abortion access ballot initiative campaigns.
The 60-second digital ad, released on the second anniversary of the Dobbs decision, is meant to depict “the stark reality pregnant women face in a post-Dobbs America,” according to a spokesperson for the nonprofit group, which shared details of the ad buy first with ABC News.
The spot, part of the group’s six-figure spending targeting and aimed at independent voters, will run on YouTube and connected television platforms in Arizona and Nevada, two states where measures related to protecting abortion will likely be on their November ballots, and in Florida, where an abortion-related ballot initiative is confirmed to appear in front of voters.
“Two years ago, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court not only ripped away abortion access for tens of millions of women, they turned the clock back 50 years on reproductive healthcare,” said Pritzker in a statement.
“Because of Donald Trump and his MAGA extremists, women are now being denied life-saving care and doctors face jail for doing their job. Unless we act, these cruel attacks on our rights and freedoms will only continue to escalate. This November, we must defeat MAGA extremists and their anti-woman agenda once and for all,” he added.
The ad features a young woman looking at her cell phone as she waits for the results of her pregnancy test, digesting news headlines about some of the negative impacts of abortion restrictions following the Dobbs decision.
“MAGA extremists want to enforce a national abortion ban putting millions of lives at risk,” reads the ad’s text. “Only we can stop them.”
Former President Donald Trump has declined to endorse a national abortion ban, saying as recently as Saturday that the issue should be left to individual states.
“The people will decide, and that’s the way it should be. The people are now deciding,” Trump said Saturday at Faith & Freedom Coalition’s annual Road to Majority conference in Washington, D.C.
Launched in October 2023, Think Big America is focused on protecting and expanding abortion rights around the country, with a particular focus on supporting abortion rights ballot measures.
Abortion or reproductive rights-related ballot initiatives are confirmed on the general election ballots in four states: Florida, Maryland, South Dakota and Colorado. Overall, they could be on the November 2024 ballot in at least 11 states (including those four).
In Arizona, the Arizona for Abortion Access campaign is working to get a constitutional amendment on the state’s ballot enshrining abortion access through a petition drive/citizen-initiated measure. The campaign has said that they have gathered over 500,000 signatures — surpassing the 383,923-signature threshold to get a ballot initiative on the Arizona general election ballot.
The proposed amendment would amend Arizona’s state constitution to prohibit the state from legislating against abortion up until fetal viability and enshrines other abortion protections into law.
In Nevada, organizers for an abortion rights ballot initiative announced in late May that they had turned in over 200,000 signatures to the Nevada Secretary of State’s office, far surpassing the 102,362 signature requirement.
The signatures submitted will need to be verified by the Nevada Secretary of State’s office and the initiative is not yet confirmed on Nevada’s ballot.
Under the proposed section, according to the petition’s text, abortion access would be enshrined in the state constitution up to fetal viability; the state would be allowed to legislate about abortion after fetal viability unless a health care provider says abortion is necessary. Abortion is currently legal until 24 weeks in Nevada, and a 1990 referendum in the state reaffirmed the law (making it impossible to amend or repeal the abortion law without another referendum). If the initiative is certified for the ballot and passes in 2024, it would still need to pass another vote in 2026 to amend the state’s constitution.
The only state among the three targeted by Think Big where an abortion-access ballot initiative is confirmed to be on the ballot is Florida. In April, the state Supreme Court decided to allow the ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s Constitution to be on their November ballot.
If the referendum prevails in November, it will undo Florida’s abortion ban. The amendment is sponsored by Floridians Protecting Freedom. In January, the group surpassed the required number of signatures to put a referendum in front of voters.
Pritzker is a rising star Democrat who has tapped into his vast personal wealth to boost Think Big. Thus far, the nonprofit group has given $1 million to Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, $250,000 to Arizona for Abortion Access with a commitment of $1 million, and $500,000 to Floridians Protecting Freedom.
They’ve also contributed to Montana’s abortion initiative, to pro-abortion-rights groups in Ohio, where voters last November overwhelmingly decided to enshrine abortion protections into their state constitution, and gave $250,000 to Virginia Democrats ahead of their state legislative elections.
Chlöe‘s sophomore album, Trouble in Paradise, is on the horizon. Speaking with Nylon, she revealed she turned it in to her label just a few weeks ago.
Ironically, most of the album was recorded in her place of refuge, where she often finds pleasure and peace: Saint Lucia. Unlike the stories of heartache heard on her debut, In Pieces, she says this project is “a coming-of-age celebration of being a woman and having fun, not taking life too seriously.” It features the sounds of the island — calypso, gospel, Afrobeats, Carnival band music — as well as stories inspired by “multiple situations.”
“The story of this album is like when you have a summer fling,” she explains. “You’re a hopeless romantic and you fall in love, deep. You know it won’t last forever, but it feels too good to really care.”
Fans can also expect a few collaborations on Trouble in Paradise, including Anderson .Paak, Jeremih and the first song with her sister Halle in three years, “Want Me.”
“I was talking to one of my engineers, and she was telling me about this guy and how into her he is, and I was sharing a similar story. I was like, ‘But am I that much into him? Why is it that the ones we want don’t want us like this?’” Chlöe said. “I immediately wrote it down in my notes, and the song wrote itself in, like, five minutes.”
Hoping to keep the conversational feel of the track, she asked Halle to join her on the song, and the two met up in a New York studio for a session that “felt like old times.”
Tamayo Perry, left, who was killed by a shark in the water off Oahu, is seen in an undated photo released by Honolulu Emergency Services Department on Sunday, June 23, 2024. (Honolulu Emergency Services Department)
(NEW YORK) — A well-known surfer and lifeguard was killed in a shark attack near the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, emergency officials said.
Tamayo Perry, 49, was attacked in the water off Goat Island midday on Sunday, the Honolulu Emergency Services Department said in a statement.
Perry had been a lifeguard with Honolulu Ocean Safety since 2016. He was a local surf coach and competed for years in the Pipeline Master Trials, according to his official bio on his coaching site.
Perry appeared in the 2002 movie Blue Crush, along with episodes of Hawaii Five-O and The Bridge, according to IMDB.
Perry was a “well-known North Shore waterman,” who “exemplified bravery, commitment and a deep sense of duty,” Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement.
“His heroic actions and tireless efforts to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors will never be forgotten,” the mayor said.
Goat Island sits off Mālaekahana beach on the the northeastern coast of Oahu.
The first emergency call came in at about 1 p.m. on Sunday, officials said. Perry’s body was brought on shore via a jet ski.
“A caller told dispatchers the man’s body appeared to have suffered more than one shark bite,” EMS officials said in a statement.
(FORDYCE, A.R.) — The shooting at an Arkansas grocery store on Friday was “a completely random, senseless act,” Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said in a press conference Sunday.
Police have not determined a motive for the attack at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce that killed four people and wounded 10 others, Hagar said, noting that they have found no connection between the suspect and any of the victims or the store.
The four people killed were identified as 23-year-old Callie Weems, 50-year-old Roy Sturgis, 62-year-old Shirley Taylor and 81-year-old Ellen Shrum.
The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey, was shot by officers at the scene and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Posey is believed to have opened fire in the parking lot “immediately” upon exiting his vehicle, then entered the store where he continued his rampage.
“He simply started engaging victims indiscriminately, just as targets of opportunity,” Hagar said.
Hagar said the suspect had “very limited” previous criminal history, or possibly none at all.
Posey faces three capital murder charges and is currently being held at Ouachita County Detention Center, according to Hagar.
He could face the death penalty, Hagar said.
One of the victims, Weems, a nurse, died while attempting to treat another victim, Hagar said.
“During the incident, we observed the very best and the very worst of humanity,” he said. “As an example, instead of fleeing from the obvious danger, Callie Weems began using her training as a nurse to render aid to a gunshot victim and, unfortunately, became a victim herself as a result of her selfless actions.”
Hagar thanked the police officers who responded to the incident, who he said neutralized the suspect within five minutes of the shooting beginning.
“These officers literally and intentionally put themselves between the suspect and defenseless citizens,” he said. “Their actions were nothing short of heroic.”
(NEW YORK) — An expanding heat dome Sunday had 100 million people across 27 states on alert for extremely high temperatures coast to coast, including America’s two largest cities.
While Los Angeles is under a heat advisory with temperatures forecast to reach 90 to 100 degrees on Sunday, an extreme heat risk warning has been issued for New York City, where a daily high-temperature record that has stood for 136 years could be broken.
On June 23, 1888, the record high for New York City was 96 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.; Norfolk, Virginia, and parts of Oklahoma, including Tulsa, are also under extreme heat warnings.
The temperature in Washington, D.C., climbed to 100 degrees on Saturday, making it the first time the nation’s capital has hit the century mark in June since 2012.
Baltimore also marked its first 100-degree June day in 12 years when temperatures on Saturday rose to 101 degrees, setting a new daily record. With the temperature forecast to reach the high 90s, Baltimore could see another daily record fall on Sunday.
Daily high-temperature records could also be threatened in Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Greenville, Mississippi.
Out west, scorching triple-digit weather is expected for California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.
Palm Springs, California, is forecast to reach 111 degrees on Sunday and 112 degrees by Tuesday. Fresno, California, is forecast to reach 106 degrees on Sunday, while temperatures in Las Vegas were expected to soar to 109 on Sunday and 110 on Monday.
Phoenix is forecast to reach 111 degrees on Tuesday.
A cold front headed to the Northeast is forecast to cool things down, but could also bring severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine until 8 p.m. ET. It’s the highest tornado risk in this area in more than six years. Meanwhile, there have already been numerous severe thunderstorm warnings as of Sunday afternoon.
Damaging wind and tornadoes are possible with severe thunderstorms in the Northeast through Sunday evening. New England states — including Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire — are forecast to be in the bullseye for the greatest threat of severe weather.
Stormy weather is also expected Sunday afternoon in the areas of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and through the Ohio Valley.
On Monday, Minnesota and Wisconsin could see strong winds and the possibility of tornadoes.
On Tuesday, the threat of severe storms is expected to move into Chicago, Detroit and Omaha, Nebraska.
(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — A 3-year-old boy was killed and his 7-year-old sister was injured after being hit by gunfire while at a family gathering in Buffalo, New York, officials said.
Police who responded to the Friday night incident rushed the boy to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His sister suffered graze wounds but is expected to recover, according to police.
“Last night was a very tragic night for our community,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia said during a press conference Saturday.
Gramaglia said the shooting had not been related to the family gathering.
“It was a hot night with a lot of people out, and the gunfire was unrelated to the gathering,” he said. “These children were simply out enjoying a summer evening when tragedy struck.”
“A 3-year-old riding his tricycle, having fun with members of his family on a hot summer night, his 7-year-old big sister right by his side, and out of nowhere gunfire erupts. And the children are struck by gunfire,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said.
Gramaglia commended the speed with which officers responded to the shooting, saying they arrived on the scene “very quickly.”
According to Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane, the mother of the two children is a well-known member of the community who is active in Most Valuable Parents, a local organization focused on improving safety in Buffalo.
“She is a strong woman, consistently working with other families to keep our children safe,” he said. “And now this tragedy has struck her own family.”
Police have not said whether any person or persons of interest have been identified as of Sunday afternoon, and they are encouraging anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.
A gun recovered at the scene is currently undergoing testing, police said.
“We need the community to come together and help us put an end to this violence,” Gramaglia said. “Our hearts are with the family of these children, and we will do everything in our power to bring justice for this senseless act.”
