Politics and views in the United States.

The White House says Biden's decision to leave the race isn't health related. Israeli PM Netanyahu stands by Gaza war in a speech to Congress, but sparks sharp protests. Iowa's near total abortion ban takes effect Monday.

TRANSCRIPT

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Welcome to 2024 Talks.

We're following our democracy in historic times.

These are not easy decisions to make.

They're just not.

And so the fact that he was able to make that decision in a selfless way, that's admirable.

White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, denying rumors that President Joe Biden and his staff covered up the president's declining health.

She says Biden's decision to leave the presidential race had nothing to do with his health, echoing a message Biden gave in a Wednesday primetime address.

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to her sisters in the black sorority Zeta Phi Beta in Indianapolis and asked for help in her White House run.

Harris called the conservative project 2025 blueprint a plan to return America to a dark past.

These extremists wanna take us back, but we are not going back.

We are not going back.

The all but certain Democratic nominee is polling slightly better than Biden against former President Donald Trump, but the race is still statistically tied.

Tennessee Republican Congressman Andy Ogles has introduced articles of impeachment against Harris.

They charge her with incompetence in dealing with the border and say she should have tried to remove Biden from office.

David Becker with the Center for Election Innovation and Research calls the move symbolic and highly partisan.

I am concerned, somewhat skeptical, that this newfound concern for democracy and the voters may stick it out through November if it turns out their preferred candidate loses.

Vote.org says almost 400,000 people registered to vote in the 48 hours after Biden suspended his re-election campaign.

The group says most of the new registrations came from people 18 to 34.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a divided Congress on Wednesday and took a hard line on the war in Gaza, comparing the October 7th attack by Hamas to 9/11.

3,000 Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel.

They butchered 1,200 people from 41 countries, including 39 Americans, proportionately compared to our population size.

That's like 29 11s in one day.

He called pro-Palestinian protesters useful idiots for the terrorist organization.

Some of them gathered around the Capitol and demanded his arrest, citing war crime charges at the International Criminal Court.

Kent State student Yasin Sheikh calls the speech a charade and political ploy.

The timing of the elections in relation to this visit couldn't be more interesting.

It's become a lot about kissing up to Netanyahu and the Israeli lobby to influence this election as well as to influence Netanyahu's PR in Israel.

We know the theatrics.

In spite of legal challenges from abortion providers, Iowa's near total abortion ban will take effect next week.

Democratic State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott says it won't stop there.

They want a law that will ban contraception, IVF, and all exceptions.

I'm Alex Gonzalez for Pacific Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.