Politics and views in the United States.

Former President Trump appeals to conservatives who want a national abortion ban. New data show President Biden fares well with older voters. And Drag Lobby Day brings the queens to Capitol Hill, to press for LGBTQ+ protections.

TRANSCRIPT

(chains clanking)

Welcome to 2024 Talks.

We're following our democracy in historic times.

If the radical democratic streams get their way, they will have a federal law for abortion.

Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump spoke to evangelicals and citing efforts in Congress to make Roe the law of the land.

He again took credit for appointing three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn it.

The Faith and Freedom Coalition has been fighting for a national abortion ban, but Trump says the decision should be left to the states.

At the same event, Trump repeated that he has made his VP pick.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris says most Americans will continue to vote to protect their reproductive freedoms.

She calls that access part of a healthcare crisis for many who look to the clinics for more than just abortions.

In those clinics that are trusted in the community, you can get a pap, breast cancer screening, HIV screening.

About six in 10 Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to the Pew Research Center.

Former federal prosecutor and University of Alabama law professor Joyce Vance says she's confident the justice system can handle a defendant like Trump, but adds she has more confidence in American voters.

You know, the biggest check on Donald Trump has been us, the voters.

And I continue to believe that that's the biggest check on Donald Trump.

It's really hard to contest an election when the numbers are overwhelming.

President Joe Biden's re-election team is looking to expand its appeal to older voters in key states.

His campaign is rolling out its Seniors for Biden Harris effort, led by First Lady Jill Biden.

Age is a gift.

I mean, but there are still those who not only devalue our wisdom and dismiss our experience, they want to destroy the structures that help us thrive.

New data shows older voters are supporting Biden, even putting him a full 15 points ahead of Trump in a new Fox News poll.

Three drag queens will be on Capitol Hill tomorrow for a drag lobby day, calling for greater protections for LGBTQ people.

Austin, Texas-based drag queen Bridgette Bandit will be one of those advocating for the Equality Act to extend federal non-discrimination protections to LGBTQ people and the Transgender Bill of Rights.

And we have the responsibility to combat the increasingly hateful attacks on our LGBTQIA+ community.

In the words of my favorite drag queen, Sasha Velour, "Violence is never the answer, but drag might be."

Two decades after the first state in the U.S. permitted same-sex couples to marry, a new report finds that marriage equality has made a profound impact on their lives.

Clark University professor of psychology Abby Goldberg calls marriage equality successful public health.

They have access to health insurance.

They are physically and mentally healthier.

They're able to share the challenges and work of raising children.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.