Politics and views in the United States.

U.S officials react to hostages bodies found in Rafah. Former President Trump addresses the Arlington Cemetery incident and the future of women's reproductive rights remains uncertain despite growing support.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

We've got to get a hostage deal done and get a ceasefire done now.

Responding to antiwar protesters at a Georgia campaign event, Vice President Kamala Harris repeated administration calls for an end to fighting in Gaza and agreement to a ceasefire deal the White House is helping broker.

Harris spoke before the discovery of the bodies of six Israeli hostages in Rafa.

Since then, protests have broken out on the streets in Israel, and the country's largest labor union is calling for a general strike.

The Histed Dread Labor Federation is threatening to shut the country down until Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secures a ceasefire deal, freeing Israeli hostages.

Fighting paused in Gaza last week so health organizations could vaccinate Palestinian children against polio.

But leaders from Hamas and the right-wing Israeli government have been unable or unwilling to reach a broader agreement.

That's a pressing issue for Harris, who faces disaffected Democrats who want an end to unquestioning support for Israel.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump insists he didn't go to Arlington National Cemetery looking for publicity.

Trump campaign staffers fought with a National Park official and filmed in a restricted area when commemorating soldiers who died during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

At a Pennsylvania rally, Trump shifted the blame to President Joe Biden.

Joe Biden killed those young people because he was incompetent.

And then they tell me that I used their graves for public relations services, and I didn't.

Vice President Kamala Harris and others are criticizing him for the altercation, noting that the Trump campaign was told filming is restricted and that partisan activities are forbidden.

But some Trump allies, like Utah Governor Spencer Cox and VP Pick Ohio Senator J.D.

Vance, are still using the event on social media and in fundraising.

Though Trump is now calling for the government to make in vitro fertilization free, some women fear what his re-election would mean for reproductive medicine.

Strict anti-abortion laws can outlaw IVF by making it illegal to dispose of unused embryos.

Stephanie Jones of Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a strong IVF advocate after having her daughter via surrogacy.

A ban on IVF would be a ban on critical health care for hundreds of thousands of Americans without access to IVF.

People would not be able to grow and some start their families.

So it would be devastating.

Abortion has gone from a rallying cry on the right to motivation for Democratic voters.

Ballot measures in numerous states have shown strong support for the right to access the procedure.

But states like West Virginia still have near total bans that come into effect after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Emily Wommeldorf with Planned Parenthood South Atlantic says people from West Virginia face the burden of traveling to neighboring states.

That can look like a lot of things.

It can look like having to take additional time off of work, finding child care, assuming that you have transportation paying for that.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.