On Politics

Tue Sep 24 2024

Rebecca Morin | Senior National News Reporter

@RebeccaMorin_

Hi all! It's Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY.

7 days until the vice presidential debate. 42 days until Election Day. 2 days until the Charli XCX/Troye Sivan tour stops in Baltimore. (Should I try to score resale tickets?)

Harris supports eliminating filibuster to reinstate abortion rights. What would that look like?

As her campaign leans heavily into restoring abortion and reproductive rights, Vice President Kamala Harris said she supports eliminating the filibuster to reinstate abortion protections established under Roe v. Wade if she's elected president – and if Democrats win control of Congress. Read more.

•	President Joe Biden in 2022 supported ending the filibuster to restore abortion rights. Harris backed that decision.
•	Republican Donald Trump has also previously called for the filibuster to be eliminated.
•	Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., who is retiring, will not endorse Harris after her comment, telling CNN "shame on her."

Quick, and important, note: Eliminating the filibuster isn't an easy thing to do. Democrats will need control of the House, Senate and presidency. And control of the Senate will be decided by a few key races, that aren't really in the Democrats' favor.

A politics pit stop

•	Swing state election officials say they'll sue counties that won't certify 2024 result
•	Democrats propose voting rights bill to counter Georgia's election changes and others
•	Israeli airstrikes kill hundreds in Lebanon: Maps show escalation of Hezbollah conflict
•	New Harvard Youth poll shows Harris rapidly building up support among young voters
•	Biden at UNGA: Putin has 'failed'; Israel and Gaza 'going through hell'

Trump for president in 2028? Don't rule it in ... or out.

Donald Trump said 2024 will be his last presidential election, even if he loses to Democrat Kamala Harris. While some Republicans are taking him at his word, others are saying it's not set in stone. Read more.

•	Watch: Donald Trump campaigned in Pennsylvania, warned John Deere about tariffs

You asked, On Politics answers: High prices

One On Politics reader, G. Norton of Port Orange, Fla. asks: "Due to higher prices being a main vote driver, why doesn't Harris or one of her Super PACS explain how the pandemic made gas prices so low in 2020 and how it and the Ukraine war affected all the price increases? No president could have changed what happened."

As a reporter who covers Kamala Harris closely, Harris has spoken about why prices are high. During a major economic speech last month in North Carolina , for example, Harris noted that prices got high because of supply chain issues during the pandemic. But even in the speech, Harris noted that prices are still high. She said she would combat price gouging as president.

Prices are dropping and inflation is going down. But at the end of the day, campaigns don't always want to explain how we got to this point, but want to lay out how we can move past it. Both Harris and Donald Trump are touting their own plans on the economy.

Got a burning question for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at rdmorin@usatoday.com.