Welcome to the online version of From the political deskis an evening newsletter from the NBC News political team that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.
In today’s edition, national political reporter Ben Kamisar dissects his latest focus group on young voters in the battleground state of Wisconsin. Additionally, senior national affairs correspondent Jonathan Allen points out how President Joe Biden has leaned toward “laws” and “command messages” in response to campus protests.
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These young voters are angry about Gaza, but don’t think it’s driving their vote
Written by Ben Kamisar
They are furious about the situation in Gaza and will not put up with it any longer. But they probably aren’t going to vote for it.
That was the takeaway from a recent NBC News Deciders focus group of independent college students in Wisconsin in collaboration with Engagious, Syracuse University, and Sago. Nearly all of the 16 students we spoke to supported the wave of pro-Palestinian protests sweeping college campuses and took a dim view of President Joe Biden’s response to the Israeli-Hamas war. Some students also participated in the protests themselves.
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You have to consider how this issue will affect your vote in the presidential election, and all but a few people have questioned whether it will eliminate their chances of voting at all. Few expected that to change.
why? The main reason is that he does not believe that Biden and former President Donald Trump have significantly different positions on Israel.
“I don’t think Biden is doing a great job. I don’t think Trump is going to do a better job. …As it stands, I don’t think it’s going to change how people vote.” — Cooper M., University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire School student, 19 years old, currently supporting Biden
But even if Biden’s response to the war is unlikely to be a major driver of their votes, it is clear that these students feel passionately about the war and have almost unilaterally supported these protests. It is clear that you are doing so.
“It’s completely unfair that students who pay tuition have no say in how their money is spent.” — Suchita H., 19-year-old student who supports Biden and attends the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Protests are so empowering when you see so many young people on these campuses standing up in solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine.” — Sophia K., 18, University of Wisconsin-Madison students said they would vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein
None of the students, including those participating in the protests, decided to attend the camp on their own. And most of them held the line against protesters occupying buildings, as happened on some campuses such as Columbia University. Four students said they supported this tactic.
“I don’t want that, but I think it’s pretty much the only way to go about it. A lot of people who talk about peaceful protests don’t understand that the purpose of protests is to enact fundamental change. And as long as it’s peaceful and doesn’t disturb anyone, then no one cares about it.” — Suchita H.
“If we start destroying the resources we already have, tuition will go up even more. I just think it’s counterproductive to destroy what we already have.” — University of Wisconsin Oshkosh student Angelina J., 19, said she would vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Read more from the latest NBC News Decision Focus Group, including how voters view a potential TikTok ban →
Biden’s ‘law’ and ‘order’ message during campus protests
Written by Jonathan Allen
Biden emphasized two words Thursday when referring to the nationwide campus protests over Gaza: “law” and “order.”
Notably, Biden did not use these phrases in the same breath, avoiding the timeless echo of Richard Nixon that Donald Trump repeated during the 2020 protests after the killing of George Floyd.
Nevertheless, Biden’s message was clear. He does not support protesters who break the law.
“Peaceful protest is the best tradition of American responses to serious issues,” Biden said. “But our country is also not a lawless nation. We are a civil society and order must prevail.”
Of course, every protest is different. The grievances of the Vietnamese generation echo those of those who demonstrated against police brutality in 2020, and those who now want the US to stop funding Israel, which is waging war in Gaza. is different.
But Biden’s comments hint at the political risks posed by chaos. He is trying to win over swing voters in battleground states, but the ongoing protests include rhetoric and actions far outside the mainstream.
“If violence occurs, it’s against the law,” he said. “Destroying property is not peaceful protest. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, closing campuses, and forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations are against the law.”
He added, “Dissent is essential to democracy, but dissent must not lead to anarchy.”
Mr. Biden is clearly walking a tightrope between those in his party who agree with the sentiments of the pro-Palestinian protesters and those who are alienated by the protesters’ views and the way they are expressed.
But if he fails, he will be sure it will be on the side of “law” and “order.” I’m sure he remembers Nixon and Trump saying that.
Read more about how Trump is trying to make campus protests a political liability for Biden →
Day 10 of Trump trial: Former Stormy Daniels lawyer talks about hush money deal made before 2016 election
Written by Adam Rees, Jillian Frankel, Gary Grumbach, Darle Gregorian
Trump’s hush-money trial resumed Thursday in a Manhattan courtroom as adult film star Stormy Daniels’ former lawyer weighs in on her claims that she had a sexual relationship with Trump days before the 2016 election. detailed the deals struck to suppress the She contributed to his campaign victory.
“What have we done?” attorney Keith Davidson wrote in a text on election night to a National Enquirer executive who helped broker the deal. Stated. “Oh my god,” replied Dylan Howard, an executive who was editor-in-chief of the Enquirer at the time. He described the document as “gallows humor” and their understanding that “our activities may have supported Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in some way.”
In cross-examination, Mr. Trump’s lawyer Emile Bove said that the people who sold sex tapes featuring wrestler Hulk Hogan and influencer Tila Tequila, as well as those who allegedly leaked information about Mr. Davidson, were among others. They tried to undermine Davidson’s credibility by asking questions about other salacious tabloid stories in which he had been involved. Actress Lindsay Lohan is in rehab.
Davidson declined to plead guilty, saying he did not remember the details of the specific incident. “He has had over 1,500 clients over my career,” he said.
He acknowledged that he was under investigation for extortion in 2012 in connection with the Hogan tapes. “That’s true,” he told Bove, but denied any wrongdoing.
Read more about the Trump trial →
🗞️ Today’s Top News
- 🚫 Ask the question: In interviews with 50 Republican voters in more than a dozen states, a majority said they would not accept Biden’s victory this fall as legitimate. President Trump reiterated in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he may not accept the results of the 2024 presidential election. Read more →
- 🗓️ Biden’s past opponents say: The New York Times interviewed a handful of Republicans who ran against the president during his decades in the Senate and found that from 1978 to 2008, opponents aired only one negative ad against Biden. He revealed trivia such as the fact that he did not. Read more →
- 🇯🇵 I have a friend like this: Biden has said Japan’s economy is “in trouble” and called Japan “xenophobic,” but the U.S. ally has yet to respond. Read more →
- 🌵 Raise the issue of abortion in Arizona: Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill that repeals Arizona’s near-total abortion ban. The issue also added a new layer to a crowded and competitive Republican congressional primary race, including for speaker of the state House of Representatives. Read more →
- 🏠 Is Gen Z at home? Joe Vogel, 27, the youngest ever Maryland state representative, is running in the state’s open 6th Congressional District, aiming to double Gen Z representation in the House of Representatives. Read more →
That’s all from the political desk for now. If you have any feedback, whether you like it or not, please email us at: politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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