Biden, Harris participate in Veterans Day ceremony | The Excerpt

On Tuesday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris appeared together Monday for a Veterans Day ceremony. USA TODAY Congress & Campaigns Reporter Riley Beggin takes a lot at the race for Senate leader. President-elect Donald Trump asks Rep. Mike Waltz to be national security adviser. USA TODAY Wellness Reporter Alyssa Goldberg discusses how some women are stockpiling Plan B and abortion pills following the election. 2024 is 'virtually certain' to be the warmest year on record, scientists say.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

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Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and today is Tuesday, November 12th, 2024. This is The Excerpt.

Today, Biden and Harris made their first appearance together since the election during Veteran's Day, whilst we take a look at the Race for Senate leader and how some women are stockpiling abortion pills.

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President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris honored veterans yesterday in their first joint appearance since Harris lost to President-elect Donald Trump in last week's election. Biden laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery alongside Harris.

Joe Biden:

This is the moment. This is the moment to come together as a nation, to keep faith in each other. The world is dependent on each of you and all of us, all of you, to keep honoring the women and the men and the families who were born to battle, to keep protecting everything they fought for, to keep striving, to heal our nation's wounds.

Taylor Wilson:

Harris sat between First Lady Jill Biden, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and greeted others briefly before the program began. Some attendees stood and cheered when she was introduced. Both Harris and Biden have promised a peaceful transfer of power on January 20th. Biden and Trump are set to meet at the White House tomorrow.

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President-elect Trump's allies are adding their voices and pressure to tomorrow's behind closed doors election to pick Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell's heir. Whoever wins will play a major role in the incoming administration's vision for the country. I spoke with USA TODAY congress and campaigns reporter, Riley Beggin for more.

Riley, I appreciate you hopping on as always.

Riley Beggin:

Anytime.

Taylor Wilson:

So Riley, let's start with the favorites in this election. What can you tell us about John Thune, his chances, and what his leadership would potentially look like?

Riley Beggin:

John Thune is currently the front-runner in this race. He is the number two ranking Senate Republican at the moment. He's sort of seen as McConnell's heir to the throne to a certain extent because he has been working in leadership for the last few years. And as the Republican whip, he's responsible for ensuring the party has enough votes to accomplish their goals. He's been in the Senate since 2004, so has several years of experience here. And he has a history with Donald Trump. He's probably, of the three of these guys, been the most outspoken in the past. After January 6th when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Thune was among the Senators from both parties who really condemned the riot and opposed Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump noticed and called for someone to challenge Thune in his primary in 2022. He survived that. There was no real primary challenger. And then when we got to 2024, Thune initially endorsed Tim Scott for president, his colleague in the Senate. Once Scott dropped out, Thune endorsed Trump and has really been working to rebuild that relationship.

Taylor Wilson:

John Cornyn, like Thune, he is had this longstanding relationship with the outgoing leader, Mitch McConnell. Where does he stand, Riley, and how close are he in Trump?

Riley Beggin:

He was the whip before John Thune was. He also was importantly the National Republican Senatorial Campaign committee chair for several years, which is the campaign arm for Senate Republicans. This is something that senators sort of use to judge one another because the person who's in this role is really responsible for making sure that their party controls the Senate, just does the best they can for the party. So their job is to be fundraising and supporting candidates.

And he also has sort of a middling history with Trump. He also condemned Trump's actions on January 6th in 2021. And then when we got to this presidential cycle, Cornyn first sort of said it's time for the Republican Party to move on from Trump. He said he thought that he could not win another presidential race, which obviously we all know how that turned out. But he did endorse Trump's reelection bid in January this year. He did not endorse a different candidate first like Thune did, and kind of had less a need to repair the relationship maybe than Thune.

Taylor Wilson:

There are several major Trump allies pushing for Rick Scott to get the position, Riley. Who's in his corner and what are his chances?

Riley Beggin:

He and Trump have a longstanding relationship. Scott used to be the governor of Florida, which of course is where Trump lives and has his famous Mar-a-Lago state. He's been a very early longtime supporter of Donald Trump. So they have a close relationship. And the folks who are advocating for him are saying he's the only one who's been sufficiently loyal to really run what could be sort of seen as the congressional arm of the Trump agenda. That said, he is not considered the favorite in this race. He challenged Mitch McConnell in 2022 and he lost 37 to 10. He is sort of constantly a part of this group of senators that is pushing for changes to the process in the Senate, but many mainstream Republican senators find that sort of frustrating and challenging to advance the process.

And then some of his colleagues are frustrated with his leadership as an RSC chair. Rick Scott was the chair during the 2022 elections where Republicans in the Senate did not do so well. So people are frustrated with his actions there. The folks that are really advocating for him though are people who have really close connections with Donald Trump. So we're talking about Elon Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla and of X. We are talking about RFK, Jr. who came onto the campaign, Tucker Carlson, who is a huge conservative voice. These folks are publicly pushing senators to come out in support of Rick Scott, and he does have the most endorsements at the moment publicly. So Senator Marco Rubio, Tommy Tuberville, Bill Haggerty, Rand Paul, a lot of these folks are already out there and saying people should vote for him. But I think that people should not read that as an indicator that he is likely to win. I think this is all very much in flux, and we're going to see what happens here.

Taylor Wilson:

In terms of the Trump factor in all this, how has the man himself weighed in on this race?

Riley Beggin:

This is a secret ballot election. If Trump endorsed Rick Scott, someone could say that they voted for him and then actually not, and nobody would really be able to out them necessarily. So Trump has been hesitant to endorse in races among Republicans when he's not sure who's going to win because it could look bad for him if he endorses and then his endorsed candidate loses. And at the very least, it could start them off on a bad foot. So it really remains to be seen whether he's going to get involved here. I think the risks are kind of high, though of course he is interested in the race and definitely wants to see who wins.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Riley Beggin covers congress and campaigns for USA TODAY. Thank you, Riley

Riley Beggin:

Anytime. Thank you.

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Taylor Wilson:

Donald Trump has asked Florida Congressman Mike Waltz to serve as his national security advisor according to two sources familiar with his selection. Waltz is set to join the new administration as it navigates several tense geopolitical conflicts, including the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas wars. The role Trump asked Waltz to serve in does not require Senate confirmation. The three-term lawmaker has been a member of the House Armed Services Committee, served in civilian roles at the Pentagon, and is a decorated Green Beret combat veteran. He's also an outspoken critic of the Defense Department's diversity programs. In Congress, Waltz has demanded more defense spending from NATO allies and questioned the United States blank check for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

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Some women are stockpiling Plan B and abortion pills ahead of an uncertain future on abortion under the next Trump administration. I spoke with USA TODAY wellness reporter Alyssa Goldberg to learn more.

Alyssa, thank you so much for making some time today.

Alyssa Goldberg:

Thank you for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So Alyssa, just starting here before we get to the kind of post-election climate, how have lawmakers really attempted to block and criminalize the distribution of abortion pills going back to since the overturning of Roe v. Wade?

Alyssa Goldberg:

Yeah, so in Oklahoma, where Brynn, one of the women that I interviewed for the story lives, abortion is illegal and the procedure cannot be performed unless it's medically necessary to save the mother's life. And a lot of the concerns from these women that are living in restrictive states is that things like abortion pills or emergency contraception could be next.

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, we have seen various attempts from lawmakers to block and criminalize the distribution of abortion pills. For example, Louisiana has reduced access to some abortion medications by classifying them as controlled substances. So that means that they're treated similarly to highly addictive drugs or medications that have depressant effects, yet evidence shows that these are safe medications with a low risk of complications.

Taylor Wilson:

Alyssa, you're here a few days after Trump's election when we're moving toward a new Trump era. In this climate, how are women now stockpiling these pills? Are we seeing any spikes in sales? And really, is this a direct response to last week's election, or have we been seeing some form of this, some version of this for some time?

Alyssa Goldberg:

Well, we've seen a version of it since the overturning of the Dobbs decision. This company, Wisp, which sells emergency contraception online, has experienced a 900% increase in emergency contraception immediately following the Dobbs decision. But they're seeing these spikes again in response to the election. So women are stockpiling these pills by ordering medication online from providers like Wisp, Julie, and Plan C. Wisp itself has seen an increase of approximately 1000% and new emergency contraceptive sales among new patients were up by 50%. Birth controls were up 50% and medication abortions went up by 600% following the election.

These are like telehealth services. So Wisp is a telehealth service that provides sexual and reproductive health care. Julie, as well, provides emergency contraception online, they'll mail it to your house. And other online contraceptive delivery services, they will require sometimes your license to verify your address and your age. There's one provider in particular that I know will only send these medications if you're over the age of 18. Otherwise, you'll have to have a parent also provide their license and approve the medication to be delivered to you.

Taylor Wilson:

Okay. So stockpiling medications in this way. Is this safe, Alyssa? I mean, what do the doctors really say about all this?

Alyssa Goldberg:

Doctors are saying that overall, this is safe. These medications have a shelf life of up to four years, and keeping one or two on hand can actually help their effectiveness because that means that you can take it immediately when you really need it. So if you have unprotected sex or a condom breaks and you need emergency contraception, the sooner you take it, the better it'll work. So having one or two on hand can be really helpful, but doctors are saying that you don't need to have 50 of them. It really should just be a couple in case of an emergency so that you have it when you need it most.

Taylor Wilson:

So Alyssa, we're clearly seeing this surge in sales. Does this mean we might see a shortage of these medications going into next year?

Alyssa Goldberg:

As of now, the providers that I spoke with, both from Wisp and other OBGYNs or obstetricians, do not expect to see a shortage in the medication. There are concerns about continued access across different states, but these providers are preparing to shift their strategies as needed to ensure that as many people as continue to have access even if we see a shift in policies.

Taylor Wilson:

Yeah. So Alyssa, you spoke with some women around the country who are dealing with some of these issues we've been talking about. What are their biggest concerns and really how is this moment hitting them?

Alyssa Goldberg:

So we're seeing women posting to social media sharing with their followers that they're planning to stock up on the morning after pill or abortion medication. Some of the women that we spoke to were coming from both restrictive states and states where abortion access is still protected. From an Oklahoma native, Brynn, posted to TikTok sharing that she was going to get plan B and a pregnancy test. She's living in a state where abortion is illegal other than when it's medically necessary. So she's fearful of being in a situation where she doesn't have access to abortion care. So just being as prepared as possible to not end up in that situation. And then there's also Barbara, who's a mom of two, who's in Los Angeles. So even though she's in a state where abortion is accessible, she is fearful for the future of accessing abortion medication and emergency contraceptive as more people rely on these telehealth services and just wanted to make sure that she as well has some medication on hand in case she needs it, in case she's not able to access it down the line.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. So moving forward, beyond stockpiling these medications, are there any other possible solutions or tactics women are taking in this moment ahead of a potentially volatile abortion climate next year?

Alyssa Goldberg:

I mean, just from speaking to both the women that are concerned and providers, it's just important to keep an eye on the way that abortion reproductive health policies develop and to continue educating people on safe sex reproductive health and knowing the resources that are still available to them.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Alyssa Goldberg covers wellness for USA TODAY. Thank you, Alyssa.

Alyssa Goldberg:

Thank you so much.

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Taylor Wilson:

Since early this year, climate scientists have said 2024 was likely to be the warmest year on record. Now 10 months in, it's virtually certain according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. This year is also virtually certain to be the first full year with global average temperatures at least 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit or 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels according to Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Climate Change Service. That's a target world leaders and climate scientists that hope to stay below in the quest to curb rising temperatures. You can read more with a link in today's show notes.

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And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your pods. And if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson, and I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.