A lot of issues will define the 2024 presidential election, and the economy will certainly be one of them. It's a topic where President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump greatly differ.

If the American economy was a bag of groceries, there are a lot of policies and metrics that you could put in it and pull out of it. Inflation is certainly one.

While down from its 40-year high in 2022, inflation remains a big issue for most families. Presidents don't have a direct impact on what companies charge, but their presidential policies can have sway.

President Biden has waged a public campaign to pressure companies to lower their prices. The White House has already claimed some success, claiming companies like Target, Walmart and other grocery chains have already heeded the president's request.

As for former President Trump, Scripps News Phoenix was able to ask about his plan for the economy should he return to the Oval Office. He called for more energy production in the U.S. as a way to bring down costs.

"We're gonna start with drill baby drill," Trump said. "We're gonna get those prices way down."

Another big economic issue heading into the election: housing and interest rates.

President Biden has called for new government assistance programs to help home buyers offset high interest rates. Former President Trump has openly considered firing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and replacing him with someone who will lower rates.

Of course, you can't forget about taxes when discussing the economy. Howard Gleckman studies tax policy with the Urban Institute and he says whoever is president next year will face an intense tax debate, when the Trump-era tax cuts expire in 2025.

Former President Trump has called for extending his tax cuts, which would keep the status quo in place. President Biden has called for tax hikes on those making more than $400,000 per year, as well as increasing the amount of the child tax credit.

"If the tax cuts and jobs act expires, it will go back to $1,000 [per year]," Gleckman said of the child tax credit. "Biden is talking about bringing it back to closer to $3,700."

The presidential election is poised to shape how the U.S. responds to significant global conflicts from China to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

On the campaign trail, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have touted their own records and highlighted their stark differences.

"Madeleine Albright was right. We are the essential nation. If we don't stand up, who does? Who does? If we don't unite the world, who can in our interest?" Biden said at a campaign reception in May.

President Biden has emphasized democratic values and the U.S.'s global leadership. He's sought to strengthen U.S. alliances, particularly in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. However, the continuing wars in Ukraine and Gaza have dominated his foreign policy agenda and forced it to evolve.

"Russia would have never attacked Ukraine if I were president never, not even possible. And Israel wouldn't have happened, the Oct. 7 would have never happened," said Trump at a campaign rally in May.

Trump blames Biden's leadership and claims conflicts only happened because he wasn't president. In office, Trump rattled the international organizations and agreements that have been part of the world order for generations, including NATO and the United Nations.

There's a stark difference between how President Biden and Trump view America's relationships, according to Spencer Bakich, a senior fellow with the University of Virginia's Miller Center and professor at the Virginia Military Institute.

"Whereas Biden sees the principal challenge to the United States as an autocratic axis of resistance or obstruction to the so-called liberal international order, he has attempted to stitch together sister democracies in an attempt to push back against authoritarian creep around the world. The Trump administration has, certainly in 2016 through 2020, sought to undermine those very alliances, those very partnerships," Bakich said.

President Biden has backed NATO's expansion and rallied international aid for Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion, even amid some Republican opposition at home as well as critiques that aid hasn't been sent expeditiously enough.

In contrast, Trump called on European countries to spend more and threw into question continued support for NATO, but recently held back on forceful opposition to continued Ukraine aid. He has raised concerns as he has expressed admiration for Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-un, both of whom he met with during his presidency.

"You know, they always say he was very nice to Russia. No, I was the worst to Russia. But I got along with Putin, we got along. It's nice to get along with somebody that has a nuclear capability, right," Trump said at one of his rallies.

"We'll never forget the, his love letters to Kim Jong-un of North Korea and his admiration for Putin. He talks about how smart Putin is and how if he wants to move into Ukraine or anywhere else, have at it if they're not doing enough for us," President Biden said in April at a campaign event in New York.

On the Middle East, President Biden's initial absolute support for Israel in its war against Hamas, in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, has given way to criticism over Gaza. The administration's warnings against a major ground operation in Rafah, including a pause in a shipment of bombs, did not prevent Israelis from using American bombs that killed civilians.

President Biden still backs an eventual two-state solution as he's pushed for a cease-fire and hostage release deal.

"I'm working to bring the region together. I'm working to build a lasting, durable peace. Because the question is, as you see what's going on in Israel today: What after? What after Hamas? What happens then? What happens in Gaza? What rights do the Palestinian people have? I'm working to make sure we finally get a two-state solution," President Biden said.

The administration has undertaken significant diplomatic efforts as it has publicly balanced military support for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government with urging more action to protect civilians. Those efforts are taking place while trying to keep the conflict from widening in the Middle East in the face of attacks from Iran and its proxies.

Meanwhile, under the Trump administration, the former president touted the U.S.'s relationship with Israel. He recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the U.S. embassy there.

Trump also celebrated the normalization of relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain under the Abraham Accords.

The former president's Middle East policy also led to the U.S. pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal.

Amid conflict in the Middle East, Trump more recently told Time he thought a two-state solution would be "tough" and has urged Israel to finish the war.

"What I said very plainly is get it over with, and let's get back to peace and stop killing people. And that's a very simple statement. Get it over with. They've got to finish what they finish. They have to get it done. Get it over with, and get it over with fast because we have to, you have to get back to normalcy and peace," Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt in an interview in April.

Understanding the unpredictability of the situation in Gaza, Bakich says there is a difference in how each leader approaches the conflict.

"The difference, I think, between the Biden administration's future approach and the Trump administration's future approach, would be some sort of sensitivity to the Palestinian cause and appreciation for the fact that Israel's military operations are costing tens of thousands of civilian lives," he said. "I think probably the Biden administration is much more sensitive to that and understands not only the moral predicament that Israel and the United States find themselves in, but also the strategic predicament."

Meanwhile, both candidates have had to manage competition and confrontation with China, economically and militarily.

Relations between the U.S. and China reached a low point after the discovery of a Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. The Biden administration undertook significant diplomatic outreach to restore communication, culminating in a summit with Biden and Xi Jinping. At the same time, President Biden has sought to strengthen relations in the Indo-Pacific, forming groups like AUKUS and hosting a summit at Camp David with the leaders of Japan and South Korea.

Trump visited China for a state visit early on in his administration.

"The singular focus on China was multifaceted. It was an attempt to increase the presence of the United States military in the Indo-Pacific. And it was also in the trade space where the president immediately slapped a significant number, significant percentage of tariffs on a large number of goods coming from China," Bakich said of the Trump administration.

Trump implemented significant tariffs on Chinese goods, which the Biden administration also pursued. While Biden recently raised tariffs on electric vehicles and chips from China, Trump has called for it to be extended to more vehicles.

"With respect to China, I suspect that we would see a return to the hard-edged, highly competitive trade and military strategy that the Trump administration left off with in 2020," Bakich said.

Bakich indicated Trump's strategy could be similar to his first term, while President Biden could pursue a cohesive strategy to confront multiple fronts.

"I think probably what you would see is a more concerted effort to link the three major theaters into a more cohesive, hopefully more cohesive, conceptual, grand strategic approach. That's a very, very difficult task; understanding precisely how China, Russia and the Middle East interact with one another is difficult enough. And the problem there is that you don't want to create a monolithic conception of a tightly knit axis against the United States," he said.

In a second term for President Biden or Trump, there's no question the next commander in chief will be faced with difficult choices as the global landscape evolves.

On this episode of Scripps News Reports: Dealing with threats to America and the source of major flashpoints around the world, from Israel's conflict in Gaza to Russian aggression in Ukraine to the rise of China.

We investigate the state of world tensions and focus on the Americans keeping us safe, break down how the 2024 presidential candidates differ on foreign policy and major issues around the world, and hear from American service members and their families about the unique challenges they face at home.

If you look up at the sky in Americas Finest City, theres a good chance youll spot a piece of military aircraft flying.

In San Diego, its hard to miss the massive impact the military has on the community. Camp Pendleton, home to the Marine Expeditionary Force, gives the first clue that San Diego is a military town.

The base is one of the first things drivers see when entering the county. Hundreds of thousands of Marines have trained at the base since World War II.

Our military presence here is extremely significant, said Jim Kidrick, a retired Navy fighter pilot and commander, who is now CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

Kidrick sat down with Scripps News to talk about the impact the military has had on San Diego for this weeks edition of Path to the White House. In this episode, we focus on the importance of Americas military communities and look at the impact of the Israel-Hamas war on voters.

Kidrick said with 110,000 active-duty service members based in San Diego and key defense assets here, its made San Diego the mothership, we might say. The San Diego Military Advisory Council says San Diego, home port of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, is the largest military concentration in the world.

In 2022, the council estimated the military had a $56.4 billion dollar impact on the local economy. The council says some 225,000 veterans call the coastal California city home, and over 354,000 people work in defense-related jobs.

Kidrick said San Diego is geographically positioned to allow the United States to respond to any conflict quickly. Aircraft carriers, airplanes and personnel can all be dispatched quickly, he said.

You can bet if we ever went to an all-out war, San Diegos one of the targets. There's no doubt about that because it's so valuable, he said.

Some of the militarys key assets include Naval Base San Diego, which has over 50 ships and sits on over 300 scenic acres on the San Diego Bay.

Inland, MCAS Miramar serves as the West Coast headquarters of Marine aviation.

The base is best known for its annual air show that gives spectators the rare opportunity to see military aircraft fly at death-defying speeds. In Coronado, the countrys most elite train to become Navy SEALs. Few pass the grueling and sometimes deadly "Hell Week" that tests physical endurance and mental toughness.

Nearby at Naval Base Point Loma, some of the most capable attack submarines in the world lurk. The base served as a backdrop for President Joe Biden, who announced a nuclear submarine deal with Australia and the U.K. in 2023.

We have all of the major commands right here, said Kidrick.

Scripps News San Diego

Earlier this year, Ukraine's security service released video fragments of what it alleged were from a North Korean Hwasong 11 ballistic missile that killed at least three people in Kharkiv.

It was another signal to the White House of a so-called "axis of upheaval" authoritarian enemies of America coalescing and enhancing one another militarily.

Russia is replenishing its missile stocks with ones made in North Korea. In return, Moscow is believed, by the U.S. intelligence community, to be helping Pyongyang acquire spy satellites and submarines and develop more advanced nuclear missiles.

Iran is selling Russia missiles and drones to attack Ukraine. In return, Moscow reportedly provides Tehran advanced fighter jets and air defenses.

China, in alleged violation of U.S. sanctions, is transferring microchips and other banned military components to Russia. Moscow reciprocates by helping Beijing with its submarine and anti-ship weaponry programs.

China is also bankrolling the Russian and Iranian weapons spending spree snubbing sanctions and buying up their oil.

"I would think of these four countries like giant termites termites with really big jaws," says Cliff Kupchan, chairman of Eurasia Group, an international political risk consultancy firm. "They are chomping away at the edifice of the international system."

As the U.S. presidential race heats up, voters are being asked to consider whether they want their country to continue to act as an enforcer of international norms and laws.

"The real prize here is the shape and nature of the international system ... for the next couple of decades," says Kupchan.

Eurasia Group's 2024 global risk assessment warns about the Middle East, saying "the region is a tinderbox, and the number of players carrying matches makes the risk of escalation exceptionally high."

Kupchan says Iran came very close to lighting the match in April when it fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel. "We got lucky ... we shot them all down," he says. "If that had not happened, we'd be living in a very different world right now."

It will also be a different world if Russia is ultimately rewarded for its war on Ukraine.

A might-makes-right victory would be one for all in the "axis of upheaval."

Our "Path to the White House" series continues this week by looking at foreign policy.

From now until the Democratic and Republican national conventions, Scripps News is going in-depth on the issues that will impact your vote.

We have already dived into issues like education, gun violence and health care.

So how do former President Trump and President Biden's worldviews differ and how does it impact foreign policy?

European focus

President Joe Biden has spent much of his presidency forging alliances in Europe.

He has met with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine on multiple occasions, promising and delivering new aid to the country.

President Biden has also welcomed Finland and Sweden to NATO, the European military alliance.

Former President Trump has forged relationships with leaders in Europe, too, over the years.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn has even met with Trump in recent months. Orban is considered closer than most European leaders to Vladimir Putin of Russia.

Trump has criticized NATO in the past, arguing that other countries should be paying more and that it's too reliant on funding from the United States.

Former President Trump has also criticized some of the aid given to Ukraine.

Asia focus

Both leaders put a particular focus on Asia during their time in office, while differing on strategies when it comes to combating the rise of China.

Those differences however mainly center around rhetoric.

Former President Trump forged a very close friendship with the late prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe while in office.

President Biden, meanwhile, held a state dinner for Japan's prime minister earlier this year.

President Biden has taken steps to make the "Quad," the alliance of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S., stronger.

Reestablishing the "Quad" is considered one of Trump's top foreign policy achievements.

Summit controversies

Without a doubt, Trump had a desire in office to hold more controversial summits. He met with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un multiple times while in office.

President Biden has rejected such meetings and hasn't even met with President Putin since the war in Ukraine began.

Israel and Gaza

Whoever wins in November will also have to confront the conflict between Israel and Gaza.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was very close to Trump during Trump's four years in the White House, but Trump has more openly criticized Netanyahu in recent months.

President Biden has criticized Israel, too, but both leaders remain committed to a strong alliance between the U.S. and Israel.

Education in the U.S. appears to be increasingly looked at through a political lens.

From banning books to restricting the curriculum, America's classrooms have become a flashpoint during this election year.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have a lot of differences when it comes to education. They differ on things like school vouchers and student loan forgiveness.

Scripps News sat down with voters to understand where they are on the issues. You can hear that conversation by watching this week's Scripps News Reports in the video above.

School board elections have evolved into a new arena of conflict in American politics, as traditionally nonpartisan contests are becoming more polarized and attracting national attention.

In suburban and rural Texas, normally mundane board meetings have devolved into shout-fests, and local school board campaigns have attracted well-heeled donors to tilt the scales.

Across Texas it's now not uncommon for school board candidates to have political war chests in the tens of thousands of dollars, whereas before only four-digit sums were raised to send campaign mailers.

After the election of Joe Biden in 2020, the school board elections in Granbury, Texas took a partisan and culture-wars bent. Candidates like Courtney Gore campaigned openly as Christian, conservative, and, most importantly, as Republican.

Gore, a 43-year-old former GOP activist in her home county, said she worried the Granbury Independent School District curriculum was awash with liberal indoctrination, pressing "woke" cultural issues that included diversity, equity and inclusion and gender studies, as well as a school of study only offered in graduate level seminars: critical race theory.

When elected in 2021, Gore said she pored through the school programs.

"I didn't find any CRT," Gore said. "I didn't find any sexualization of our children. It wasn't even that there would be something taken out of context to be shown in a different light. They didn't even come close to the stuff that I was hearing about."

Gore said that there was "no there, there." And when she relayed her findings that the curricula already reflected a fairly conservative community, she says fellow Republican activists met her with dismay and disbelief.

Gore said they called her political credentials in question.

"I'm conservative. I'm a Republican. I guess it depends on who you ask, locally," Gore said. She added she's been accosted by critics outside meetings and has even been confronted by people openly carrying firearms.

"There's been instances where myself and other trustees have been threatened, and one citizen even went so far as to bring a gun to a school board meeting," Gore said.

Gore said her party is engaging in purity tests and "eating its own."

Her introspection is atypical of a movement to take over municipal politics, but her initial election fit a pattern of American school boards being politicized and charged with national issues and big-money campaigns.

Julie Pace, an education policy researcher at the University of Southern California, has been taking the political and financial pulse of local school board elections. She says more money is being injected into them, especially in the suburbs, and they're taking a more overtly political tone.

Pace said much of the energy is coming from conservative political action committees and wealthy donors, and adds that nonpartisans, centrists and liberal-leaning groups are only catching up.

In Houston's suburban Cypress-Fairbanks schools, political action committees spent tens of thousands of dollars to usher in conservatives, like Natalie Blasingame.

Earlier in May, Blasingame, who prior to her 2021 election campaigned openly as a Christian who wished "to bring God back on campus," proposed eliminating and replacing chapters from state-approved science textbooks.

At the May 6 meeting of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District board of trustees, Blasingame claimed, "An example is topics of depopulation, and an agenda out of United Nations in environmental science. There's a lot around in population, and also, you know, a perspective that humans are bad."

The board, which over the last two election cycles has shifted more partisan and more conservative, voted 6-to-1 to eliminate more than a dozen chapters.

Some critical parents say all the campaign cash produced a hostile takeover.

"[Blasingame] has stated publicly and in writing that she feels it is her calling by God to infiltrate the school system and bring the Christian, specifically the Christian religion and her specific beliefs, into our schools, and teach our children her personal beliefs that she feels called by God to do that," said Cypress-Fairbanks parent Aly Fitzpatrick.

Blasingame did not respond to our request for an interview, nor did the school board president, Scott Henry.

Bryan Henry (no relation to Scott Henry) helps lead an opposition group called Cypress Families for Public Schools. The group is fiercely opposed to what they see as a religious-minded conservative takeover and a PAC-backed attempt to undermine faith in public schools. "They're now using those votes, to do things that are out of step with the history of public education, and I would say even the values of the community," Henry said.

Parent Jen Chenette, who regularly attends Cypress-Fairbanks board of trustees meetings, said the campaign finance records show a clear pattern.

"Those board members have their mouth wide open for all this money that's poured in," Chenette said, adding it's tilted the policy priorities toward anti-science, and is veering towards book bans.

Courtney Gore sees a broader strategy in hyper-nationalizing the politics in hyper-local campaigns. "And it all boils down to this push that I've seen across the state, not just here in Texas, but actually nationwide for school vouchers," Gore said.

The politicization of school boards in Texas dovetails with a yearslong fight the governor has waged to usher in school vouchers.

Texas campaign finance records show Abbott's political campaign got a $6 million contribution in December from Pennsylvania investor billionaire Jeff Yass, a big proponent of school vouchers.

Despite the political battle within her own state's GOP about vouchers, Gore said she remains a Christian conservative Republican who is a believer in public schools.

The outcome of this year's elections will mean big changes in higher education. Showing up in both the presidential and congressional races, candidates are focusing on costs, student debt relief and the curriculum.

Since taking office, President Joe Biden has made good on promises to forgive some student loans. Five million Americans have seen $167 billion of their debt forgiven.

President Biden's Department of Education has taken action without Congress and amid legal fights to forgive some student loans. The Supreme Court rejected his broader plan last year that would have dissolved $20,000 for every borrower.

The loans forgiven fall into a few categories: borrowers the government determined were cheated by their schools, low-income borrowers, public service workers, and borrowers who have been paying for more than 20 years.

Although not everyone in those categories qualified for relief, President Biden says he isn't done yet. At an April campaign event in Wisconsin, the president announced a plan that would eliminate $20,000 in interest for borrowers who owe more now than when they began paying their loans.

Those opposed to student loan forgiveness don't want tax dollars being used to pay them. They say it's unfair to people who have already paid off their loans or who never took out loans in the first place.

The increasing cost of higher education is just one battle. There's also the debate over what colleges are teaching.

In a video posted to his campaign website in July 2023, former President Donald Trump promised to "fire the radical left accreditors that have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxists maniacs and lunatics" if he is re-elected.

Colleges and universities are accredited by a combination of private companies and federal and state entities whose goal is to ensure the institutions meet an acceptable level of quality. An institution must be accredited for students to receive student aid from the U.S. Department of Education.

Republican leaders who want to restrict what is being taught are focusing on social and political issues.

While president, Trump withheld federal dollars from universities that had diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, made it more difficult for international students to attend college in the U.S., joined efforts to eliminate affirmative action in admissions, and promoted pro-American and Western civilization curriculum.

He also threatened to revoke the tax-exempt status for some institutions. Now, he says he'd go even further to eliminate DEI programs and administrators.

Republican victories in November could mean major funding changes and attempts to alter the curriculum at universities, as well as an end to new debt relief programs. Democratic victories would likely mean more efforts to restructure student loans and provide even more debt relief.

At South Shore Montessori School near Tampa, Florida, founder and CEO Rohini Rustogi calls the state's newly expanded school voucher program a game changer.

We are fully enrolled," she said. "In the past, we would lose children going into kindergarten, but now were able to retain those children."

State vouchers are helping more than half of students at her school pay the private school tuition. Each state voucher is worth upwards of $8,0000 per student, helping to reduce annual tuition costs significantly for some families.

Jennifer Grocher is sending her two students to the school with a state voucher.

It gives parents choices, Grocher said about the voucher program. If that wasn't a possibility, my kids would have to go to their zoned school, which is not, ideally, my option."

Its been amazing, said Kimberly Boswell Warbrough, who also has two children attending private schools with a state voucher.

But while these parents tout Floridas newly expanded universal school voucher program as an overwhelming success, some school operators are giving the program mixed reviews.

Its a mess until they fix it, said Juliet Sanomi, owner of Dickens Sanomi Academy, a private school in Broward County for students with disabilities.

Eight months ago, we first exposed how Floridas new voucher expansion which makes taxpayer money available to all students to attend a private school regardless of family income was marred by payment delays and communication failures with the state contractor hired to distribute the money.

The situation became so critical that some private schools for students with disabilities faced shutting down and leaving the families who relied on them facing the unknown.

If the school has to close because they don't get their funding, my son has nowhere else to go, one mom said.

Today, Sanomi and some other private school owners told us they are still dealing with payment delays.

Its still a mess, said Sanomi, who told us she owed nearly $100,000 in interest after taking out a loan at the start of the school year to cover costs because the states voucher money kept coming late. She added that some of her student voucher reimbursements are still running behind.

It has to be micromanaged until we get it right because these families depend on this, Sanomi said of the taxpayer-funded program.

We're talking six, eight weeks late," explained Mary Jo Walsh, who owns the Mountaineer School of Autism in West Palm Beach. "And that's whats forced so many of us into these high-interest loans."

Walsh became so fed up with the states payment problems that, in the fall, she formed a coalition of schools dealing with similar issues. Eight months later, shes still hearing from members who are still waiting for voucher money.

Teachers are worried that the end of the year is not going to be able to be completed," Walsh said. "And school owners are having to make difficult decisions as to whether they're going to close their doors and not reopen again in the fall."

In an email, a spokesperson for Step Up for Students, the sole state contractor hired to oversee and distribute Floridas school voucher money, stated theyve fulfilled over 99% of tuition payments worth more than $2.2. billion.

But the organization also acknowledged issues.

"Given the complexity of Floridas choice programs, there will always be some payments that are in the process of being worked on," spokesperson Scott Kent stated.

Step Up doubled its call center staff and recently hired a new CEO. However, the rough rollout this year gained the attention of multiple media outlets and Florida lawmakers, who passed legislation this past session setting deadlines for when voucher payments must be distributed to schools.

Despite the issues and the delay in payments, school owners we recently spoke with describe Floridas new voucher program as a success for students and families.

"Its a success," said Walsh. "With that being said, there's still room for improvement. There's a great need for a private option, and the voucher is there, and it is very helpful. It's just that it needs to be delivered in a timely manner. It needs to be efficient in its delivery system, and that's where the problem is."

Scripps News Tampa.

They say that education is at the heart of a strong democracy, but ahead of 2024s presidential election, how and what students are taught in public schools has become a major political issue.

Few places is that more apparent than in Florida. Here, book challenges have led to the restriction of hundreds of titles from school district libraries and made even more headlines over the last two years.

Youve probably seen school board meetings like these that made national headlines: Adults trying to remove books from school libraries and classrooms, often pushing long lists and demanding action. The fight has come mainly from conservative political groups, like Moms for Liberty. Their members often object to themes they find violent, lewd or pornographic, while other parents and educators push back.

Florida has become the epicenter of the book ban battle in the U.S. Last school year alone, the state says more than 1,200 objections resulted in nearly 400 book removals. According to First Amendment nonprofit PEN America, Florida leads the nation with over 40% of all book bans last year occurring in the Sunshine States K-12 classrooms.

Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the GOP-controlled legislature helped enable the book challenges. They crafted laws (HB 1557 / HB 1069) restricting public school instruction on gender and sexuality in grades K to 3, later expanding it through high school, with some exceptions.

Another law made it easier for parents or anyone else to challenge a book. Supporters have argued that too much inappropriate material is reaching young minds.

Thats pornographic why do we have that in a media center with 10-year-old students? DeSantis said at a press conference in March of 2023. Its just wrong. A lot of parents now have been empowered to make sure these are appropriate environments.

DeSantis has repeatedly cited questionable content found in grades as early as elementary. As justification, his communications team published this video with some of the most graphic examples. Many of the books were focused on LGBTQ+ inclusivity but the governor labeled them an attempt at indoctrination over education.

Parents look at that and they feel like theyre sending their kids to a place that is waging war against their own basic values, said DeSantis. We cant have that in the state of Florida.

Those who feel the bans have gone too far said the graphic material is a very small portion of whats now being questioned. Their focus has shifted to condemning what they see as overzealous censorship.

They point to places like Escambia County, which has had perhaps the highest number of challenges in the country. More than 200 books are currently being reviewed, including modern classics like "The Watchmen," "American Gods" and "The Handmaids Tale."

They're fed up and tired of the culture wars, said Rep. Anna Eskamani.

Eskamani, a Democratic state lawmaker in Florida, has been one of the most vocal critics of the book challenges. Shes voiced worry that schools and education are getting weakened by what she sees as the injection of a conservative ideology. She thinks voters are sick of it.

Im very hopeful that this year we'll see the demise of Moms for Liberty, said Eskamani. We'll see election results that speak to what we see in other states already, that we can go back to public education being an apolitical and foundational purpose for all of us.

The issue has become a national one ahead of the 2024 election. Hundreds of books are now being challenged in states across the country as policies and concerns similar to those of Florida conservatives proliferate.

The American Library Association sounded the alarm with a recent report that showed 2023 brought the most book title challenges in its nearly 150-year history, with a 65% increase over 2022.

The ALA also documented its top 10 most challenged books of last year, most containing LGBTQ+ content. Topping the list, "Gender Queer: A Memoir." Its author, Maia Kobabe, penned an op-ed in The Washington Post, writing, Schools are banning my book. But queer kids need queer stories.

Back in Florida, groups like the Florida Freedom to Read Project have sprung up to track the bans. The nonprofit regularly updates lists of books under threat. Thats as bookstores join the effort to push back. Some feature or even specialize in titles taken off Florida school shelves.

Rohis Readery in West Palm Beach is among them.

"We want to use these books as tools of empowerment, but instead, people are seeing them as a threat, which is not the case," said Pranati Kumar, who operates Rohis. "It's even sad that they're being called banned books because their intention, of these authors and illustrators, is to create liberation. It's to create opportunities for open engagement and conversation and learning of stories of others."

Critics of the bans have even scored what they consider a recent win. Gov. DeSantis signed a bill last month scaling back the scope of Floridas book bans. The legislation limits challenges that non-parents can submit to one a month. DeSantis, however, blamed the change on activists.

I think that will help short circuit these frivolous challenges because it's being done to create a narrative that somehow, my gosh, all these books are, quote, banned, said DeSantis. No book is banned in Florida. The most grotesque, pornographic books that are in schools that have been removed because they're not appropriate, you can go buy it at a bookstore.

His comments mark the latest chapter in the book ban battle, which continues to rage in Florida and across the nation. But how it will end remains unwritten.

Scripps News Tampa.

For 10 weeks, ahead of the conventions, Scripps News is going in-depth on the issues that will impact your vote. We have covered so far gun violence, health care and reproductive rights. So what about schools?

EDUCATION

It is something that has become a bit more political in recent years: Your child's education.

Four years ago, the presidential candidates talked a lot about what COVID mandates should or should not exist in schools.

In 2024, there is less COVID discussion, but still stark differences in education policies.

PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Let's start with the debate over public and private school funding.

President Biden opposes vouchers for students who can't afford to attend private schools. Former President Trump supports them.

In a social media post in 2020, President Biden outlined his position:

Former President Trump made efforts to expand voucher programs and school choice while in office.

In 2017, he brought students who receive vouchers to the White House saying this is "what winning for young children and kids from all over the country looks like."

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

President Biden and former President Trump have a fundamental disagreement over the role of the federal government and the Department of Education.

While both recognize many issues are handled at the local level, former President Trump has gone so far as to say the Department of Education should be eliminated and has called for mass firings of many Department of Education officials.

WHAT SHOULD BE TAUGHT

The candidates differ on what should and should not be taught in the classroom.

"I never thought I'd be in, present in a time, when there's a national effort to ban books," Biden told graduates during a speech at Moorehouse College.

Former President Trump previously promised to "...cut any funding for schools pushing critical race theory."

Another area of disagreement is student loan forgiveness.

President Biden supports widespread student loan forgiveness.

Former President Trump opposed and praised a Supreme Court decision that blocked President Biden's forgiveness plan.

A big difference too is teachers' unions.

President Biden has been endorsed by teachers unions and spoken about how they can help advocate for educators

Teachers unions have never endorsed former president Trump and has said that a quote "union wall" has harmed education.

In most U.S. cities, urgent medical care is just a few minutes away.

But for a growing number of Americans in rural areas, emergency and even routine medical care is getting harder to find.

"It is definitely a life-and-death situation. Lives will be lost because of lack of emergency rooms in rural communities," said Cumberland River Hospital owner Johnny Presley.

Presley owns the small hospital in Celina, Tennessee. Facing huge financial hurdles in 2020, he was forced to close the doors, leaving the town's 1,400 residents without a nearby emergency room.

"It's really catastrophic for the local individuals in the communities not having an ER. It's usually, at best, a 45-minute to an hour trip to an ER. And by the time you summon EMS and make the 45-minute transfer, you're at least an hour away from any acute setting that you can get in to take care of true emergencies," Presley told Scripps News in 2021.

Since 2005, 192 hospitals have shut down in rural America, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina. That area is home to 15% of the U.S. population. Sixty percent of all U.S. counties are considered "medically underserved," according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Officials say lower access to health care and insurance are reasons rural Americans are more likely to die from preventable causes than city dwellers.

"Many of the trends that have caused rural hospital closures over the past decade, they will continue," said Geroge Pink, deputy director of the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program. "Most of them are in small or declining markets. They've got high rates of unemployment, high rates of uninsured patients, high proportions of Medicare, Medicaid patients."

The newly elected president of the American Medical Association says it all adds up to a crisis.

"The entire rural health care system is teetering on the brink," said Dr. Bruce Scott.

Nearly 40% of rural hospitals lost money last year. But new bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate would permanently change the way those hospitals are paid by Medicare. If passed, it would throw patients like Stephen Headrick, injured in 2020, a lifeline.

"It means everything it really does to a small community like this," Headrick said in 2021. "There'll be so many lives that won't make it because this hospital won't be here. And that's sad."

For the first time, Medicare is now negotiating the prices of some prescription drugs. That could mean lower costs, mostly for seniors, starting in 2026.

It's a move with overwhelming public support, and a provision most Americans don't know exists.

Medicare had been prohibited from negotiating drug prices when lawmakers created Medicare's Part D outpatient prescription drug program in 2003. The argument from the Republican-controlled congress was that less revenue for drug companies would mean less innovation.

The rule changed when the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022 along party lines.

"Finally we beat Big Pharma. Finally, I'm serious. I'm proud my administration is taking on Big Pharma in the most significant ways ever," said President Biden during an April 3 address.

When President Donald Trump was in office, he suggested Medicare be allowed to negotiate drug prices, but it didn't happen. He also proposed allowing Americans to import certain drugs.

"I'm giving governors the right to go to Canada because they'll pay approximately 50% less for their drugs that they buy for their states," he said in November 2020.

Direct negotiations by the federal government may have an impact beyond Medicare recipients.

The hope lies in scale, with 60 million Americans on Medicare. Advocates believe drug companies will have to cave on price or risk losing business to other drugmakers.

Drugmakers have lobbied hard against reforms like these. The pharmaceutical and health care products industry consistently spend more than any other industry lobby. They've spent $107 million so far in 2024 and topped $382 million in 2023, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan watchdog group that tracks money in U.S. politics.

For now, only 10 drugs are up for negotiation, including Eliquis and Xarelto for blood clots, and Jardiance, Januvia and Farxiga for diabetes.

President Biden's moves to lower drug costs also include requiring manufacturers to pay rebates to Medicare if prices increase faster than inflation and capping out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 in 2025.

President Trump fought pharmacy benefit managers, seen as middlemen, incentivized to charge more for drugs.

Most of the recent moves to cut prescription drug costs are riding on the power of Medicare and are credited to the Inflation Reduction Act.

The price of health care is top of mind for many voters in America.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have very different positions on health care. President Biden has expressed support for the Affordable Care Act, saying he wants to expand it. In contrast, Trump wanted to repeal and replace the law during his time in office.

Scripps News political correspondent Charles Benson sat down with voters to talk about the rising cost of health care. They agreed that Republicans and Democrats need to come together.

Hear their conversation in this week's episode of Scripps News Reports.

Bring four people together at a Wisconsin coffee shop to talk about health care and it doesn't take long for the conversation to take off.

Lynn Carey shared her story about having a double lung transplant. Kamar Carter spoke from the heart about being a small business owner and paying for health care. Peter Gilbert is on Medicare and spent a lifetime in the insurance business.

Ron Chmill is an insurance agent from the suburbs, a cancer survivor who had a heart attack earlier this year. He's thankful to be alive, and for his health insurance.

"So far, since January 1st my insurance company has paid $233,000 for me plus my $9,400 deductible," said Chmill. "Luckily, I had the health insurance."

The 61-year-old is on his wife's insurance and worries about his out-of-pocket costs when she retires, and as they wait to sign up for Medicare.

"I will have to budget for that," he added. "Our premiums will be $1,800 a month and that's only for 18 months."

He knows the politicians will be talking about health care this election year.

"I don't know if anyone has the answer," Chmill said. "They talk about it around the election time but after the election then it kind of stops."

Kamar Carter thinks about health care all the time. He owns a wellness business at a retail shop in Milwaukee.

"I wound up with my own business after that so now I'm at a point where I can pay for my insurance, but it is expensive," said Carter, a father of four. "I'm in agreeance with health care, I feel like everybody needs health care."

He knows there are challenges because he sees it with his customers.

"A lot of people in my community are living check-to-check," Carter said. "If you lose a job, everything is gone once you lose your job."

Carter wonders why Republicans and Democrats can't work it out to find better solutions.

"If you love people there is no way you can't sit down at the table, where everybody is happy," he said.

Lynn Carey knows what it's like to be the health care provider and the patient.

"Health care has always been very important to me because of my career as a nurse. I'm a retired nurse," she said.

"I had a double lung transplant, and it will be nine years on May 13th," Carey added. "It's a very expensive disease, as many diseases are."

She is a big supporter of the Affordable Care Act for many reasons, including its protection for people with preexisting conditions. Carey also appreciates President Biden's efforts to lower some prescription drug costs for people on Medicare.

However, Carey believes both sides need to come together to do more.

"How can we provide a health care system that will provide health care as a right, not as a privilege?" questioned Carey. "In terms of Medicare, I like the discussion about making it available earlier. I would like to see it available to everyone. I call it Medicare for all. I have had a really good experience."

Peter Gilbert spent a lifetime in the insurance business.

"I'm a big proponent of preventive health care," he said.

The St. Francis retiree has stayed active on this issue and others. He made an unsuccessful run for the state Senate a couple of years ago, but there's one big change he'd like to see.

"I would prefer instead of health care being tied to a job," said Gilbert. "Because people maybe want to change jobs, or they lose their job ... being tied to a job is not very efficient."

Scripps News Milwaukee.

Juliana Zoet likes to spend quality time with her teenage son Christian. She has a good-paying job and employee health insurance, but she still worries about medical bills.

"The deductible is so high," she said. "Just out of pocket, I'm still paying from 2023 and 2024 on a payment plan," said Zoet.

She remembers a time when that wasn't an issue.

"When I had Christian, I didn't see a bill," she said.

Julie Buckholt feels the same type of stress when it comes to paying medical bills. There are days when her myasthenia gravis a rare neuromuscular disease impacts every part of her body, from eating to breathing to smiling.

If she won $1 million, it would not be enough to cover all her weekly infusions.

"The cost for these medications is out of control," said Buckholt.

When the Milwaukee educator went on disability, Medicare helped cover her costs, but she has still been forced to navigate charitable foundations for financial help with her medication.

"I still have to fight for my medication with disability," she said.

Before that, she became a big fan of the Affordable Care Act, which ended lifetime limits on benefits and protected families like hers with preexisting conditions.

But challenges exist.

"We need to have easier access to doctors with an illness like this and you're waiting to see a specialist. It's very frustrating," said Buckholt.

President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act is expected to provide financial relief to millions of people on Medicare who are struggling with very expensive prescription drugs by capping out-of-pocket drug spending.

"We've got to pull the curtain that's masking how drug pricing is done," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, when asked how to lower drug costs for everyone.

The new law will allow the secretary to negotiate with drug companies on a selected 10 specific drugs covered by Medicare Part D.

"We want the manufacturers to still make their profit," he said. "But we don't want to pay hyperextended prices."

In his first term, former President Donald Trump signed the Right to Try Law to make experimental drug treatments and drugs available to people facing terminal illnesses.

Trump has talked about replacing the Affordable Care Act, but it's unclear how or what that would look like.

Tommy Thompson, a four-time elected Republican governor and secretary of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush, says the health care system needs attention.

"It's not on life support, but it has some serious problems," he said.

Thompson partially blames those problems on too many rules and regulations that make the health care system less efficient and accessible. He believes innovation is needed to allow doctors and nurses more time to see more patients.

"There are a lot of regulations we have that people don't adhere to," Thompson said. "We should get rid of those. We should make it more streamlined and efficient."

For Zoet, the sooner the better to find a solution.

"I think we can all benefit from coming together," said Zoet. "It can be fixed, if you sit at the table with an open mind and talk about the issue instead of the political part of it."

This year, a record 45 million Americans have health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Enrollment is up nearly 50% from just four years ago, and experts attribute that increase, at least in part, to expanded subsidies signed by President Joe Biden in 2022.

Some of the biggest increases in coverage happened in Southern, more conservative states.

"Many of them have not expanded Medicaid, which has contributed to their high uninsured rates," explained Cynthia Cox, vice president and director of the Program on the ACA for health policy research firm KFF. "But with these new subsidies that have been available, it's really helped people who were uninsured afford coverage for the first time."

Ten years after the ACA marketplace's problem-plagued rollout, experts say both consumers and health insurance companies participating in the marketplace are doing well.

"We're seeing more insurance companies enter in. The trade-off here is that this costs the federal government more money," Cox said.

A February poll from KFF found 59% of Americans have a positive view of the ACA, commonly referred to as Obamacare. But in the same survey, voters said health care costs are still a top issue.

On the campaign trail, former President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the ACA, calling the cost "out of control" and saying America has one of the worst health care plans in the world. In a video released on Trump's social media platform Truth Social, he said "we're gonna make it much better, much stronger. In other words, make the ACA much, much better and far less money cost to the people."

When then-President Trump tried to repeal the ACA in 2017, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that within 10 years, 32 million people would lose health insurance and premiums would double. Throughout his first administration, Trump repeatedly said a new health care proposal was on the horizon, but he never released a plan.

A letter signed by 48 health care officials including military doctors and former surgeons general raises serious concerns about a second Trump administration.

"While his specific policies are at best ambiguous, his track record and his words make clear the damage he would do," they wrote.

Cox echoed the sentiment in that letter.

"When Trump talks about making the Affordable Care Act better, it's hard to know exactly what that means," she said. "And I think what we experienced in 2017 is that the devil's in the details."

One major change Trump did accomplish in his first term was effectively repealing the individual mandate in Obamacare. Experts worried removing the requirement to have health insurance would have a negative impact on the marketplace.

Cox explained it like the carrot and stick analogy. The individual mandate was the stick, and the subsidies were the carrot.

"I think what we've learned is that people want health insurance, especially if you can make it affordable to them, they will take it up," she said. "You don't necessarily need to have a punitive kind of stick to convince people to get health insurance."

Cox added that the main goal of the ACA was reducing the number of uninsured Americans and protecting people with preexisting conditions which the law achieved. But there is still room to improve America's health care system.

Some people pay for health insurance but struggle to find an "in network" doctor nearby. Plus, the cost of health care services for society as a whole is still high.

The current subsidies credited with boosting health insurance coverage are due to expire in 2025. That will likely set up heated debate between the next Congress and the next president on whether those subsidies should be extended.

Health care is an important issue for many Americans when they head to the polls to vote.

Scripps News previously went in-depth on where President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump differ on reproductive rights which is part of the health care debate. But what about other health care policies?

Affordable Care Act

Take for instance the Affordable Care Act, which is at the heart of many health policy debates.

It was signed into law by President Obama in 2010 and created an exchange so anyone could get health insurance. The law opened the door for states to expand Medicaid and permitted children to stay on parents' plans until age 26.

President Biden supports the law and efforts to expand it. He has boasted about how many Americans are currently getting health care because of it.

Former President Trump during his first term tried to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. In a Truth Social post last year, Trump said, "The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it's not good Health care. I'm seriously looking at alternatives."

Areas of agreement

There are some areas of agreement between Trump and President Biden on health care. For instance, on price transparency.

Former President Trump signed into law the "No Surprises Act," which cracks down on unexpected bills for some patients. Trump also ordered hospitals to publish prices for some services.

President Biden has supported both of those efforts.

Prescription drugs

You can't talk health care without talking about prescription drugs.

President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which caps out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 a month for Medicare enrollees and allows Medicare to negotiate with drug companies. Beginning in 2025, the law will cap out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 a year for those on Medicare.

Former President Trump has spoken critically of that law and has vowed to repeal it.

On prescription drugs, Trump did support other forms of reform while in office, and gave speeches where he said drug companies don't like him. He backs new regulations for drugs to be imported from Canada and supports efforts to cut out the middleman from drug discounting programs.

The U.S. has a long history of gun use, and the topic has become increasingly political.

At a National Rifle Association Outdoor Show held in the swing state of Pennsylvania, presumptive Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump said he's the best friend of American gun owners.

"During my four years nothing happened," Trump said at the February rally. "And there was great pressure on me having to do with guns. We did nothing. We didn't yield."

The crowd cheered heartily at his remarks.

"Your Second Amendment will always be safe with me as your president," Trump said.

Trump and most other Republicans who believe that guns make law-abiding people safe also believe staying on the good side of the National Rifle Association is good politics.

"We do live in the world that the NRA has created," said Louisiana Tech historian Andrew McKevitt, who wrote the book "Gun Country," which examines the power firearms and the NRA both have on America.

"Since the late 1970s, they have allied themselves with the rise of the new right," McKevitt said. "They've integrated themselves into the Republican Party."

Founded in 1871, the NRA operated for decades as a promoter of gun safety and recreational shooting. But at its 1977 convention, it shifted directions to gun rights becoming part of a conservative movement amid culture wars in politics.

"They have managed to succeed in liberalizing the gun laws of about 40 states in the United States and pushing presidents to nominate what is now a clear majority on the Supreme Court of justices who are pro-gun," said UCLA constitutional law professor Adam Winkler.

The NRA counted 6 million members in 2018. Legal filings reveal that number is down to 4.3 million in 2023, as is revenue.

The election finance watchdog group OpenSecrets.org says the NRA is spending far less to support federal candidates, about $29 million in 2020, which is 46% less than four years earlier.

Scandal has tarnished the gun lobbying group as well. A New York jury found that former NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre squandered millions of donor dollars on personal perks like vacations, private jets and expensive clothes. LaPierre has since resigned from the organization.

Only one U.S. House of Representatives Democrat gets a positive rating from the NRA. Republicans overwhelmingly toe the line on the group's legislative priorities.

The Democrats prefer to go to rhetorical war against the gun lobby. During the State of the Union address, President Joe Biden declared: "We must beat the NRA again. I'm demanding a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines."

On May 18, 2018, eight students and two teachers were fatally shot by a 17-year-old student at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas. Days after the tragedy, the then-incoming president of the NRA, Oliver North, rejected any notion of gun control efforts, saying the disease is not the Second Amendment and the solution was tougher security at schools.

Democrats called for tougher background checks. The Republican-dominated Texas legislature's response was money for districts to harden security. The political response played out as it typically does in America.

Rhonda Hart, whose 14-year-old daughter Kimberly Vaughan died in the Texas shooting, is challenging an NRA-backed Republican in an uphill bid for Congress.

"Now that pain has turned into purpose and spite," Hart said. " I love that they're falling apart at the seams, that's great for them."

Donald Trump is again scheduled to appear at the NRA's national convention. He's the keynote speaker on May 18 in Dallas.

On this episode of Path to the White House, Scripps News Reports breaks down the evolving battle over gun rights in America.

We track promises on gun regulation from President Biden and former President Trump, and we talk to lawmakers in Nevada working to enact new laws to curb gun crime in the state and the state officials who don't believe existing gun laws need to change.

We investigate the evolution and influence of the gun lobby in the United States, hear from real voters on the firearms issues that matter to them, and explain the technologies like fingerprint locks and motion sensors that proponents say could make guns safer.

For more than 50 years, presidents have taken to televised podiums following incidents of gun violence, vowing to make changes.

At the state level, those changes run the spectrum, from arming teachers to attempting to ban the sale and trade of assault weapons. Amid the web of rules inside state lines, on the federal level, there are fewer gun control laws today than a generation ago.

For most of American history, gun control laws weren't controversial. For example, a 1934 ban on civilians owning machine guns didn't meet a lot of resistance. The National Firearms Act of 1934 came during Prohibition-era gang violence.

But as gun culture, lobbying efforts and technology evolved, the debate intensified.

Let's look at three significant moments for federal gun control laws in the United States.

The Gun Control Act of 1968, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, came after the high-profile assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert Kennedy.

The act created the federal firearm license system, began rolling out background checks, and gave the government the ability to prosecute federal firearms crimes.

It's still the foundation for federal regulation of firearms.

Fast forward to 1994. President Bill Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. This act contained a lot of measures, including ones that had major impacts on the criminal justice system.

The law banned assault weapons and limited high-capacity magazines. One of the provisions in the act allowed the ban to expire in 10 years, giving Congress the option to renew it. Congress didn't renew it, and in 2004, it became legal to buy, sell, trade and manufacture assault rifles and large-capacity ammunition devices.

Many Democrats and a few Republicans are still trying to reinstate it.

Despite the lapse, polling shows most Americans want stricter gun laws.

A Gallup poll shows that in 2023, 56% of Americans said they wanted stricter gun laws. In 2018, that number was 67%. It's a view reflected again following the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

President Donald Trump said he might support raising the minimum age for buying military-style weapons from 18 to 21 and expanding background checks. But under pressure from the National Rifle Association, he shifted his focus to mental health.

He did, however, ban bump stocks after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined the devices that increase the firing rate of semi-automatic weapons should be classified as machine guns.

A series of court challenges overturned the ban. The Biden administration appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of the United States in April 2023. The court is expected to make a ruling in June.

Another move toward bipartisan compromise is the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2021, or "red flag" laws. The policy is designed to allow courts to take guns from people deemed dangerous. It's not a federal requirement, and laws vary from state to state. Twenty-one states have adopted the policy.

President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022. The act enhanced background checks for buyers under 21, expanded the definition of who is considered a licensed gun dealer, and increased funding for mental health and violence prevention programs.

This year, the Biden administration mandated about 20,000 previously unlicensed gun dealers to get licensed. That would require them to perform a background check on buyers.

In the leadup to the 2024 presidential election, President Biden is pushing for stricter gun control laws, saying: "There are already too many empty seats around family tables. It is fully within our power to stop this epidemic."

Former President Trump said in February that he would roll back "every single Biden attack on gun owners."

No matter who wins the presidency, the fight over gun laws will remain.

In the aftermath of mass shootings, there are often calls to strengthen gun laws, but those calls don't always result in new restrictions. Few people know that better than Nevada State Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui.

On her first day as an intern for former Sen. Harry Reid, a gunman opened fire in the lobby of the federal courthouse in Las Vegas.

Seven years later, she was at the Route 91 music festival where 58 people were killed and hundreds of others were wounded.

Jauregui has authored several bills aimed at curbing gun crime, but some have been vetoed by the state's Republican governor.

"So I'm going to champion these issues. I'm going to bring those back," Jauregui, a Democrat, said. "I'm going to bring back other laws that I think are going to make a difference and actually make our community safer."

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said he rejects bills that he believes would be struck down as unconstitutional. One of those bills would have raised the age from 18 to 21 in Nevada to buy a semiautomatic rifle.

The Republican governor told Scripps News that he doesn't believe there is a law that is not currently on the books that would make people safer from gun violence.

"There's a lot of existing laws that the prosecutors have been soft on," he said. "In other words, anything associated with the use of a weapon in the commission of a crime should be prosecuted robustly."

In the years after the shooting at the Route 91 music festival, Nevada took steps to prevent another mass shooting. The state implemented a ban on bump stocks, which allows a semiautomatic rifle to fire almost as fast as a fully automatic machine gun. Nevada also now has a so-called red-flag law, which allows police or family members to ask a judge to take a person's guns away if they believe the person is planning violence. Restrictions on so-called ghost guns were also tightened. The unfinished kits that can be assembled into a firearm cannot legally be sold without a background check.

Jauregui believes even more can be done, including passing a bill that would ban firearms at polling places.

"In a place, which is a sacred place, a place where people go and exercise their right, their most fundamental right, the right for their voice to be heard, they should be able to do that free from intimidation," she said.

Lombardo said he vetoed a previous polling place bill because it included unrelated subjects, but he noted that he might be open to a more narrow measure.

"If it had been a standalone bill, a clean bill on no firearms at polling places, yeah, I would evaluate it," he said.

For 10 weeks, Scripps News is going in-depth on the issues that will impact you as part of our Path to the White House series.

Last week, we dived into reproductive rights with special panels and reports. This week, we are spotlighting crime and gun violence.

The issue

Every corner of this country has been impacted by gun violence and crime. If you've been a victim, it may be the biggest issue for you this election.

Like so many issues, President Biden and former President Trump differ greatly on what should be done.

Similarities

Let's start with the similarities between Trump and President Biden on guns.

Take for instance the issue of bump stocks, devices that modify how fast a gun can be fired. Some claim that bump stocks turn semiautomatic guns into machine gun-like devices.

On this issue, President Biden and former President Trump both support a ban. In fact, Trump enacted a bump stock ban when he was in office.

When it comes to red flag laws, which temporarily remove firearms from someone deemed a threat, there is agreement as well. Former President Trump encouraged states to pass them during his first term.

Meanwhile, President Biden has also encouraged expansion and funded various state programs so they could expand.

Differences

However, after those two issues, it's difficult to find any more similarities.

During a February speech to the National Rifle Association, Trump promised to block new gun laws if elected.

"When I am back in the Oval Office, no one will lay a finger on your firearms," Trump said.

Meanwhile, President Biden wants new restrictions.

"We need to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines," President Biden told a crowd in Las Vegas last year.

Regarding banning AR-15s, President Biden supports a ban. Trump does not.

On expanded background checks, President Biden supports them and just finalized a rule to close the gun show loophole.

Former President Trump was opposed to that rulemaking.

President Biden instituted a zero-tolerance policy for gun dealers who violate existing laws.

Former President Trump worries that a clerical error could shut down a business unfairly.

Additionally, Trump told the NRA this year he would repeal all of President Biden's gun executive orders if elected.

Other ways to address gun violence

Of course, addressing crime and gun violence can involve more than just gun restrictions.

Former President Trump has vowed to send in the National Guard to cities struggling with gun violence. In a recent interview with Time magazine, he suggested he would be open to only giving federal grants to police departments that follow his reform ideas.

Meanwhile, President Biden has stressed that gun violence is down in the United States. Recent data shows that homicides declined by around 13% last year.

President Biden's Justice Department has spent millions on crime prevention task forces in recent years, including launching new task forces aimed at preventing carjacking.

The matter of abortion access could steer political fates from statehouses all the way up to Congress and the White House this year.

Scripps News examines the potential impact of abortion battles up and down the ballot and hears from the women most affected by the shifting legal landscape surrounding abortion in the U.S.

How have President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump's views on abortion evolved? How has Vice President Kamala Harris emerged as a critical leader for abortion rights across the U.S.?

And in Florida, we examine the effort to change the state constitution to enshrine new abortion protections. It's one of at least 12 states that could put abortion initiatives on their ballots, which experts think will galvanize younger voters during an election year.

The Biden/Harris campaign has made access to abortion a core message of their 2024 reelection campaign.

Following former President Trump's Time Magazine interview in which he refused to commit to vetoing a national abortion ban, noting it's unlikely that a piece of legislation would reach his desk if he's elected, the president and vice president are lifting up those comments on and off the campaign trail.

The Biden/Harris campaign launched a seven-figure ad buy last week across sports programming and networks targeting a younger audience.

Trump's interview, the retort by the Biden/Harris campaign and Florida's implementation of their six-week abortion ban coalesced in the same week that marked two years since the Dobbs decision was leaked, forecasting that the Roe v. Wade decision would be overturned.

It was a moment that the administration specifically the vice president had been warning about. She has since become the administration's and campaign's foremost voice on the topic of abortion.

"I do believe in a moment in time where so many of our hard-won freedoms are under attack and this is a moment for us to stand and fight," the vice president said in April 2023 at the launch of the Biden/Harris reelection campaign.

"It really is something that matters to her at her core," Rachel Palermo, Harris' former deputy communications director told Scripps News.

"It was a natural fit for the vice president to want to lead on protecting reproductive rights. And the question was never if she was going to do it. It really was how, because this is something that is so near and dear to her," Palermo added. "And she really views this as an issue of protecting fundamental freedoms, and that's how she thinks about it."

As a prosecutor, Palermo notes, Harris had focused on crimes against women and children, which is why she "really takes issue with abortion bans with no exceptions for rape."

During Harris' fourth speech on abortion in a month, she showed how personal the issue is for her, telling people in Jacksonville a story about a friend being molested.

"When I was in high school, I learned that my best friend was being molested by her stepfather. And I said to her, 'Well, you've got to come and live with us.' I called my mother, and my mother said, "'Of course, she does.' And so, she did," the vice president shared. "So, the idea that someone who survives a crime of violence to their body, a violation of their body would not have the authority to make a decision about what happens to their body next, that's immoral. That's immoral."

This is not the first time Harris picked up this platform during her political career. As a senator, she went viral for an exchange with Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh, in which she asked him what laws govern a man's body.

It was also a top focus of her unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign, in which she called out the lack of discussion on the issue during the presidential debates.

"This is the sixth debate we have had in this presidential cycle and not nearly one word with all of these discussions about health care on women's access to reproductive health care, which is under full-on attack today at the White House," she said at the CNN debate in the fall of 2020.

In the White House, even before Roe was overturned, she was highlighting what she saw as a concern over the future of the legal protection for abortion.

The same day the Justice Department sued Texas for its six-week abortion ban, which deputized citizens to report abortion seekers in September 2021, Harris hosted abortion providers and patients.

Earlier this year, she took her advocacy for abortion protections a step further, making a historic visit to a clinic that performs abortions in Minnesota.

President Biden has said he's running to "make Roe v. Wade the law of the land" and has gone further on the issue than his Democratic predecessors; from making the medication mifepristone more available through the mail, to defending the use of the medicated abortion drug before the Supreme Court, as well as advocating for access to abortion around emergency medical care.

But the president, a lifelong Catholic, is not the voice leading the issue. That responsibility has gone to the vice president, who is leaning into her decades-long experience on the topic to speak directly to voters.

Arizona is at the epicenter of an abortion dilemma that has seen states roll out a patchwork of laws in the two years since Roe was overturned.

On May 2, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill to repeal an 1864 Civil War-era abortion ban that was resurrected by the state Supreme Court in April.

In those 160 years, the Arizona legislature never took the step of repealing this statute, Jennifer Piatt, an Arizona State University research scholar and the co-director of the Center for Public Health Law and Policy at the Sandra Day OConnor College of Law said.

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade after hearing the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization case. The decision gave states the power to ban abortions or implement more restrictions.

This is an issue that really emerged across a number of different states in the chaos in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision, Piatt said.

Roe ensured access to abortion across the country for nearly 50 years. The Supreme Courts reversal of that decision ignited protests and sent states scrambling to issue abortion guidance, as some states navigated abortion laws that were in the books for more than a century.

In Arizona, the state is currently abiding by a 15-week abortion ban signed by former Gov. Doug Ducey in 2022, but the pre-statehood 1864 abortion law could take effect as early as June 27. The repeal approved by lawmakers would take effect 90 days after the legislative session concludes, in June or July.

In a statement, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said her office was exploring every option available to prevent the 1864 law from taking effect.

Advocates who oppose protecting abortion told Scripps News they were disappointed the 1864 ban would be repealed.

In 2022, after Roe was overturned, West Virginia officials claimed the states 1849 abortion ban would take effect but challenges impacted its ability to become the law. The state currently bans abortions and has limited exceptions.

In Wisconsin, a 174-year-old abortion law banned abortion at any point in pregnancy with no exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the pregnant individual. That law only made an exception for cases in which a medical provider determined it was necessary to preserve the life of the mother. This year, the state approved a bill to ban abortions after 14 weeks.

The patchwork of laws makes it difficult for people to navigate what is and isn't legal in their state.

It just makes it difficult to make basic choices about, you know, your health and well-being, Heather Gerrish, an Arizona resident, said.

Gerrish has a 13-month-old baby. While she says her child was very much wanted, she admits that being pregnant was still scary.

In this day and age your health and safety isn't guaranteed when you're pregnant, Gerrish said.

At least 14 states have banned abortion. On May 1, Florida began enforcing a 6-week abortion ban like the Georgia and North Carolina abortion bans. Some democratic states have laws or executive orders to protect access to abortion.

The varying laws across the country, at times, lack clarity, advocates say. Piatt adds that the laws force medical providers to think twice before agreeing to perform an abortion because the decision could potentially cost them their medical license or land them in prison.

I am of the opinion that some of the murkiness in these abortion laws is a feature, and not a bug, for anti-abortion politicians, Piatt said.

Perpetual challenges abortion laws face can also increase confusion.

New constitutional amendments can be drafted and I think it's a kind of unclear, very much shifting and changing legal landscape, Piatt said.

Arizona is one of seven swing states in the 2024 presidential election. President Joe Biden narrowly won Arizona in 2020 by 10,457 votes, the closest win in the states history.

President Biden has criticized former President Donald Trump for taking credit for overturning Roe v. Wade. The president is campaigning on reviving the landmark Roe ruling and has made abortion protection central to his reelection campaign.

According to Trump, it should be up to states to decide abortion laws. In an interview with Time Magazine Trump said he would let red states monitor womens pregnancies and prosecute those who violate abortion bans.

While the abortion issue heats up in Arizona, efforts are underway for a ballot initiative to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution. For a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to qualify for the Nov. 5, 2024, election, advocates must gather 383,923 valid signatures. Advocates say they have collected the necessary amount of signatures, and organizations like Planned Parenthood continue to gather more.

Daniela Gondolfo, an Arizona resident, said she collected several signatures from family members in the state who did not have access to the petitions.

There is no reason that a woman should not have the rights to her own body, but I think that we have the power to change that if we go out and vote, Gondolfo said.

Voters have sided with abortion rights supporters on measures in seven states.

Reproductive rights figures to be a major issue in the first presidential election since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have differing views on the right to abortion, but both of their views have evolved over the years.

President Biden on abortion

President Biden has said his Catholic faith makes abortion one of the most challenging issues for him in public life. In the early 1970s, then-Senator Biden said Roe "went too far."

That is not President Biden's position today.

In a recent speech in Tampa, Florida, President Biden said, "It will be all of us who restore those rights for women in America."

This year, the president is campaigning to bring back Roe v. Wade and to provide women with more reproductive rights.

Earlier this year, Vice President Kamala Harris became the first person to visit an abortion clinic while holding the second-highest office in the country.

Efforts to protect reproductive rights also played a role in nominating and confirming Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.

Trump on abortion

Trump's position on abortion is different from President Biden's, but it's also nuanced. Like President Biden, Trump's position now is different from what it was before he got into politics. He previously said he supported the right to choose. However, in a recent Truth Social post, Trump expressed satisfaction that he was able to overturn Roe.

"I was proudly the person responsible," Trump said.

Trump points to appointing three Supreme Court justices to the high court who ultimately supported the overturning of Roe.

Twenty-one states now ban abortion or restrict the procedure earlier in pregnancy than the standard set by Roe.

In a recent interview with Time Magazine, Trump said he was fine with states monitoring pregnancies and even possibly prosecuting someone for getting an abortion. Trump, though, has spoken out against some state abortion laws.

For instance, he said he was against an 1864 law in Arizona that restricted abortion in the state. After public outcry, lawmakers voted to repeal the law.

There is one area where Trump and President Biden agree: Both of them say they do not support a federal ban on abortion.

Abortion is expected to be a major factor in the 2024 presidential election. It's a deeply personal issue, and every person who seeks help has their own story.

"You have someone who's flying here all the way from Texas to literally walk into a clinic and pick up some pills and go home," said Megan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund.

"And then there's just also a lot of trauma. There's a lot of, you know, people might have more complex medical needs and need to be transferred to hospital-based care," she continued.

The one thing that is consistent is the sheer volume of people seeking an abortion.

"There's great resources for people that are managing miscarriages or abortions, as well as people that are actively fighting prosecution around pregnancy outcomes," said Qudsiyyah Shariyf, deputy director of the Chicago Abortion Fund.

In addition to helping provide abortion care, the group also offers meals, flights, gas money and emotional support.

Many of their clients come from as far away as Texas, others from right next door in Indiana, where a near-total abortion ban went into effect in August 2023.

"About once a week I probably talk to somebody who says, 'Well, I think abortion is wrong. I think abortion is not something that people should do, but I need one and here's why," said Jess Marchbank of All Options of Indiana, a pregnancy resource center.

Marchbank is all too familiar with the myriad reasons people seek help.

"We talked to a lot of people who are experiencing intimate partner violence or on the verge of homelessness, unstable housing situations, or often it's just, I get a lot of messages along the lines of 'I already have four kids and I've been taking all the precautions. I can barely support the children that I already have,'" she explained.

Marchbank calls her group a one-stop shop for anything expectant mothers may need: from diapers and wipes to spiritual counseling and even financial help with abortion access.

She also spends her time explaining the nuances of Indiana's law to people who oftentimes feel scared or frustrated.

"Sometimes, I almost get the sense that they've been sort of put through the wringer so much that at the next sort of barrier or challenge, they'll give up," she continued.

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