Connecticut
At Trump’s insistence, GOP’s abortion platform reflects ‘CT values’
The political interests of Donald J. Trump and blue-state Republicans aligned Monday in a Republican platform provision supporting a woman’s right to the in vitro fertilization treatments opposed by some evangelicals in the anti-abortion movement.
The platform dictated by the Trump campaign ends the GOP’s longstanding call for a national ban on abortion, instead embracing the post-Roe v. Wade reality that returned decisions over abortion restrictions to the states. It also endorses the use of IVF treatments that can result in the destruction of unused embryos.
Ben Proto, the Connecticut Republican chair and a member of the platform committee, said he expected the softer language on reproductive rights demanded by the Trump campaign will be welcomed in northeastern states.
“That provision is very reflective of Connecticut values,” Proto said.
Proto and Leora Levy, another Connecticut Republican on the platform committee, both supported Trump’s platform language in a meeting in Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention opens Monday.
The platform hardly blurs the bright line separating Trump from President Joe Biden on abortion: The Republican challenger celebrates the reversal of Roe, while the Democratic incumbent favors the restoration of a national right to abortion access.
But GOP platforms often have been deeply problematic for northeastern Republicans by deferring to red states in branding the GOP as deeply conservative on social issues, abortion among them.
Connecticut has codified in state law the general tenets of Roe, the landmark decision that for nearly 50 years had guaranteed a woman’s right to abortion prior to fetal viability.
Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, a leader in a General Assembly reproductive rights caucus dominated by Democrats, said the new GOP language was a tactical retreat, not a statement of principles.
“The Republican Party is the party that overturned Roe,” a decision that has sparked a backlash, Gilchrest said. “I see this as a strategical political move and nothing more.”
Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R-Seymour, one of the Republican women in the reproductive rights caucus, said Connecticut’s law should remain intact and she welcomed the platform change.
“A woman has a right to choose,” said Klarides-Ditria, who is not attending the convention. “Anything that supports that, I think is good.”
Her sister, former Rep. Themis Klarides, lost a U.S. Senate primary to Levy in 2022. One of the wedge issues was Klarides’ support of abortion rights and Levy’s opposition.
“Despite my personal views, abortion is a state issue and I do not support a federal ban, which was my position when I ran for U.S. Senate,” Levy said. “I hope to continue to work to change people’s hearts and minds on the issue and to support women who need support to give their precious babies the gift of life.”
Levy said she opposes abortions with the exceptions of cases involving rape, incest or threats to the life of a pregnant woman. She has no objections to IVF treatments, which became a flashpoint this year for many in the anti-abortion movement.
Southern Baptists, the largest Protestant denomination, voted last month to oppose in vitro fertilization, breaking with many of its adherents.
The GOP’s sensitivity to a backlash by abortion opponents on the new abortion language was reflected in a motion Proto made at the behest of the Trump campaign: The securing of smart phones and other digital devices during the committee meeting.
Proto acknowledged that the motion was a defensive measure against digital lobbying by abortion opponents during the closed proceedings. Proto also made a motion to “call the question,” limiting the ability of opponents to turn the tide during a protracted debate.
The Republican Party has had anti-abortion planks since 1976, with Democrats pledging support for a woman’s right to choose.
This story was originally published by The Connecticut Mirror.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Business leaders and lawmakers from across Connecticut gathered Friday at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) for the “Shaping Connecticut’s Future” Summit.
The labor market is evolving with advances in AI, technology and rising costs, and keeping up with those changes can be a challenge for both businesses and employees.
“We’re really talking about the next generation of jobs,” Bryn Tindall with Rebellion Group said. “The goal today is to get together a lot of decision makers, people who can actually impact this. Get them in the same room and see if we can get on the same page.”
“When there is so much going on, it’s important that we come together, that we have conversations, that we strategize on how we can work together and enhance our partnerships with one another,” Sandra Bulmer, president of SCSU, said.
If you want to learn more about events like this, head to shapingctsfuture.com.
Connecticut
ARREST WARRANT: Georgia man accused of laundering nearly $63K from dead person’s account in Connecticut
CORNWALL, Conn. (WFSB) – A man from Georgia was arrested for laundering money from a dead person’s Fidelity account, Connecticut State Police said.
Troopers identified the suspect as 37-year-old Kevin Delandric Young of Atlanta.
According to an arrest warrant for Young, an attorney who represented the estate of the victim reported to state police that $62,800 was transferred out of a deceased person’s Fidelity account after the person died.
The report was made to state police in March 2025.
The warrant said the crime happened on Nov. 5, 2024 in Cornwall, CT.
Investigators said they were able to trace the money to a Middlesex Federal Savings/Novo account that they associated with Young and his business, Sophisticated Funk Entertainment LLC.
Bank records allegedly showed that a deposit was made to that account. They also showed two transfers that totaled $29,625 were made to another bank account associated with Young.
Young later admitted to state police his involvement in fraudulent activity.
Troopers said that he described the scheme as moving money through accounts, converting it to Bitcoin, and paying another person through the WhatsApp smartphone app.
Investigators characterized the scheme as an organized fraud operation.
They charged Young with first-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, and second-degree money laundering.
He faced a judge on May 1 in Torrington.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — With Republican Erin Stewart suspending her campaign for Connecticut governor on the eve of the party convention, state Sen. Ryan Fazio is now the favorite to win the Republican endorsement.
Up until Thursday morning, Fazio was locked in a head-to-head match-up with Stewart, who had long been considered the favorite to win the Republican endorsement at Saturday’s convention.
With Stewart’s exit, the 36-year-old now stands as one of two remaining Republican candidates. Stewart has thrown her support behind Fazio, perhaps best known for his crusades against Connecticut’s high energy costs, a move that could help consolidate support among party delegates.
Fazio first spoke with News 8’s Chief Political Correspondent Mike Cerulli on Thursday.
“Listen, I expect to fight on this campaign all the way through,” Fazio said. “I don’t expect anything; I’m entitled to nothing. I need to earn everything as a candidate, and our campaign has that exact attitude. So, we’re gonna work extraordinarily hard every single day to win the support, to earn the support of every single Republican delegate, every single Republican primary voter, and every single voter irrespective of their background or their party affiliation in November. This is too important not to.”
The other remaining Republican candidate is 77-year-old Betsy McCaughey, the cable TV host and former New York lieutenant governor. Can she secure 15% of the delegates this Saturday and automatically trigger a primary?
“I’ve been calling Erin Stewart’s delegates all day, and in fact, I want to call Erin Stewart, expressing my concern and saying I wish her and her family well,” McCaughey told News 8’s Chief Political Anchor Dennis House. “This is a difficult time. And then I’ve called many of Erin Stewart’s delegates, and I’m sure I’ll reach all of them and meet with them tomorrow. And I’m asking, please join me in launching the Connecticut comeback.”
Stay with News 8 on air and online all day Saturday as we bring the vote count and let you know if we are heading for a primary showdown in August.
The Collapse of a Campaign
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