U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle is out with a new ad attacking Republican opponent Monique DeSpain on abortion as Democrats in close congressional races continue hammering the GOP on reproductive rights.

Hoyle’s ad, which began airing on Eugene-area TV stations Wednesday, is the latest in a series of salvos over abortion access. It features a clip from a November 2023 television interview with DeSpain in which she said she was “very pleased” with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned the federal right to abortion. 

Abortion access is secure in Oregon, which is tied with Vermont as the state that does the most to protect reproductive rights, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit that tracks abortion rights. But abortion remains a key congressional campaign issue, as Democrats in Oregon and elsewhere raise alarms about the prospect of a national abortion ban.

“We need leaders who will protect our freedoms, not strip them away,” Hoyle said. “I will always fight to keep health care decisions between a patient and their medical provider.”

DeSpain called Hoyle’s ad a “lie” in a statement Wednesday.

“My record on this issue is clear and concise – Oregon’s laws guarantee important health decisions are made between a woman and her doctor, not the government. I pledge to protect Oregon’s laws in Congress,” she said. “I oppose a federal ban on abortion, and as a mom, I fully support federal protection for both IVF treatments and contraception. Unlike Val Hoyle, I won’t be a puppet for party leaders.”

DeSpain has said repeatedly in interviews that she believes abortion laws should be left up to individual states, and that she doesn’t support any attempts to regulate abortion at the federal level – whether a national ban or a return to abortion rights nationwide. The House Republican Study Committee, which represents 80% of House Republicans, endorsed a national abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest with a budget proposal this spring. U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, who represents a large swath of eastern Oregon, is part of that group; the state’s other Republican member of Congress, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is not. 

Like Chavez-DeRemer, DeSpain has said she intends to be an independent voice in Congress while running to represent a closely divided district that favors Democrats. But Hoyle campaign manager Sage Lawrence said those words conflict with DeSpain’s record and statements.

“Monique DeSpain is telling voters she would be an independent voice in Congress, despite the fact that she worked as a paid lobbyist in a coalition that fought to take away reproductive rights in Oregon and has admitted that the reason she is running for Congress is to serve as ‘reinforcements’ for extreme politicians like Mike Johnson,” Lawrence said, referring to the U.S. House speaker. “Voters deserve to know where she stands on this critical issue.”

DeSpain has worked as a lobbyist for Common Sense for Oregon, a nonprofit organization founded by state Rep. Kevin Mannix, R-Salem. It’s part of the Oregon Liberty Alliance, a coalition of conservative groups that formed in 2014 in opposition to the state’s leading Republican gathering, the Dorchester Conference, moving toward accepting same-sex marriage and abortion rights. 

Oregonians support abortion access at a higher rate than the national average, statewide surveys have found. In 2022, shortly after the Dobbs decision, the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center found that 72% of respondents said abortion should be legal in most or all cases. 

That polling data makes abortion access a focus for Democratic candidates: state Rep. Janelle Bynum, a Clackamas County Democrat challenging Chavez-DeRemer, also released an ad this week featuring a Portland nurse criticizing Chavez-DeRemer for voting with anti-abortion Republicans in Congress.  

The University of Utah has announced that its research funding reached $691 million in fiscal year 2024 (FY24), which concluded June 30, 2024.

The funding achievement marks the fifth consecutive year the university has secured funding levels exceeding $600 million. The year’s total continues the impressive trend established by previous milestones of $600 million in 2020 and $500 million in 2018.

As a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, the U is known for its broad spectrum of disciplines and studies. The fiscal year’s funding supports groundbreaking initiatives from multiple fields, including energy research, rural healthcare, environmental studies, artificial intelligence, cancer treatment, mental health support, technological innovation, and more.

“The University of Utah’s status as an R1 institution reflects our extensive portfolio, which spans from creative arts and healthcare to air quality and the Great Salt Lake,” said Erin Rothwell, vice president for research at the University of Utah. “As the state’s flagship university, we strive to tackle critical research needs and solutions that benefit Utahns and communities across the state.”

Research funding by the numbers

In total, U researchers were awarded more than 2,600 grants in FY24. The federal government remains the primary source of this funding, contributing 65% of the total research portfolio, with industry accounting for 14% and 8% from partner universities. Of the $691 million in research funding, $489 million was provided by federal sponsors including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Veteran Affairs, state governmententities, and other key agencies.

U research impacts society’s most pressing challenges and issues

Through award funding, the university’s research community is implementing meaningful advancements that make a real-world impact. The dollars behind the achievement will support critical studies to develop new treatments and prevention for addiction, chronic pain, and depression. Additionally, the funding is advancing research aimed at safeguarding power grids and electricity during extreme weather events, improving maternal health care and reducing pregnancy-related deaths, and enhancing memory and cognition for those suffering fromneurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. The university’s research funding from sponsors is crucial for finding solutions to both local and global challenges.

U research is a major economic engine for the state of Utah

In pursuit of impactful solutions for society, the U’s research activities extend beyond academic advancement. U research is also a major catalyst for economic development and growth within the state. In FY24, more than 7,500 university employees were compensated through research dollars, which have contributed more than $850 million in wages over the past four years.

In addition to supporting jobs, the U’s research expenditures totaled $33 million in Utah, supporting numerous vendors and local businesses within the state and $155 million across the U.S.

“The University of Utah is committed to leading in research, discovery, and innovation that transform lives and drive economic growth,” said Taylor Randall, president of the university. “Our FY24 funding milestone reflects the dedication of our researchers, students, and staff tackling today’s most pressing challenges. Together, we are advancing knowledge, strengthening Utah’s economy, and enhancing the quality of life in our communities and beyond.”

In a starkly personal speech, the Jewish husband of the Democratic presidential nominee told thousands of American Jews on Tuesday night how he felt about Hamas’ murder of six hostages on the verge of freedom.

“Standing on this bimah, I can only be direct: This is hard. I feel raw. I’m gutted,” Doug Emhoff said. “I know you are, too.”

Emhoff was speaking at a vigil held at one of Washington’s preeminent synagogues, Adas Israel Congregation, where he has become a congregant since moving to the city in 2021.

Emhoff emphasized that he was relaying American Jewish grief to his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“How you feel right now is how I feel,” Emhoff said. “And how we all feel is something Kamala hears directly from me.”

Just hours earlier, Merrick Garland, the U.S. attorney general, announced criminal charges against Hamas and its leadership, spurred by the terrorists’ murder of six hostages over the weekend, including an Israeli American, Hersh Goldberg-Polin. “Hamas’ leaders will pay for these crimes,” Emhoff said.

He related, as he frequently does, that he had not expected his status as the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president to become so central to his identity. He has spearheaded the task force to combat antisemitism that President Joe Biden launched in December of 2022.

He credited Adas Israel’s rabbis, Lauren Holtzblatt and Aaron Alexander, with helping bring him closer to his faith.

“While I’m here as the second gentleman of the United States — and the first-ever Jewish White House principal — in this moment, I’m here as a congregant, as a mourner, as a Jew who feels connected to all of you and grateful for the guidance of our wonderful rabbis, Aaron and Lauren,” he said. “They have become confidants and advisors. We’ve talked a lot about my own faith journey — something Kamala has encouraged in me. Among the many things they helped me find was my voice.”

Harris’ campaign is aggressively courting a Jewish community that has long voted for the party in substantial majorities, but that has been unmoored by increasing criticism of Israel within the Democrats’ progressive wing, accelerating as Israel wages the war Hamas launched last Oct. 7 with its cross-border attack.

Donald Trump

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has said his affinity for Israel makes him the better candidate for Jews, and is set to make his case for the Jewish vote on Thursday at the annual Republican Jewish Coalition conference in Las Vegas, where he will appear by satellite. The RJC billed his speech as Trump speaking “not only to the RJC’s leadership gathered in Las Vegas this week but to the entire American Jewish community.”

Hours before he spoke, Emhoff appeared in an online forum launching Jewish Voters for Harris-Walz, which the campaign had said would work to “reach Jewish voters and emphasize Vice President Harris’ long track record of unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, fighting the scourge of antisemitism, and supporting Jewish values.” 

The event Tuesday night overflowed the 1,700-seat sanctuary; organizers estimated there were 2,000 people in attendance. Rabbis and cantors representing all religious streams from across the Washington metropolitan area attended and crowded the bimah at the end to join in singing “Acheinu,” an ancient song pleading for the release of captives.

The evening focused entirely on freeing the 100 or so hostages remaining captive but, except for a single reference, did not mention the preeminent demand of the hostages’ families in Israel: that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accept a deal brokered by the Biden administration to end the war and free the captives. Protesters brought Israel to a standstill on Monday in pressing for a deal.

Leat Corinne Unger, whose 21-year-old cousin Omer Shem Tov remains captive, said it was time to close the deal. “We need to seal this deal and bring Omer and the rest of our brothers and sisters home. We no longer have time to waste,” she said. “Let’s make sure we don’t have to apologize to another hostage or family.”

A number of those in attendance said they did not feel it was their place to insert themselves into Israeli politics, and that it was more incumbent on them to explain the plight of the hostages to the broader American public.

“We can keep the hostages in the conscience of Americans, that Americans understand the story of the hostages affects more than just Jews,” said Julie Powell, 58, a licensed clinical social worker.

Julie Soforenko, 39, said she is always attentive to non-Jews who ask her about the war.

“I think it’s important for Jewish people to keep engaging with people who are not Jewish,” Soforenko, a staffer for a Jewish nonprofit, said before the event started. “I’m so grateful that they would feel comfortable asking me and then listening to my answer.”