First Thing: Arizona Republicans again block effort to repeal near-total abortion ban

Only 28% of Arizona voters approve of the 1864 law. Plus, Israeli media reports weapons deployments for Rafah offensive

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Good morning.

After days of nationwide debate over the Arizona supreme court’s recent decision to uphold a near-total abortion ban from the 19th century, Arizona’s Republican-controlled statehouse has again quashed an effort to repeal the ban.

How was the vote split? Just one Republican voted with the house’s 29 Democrats, but the 30-30 split was not enough to move forward.

What do people in Arizona think? When polled in 2022, only 28% of voters approved of the 1864 law.

How is the GOP approaching abortion nationally? Republicans have long been opposed to abortion. But the US supreme court’s overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022 has complicated their stance. Anger over Roe’s fall was credited with poor results in the 2022 midterms, and now many Republicans are attempting to moderate their previously hardline views.

What’s the latest on Israeli tensions with Iran? Israel’s war cabinet is still focused on weighing up how to respond to Iran. The UK government, according to Politico, is now expecting an imminent Israeli strike on Iran.

What’s the latest on the humanitarian toll in Gaza? After Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 and taking more than 200 hostage, Israel’s air and ground assault on Gaza has killed at least 34,000 people, health officials say.