Harris to draw attention to abortion rights. And Biden will issue a historic apology.

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Today’s top stories

Vice President Harris is going to Texas today, one of the reddest states in the country, as she plans refocus attention on abortion rights. The state has some of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. Former President Donald Trump is also visiting the Lone Star State, where he will record an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan. Polls show a significant gender gap in this presidential campaign, with women favoring Harris and men favoring Trump. Today Highlight of visits to Texas this gap.

• During this campaign, several Texas women shared stories from when their lives were in danger because they were denied an abortion when they needed one. NPR’s Deepa Shivaram says a new ad shows a Texas woman who received no care when she suffered a miscarriage and shows a scar from an emergency surgery she underwent. In the background, radio plays of Trump’s statement he becomes a protector of women. Trump and Harris then head to Michigan. They’ll also be in Pennsylvania this weekend, trying to convince still undecided voters.
• Beyoncé returns to her hometown today to perform at a Harris rally in Houston. This marks the the first time she appears in person with Harris on the campaign trail.

The FBI has warned state and local officials that extremists with election grievances could turn violent in the coming weeks. People in the swing state of Georgia are tense. The FBI bulletin highlights these concerns as alleged election fraud and anger toward perceived political opponents can cause the most likely threats of extremist violence. Polling stations and campaign events can be potential targets.

• Georgia election official Gabe Sterling says election officials are better prepared than in 2020 and they’ve gone through a lot of training and implemented new safety measures, says Sam Gringlas of NPR’s member station WABE Up first. Sterling says they still have to be wary of situations that could arise, especially as the US does the same still full of misinformation. Trump has so far refused to say whether he will accept the results of this election. In Metro Atlanta, where many immigrants live, Trump’s campaign rhetoric toward their communities not only stokes fear of violence but also shapes how they vote.

President Biden will issue a formal apology to the federal government’s Native American boarding schools during the day his visit to Arizona today. He will be the first sitting president to formally apologize for these schools, which operated for more than 150 years and separated American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children from their families in an effort to assimilate them. This system often exposed children to abuse and in some cases even death. Biden will visit the Gila River Indian Community, marking his first time visit an Indian tribe as president.

We, the voters

Thanks for joining Morning Edition this week as we listened to it what Pennsylvania voters care about most. Tune in next week to All Things Considered to hear from North Carolina voters.

DeMartin & Co. guitar factory and museum in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, is home to a wide variety of legendary instruments. Music giants such as Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and Tracy Chapman have played guitars from the world’s oldest luthier. NPR toured the factory, which offers a glimpse into Pennsylvania’s technological evolution and America’s political past. See some images how tradition and innovation are expressed at the museum.

Weekend choices

Look what NPR is watching, reading and listening this weekend to:

Movies: In AnoraMikey Madison plays a sex worker who dances at a strip club where she meets the son of a Russian oligarch. Their relationship begins purely on a transactional basis, but quickly escalates into an intense, mutual infatuation.

TV: Someone somewhere just started its final season. It follows a woman in her forties named Sam, played by Bridget Everett, who returns to her home in Kansas to help care for her dying sister, Holly. Everett talks about what inspired the show.

Books: Charles Baxter’s new novel, Blood testsfollows a small-town insurance salesman who purchases a blood test that can predict romantic relationships, promotions, and more.

Music: Country singer Jelly Roll leads this week Billboard 200 with his very first number 1 album, Beautifully broken. Other artists in the top 10 include Rod Wave, GloRilla and BigXthaPlug.

Games: The board game Undergrove is about the mycorrhizal relationships between fungi and trees. Players compete in a cooperative environment by working with mushrooms to exchange carbon for nutrients.

Quiz: This quiz has it all: celebrities, food, politics, and even a cute dog-related question. I haven’t quite figured it out yet, but I’d like to see it you can beat my score.

3 things you need to know before you go

1. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has recommended that Erik and Lyle Menendez be resentenced for the murder of their parents in 1989, citing recent public attention to the case.
2. The Justice Department reached one yesterday settlement of nearly $102 million with the companies that owned and managed the ship that crashed on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. (via WYPR)
3. For the first time, the CDC has lowered the recommended age to receive a vaccine against pneumonia – from 65 to 50.

This newsletter has been edited by Suzanne Nuijen.

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