Midday Roundup: Trump's latest abortion gaffe alarms pro-lifers

Flip-flop. Donald Trump raised alarm among pro-life advocates Wednesday when he said women who sought abortions should be punished if the procedure is outlawed in the future. He backtracked that claim a few hours later, but critics say the incident proves he hasn’t thought through the issue carefully. They also say it raises questions about whether his positions are fixed or changeable based on circumstances. In a statement issued by his campaign, Trump denied his position has changed: “The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb. My position has not changed—like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions.” While Republicans, including Trump’s rivals for the GOP presidential nomination, denounced his comments, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton pounced on the incident to claim Republicans share his beliefs, even if they won’t admit it: “Now maybe they aren’t quite as open about it as Donald Trump was earlier today, but they all have the same position. If you make abortion a crime—you make it illegal—then you make women and doctors criminals.”

Designating delegates. Meanwhile, with a contested Republican convention still a very real possibility, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is working to make good on his promise to stop Trump. Before he dropped out of the GOP race earlier this month, Rubio pledged “to make sure the conservative movement does not fall into the hands of someone whose policy standards are indistinguishable from those of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.” And now the senator—in an unprecedented move—is asking to keep control of all 172 delegates he won during primaries and caucuses. Rubio has sent written requests to 21 states, and Alaska has already agreed to give him its five delegates at the Republican National Convention later this year. If Trump enters the convention short of the 1,237-delegate majority he needs to secure the nomination outright, Rubio’s delegates could make it much harder for Trump to avoid a contested convention.

Disaster in India. A highway overpass under construction in a busy Kolkata neighborhood collapsed today, trapping dozens of drivers. At least 21 people have been confirmed dead so far. Rescue crews are using small equipment as well as hand tools to dig through the rubble in search for survivors. Local officials are suggesting the construction company hired to build the road might have cut corners. The company has missed several deadlines on the project, which began in 2007 and was expected to be completed in two years. More than 70 people were injured in the accident. “The area was very, very crowded. Motorized rickshaws, taxis … there was a lot of traffic,” one witness told a local television station.

Disturbing. Three first graders in Anchorage, Alaska, have been suspended after admitting they planned to poison a classmate with silica packets. The granules, used to absorb moisture, are not poisonous. The three girls have not been charged with a crime, and police said they would leave discipline to the school district. Administrators and psychologists talked to the girls to determine whether they understood what they were trying to do and actually wanted to hurt their classmate. According to a school resource officer, the girls did intend to harm their victim. Police confirmed the plot stemmed from an ongoing feud between the children. School district officials claim parents have not shown much alarm over the incident.

WORLD Radio’s Christina Darnell contributed to this report.