North Korean state media is reporting that the country has changed its constitution to define South Korea as a "hostile state," in an "escalation of hostility" and tensions that were already at "their highest point in years," said the BBC. Kim Jong Un's regime has accused Seoul of launching "gray zone" drone operations over Pyongyang and this week blew up roads connecting the two nations. South Korea responded by firing warning shots. 

What's going on? 
The now-destroyed roads had been seen as "symbolic of efforts to improve ties and, eventually, reunite the peninsula," said The Guardian. The roads were blown up as a "self-defensive measure" in response to military exercises in South Korea, according to the North Korean People's Army. 

The move is "abnormal" and a violation of bilateral agreements intended to reduce tensions, according to Seoul's Ministry of Unification. The military fired "retaliatory" warning shots near the border, said South Korea's joint chiefs of staff, but didn't provide any further details. 

How they got here
In January, Pyongyang constitutionally abandoned its "decades-long objective" to seek the "unification of the two Koreas," said Al Jazeera. The North has since unveiled a "secretive" uranium-enrichment nuclear facility and vowed to build more nuclear weapons while continuing its record run of "provocative" missile tests, said The Associated Press. 

Earlier this month, North Korea accused Seoul of using drones to scatter propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang and said it would permanently block its border with South Korea in response. South Korea's Defence Ministry denied the drone claims. 

Consequences
Kim has a "habit of demolishing things when he is feeling cross," said Richard Lloyd Parry, the Asia editor at The Times of London. What's notable now is South Korea's decision to join in the "game of setting off big bangs for rhetorical, not military, reasons." 

Pyongyang has threatened to respond with force if drone flights occur again and is likely to stage more provocations, possibly even a nuclear test explosion and a long-range missile test. Seoul warned that threats to the safety of its citizens would signal the "end of the North Korean regime." But the damage to both sides from any all-out war on the peninsula would be "catastrophic," said Parry.

Abortion is the "key issue" in Harris' campaign, said CNN. One poll found that 54% of likely voters trust her more than Donald Trump to do a better job on abortion rights. (He pulled in 41% of respondents.) Her advantage is even bigger among young people and Black and Latino voters. That's why Harris has adopted a "rapid-response mentality" on the topic, said CNN. She's quick to highlight developments like ProPublica's reporting on two Georgia women who died because of delayed care related to that state's abortion ban.

'Threw her weight' into abortion cases
Harris has a "long record of supporting abortion rights in California," said CalMatters. "As long as I have known her, this has always been a core issue," said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. As California's attorney general, she "threw her weight" behind cases involving abortion, including investigating allegations that Planned Parenthood was selling fetal remains and advocating regulation of anti-abortion pregnancy centers. That gives her "credibility" among reproductive rights groups, said CalMatters.

It also earns the ire of anti-abortion activists. Harris has "passionately" advocated a "pro-abortion agenda," Richard Doerflinger, a fellow with the National Catholic Bioethics Center, said at National Review. In 2020, Harris "taunted" then-candidate Joe Biden for supporting the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds for abortions. Harris could be expected to rescind the band, said Doerflinger. The vice president has been "singularly obsessed" with abortion.

Eliminating the filibuster
One sign of Harris' seriousness on abortion: She supports ending the Senate filibuster so the chamber can pass pro-choice legislation with 51 votes, said NPR. "I have been very clear; I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe," she said in a public radio interview.

Will the issue swing the election? Arizona progressives, for example, are worried a state-level ballot measure to protect abortion rights is not helping Democratic candidates at the polls, said Politico. Voters are "prioritizing other issues," said one abortion rights activist. We don't expect the ballot initiatives to deliver these states for us," said a Harris campaign adviser.