TOD ROKITA

A former Mike Pence aide seeking to oust Indiana’s Republican secretary of state is fending off criticism about twice leaving jobs in that office after being written up for poor job performance.

A federal appeals court is once again allowing Texas to continue banning most abortions.

The Biden administration says it will turn next to the U.S. Supreme Court in another attempt to halt a Texas law that has banned most abortions since September.

Pence told a small audience at Marian University in Indianapolis that having children back in classrooms was a necessary step to seeing more parents returning to jobs. The remarks came even as President Donald Trump on Thursday acknowledged that some schools in virus hot spots may need to delay their reopening this fall. Opening up our schools again is the best thing for our kids, Pence said. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus coordinator, joined Pence at the event. Pence spoke at the university event after attending a fundraiser for Republican state attorney general candidate Todd Rokita at the suburban Indianapolis home of a supporter.

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2019, file photo, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill holds a press conference in South Bend, Ind. Votes are being tallied Friday, July 10, 2020, to decide whether Republicans will nominate Attorney General Hill for a new term despiteallegations of groping four womenthat resulted in amonth-long suspension of his law license. State party officials announced Rokita defeated Hill and two lesser-known candidates. Weinzapfel has criticized the GOP candidates for supporting Hills participation with other Republican attorneys general in the lawsuit against Obamacare, but Rokitas nomination likely lessens the potential campaign impact of the groping allegations. Rokita has faced several controversies, including allegations that his congressional staffers often felt obligated to do political work to help his campaigns.