President Biden and former President Trump are both fighting for the suburban woman voter, but she’s no longer the “soccer mom” caricature that gained traction in the ’90s. 

The label connotes a stereotypical picture of a white, college-educated woman, married with a couple of kids. She’s a type of suburban woman voter, but far from the only one.

The country’s suburbs have grown more racially and ethnically diverse, and looking at a single archetype of the suburban woman voter for 2024 risks missing key differences across the demographic. 

“If you want to talk about suburban women, you want to get away from the caricature. It’s much different than it was … because there are many more people of color moving into the suburbs than there were before,” said Bill Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. 

In 1990, a few years before the “soccer mom” moniker caught on in the 1996 election cycle and early aughts, roughly two in 10 suburbanites living around major metro areas were people of color – but by 2020, that number was approaching five in 10, according to research Frey conducted using Census data. 

Overall, the national population is also getting older and having fewer children, according to the Census, with a rising share of unmarried adults. 

The white, college-educated women often described by the “suburban” label are a coveted group thought of as “likely to move with the times” and turn out to vote, Frey said, and they’re still set to be key in 2024. But the diversity of women in the suburbs – and even the attitudes of the suburbs’ white women with college degrees — appear to have shifted in recent years amid new pressures and social norms, experts said.

“They’re becoming more diverse, and also, the motherhood component maybe isn’t as strong as it once was,” Betsy Fischer Martin, executive director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University, said of the suburbs.

Soccer moms entered the fore as suburban women backed Bill Clinton against Republican Bob Dole. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, then-Sen. Joe Biden declared that “soccer moms are security moms now” as Republican George W. Bush ran for reelection. 

“Starbucks mom,” “waitress mom” and “Walmart mom” popped up as labels in later cycles, largely referring to white suburban women more pressed by the economy than the soccer moms before them. 

“They’re not all mothers, or even married,” Fischer Martin said in response to the “mom” packaging around suburban women. “These days, with politics, things don’t fit quite as neatly in a box as they maybe did in the past. … You have a more diverse suburbia in many cases, in terms of ages, or people in different stages of life.” 

There’s also a growing gender gap in college education as more young women get degrees, and many suburban households rely on dual incomes.

“So even the mom that drives her kids to soccer is doing it with her cellphone on, holding a meeting on Zoom,” said Marcie Paul, chair of the Michigan-based group Fems for Dems.

A stereotypical suburban-mom figure often assumes women are only energized by family-focused issues – and it shuts out other categories of women who live in the suburbs. 

For example, older suburban women are often involved in political organizing, but they’re interested in issues not usually associated with their younger counterparts, like retirement, Social Security and pensions, said Michele Swers, a professor of American government at Georgetown University with a focus on Congress, women and politics. 

“When we come up with a catchy name and title for particular women – a soccer mom that, I guess, is supposed to represent a suburban, generally white woman who’s in a minivan driving her kids to soccer practice – it really limits the interests of that woman,” Swers said. “We don’t really have any catchy names for the women who are over 50, who are very participatory in politics.” 

Suburban women voters remain a useful bloc to poll, examine and focus on, experts stressed. They’re an “up-for-grabs vote” consisting of people who are likely pretty tuned in to politics and ready to engage in November, said Fischer Martin. 

But it will be key for candidates and pundits alike to take into consideration suburbia’s increasing diversity in 2024 – even as doing so poses new challenges for the White House hopefuls courting the bloc for November.

Trump, in particular, has seen warning signs from suburban women, though he argued at a campaign stop earlier this month that “suburban housewives actually like Donald Trump.”  

“I suppose the few women that like to be labeled ‘suburban housewife’ – they might tolerate him, perhaps. But ‘suburban housewife’ doesn’t speak to the vast majority of women who embody many different adjectives,” Paul said. 

Women broadly lean toward Democrats, and Biden won 56 percent of suburban women in 2020, while 54 percent of suburban men went for Trump, according to Edison Research exit polling. A new NPR/NewsHour/Marist poll released earlier this month found Biden up 28 points over Trump among college-educated white women.

But white women overall went to Trump in 2020, while 90 percent of Black women and 69 percent of Hispanic women backed Biden, according to the exit polls. 

NBC News data analyzed this month by the firm Public Opinion Strategies found Democrats’ advantage among suburban women overall has shrunk from a 10-point margin in 2016 to a five-point edge in 2023. 

Some polling has also suggested that voters of color are turning away from the Democratic Party — but Erin Cassese, a political science professor at the University of Delaware, shrugged those numbers off.

“It does seem to be men more so than women of color who are maybe shifting rightward, if it is a real shift,” said Cassese, whose research explores the behavior of women voters. 

Overall, increased diversification in the suburbs is likely to lead to “an overall Democratic shift” among women, she argued, together with the increase in women’s educational attainment and salient issues like abortion taking center stage. 

Democrats are counting on new state-level rulings on abortion and IVF, as well as abortion-related ballot measures in several states, to boost party turnout and appeal to women voters. 

The number of female voters has exceeded the number of male voters in every presidential election since 1964, according to research from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University (CAWP). Broken down by race, Black, Hispanic and white women all out-voted their male counterparts in both 2016 and 2020. 

Women broadly still have spectators in suspense over which side they’ll lean toward — or whether they’ll pick a third-party candidate — but experts are optimistic that they’ll turn out in force in 2024. 

“It’s kind of like a double-whammy of higher mobilization in the suburbs and then greater mobilization among women, and then mobilization on issues specific around abortion,” Cassese said, and even a small shift among white women could be “significant enough” to swing things in key battleground states.  

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel on Sunday hailed its successful air defenses in the face of an attack by Iran, saying it and its allies thwarted 99% of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched toward its territory. But regional tensions remain high, amid fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counter-strike.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he would convene a meeting of the Group of Seven advanced democracies on Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.” The language indicated that the Biden administration does not want to spiral into a broader military conflict. A top U.S. official said the U.S. had informed Israel it does not plan on striking Iran itself.

Iran launched the attack in response to a strike widely blamed on Israel on an Iranian consular building in Syria earlier this month which killed two Iranian generals. Israel said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles.

By Sunday morning, Iran said the attack was over and Israel reopened its air space.

The two foes have for years been engaged in a shadow war marked by incidents like the Damascus strike. But Sunday’s assault, which set off air raid sirens across Israel, was the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Israel has over the years established – often with the help of the United States — a multilayered air-defense network that includes systems capable of intercepting a variety of threats including long-range missiles, cruise missiles, drones and short-range rockets.

That system, along with collaboration with the U.S. and other forces, helped thwart what could have been a far more devastating assault at a time when Israel is already bogged down in its war against Hamas in Gaza and engaged in low-level fighting on its northern border with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran.

Israeli and U.S. officials lauded the response to the aerial assault.

“Iran launched more than 300 threats and 99% were intercepted,” said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman. “That is a success.” Asked if Israel would respond, Hagari said the country would do what was needed to protect its citizens.

Hagari said that none of the drones and cruise missiles reached Israel and that only a few of the ballistic missiles got through. He said that of the cruise missiles, 25 were shot down by the Israeli air force.

Hagari said minor damage was caused to an Israeli airbase, but he said it was still functioning. Rescuers said a 7-year-old girl was seriously wounded in southern Israel, apparently in a missile strike, though they said police were still investigating the circumstances of her injuries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a short message on X, formerly Twitter: “We intercepted. We blocked. Together, we will win.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also celebrated the results, thanking the U.S. and other countries for their assistance.

Israel announced it reopened its airspace, loosening one restriction it had imposed ahead of the strike, although schools remained closed around the country and traffic on the first day of the Israeli workweek was lighter than usual as many people stayed home or recovered from the long night. Neighboring Jordan also reopened its airspace.

Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, said the operation was over, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

“We have no intention of continuing the operation against Israel,” he was quoted as saying.

Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, claimed Iran had taught Israel a lesson and warned that “any new adventures against the interests of the Iranian nation would be met with a heavier and regretful response from the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Israel may be particularly proud of the success of its defense because it stands in sharp contrast to the failures it endured during Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7. Facing a far less powerful enemy in Hamas, Israel’s border defenses collapsed and the military took days to repel the marauding militants – an embarrassing defeat for the Middle East’s strongest and best-equipped army.

While thwarting the Iranian onslaught could help restore Israel’s image, what it does next will be closely watched both in the region and in Western capitals.

In Washington, Biden said U.S. forces helped Israel down “nearly all” the drones and missiles and pledged to convene allies to develop a unified response.

Biden, who had cut short a weekend stay at his Delaware beach house to meet with his national security team at the White House on Saturday afternoon, spoke with Netanyahu later in the day.

“I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,” Biden said.

During the call, Biden encouraged Israel to proclaim the interceptions a success against Iran and made clear the U.S. would not participate in any offensive action against Iran, according to a senior administration official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a private conversation between the leaders.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. does “not seek escalation,” and would hold talks with its allies in the coming days.

The U.S., along with its allies, has sent direct messages to Tehran to warn against further escalating the conflict. Leaders from the G7 will hold a video conference on Sunday early afternoon to discuss the Iranian strikes against Israel, according to Italy, which holds the presidency of the group of developed countries, which includes the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, and Canada.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard issued a new threat against the U.S. “The terrorist U.S. government is warned any support or participation in harming Iran’s interests will be followed by decisive and regretting response by Iran’s armed forces,” said a statement carried by IRNA.

Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel’s six-month war against Hamas militants in Gaza, triggered by the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. On that day, militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, also backed by Iran, killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others.

An Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,000 people, according to local health officials.

Negotiations underway, meant to bring about a cease-fire in exchange for the release of the hostages, appeared to hit a setback Sunday. Netanyahu’s office said that Hamas rejected the latest proposal for a deal, which had been presented to Hamas a week ago by mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

A Hamas official said the group wants a “clear written commitment” that Israel will withdraw from the Gaza Strip during the second of a three-phase cease-fire deal. The deal presented to the sides calls for a six-week cease-fire in Gaza, during which Hamas would release 40 of the more than 100 hostages the group is holding in the enclave in exchange for 900 Palestinian prisoners from Israel’s jails, including 100 serving long sentences for serious crimes.

Hamas welcomed Iran’s attack, saying it was “a natural right and a deserved response” to the strike in Syria and urged the Iran-backed groups in the region to continue to support Hamas in the war against Israel.

Almost immediately after the war erupted, Hezbollah began attacking Israel’s northern border. The two sides have been involved in daily exchanges of fire, while Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have launched rockets and missiles toward Israel.

Associated Press writers Zeke Miller in Washington, Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.

The first criminal trial of any former U.S. president is set to begin Monday, when former President Trump will stand trial for his role in a hush money deal with an adult film actress ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump for months has sought to push back the start of his first criminal trial, launching a series of last-ditch efforts to delay the case indefinitely with little success.

Now, for six weeks or more, Trump will be forced off the campaign trail and into a seat at the defense table of a Manhattan courtroom, where a panel of 12 New Yorkers will decide whether to make him a convicted felon before Election Day.

A cast of high-profile witnesses is expected to testify, from top aides on Trump’s 2016 campaign and Trump Organization executives to once-unknown individuals who sought to sell salacious stories about Trump and the media executives who helped “catch and kill” their tales.

Here are five things to know before the trial begins.

A 2016 hush money payment  

The case revolves around a hush money payment made by Trump’s ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, to adult film actress Stormy Daniels aimed at concealing an alleged sexual encounter with Trump, who was then a presidential candidate in the 2016 election. Trump denies the affair. 

Cohen paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 so that she would keep quiet. Trump paid Cohen back for executing the deal, and Trump’s company logged those reimbursements as legal expenses — which the Manhattan district attorney claims was unlawful.

But the story prosecutors will tell at trial hardly stops there. Instead, they’ll attempt to portray the payment to Daniels as a small piece of a broader “catch-and-kill” scheme to quash negative gossip about Trump ahead of the election. 

Two other payoffs — a $30,000 deal with a doorman at Trump Tower who claimed Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock with a building employee, and a $150,000 payoff to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also claims to have had an affair with Trump — are expected to be featured prominently by the state. 

Trump denies both of their salacious accusations.

Trump faces 34 felony counts — and possible prison time 

Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which stem from his reimbursements to Cohen after arranging the hush money deal with Daniels. Trump, who has denied the affair, pleaded not guilty. 

The counts are tied to allegedly false records, including Cohen’s bogus invoices for legal fees, Trump’s checks reimbursing Cohen and ledger entries documenting the reimbursements in Trump’s accounting records.  

Each count is a Class E felony in New York — the lowest level felony offense under state law.  

To prove Trump guilty of the charges, prosecutors must show that the former president acted with an intent to defraud and to commit or further another crime. Prosecutors claim in a statement of facts that Trump and other participants in the hush money scheme violated election laws and mischaracterized business records to outwit state tax authorities. 

Though some of Trump’s other legal matters have ended in hefty financial penalties, his Manhattan criminal trial raises the stakes.  

Under New York state law, nonviolent Class E felonies carry a maximum sentence ranging from one and a half to four years. However, a conviction in the hush money case would make Trump a first offender, meaning the judge could sentence him to no jail time or probation. 

High-profile witnesses from Trump’s orbit to testify 

Top aides in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and business orbit are expected to testify throughout the trial. 

Hope Hicks, Trump’s former press secretary who is thought to have been aware of the hush money payment at the time, is reportedly set to testify. She has denied involvement. 

Trump Organization employees including Deborah Tarasoff, an accountant who allegedly processed the hush money reimbursements and invoices, and ex-controller Jeffrey McConney — who purportedly instructed Tarasoff to do so — could also take the stand. McConney was a defendant in Trump’s civil fraud trial, which recently ended with a New York judge ordering the defendants to pay $464 million, plus interest, for deceitful business practices.

And at least two executives at American Media Inc., the National Enquirer publisher alleged to have participated in the “catch-and-kill” scheme, could testify as well: David Pecker, the company’s then-CEO, and Dylan Howard, the Enquirer’s former editor in chief. 

The individuals whose stories were quashed — Daniels, McDougal and Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin — may also take the stand, in addition to Cohen.  

Trump will be in court

New York state law requires that Trump attend the entirety of his trial, which could last six or more weeks. 

Even when he wasn’t required to attend, however, the former president in recent months has regularly ditched the campaign trail to show up in court alongside his lawyers in multiple cases. 

Monday will mark Trump’s 13th day in court this year, according to The Hill’s review of his calendar.

Trump has turned his legal proceedings into a spectacle at times, storming out of the courtroom one day and causing a judge on another day to threaten to kick him out of the proceedings. 

The judge during Trump’s hush money trial can remove him following a warning if Trump “conducts himself in so disorderly and disruptive a manner that his trial cannot be carried on with him in the courtroom.” 

Jury selection could take days 

Jury selection is expected to begin Monday, when Trump’s lawyers and state attorneys will start to select the 12 New Yorkers who will decide the former president’s fate. The process could take days, if not weeks. 

Potential jurors are randomly picked from lists of New York registered voters, state driver’s license holders, New York state income tax filers and more. To serve, they must be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens and residents of Manhattan — where the trial is set to take place. Jurors must also understand English and hold no felony convictions. 

Once the jury is assembled, Judge Juan Merchan will introduce Trump and the lawyers. The judge will also outline the charges and read off a list of potential witnesses before asking everyone if they wish to be excused. 

“If you have an honest, legitimate and good faith reason to believe that you cannot serve on this case, or that you cannot be fair and impartial, based solely upon what you have heard up to this point, please let me know now,” Merchan will ask. 

The judge has signaled anyone who raises their hand is likely to be excused. 

Next, the remaining jurors will be provided a 42-question survey. 

Among the questions: Do you listen to talk radio? Have you ever attended a rally or campaign event for Donald Trump? Have you ever considered yourself a supporter of the QAnon movement? 

The survey will not ask about prospective jurors’ political party or if they plan to vote for Trump in November. Trump had sought to glean that information as he faces trial in a borough that President Biden won by nearly 75 percentage points in 2020. 

The attorneys can make challenges for cause that contest a juror’s eligibility. Each side will also be given 10 peremptory challenges they can use to strike a juror without a reason. 

Eventually, the group will be whittled down to the 12 jurors who will decide the case, and opening statements will begin.