Jonathan Capehart quit the Washington Post editorial board after a dispute over an editorial about 2024 politics, leaving the paper with an all-white editorial board, Axios reports.
Feds Looking Into Trump’s ‘Recount’ Campaign
Daily Beast: “When the Federal Elections Commission rejected a recent Freedom of Information Act request related to Donald Trump’s ‘recount’ expenses after the 2020 election, the campaign watchdog had a conspicuous reason for turning down the petition: Trump’s political spending after he left the White House is currently the subject of an FEC enforcement matter.”
Murdoch Gave Jared Kushner Early Access to Biden’s Ads
Court documents show that Fox News chairman Rupert Murdoch gave Donald Trump’s son-in-law advance access to Joe Biden’s campaign ads before the 2020 election — apparently showing them to him before they aired.
Biden’s Economic Gamble
“President Biden is preparing to run for re-election with a relentless, aggressive focus on the economy — convinced the data cuts in his favor, even as vast swathes of the public remain skeptical that conditions have improved,” Axios reports.
“If GDP holds steady and the record unemployment stays low, Biden plans to ride a healthy economy to a second term.”
“But if the economy enters a deep recession before November 2024, the president will have spent precious political capital demanding credit when voters might be more inclined to hand out blame.”
Ex-House Democratic Leaders Stick Around
“House Democrats have experienced some growing pains as their old guard of leaders hang on, supporting their successors but also not totally letting go,” Politico reports.
“Yet lawmakers insist it’s working, in its own weird way.”
PACS Poised to Supercharge California Senate Race
“Democrats are rushing in to replace California Sen. Dianne Feinstein — and so are the Super PACs,” Politico reports.
“The once-in-a-generation contest for a California Senate seat could unleash a tsunami of outside spending as independent expenditure committees with unlimited fundraising powers work to differentiate Democrats jostling in an open field.”
Biden Leans Into ‘Deficit Hawk’ Persona
“Joe Biden spent the last two years pursuing and enacting massive domestic programs meant to remake the U.S. economy. But as he prepares a run for reelection, Biden is trying out a new economic persona: deficit hawk,” Politico reports.
“The president has made a fresh effort to sell his administration as a model of fiscal restraint in recent weeks, casting falling deficits as an increasingly central focus of his agenda. Biden now routinely touts a $1.7 trillion drop in the deficit on his watch as a top accomplishment. When the president releases his new proposed budget next week, he is expected to call for another $2 trillion in cuts over a decade.”
Eric Garcetti’s Nomination Stalled Again
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee won’t vote on advancing Eric Garcetti’s stalled nomination to be U.S. ambassador to India, Punchbowl News reports.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) placed a hold on his and other nominations, saying there are still “open questions” about sexual assault allegations against one of Garcetti’s aides.
GOP Divisions on Ukraine Take Center Stage
Washington Post: “Republican divisions will be on full display during hearings by the House Armed Services Committee and the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee as lawmakers interrogate Biden administration officials over the state of the war and plans for future support.”
“Republicans have generally broken into three camps on Ukraine, although two of the positions are mostly from the same people, who are trying to quell the intraparty dissent by focusing on how the money is spent and lambasting President Biden for not doing enough.”
Justices to Hear Cases on Student Loan Forgiveness
“The Supreme Court is meeting Tuesday to hear two cases challenging President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan,” the AP reports.
“At stake: forgiveness of up to $20,000 in debt for more than 40 million Americans. Nearly half of those people could have their federal student debt wiped out entirely.”
Quote of the Day
“The Ukraine conflict is the most just war of my lifetime. Basically starting with the Vietnam War, and also including the wars that we declared in Afghanistan and in Iraq, the Ukraine war is the most just war that I’ve ever seen or felt. Truly, this war is righteous.”
— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), in an interview with Semafor.
Georgia Judge Says Grand Jurors Can Talk About Report
After the foreperson of the Fulton County grand jury investigating Donald Trump and a push to overturn the 2020 election spoke out in several headline-making interviews, the judge overseeing the case told ABC News on Monday that jurors “can talk about the final report.”
But the judge said the matter can get “problematic” if jurors start to “synthesize the testimony” and the group’s thoughts on it.
Gang of Eight to Get Briefing on Classified Documents
Biden Could Face Veto Test Over D.C. Crime Bill
Sen. Joe Manchin (D–WV) told CNN he “will vote to rescind a controversial Washington, DC, crime law – which critics argue is soft on violent criminals – when it comes up for a vote in the Senate, likely next week.”
“Manchin becomes the first Democrat to publicly state support for the Republican legislation, which could be a politically fraught vote for Democrats, especially centrists like him who are up for reelection in red-leaning states.”
New York Times: “The White House has expressed its opposition, though officials have yet to issue a direct veto threat.”
House GOP Mulls Stripping ‘Woke’ Earmarks
Top Republicans Question McCarthy Over Video Release
“Speaker Kevin McCarthy faced questions from his leadership team Monday night over his plans to publicly release security footage from January 6, 2021, – a process that he said could take some time to disseminate widely even as Fox News host Tucker Carlson has had an early glimpse,” CNN reports.
“While GOP leaders are supportive of the move to release the footage – which was one of the many concessions McCarthy made in his bid to become speaker – some lawmakers in the closed-door leadership meeting asked whether sensitive security protocols or certain evacuation routes would be exposed by taking that step.”
Trump Calls for Universal Tariffs
Donald Trump put forth a proposal for “universal baseline tariffs on most foreign products” while revoking China’s “most favored nation” trade status.
GOP Stars Flee CPAC
“Many of the Republican Party’s marquee players — including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and the top GOP leaders in Congress — will skip this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, dealing a significant blow to the annual gathering’s stature,” NBC News reports.
“The abandonment of CPAC, which runs from Wednesday through Saturday, comes as its chairman, Matt Schlapp, defends himself against a lawsuit alleging that he fondled a male aide to then-Senate candidate Herschel Walker in Georgia in October, without the aide’s consent.”
