Associated Press: “Democrats in Washington had big ambitions this year to boost child care subsidies nationally as part of a broad domestic spending bill. But with those plans stalled because of a lack of bipartisan support, some states moved ahead with plans of their own.”
Industrial Policy Makes a Comeback
Politico: “Biden is touting a massive bill to subsidize computer chip manufacturing in the U.S. But the history of similar government interventions is spotty.”
Some Parents Changed Their Politics in the Pandemic
New York Times: “Nearly half of Americans oppose masking and a similar share is against vaccine mandates for schoolchildren, polls show. But what is obscured in those numbers is the intensity with which some parents have embraced these views. While they once described themselves as Republicans or Democrats, they now identify as independents who plan to vote based solely on vaccine policies.”
“Their transformation injects an unpredictable element into November’s midterm elections. Fueled by a sense of righteousness after Covid vaccine and mask mandates ended, many of these parents have become increasingly dogmatic, convinced that unless they act, new mandates will be passed after the midterms.”
Election Denier on Track to Win GOP Nod in Arizona
Mark Finchem — a poster child for election deniers following the 2020 election — is inching closer to becoming the chief election official in one of the most tightly divided battleground states in the country,” Politico reports.
“Finchem, an Arizona state lawmaker, is running with former President Donald Trump’s endorsement in Tuesday’s Republican primary for secretary of state there. He has support from a coalition of other like-minded candidates running to be election administrators in their own states, which has gained traction in several other close 2020 swing states. And Finchem has a significant edge in a rare public poll of the secretary of state race published Friday.”
Pelosi Expected to Visit Taiwan
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan as part of their tour of Asia, according to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official, despite warnings from Biden administration officials, who are worried about China’s response to such a high-profile visit,” CNN reports.
“The stop – the first for a US House speaker in 25 years – is not currently on Pelosi’s public itinerary and comes at a time when US-China relations are already at a low point.”
New York Times: A Pelosi trip to Taiwan would test China’s appetite for confrontation.
Democrats See Opportunity in Governor’s Races
“Republican missteps, weak candidates and fund-raising woes are handing Democrats unexpected opportunities in races for governor this year, including in two states with departing Republican chief executives and in a number led by Democrats where G.O.P. contenders now face far longer odds than they had hoped,” the New York Times reports.
“The potential to at least limit their statehouse defeats offers Democrats a bright spot in a midterm election in which they’re likely to suffer heavy congressional losses, as President Biden’s approval ratings plunge below 40 percent and the vast majority of voters remain convinced the country is on the wrong track amid fears of a recession.”
Ukraine Seeks to Retake the South
“Even as Moscow’s war machine crawls across Ukraine’s east, trying to achieve the Kremlin’s goal of securing full control over the country’s industrial heartland, Ukrainian forces are scaling up attacks to reclaim territory in the Russian-occupied south,” the AP reports.
“The Ukrainians have used American-supplied rocket launchers to strike bridges and military infrastructure in the south, forcing Russia to divert its forces from the Donbas in the east to counter the new threat.”
Left Loses Momentum
An Axios analysis shows the moderate candidate won 14 of 22 congressional primaries this year, when a progressive candidate challenged a more moderate candidate in seats Dems can win.
That’s almost two-thirds of the time.
Republicans Race to Stop Eric Greitens
Top Republican donors are investing in attack ads targeting Trump-adjacent GOP candidate for Missouri Senate, Eric Greitens, in an attempt to secure the nomination for a less controversial Republican candidate, The Hill reports.
The ads — sponsored by an anti-Greitens super PAC which has raised nearly $8 million since it was created last month — focus on Greitens’ history of domestic violence allegations and criminal charges related to blackmailing his mistress.
Trump’s Lawyers Are Preparing for Criminal Charges
“Donald Trump’s lawyers are preemptively preparing a legal defense against criminal charges from the Justice Department, as the former president’s lawyers are increasingly anxious that their client will be prosecuted for his role in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election,” Rolling Stone reports.
“Members of the ex-president’s legal team have already begun brainstorming strategy and potential defenses, according to three people familiar with the matter and written communications reviewed by Rolling Stone. Trump himself has been briefed on potential legal defenses on at least two occasions this summer.”
“That effort intensified after former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s June testimony before the House committee investigating Jan. 6.”
Greene Wants Biden to Take Ivermectin
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) thinks Joe Biden needs some Ivermectin.
Tim Scott’s Memoir Says He’s Preparing a 2024 Bid
The publisher of Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) forthcoming memoir had to issue an awkward apology for the copyright page which suggested the GOP senator was preparing to launch a presidential bid, the Charleston Post & Courier reports.
America, a Redemption Story: Choosing Hope, Creating Unity
- Amazon Kindle Edition
Did Trump Bury Ivana on His Golf Course for a Tax Break?
“When Ivana Trump, Donald Trump’s first wife, was buried last month near the first hole of Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, few immediately guessed that her grave’s location might also serve her ex-husband’s long-held tax planning purposes,” The Guardian reports.
“Tax code in New Jersey exempts cemetery land from all taxes, rates, and assessments – and her grave, as such, potentially has advantageous tax implications for a Trump family trust that owns the golf business, in a state where property and land taxes are notoriously high.”
The Political Environment May Be Improving For Democrats
Nate Silver: “Their chances of winning the Senate now stand at 55 percent. That’s up from 47 percent from forecast launch on June 30. It’s also up from 40 percent in a retroactive forecast dated back to June 1.”
“This is matched by Democrats’ improved position on the generic congressional ballot, which asks voters which party they would support in a congressional election. Democrats are now essentially tied with Republicans in our generic ballot polling average, after having trailed by 2 to 3 percentage points over most of the late spring and early summer.”
Covid Concerns Fade Despite Rapid Spread
Despite a highly contagious coronavirus subvariant’s rapid spread, it seems that most Americans have returned to life as normal this summer, NBC News reports.
Greene Would Be Honored to Run with Trump
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she would be “honored” if former President Donald Trump asked her to join his ticket in 2024 should he decide to run again.
Republicans Favored to Win House
The CBS News Battleground Tracker model finds Republicans start the 2022 campaign with a lead in the race for the House, with 230 seats to 205 seats for Democrats.
The party with 218 seats controls the House.
E.J. Dionne: In a normal year, the GOP should sweep. But 2022 isn’t normal.
Doug Mastriano Is Keeping a Big Secret From Voters
HuffPost: “Doug Mastriano has a secret. The Republican nominee for Pennsylvania governor says he’s chosen someone to serve as the commonwealth’s next secretary of state — a position that will hold enormous power over the 2024 presidential election. But he won’t tell voters who it is.”
