Former Rep. Stephen Buyer (R-IN) has been charged with insider trading, CNBC reports.
Trump Says Fox & Friends Has Gone to the ‘Dark Side’
Former President Trump tore into Fox & Friends, lashing out at the show’s hosts for their coverage of his polling as he eyes another run for president in 2024, The Hill reports.
Saud Trump: “Fox & Friends just really botched my poll numbers, no doubt on purpose. That show has been terrible — gone to the ‘dark side.’ They quickly quote the big Turning Point Poll victory of almost 60 points over the number two Republican, and then hammer me with outliers.”
Joe Manchin Tests Positive for Covid-19
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has tested positive for Covid-19, CNN reports.
“It’s unclear what effect, if any, Manchin’s isolation will have on Democrats’ efforts to make progress on their legislative agenda. The Senate has a little under two weeks before it’s scheduled to start its August recess, and Democrats have indicated hopes in passing bills — from protecting same-sex marriage to increasing funding for semiconductor production in the US and changing laws surrounding prescription drug prices among other issues — before leaving town for about a month.”
J.D. Vance Says People Should Stay In ‘Violent’ Marriages
Ohio U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance (R) “said people need to be more willing to stay in unhappy marriages for the sake of their kids—and seemed to suggest that in some cases, ‘even violent’ marriages should continue,” Vice News reports.
Said Vance: “This is one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is the idea that like, ‘well, OK, these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy. And so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, that’s going to make people happier in the long term.'”
He added: “And maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though I’m skeptical. But it really didn’t work out for the kids of those marriages.”
Russia Says Goal Is to Oust Zelensky from Power
“Russia’s top diplomat said Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to topple President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, expressing the Kremlin’s war aims in some of the bluntest terms yet as its forces pummel the country with artillery barrages and airstrikes,” the AP reports.
Election Deniers Recruit County Sheriffs to the Cause
“An influential network of conservative activists fixated on the idea that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election is working to recruit county sheriffs to investigate elections based on the false notion that voter fraud is widespread,” the New York Times reports.
“The push, which two right-wing sheriffs’ groups have already endorsed, seeks to lend law enforcement credibility to the false claims and has alarmed voting rights advocates. They warn that it could cause chaos in future elections and further weaken trust in an American voting system already battered by attacks from Mr. Trump and his allies.”
Democrats Should Take Bipartisan Election Bill Deal
Rick Hasen: “Last week’s announcement by a bipartisan group of senators proposing reforms to the poorly written 1887 law that governs Congress’ counting of the Electoral College votes is a good half-loaf measure against election subversion. This is an opportunity that Democrats should jump at, despite their nervousness, if they have the chance to pass the bill with some Republican support this summer or fall.”
“Any meaningful step that lessens the chances of a stolen presidential election in 2024 or beyond is worth pursuing, and the bill would be a significant step forward. But more will still need to be done.”
Quote of the Day
“Speaker Pelosi should go to Taiwan and President Biden should make it abundantly clear to Chairman Xi that there’s not a damn thing the Chinese Communist Party can do about it.”
— Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), quoted by Politico.
Viktor Orbán Attacks ‘Race Mixing’ in Europe
“Hungary’s far-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has lashed out against the ‘mixing’ of European and non-European races, in a speech that immediately drew outrage from opposition parties and European politicians,” The Guardian reports.
Said Orbán: “We are not a mixed race… and we do not want to become a mixed race.”
He added that countries where European and non-Europeans mingle were “no longer nations.”
Congo to Auction Land to Oil Companies
“The Democratic Republic of Congo, home to one of the largest old-growth rainforests on earth, is auctioning off vast amounts of land in a push to become ‘the new destination for oil investments,’ part of a global shift as the world retreats on fighting climate change in a scramble for fossil fuels,” the New York Times reports.
“Congo’s sole goal for the auction, he said, is to earn enough revenue to help the struggling nation finance programs to reduce poverty and generate badly needed economic growth.”
Said government adviser Tosi Mpanu Mpanu: “That’s our priority. Our priority is not to save the planet.”
Tom Nelson Drops Out of Wisconsin Senate Race
Tom Nelson (D) announced that he was ending his Democratic primary campaign for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seat and throwing his support to Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D), the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
“Although Nelson was running fourth in the polls, the move could provide a significant boost for Barnes, who is locked in a tight race with Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry, with state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski further behind.”
“The primary winner will meet Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) in November.”
Disney Streaming Service Blocks Political Ads
“The Disney-backed streaming service Hulu is refusing to run political ads on central themes of Democratic midterm campaigns, including abortion, guns and the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, prompting fury from the party’s candidates and leaders,” the Washington Post reports.
“The streaming service popular among younger voters, which has a policy against running content deemed controversial, is like other digital providers in not being bound by the Communications Act of 1934, a law that requires broadcast television networks to provide politicians equal access to the airwaves.”
Other January 6 Inquiries Increase Pressure on Garland
New York Times: “The contrast between the public urgency and aggressiveness of the investigations being carried out by the Georgia prosecutors and the congressional committee on the one hand and the quiet, and apparently plodding and methodical approach being taken by the Justice Department on the other is so striking that it has become an issue for Mr. Garland — and is only growing more pronounced by the week.”
“Exactly what is going on inside the Justice Department remains largely obscured, beyond what it prioritized in the months after the attack: its prosecution of hundreds of the rioters who stormed the Capitol and its sedition cases against the extremist groups who were present.”
Two Billionaires Funded Most of Ted Cruz’s Campaign
A new CNN documentary traced the money trail between a small group of Texas billionaires and the state’s far-right political shift — and discovered how two billionaires gave about two-thirds of the Super PAC funding that backed Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) 2016 presidential campaign.
Pritzker, Newsom Boost Profiles Ahead of 2024
Wall Street Journal: “Two prominent Democratic governors are expanding their national profile with political activity outside of their home states, moves that come as many Democratic voters look for alternatives to President Biden as the party standard-bearer in 2024.”
“Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat running for re-election this year, has spent time away from his home state to rally Democrats in Maine, New Hampshire and most recently Florida, where he gave the keynote address at an annual party gala last week.”
“California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month went on the airwaves in the state to attack Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, himself a potential presidential contender in 2024. Messrs. Newsom and Pritzker have said they wouldn’t challenge Mr. Biden. Mr. Pritzker’s aides have said his political travel is meant to support gubernatorial candidates.”
Kamala Harris to Get More Aggressive on Abortion
Politico: “The next chapter in her strategy will get more aggressive. White House aides said the vice president is going to specifically head to red and purple states to call out ‘Republican extremism’ on issues like abortion.”
“On Monday, Harris will visit Indiana, as the state begins a special legislative session on abortion, the first in the nation since Roe v. Wade was overturned last month. The White House says she’ll meet with abortion rights advocates and state legislators during her trip.”
Trump Tests Waning Appeal in Washington Visit
“Donald Trump is coming back to Washington as Republican rivals maneuver for a possible primary challenge and lawmakers probe his culpability for the Jan. 6 insurrection,” Bloomberg reports.
“In the aftermath of his defeat and the chaos that unfolded at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Trump slipped out of Washington in disgrace the morning of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. His return — at a time when Biden is notching the lowest approval rating of his presidency and contending with foreign crises and domestic anger over inflation and culture-war issues — has fanned speculation about what’s considered an all-but-inevitable campaign announcement.”
Politico: “Tuesday’s address represents a chance for Trump to demonstrate a focus on policy rather than score-settling. It will be the latest in a continuous war between those in Trump’s orbit who want him to move on, and his own instincts and ID, which prevent him from doing so.”
Associated Press: “There’s little doubt that Trump is moving closer to announcing a third presidential campaign.”
The Next Abortion Battleground
David Leonhardt: “With Roe v. Wade overturned, many of the most intense battles over abortion access will involve the mailing of pills into Republican-run states.”
“Some pregnant women in these states will travel to states where abortion remains legal. But travel can be expensive and time-consuming, making it especially difficult for lower-income workers.”
“That’s why both sides of the abortion issue are now gearing up for an extended fight over what’s known as medication abortion — and specifically over whether women who live in red states will be able to order abortion pills through the mail, even if it’s illegal. Abortion rights advocates are hoping to protect mail services from legal challenges and trying to spread the word that medication abortion is both safe and effective. Abortion opponents are thinking about how to prevent the mail from becoming a loophole that undermines their newly created bans.”
