“President Biden’s coronavirus response team is planning to warn Americans on Tuesday that they must do more to protect themselves against Covid-19, as the highly transmissible BA.5 subvariant of the coronavirus fuels a new wave of infections, re-infections and hospitalizations across the country,” the New York Times reports.
Why Biden Is Re-Engaging in the Middle East
Politico: “Biden sought to downgrade the importance of the Middle East so as not to wade into intractable problems like brokering a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians. In a sign that he was planning to conduct himself differently than his predecessors, he also pledged to end the customary coziness with Saudi Arabia after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident.”
“But over the past few months, the posture has changed, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Now Biden and his team have concluded they must ramp up Washington’s presence in the Middle East so China and Russia don’t fill an America-sized hole, so that Tehran can be kept at bay, so that a ceasefire in Yemen can hold, faster modernizations can happen in Saudi society, and maybe even better relations between officials in Jerusalem and Riyadh.”
“And then there’s that pesky matter of needing Saudi Arabia’s help to keep the oil flowing after the tap from Russia dwindled following the invasion of Ukraine.”
Ex-Overstock CEO to Testify to January 6 Panel
“Former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne, an ally of former President Donald Trump, is expected to meet Friday with the House select committee investigating January 6, 2021,” CNN reports.
Euro and Dollar Are at Parity
“For the first time in 20 years, the exchange rate between the euro and the US dollar has reached parity — meaning the two currencies are worth the same,” CNN reports.
Dumping Biden Isn’t Likely to Help Democrats
Jonathan Bernstein: “Unpopular presidents have lost re-election bids — Donald Trump, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford. The last two times an unpopular president who was eligible dropped out of a re-nomination fight, in 1952 and 1968, his party lost anyway. This is hardly surprising. If a president is unpopular, then his party will be unpopular. George W. Bush couldn’t run for a third term in 2008, but given his low approval ratings, Republicans never had a chance that year.”
“All of this suggests that if Biden remains unpopular, the Democrats are probably doomed whether they nominate him or not. Indeed, given partisan polarization, it’s unlikely that candidates matter much in most presidential elections.”
Last Chance to Blunt a Red Wave
Ron Brownstein: “To avoid the worst-case scenario in November, Democrats must defy one of the most powerful trends shaping modern congressional elections. Recent polls have provided them a glimmer of optimism that they might do just that.”
“That trend is the tightening correlation between voters’ attitudes toward a president and their support for US House, Senate and even gubernatorial candidates from his party. With President Joe Biden’s approval ratings falling to the lowest levels of his presidency, that traditional pattern threatens Democrats with sweeping losses in November’s midterm elections.”
“But even as Biden has continued to sink, other Democrats running this year have stabilized or improved their positions in a spate of recent polls… The question is whether this ‘decoupling,’ as many political professionals call it, is a temporary blip in public opinion — or a reflection of enduring public doubts about the Donald Trump-era GOP that may override the typical reflex of voters unhappy with the president to vote for the other party.”
Fetterman Broke Fundraising Record
“John Fetterman’s cash machine is still rolling — and gaining speed,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“The lieutenant governor raised $8.3 million for his U.S. Senate campaign between his Democratic primary win and the end of June… That was part of a record-setting $11 million haul over April, May, and June, a period almost evenly split between the final stretch of the primary and the start of the general election campaign against Republican nominee Mehmet Oz. Fetterman, however, has already spent most of that money.”
Pat Cipollone Corroborated ‘Virtually Everything’
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) told NBC News that Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone corroborated virtually all of the revelations from previous witnesses, including former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.
Said Raskin: “Cipollone has corroborated almost everything that we’ve learned from the prior hearings. I certainly did not hear him contradict Cassidy Hutchinson… He had the opportunity to say whatever he wanted to say, so I didn’t see any contradiction there.”
Jill Biden Compares Hispanics to Breakfast Tacos
Jill Biden is facing backlash after comparing Hispanic people to tacos, the Daily Beast reports.
Said the First Lady: “The diversity of this community, as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami, and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio, is your strength.”
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists responded: “We are not tacos.”
Elon Musk Says Trump Should ‘Hang Up His Hat’
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that he thinks former President Donald Trump should “hang up his hat and sail into the sunset,” CNBC reports.
He added: “Dems should also call off the attack – don’t make it so that Trump’s only way to survive is to regain the Presidency.”
Peter Navarro Accuses Mike Pence of Treason
Peter Navarro told Newsmax that Mike Pence committed treason for refusing to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Said Navarro: “The reason why I think Pence is guilty of treason, to at least President Trump and perhaps to this country, is that he acted on the basis of a flawed legal opinion concocted by his own general counsel that he did not share with either the president or with the president’s White House legal counsel.”
He added: “Due process plus duty to the commander in chief required you to do that.”
Democrats Warn GOP Wants to Ban Abortion Nationally
“The Democratic National Committee is launching a digital ad campaign to energize its voters after last month’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, warning that Republicans’ ultimate goal is to outlaw abortion nationwide,” the AP reports.
Quote of the Day
“I’m not walking away if anybody’s gonna threaten me or hold me hostage, if I can help the country. And if they want to play politics and play party politics, shame on ’em.”
— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), quoted by CNN, dismissing Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) threat to derail the China competitiveness bill if Democrats push through a party-line reconciliation package.
Americans Don’t Want Trump or Biden to Run
From a new Politico/Morning Consult poll:
Do you believe Donald Trump should run for president in the 2024 election?
- Yes: 35% (definitely: 25%; probably: 10%)
- No: 61% (definitely not: 48%; probably not: 13%)
Do you believe Joe Biden should run for president in the 2024 election?
- Yes: 29% (definitely: 14%; probably: 14%, rounding up to 29%)
- No: 64% (definitely not: 46%; probably not: 18%)
Half of GOP Voters Ready to Leave Trump Behind
“As Donald Trump weighs whether to open an unusually early White House campaign, a New York Times/Siena College poll shows that his post-presidential quest to consolidate his support within the Republican Party has instead left him weakened, with nearly half the party’s primary voters seeking someone different for president in 2024 and a significant number vowing to abandon him if he wins the nomination.”
“By focusing on political payback inside his party instead of tending to wounds opened by his alarming attempts to cling to power after his 2020 defeat, Mr. Trump appears to have only deepened fault lines among Republicans during his yearlong revenge tour.”
Wall Street Journal: “What does it say that Joe Biden, the least popular President in modern times, still beats Donald Trump?”
Hearing to Focus on Link Between Trump and Militants
“The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection plans to hold its seventh public hearing on Tuesday, with an expected focus on the ways in which former president Donald Trump and his allies summoned far-right militant groups to Washington as he grew increasingly desperate to hold on to power,” the Washington Post reports.
“The hearing is likely to drill down on the period after states cast their electoral college votes on Dec. 14, 2020, action that confirmed Joe Biden’s victory. Trump, the committee is expected to argue, then shifted his focus to using the date of the congressional counting of the votes, Jan. 6, 2021, to block a peaceful transfer of power.”
“A committee aide said on a conference call with reporters Monday that the hearing will lay out the way that far-right militant groups like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and others took cues from the former president and his allies. Particular attention will be paid to his Dec. 19, 2020, posting on Twitter: ‘Big protest in D.C. on January 6th,’ Trump tweeted. ‘Be there, will be wild!‘“
News Engagement Plummets as Americans Tune Out
“Engagement with news content has plunged during the first half of this year compared to the first half of 2021 and in some cases has fallen below pre-pandemic levels,” Axios reports.
“Americans have grown exhausted from the constant barrage of bad headlines that have replaced Trump-era crises, scandals and tweets.”
Viktor Orbán to Open CPAC Conference
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will open the Conservative Political Action Conference on August 4 in Dallas, Texas, Hungarian Politics reports.
