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July 4th Will Mark Independence from Covid

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“President Joe Biden wants to imbue Independence Day with new meaning this year by encouraging nationwide celebrations to mark the country’s effective return to normalcy after 16 months of coronavirus pandemic disruption,” the Associated Press reports.

“As COVID-19 case rates and deaths drop to levels not seen since the first days of the outbreak, travel picks up and schools and businesses reopen, Biden is proclaiming ‘a summer of freedom’ to celebrate Americans resuming their pre-pandemic lives.”

Fake Election Officials Going Door-to-Door in Arizona

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Arizona Republic: “People are knocking on the doors of Yavapai County residents and asking how they voted in the last election, while falsely claiming to represent the county recorder’s office.”

“The mysterious door-to-door survey, which has alarmed local officials, comes after the U.S. Department of Justice warned the Arizona Senate against plans to canvass voters’ homes as part of an unprecedented review of November’s election.”

Juneteenth Holiday Has the Votes But Not the Floor Time

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HuffPost: “Legislation establishing June 19 as a federal holiday already has 60 co-sponsors in the Senate, including a remarkable 18 Republicans, meaning the bill could easily overcome a filibuster and become law.”

“But with June 19 coming this Saturday, Democrats have not announced any plans for a vote, presumably because it would consume precious Senate floor time and Democrats have a lot of other priorities.”

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Americans Quitting Jobs At Highest Rate Since 2000

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Wall Street Journal: “More U.S. workers are quitting their jobs than at any time in at least two decades, signaling optimism among many professionals while also adding to the struggle companies face trying to keep up with the economic recovery.

“The wave of resignations marks a sharp turn from the darkest days of the pandemic, when workers craved job security while weathering a national health and economic crisis.”

House Ready to Buck Schumer on China Bill

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Punchbowl News: “You may recall that over the last few weeks, the Senate spent a lot of time and energy passing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s bill to combat China’s rise.”

“Well, the House isn’t too interested in Schumer’s bill. They have ideas of their own. This will complicate Schumer’s effort to win quick and clean passage of the legislation in the House.”

Bulgaria Sinks Under Wave of Pre-Election Scandals

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Politico: “There’s a Watergate-style wiretapping scandal. There’s an agricultural tycoon accusing the government of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov of extortion. And there’s a state-owned bank providing hundreds of millions of euros to a small batch of favored companies.”

“The country’s dizzying daily headlines feel more like plotlines from a hit mafia series on Netflix than actual events unfolding in a European Union member country ahead of an election on July 11.”

Trump Pressured Incoming Attorney General on Election

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“An hour before President Donald Trump announced in December that William Barr would step down as attorney general, the president began pressuring Mr. Barr’s eventual replacement to have the Justice Department take up his false claims of election fraud,” the New York Times reports.

These emails “are also the latest example of Mr. Trump’s frenzied drive to subvert the election results in the final weeks of his presidency, including ratcheting up pressure on the Justice Department. And they show that Mr. Trump flouted an established anticorruption norm that the Justice Department acts independently of the White House on criminal investigations or law enforcement actions, a gap that steadily eroded during Mr. Trump’s term.”

Washington Post: New emails detail Trump’s efforts to have Justice Department take up his election fraud claims.

Biden and EU Resolve Trade Dispute on Aircraft

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“President Biden and European Union leaders on Tuesday reached a deal to put to rest a 17-year-old trade dispute about subsidies for aircraft manufacturers, a significant step in calming trade relations after the fury of the Trump years,” the Washington Post reports.

“The five-year truce, which was announced at the outset of a Tuesday meeting in Brussels between Biden and the top leaders of E.U. institutions, was the latest effort in a transatlantic reconciliation tour that the new president started last week at the Group of Seven summit in Britain.”

“At each stop, including at NATO on Monday, Biden has tried to mend ties that were damaged by President Donald Trump, who often sidled up to traditional American adversaries and targeted longtime allies with vitriol.”

Publishers Snub Trump

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Politico: “Almost five months after leaving office, major publishing houses still are wary of publishing a book by Trump, even though a post-White House memoir would almost assuredly be a best-seller. Their reluctance is driven by several factors, though the underlying fear is that whatever Trump would write wouldn’t be truthful.”

“It’s unheard of for a former U.S. president to struggle to score a major book deal after leaving office. And the absence of Trump’s own words from the literary world is made even more pronounced by the fact that several of his top aides and former Cabinet officials are writing books of their own.”

Pompeo Builds National Profile

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“Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is launching an organization to support Republican candidates in the 2022 midterm elections and build his national political profile, as the GOP ponders its future after the Trump administration,” Politico reports.

“The move comes as Pompeo prepares an aggressive summertime campaign schedule that will take him from Miami later this week to Southern California late next month. Pompeo is also planning a July visit to the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa, an appearance in an early voting state that is bound to heighten speculation that Pompeo is considering a 2024 presidential bid.”

Biden Shuts Out the Press

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Ashley Parker of the Washington Post tweets:

“Biden is abroad doing a big push on democracy v autocracy. But the U.S. press — a key part of any functioning democracy — has gotten less access than under previous administrations. And is now forced to resort to updates from… the Turkish government Twitter account.”

Bernie Sanders Slams Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan

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“Progressive Democrats working on a bipartisan infrastructure deal hardened their position on the legislation after tense talks Monday,” NBC News reports.

“Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a member of the Senate Democrats leadership team, came out against a bipartisan agreement Monday night after meeting with a bipartisan group of 10 senators.”

Said Sanders: “I wouldn’t vote for it. The bottom line is, there are a lot of needs facing this country. Now is the time to address those needs, and it has to be paid for in a progressive way, given the fact that we have massive income and wealth inequality in America.”

Earlier for members: A Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Is Still Very Unlikely

Senate Confirms Biden Nominee to Powerful Court

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“The Senate approved the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the federal appeals court in the District of Columbia, 53 to 44, confirming President Biden’s first nominee to the U.S. appellate courts,” CBS News reports.

“Jackson is considered a contender for the Supreme Court if a vacancy arises during Mr. Biden’s presidency, especially since the president has pledged to name the nation’s first Black woman to the high court if there is an open seat.”

Dennis Kucinich to Run for Mayor of Cleveland

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“Four decades after last holding the position, Dennis Kucinich, the Democratic former Boy Mayor, U.S. congressman and presidential candidate, announced he wants a second chance to be Cleveland’s mayor,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

“Kucinich’s long-expected announcement brings arguably the most high-profile name to the already crowded list of candidates looking to succeed four-term Mayor Frank Jackson. The nonpartisan primary is Sept. 14, with the top two finishers squaring off in the Nov. 2 general election.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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