Donald Trump’s “scorched-earth rally in Georgia last month… might have also strengthened the criminal case that Fulton County prosecutors could build against the former president,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Official Quits Over Biden Immigration Policy
“A senior State Department official is leaving his role in the Biden administration. And on his way out, he has sent a scathing internal memo criticizing the president’s use of a Trump-era policy to expel migrants from the southern border,” Politico reports.
Lobbying Kicks Into High Gear
New York Times: “As Democrats labor to keep Mr. Biden’s proposal on track in Congress amid deep internal divisions, a robust influence campaign is meeting it at every turn. Business groups are working in overdrive to fight large swaths of it, such as raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations; expanding Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision services; and proposed taxes and fees to cut down on carbon emissions.”
“The effort is unfolding less conspicuously than previous lobbying pushes; pandemic restrictions have limited large gatherings of lobbyists at the Capitol, so the corridor outside the Senate Finance Committee’s office, which has long been known as ‘Gucci Gulch,’ is no longer overrun with shiny Italian shoes. But the campaign is proceeding as intensely as ever, via individual meetings, Zoom calls, fund-raisers and the airwaves.”
Legislative Process Doesn’t Matter In the End
Jonathan Last points out that if the infrastructure and budget reconciliation legislation pending in Congress passes, none of the messiness will turn out to matter “because it’s process. And voters do not care about process. Ever.”
“Only two things will matter to voters:
- Did the legislation pass?
- Can they be convinced after the fact that the legislation made their own lives better in some tangible way?”
“Everything else is moot.”
Trump Favorability Hits New High In Iowa
A new Des Moines Register poll finds that 53% of Iowans approve of Donald Trump, while 45% disapprove and just 2% have no opinion.
Cortez Masto Holds Small Lead In Nevada
A new Nevada Independent poll finds Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) holds a narrow lead over her likely opponent Adam Laxalt (R), 45% to 41%.
Court Allows Defamation Suit Against Trump to Proceed
“A divided New York appeals panel has rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to dismiss or stall a lawsuit brought by a former Apprentice contestant who claims Trump sexually assaulted her a decade ago,” Politico reports.
“The appellate panel voted 3-2 to deny Trump’s bid to head off the suit from Summer Zervos, who says Trump kissed her, groped her breast and pressed his genitals against her in a Los Angeles hotel in 2007.”
Documents Tie Putin Girlfriend to Monaco Apartment
“Previously undisclosed financial records combined with local tax documents show that Svetlana Krivonogikh became the owner of the apartment in Monaco through an offshore company created just weeks after she gave birth to a girl,” the Washington Post reports.
“The child was born at a time when, according to a Russian media report last year, she was in a secret, years-long relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
19 States Have Passed Laws to Restrict Voting
Nineteen states have passed 33 news laws this year that make it harder to vote, according to an updated analysis released Monday, CNN reports.
Bonus Exchange of the Day
Mary Trump, niece of the former president, recorded an interview with Dean Obeidallah just moments after being served with legal papers:
TRUMP: Yes, Donald is suing me, The New York Times and the three Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporters who wrote that extraordinary piece of journalism in 2018, for $100 million for reasons which don’t necessarily stand up to scrutiny, but obviously we’ll have to let the courts decide. But in an unusual move, a process server came to my home to serve me with papers–which typically doesn’t happen if you’re represented by counsel. It’s usually sent to the attorney’s office, so I’m guessing it was some kind of power play. But to lighten the mood, I guess, the process server also asked me to sign a copy of my first book which he had brought with him.
OBEIDALLAH: He had your first book with him?!
TRUMP: He had it with him and I asked him what his name was, and I signed the book for him.
OBEIDALLAH: So the guy is serving you papers to sue you from your uncle, but you’re like “sure?”
TRUMP: It’s a little weird – you’re serving me with a lawsuit and asking me to sign a book for you, but okay…
GOP Senator Complains of Socialist Plot
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told Fox Business that the infrastructure bills are part of a Democratic plot to take over America with socialism in one vote.
Said Blackburn: “They want government control of your kids.”
She added that the legislation will also close churches.
The Stupid Party
Max Boot: “In the 1980s, when I became a Republican, the GOP took pride in describing itself as the ‘party of ideas.’ But under Trump’s leadership, Republicans have reclaimed their old reputation, dating back to the 1950s, as the ‘stupid party.'”
“What’s even more telling: This is not a source of shame or embarrassment for the party’s populists. They’re the stupid-and-proud-of-it party.”
Biden Rips McConnell on Debt Limit
President Biden warned Monday that the U.S. may default its debt for the first time in history if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) continues to block Democratic attempts to raise the federal borrowing limit, The Hill reports.
Said Biden: “I cannot believe that will be the end result because the consequences are so dire. But can I guarantee it? If I could, I would. But I can’t.”
Bannon Says He Has ‘Shock Troops’ on Standby
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon told his podcast listeners he will have 20,000 “shock troops” on standby.
Said Bannon: “We control this country. We have to start acting like it.”
Exchange of the Day
Monica Lewinsky did a very interesting interview with Kara Swisher:
SWISHER: Your life has been so derailed by what happened between you and Bill Clinton. How do you feel about the fact that your life has been so altered and his has not, in a lot of ways?
LEWINKSY: I’ve had moments of bitterness about it, but how I feel now is, I don’t really need anybody else’s life to be fucked up. I just need people to not stand in my way. I think where it is important — my background is in psychology and social psychology. And so I’m always stepping back to look at the bigger picture. And when I look at the bigger picture, where I see it as problematic is, what does it mean for society? What would it have meant if he had stepped down? What would it have meant if he had been meted a punishment that was appropriate at the time for something like that? Would that have then ended up changing history in different ways? Or we see now, too — I mean, when the news came out about Ken Starr being so involved with Epstein. And you’re like, oh my god, the two most powerful men from 1998…
SWISHER: And Clinton too.
LEWINSKY: … in this investigation, Clinton and Starr, and they’re both tied to Epstein. And I’m not saying that — I’m not in any way drawing a parallel between what Epstein did with these young women and what happened between Bill and myself. But I think that the fact that these two men could then ride along on their power and end up there, that shows us something. And also too, I think people of a certain age and a certain stature, they end up not changing, not being forced to change.
Rioters Exploited Little-Known Capitol Weak Spots
“Four major access points that Jan. 6 rioters used to break into and overtake the U.S. Capitol had something unusual in common: They were among a dozen or so ground-floor windows and glass-paned doors that had not been recently reinforced,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“The majority of the Capitol’s 658 single-pane windows were quietly upgraded during a 2017-19 renovation of the historic building. The original wooden frames and glass were covered with a second metal frame containing bomb-resistant glass.”
“But planners skipped about a dozen ground-floor windows, including some located in doors, because they were deemed to be low risk in the event of implosion, largely due to their discreet or shielded location, or because the building couldn’t structurally handle the load of the heavier frames.”
DeSantis’ Wife Has Breast Cancer
Casey DeSantis, the wife of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), has been diagnosed with breast cancer, Fox News reports.
Schumer Wants Quick Agreement on Spending Bill
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) urged Democrats to quickly coalesce behind the details of the budget reconciliation bill, The Hill reports.
Said Schumer: “It is crucial that the House, Senate and President come to a final agreement on the details of the Build Back Better Act as soon as possible, preferably within a matter of days, not weeks.”
For members: What Democrats Won During Last Week’s Chaos
