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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), the top Democratic negotiator on the bipartisan infrastructure deal, is scheduled to visit the White House this afternoon to meet with President Biden, NBC News reports.
Said Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), when asked if she expects the group to eventually reach a deal: “Ultimately, yes. But it’s painful.”
A new Gallup poll finds that as the U.S. military continues its drawdown of troops in Afghanistan, Americans are evenly divided in their views — 47% to 46% — on whether it was a mistake for the U.S. to send troops into the country nearly 20 years ago.
Former President Donald Trump told conservative radio host Howie Carr that he wants New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) to challenge Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) next year.
Said Trump: “I’d like to see him run… He probably would poll the highest.”
“State governments, private businesses and even part of the federal government are suddenly embracing mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for their employees,” Axios reports.
“The vaccination effort seems to have run out of carrots to incentivize more people to get a shot, and with rates remaining as low as they are in light of a worsening domestic situation, resorting to sticks has clearly become a more attractive option.”
“Civil rights leaders, including the Revs. Jesse Jackson and William Barber, were among 39 people arrested Monday after refusing to leave the Phoenix office of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), who has faced unrelenting pressure from liberal activists over her opposition to ending the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation,” the Associated Press reports.
The CDC is expected to revise its mask guidance this afternoon, saying fully vaccinated Americans “should wear masks indoors in communities where there is substantial or high transmission,” CBS News reports.
CNN reports the CDC will also announce they are recommending everyone in K-12 schools wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.
“A special election in Texas on Tuesday is expected to test the power of former President Donald Trump’s endorsement in a runoff between two Republicans,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Mr. Trump has backed Susan Wright, the widow of the late GOP Rep. Ron Wright, who died in February at the start of his second House term after battling Covid-19 and cancer. She is squaring off against state Rep. Jake Ellzey, a fellow Republican and former Navy fighter pilot, after no Democrats advanced from the crowded jungle primary in May.”
Andrew Ballard, Hans Hassell, and Michael Heseltine writing in Mischiefs of Faction:
“Our newly-published research on the 2018 midterm elections suggests that receiving the public backing of Trump may ultimately harm candidates in close races – so Republican candidates looking for electoral success may want to think carefully before welcoming Trump’s endorsement.”
“We discovered that Trump’s endorsements inadvertently helped Democratic candidates more. Democrats were quick to link their Republican opponents to the unpopular president, and many used the president’s endorsements in their own fundraising efforts. Subsequently, Democratic opponents of endorsed Republicans raised more money from more donors immediately following the president’s endorsement of the Republican candidate.”
The Justice Department told former Trump administration officials that they could testify to the committees investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the New York Times reports.
Axios: “The move counters the view of President Trump, who has argued that his decisions made as president are protected by executive privilege.”
“A court battle could ensue if Trump sues in an attempt to block testimony.”
House Republican leaders teed off on Nancy Pelosi this morning, accusing the Speaker of neglecting her duty to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6, The Hill reports.
“Yet in a sign of just how partisan the debate surrounding the insurrection has become, the Republicans offered no critique of the former president, who had encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol on Jan. 6 to block the certification of his election defeat — the spark that inspired the deadly riot.”
“We must know what happened here at the Capitol. We must also know what happened every minute of that day in the White House — every phone call, every conversation, every meeting leading up to, during and after the attack. Honorable men and women have an obligation to step forward.”
— Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), in her opening statement before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack.
The first hearing of the January 6 House Select Committee will hear powerful testimony from Officers Harry Dunn, Aquilino Gonell, Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges.
Said Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) in his opening statement: “And while our institutions endured, and while Joe Biden is the legitimately elected president of the United States, a peaceful transfer of power didn’t happen this year.”
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) ended her opening statement this way: “Our children are watching, as we carry out the solemn and sacred duty entrusted to us. They will know who stood for truth. They will inherit the nation we hand to them — a Republic, if we can keep it.”
You can watch here.
Please leave your reactions in the comments.
Arizona Republic: “Questions are mounting about who is in control of the long-running partisan review of Maricopa County’s 2020 election results — the Arizona Senate, which ordered it, or the outside firms that are running it.”
“On Friday, Ken Bennett, the Senate liaison to the audit, was not allowed into the building at the state fairgrounds where the audit is taking place, a day after he shared data with outside critics from an ongoing ballot count.”
Meanwhile, Arizona’s Senate issued a new subpoena “asking for additional election materials as the monthslong partisan review of the county’s 2020 election continues.”
A new UC-Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll shows likely voters opposing a recall of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) by 50% to 47%.
However, when all registered voters are polled, the margin opposing the recall expands to 51% to 36%.
“I think there’s a tidal wave brewing. I think this is going to be 1994 all over again. When you look at rampant inflation, out-of-control crime and a broken border and just general lack of knowing what you’re doing, lack of competency… the Republican Party’s going to have a great comeback if we recruit the right people.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by the New York Post, on the 2022 midterm elections.
The Washington Post editorial board called for the Democrats to subpoena Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Mark Meadows for testimony. They also said Kevin McCarthy should speak to the committee too.
Punchbowl News: “But there are tons of hurdles to overcome first. Will any of these members of Trump’s inner circle speak to investigators voluntarily? We can’t imagine they will. And what if Trump exerts an executive privilege claim and refuses to make senior aides available for questioning, which seems highly possible? Will the Merrick Garland Justice Department defend the right for Meadows, Ivanka and Jared to have private conversations with the former president?”
“The real yield on 10-year US Treasuries fell further below zero on Monday as growing anxiety over the outlook for economic growth added fuel to a recent rally in bond markets,” the Financial Times reports.
Taegan 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.