A new Des Moines Register poll finds 55% hope Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) does not run for U.S. Senate again in 2022, while 28% think he should and another 17% are not sure.
GOP Appeal to Jeff Bezos Backfires
HuffPost: “Amazon announced plans to stop selling all books that frame transgender and other sexual identities as mental illness, a decision it reached after four Republican senators complained to CEO Jeff Bezos last month when the company pulled a single book on the subject from its virtual shelves.”
The Dangers of Kicking People On the Way Up
New York Times: “Be it his self-regard, his disdain for fellow Democrats or his imperious demeanor, Mr. Cuomo alienated allies and enemies alike on his way up in politics, and now finds himself sliding from hero-level worship to pariah-like status with the kind of astonishing speed that only the friendless suffer. It is a downfall foretold in a decade-long reign of ruthlessness and governance by brute force.”
“For Mr. Cuomo, politics has always been a zero-sum game: For him to win, someone else must lose, whether it is the legislator whose idea he is taking credit for, or Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose initiatives he routinely stomped.”
Mike Allen: “An occasional adviser who has known Andrew Cuomo for nearly 40 years tells me that the New York governor — after a career of playing hardball, including over-the-line threats — has ‘no net of good will’ to catch him.”
Let the Economic Optimism Begin
Neil Irwin sees 17 reasons why things are lining up for roaring economic growth in the United States.
Tribal Politics In the New Washington
Janan Ganesh: “Join me in a thought experiment that has been circling my mind for a year now. Imagine, at the very start of the pandemic, that it was the world’s progressive leaders who strove to keep things open and the populists who imposed lockdowns. You won’t have to force it: there is nothing innate about liberalism that favors stricture, or about the right that deplores it. In this counter-factual timeline, I wager that such culture war as there has been over the virus would be exactly inverted. Masks are something of a heartland staple in this Bizarro 2021. Open schools are a progressive statement. On the basis of early cues from tribal elders — draconian Donald Trump, lax Jacinda Ardern — people thus arranged themselves. Only then came the rationalization.”
“If this is too cynical, remember that we have already lived through a much profounder switcheroo.”
Pelosi Begins Work on Infrastructure
Following passage of President Joe Biden’s relief plan, Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement where she “called upon the Chairs of the Committees of Jurisdiction to work with their Republican counterparts to craft a big, bold, transformational infrastructure package.”
The Five Tribes of the Republican Party
New York Times: “The Republican Party in the era following Donald J. Trump’s presidency is comprised of five ‘tribes’ that have ranging affinity for the former president and different desires when it comes to seeing him continue to lead the party, according to a new survey by Mr. Trump’s former pollster.”
According to the survey, those “tribes” and their percentage of the party are:
- Trump Boosters: 28%
- Die-hard Trumpers: 27%
- Post-Trump GOP: 20%
- Never Trumpers: 15%
- InfoWars GOP: 10%
Wyoming Set to Receive Most Covid Relief Aid
Philip Bump crunches the numbers and discovers that Wyoming will receive the most state aid in the American Rescue Plan per capita, followed by Vermont and Alaska.
These are the three least populous states in the Union.
Anti-Abortion Bills Abound
Associated Press: “At an intense pace, lawmakers in Republican-governed states are considering an array of tough anti-abortion restrictions they hope might reach the Supreme Court and win approval from its conservative majority, overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a nationwide right to abortion.”
Democrats Realize Cuomo Must Go
Tim Miller: “A popular leader massively botches a crisis and covers up his mistakes. He is credibly accused by multiple women of inappropriate behavior. And yet the voters stick with him.”
“Sound familiar? Well here is where the story changes a bit.”
“The party leaders rebuff their voters. They declare that no matter the level of popular support, someone who has committed such unacceptable acts has lost the ability to govern and should be removed from office.”
“What a concept!”
There’s No Place Like Home for Biden
Associated Press: “Of the eight weekends since Biden took office, he has spent three at his longtime home outside Wilmington, Delaware, including this weekend. Tentative plans for another weekend visit were scrubbed due to Senate action on Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.”
“Biden also spent a weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.”
Army Probing Flynn’s Dealings with Russia
Washington Post: “The Defense Department’s internal watchdog has concluded a long-delayed investigation into Michael Flynn, defense officials said Friday, sending its findings to the Army in a case that could bring tens of thousands of dollars in financial penalties for President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser.
“The investigation focuses on Flynn’s acceptance of money from Russian and Turkish interests before joining the Trump administration, a potential violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause.”
Conflict Grows Over U.S. Vaccine Supply
Associated Press: “The standoff is part of a growing global debate over who should have access to hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine that pharmaceutical companies are churning out in the U.S. Besides generating ill will, Biden’s insistence on an excess supply for America is potentially creating new openings for geopolitical rivals Russia and China.”
“A two-dose vaccine from AstraZeneca has received emergency clearance from the European Union and World Health Organization but not from the U.S. Now America’s partners are prodding Biden to release his supply, noting that the administration has lined up enough doses of three already-authorized vaccines to cover every American adult by the end of May and the entire U.S. population by the end of July.”
McConnell Backs New Plan to Fill Kentucky Senate Seat
Bloomberg: “Mitch McConnell has given his blessing to legislation to change how a vacant U.S. Senate seat would be filled in his home state of Kentucky, but it most certainly doesn’t signal an opening is contemplated, an ally of the Senate Republican leader said Friday.”
“The bill was advanced by a Kentucky House committee, leaving it one step away from clearing the GOP-dominated legislature. The measure would remove the Democratic governor’s ability to make his own choice if a Senate seat opened up. Republicans hold both Senate seats from Kentucky and wield supermajorities in both legislative chambers, giving them the votes to override any veto. Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, the bill’s lead sponsor, acknowledged Friday that the bill had sparked questions about the 79-year-old McConnell, who won reelection last year.”
Governor Owes Millions In Environmental Fines
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s (R) coal companies owe more than $3 million in environmental fines to the federal government, ProPublica reports.
Noem’s Request for Fireworks Permit Denied
The National Park Service rejected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R) permit request for a July 4 fireworks display at Mount Rushmore, the Rapid City Journal reports.
Noem pushed to bring fireworks back to the national monument in 2020 after an 11-year absence. Former President Donald Trump attended the event.
Democrats Flip the Script on Cash Assistance
Karl W. Smith: “The American Rescue Plan, which President Joe Biden signed into law, contains a provision that represents a qualitative break from the welfare-to-work policies that have been in place since the 1990s. The change is also scrambling party politics — especially on the Republican side — in a way that could have lasting implications.”
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