DEPT. OF NEW URGENCY … AT 9:30 this morning, Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL and Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) will hold a news conference where, barring some last-second, bizarre change of plan, the pair will announce that the Senate will consider police reform legislation next week.
YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT: The Senate is clearing floor space for SCOTT’S police bill 139 DAYS before Election Day.
THIS REPRESENTS a new sense of urgency for the Republican leadership in the Senate, which, as recently as earlier this week, was saying that this would not get done until after July Fourth. The GOP leadership believes it has its membership in line behind the legislation, and we’ve not really heard any significant dissent yet. More from Marianne LeVine about what’s in the GOP bill
SO HERE’S THE QUESTION NOW: What will Democrats do?
MCCONNELL will need 60 votes to bring this bill up, so he needs Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and Democrats to cooperate.
THE DEMOCRATS had leadership and caucus conference calls Tuesday, and they didn’t discuss strategy because they had not seen the bill. That’s the position they are maintaining: that they can’t make a play call until they see legislative text. They’ll see the bill today, and will have to consider what they want to do.
HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW: Democrats have made it clear they believe that President DONALD TRUMP’S executive order is weak, and many have preemptively pegged SCOTT’S bill as not going far enough.
BUT THEIR NEXT STEP is a bit trickier. Can they refuse MCCONNELL the ability to consider SCOTT’S bill, handing the GOP a convenient talking point that it was the Democrats who blocked police reform in the Senate? That seems risky, given the national climate.
DEMOCRATS COULD allow the chamber to debate SCOTT’S bill, and try to amend it. This would be the legislative process working. Democrats could force some tough votes for the GOP, and vice versa. There is a narrow, treacherous and uncertain path to a deal that could move a bill through the Senate.
THE WHITE HOUSE — which oftentimes sees the legislative process as cumbersome, obtuse and unnecessary — will need to be engaged. Expect MARK MEADOWS to be on Capitol Hill throughout this phase.
AND THAT BRINGS US TO …
… THE BIG EVENT TODAY: THE HOUSE will mark up its police bill in Judiciary this morning. The hearing will take place in the CVC at 10 a.m. Unlike the Senate, the bill’s passage is basically a foregone conclusion in the House. But there are landmines here as well. Democrats are under tremendous pressure from their base to produce. Furthermore, Dems are hoping and working to pick up some moderate GOP votes when they bring the bill to the floor.
SOMETHING TO WATCH FOR: HEATHER CAYGLE scooped Tuesday night that the House will require masks in committee hearings. Lots of Republicans are skipping face coverings in the Capitol, so let’s see how they respond to this directive.
WHITE HOUSE MEMO … NYT’S PETER BAKER: “Trump Dismisses Criticism of Law Enforcement (Unless It’s His)”: “Mr. Trump is the ‘president of law and order,’ as he calls himself, except when it comes to himself or his friends. He has little patience for criticism of law enforcement, unless it is his. If the police shove a 75-year-old peaceful protester to the ground, cracking his head, it must be the protester’s fault. If the police prosecute one of his friends for tax fraud or perjury, it must be that the officers are corrupt.”
NEW … Former President GEORGE W. BUSH will be the special guest at a virtual NRSC fundraiser June 30 for Sens. THOM TILLIS (N.C.), CORY GARDNER (Colo.), MARTHA MCSALLY (Ariz.) and SUSAN COLLINS (Maine). For $25,000, you can get a “roundtable” with BUSH and the senators. The invitation
Good Wednesday morning.
FRONTS: NYT, with the administration suing JOHN BOLTON on the lower right-hand side of the page, by Maggie Haberman and Katie Benner … WAPO … WSJ … N.Y. POST
USTR ROBERT LIGHTHIZER is on the Hill today at Senate Finance at 3 p.m. … SEAN HANNITY has an interview with the president that will air tonight at 9 p.m. on Fox News.
WHAT THEY’RE READING IN PALM BEACH — “Trump golf club asks Palm Beach County for rent relief,” by the Palm Beach Post’s Christine Stapleton: “President Donald Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach has asked Palm Beach County to defer some of the $88,338 monthly rent it pays to lease public land for the president’s the private golf club, citing hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“In a June 5 letter to the county, the club’s finance director, Ed Raymundo, cited the ‘significant impact’ caused by [the] county’s order shutting parks and golf courses during the pandemic. The March 25 order coincided with the ‘busiest part of our season,’ Raymundo wrote.
“The county and its Department of Airports, which both hold leases on Trump’s 27-hole golf club on airport property, have taken no action on the club’s request for rent relief, according to county officials. The club has paid rent through June.”
MORE FROM BURGESS EVERETT and JOHN BRESNAHAN on MCCONNELL and the GOP LEADERSHIP: “The esteem for McConnell is so high among Republicans that those who could eventually replace him have no issue with him staying on as long as he wants. And that makes McConnell’s hold on leadership rock solid.
“‘Mitch McConnell will be our leader as long as he’s still interested in the job,’ said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). ‘After he leaves that position, I would be interested in succeeding him.’ ‘The leader’s made it clear that he wants to continue to serve and he enjoys great confidence in the conference,’ said Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.). ‘My expectation is that, irrespective of what happens in November, he’ll continue to lead the Republican Conference.’”
MORE STATUES COMING DOWN … “California to remove Columbus statue from state Capitol after 137 years,” by Colby Bermel in Sacramento
THE LATEST ON THE CORONAVIRUS …
— NYT: “Florida, Texas and Arizona all set records for the most cases they have reported in a single day”: “The virus continued its steady spread across the Sun Belt on Tuesday, with state officials in Arizona, Florida and Texas all reporting their largest one-day increases in new cases yet. Florida reported 2,783 new cases, Texas 2,622, and Arizona 2,392.
“The new daily highs came as all three states have increased testing and moved swiftly to ease social distancing restrictions and allow more businesses to reopen. They were among 20 states that have seen the number of newly reported cases grow over the last two weeks, according to a New York Times database.” The database
— WSJ: “Fauci Warns of Coronavirus Resurgence if States Don’t Adhere to Safety Guidelines,” by Stephanie Armour: “Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert, warned the nation risks a resurgence of coronavirus infections should states fail to remain vigilant as they reopen their economies.
“‘When I look at the TV and I see pictures of people congregating at bars when the location they are indicates they shouldn’t be doing that, that’s very risky,’ Dr. Fauci said in an interview Tuesday. ‘People keep talking about a second wave,’ he added. ‘We’re still in a first wave.’”
— AP: “Flights canceled as Beijing’s new outbreak raises concerns,” by Ken Moritsugu and Rod McGuirk in Beijing: “More than 60% of commercial flights in and out of Beijing have been canceled as the Chinese capital raised its alert level Wednesday against a new coronavirus outbreak and other nations confront rising numbers of illnesses and deaths.
“The virus prevention and control situation in Beijing was described as ‘extremely grave’ at a meeting of Beijing’s Communist Party Standing Committee led by the city’s top official, Party Secretary Cai Qi.”
TULSA LATEST — “Judge denies Oklahoma residents’ bid to block Trump’s rally because of coronavirus fears,” by WaPo’s DeNeen Brown, Annie Gowen and Joshua Partlow: “A Tulsa judge on Tuesday denied an effort by city residents and business owners to block President Trump from holding an indoor campaign rally this weekend that some fear could further the spread of the coronavirus.
“The lawsuit in the district court of Tulsa County sought a temporary injunction against the company that manages the 19,000-seat venue, the BOK Center, ‘to protect against a substantial, imminent, and deadly risk to the community,’ according to a copy of the complaint. Judge Rebecca Nightingale denied the request.” WaPo
TRUMP’S BOLTON COUNTEROFFENSIVE — “Trump launches the tell-all playbook on Bolton: lawsuits and Twitter threats,” by Meridith McGraw and Natasha Bertrand: “The latest White House staffing drama is now playing out over the pages of a book.
“With ex-national security adviser John Bolton’s tell-all tentatively set for release next week, White House aides are anxiously waiting to see what, if any, damning information is contained between the covers. In the meantime, they’ve activated the typical Trump team playbook for ex-staffers who decide to spill the administration’s innerworkings in print: lawsuits, character assassination on Twitter and presidential haranguing.
“On Tuesday night, the Justice Department sued Bolton to delay the publication of his memoirs, claiming the 592-page tome contains classified information, a charge Bolton’s lawyer has denied. It’s a suit that seems unlikely to actually block the book from coming out — early copies have already been distributed, and the publisher, Simon & Schuster, was not named in the suit. But the move escalates the monthslong cat-and-mouse game between Bolton and the White House, with each side accusing the other of not acting in good faith.” POLITICO
YIKES — “Nebraska Democrats renounce their Senate pick over comments,” by AP’s Grant Schulte in Omaha, Neb.: “The Nebraska Democratic Party called on its U.S. Senate nominee to drop out of the race Tuesday after he made sexually repugnant comments about a campaign staffer in a group text with her and other staffers. The party said its state executive committee voted unanimously on Monday evening to withdraw all of its resources from Chris Janicek’s campaign.
“Janicek, the owner of an Omaha cupcake bakery, is challenging Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, who is seeking a second term. … The text messages, which were obtained by The Associated Press, were from a group chat involving Janicek and five other people, including the female staffer. At one point, he wrote that he had argued with her and then asked whether the campaign should spend money on ‘getting her laid.’ ‘It will probably take three guys,’ he wrote, before describing in graphic detail an imagined group sex scene involving the female staffer.” AP
GOOD NEWS FOR LOEFFLER — “Senate Ethics Committee drops probe of Loeffler stock trades,” by Marianne LeVine: “The Senate Ethics Committee has ended its investigation into Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s stock trades, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the Georgia Republican. The news comes three weeks after Loeffler’s office said the Justice Department had also dropped its probe into her stock trades.”
HOLLY OTTERBEIN: “‘We just need a win’: The left unites to take down Eliot Engel”
TRUMP’S WEDNESDAY — The president will announce the “PREVENTS Task Force Roadmap” at 2 p.m. in the Rose Garden.
VERY SAD NEWS … LEXINGTON HERALD LEADER: “Carol Barr, wife of U.S. Rep Andy Barr of Lexington, dies unexpectedly at age 39,” by Daniel Desrochers: “Eleanor Carol Leavell Barr, the wife of U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, died unexpectedly in the family’s home Tuesday, according to Barr’s office. She was 39. ‘During this tragic time, we respectfully ask for privacy for Congressman Barr and his family to grieve Mrs. Barr being called home to heaven,’ Barr’s Chief of Staff Mary Rosado said. ‘Congressman Barr may release a more detailed statement at a later date, but right now is solely focused on being a father to his two beautiful daughters.’”
LITTLE ROCKET MAN — “North Korea says it’s sending soldiers to joint border sites,” by AP’s Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung in Seoul, South Korea: “North Korea said Wednesday that it will send soldiers to now-shuttered inter-Korean cooperation sites in its territory and reinstall guard posts and resume military exercises at front-line areas, nullifying tension-reducing deals reached with South Korea just two years ago.
“The announcement is the latest in a series [of] provocations North Korea has taken in what experts believe are calculated moves to apply pressure on Seoul and Washington amid stalled nuclear negotiations. On Tuesday, the North destroyed an empty inter-Korean liaison office in its territory.” AP
NEW POLITICO/MORNING CONSULT POLL — “Poll: Trump voters want to protect Dreamers,” by Anita Kumar: “A majority of Trump voters want to protect so-called Dreamers from deportation, according to a new poll, putting pressure on President Donald Trump to shield immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children.
“The same trend holds across all Republicans, according to the findings from the latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. In fact, the poll indicates that wide swaths of registered voters support Dreamers regardless of gender, education, income, ethnicity, religion and ideology. That includes 68 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of conservatives and 64 percent of those who approve of the job Trump is doing. Even 69 percent of those who voted for Trump in 2016 — when he vowed to deport Dreamers — say they should be protected.
“The findings highlight a looming political challenge for Trump as he runs for a second term, partly to make good on his promises to immigration hard-liners while looking to appeal to Hispanics and slicing into the advantage Democrats have with them.” POLITICO
— WSJ EDITORIAL BOARD: “Trump’s Immigration Choice: He may ban the foreign guest workers the recovery needs.”
NATASHA BERTRAND: “House subcommittee demands answers on Pompeo CIA board”: “A Democratic chairman in charge of national security oversight is seeking answers from the CIA about whether Mike Pompeo used an outside advisory board to ‘curry favor for his political ambitions’ while leading the agency.
“Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), who heads the House Oversight Committee’s national security subpanel, sent a letter, obtained by POLITICO, to the CIA requesting information about the advisory board. In the letter, dated Tuesday, Lynch cites a previous POLITICO report that detailed Pompeo’s undisclosed board of external advisers, as well as concerns in the agency that the board was inappropriately weighted toward wealthy individuals and well-connected political figures.”
FOR YOUR RADAR — “Polish leader may visit White House as Trump pushes troop shift in Europe,” by Daniel Lippman, Lara Seligman, Zosia Wanat and Nahal Toosi: “President Donald Trump may soon be welcoming foreign leaders to the White House again after a pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, and his aides are in talks to host the president of Poland, U.S. and Polish officials said.
“A visit by Poland’s Andrzej Duda, if finalized, is likely to coincide with Trump’s plans to announce an increase in the number of U.S. troops stationed in Poland. But it also comes at a sensitive time for Duda, who is up for reelection on June 28.” POLITICO
MAYA KING: “How ‘Defund the Police’ went from moonshot to mainstream”
— “An Older Generation of Civil-Rights Activists Sees Hope, Lessons in Today’s Protests,” by WSJ’s Lee Hawkins and Melissa Korn: “Many of the activists of America’s earlier civil-rights movement are watching the unfolding protests—spurred by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 and reignited by the shooting of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta this past weekend—with hopefulness and amazement. … However, the movement feels more fractured now, older civil-rights activists said, as protests are organized by students, civil-rights groups, community-based organizations and others on social media.”
Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at [email protected].
MEDIAWATCH — Shefali Luthra will join The 19th as a health care reporter. She is currently a health care reporter for Kaiser Health News.
TRANSITIONS — Taylor Griffin is joining Spotify’s comms team in New York. She previously was press secretary for Speaker Nancy Pelosi. … Ryan Walker will be director of government relations for Heritage Action. He currently is deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.). …
… Austin Laufersweiler is now press secretary for the Partnership for Public Service. He previously was comms director for Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.), and is a Jason Kander, Claire McCaskill and Edelman alum. … L.D. Platt is launching Cobalt Technical Solutions, a new business strategy and public affairs firm, with partner Drew Platt. He most recently was with UnitedHealth Group and is a GOP Hill veteran.
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Chris Bedford, senior editor at The Federalist. A trend he thinks doesn’t get enough attention: “How quickly America’s senior Christian leaders have abandoned their duties and surrendered authority to civil leaders. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I don’t know how this generation of leadership will ever wrest it back. That and Joe Biden.” Playbook Q&A
BIRTHDAYS: HHS Secretary Alex Azar is 53 … Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) is 74 … Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) is 62 … Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) is 62 … Newt Gingrich is 77 … Matt Canter, partner at Global Strategy Group (h/t Erin Billings) … Matt Miller, partner at Vianovo … Alex Weprin … Jon Leibowitz, a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell and former FTC chair … Diane Blagman of Greenberg Traurig (h/ts Jon Haber) … Maxwell Nunes … CNBC’s Christina Wilkie … CNN’s Allie Malloy … Jordan Wells, military legislative assistant for Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), is 3-0 (h/t Ben Goodman) … Kent Lassman … Paul Steinhauser … former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is 71 … Scott Thuman … Jennifer Myers … The Spectator’s Dominic Green is 5-0 (h/t Matt McDonald) … David Feinman is 41 … Craig Roberts … Gabe Horwitz … Laura Gordon … Chris Garcia …
… Desiree Barnes … Jessica Boulanger, EVP of public affairs at Business Roundtable … Tory Burch (h/t Dina Powell McCormick) … John Dimos … Rose Gault … June Shih, director of university comms at NYU Shanghai … Chad Clanton is 49 … Michael McLendon … POLITICO’s Simmi Bhuller … Maxime Schlee … John Hamlin … Samuel Garrett-Pate … Katie Lingle … Boris Abreu … Katie Grant … Will Sommer … Nate Thomas … Szabolcs Panyi is 34 … Rebecca Zisser … CBS’ Nicole Domenica Sganga … Lee Newton Rhodes is 62 … Bloomberg’s Kerri Chyka … Emily Adams … PBS NewsHour’s Jaywon Choe … Michael Grisso … Linda Chavez … Miro Korenha … Joyce Johnson … Rob Johnson (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Chris Jennings … Melissa Sabatine … Jeffrey Grimshaw … Priscilla Jones Stanzel … Robert Becker is 52 … Janice Lachance … Katie Koenen Wright … David Dolkart
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- Jake Sherman @JakeSherman
