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Biden resistance despairs

Democrats are "folding all over the place," a House Democrat who's deeply skeptical of President Biden told Axios' Andrew Solender ahead of a caucus meeting today where members largely closed ranks around the president.

  • "As someone who wanted the reckoning and is really disappointed that it's over, trust me: It's over."
  • "Most of our caucus is still with him ... meaning he'll stay in," another House Democrat said.

πŸ‘€ Behind the scenes: Just before House Democrats' "come-to-Jesus" meeting this morning on Biden's path forward, a smaller group of swing-district Democrats β€” one of the few steadfast blocs of Biden resistance β€” held their own despondent gathering.

  • One shell-shocked lawmaker who was present at the meeting would offer only one word to characterize it: "Intense."
  • Another described the mood as "pretty much unanimous" that Biden has "got to step down," adding, "There were actual tears from people, and not for Biden."

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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Johnson vs. Luna

Speaker Mike Johnson had a "little back-and-forth" today with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) over the merits of a vote this week on holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt.

Why it matters: Former President Trump has kept an uncharacteristically low profile during the fallout over Biden's debate performance.

  • Johnson's argument against shifting the focus to Garland dovetails with that approach.

Inside the room: Multiple sources said Johnson expressed concerns about Luna's proposal, which would fine Garland $10,000 a day for flouting a congressional subpoena, during a morning conference meeting.

  • Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) and Dale Strong (R-Ala.) were among others who raised concerns, according to the sources, with some Republicans urging Luna to at least wait until after next week's GOP convention.
  • "I also don't know why you'd make Garland the bogeyman ... Biden is doing a pretty good job all on his own," Armstrong said.

But Luna indicated she still planned to force a vote tomorrow.

  • Johnson made clear that his objections were not about the substance of Luna's proposal, telling reporters, "If it's brought to the floor, I'll vote for it."

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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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3 top Biden aides subpoenaed

The GOP-led House Oversight Committee subpoenaed three senior White House aides today, demanding they sit for depositions regarding President Biden's health, according to letters obtained by Axios' Alex Thompson.

  • Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) subpoenaed deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini, senior adviser Ashley Williams and First Lady Jill Biden's top aide, Anthony Bernal.
  • Comer also cited a recent Axios report about Bernal and Tomasini having access to the first family's residence β€” a situation that White House residence staff found unusual since political staffers often don't have such access.

πŸ”Ž Why it matters: The subpoenas signal Republicans' desire to investigate whether some of Biden's closest aides essentially have hidden the 81-year-old president's true condition β€” in a probe that could drag through the Nov. 5 election.

  • In each letter, Comer writes that the committee is "concerned" that each official is "one of several White House staffers who have taken it upon themselves to run the country while the President cannot."

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Biden subpoena fight

The House GOP has teed up a potential executive privilege confrontation with the White House, Axios' Alex Thompson scooped this afternoon.

Why it matters: By targeting three low-profile but influential White House aides for closed-door depositions on President Biden's health, the House Oversight Committee looks set to put lasting pressure on the White House until November.

  • House Oversight chair James Comer (R-Ky.) wrote in the subpoenas that the committee is "concerned" each official is "one of several White House staffers who have taken it upon themselves to run the country while the President cannot."

The three officials subpoenaed today:

  • First lady Jill Biden's top aide Anthony Bernal
  • Deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini
  • Senior adviser Ashley Williams

Between the lines: Comer previously tried to interview Bernal, Tomasini and Williams during his investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents.

  • The White House didn't make any of the three aides available to Comer's committee at the time.
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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Zelensky's thank-you tour

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) huddled with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time in person since Johnson put his own political career at risk by putting a sweeping foreign aid package on the floor in April.

  • "He provided an update ... on the current status of the situation [and] ... expressed their gratitude for the assistance of the United States," Johnson told Axios.
  • Johnson said they discussed restrictions on U.S.-supplied weapons used in Russian territory, telling reporters: "I explained that the will of Congress was to allow them the flexibility to use the weapons and assistance that were sent to prosecute the war as they see fit. So I'm a supporter of that."

Between the lines: Johnson said the two did not discuss additional aid or Ukrainian concerns about how the 2024 election will impact the country's continued support.

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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πŸ›οΈ Ultimate power broker
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Photo illustration of Nancy Pelosi holding a mallet over the White House.
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Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios; Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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House Democrats with grave concerns about President Biden's ability to win are looking to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who remains in Congress, as their potential muscle to get him to drop out, Axios' Andrew Solender writes.

  • Why it matters: "She's the f***ing power broker," a House Democrat said. "She's the hatchet."

πŸ‘“ Zoom in: Congressional Democrats who had been on the back foot and feeling resigned to Biden as the nominee took Pelosi's comments on "Morning Joe" yesterday as an invitation to turn the spigot back on.

  • Lawmakers tell Axios to expect more where that came from. "I told my comms team," a House Democrat told us, "have our statement ready to go next time he has a big f***-up, because you know there's going to be another one."

Keep reading.

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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House GOP's self-inflicted wounds

A pair of ill-timed floor fumbles has House Republicans frustrated over what they see as unforced errors when Democrats are suffering a terrible news cycle.

Why it matters: Back-to-back failed floor votes today complicated Speaker Mike Johnson's effort to paint the picture of a unified GOP conference.

  • The two losses: A resolution fining Attorney General Merrick Garland for flouting a congressional subpoena, pushed by Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), and a spending bill to fund Congress' own operations both went down amid GOP absences.

The bottom line: "Why does the timing now have to happen before the convention and while the Democrats are lighting themselves on fire in the public square?" Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) told Axios.

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Members of Congress condemn violence after shots seemingly fired at Trump rally

WASHINGTON β€” Members of Congress rejected political violence Saturday after a shooting at Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania left at least one rallygoer dead and forced the Secret Service to rush the former president off stage.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/07/13/members-of-congress-condemn-violence-after-shots-seemingly-fired-at-trump-rally/?

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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House Oversight panel subpoenas Secret Service director to testify on Trump assassination attempt

WASHINGTON (AP) β€” The Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee issued a subpoena Wednesday to the Secret Service director compelling her to appear before the committee on Monday for what is scheduled to be the first congressional hearing into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-inspector-general-secret-service-045449b3e8f3ab7326cb779f416f83fd?

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Stubborn anti-Biden rebellion
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Photo illustration of Joe Biden surrounded by U.S.Β CapitolΒ buildings.
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Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

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President Biden is playing whack-a-mole with Democratic members of Congress.

Why it matters: Multiple Democratic lawmakers told Axios they expect more of their colleagues to go public with calls for Biden to exit the 2024 presidential race before the nomination fight is wrapped up.

  • One House Democrat, citing recent AP-NORC polling, told Axios: "Two-thirds of voters want a new candidate, and there's still time to make that change; so if representatives are listening to their constituents, we should."
  • "These new polls continue to come in β€” they're terrible ... he's in obvious decline and it's beginning to affect other races," said another House Democrat.

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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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🎯 GOP sharpens knives
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Illustration of several versions of the elephant from the Republican Party logo stampeding and kicking up dust.
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

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πŸ‘‹πŸΌ It's Cuneyt, back with Town Talker β€” my column on money and power.

Republicans in Congress are deluging D.C. with countless new proposals to nip away at Democrats' power, squash regulations, and roll back local laws.

Why it matters: I recently wrote about how a second Donald Trump presidency could usher in a new age of federal micromanaging over local Washington. A live preview is underway of the intervention Republicans are capable of if they win both chambers and the White House.

🚦 State of play: House Republicans have many ideas: ban all traffic cameras, ban D.C. from banning right-turns-on-red, prohibit non-U.S. citizens from voting in local elections, and repeal the assisted-suicide "Death with Dignity" law.

  • Another proposal, from Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, would defund D.C.'s statehood commission β€” no more shadow senators.
  • South Carolina's Nancy Mace wants to loosen requirements for becoming a D.C. child care educator.
  • These may be longshots with a Democratic-controlled Senate, but the torrent of amendments is striking fear in city hall.

Friction point: A new worry emerged this week when Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to sign the D.C. Council's $21 billion budget β€” short of a veto, but a rare mayoral move not to endorse the city's spending plan.

  • Her critics fear Republicans will see that as a tacit invitation to intervene. As they did right before overturning a D.C. crime law last year, Republicans might think: The mayor didn't sign the budget, so we'll fix it.

πŸ“£ What they're saying: D.C. Council chair Phil Mendelson told me in a statement: "Is the Mayor asking, once again, that Congress take note and intervene in our local affairs?"

The big picture: The mood in the Wilson Building is glum. If Republicans win total control of the federal government, they can make good on Trump's promise to "take over our horribly run" capital city.

  • The thought has spurred officials within the Bowser administration to begin planning for the possibility of a Trumpian assault on the city, according to NBC4's reporting this week.

The bottom line: The meddling will mean more work for council members. Their job description now includes not just making laws but lobbying Congress to keep them from being overturned.

  • "I was not elected to make fact sheets for 535 members of Congress," says Council member Christina Henderson. "[But] that is the job."

Read full column

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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"Aura of inevitability"
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This is Capitol Hill
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The skies over the Capitol today. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

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Some Democratic members of Congress tell Axios they believe Biden's candidacy is nearing its endgame, with even some loyalists beginning to yield.

The intrigue: "I don't believe President Biden should step aside, but it appears that opinion is being overruled," Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) told Axios.

  • Biden has only ever said publicly that he is not dropping out, and a senior Biden aide also told Axios: "In recent days, the president has become more committed to staying in the race."
  • Biden campaign principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks told reporters today the president "is not wavering on anything."
  • Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) said "a couple of loud voices have been dominating the conversation," but Biden "has made up his mind. He's made a decision. And, so, the more we belabor this conversation, the more we're doing ourselves a disservice."

The bottom line: "I think it's over," said one senior House Democrat, who, like others quoted in this story, was granted anonymity to speak candidly about internal party dynamics.

  • "A change at the top of the ticket has taken on an aura of inevitability," said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).

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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Sen. Bob Menendez to resign from office Aug. 20

Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) will resign from the Senate next month, his staff was told Tuesday, after he was found guilty in a federal corruption trial for accepting bribes.

https://www.axios.com/2024/07/23/menendez-resign?

US Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey is resigning from office following his corruption conviction

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) β€” U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez will resign Aug. 20 following his conviction for taking bribes for corrupt acts including acting as an agent of the Egyptian government, he wrote in a letter to New Jersey’s governor obtained by The Associated Press.

https://apnews.com/article/senator-bob-menendez-new-jersey-resigns-a4fa9bc8fe623c9bac97c10c91fb9f07?

Huge protests coming

A large, raucous pro-Palestinian protest today at a U.S. House office building is spiking lawmakers' concerns about security around Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming speech.

Why it matters: The protests spilled over from a common area to several individual lawmakers' offices.

  • Rep. Dan Kildee's (D-Mich.) office "had to call U.S. Capitol Police for assistance" after "hundreds of protesters outside the office became disruptive," Kildee's chief of staff Mitchell Rivard said in a statement.
  • Rivard said protesters were "violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly and attempting to force entry into the office."
  • Spokespeople for Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, the groups that organized the protest, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Congressional leaders are boosting security at the Capitol as they prepare for potentially tens of thousands of protestors tomorrow.

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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Trading ban crunch
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This is a thing
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Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios

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Senate Democrats pushing a bipartisan ban on stock trading for lawmakers are eyeing a vote on the bill before the November election, Axios has learned.

  • Why it matters: "There are members who deeply hate this, who want to keep trading stocks," Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), one of the bill's sponsors, told a small group of reporters in his office today.

Between the lines: There are only a few opportunities that backers of the stock trading ban have before the election to force a vote.

  • There is not enough time left on the legislative calendar for the bill to be considered on its own. So, the measure would have to be attached as an amendment to one of the few must-pass pieces of legislation left this year β€”Β like the National Defense Authorization Act.
  • But even then, because of the chamber's rules, there would have to be unanimous agreement to allow the bill to be considered as an amendment.

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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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🚨 Capitol protest security

Road closures, heightened security and increased police presence are currently in effect surrounding the U.S. Capitol ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress today.

Why it matters: Such measures are in anticipation of what could be tens of thousands of demonstrators protesting Netanyahu's visit, his first trip abroad since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel that led to the war in Gaza.

The latest: Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in the Cannon House Office Building yesterday, prompting Capitol Police to make scores of arrests for demonstrating in a restricted area.

Catch up quick

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Netanyahu says war will continue

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn't give an inch as he addressed a joint session of Congress today, even with protests swirling both inside the chamber and outside the Capitol.

  • He said Israel would not relent in the war in Gaza until it has achieved "total victory," and he denied that Israel had prevented aid from getting into Gaza.
  • He tore into American college students' pro-Palestinian protests, calling them "useful idiots" for Iran.
  • And he pressed the U.S. to continue to support Israel's war effort, without making any explicit references to a hostage/ceasefire deal that could end or at least pause the fighting.

πŸͺ§ The other side: Thousands of people protested around Washington, including at Union Station and at the Watergate Hotel, where Netanyahu is staying.

  • Inside the House chamber, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) held up a sign during the speech that said "war criminal," and about 50 Democrats skipped the speech altogether.
  • A handful of spectators were removed and arrested during the speech.

πŸ—“οΈ What's next: Netanyahu is set to meet with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris tomorrow, and with former President Trump on Friday.

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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A neurological disorder stole her voice. Jennifer Wexton takes it back on the House floor.

When Jennifer Wexton rose Thursday to speak on the House floor, something she has done countless times before, the congresswoman used a voice she thought was gone forever.

https://apnews.com/article/jennifer-wexton-ai-voice-clone-progressive-suprenuclear-palsy-speech-6569e27b4095db2b58c36b61e833d0e0?

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Mike Johnson's revival

House Speaker Mike Johnson is in a stronger-than-expected spot to keep his job in 2025, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Johnson is less than three months removed from relying on Democratic votes to save his gavel.

  • GOP lawmakers pointed to his strong relationship with former President Trump as an asset that has only become more valuable this summer.
  • "Trump is really, really behind him," one House Republican told Axios.
  • Not everyone is sold: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) still openly advocate for his ouster. But they're distinctly in the minority.

This is not the story we expected back in May.

  • Johnson was presiding over a threadbare caucus in which a motion against his job was a daily threat.
  • "What organization in history has 200 and something direct reports, any one of which could fire you if they don't agree with the decision you made?" said Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.).

πŸ‘€ Johnson had to watch on the House floor in May as 11 of his GOP members voted to advance an ouster attempt, up from the nine that successfully removed his predecessor Kevin McCarthy.

  • But 163 Democrats voted to block the Johnson ouster attempt, saving his job after he pushed through aid for Ukraine.

Now the House GOP is feeling bullish about November, with good vibes about their neophyte speaker.

  • "[H]e's giving fewer and fewer reasons to those who want to get rid of him, right? What are you going to do?" one GOP lawmaker told Axios.
  • "It's a forgotten memory," another House Republican said of the Ukraine aid vote that triggered a motion to vacate by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

Reality check: This all goes out the window if Trump loses in November. So too if the GOP fails to take the House, or ends up with another razor-thin edge.

  • Republicans were similarly bullish about a "red wave" in 2022.
  • That didn't pan out, and their resulting tiny majority in January 2023 set the stage for a historic speaker ouster and nearly two years of paralysis.

The bottom line: Johnson's biggest remaining test β€” aside from November's results β€” is steering the caucus through September's government funding deadlines.

  • "I think the potential for other candidates to emerge is one major mistake away," another House Republican told Axios.

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Six U.S. House Dems join GOP in condemning Harris, Biden administration over border policy

WASHINGTON  — The U.S. House Thursday passed a Republican-led resolution condemning the president and Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, for the administration’s immigration policies.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/07/25/six-u-s-house-dems-join-gop-in-condemning-harris-biden-administration-over-border-policy/?

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Protection of kids on social media platforms advances in U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON β€” The U.S. Senate advanced online safety legislation Thursday aimed at protecting children from targeted advertising, data harvesting, bullying, and sexual exploitation on popular social media platforms.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/07/25/protection-of-kids-on-social-media-platforms-advances-in-u-s-senate/?

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Schumer's summer gift

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is giving Democrats a third "show vote" for campaign season.

Why it matters: Senate Republicans are likely to vote against a bipartisan tax package this week that would expand the extended version of the Child Tax Credit.

  • Earlier "show votes" included policies on reproductive rights and gun control β€” two of the Democrats' top campaign issues.
  • Although a few Senate Republicans have signaled support for the package, it is almost certainly going to die amid a lack of GOP support.
  • Voting against the tax package is likely to be used by Democrats to hit the GOP on the campaign trail and will be another tool for vulnerable Democrats to champion.

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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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In an attempt to reverse the Supreme Court’s immunity decision, Schumer introduces the No Kings Act

WASHINGTON (AP) β€” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced legislation Thursday reaffirming that presidents do not have immunity for criminal actions, an attempt to reverse the Supreme Court’s landmark decision last month.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-schumer-immunity-senate-king-149763b93d62599eac7d0a7c77ff4d4a?

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60
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Weaponizing the family
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Illustration of a family tree form made with stars within the United States flag
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Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios

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Intensely personal decisions about children and family are suddenly becoming a fierce political battleground, Axios' Erica Pandey writes.

  • Why it matters: The U.S. fertility rate has been steadily falling, mirroring trends in other developed countries, and hit a record low of 1.62 births per woman in 2023.

πŸ‘€ Driving the news: A growing chorus of conservative pundits, influencers and politicians are promoting a specific, traditional image of family life β€” and criticizing people who don't live that way.

Sen. JD Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, has given the pro-natalist movement its biggest platform yet.

  • Most recently, he made headlines with a resurfaced 2021 comment calling Vice President Harris and other Democrats "childless cat ladies" who "don't really have a direct stake" in America's future.
  • Vance's team says the remark was taken out of context β€” and referred to America's leadership class, not adults in general who don't have children.

πŸ“‰ By the numbers: 47% of adults under 50 who don't have kids say they're unlikely to have them β€” up 10 points from 2018, according to a recent Pew survey.

  • Among their reasons: They can't afford it, they want to focus on different things, or they just don't want to.

That trend has very real implications for America's future and economic growth, especially if immigration is limited.

  • But experts say simply telling women to have more kids β€” regardless of whether they want to, whether they're able to, or whether they can afford to β€” is missing the point.
  • "It's legitimately tapping into frustration of what it takes to support a family, but for some reason, it's directing that anger toward professional women," says Laura Lovett, a University of Pittsburgh historian.

The other side: Even though it contends with a real problem, "no matter how you frame the issue, pro-natalism often comes across as extremely strange," N.Y. Times conservative columnist Ross Douthat writes (gift link).

  • "The idea of freedom from procreation as a hard-won feminist liberty ... means that any talk about increasing birthrates instantly evokes 'Handmaid's Tale' anxieties about patriarchal coercion."

The latest: Democrats have fought against GOP attempts to rebrand as the "pro-family" party β€” pointing, for example, to Senate Republicans' rejection of a bipartisan bill this past week that would have expanded the child tax credit.

phkrause

Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60

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