“Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone will testify Friday morning after receiving a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob,” the Washington Post reports.
“It’s unclear what limits, if any, there will be on his closed-door testimony, which is scheduled for about half a day… Cipollone had been reticent to testify to the committee, citing presidential privilege, but he has been regularly mentioned in the hearings and is key to a number of episodes being plumbed by the committee.”
“Sarah Matthews, who served as deputy press secretary in the Trump White House until resigning shortly after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, has been subpoenaed by the House select committee investigating the insurrection and has agreed to testify at an upcoming hearing,” CNN reports.
“Matthews has been subpoenaed to testify at a public hearing as early as next week.”
Matthews has defended Cassidy Hutchinson, the former aide to Mark Meadows, as “anonymous sources” seek to downplay the Hutchinson’s blockbuster testimony.
Matthews already appeared in front of the committee for a voluntary interview behind closed doors in February, according to several reports at the time.
“The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol last year has called its next hearing for July 12 where it is expected to lay out evidence on how the pro-Trump mob was organized, assembled and financed,” USA Today reports.
“The public hearing, the panel’s seventh, is set for 10 a.m. ET.”
New York Times: “It is expected to be led by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) who plan to chart the rise of the right-wing domestic violent extremist groups that attacked the Capitol and how Mr. Trump amassed and inspired the mob. The panel also plans to detail known links and conversations between political actors close to Mr. Trump and extremists.”
“Key House Republicans are threatening to subpoena records of the Jan. 6 committee if the GOP retakes the majority next year — an escalation of the party’s effort to undercut the investigation’s findings,” Axios reports.
Grid: “Nearly two dozen alleged members of the January 6 plot are connected to a single Capitol Hill address.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) vowed to go to court to fight a subpoena issued out of Fulton County, Ga., looking into possible criminal interference in the state following the 2020 elections, Politico reports.
From a statement: “As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Graham was well within his rights to discuss with state officials the processes and procedures around administering elections. Should it stand, the subpoena issued today would erode the constitutional balance of power and the ability of a Member of Congress to do their job. Senator Graham plans to go to court, challenge the subpoena, and expects to prevail.”
The subpoena to Graham zeroed in on the GOP senator’s calls to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) in 2020, during which Graham allegedly suggested that Raffensperger throw out legally cast ballots.
The subpoenas also showed that the grand jury’s looking into the origins of the lies Giuliani and Co. spread about election fraud in Georgia.
A Georgia district attorney said she will not rule out subpoenaing former President Donald Trump as part of her grand jury investigation into whether he criminally interfered in the 2020 election in that state, CNBC reports.
Politico obtained a trailer for the Trump family docuseries by British filmmaker Alex Holder, who was subpoenaed by the House Jan. 6 Committee for his testimony and raw never-before-seen footage of the Trumps. Holder’s upcoming documentary covers the last six weeks of Trump’s reelection campaign, the aftermath of Trump’s defeat and the Capitol attack, which Holder was able to film.
“Boris Johnson is to stand down as Conservative leader, but intends to carry on as prime minister until the autumn,” the BBC reports.
“He is expected to make a resignation statement in Downing Street shortly.”
Washington Post: “There was immediate and fierce pushback to that idea from some lawmakers and party grandees who warned that Johnson was soiling the Conservative Party brand and that he was too damaged to stay in office through the summer.”
Wall Street Journal: “Mr. Johnson attempted to cling to power amid frenetic plotting by rebels to unseat him and a push by a group of cabinet members to have him resign. Until recently he had spoken of his intention to stay in office until the 2030s. But as his authority withered, and with the growing threat that the party would change its internal rules to hold a vote to oust him, he agreed to step aside.”
Five more ministers announced in a joint resignation letter they have quit British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government. Meanwhile, The Mail+ reports Housing Secretary Michael Gove has also told Johnson that he must resign.
Overall, 15 government ministers have now resigned since last night.
A delegation of cabinet ministers — including the new chancellor Nadhim Zahawi — have sent the chief whip to tell British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign, Sky News reports.
A new YouGov poll finds that 69% of Britons — including 54% of Conservative voters — think British Prime Minister Boris Johnson should resign.
Just 18% think that Johnson should stay.
Robert Shrimsley: This is the endgame for Boris Johnson — but it may not be quick.
Washington Post: “In the view of many distraught Democrats, the country is facing a full-blown crisis on a range of fronts, and Biden seems unable or unwilling to respond with appropriate force. Democracy is under direct attack, they say, as Republicans change election rules and the Supreme Court rapidly rewrites American law. Shooting sprees are routine, abortion rights have ended and Democrats could suffer big losses in the next election.”
“Biden’s response is often a mix of scolding Republicans, urging Americans to vote Democratic and voicing broad optimism about the country. For some Democrats, that risks a dangerous failure to meet the moment.”
Playbook: “Is President Biden meeting the moment?”
“That’s the question driving the political zeitgeist as some of the loudest members of the Democratic Party vent their frustrations to major news outlets.”
Washington Post: “In the view of many distraught Democrats, the country is facing a full-blown crisis on a range of fronts, and Biden seems unable or unwilling to respond with appropriate force. Democracy is under direct attack, they say, as Republicans change election rules and the Supreme Court rapidly rewrites American law. Shooting sprees are routine, abortion rights have ended and Democrats could suffer big losses in the next election…”
“As the Democratic rank-and-file’s thirst for a more combative attitude becomes increasingly evident, other party leaders are beginning to showcase an alternative tone, one that goes far more sharply at Republican attitudes and tactics…”
CNN: “White House counsel Dana Remus had assured senior aides the Supreme Court wouldn’t rule on abortion that day. A White House press aide assigned to the issue was walking to get coffee when the alert hit.”
“Several Democratic leaders privately mocked how the president stood in the foyer of the White House, squinting through his remarks from a teleprompter as demonstrators poured into the streets, making only vague promises of action because he and aides hadn’t decided on more.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) “reversed course Tuesday and turned over a June 23 White House email that confirms President Joe Biden intended to nominate an anti-abortion Republican to a lifetime appointment as a federal district judge in Kentucky,” the Louisville Courier Journal reports.
“There is a leadership vacuum right now, and Biden’s not filling it… I sympathize with the argument that there’s very little they can do legislatively. But in moments of crisis, the president is called upon to be a leader. And when people are feeling scared and angry and outraged, they look to him for that, and they’re not getting much.” — Adam Jentleson, former top aide to Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), quoted by the Washington Post.
“President Biden plans to send WNBA star Brittney Griner a letter and is working to secure her release, he told Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner in a phone call Wednesday,” Axios reports.
Russian state television host Olga Skabeeva suggested that Russia is weighing whether to “reinstall” Donald Trump “again” as the U.S. president in 2024.
She added that the country has not “decided yet.”
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s powerful Security Council said it’s “absurd” to think of punishing Russia for its war against Ukraine because the country has “major nuclear potential,” the Daily Beast reports.
Calling proposals to prosecute Russia for war crimes “legally void,” he said any attempts to do so “potentially threaten the existence of mankind.”
Punchbowl News: “Schumer will submit text today to the Senate parliamentarian reflecting an agreement among all Democrats – including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) – to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug costs. The parliamentarian will then begin the ‘Byrd Bath’ review process to make sure the proposal conforms with the Senate’s arcane reconciliation rules.”
“At this point, the rest of the package – informally dubbed Build Back Manchin – is up in the air. This is the low hanging fruit. Manchin has always supported this policy, as do 49 other Senate Democrats. So Schumer is starting with the lowest common denominator.”
“But this is a big deal. It represents the first formal step in reviving a new reconciliation bill for possible floor action. And Schumer is taking a risk by making this official. The top issue for Senate Democrats and the White House this month now becomes whether they can get a deal. So there’s a lot riding on this for Schumer, Manchin and President Joe Biden.”
“As Democrats try to head off a looming premium hike for Affordable Care Act plans that could affect millions, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is said to be sounding out options for a fix that might fit into a larger bill, although he has made no commitment,” NBC News reports.
“Manchin is in talks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on a filibuster-proof economic package that is currently centered on spending $500 billion and raising $1 trillion in revenue.”
Politico: “Nine states have banned abortions either in almost all cases, unless necessary to save the life of the pregnant person, or after six weeks of pregnancy — a point at which many people don’t yet know they’ve conceived. Four have abortion bans poised to take effect in the coming days and weeks. And eight states have abortion bans on their books that have been blocked by the courts.”
A GOP operative told NBC News that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is holding off on more restrictive abortion bans than the 15-week ban already in place while he seeks re-election, but is expected to go further if he wins a second term.
Said the operative: “The strategy is obvious. Do it after the gubernatorial so as to not piss off suburban women, then screw them over after the election in order to appease fire-breathing pro-lifers in a presidential primary.”
CNN: “More than a week after the abortion decision, top Biden aides are still wrangling over releasing new actions in response, despite the draft decision leaking six weeks earlier.”
A.B. Stoddard: “A raped and pregnant 10-year-old crossing state lines for an abortion. A coup against our government led by a president eager to send a mob he knew was armed to threaten the vice president and members of Congress. A Supreme Court that rules against the majority of the country on guns, abortion, and climate change and may side with Republicans next year who want partisans to decide our elections. The attorney general of Texas admitting he would welcome the return of anti-sodomy laws.”
“After years of tumultuous change and accelerating division, these past days and weeks have made perfectly clear—even to those who had tried tuning it all out when Donald Trump lost the 2020 election—just what Republicans do with power.”
“Gun violence spiked over Fourth of July weekend, with shootings reported in nearly every U.S. state that killed a total of at least 220 people and wounded close to 570 others,” CBS News reports.
“There were only five states where one or more shootings were not reported.”
Stephen Collinson: Why the horror from weapons used in mass killings won’t lead to them being banned.
Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo III was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday for allegedly opening fire at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, killing seven people and injuring more than 30.
The semiautomatic rifle Crimo allegedly used in the attack was bought legally, according to the police.
Crimo had had two previous run-ins with law enforcement in 2019, the authorities said. The first time was when someone had reported to the police that Crimo had attempted suicide; the second was when a relative reported that he had threatened to “kill everyone” in his family. That’s when the police confiscated a sword, dagger and knives from Crimo, but no arrests were made.
Slate: “At the end of his first year in office, President Joe Biden’s staff rightly trumpeted the fact that he had nominated and confirmed a historic number of judges at the start of his first term in office. After decades of Republicans outpacing Democrats in focus on the courts, it was welcome news.”
“But today, as terrible decisions from the Supreme Court offer a stark reminder of the importance of the judiciary, we face a tough reality: even an historic pace has not been enough to keep up with the rate of judicial retirements, and President Biden and Senate Democrats are on track to leave more than 60 judicial vacancies open at the end of this year.”
A Washington Post editorial warns the Supreme Court’s next move “might cripple our democracy.”
“Our democracy’s path rests mostly with the Supreme Court. If five justices overturn the North Carolina decision, they will know what they are doing, which is writing a recipe for election tampering. They will also know why they are doing it: not because the Constitution demands it, but because they can.”
Wall Street Journal: “By many measures, red states—those that lean Republican—have recovered faster economically than Democratic-leaning blue ones, with workers and employers moving from the coasts to the middle of the country and Florida.”
“Since February 2020, the month before the pandemic began, the share of all U.S. jobs located in red states has grown by more than half a percentage point, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Brookings Institution think tank. Red states have added 341,000 jobs over that time, while blue states were still short 1.3 million jobs as of May.”
“A closely watched part of the U.S. Treasury yield curve inverted again on Tuesday, as investors continue to price in the chance that the Federal Reserve’s aggressive move to bring down inflation will push the economy into recession,” Reuters reports.
New York Times: “Driven by the difficulty of meeting clean energy goals and by surging electricity demands, a growing number of political leaders are taking a fresh look at nuclear power — both extending the life of existing reactors and building new ones.”
“Even past skeptics, largely Democrats, have come around to the idea — notably in California, where the state’s sole remaining nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon, is scheduled to close in 2025. The search for clean energy has given nuclear power a spark that has drawn bipartisan support that added billions in funding for existing and new projects…”
Matt Yglesias: The nuclear policy America needs.
“The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging an Arizona law that requires voters in presidential elections to show proof of citizenship, setting up a fight over a provision similar to one the Supreme Court called unconstitutional in 2013,” the Washington Post reports.
Arizona Republic: “Critics say the new law still conflicts with federal law, putting election administrators in a quandary.”
“At an evangelical victory party in front of the Supreme Court last to celebrate the downfall of Roe v. Wade last week, a prominent Capitol Hill religious leader was caught on a hot mic making a bombshell claim: that she prays with sitting justices inside the high court,” Rolling Stone reports.
“This disclosure was a serious matter on its own terms, but it also suggested a major conflict of interest. Nienaber’s ministry’s umbrella organization, Liberty Counsel, frequently brings lawsuits before the Supreme Court… In other words: Sitting Supreme Court justices have prayed together with evangelical leaders whose bosses were bringing cases and arguments before the high court.”
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