Here’s what to know:
Rep. Gaetz to speak at conservative women’s group event at Trump’s Doral resort
Return to menuRep. Matt Gaetz, facing a Justice Department investigation into his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old, will headline an event for the pro-Trump group Women for America First this week in Florida.
In social media postings, the group praised Gaetz (R-Fla.) for his willingness to “stand up and fight on behalf of President Trump and his America First Agenda.” The event, called the “Save America Summit,” begins Thursday and will be held at Trump’s Doral golf resort in Miami.
Women for America First, a nonprofit organization run by Trump supporters and former tea party activists, was one of the groups behind the rallies that convened in Washington on Jan. 6, shortly before the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Speaking to a crowd that morning, the group’s chair, Amy Kremer, repeated Trump’s false claims of election fraud and said, “You guys, we cannot back down.”
Women for America First’s website says the three-day event will focus on election security, tech companies and censorship, and “furthering America First policies.”
Gaetz, who has also been accused of sharing photographs of nude women with other lawmakers, thanked the group for its invitation in a tweet Tuesday evening.
In a statement, Kremer defended her group’s decision to book Gaetz amid the ongoing federal investigation.
“We know firsthand what it is like to be treated unfairly by the main stream media,” Kremer said. “We know that partisan political witch hunts are standard operating procedure for many in the media. We believe that you are innocent until proven guilty.”
NRA leaders defend bankruptcy petition in court hearing, saying the move is necessary to protect the gun lobby’s existence
Return to menuTop NRA officials and their lawyers defended the organization’s decision to seek bankruptcy protection during a contentious, high-stakes federal court hearing in Dallas this week. They said the move is necessary in the face of what they describe as a politically motivated investigation by the state of New York.
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) has argued that the gun-rights organization is improperly pursuing bankruptcy to avoid a sweeping lawsuit filed last year accusing the group of fiscal mismanagement.
“The process Mr. LaPierre followed to file this bankruptcy case is itself a master class in bad faith and dishonest conduct,” Monica Connell, an assistant New York attorney general, said in court Monday, contending that LaPierre concealed the bankruptcy plan from the NRA board and its general counsel until after it was announced.
NRA general counsel John Frazer, who was among those to take the stand Tuesday, acknowledged under cross-examination that he did not know about the bankruptcy petition until about the time it was filed.
But he and Charles Cotton, the group’s first vice president, have said NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre acted properly in pursuing the action.
Democrats tap presidential dogs for online fundraising appeal
Return to menuThe first family’s dogs, Champ and Major, moved into the White House with considerable fanfare: presidential pets making a comeback after four years of a pet-free White House.
Now the Democratic National Committee is getting in on the action, blasting out a fundraising email offering prints of a “limited edition White House painting” that features the two pooches. (As of this writing, 30,000 prints were still available, the missive promised.) But the pair of German shepherds aren’t receiving positive reviews from all quarters.
The Bidens’ younger hound, a rescue named Major, has had two “biting incidents” — nipping a U.S. Secret Service agent and a National Park Service employee in March. The president weighed in on the incident. “The dog’s being trained now,” Biden said to ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos. Biden suggested that the motivation for Major’s nip was a protective instinct amid unfamiliar surroundings.
Biden estimated that 85 percent of the White House staff still had a favorable view of the dog, even after the nip. “All he does is lick them and wag his tail,” the president said. “I realize some people, understandably, are afraid of dogs to begin with,” Biden said, appearing to reflect on the dog’s detractors. “And — I just think that — anyway, we’re in the process of having a training session.”
Then in the end of March, a second incident occurred. “Major is still adjusting to his new surroundings and he nipped someone while on a walk,” said Michael LaRosa, press secretary for first lady Jill Biden. All of this canine behavior has been edited out of the Democratic fundraising pitch — and the limited-edition print they’re selling. The two dogs are featured together in the image, shoulder to shoulder, with no vulnerable humans in sight.
Biden nominates Robin Carnahan to run General Services Administration
Return to menuBiden nominated former Missouri secretary of state Robin Carnahan to lead the General Services Administration, an agency that oversees the operations of the federal government, including the management of federal buildings.
Carnahan comes from a very political family. Her father, Mel Carnahan, was the governor of Missouri and ran for the U.S. Senate in 2000 but died in a plane crash ahead of the election. Her mother, Jean Carnahan, was appointed to fill the seat after he was posthumously elected. Her brother, Russ Carnahan, is a former U.S. representative.
Robin Carnahan ran for the Senate in 2010 but lost to Sen. Roy Blunt (R).
“Robin Carnahan is smart, capable, and understands what they do at GSA,” Blunt said in a statement. “I look forward to supporting her nomination.”
Carnahan has worked at the GSA since 2016, leading a program that delivers technology products to cities and states.
Biden won’t say whether Masters should leave Georgia, but praises companies that condemn the state’s new voting laws
Return to menuPresident Biden declined to say Tuesday whether he thinks the Masters golf tournament should be moved out of Georgia in response to the state’s new voting law, following similar protests by Major League Baseball and other corporations.
“I think that’s up to the Masters,” Biden said, responding to a reporter’s question at a Tuesday afternoon news briefing.
Biden applauded leagues and other businesses for condemning Georgia’s new voting law, which critics say is more restrictive and will disenfranchise mostly voters of color. But he also cautioned that the moves could harm low-income workers employed by companies or events that decide to boycott the state.
“It is reassuring to see that for-profit operations and businesses are speaking up about how these new Jim Crow laws are just antithetical to who we are,” Biden said. “The other side of it is when they in fact move out of Georgia, the people who need the help the most — the people who are making hourly wages — sometimes get hurt the most.”
Biden’s comments on the Masters, which begins Thursday in Augusta, were more measured than his foray into the debate over the MLB All-Star Game, which was to be held in Atlanta in July. In an ESPN interview last week, Biden said he would “strongly support” players who wanted the game moved. Less than two days later, the league announced it would relocate, citing Georgia’s “restrictions to the ballot box.”
Republicans blasted the decision, accusing the MLB and other companies of caving to a liberal outcry. But on Tuesday, Biden placed the onus on Georgia and any other state that seeks to make voting more difficult.
“The best way to deal with this is for Georgia and other states to smarten up,” Biden said. “Stop it. Stop it. It’s about getting people to vote.”
Biden administration to launch massive funeral assistance program for covid victims
Return to menuThe Biden administration next week will launch a funeral assistance program that will provide up to $9,000 to cover the burial costs of each American who died of covid-19 — the largest program of its type ever offered by the federal government.
The program is open to families, regardless of their income, as long as they show documentation and have not already received similar benefits through another program.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reimbursed burial costs before, but it has never offered as large a payment to so many people. In 2017, for example, FEMA paid $2.6 million to 976 people for funeral costs of victims of three hurricanes — an average of $2,664 per applicant.
Biden says he has not spoken to Federal Reserve chair
Return to menuBiden said Tuesday he has not spoken to Jerome H. Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, calling it an “independent operation” while rejecting the active interest President Donald Trump showed in the policies of the central bank of the United States.
“I want to be real clear that I’m not going to do the kinds of things that have been done in the last administration, either talking to the attorney general about who he’s going to prosecute or not prosecute and under what circumstances, or the Fed, telling them what they should and shouldn’t do,” Biden said when asked by reporters after delivering remarks on the pandemic. “So I’ve been very fastidious about not talking to anybody.”
He said he does talk to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
During his time in office, Trump disparaged Powell and his colleagues, calling them “boneheads,” and using his Twitter account and television appearances to criticize the Fed for keeping interest rates high. In November 2019, Trump met with Powell, a meeting he described as cordial. But in an explosive tirade months later in March 2020, Trump urged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to encourage Powell to do more to stimulate the economy, The Washington Post reported.
Biden: ‘We’re still in a life and death race against this virus’
Return to menuIn remarks Tuesday, Biden continued the delicate balance of touting the progress on vaccinating Americans while also warning against becoming complacent as the coronavirus continues to spread.
“So the virus is spreading because we have too many people who see the end in sight, think we’re at the finish line already,” Biden said at the White House. “But let me be deadly earnest with you. We aren’t at the finish line. We still have a lot of work to do. We’re still in a life and death race against this virus.”
Biden announced that 150 million coronavirus vaccine shots have been given in his first 75 days, with the nation on track to reach 200 million in his first 100 days. And by April 19, every adult over the age of 18 will be eligible to be sign up to be vaccinated. But the bad news, Biden said, is that new coronavirus variants are spreading quickly and cases and hospitalizations are going back up.
“As I said before, we can have a safe, happy Fourth of July with your family and friends in small groups in your backyard,” he said. “The real question is how much death, disease and misery are we going to see between now and then?”
Biden, Pelosi and others pay tribute to Rep. Alcee Hastings
Return to menuBiden remembered his “singular sense of humor.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) described him as an “icon of the Congressional Black Caucus.” House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) called him a “passionate patriot.”
Tributes like this poured in throughout the day for Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-Fla.), who served nearly three decades in Congress and died Tuesday after being treated for pancreatic cancer.
“I greatly admired him for his singular sense of humor, and for always speaking the truth bluntly and without reservation,” Biden said. “A trailblazing lawyer who grew up in the Jim Crow South, Alcee was outspoken because he was passionate about helping our nation live up to its full promise for all Americans. It was a passion he forged as a pioneering civil rights lawyer in the 1960s, fighting tirelessly to desegregate hotels, restaurants, and public spaces in south Florida — a trailblazing spirit to advocate for what is right that guided him throughout his life.”
Pelosi said the congressional community was “devastated” by his death.
“As an icon of the Congressional Black Caucus, he was an historic force in our nation’s politics,” she said. “His passing is a great loss for America. All who knew Alcee knew him as a champion for the most vulnerable in our nation.”
Clyburn said he was wowed by Hastings when they met in college.
“I knew on the day we met as college students that he would make an indelible impact and I was right,” Clyburn said. “It has been a privilege to know him as a trusted colleague, confidante and an invaluable member of our Whip organization.”
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R), a fellow Floridian, said he was “heartbroken” at the loss of his “dear friend.”
“His brilliance, perseverance and charisma allowed him to build a lasting and meaningful legacy,” Diaz-Balart said. “Even during his last battle, the one that took his life, he continued to serve with passion, heart and always with a smile on his face.”
Talks on reviving Iran nuclear deal begin on ‘right track,’ Tehran envoy says
Return to menuBERLIN — Iran said initial talks Tuesday in Vienna on returning to the 2015 nuclear deal were “constructive” as mediators shuttled between Iranian and American envoys seeking a road map to lift U.S. sanctions and bring Tehran back to its commitments under the accord.
Iran’s lead negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, characterized the initial talks as on “the right track.”
“It’s too soon to say it has been successful,” he added during an interview with Iran’s Press TV, reiterating the Iranian demand that U.S. sanctions be lifted in one step.
A U.S. team led President Biden’s special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, was in the Austrian capital for the discussions — which are expected to continue Friday — but did not meet directly with Iran, setting up camp in a different hotel.
Ohio Democrat Amy Acton will not run for Senate, clearing way for Rep. Tim Ryan if he runs
Return to menuFormer Ohio Department of Health director Amy Acton, who received a lot of buzz for her role in trying to quell the coronavirus pandemic in its early days, will not run for the vacant U.S. Senate seat in her state next year.
Acton, a Democrat, was viewed as a formidable candidate if she decided to run for retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman’s seat. Her decision clears the path for Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) should he make a bid for the seat, which he is said to be strongly considering.
In a statement, Acton said she had given the run her “thoughtful and deliberate consideration” but had decided against it.
“While I am not entering the race for U.S. Senate, I recognize there is a genuine longing for a fresh approach to leadership that is honest, collaborative, and empowering,” she said. “Ohioans — do not accept anything less from your elected officials. Our leaders’ words and actions matter. We must set the bar higher.”
Acton did not say what influenced her final decision.
Ohio is seen as a swing state in the fierce battle for the majority of the Senate next year, but it will be a reach for any Democrat given the state’s conservative tilt in the past decade.
Ryan, who made a long-shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, was already considering a run before Portman announced his retirement.
McConnell says it’s fine for big corporations to make political donations but ‘stupid’ for them to weigh in on big issues
Return to menuSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he supports big corporations making political donations but warned that they should not take sides on “incendiary” issues, such as Georgia’s new voting law.
His comments, to reporters in Kentucky, followed Major League Baseball’s decision to move its All-Star Game out of Atlanta and condemnations by other corporations, including Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, of restrictions in the voting law.
“I’m not talking about political contributions,” McConnell said. “Most of them contribute to both sides. They have political action committees. That’s fine. It’s legal. It’s appropriate. I support that. I’m talking about taking a position on a highly incendiary issue like this and punishing a community or state because you don’t like a particular law they passed. I just think it’s stupid. … What I’m saying here is I think this quite stupid.”
McConnell argued that corporations risk losing large segments of their patrons.
“Republicans drink Coca-Cola, too, and we fly, and we like baseball,” he said. “It’s irritating one hell of a lot of Republican fans.”
Psaki says the government does not support a national vaccine credential
Return to menuWhite House press secretary Jen Psaki batted down the suggestion that the Biden administration was eying a national vaccine verification card, saying unequivocally that the president would not support that.
“The government is not now, nor will we be supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a credential,” Psaki said. “There will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential.”
She noted that the effort to verify people’s vaccine status is being considered by the private sector to determine how to safely reopen events involving big crowds, such as at stadiums and theaters, and that the federal government’s role in that is to ensure “that these systems are not used against people unfairly.”
Psaki said the administration would soon release a fact sheet responding to concerns Americans have about “privacy, security or discrimination.”
Psaki defends MLB’s choice to move All-Star Game to Colorado
Return to menuWhite House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday pushed back on Republican arguments that Major League Baseball, by deciding to move its All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver, had chosen a state with more restrictive voting laws than Georgia.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and other Republicans seized on the news of the planned move, which came in response to a new voting overhaul law in his state, pointing out that Colorado allows fewer days of in-person early voting than Georgia, for example.
Speaking to reporters at a White House briefing, Psaki said, “We certainly see the circumstances as different.”
“The Georgia legislation is built on a lie,” Psaki said, arguing that it was passed in response to unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.
She cited several provisions in Colorado law, including same-day voter registration, and noted that the vast majority of people in the state vote by mail, not in person.
While Biden has made clear that he supports the move out of Atlanta, Psaki stressed that “it’s up to Major League Baseball to determine where they’re holding their All-Star Game.”
Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.) is among the Republicans who have questioned MLB’s decision to move the game. In a tweet, he noted that Georgia has more in-person early voting than Colorado as well as a substantially larger Black population.
“The Wokes are at it again, folks,” Scott said.