What to Know in Washington: Harris Sets Eyes on Three VP Picks

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign aides have narrowed their focus to three potential running mates — Mark Kelly, Josh Shaprio, and Tim Walz — who they hope can complement her strengths and cover her weaknesses on the campaign trail. But first, you should know:

• Harris has narrowed the gap with Donald Trump, according to a range of polls. Additionally, her campaign has raised $200 million in her first week as a candidate.
• Biden plans to unveil a sweeping proposal today that would fundamentally alter the Supreme Court.
• Trump is courting virtual currency enthusiasts with a pledge to fire SEC Chair Gary Gensler and pick crypto-friendly regulators if he returns to the White House.

Harris’ VP Search Zeroes In on Three Contenders

Vice President Kamala Harris is eyeing a trio of potential running mates as she faces a two-week dash to make the biggest decision of her nascent presidential bid.

People familiar with the process say a short list has emerged which includes three elected officials with nationwide appeal: Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

• Kevin Munoz, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, said she has “directed her team to begin the process of vetting potential running mates” but declined to elaborate on the search. She’s expected to make a selection by Aug. 7 in order to align with the party’s plan to virtually nominate a ticket by that date.

Picking a vice presidential candidate will cement the Democratic standard-bearers to take on Republican nominee Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance in November’s election. Harris’ sidekick can also serve as a force multiplier who can campaign and raise money on her behalf. Read More

Meanwhile, Harris has narrowed the gap with Trump. Taken together, seven national surveys conducted since Biden stepped out of the race have cut the Democrats’ deficit about in half. Some closely watched polls — including a Wall Street Journal poll on Friday — have Harris in a statistical tie with Trump. Read More

• Massive Haul: Harris raised $200 million in her first week as a 2024 presidential contender. Read More
• Favorability Improves: Harris’ favorability rating surged to 43% from 35% a week ago, according to the survey based on a random national sample of 1,200 adults. Read More
• “Weird” Attack: Harris labeled comments by Trump and Vance “weird” at her first fundraiser since Biden stepped out of the presidential election, pursuing a line of attack that’s taken off among Democrats in the days since her ascent. Read More
• Foreign Policy: After Harris met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, her office quickly dispatched a memo to national security professionals highlighting her “strong record” on foreign policy. Read More
• Fracking Reversal: Harris’ campaign said she doesn’t support a fracking ban, reversing a stance she took on the hot-button gas extraction method as a presidential candidate in 2019 as she vies to win over the fracking-reliant battleground of Pennsylvania. Read More

BIDEN’S SCHEDULE

• 4:30 p.m. — Biden will deliver remarks and commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act during a visit to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas.
• 8:30 pm. — Biden will pay respects to the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) in Houston before heading back to the White House before returning to the White House.

HARRIS’ SCHEDULE

• Harris has no public events scheduled.

CONGRESS’ AGENDA

• The House is out.
• The Senate will meet at 3 p.m. to consider judicial nominees.
• For the full detailed agenda and highlights from the campaign trail read BGOV’s Congress Tracker.

Biden Calls for Strict New Limits on Supreme Court Justices

In a speech today in Austin, Biden will call for binding ethics rules and term limits for Supreme Court justices to be passed by Congress as part of a proposal that would fundamentally alter the court.

The president’s plan also calls for a constitutional amendment to ensure that former presidents can be tried for crimes committed while in office.

Term Limits and Ethics Rules: Biden’s proposal would impose Supreme Court term limits through legislation, though many constitutional scholars say it would take a constitutional amendment. He’ll also urge lawmakers to pass enforceable rules of conduct that require justices to disclose gifts, refrain from political activity, and recuse themselves from cases presenting conflicts of interest — for them or spouses.

• The proposals are highly unlikely to be adopted by the current divided Congress — and a constitutional amendment would face a challenging path. Read More

Justice Elena Kagan last week floated the prospect of Chief Justice John Roberts appointing a panel of judges to oversee the standard adopted in November amid media and lawmaker scrutiny of gifts, paid travel, and other largesse received by Justice Clarence Thomas and other justices. The idea would likely would be toothless in practice, legal experts say. Read More

Politics & Probes

Trump Pledges to Fire Gensler, Hire People Who ‘Love’ Crypto

Donald Trump said he would fire the Securities and Exchange Commission chair and pick crypto-friendly regulators if he returns to the White House in a bid to court virtual currency enthusiasts and harness the industry’s growing influence in the political arena.

Trump’s Journey From Crypto Skeptic to Bitcoin Cheerleader

His cowboy-and-superhero nonfungible tokens led Donald Trump down the digital-asset rabbit hole. He emerged as a crypto advocate, and now industry heavyweights are lining up to return him to the White House.

Trump Gets Upstaged by RFK Jr.’s Claims of ‘Bitcoin Fort Knox’

The cryptocurrency community has anxiously been awaiting a speech by Donald Trump on Saturday, but his opponent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may have stolen Trump’s thunder by announcing that the former president is considering the creation of a massive government reserve of Bitcoin should he return to the White House.

Trump Says He’s ‘Recovered Well’ From Shooting, Bandage Is Gone

Donald Trump said he’s rebounded from an assassination attempt on July 13 and appeared on Friday night without a bandage on his right ear.

BitGo CEO Belshe to Host Fundraiser for Trump Headlined by Vance

BitGo Chief Executive Officer Mike Belshe will host a fundraiser for Donald Trump’s campaign headlined by the Republican nominee’s running mate JD Vance — the latest sign of the ticket’s appeal to prominent cryptocurrency executives.

Democrats Circle At-Risk Arizona House Republican Schweikert

Five Democrats have raised at least $1 million as they try to be the one chosen to try to flip a swing seat in Arizona. Among them are a couple converted Republicans.

Happening on the Hill

House Tax Groups Meet Business Leaders as Congress Leaves Town

The House departed a week early for August recess, but GOP Ways and Means Committee lawmakers are taking tax issues on the road as they campaign in their districts during the annual respite Congress takes when Washington’s muggy weather sets in.

Warner Introduces Bill Mandating Bank Discount Window Testing

US Senator Mark Warner has introduced a bill that would require large and midsize banks to sign up for and test their ability to use the Federal Reserve’s discount window.

Also in the News

TikTok Data Collection Is National Security Threat, DOJ Says

The US Justice Department said TikTok collected user information on sensitive topics, making it a national security threat that justifies a law to ban the popular social-media app in the US if its China-based parent company ByteDance Ltd. doesn’t divest.

US Lacks Technology, Capacity to Win Multiple Conflicts: Report

The US military lacks the technology and capacity needed “to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat,” a congressionally-created commission will say in its final report to be released Monday.

Crop Insurance Won’t Let Some US Farmers Adapt to Climate Change

In Kansas, where a prolonged drought has killed crops and eroded the soil, Gail Fuller’s farm is like an oasis. Sheep, cows and chickens graze freely on crops and vegetation in a paradisiacal mess.

Yellen Calls Climate Fight World’s Greatest Economic Opportunity

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen traveled Saturday to the mouth of the Amazon River, pitching the idea that fighting climate change would bolster economic growth in the region and across the globe.

Green Groups, US Debate Deference in Midwest Power Line Case

Conservation groups and federal agencies are split about whether regulators’ approval of a federal land exchange that would allow an electric transmission line to cross a wildlife refuge complies with the Supreme Court’s decision to limit when courts defer to agency interpretations of laws.

Israel Weighs Its Response to Golan Attack as US Urges Calm

The US and other world powers sought to prevent Israel and Hezbollah’s conflict turning into a full-blown war after a rocket attack that killed several children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Blinken Says US Has Serious Concerns on Venezuela Vote Results

The US has “serious concerns” about the results of the election in Venezuela, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, calling for a detailed tabulation of votes after Nicolás Maduro was reelected as the nation’s president for six more years.

To contact the reporters on this story: Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com; Jeannie Baumann in Washington at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com; Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com