Biden Warns of Rising Isolationism: What to Know in Washington
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Biden Warns Against Isolationism During Cemetery Visit
President Joe Biden warned against the rise of isolationism in the US while visiting an American military cemetery in France that his predecessor, Donald Trump, famously skipped six years ago.
The president didn’t name Trump during a brief discussion with reporters after a wreath-laying ceremony at the World War I-era Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and declined to answer a question about his expected 2024 opponent, but his target was unmistakable.
Biden on Sunday took aim at Trump’s “America First” foreign policy, arguing that “the idea that we’re able to avoid being engaged in major battles in Europe is just not realistic” for a major power like the US. Read More
Trump picked up the thread at a rally in Las Vegas later Sunday, where he called a 2018 report by The Atlantic that he canceled a visit to the graveyard because he was worried his hair would be ruined by heavy rain, and that he belittled Americans who died in the nation’s wars as “suckers” and “losers” false.
During the rally, Trump said he’d scrap taxes on tipped earnings for hospitality workers if he wins the White House, signaling a bid to appeal to the swing-state’s booming service industry dominated by young workers and people of color, two voter groups he’s courting as he heads toward the Republican National Convention in mid-July.
A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll in May found support for Trump and Biden tied at 47% in Nevada. Read More
BIDEN’S SCHEDULE
- 8 p.m. Biden hosts and delivers remarks at a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House. Vice President Kamala Harris will also participate.
CONGRESS’ AGENDA
- The House and Senate return Tuesday.
- For this week’s highlights, read BGOV’s Congress Tracker.
More on the Hill
Senators Blame House as Radiation Victims Benefit Fund Lapses
Without extension or expansion of the program, Americans who developed serious diseases as a result of atomic bomb testing risk missing out on compensation to which they are entitled.
Trade Groups Urge Congress to Beef Up Federal Data Privacy Power
A coalition of more than 20 lobbying groups is pushing Congress to modify draft consumer privacy legislation to ensure the new federal law will preempt what they see as a patchwork of state regulations.
Crypto PAC, Trump Back Timmons Against S.C. Challenger
The founder of South Carolina’s branch of the Freedom Caucus is going after the seat of Rep. William Timmons, setting up a Tuesday primary that will test which qualities Republican voters value most on Capitol Hill.
Timmons has a party-line voting record but “doesn’t really go on television or spend a lot of time touting those positions,” Danielle Vinson, a political scientist at Furman University in Greenville, said in an interview. State Rep. Adam Morgan “fits into that more performative Freedom Caucus mold of, ‘Let’s burn the place down,’” she said. Morgan’s donors include Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who led the effort to oust former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker.
That 4th District primary and a challenge to Rep. Nancy Mace in the 1st District are key primaries to watch on Tuesday. Maine, Nevada, and North Dakota are also holding some interesting intraparty races, while an Ohio district is poised to give House Republicans a boost to their slim majority for the rest of the year. Read More
Politics & Probes
Trump to Be Interviewed by Probation Officers in Hush-Money Case
Donald Trump will be interviewed virtually Monday by New York probation officers, who will submit a sentencing recommendation for the former president following his May 30 conviction for falsifying business records, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Businessman Says He Bribed Menendez With Mercedes to ‘Kill’ Case
A New Jersey businessman told a federal jury that he bribed US Senator Robert Menendez with a Mercedes-Benz convertible “to get power and influence” and “kill” a state criminal probe.
Manhattan DA Says Would Testify To Congress on Trump Case: NYT
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan he would testify before Congress about Donald Trump’s conviction in the hush money case, but said it should not be before Trump’s sentencing in July, the New York Times reported, citing a letter from Bragg’s office to Jordan.
Trump Ally Bessent Says Yellen Using Post to Aid Biden 2024 Bid
Key Square Group LP founder Scott Bessent, a prominent Donald Trump fundraiser, sharply criticized Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, accusing her of using the department to bolster President Joe Biden by juicing the economy ahead of the election.
Alex Jones’ Creditors Drop Plan After He Says He’ll Liquidate
Alex Jones’ creditors won’t pursue their own bankruptcy plan for his assets after the right-wing radio host asked a judge to convert his Chapter 11 case to a liquidation.
What Else We’re Reading
Israeli Forces Free Four Hostages After Central Gaza Attack
The Israeli military freed four hostages held by Hamas in Gaza on Saturday as part of a major assault on the central city of Nuseirat. At least 210 Palestinians, including children, were killed in heavy fighting, the Hamas-run government media office said.
Blinken Returns to Mideast as Latest Cease-Fire Plan Stalls
Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to the Middle East next week in a bid to keep alive a cease-fire proposal between Israel and Hamas even though both sides have distanced themselves from it.
US Says It’s Resumed Deliveries of Aid From Repaired Gaza Pier
The US has resumed deliveries of humanitarian aid in Gaza after re-establishing a temporary pier, officials said.
Biden, Macron Seek Alignment on China Policy After Tensions
US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on the need to better cooperate to counter China’s economic practices, a topic that has sometimes caused friction between the two leaders.
Top Biden Aide Pressed Germany to Probe Mercedes at UAW Request
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan prodded Germany to investigate allegations of union suppression at a Mercedes-Benz Group AG plant in Alabama at the direct request of the United Auto Workers president, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.
FTC’s Holyoak Urges Study of Online Censorship by Tech Giants
The Federal Trade Commission should study how the largest US technology platforms and financial institutions control content, Republican Commissioner Melissa Holyoak said, renewing a Trump-era proposal targeting companies that control “access to the digital commons.”
New York Times Denied Access to DOJ Reports On CIA Torture
The New York Times Co. can’t see Department of Justice reports about the CIA’s use of torture, a federal judge ruled Friday, noting the court will decide later whether the DOJ was right to also withhold related interview memos.
US Border Agency Ramps Up Speedy Deportations After Biden Order
US border officials have more than doubled the number of single adults and families placed in fast-tracked deportation proceedings since the Biden administration rolled out sweeping asylum restrictions earlier this week.
Three Reasons Why US Finance Is Cruising Through a Long Fed Hold
More than two years into the most aggressive Federal Reserve monetary tightening in four decades, the big surprise is that the world hasn’t fallen over.
Binance-Linked Token’s Record Cements Zhao as Richest US Inmate
The BNB token, a cryptocurrency linked to Binance and its incarcerated co-founder Changpeng Zhao, surged to a record high in the first week of his four-month jail sentence in the US.
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
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