What to Know in Washington: Poll Shows Swing-State Voters’ Fears
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Half of Swing-State Voters Fear Violence Around US Election
Half of swing-state voters say they’re worried about violence surrounding the presidential election, suggesting misgivings about how an acrimonious race and its results will be received by a highly polarized electorate.
Roughly equal shares of Democrats and Republicans hold that fear, and it is even more common among independents, a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll found. That result makes for a backdrop of apprehension as President Joe Biden and Donald Trump gear up to spar in a debate in June and put on shows of pageantry before thousands of people at their nominating conventions this summer.
The unease around the election was not limited to concerns about violence. Six in 10 swing-state voters worried about misinformation, while 46% expressed similar concerns about foreign interference. Read More
The poll also shows that many swing-state voters are worried that the growing presence of AI could one day diminish privacy and hurt job prospects. Additionally, half of voters support banning TikTok in the US if its Beijing-based parent ByteDance fails to divest the platform. Read More
BIDEN’S SCHEDULE
- 1 p.m. — Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will hold a briefing.
- 4 p.m. — Biden will welcome Kenyan President William Ruto to the White House.
- 4:30 — The president will take part in an engagement with Ruto, CEOs, and other business leaders. Read More
CONGRESS’ AGENDA
- 10 a.m. — The House returns to vote on federal cryptocurrency rules.
- 10 a.m. — Senators meet to vote on nominees.
- For the full agenda read BGOV’s Congress Tracker.
From BGOV’s Hill Reporters
Speaker Mike Johnson is adding to his tiny majority now that voters in California’s Central Valley have filled the seat of his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.
Vince Fong (R), a state representative and McCarthy’s former district director, won a special election Tuesday in the strongly Republican 20th District with support from McCarthy, Johnson (R-La.), and Trump.
Upon Fong’s swearing-in, the House will have 218 Republicans, 213 Democrats, and four vacancies. He’ll be among 17 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the chamber. Read More
More Primary Results:
- McBath Wins Democratic Primary for Redrawn Georgia House Seat
- Scott Wins Democratic Primary for Georgia House Seat
- Jack, Dugan Advance to GOP Runoff in Georgia House Race
- Erickson Wins GOP Primary for US House Seat in Oregon
- DeSpain Wins Republican Primary For Oregon House Seat
- Bynum Wins Democratic Primary for Oregon US House Seat
- Maxine Dexter Wins Democratic Primary for Blumenauer House Seat
House appropriators advanced a bill to shift military construction toward the Indo-Pacific in a subcommittee markup Tuesday.
The House Appropriations Military Construction-VA Subcommittee approved its fiscal 2025 spending bill by voice vote. The measure is set for a full committee markup on Thursday.
The bill’s overall funding total is $6.2 billion lower than the fiscal 2024 level. It includes $1.1 billion for military construction in the Indo-Pacific region, including $700 million for investments in Guam. Read More
- Find text of the legislation here.
More Happening on the Hill
2025 Tax Cliff Comments Sought by House GOP Tax Writers
The 2025 tax cliff is coming and House Republican tax writers are seeking comments from advocates, interests groups and other taxpayers ahead of what’s likely to be a contentious debate.
House Republican Greg Murphy to Have Surgery for Tumor Removal
North Carolina Republican Greg Murphy says he hopes to be back to work soon after having a base of skull tumor surgically removed.
Microsoft’s President to Testify to House Panel on Cybersecurity
Microsoft Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith will testify before the House Homeland Security Committee on June 13, at 2pm ET, panel says in statement.
US Encouraged by Israeli Changes to Plans for Rafah Operation
The US has softened its earlier resistance to a broader Israeli military operation in Rafah following efforts by Israel to reduce the civilian toll of the assault, a US official said.
The shift followed weeks of warnings by Biden that a full-scale attack on the Gaza Strip border city where hundreds of thousands have taken shelter would prompt the US to suspend the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel. However, when National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and other top White House aides met with senior Israeli officials in recent days, they found that Israel had incorporated US humanitarian concerns into their plans, the US official said. Read More
Crowds Intercept Almost All Aid Sent Over US-Built Pier in Gaza
Crowds of desperate people in the Gaza Strip have intercepted almost all of the aid sent over a temporary pier built by the US military, officials said, forcing a temporary halt to deliveries and complicating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
People, Politics, and Probes
Biden Hits ‘Unhinged’ Trump for ‘Unified Reich’ Online Post
President Joe Biden denounced Donald Trump after a video was posted to the Republican’s social media account that referenced a “unified reich” as a potential news headline if he won a second term.
Fidelity’s Abby Johnson Attends Biden Fundraiser in Boston
Fidelity Investments Chief Executive Officer Abby Johnson attended a fundraiser for President Joe Biden in Boston on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Giuliani Signs Bankruptcy Court Deal Barring Further Defamation
Rudolph Giuliani and the Georgia election workers he accused of voter fraud reached an agreement barring him from continuing to make false statements about them.
More Stories We’re Reading
Biden Widens Student Loan Relief With New Wave of Forgiveness
More than one in 10 Americans with federal student loans have been approved for some measure of debt relief under President Joe Biden, the White House said, as it announced a new round of forgiveness.
US Government Urges Federal Contractors to Strengthen Encryption
Companies working with the US government may be required to start protecting their data and technology from attacks by quantum computers as soon as July. The rollout of the standards will kick off “the transition to the next generation of cryptography,” White House deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger told Bloomberg in Cambridge, England on Tuesday.
American Air, Gate Gourmet Pressed on Contracts to Avoid Strikes
President Joe Biden’s administration is pressing negotiators to reach agreements on new contracts for flight attendants and airline caterers, hoping to give a boost to union allies without setting off a summer of labor strife that could have dire consequences for his reelection hopes.
Buy Now, Pay Later Soon Will Be Treated More Like Credit Cards
Buy now, pay later lenders such as Block Inc.’s Afterpay, Affirm Holdings Inc. and Klarna Bank AB should be treated in some ways like credit-card providers, according to one US financial regulator.
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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