It’s Wednesday. The gymnastics Olympic trials begin tomorrow, and I can’t contain my excitement. If you haven’t been following the lead-up, here’s a preview so you can join me! Here’s what’s happening today:
The Supreme Court settled the case on Biden’s contact with social media companies, but there’s a huge backup of cases left for this term. Think: Trump’s immunity, emergency abortion care, etc.(!)
“Squad” member Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-N.Y.) loss is sending shockwaves through progressive circles.
The Wall Street Journal is starting to accept that former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley likely won’t be former President Trump’s running mate. But they have a second choice!
Paris Hilton is on Capitol Hill today testifying. -
There was a major recall of canned coffee due to the risk of a fatal food poisoning. We included a list of the brands below.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-release.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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🚨Tuesday’s Primary Results |
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Now, *this* is a fire alarm for progressives: |
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Progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) became the first incumbent House Democrat to lose a primary this cycle. Bowman lost to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a moderate Democrat, landing a major blow to the progressive wing of the party. Bowman is also the first progressive “Squad” member to be ousted from the House.
Was this a surprise?: Not really. He had been trailing Latimer in the polls. Bowman has stirred some controversies recently, highlighting internal battles within the Democratic Party (e.g., the Israel-Hamas war). A lot of money was poured into ousting him.
Why this matters: “[Bowman’s] defeat in one of the nation’s most closely watched primaries drove home an unmistakable reality: Even at a moment when the war in Gaza has re-energized progressive activism, many of the left’s candidates are no longer gaining ground in major races, and in some cases they have started losing it.” (The New York Times)
(If you don’t get my fire alarm reference): Bowman pulled a fire alarm in a House office building last fall during a weekend government funding vote. The House voted to censure him, and he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.
More results from Tuesday’s primaries: -
Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) won her Republican primary. Keep in mind that she switched districts to run in a more safely red region.
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Republican candidate Jeff Crank won the House primary in Colorado for retiring Rep. Doug Lamborn’s (R) seat. This is worth mentioning because he defeated the candidate whom Trump had endorsed.
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Republican Sheri Biggs defeated Trump-backed candidate Mark Burns in the GOP primary runoff in South Carolina.
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Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) won the GOP primary to succeed outgoing Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah). Curtis beat three candidates running for the nomination, including Trump-backed candidate Trent Staggs.
^Notice a theme here? It was not a great night for Trump’s influence. Read more on the results: ‘Trump, progressives suffer a rough night: 5 takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries’ |
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🏛️ From the Supreme Court |
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Carry on, Biden team. Have those chats with social media companies: |
The Supreme Court ruled to allow Biden administration officials to communicate with social media companies about how to combat misinformation online.
How this came about: Two Republican attorneys general challenged the direct contact that the Biden administration had with the social media companies.
Yes, but: The Supreme Court argued that the plaintiffs were not directly harmed in the case. The justices did not address the real meat of the First Amendment issues related to the challenge.
Who dissented?: Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch
Read more: ‘Supreme Court rejects challenge to Biden admin’s talk with social media companies’
Hooo boy, Justice Alito was not happy about this opinion: Alito railed against the White House in his dissenting opinion, accusing the Biden administration of leading a “campaign to coerce Facebook” when it came to moderating COVID-19 misinformation. 🔎 Read his dissenting opinion
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Law expert Steve Vladeck posted: “With only two decisions today, the odds are getting much larger that #SCOTUS will *not* clear its decks by Friday, and that the final rulings of the term, perhaps including the Trump immunity case, won’t come until early next week.” The major cases left: The Supreme Court has still not decided former Trump’s immunity, Jan. 6 obstruction and emergency abortion care, among other cases. 📝 Updated list of the pending Supreme Court cases |
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The Wall Street Journal is giving up on its Nikki Haley pipe dream: |
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The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board has strongly advocated for former President Trump to select former Republican rival Nikki Haley to be former his running mate.
Well, there have been reports that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) and Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) are the three finalists. “If that’s the field, Mr. Burgum is the best man,” the Journal’s editorial board writes in a new op-ed.
Excerpt: “The Governor has executive experience and was a highly successful tech CEO. At Microsoft, which bought his company, he managed to work well with Steve Ballmer, which isn’t easy. Mr. Burgum would be loyal to Mr. Trump, while also unafraid to offer hard advice or speak an unhappy truth when the moment demands it. His global business experience gives him an edge in world affairs, especially China.” (The Wall Street Journal)
*Cue Meredith Grey: “Pick me. Choose ME. Love ME”* |
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➤ TIDBIT ABOUT ANOTHER FINALIST: |
The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman posted: “Had never seen Usha Vance speak before. This interview the Vance’s gave as part of a Fox series with VP hopefuls and their spouses is worth a watch.” 💻 Watch the one-minute clip |
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This is a fascinating poll: |
The Washington Post writes that, “Trump trusted more than Biden on democracy among key swing-state voters,” citing a recent poll by The Washington Post and the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.
Details: “In six swing states that Biden narrowly won in 2020, a little more than half of voters classified as likely to decide the presidential election say threats to democracy are extremely important to their vote for president. … Yet, more of them trust Trump to handle those threats than Biden. And most believe that the guardrails in place to protect democracy would hold even if a dictator tried to take over the country.”
🚨 Why this matters: “The results offer troubling indicators for Biden, who needs voters who may be unenthusiastic about his candidacy to decide they must reject Trump to preserve America’s system of representative government.” (The Washington Post) |
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➤ THAT’S QUITE THE HEADLINE: |
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🥥 Celebrate: Today is National Coconut Day! Today should ~also~ be National You-Put-The-Lime-In-The Day.
☕ Read this if you drink canned coffee: Nearly 300 types of canned coffee have been recalled due to the risk of a potentially deadly food poisoning, botulism. 📝 FDA list of the brands of recalled coffee
🌩️ Holy cow, this is cool: WINK News’s Matt Devitt posted a wild photo of two colliding storms in Fort Myers, Fla. 👶 I am howling at this: @mgoldsm posted that he filled out a passport application for his 4-month-old and it asked for the occupation. “BABY,” he wrote. Screenshot of the question |
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The House is in. The Senate is out. President Biden is at Camp Debate Prep (a.k.a. Camp David) Vice President Harris is in Washington. (all times Eastern) |
This morning: Celebrity Paris Hilton testified on modernizing child welfare programs. 💻 Livestream (Here’s a clip of her testimony)
2 p.m.: Country singer Randy Travis testifies on music royalties and copyright. 💻 Livestream 3:30 p.m.: Last House votes of the day. 📆 Today’s agenda
6 p.m.: First lady Jill Biden hosts a Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn of the White House. 💻 Livestream
6:45 p.m.: Harris speaks at a campaign event.
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