| | | | | |  | | By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by |  | | | SENATE REPUBLICANS issued a set of challenges this morning, as they move toward the floor next week with Sen. TIM SCOTT'S (R-S.C.) police reform bill. ONE WAS TO Senate Democrats to allow debate on the package. Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL said he's serious about crafting legislation that can get signed into law -- and suggested the other side join in. "Our Democratic friends, if they want to make a law, and not just try to make a point, I hope they will join us in getting on the bill and trying to move forward in the way the Senate does move forward when it's trying to actually get an outcome, rather than just sparring back and forth, which you all have seen on frequent occasions by both sides," McConnell said. AND THE SECOND was to the White House and President DONALD TRUMP, whom SCOTT implored to get in the game and support the bill. "I hope the president will join forces and jump on board," SCOTT said. More from Marianne LeVine and Andrew Desiderio IN THAT VEIN, MARK MEADOWS, the White House chief of staff, made a surprise visit to Capitol Hill this morning for the markup of the House police reform bill. He entered quietly into the GOP holding room in the Capitol Visitors Center, and later entered the auditorium where the hearing was being held. IN AN INTERVIEW WITH PLAYBOOK, MEADOWS said he had not talked to Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER about whether he would allow MCCONNELL to proceed to the police bill. MEADOWS said he is having conversations with SCOTT at this point. MEADOWS said the administration is supportive of MCCONNELL moving to the floor with the SCOTT bill. "CERTAINLY THE ADMINISTRATION supports that," MEADOWS said. "I think the other part of that is we're going to try to see if the Democrats really want to work towards a solution. Or if this is just a partisan effort trying to put forth a message, and we'll determine that today and in the days to come." (MEADOWS was on the Hill with one aide: Cassidy Hutchinson, the legislative affairs coordinator who is a top MEADOWS deputy.) FWIW: SCHUMER and Speaker NANCY PELOSI are not fans of the GOP bill. SCHUMER has not said whether he would allow Republicans to proceed onto the bill. They will probably need an agreement on which amendments will be allowed in order to proceed. KYLE CHENEY, HEATHER CAYGLE and JOHN BRESNAHAN: "Judiciary panel lawmakers collide over policing" | | | | A message from PhRMA: America's biopharmaceutical companies are sharing their knowledge and resources more than ever before to speed up the development of new medicines to fight COVID-19. They're working with doctors and hospitals on over 1,100 clinical trials. Because science is how we get back to normal. More. | | | VALLEY TALK -- "Justice Department to Propose Limiting Internet Companies' Protections," by WSJ's Brent Kendall and John McKinnon: "The department's proposed changes, to be unveiled as soon as Wednesday, are designed to spur online platforms to be more aggressive in addressing illicit and harmful conduct on their sites, and to be fairer and more consistent in their decisions to take down content they find objectionable … The Justice Department proposal is a legislative plan that would have to be adopted by Congress. "The move represents an escalation in the continuing clash between the Trump administration and big tech firms such as Twitter Inc., Alphabet Inc.'s Google unit and Facebook Inc." WSJ AFTER REP. ELIOT ENGEL (D-N.Y.) warned in a statement Tuesday night that new U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO MICHAEL PACK planned to fire career Voice of America officials today, PACK sent an email to staff this morning introducing himself. He wrote that his top priorities are to make the agency more effective, to raise employee morale -- and to "examine some of the problems that have surfaced in the media in recent years," with "no preconceptions." Two top VOA leaders resigned Tuesday. The full email, via Halley Toosi Good Wednesday afternoon. Press secretary KAYLEIGH MCENANY is briefing at 1 p.m. THE WASHINGTON POST is giving every staffer a $1,000 bonus. Washingtonian WAPO ON THE HUNT FOR A VACCINE -- "Trump pushing officials to speed up already-ambitious coronavirus vaccine timeline," by Yasmeen Abutaleb, Josh Dawsey, Laurie McGinley and Carolyn Johnson: "Trump is hardly the only world leader racing to deliver a vaccine as a way to save lives, get people back to work and fully reopen the economy. But some scientists and even several people close to the White House worry that his fixation on the timeline, combined with his past dismissal of scientists' recommendations, could put regulators under intense pressure to approve some sort of limited use of a vaccine before it has been adequately vetted for safety and effectiveness. "Some go so far as to raise concerns about an 'October surprise' in which the administration issues an emergency authorization for a vaccine right before the Nov. 3 election, regardless of whether the research justifies it." WaPo | | | | TOMORROW - A POLITICO LIVE CONVERSATION WITH MICROSOFT PRESIDENT BRAD SMITH: The Covid-19 crisis and the nationwide outrage since the killing of George Floyd created a watershed moment for the tech industry. From using data to track, trace and curb the spread of the virus, to working remotely and using telehealth — technology is more prevalent than ever. Join POLITICO technology reporter Cristiano Lima for a conversation with Microsoft President Brad Smith to discuss the tech sector's role in pandemic relief and recovery, whether the relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington has changed, and how the industry is grappling with the recent mass protests for racial justice. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | COVID AFTER-EFFECTS … "'When Am I Coming Home?': A Tough Month Inside a Virus Recovery Unit," by NYT's Joseph Goldstein: "[T]he typical Covid-19 patient in an intensive care unit was generally there for an unusually long time — one study suggested at least two weeks. That means more muscle loss and increased risk of other problems as well. "Even those whose lungs are mostly healed may be quite debilitated after long immobilization in an intensive care unit, where they are administered high dosages of sedatives and sometimes paralytics. Some must relearn to swallow without choking. Others have crippling nerve pain. Others have cognitive deficits, including trouble with words." NYT CLICKER -- "Emissions Are Surging Back as Countries and States Reopen," by NYT's Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich THE VIEW FROM 1600 PENN -- GABBY ORR: "Trump turns to establishment players to offset his renegade instincts": "Nearly two years after boasting that his gut tells him "more sometimes than anybody else's brain," President Donald Trump is ditching his go-it-alone approach — hoping the instincts and experiences of seasoned Republican players can help reinvent his 2020 campaign before it's too late. … "To rectify worrisome poll numbers, [the campaign] has turned to veteran Republican strategist Karl Rove … and others for help corralling party veterans who have soured on Trump. To please Koch brothers-backed groups and the Republican-aligned Chamber of Commerce, the president has called for a payroll tax holiday to lift businesses hit by the pandemic. And in an attempt to boost his appeal with black voters, he and [Jared] Kushner have pursued policy initiatives recommended by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) … It's a notable difference from Trump's renegade approach in 2016." ABOUT THOSE POLL NUMBERS -- STEVE SHEPARD: "Trump has a point about the polls": "Pollsters aren't deliberately skewing their surveys against the president and his party, as Trump's orbit alleges. The national polls showing Trump trailing Biden by an increasing margin aren't 'phony' or rigged. "But some pollsters, especially the relatively few who conduct surveys in battleground states, are still grappling with the same problems that plagued those polls four years ago. In fact, most pollsters believe that, on balance, state polls are overstating the scale of Biden's advantage. … [Some polls] are still not accounting for the fact that voters with greater educational attainment are more likely to complete surveys — and more likely to vote for Democratic candidates." POLITICO | | | | Protect Yourself and Others From Coronavirus: Even if you don't have symptoms, you could spread the coronavirus. Practice these physical distancing and hygiene tips to keep yourself and your loved ones safe: Stay 6 feet away from others in public; wash your hands often for 20+ seconds; disinfect frequently touched surfaces like cellphones and light switches; and wear a cloth face covering when out in public. Together, we can slow the spread. Visit coronavirus.gov to learn more. | | | | | STUMBLING TOWARD NOVEMBER … "LA County report blames voter check-in tablets for Election Day chaos," by Kim Zetter: "The hourslong wait times that snarled the March 3 primary in Los Angeles County stemmed from malfunctions in the electronic tablets used to check in voters at the polls, according to an unpublicized county report that adds to questions about the nation's readiness for November. "The report concludes that these devices — known as electronic poll books — and not the county's new $300 million voting machines were the source of those delays. Although the voting machines also had problems, the report faults inadequate planning, testing and programming of the poll books that workers used to check in voters and verify that they're registered — technology that has also been implicated in this month's meltdown at the polls in Georgia's primary." POLITICO … The report BUSINESS BURST -- "After 131 Years, PepsiCo Is Dropping Aunt Jemima," by AdWeek's Lisa Lacy PAGING CONGRESS … "China Is Collecting DNA From Tens of Millions of Men and Boys, Using U.S. Gear," by NYT's Sui-Lee Wee: "The police in China are collecting blood samples from men and boys from across the country to build a genetic map of its roughly 700 million males, giving the authorities a powerful new tool for their emerging high-tech surveillance state. … "An American company, Thermo Fisher, is helping: The Massachusetts company has sold testing kits to the Chinese police tailored to their specifications. American lawmakers have criticized Thermo Fisher for selling equipment to the Chinese authorities, but the company has defended its business." NYT AP: "U.S. hits Syria's elite with new economic and travel sanctions," by Matthew Lee: "The Trump administration on Wednesday ramped up pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad and his inner circle with a raft of new economic and travel sanctions for human rights abuses and blocking a settlement of the country's conflict. The State Department and the Treasury said 39 Syrian individuals, including Assad and his wife, had been designated for the new sanctions. "Others include members of the extended Assad family, senior military leaders and business executives. Many of those on the list were already subject to U.S. sanctions, but the penalties also target non-Syrians who do business with them. One newcomer to the U.S. blacklist is Assad's wife, Asma, had not been previously targeted but was hit for becoming what the State Department said is 'one of Syria's most notorious war profiteers.'" AP IRAN DEAL HANGING ON BY A THREAD … "Europe Seeks Way Around a Diplomatic Clash With U.S. Over Iran," by WSJ's Laurence Norman and Michael Gordon: "The compromise pursued by French, German and British diplomats aims to constrain enough of the potential arms trade with Iran to satisfy the Trump administration while limiting the scope or duration of the arms ban to placate Russia and China, at least to the point where they would abstain in a [U.N.] Security Council vote." TRANSITIONS -- Tim Powderly is now senior director of government affairs for the Americas at Apple -- replacing Cynthia Hogan, who left to join Joe Biden's campaign. Powderly previously was director of federal government affairs at Apple. | | | | A message from PhRMA:   America's biopharmaceutical companies will continue working day and night until they beat coronavirus. Because science is how we get back to normal. 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