| | | | | |  | | By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by |  | | | WELL, HERE WE ARE AGAIN. THE QUESTION hanging over Washington is whether President DONALD TRUMP will veto the National Defense Authorization Act -- the Pentagon policy bill that has been signed into law for 59 consecutive years. AT ISSUE is whether the United States should consider stripping military bases of their Confederate namesakes. TRUMP says no. Congress looks like it will say yes, America should no longer honor these men. If it ends up in the bill -- which it will -- the president says he'll veto it. IN OTHER WORDS, the president says he will side with deceased former Confederate generals over expected bipartisan majorities in the Congress. NOT TO MENTION: The NDAA includes a bump in soldier pay. So, if TRUMP vetoes it, he's vetoing pay increase for military men and women. ADD TO THIS -- as our colleagues ANDREW DESIDERIO and MARIANNE LEVINE note -- that the bill probably won't get to the president until the fall, so why is he even discussing this now? It's completely superfluous. ONCE AGAIN WE ARE REMINDED how undisciplined the president is, and how scattershot his behavior is. Today he could be talking about the implementation of the USMCA. He could be focusing his messaging elsewhere -- jobs, economy, whatever -- as his aides and advisers have suggested he do. But instead, here we are, arguing about preserving reminders of the Confederacy. -- "Historic Coast Guard Ship 'Taney' to Be Renamed," by WSJ's Ben Kesling THE NRCC is now backing LAUREN BOEBERT, the Republican who unseated Rep. SCOTT TIPTON in Colorado -- and who has also voiced support for the off-the-wall, inane QAnon conspiracy. NRCC Chair TOM EMMER (R-Minn.) in a statement: "Lauren won her primary fair and square and has our support. This is a Republican seat and will remain a Republican seat as Nancy Pelosi and senior House Democrats continue peddling their radical conspiracy theories and pushing their radical cancel culture." -- KNIVES ARE OUT for TIPTON. A few GOP sources pointed out TIPTON was in Washington on Tuesday night -- not Colorado. That's not completely unexpected, since the House is in session. But if he was aware he had a tough primary, he might have stayed home. -- TIPTON spent $132,162 in his pre-primary report -- and has nearly $630,000 in the bank. He ran no TV or radio ads. -- REPUBLICANS are currently researching to see what BOEBERT has said about the QAnon conspiracy, which the FBI considers a possible domestic terrorism threat. GOP SEN. RON JOHNSON (Wis.) has a proposal to do away with COLUMBUS DAY as an amendment to Sen. JOHN CORNYN'S (R-Texas) bill to make JUNETEENTH a national holiday. The amendment THE PRESIDENT is giving interviews today to ERIC BOLLING of Sinclair and BLAKE BURMAN of Fox Business, per Bloomberg's JENNIFER JACOBS. Good Wednesday afternoon. TALKER -- "The virus didn't stop a Washington socialite from throwing a backyard soiree. Then the tests came back positive," by WaPo's Roxanne Roberts | | A message from Humana: At Humana, we're experts in helping our members achieve better health and recognize our unique role in supporting their health during this crisis. That's why Humana is waiving covered member medical costs for treatments related to coronavirus and expanding access to telehealth services.
Learn more here. | | | THE REOPENING -- "New York City will delay indoor dining plans amid national surge in coronavirus," by Erin Durkin in New York: "Indoor dining was set to be allowed starting Monday, when the city was planning to enter the third phase of its reopening. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that the city will hold off on reopening indoor restaurants. 'It is not the time to forge ahead with indoor dining,' de Blasio told reporters Wednesday morning. 'Indoors is the problem. More and more, the science is showing it.'" POLITICO BAILOUT BUST -- "Fed's $600 Billion Main Street Lending Program Sees Lukewarm Interest," by WSJ's Paul Kiernan: "Under the Main Street Lending Program, commercial banks lend to companies and then sell all but a small portion of each loan to the Federal Reserve. The Treasury Department stands ready to cover the Fed's losses if companies fail to repay. "More than two months after the program was announced, however, some bankers say they are still trying to decide whether to take part. They cite less-than-appealing terms, which changed repeatedly before the official June 15 launch, and anemic interest among potential borrowers. The central concern: Companies in dire need of cash aren't likely to be approved, while more creditworthy borrowers are likely to find similar or better terms on their own." WSJ THE GRIM HEALTH CARE PICTURE … AP/KAISER HEALTH NEWS: "Hollowed out public health system faces more cuts amid virus," by Lauren Weber, Laura Ungar, Michelle Smith, Hannah Recht and Anna Maria Barry-Jester: "[S]tate and local government health workers on the ground are sometimes paid so little, they qualify for public aid. … "Since 2010, spending for state public health departments has dropped by 16% per capita and spending for local health departments has fallen by 18%, according to a KHN and Associated Press analysis of government spending on public health. At least 38,000 state and local public health jobs have disappeared since the 2008 recession, leaving a skeletal workforce for what was once viewed as one of the world's top public health systems. … "States, cities and counties in dire straits have begun laying off and furloughing their limited staff, and even more devastation looms, as states reopen and cases surge. Historically, even when money pours in following crises such as Zika and H1N1, it disappears after the emergency subsides. Officials fear the same thing is happening now." AP QUITE THE HEADLINE -- "Human rights groups turn their sights on Trump's America," by Halley Toosi: "The Trump administration was in panic mode. The United Nations Human Rights Council was debating launching a special investigation of racism in America after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody. And the United States was determined to derail any such probe. … "Publicly, U.S. officials kept their cool as the mid-June discussions played out. Behind the scenes, however, the State Department was scrambling to avert a public relations disaster, dispatching its diplomats to pull strings and call in favors. "The pressure worked — the 47-member council didn't order a U.S.-focused probe, instead requesting a broader report on anti-Black racism worldwide. But that it came so close to doing so illustrates how international activists, groups and institutions are increasingly focusing on the United States as a villain, not a hero, on the subject of human rights. … Former U.S. officials say that, above all, what has put America's human rights record in question is Trump's disregard for the issue and his affinity for authoritarian leaders." | | | | POLITICO Magazine Justice Reform: The Prison Conditions Issue, presented by Verizon: The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the difference between "inside" and the rest of society. With crowding, inadequate funding and inconsistent medical care, prisons have become hotbeds of the outbreak ― with a heavy cost also paid on the outside. POLITICO Magazine's second Justice Reform package looks at movements to improve prisons and how the epidemic has affected them. READ THE FULL ISSUE. | | | | | SCOTUS WATCH -- "Progressives Begin New Push to Elevate Supreme Court as a Campaign Issue," by NYT's Carl Hulse: "Known as Supreme Court Voter, the nonprofit advocacy project will start with $2 million in digital advertising in politically competitive states in attempts to mobilize voters around the idea that the long-term direction of the court — and the outcome of its rulings on hot-button policy and cultural issues — will be set for decades in the coming election. … "The ads will begin running in Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin … The group Demand Justice, created after the 2016 presidential election and the Republican stonewalling of President Barack Obama's final Supreme Court nominee, is the chief investor and a main organizing force in the new undertaking." NYT -- BUT, BUT, BUT: "Trump supporters hope to use conservative anger at Justice Roberts as energizing moment for troubled campaign," by WaPo's Bob Costa: "The White House is trying to capitalize on conservative anger at Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. over his latest decisions by telling evangelical leaders and other activists that they need to turn out voters for President Trump so he can use a second term to continue nominating conservative judges to the nation's highest court." WaPo CAMPAIGN NARRATIVES -- "Why Trump's attempt to tag Biden as a tool of the radical left isn't working," by Holly Otterbein and Alex Thompson: "Only 17 percent of registered voters perceive the former vice president as more liberal than most Democrats, according to a POLITICO/Morning Consult survey, while nearly two-thirds see him as in line with or more conservative than the party at large. The survey also found that a larger proportion of the electorate views Biden as moderate (23 percent) than sees Trump that way (9 percent). … "There is at least one cause for hope for Trump in the poll: Forty-one percent of voters agreed with the statement that Biden is 'more liberal than me,' and 20 percent didn't know or had no opinion on the matter, meaning that they may be persuadable. But roughly the same percentage of voters said they didn't know or had no opinion on whether Trump was more liberal or conservative than them." POLITICO … The poll -- NBC'S MIKE MEMOLI: "MoveOn, a prominent progressive group, endorsed Joe Biden for president on Wednesday … Biden won 82.4 percent of votes cast online and by text message as part of the group's endorsement process." -- Sara Pearl Kenigsberg is now a supervising producer for Biden's campaign. She previously was a supervising producer for Bernie Sanders' campaign. CLICKER ... NYT/UPSHOT: "Meet the Supporters Trump Has Lost: A significant majority of people who voted for him in 2016 are planning to do so again. What is different about those who've had a change of heart?" by Claire Cain Miller, Kevin Quealy and Nate Cohn CASH DASH -- "'The Squad' Is Raising Money To Fight For Progressive Candidates," by BuzzFeed's Kadia Goba: "The group will announce Wednesday accompanied by a short video. As a joint fundraising committee, the Squad Victory Fund can only donate to political action committees already associated with each member's individual campaign. Those PACs can then donate to other progressives." BuzzFeed TREATMENT TROUBLES -- "Months Into Coronavirus Pandemic, ICU Doctors Are Split on Best Treatment," by WSJ's Sarah Toy and Mark Maremont: "Several months into the coronavirus pandemic, hospital physicians are split on whether long-established treatment protocols for patients in respiratory distress are helping or harming patients with Covid-19. In the intensive-care unit, doctors are trying to balance their own knowledge and past experiences treating respiratory illness with their current experiences treating the novel coronavirus and newly emerging data on Covid-19 therapies. "The result is there is little consensus among physicians about treatment, even as cases and hospitalizations surge in parts of the U.S. It also means the particular treatment a patient gets can vary widely from hospital to hospital, and even from doctor to doctor. To begin with, physicians don't agree on the type of lung injury the novel coronavirus causes." WSJ WOW -- "Hair weaves from Chinese prison camps seized," by AP's Martha Mendoza: "Federal authorities in New York on Wednesday seized a shipment of weaves and other beauty accessories suspected to be made out of human hair taken from people locked inside a Chinese internment camp. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials told The Associated Press that 13 tons (11.8 metric tonnes) of hair products worth an estimated $800,000 were in the shipment." AP -- "U.S. urges companies to avoid entanglement with Uighur human rights abuses," by Doug Palmer | | | | BROKEN GOVERNANCE AND GLOBAL LEADERSHIP: Broken social contracts and damaged economies make 2020 perhaps the best opportunity in decades to rethink governing. But the window for change is opening just as faith in democracy seems to be declining. How will this dynamic play out on the world stage? Our Global Translations newsletter, presented by Bank of America, layers global news, trends and decisions with contextual analysis from the world's sharpest minds. For a unique perspective that you cannot find anywhere else, SUBSCRIBE TODAY | | | | | WEDNESDAY LISTEN -- ANNA spoke with PADMA LAKSHMI, co-host of "Top Chef," about her new show "Taste the Nation" on Hulu in the latest Women Rule podcast. They also discussed the future of women chefs post-Covid-19 and her own activism through the ACLU, on immigrant rights and endometriosis. Listen BEYOND THE BELTWAY ... SEATTLE TIMES: "Seattle police clearing CHOP protest zone": "The Seattle Police Department swept into CHOP early Wednesday with heavily equipped officers and tactical vehicles to clear out the Capitol Hill protest zone. Police issued dispersal orders and had arrested about a dozen people as of 5:23 a.m., the department tweeted. "Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an executive order that went out at 4:58 a.m. declaring the 'gathering in this area an unlawful assembly requiring immediate action from city agencies, including the Police Department.' At least 100 police officers equipped with body armor, batons, helmets and weapons moved into CHOP." Seattle Times AFTERNOON READ -- "After George Floyd's killing, a mother asks: What about my daughter?: The nation's protest movement has extended to the suburbs, where difficult conversations include why one death broke through but so many others' did not," by WaPo's Jenna Johnson in West Chester, Pa. MEDIAWATCH -- "Ed Henry Fired By Fox News After Workplace Investigation Into Alleged Sexual Misconduct," by Variety's Brian Steinberg: "Henry, a longtime Washington correspondent who was recently made co-anchor of the Fox Corp.-owned network's mid-morning program 'America's Newsroom,' was let go quickly after the network received a complaint on June 25 from a former employee about Henry's behavior from 'years ago' … "'Ed was suspended the same day and removed from his on-air responsibilities pending investigation. Based on investigative findings, Ed has been terminated,' [network] executives said in a statement. The matter was brought to Fox News by Wigdor LLP, a law firm that has in the past represented several former employees who alleged sexual misconduct or discrimination at the media company. … Fox News said rotating anchors would fill in at 'America's Newsroom' for an interim period." Variety WHAT MICHAEL FLYNN IS UP TO -- "Michael Flynn Finally Embraces His Q Cult Following," by The Daily Beast's Will Sommer: "After years of silence, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn has started courting his devoted fans in the QAnon conspiracy theory, sending out signals of support for the underground movement that the FBI considers a potential domestic terror threat. "Flynn, who won a legal victory last week after an appeals court panel ordered a federal court judge to end the Justice Department's case against him, recently added a QAnon hashtag to his Twitter bio. And he's started writing an internet column filled with QAnon-style imagery." Daily Beast INTERN WATCH -- PAY OUR INTERNS put out a new report on racial representation among interns in the House. They "found evidence that Latino students are underrepresented as interns in House offices and that Whites are overrepresented in similar positions. Moreover, although House interns appear more racially diverse than House members, we found convincing evidence that congressional offices are racially segregated." The report ENGAGED -- Jocelyn Davis, legislative director for Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), and Austin Francis, who works at the Department of Defense, got engaged Sunday. He proposed on the same East Potomac tennis court where they first met, playing against each other. Pic | | | | A message from Humana:   From waiving member medical costs to expanding access to telehealth services, Humana is committed to protecting our members. 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