Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics. Sign up here to receive this newsletter. Send tips to [email protected] or tweet me at @BrentGriffiths.
Here's what we're talking about:
- What happens if Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns from office or is impeached
- New York Times insiders increasingly believe they know the paper's next leader
- The Biden administration reversed itself on extending a ban on evictions
With Phil Rosen.
1. THE WALLS CLOSE IN: Gov. Andrew Cuomo has few allies left. A bombshell investigation formed by New York's attorney general found Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. Now, both President Joe Biden, the leader of the Democratic Party, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are calling for him to step down. Cuomo remains defiant, but state lawmakers seem ready to impeach him if he doesn't leave.
Key facts from the report: Eleven women were found to have "credible" allegations of misconduct, according to the independent investigators. The inquiry uncovered allegations from at least two women, including an unnamed state trooper and a National Grid employee, who had not previously gone public with their claims.
- It's not just the harassment allegations: The report said Cuomo and his top aides retaliated against at least one woman - the former aide Lindsey Boylan - who came forward. Melissa DeRosa, a top advisor who was constantly by Cuomo's side during his coronavirus news briefings, is mentioned 187 times in the report, The Washington Post found. DeRosa was said to be part of a group that sent reporters Boylan's personnel file as a way to undermine her credibility after she came forward.
WATCH: A look at Andrew Cuomo's career prior to the report's findings
Cuomo blasted the findings and denied any serious wrongdoing: The governor's defense included comparing his interactions with women to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama hugging hurricane victims.
- But the AG investigation isn't his only concern: Albany County's district attorney, David Soares, said he had opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo's behavior and had requested evidence from the state attorney general's probe, The New York Times reports. Several lawyers said Cuomo's conduct could constitute misdemeanor sexual assault.
Impeachment could be swift: A person familiar with the process told The Times it could take just a month to complete an inquiry and draw up articles of impeachment. Should Cuomo still refuse to resign, the New York State Senate could hold a trial as soon as late September or early October.
- A reminder on how impeachment works: The process is similar to the way it works in Congress. A New York governor hasn't been impeached in over a century.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik; Scott Olson/Getty Images; Angela Perez; AP Photo/Evan Vucci
2. Inside the White House press team: A small army of largely behind-the-scenes press staffers is tasked with keeping Biden's administration on message in a White House that prides itself on discipline when it comes to media relations. They include millennial Democratic operatives and Gen Z aides who are new to the White House. Meet the staffers who help decide what the public knows.
3. White House reverses, CDC extends eviction ban for millions of renters: The Biden administration announced a targeted eviction ban after facing immense pressure from progressive lawmakers in recent days to act unilaterally. The 60-day extension applies to counties where coronavirus cases are considered "substantial or high," roughly 90% of the country. But Biden himself is worried it will face legal hurdles.
- A Democratic House lawmaker's protest is being hailed for the reversal: Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri and some of her colleagues slept outside the Capitol to protest the ban's initial lapse, The Kansas City Star reports. "Activists are in Congress, so expect for things to be different than maybe what people are used to," Bush told reporters last night.
4. Biden tells DeSantis and other Republicans to "get out of the way": He name checked Texas and Florida, telling reporters the two states were responsible for one in three of the US's new COVID-19 cases. Without naming Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida or Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, Biden pleaded with governors to help but added, "If you aren't going to help, at least get out of the way." More on the president's message to states that are banning mask mandates or tying school districts' hands on the subject, per ABC News.
5. Trump-backed candidate wins US House primary in Ohio: Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist endorsed by Donald Trump, prevailed in a crowded field to win the GOP nomination for a vacant House seat in a heavily Republican district. Carey's victory came a week after another Trump-endorsed candidate lost in Texas, which raised questions about the former Trump's political brand. More on the race.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
- Another primary showed continuing struggles for progressive candidates: Nina Turner, the former Ohio state senator who is a longtime ally of Sen. Bernie Sanders, failed to win a Democratic primary for a different US House seat in a deeply blue district, Politico reports. Turner lost to Shontel Brown, a Cuyahoga County Council member who was endorsed by establishment figures such as House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn. Why the race is a major setback for the progressive movement.
6. New York plans to require proof of vaccination for restaurants and gyms: Mayor Bill de Blasio said New Yorkers would have to show they'd received the shot to enter restaurants, gyms, and performance venues. Nearly 40% of New York residents remain unvaccinated, so de Blasio offered a $100 cash incentive for residents to get vaccinated. More on the new requirements, which are set to be enforced starting September 13.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch / Contributor / Getty Images
7. Missouri governor pardoned St. Louis couple who pointed guns at protesters: Mark McCloskey, now running for a US Senate seat as a Republican, pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was fined $750 after pointing a gun at Black Lives Matter protesters last summer. His wife, Patricia McCloskey, also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Mark McCloskey previously said he would "do it again."
8. New York Times insiders increasingly believe they know the next leader of the gray lady: As The Times' executive editor, Dean Baquet, nears the company's mandatory retirement age, speculation is growing that Joseph Kahn, the paper's managing editor, will succeed him. He hasn't always been the front-runner. Last summer, as The Times was engulfed in an internal battle over race in the wake of the death of George Floyd, some staffers questioned whether Baquet, the paper's first Black top editor, could be succeeded by Kahn, a Harvard-educated white man whose father cofounded the office-supply giant Staples.
More on why Kahn is viewed as the likely heir.
9. Crypto needs to be reined in for it to soar, SEC chief says: Digital currencies, like bitcoin, will take off only if there are clear rules around the market, Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler told Bloomberg. That way, he said, investors would be better protected against fraud. Gensler said regulating crypto exchanges could be the best way to gain more control over cryptocurrencies.
10. All the moments you missed at the Olympics: Two American runners broke the world record in the women's 400-meter hurdles. But only one, Sydney McLaughlin, could take gold.
JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images
Simone Biles left a legacy greater than any medal: Biles made her Tokyo Olympics return Tuesday for one last event. On her path to balance-beam bronze, she managed to teach the world a lesson in empathy and humanity, Insider's Meredith Cash wrote. Along with everything else she was going through, Biles revealed that her aunt died unexpectedly, just two days before she returned to competition.
History on the mat: The American Tamyra Mensah-Stock became the first Black woman to win a gold medal in wrestling.
A meme comes to life, kind of: The Brazilian swimmer Bruno Fratus' triumphant Olympic bronze-medal celebration brought an iconic meme to life.
You have to see this: My colleagues selected the most stunning photos across women's sports this month
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Today's trivia question: Sticking with the games: When was the last time the gold medal was entirely gold? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at [email protected].
- Yesterday's answer: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2028 is set to become the first stadium to have hosted three Olympics. London has also hosted the games three times, as will have Paris in 2024, but each of those cities used different venues.