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:
- 18 millennial and Gen Z Republican campaign operatives to watch
- CDC director says vaccination struggles aren't a sign something 'went wrong'
- Fani Willis used to talk all about her efforts to prosecute Trump. Now, she's very quiet.
What we're watching today: Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is expected to speak with reporters for the first time since Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation.
With Phil Rosen.
Courtesy of Micah Yousefi, Derek Dufresne, Amanda Iovino, and Sam Oh.
1. THE FUTURE OF THE GOP: Young Republicans hope history is on their side. Midterm elections typically spell doom for the party in power, an extra boost for a GOP reeling from the loss of an incumbent president and both chambers of Congress in a Hoover-esque disaster. My colleagues spoke with some of the party's brightest stars who are working on races that will help determine the fate of the GOP's 2022 comeback bid.
Here's a peek at whom to watch:
- Micah Yousefi, 35 - Winning for Women: Yousefi started out on the Hill working for the former congressman Bill Shuster. Now Yousefi, pictured at the top left above, next to Derek Dufresne, is the political and policy director for Winning for Women, a relatively new effort that she says seeks to find "those sane and sober voices."
- Weston Imer, 17 - Laurel Imer for Congress: Imer raised eyebrows when he was named a county cochair for the Trump campaign in 2016 at just 12 years old. He's since worked on GOP gubernatorial bids, worked on Donald Trump's 2020 effort, and was briefly an intern for Rep. Lauren Boebert, a fellow Coloradan. He is running the campaign for his mother, Laurel Imer, to unseat a Democratic congressman in 2022.
- Sam Oh, 39 - Sen. Tim Scott's reelection: Oh, pictured at the bottom right above, next to Amanda Iovino, caught the campaign bug on a California statehouse race in 2012. Eight years later, he helped flip two US house seats by advising Michelle Steel and Young Kim's successful campaigns. Now, as a vice president at the Republican political-consulting firm Targeted Victory, Oh is advising Sen. Tim Scott, of South Carolina, who has been testing the 2024 waters.
Read our list of the 18 millennials and Gen Z Republicans to watch.
2. Cuomo is on his way out: Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned Tuesday in the wake of a bombshell investigation that found he sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo remained defiant that not all of the report's findings are accurate. His exit, which takes effect in two weeks, ushers in a new era for the state.
- Biden praised Cuomo's legacy: President Joe Biden said Cuomo did a "hell of a job" as governor and added that "it's so sad" he had to resign.
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is set to become the state's first female governor: Hochul will take office once Cuomo officially leaves.
WATCH: The rise and fall of Andrew Cuomo
The Insider insight: I asked Jake Lahut, Insider's resident New York politics expert, what this all means: "Cuomo's surprise resignation could usher in a new generation of New York Democrats and others who have been waiting their turn for the past decade. Early indications are that Hochul is coming in with about as much goodwill as possible, and her extensive contacts could make for some interesting hires."
3. Senate passes nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan: The Senate passed the bill by a 69-30 vote. Nineteen Republicans, led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, voted for it. Its passing is a major victory for Biden. Now attention shifts to the House.
- The 19 Republicans defied Trump in voting for the bill: Some of them, like Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, are close Trump allies.
Biden said it was proof that "democracy can still work": More on the West Wing's victory lap.
John Bazemore/AP Photo
4. This prosecutor could put Trump in jail: Fani Willis, pictured above, quickly gained a national profile earlier this year talking about her investigation of Trump. Nearly six months later, the Fulton County district attorney has gone silent. A lack of public activity doesn't mean the Georgia investigation has ceased. But Willis has clearly changed her approach.
5. CDC director says vaccination struggles aren't a sign something "went wrong": Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blamed division and poor funding for not getting 70% of eligible Americans vaccinated by July 4. Walensky made her comments in the latest installment of Insider's EIC interview series. More from the interview, including how America should prepare for its next pandemic.
6. Senate tees up Democrats' massive $3.5 trillion social-spending plan: Democratic lawmakers took a major step toward expanding the social safety net by passing the first step to move their plan over expected unanimous Republican opposition, The New York Times reports. Republicans have objected to the size of the proposal. The passing of a budget outline came after 14 hours of marathon votes in a process known as a "vote-a-rama." What you missed while you were asleep.
- Senate Republicans are ready for hardball over the debt ceiling: McConnell and all but four Senate Republicans signed a letter saying they would not help Democrats raise the debt ceiling.
Schumer vows the Senate will focus on voting rights: Senators are scheduled to leave Washington soon for a break, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was emphatic about what they would focus on upon their return.
7. Texas House speaker signs arrest warrants for Democrats: Speaker Dade Phelan signed civil arrest warrants for 52 House Democrats who have been absent from the state Capitol to block an elections bill they said would harm minority voters. The lawmakers will not face criminal charges or fines, but they can be compelled to return to the House chamber, though Democrats who fled to DC remain outside the reach of Texas law enforcement. This is just the latest development in the ongoing voting-rights fight between the two parties.
8. Progressive opposition builds on Powell: Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other progressives are fomenting dissent toward Biden keeping Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on for a second term, The Wall Street Journal reports. Some are unhappy with Powell's moves easing financial regulations, though he received bipartisan praise for his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic. What else key lawmakers are saying about the central bank's leader.
9. Florida school officials are in a showdown with DeSantis: Just days before most young Floridians head back to the classroom, a battle is brewing between an unyielding Gov. Ron DeSantis and a growing number of defiant educators over the Republican governor's ban on mask mandates in schools. Less than 24 hours after DeSantis threatened the pay of any social officials flouting his ban, schools across the state signaled they would do just that. Neither side appears ready to back down.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
10. Either NASA lost a rock from Mars, or it disappeared on its own: NASA's Perseverance rover tried to collect its first Mars rock sample a few days ago but came up empty. After it drilled a hole into a rock to collect a sample, the extracted piece seemed to vanish. Now the Mars team is looking for answers.
Today's trivia question: Speaking of female governors, which state was the first to have a gubernatorial election in which both major parties' candidates were women? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at [email protected].
- Yesterday's answer: General Washington inoculated his troops against smallpox. His efforts were risky and the technique incredibly rudimentary, but it ultimately was a big success.