| CONGRESS: The feuding between progressive and moderate Democrats shows no sign of letting up as progressives warned Wednesday that they are prepared to sink a minimum wage bill if moderates adopt a Republican amendment ahead of the final vote, expected Thursday. Questions remain what the amendment will be, given that GOP lawmakers are not expected to introduce their measure — known as a motion to recommit — until just before the vote, but progressives are standing tall and demanding that there are no changes. More than anything, progressives are trying to avoid a second loss at the hands of moderates after the $4.6 billion border supplemental three weeks ago (The Hill). “The Progressive Caucus is eager for a strong floor vote raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. We are deeply grateful to the organizers, activists and working people across the country who fought for years to make this vote a reality," said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said in a statement. “It would be a disservice to these families — who put their paychecks on the line to fight for dignity in the workplace — to do anything less than what we’ve promised: a clean vote to raise the minimum wage, for all workers across the country." Progressive lawmakers are also wary of moderates because they have voted for some of the GOP measures of this kind in the past, which are used to try to divide Democrats on certain issues. 
© Getty Images > Budget/debt ceiling: Democratic lawmakers have grown optimistic that a two-year deal to raise the budget caps for military and domestic spending and the debt ceiling will be done by Friday, allowing the House to vote on a package next week before they leave town for the August recess. Pelosi told reporters that a deal is in sight as she continues to negotiate with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the lead negotiator for the administration, who she and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) spoke to shortly before her press conference on Wednesday (The Hill). As Andrew Taylor from The Associated Press writes: “Also driving the negotiations is the threat of cuts averaging 10% to agency accounts, reversing recent gains for the Pentagon and hard-won increases in domestic programs favored by Democrats. Those cuts are the final leftovers of a failed 2011 budget and debt deal negotiated by former President Barack Obama and then-Speaker John Boehner that used the threat of the automatic cuts to try to prompt additional progress on the deficit.” The two sides are not expected to agree to any short-term deal and are unlikely to vote on a clean debt ceiling package by the end of next week, something Mnuchin suggested in a recent letter to congressional leaders in lieu of a budget caps deal. Politico: Senate Republicans pray Trump will take budget deal. The Associated Press: House Democrats, GOP unite to repeal Obama health care tax. > Legislative filibuster: Talk of nixing the legislative filibuster is gaining steam among Senate Democrats, especially after Schumer opened the door to getting rid of the higher threshold if Democrats retake the Senate next year and win the presidency, telling reporters that "nothing is off the table." Progressives view keeping the filibuster as a death knell for major priorities like “Medicare for All” and climate change legislation, but it remains unknown what the appetite is within the conference as a whole to make the change. Striking the legislative filibuster would require 51 votes (The Hill). The Hill: Democrats warm to idea of studying reparations. The Hill: House votes to block Trump’s arms sale to Saudi Arabia. The Hill: The House voted on Wednesday night to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for flouting subpoenas. The two Cabinet members wrote to Pelosi before the vote seeking without success to delay it to continue negotiations. The White House in a statement assailed the House Democrats’ action as “ridiculous and yet another lawless attempt to harass” Trump and the administration. Ross called the House vote a “PR stunt” that was “unnecessary.” Reuters: Schumer asks FBI, FTC to probe Russia’s FaceApp over security concerns.
Roll Call: Dems appear stymied on a top priority: climate legislation. The Associated Press: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blocks bill to boost 9/11 victims fund. *** MORE 2020 POLITICS & CAMPAIGNS: Senate Republicans received a boost Wednesday as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo left the door ajar to leaving the State Department to run for the Senate in Kansas, raising hopes that the party can keep the seat in GOP hands next year. Pompeo admitted in a radio interview with KCMO in Kansas City that he has spent time thinking about a possible run, albeit not as much as some other GOP politicos, and that he will “always leave open the possibility that something will change.” The comments came months after he said publicly that he had ruled out a run (The Hill). “I do see this from time to time,” Pompeo said of rumors that he could run. “There is a lot more people talking about this and spending time on it than Susan and I are spending time thinking about it. Look, we love Kansas, but I am very focused on my mission serving America and President Trump as the secretary of State. That’s my mission and as I think I’ve said a couple of times, I intend to do this so long as President Trump wants me to be engaged in this activity.” “I would have never dreamed that I’d be the secretary of State even a year before I became the director of the CIA, a year before that,” he continued. “And so, I always leave open the possibility that something will change and my path in life will change, too, but my mission set is really very clear.” Talk of a Pompeo run has heated up since Kris Kobach announced a run to replace retiring Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.). Kobach is considered unelectable by national Republicans after his loss in the Kansas governor race in 2018. 
© Getty Images > “Medicare for All”: Sanders took aim at Biden on Wednesday as he issued a passionate defense of Medicare for All and tried to draw a line in the sand between the two heavyweights in the 2020 Democratic primary field. In his speech, Sanders called for his Democratic primary opponents to reject campaign contributions from health insurance and drug companies. The remark was viewed as a veiled shot at Biden, who has held large-dollar fundraisers with wealthy contributors from the health care industry. “Now is not the time for tinkering around the edges, and now is not the time for taking money and large campaign contributions from the insurance companies and drug companies,” Sanders said at George Washington University. The comments also came days after Biden laid down his marker on health care, calling for the preservation and expansion of the Affordable Care Act, namely by creating a public option to allow consumers to sign up for Medicare if they are unhappy with their private insurance. The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board: Biden goes halfway to BernieCare. ABC News: Sanders accepted pharma executives’ donations prior to new pledge. The Wall Street Journal: 2020 spotlight shines on lawmakers in early primary states. The Los Angeles Times: The next Democratic debate will have a new face: Montana Gov. Steve Bullock. Mark Leibovich, The New York Times Magazine: Buttigieg is still figuring this out. Rahm Emanuel: No, the Democratic Party has not lurched left. | 
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