Tipsheet: Fight for black voters intensifies as Biden struggles

View in your browser     The Memo: Fight for black voters intensifies as Biden struggles BY NIALL STANAGE  The battle for black support in the Democratic primary has broken wide open — and that’s bad news for former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden had shot out to a lead in early polling, in large part because of his strong standing in the black community.  But that backing has weakened in the wake of a first debate in Miami that saw Biden come under pressure from Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) over his opposition to federally-mandated busing and his affection for two now-deceased segregationist senators. Read the full story here     2020 Democrats use July 4 to storm early contest states BY JULIA MANCHESTER Democratic presidential hopefuls will be criss-crossing Iowa and New Hampshire on Thursday, using a series of appearances at Independence Day events to try to inject momentum for their campaigns in a highly volatile race.  Read the full story here     DOJ reverses, says it's trying to find ways to include citizenship question on 2020 census BY JACQUELINE THOMSEN  A lawyer with the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Wednesday that agency officials have been ordered to determine whether there is a way the administration can include a citizenship question on the 2020 census, hours after a tweet from President Trump raised confusion over the status of the question. Read the full story here     Trump's Independence Day salute: Five things to watch BY BRETT SAMUELS  The president is promising “the show of a lifetime,” but the event is facing criticism from Democrats and advocates for national parks who say the celebration will focus more on Trump than the holiday at an exorbitant cost for taxpayers. Read the full story here       9th Circuit rejects Trump admin request to allow use of military funds for border wall BY JACQUELINE THOMSEN    The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s request to temporarily halt a lower court order blocking the diversion of military funds for a border wall. Read the full story here     Democrats decry use of park fees for Trump's July 4 event as 'slush fund' BY MIRANDA GREEN AND REBECCA BEITSCH  Democratic lawmakers and environmental activists are sharply criticizing plans by the Trump administration to reportedly use $2.5 million in National Park Service (NPS) maintenance funds to help cover the cost of President Trump’s “Salute to America” event on Independence Day. Read the full story here     Jon Stewart, Ocasio-Cortez and hundreds of others attend funeral of 9/11 first responder Luis Alvarez BY REBECCA KLAR Hundreds of people reportedly gathered to say goodbye and pay respects to Luis Alvarez, an NYPD detective and 9/11 first responder who advocated through the end of his life for a bill to protect funds for his fellow first responders.  Read the full story here     Trump dismisses furor over conditions for migrants BY BRETT SAMUELS  In a series of tweets, Trump credited Border Patrol with doing a "great job" and going "above and beyond." He blamed Democrats and existing immigration laws for ongoing issues at the border. Read the full story here     Poll: 45 percent of Americans say Trump should be impeached BY TAL AXELROD  Just under half of Americans say President Trump should be impeached as House Democrats continue to grapple with how to most effectively utilize their oversight powers over the White House. Read the full story here     Appeals court places Trump abortion referral ban on hold BY JUSTIN WISE  The federal appeals court said Wednesday that a panel of 11 judges would reconsider the bevy of lawsuits filed by states and civil rights groups challenging the plans.  Read the full story here     July 4 is a reminder of what America should be—but isn't, under Trump BY MARIA CARDONA Opinion | Independence Day should be a celebration of who we are as a nation and the ideals we hold dear. Sadly, this year it will be a reminder of how those values have been denigrated by the people entrusted to uphold and protect them – the president of the United States and members of his administration. Read the full story here     How to unite the nation once more BY STEVE ISRAEL Opinion | Every so often in history, our Fourth of July celebrations are eclipsed by historic and crippling divisions. Think July 4, 1968, nearly a month after the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy, in a burning summer of protests culminating in the riotous Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Or think even further back to July 4, 1863, when two American armies left a blood soaked field in Gettysburg with 50,000 casualties. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Inside the effort to build suspense — and crowds — for Trump’s Fourth of July By Juliet Eilperin, Josh Dawsey, Ashley Parker and Dan Lamothe As President Trump’s appointees have worked doggedly to assemble the most ambitious and costly Fourth of July ceremony the nation’s capital has ever seen, they have been guided by one overriding principle: It cannot be a repeat of his 2017 inauguration. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: For U.S. Military Drones, Airspace Is Growing More Congested, Dangerous By Ben Kesling Unmanned U.S. surveillance aircraft, with their suites of advanced technology, are the high-price product of years of domestic drone development during an era of nearly uncontested airspace. Read the full story here     CNN: Military chiefs have concerns about politicization of Trump's July 4th event By Madeline Holcombe and Sheena Jones Military chiefs have concerns about the politicization of President Donald Trump's July 4 event, a source with direct knowledge told CNN. Read the full story here     New York Times: How A.I. Helped Improve Crowd Counting in Hong Kong Protests By Phil McCausland Crowd estimates for Hong Kong’s large pro-democracy protests have been a point of contention for years. The organizers and the police often release vastly divergent estimates. This year’s annual pro-democracy protest on Monday, July 1, was no different. Organizers announced 550,000 people attended; the police said 190,000 people were there at the peak. Read the full story here     NBC News: Baked Alaska: Record-high temperatures expected during 'unusual' heat wave By CATHERINE LUCEY and ZEKE MILLER Alaska could experience record high temperatures in the coming days as a massive heat dome parks over the region, sending temperatures higher than have ever been recorded in the state. Read the full story here   Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.