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Biden hitting the road?

After a summer vacation largely out of public view, President Biden is kicking off his Building a Better America Tour with a rally in Maryland Thursday night, followed by a fundraiser for the Democratic Party.

"The President loves to go out there and meet with the American people," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. "He wants to be out there and travel as much as possible. He has something that he wants to say and let the American people know that we have done."

The messaging could prove crucial as Democrats try to maintain majorities in the House and Senate.

Previewing his Thursday night speech and overall theme of the tour, Jean-Pierre said the president plans to tout accomplishments and lay out the priorities moving forward.

"He'll say that they have taken on special interest and won — that's what Democrats have done," she said. "This is what you've seen these past several weeks in particular," she added, saying the party is "still fighting" to protect abortion access, school safety and voting rights.

"Democrats, as we know, have a lot to talk about," she continued. "They have delivered for the American people, and especially as we've seen the last the last couple of weeks."

We chatted with The Hill White House correspondent Morgan Chalfant for some more insight.

NotedDC: What should we expect with the Building a Better America Tour in the coming months?

MC: The White House's aim with this tour is to promote the administration's accomplishments — namely the Inflation Reduction Act, the semiconductor bill and other legislative victories — and draw a contrast with Republicans. The White House wants to brand Republicans as the party aligned with "special interests" by tying them to the pharmaceutical industry and other detractors of the newly signed climate, health care and tax package.

NotedDC: It was previously announced: What has taken so long for the Better America tour to get rolling? Or was this the anticipated timeline?

MC: Some Cabinet members have made trips related to the promotion of the Biden agenda — Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, for instance, recently swung through California to promote the bipartisan infrastructure law — but we haven't seen much of President Biden since he signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law primarily because he's been on his summer vacation.

That will change with [the] big pre-midterm event tonight. Biden is scheduled to headline a Democratic National Committee rally in Maryland, where he'll promote his agenda and offer a preview of his message in this last two-month stretch before the midterms.

NotedDC: Is President Biden expected to actively campaign for many individual candidates this fall or do you get the sense that some are shying away because of his polling? [Catch up on this issue with this story from The Hill's Brett Samuels and Alex Gangitino.]

MC: I think the president will get out there on the trail, and the White House has made clear he wants to interact more with people throughout the country. When it comes to Democratic candidates being willing to appear with him, it's a bit of a mixed bag.

There are plenty who have embraced the president — Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist is one who praised Biden in recent days and said he would welcome the president to campaign in Florida. But others in tough races have seemed to try to create more distance. The president has racked up some significant legislative wins and his poll numbers seem to be turning around for the better, so that could change some candidates' perspectives.

Welcome to NotedDC: Your guide to politics, policy and people of consequence in D.C. Have some news, juicy gossip, insight or other insider info? Send us tips: Elizabeth Crisp and Kelsey Carolan.

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White House limited on abortion fight

The Biden administration has vowed to keep up the fight for abortion access as more states continue to ban the procedure.

But for some advocates, the White House hasn't done all it could do yet.

About two dozen demonstrators gathered outside the White House earlier this week, calling on President Biden to declare abortion access a public health emergency.

Sadie Kuhns, facilitator for Our Rights DC, says the group will hold such demonstrations monthly until the Biden takes action.

Such a move, she told Noted DC, "would say to me that the government isn't giving up on this. He has the ability to do this, and he should show he cares about this issue to the people who elected him."

Where things stand: Seventeen states have banned or drastically restricted abortion access to date: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

Presidential action: Biden has signed two executive orders on abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision earlier this summer. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that the administration will take further action but didn't elaborate. Biden hasn't ruled out a public health emergency.

"Americans across the country and of all backgrounds agree that women should have the right to make their own personal health care decisions and to receive life-saving medical care, without interference from politicians, and the President will continue to take action to protect women's access to lifesaving health care," Jean-Pierre said Thursday.

Until then, the demonstrators will keep showing up.

"We need to protect people," Kuhns said. "Joe Biden and Congress can show they stand with us and they deserve our votes."

"What we want to see is action," she added.

Several Democratic lawmakers also have penned letters to Biden urging him to declare an emergency.

What a health emergency declaration would mean: Declaring an emergency would provide more flexibility for the federal government. In the case of abortion access, it could be wielded to provide federal resources to make it easier for people to travel to other states to terminate pregnancies if the procedure is banned in their own state.

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TRUMP-MCCONNELL FEUD ESCALATES

Former President Trump's rhetoric against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is escalating, putting on display the growing divide between the two GOP factions.

Trump has been on a tear against McConnell after the Kentucky Republican criticized the quality of this year's GOP Senate candidates — many of whom Trump endorsed or even hand-picked — now calling for McConnell to be booted from his post as minority leader.

Between the lines: McConnell has not rushed to Trump's side following the FBI's search of his Florida estate, unlike House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), showcasing the splintering of the party. If Trump runs again in 2024, it's unlikely McConnell would be a strong supporter, though he has indicated he would vote for whomever becomes the Republican nominee.

Nearing midterms: McConnell hasn't shown enthusiasm for many of Trump's endorsed Senate candidates, including Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, Herschel Walker in Georgia and Blake Masters in Arizona, all of whom are lagging in the polls.

But as our colleagues Mike Lills and Emily Brooks reported Thursday, House Republicans will land closer to Trump's views next year since many of those poised to win in November have embraced the former president. If the GOP takes control of the House, it will make legislating much more difficult for President Biden and more moderate factions of the GOP.

The feud, which kicked into high gear following the attack at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is also turning personal after Trump attacked McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, who served as the secretary of Transportation in his Cabinet.

"He should spend more time (and money!) helping them get elected, and less time helping his crazy wife and family get rich on China," Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to how Chao previously used her department staff to help her family business, which does business in China.

McConnell, not responding to the attack, seems reluctant to give more attention to Trump.

Remember: Trump has used this playbook to attack other opponents within his party before, such as when he retweeted an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz, the wife of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), as the two battled it out for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.

The White House's latest staff shakeup

As the Biden administration prepares for the last stretch before midterms, the press team got shifted around, once again.

Our colleague Brett Samuels reports on the trio of changes:

Olivia Dalton will serve as principal deputy press secretary, previously serving as a spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
Kate Berner will be promoted to principal deputy communications director from her previous role as deputy communications director.
Herbie Ziskend will fill Berner's former post as deputy communications director, previously seving in Vice President Harris's office.

Why these changes are significant: "The new staff members cap off months of changes within the White House communications operation that started in May with the departure of former press secretary Jen Psaki. Since then, roughly a half dozen press staffers have departed the White House, most of them for other jobs in the administration," Samuels said.

Who is helping Dems campaign?

Former President Obama will appear at a fundraiser in September to help Democrats in their fight to keep control of Congress.

Our colleague Caroline Vakil obtained a copy of the invite. Here are the deets:

He will join Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, in a conversation in New York on Sept. 8.
General reception is $25,000 per person while a VIP reception and photo line is $50,000.

And California Gov. Gavin Newsom threw $100,000 behind Rep. Charlie Crist (D) in his bid to oust Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

It's a new level in the Newsom-DeSantis feud. In July, Newsom launched an ad targeting DeSantis and other GOP lawmakers for legislation targeting LGBTQ and voting rights, abortion and critical race theory.

FIRST IN THE HILL — GOP GOES AFTER SEN. PATTY MURRAY

Washington Sen. Patty Murray (D) is being hit by a six-figure digital ad buy over the issue of crime, our colleague Julia Manchester scooped on Thursday.

The Republican group Winning for Women Action Fund is boosting Murray's Republican opponent Tiffany Smiley in the ad, casting Murray as "turning her back on law enforcement."

And what's more telling of how Republicans will deflect Democrats' abortion attacks, Smiley launched another ad Thursday painting herself as less extreme on the issue.

"Patty Murray has spent millions to paint me as an extremist. I'm pro-life, but I oppose a federal abortion ban," Smiley says in the ad.

The Cook Political Report ranks the race as "solid Democrat."

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