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MORNING REPORT

Thursday, August 31

by Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch

© The Associated Press / Douglas R. Clifford, Tampa Bay Times via AP | Rescue workers looked for people in need of assistance after the Steinhatchee River flooded in Steinhatchee, Fla., on Wednesday as Hurricane Idalia moved across the state.

Biden vows help after Idalia's wreckage

By the time Idalia blew through Georgia and South Carolina from Florida on Wednesday, the roar of an overnight hurricane was a tropical storm with ferocious rain. The remnants moved up the coast overnight to North Carolina, saturating the Southeast while moving offshore (The New York Times).

Idalia prompted dangerous flash flooding in parts of the Tar Heel State and threatened more of the same this morning, according to the National Hurricane Center's update at 5 a.m. ET (CNN).

Idalia on Wednesday briefly strengthened to a major Category 4 threat over the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall as a Category 3 menace. Along the way, rivers jumped their banks, highways became lakes and low-lying areas and homes flooded. Schools and airports closed in Florida. Bridges were impassable. But the repairs and cleanup began within hours as damage assessments continue today.

Pasco County officials confirmed two car crash fatalities were related to Idalia's impact. More than 300,000 customers across four states are without power this morning, according to PowerOutage.us. In Tallahassee, Idalia split a 100-year-old oak tree, which crashed to the ground near the official governor's mansion (WFLA). Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said his family was uninjured. During a televised briefing, he added a warning for would-be looters: "You loot, we shoot" (Fox News).

At the White House Wednesday, President Biden stood with members of his Cabinet and the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pledge federal backing for victims of Idalia's wrath as well as this month's Maui wildfires.

He made clear that he's prepared to blame congressional Republicans if federal funding for natural disaster responses runs out or is interrupted by budget battles or a shutdown. Republicans have criticized how the president and the federal government responded to the Hawaii fires, although officials in the state praised the support they received from the White House (CNN).

The president said the administration supports assistance to states impacted by Idalia as well as the victims of Hawaii's fires, indicating that if Republicans hold up disaster assistance funding he has requested, he will blame Congress and make his case to the public.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said the agency currently has $3.4 billion in its disaster relief fund and is tapping available resources for the hurricane and wildfire emergencies to sustain response efforts beyond the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The White House sent a request for an additional $12 billion for disaster relief funding earlier this month, pairing it with requests for more security aid for Ukraine. Criswell called on Congress to pass that request to ensure emergency relief operations are not affected.

How can we not respond? My God. How can we not respond to these needs?" Biden said. "So I'm confident, even though there's a lot of talk from some of our friends up on the Hill about the cost, we have to do it. This is the United States of America."

The Hill's Niall Stanage, The Memo: Idalia shifts picture from politics. 
The Hill: Climate change is raising the risks of financial disaster for homeowners, insurers and bankers. 
The Hill: Hurricane hazards and rural Florida.

Leading the Day

➤ POLITICS

© The Associated Press / Charlie Neibergall | Miami Republican Mayor Francis Suarez spoke to a sparse crowd at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 11 in Des Moines, Iowa, during his brief presidential campaign.

After the first Republican presidential debate, one question is looming large: How rapidly will the GOP presidential field shrink? As The Hill's Jared Gans reports, longshot Republican candidates who are struggling to raise money and gain traction in the polls may soon follow the path of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a presidential candidate who became the first to halt his bid for the nomination this week. 

Meanwhile, contender and conservative radio host Larry Elder failed to qualify for last week's debate while former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson made it to the stage in Milwaukee but trails frontrunner former President Trump in voter surveys and fundraising. Also lagging in GOP presidential primary polls: Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd. 

FiveThirtyEight: What are Trump's chances of winning the Republican primary? 
The Hill: Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is leaning into his controversial positions as he looks to capture momentum after a fiery performance at the first GOP debate last week, but strategists warn his attention-grabbing moves could backfire on his campaign.
The Wall Street Journal and Axios: Republican Blake Masters, who last year lost his Arizona Senate bid, is set to announce he is running again for the seat currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). The announcement is likely to put him on a collision course with former Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, also rumored to be running.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and his daughter Heather Manchin are pitching major political donors on a nascent effort to promote centrist policies and candidates that is projected to cost more than $100 million — marking the latest twist in the mystery over the West Virginia Democrat's political future (The Wall Street Journal).

Meanwhile, a potential strike at the Big Three automakers in mid-September is about to show whether the "summer of strikes" pushes into the autumn. As The Hill's Tobias Burns reports, United Auto Workers are set to strike by Sept. 14 if they don't reach a deal with Ford, GM and Stellantis, and their endorsement for Biden could prove to be a seal of authenticity on the administration's pro-labor stance. 

"We're focused on winning the best possible contract for our members in 2023, and then we can talk 2024," the union said in a statement provided to The Hill.

The White House has been in touch with the negotiating parties, just as it had been with railroad workers who almost struck last year, as well as with Teamsters who just wrapped a contract negotiation with UPS. Biden has long been a proponent of organized labor, describing himself as the most "pro-union" president ever, and it's a theme that features heavily in his reelection efforts (CNN).

CNN: American Airlines flight attendants vote to authorize a strike.

➤ TRUMP WORLD

Trump told conservative media personality Glenn Beck he would prosecute his political enemies if elected president again in 2024. The former president, also the current front-runner for the GOP nomination for president in 2024, has been indicted four times this year in connection with his personal business dealings, handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election results (The Hill). 

"If you're president again, will you lock people up?" Beck asked.

"Well, I'll give you an example… The answer is you have no choice, because they're doing it to us," Trump said, adding that he "never hit Biden as hard as I could have. I always had such great respect for the office of the president and the presidency … And then I heard he was trying to indict me, and it was him that was doing it."

Bottom line: Trump is casting Biden as a hidden hand behind his legal woes. There is no evidence of personal intervention with the special counsel investigations or any presidential direction to prosecutors "to indict" the former president.

A federal judge Wednesday ruled in favor of two Georgia election workers who sued former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani for defamation (The Hill).

A trial to consider former Trump aide Peter Navarro's refusal to testify before a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack will proceed as planned next week after a judge on Wednesday rejected his claim of protection under presidential executive privilege (The Hill). 

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) asked a judge to find, without a trial, that the former president had fraudulently overvalued his property assets by up to $2.2 billion (The New York Times).

The New York Times: In New Hampshire, Republicans are feuding over whether the 14th Amendment bars Trump from running for president. Other states are watching closely.

In Focus / Sharp Takes

➤ ADMINISTRATION

The White House is warning House Republicans that a potential impeachment inquiry into Biden will only backfire on an already fractured conference, writes The Hill's Alex Gangitano, as the possibility of an impeachment inquiry appears to be growing, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) giving signals recently that one could be launched as soon as September.

Republicans have hammered the White House over allegations of corruption in the form of Hunter Biden's business and lobbying work, but the White House remains steadfastly confident that if the GOP goes forward with an inquiry, one that would center on the Biden family's finances, it will hurt Republicans more than it could hurt Biden.

"This baseless impeachment exercise would be a disaster for congressional Republicans, and don't take our word for it: just listen to the chorus of their fellow Republicans who admit there is no evidence for their false allegations and that pursuing such a partisan stunt will 'backfire,'" White House spokesperson Ian Sams said this week.

NBC News: FBI disrupts cybercrime operation by wiping malicious programs from hundreds of thousands of computers.
The New York Times: Biden makes lower drug prices a cornerstone of his 2024 campaign.
The Associated Press: Millions more workers would be entitled to overtime pay under a proposed Biden administration rule.

The Department of Health and Human Services is formally recommending that the Drug Enforcement Administration ease government restrictions on marijuana, which remains illegal at the federal level even though 40 states allow its use in some form. If the DEA approves the recommendation — classifying cannabis as less harmful than drugs like heroin and LSD — it could lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in savings each year for the marijuana industry, since businesses in the sector are currently prohibited from claiming federal tax deductions on their expenses (NBC News).

CBS News: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) met with members of the Biden administration at the White House on Wednesday to discuss how they can support her state's influx of asylum seekers.

➤ CONGRESS

The Senate gets back to work next week after a long August break and chatter on Wednesday centered on whether Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is physically up to it. 

A second public episode of briefly freezing midsentence while talking to reporters occurred in Kentucky, followed by assurances from aides that McConnell, 81, "feels fine" and was "lightheaded" but would confer with his doctor. His term expires in 2026 (The Associated Press).

At the White House, a reporter asked the president about the senator's health. Biden said he had not seen Wednesday's reports but planned to call his "friend" and longtime former colleague (The Hill). Concerned Republican Senate colleagues also phoned McConnell. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) took a different tack, calling the minority leader "not fit for office," referring to health and aging issues in the Senate and Oval Office (The Hill).

Video of the senator's interactions Wednesday is HERE. Video of a similar episode in the Capitol in July is HERE.

McConnell suffered a concussion in March following a fall and returned to his duties in April. An aide Wednesday raised her voice to address the minority leader moments after McConnell, apparently struggling to hear a reporter's question about whether he will run for another term, asked him to repeat it.

Vox: What we know about McConnell's health and his future in the Senate.
Bloomberg News: McConnell, during a press conference in his home state, stopped, and stared ahead for more than 30 seconds.

Opinion

The case for Trumpless Thursdays, commentary by Joseph Epstein, The Wall Street Journal.
Colleges hide the truth about tuition, by George F. Will, columnist, The Washington Post.
Why a big union is snubbing Biden, doing industry's dirty work and creating an opening for Trump, by Jamie Lincoln Kitman, contributor, Politico magazine.

Where and When

The House will convene for a pro forma session at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Lawmakers return to Washington Sept. 11. 

The Senate is out until Sept. 5 and will hold a pro forma session on Friday at 11:45 a.m. 

The president will receive the President's Daily Brief at 11 a.m. 

Vice President Harris will join Biden for the President's Daily Brief at 11 a.m. 

Economic indicators: The Bureau of Economic Analysis at 8:30 a.m. will report personal income and spending in July. Separately, the Labor Department at 8:30 a.m. will report on claims for unemployment insurance filed in the week ending Aug. 26.

First lady Jill Biden will travel from Illinois to Madison, Wis., where she will participate in a tour of Exact Sciences' laboratory and a 2 p.m. listening session at the Foundation for Black Women's Wellness as part of the administration's "cancer moonshot" initiatives. She will be accompanied by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who is seeking a third term. In Madison at 4:15 p.m., Biden, Baldwin and Gov. Tony Evers (D) will participate in an event hosted by the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers. The trio will later speak during a Democratic finance event in Madison at 5:15 p.m.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will speak at 1 p.m. ET about federal action to respond to the overdose epidemic along with Director of National Drug Control Policy Rahul Gupta and Director of the Centers for Disease Control Mandy Cohen. Over the counter access to the overdose emergency drug Narcan will be widely available next week (NBC News).

The White House daily press briefing is scheduled at 2:30 p.m. 

Elsewhere

➤ INTERNATIONAL

The White House said Wednesday that new intelligence shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have swapped letters as Moscow looks to Pyongyang for munitions to aid its war in Ukraine.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced the latest finding just weeks after the White House said it had determined that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called on North Korean officials to increase the sale of munitions to Moscow during a recent visit to Pyongyang. The Biden administration has repeatedly argued the Kremlin has become reliant on North Korea, as well as Iran, for the arms it needs to fight Ukraine. North Korea and Iran are largely isolated on the international stage for their nuclear programs and human rights records (The Associated Press).

Reuters: The Kremlin says the plane carrying Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin may have been downed on purpose.
The New York Times: New research systematically documents Russian attacks in Ukraine by using one of the most universal elements of the battlefield: the explosions that shook the earth.
The Associated Press: Russia earns less from oil and spends more on war. So far, sanctions are working like a slow poison.

A group of senior military officers in the central African nation of Gabon said Wednesday they were seizing power, overturning the results of a disputed presidential election shortly after the electoral committee announced that President Ali Bongo — whose family has held power in Gabon for more than 50 years — had won another term. Bongo and his family have been accused by critics of abusing their position to accumulate massive amounts of wealth in the oil-right country. Bongo said in a video from his residence that he was under arrest and called on the international community to "make noise" (The Washington Post). Within hours, generals met to discuss who would lead the transition and agreed by unanimous vote to appoint Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, former head of the presidential guard.

The military takeover in Gabon — the eighth in the region since 2020 — comes just weeks after soldiers in West Africa's Niger deposed the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. Hundreds of people celebrated the military's intervention in the streets of the Gabonese capital Libreville, while the United Nations, African Union and France, Gabon's former colonial ruler which has troops stationed there, condemned the coup (Reuters).

The Associated Press: The ousting of Gabon's unpopular leader was a "smokescreen" for soldiers to seize power, analysts say.
Foreign Policy: Is Niger's coup the Sahel's last straw? Calls are growing for Washington to reset its Africa strategy, but old habits die hard.
Bloomberg News: The U.S. Embassy in Haiti is urging U.S. citizens to leave the country as soon as possible amid escalating gang violence and increasingly difficult mobility.
The Hill: The Biden administration has approved the first-ever U.S. military transfer to Taiwan under a program that is generally reserved for sovereign states. 
Reuters: Chinese leader Xi Jinping will likely skip the G-20 summit in India.

The Closer

Take Our Morning Report Quiz

And finally … It's Thursday, which means it's time for this week's Morning Report Quiz! Inspired by the 26th anniversary of Princess Diana's death, we're eager for some smart guesses about the British royals in the U.S.

Be sure to email your responses to asimendinger@thehill.com and kkarisch@thehill.com — please add "Quiz" to your subject line. Winners who submit correct answers will enjoy some richly deserved newsletter fame on Friday.

Who were the first British royals to visit the United States?

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
King George VI and the future Queen Mother
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson

Which president was reported to have been "unimpressed by the palace furnishings and by the Queen's dress and hairstyle" when he visited Buckingham Palace?

Lyndon B. Johnson
Harry S. Truman
John F. Kennedy
Richard Nixon

In 1989, Princess Diana made her first overseas trip without Prince Charles, to New York City. She attended galas, met with politicians and visited a hospital, where she continued her work to destigmatize which illness when she hugged an affected 7-year-old boy?

HIV/AIDS
Lyme disease
Polio
Multiple Sclerosis

After making headlines with their public split from the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, settled down in which U.S. state?