| © Associated Press / Markus Schreiber | President Biden boards AF1, March 25. |
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Back in January, soon after President Biden's Build Back Better agenda died in the Senate but before inflation went from transitory to a three-alarm fire and Russia invaded Ukraine, the president had a political plan. "We're going to be hitting the road," he said. During a midterm year, Biden envisioned getting out of the "bubble" to make a cross-country sales pitch with sharp partisan contrasts: Democrats, he said, are the party that works for people, while Republicans are all about "one man" and "relitigating the past." "Look, we just have to make the case what we're for and what the other team is not for," he said at the time. The president stuck to that plan as the year began and traveled in January to the swing states of Colorado, Georgia and Pennsylvania to tout disaster recovery, voting rights and a pro-union view of the infrastructure law, respectively. In February, he turned to crime fighting and guns in New York City and added events in blue-state Maryland and purple-tinged Virginia to talk up his support for organized labor and Democratic ambitions to lower drug prices. He added two stops in Ohio in February to describe strong job growth and infrastructure spending. He was upbeat when he said his party could still rescue elements of his legislative agenda in Congress. In March, Biden's messages in Minnesota and Wisconsin were similar. He briefly veered into red-state Texas to back military veterans suffering from cancer, but by then, rising inflation — which the government is expected this morning to report climbed to about 8.4 percent as the president swung through those states — became the preeminent problem Americans said they wanted Biden to solve. Today, the president will be in Iowa for the first time since his presidential campaign in 2020 (Des Moines Register). In a state important in any election year — where his job approval numbers mirror his recently lackluster national report cards — Biden will visit an ethanol plant, pledge to use executive tools to throttle inflation, and explain to his audience how Washington is helping rural communities. His salesmanship in North Carolina on Thursday, during another event designed to take advantage of lawmakers' absence from the nation's capital, will sound similar (The Hill). Yet there is scant evidence thus far in polling that the president's revised party-of-the-people economic message, which blames Republicans and Russian President Vladimir Putin for various setbacks, has gained much traction in states where Democrats fervently hope they can defeat GOP candidates in November (CBS News poll). Des Moines Register: Biden in Iowa today will announce the Environmental Protection Agency emergency authority will suspend its ban on the summer sales of gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol. Axios: House GOP sets its sights on Biden country. The Hill: AAA reported that gasoline prices dropped an average of 8 cents in one week, which followed U.S. and other international announcements to release reserve petroleum supplies to try to knock down prices at the pump. The Hill: Here is how sanctions on Russia imposed by Western powers are driving up global commodity prices for food and gasoline. |
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UKRAINE CRISIS: Russia escalated its assaults in eastern Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, launching new rocket attacks against Mariupol after both sides spent days gearing up for what is expected to be some of the most intense fighting of the war. According to The Wall Street Journal, Russia launched new strikes against Ukrainian positions and residential areas in the region. Moscow is redirecting its military assets to the east following its inability this month to seize the capital city of Kyiv. The British Defense Ministry also reported fighting in southern Ukraine near Kherson and Mykolayiv. The Russian Defense Ministry this morning reported missile attacks on ammunition depots and military airfields across Ukraine. On the other side, Kyiv said that Ukrainian forces also rebuffed at least six attacks overnight in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ukrainian forces destroyed four Russian tanks, eight artillery systems, along with a number of planes, helicopters and drones, according to overnight reports. Anticipating Russia's eastern offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued on Monday to ask the West for more weapons and military assistance. Zelensky made a public appeal to South Korea, seeking military equipment rather than additional humanitarian aid. "We thank South Korea for the help you have provided, but to survive from the war with Russia we need more help," Zelensky said. The comments came one day after Zelensky, during an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," asked the U.S. for more weaponry. He made a similar request today to Lithuania, a member of the European Union and NATO, pushing for them to increase economic sanctions against Moscow. Reuters: Concern over possible use of chemical weapons as battle rages in besieged Ukrainian port. The Washington Post: Kyiv comes back to life with a mix of sorrow, dark humor and triumph. Niall Stanage: The Memo: Zelensky battles to hold world's attention as chances of long war rise. Across the Ukrainian border, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met in Moscow with Putin, marking the first face-to-face discussion between the Russian president and a European Union leader since he invaded Ukraine in late February. Putin and Nehammer met for 75 minutes, with the Austrian chancellor saying that he brought up alleged Russia's "serious war crimes" during what he described as a "tough" and unfriendly meeting. "This is not a friendly visit. I have just come from Ukraine and have seen with my own eyes the immeasurable suffering caused by the Russian war of aggression," Nehammer said in a statement (CNN). He added that his primary message to Putin was that "this war needs to end, because in war both sides can only lose" (The Associated Press). The Associated Press: Mariupol mayor says siege has killed more than 10,000 civilians. |
© Associated Press / Steffi Loos | Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Berlin, March 31. |
➤ India: Despite global condemnations of Russian aggression in Ukraine, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has tried to remain neutral, having declined to criticize Russia. The U.S. sought to change that on Monday as Biden tried to talk him off the fence with a virtual discussion of defense cooperation in addition to India's humanitarian support for Ukraine. The world's most populous democracy, India has long been dependent on Moscow for military hardware. However, it imports only about 1 percent to 2 percent of its total oil needs from Russia. India's hesitancy in the relationship with the U.S. dates back decades (The New York Times). The Hill: Five countries the U.S. is trying to sway on Russia. The Hill: Russia installs new general as it prepares next move. |
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👉 INVITATION TODAY: Join The Hill's virtual "The Future of Jobs Summit" at 1 p.m. ET for a discussion moderated by Steve Scully about the future of America's workforce with guests Reps. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) and David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Upwork CEO Hayden Brown, Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Patrick Harker, American Nurses Association President Ernest Grant and more. RSVP HERE. Two years after COVID-19 sparked a work revolution, employers and workers ponder which sectors of the economy will experience the most growth, how companies will stay ahead of the curve and what's ahead for transitioning workers into in-demand jobs. |
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CORONAVIRUS: U.S. COVID-19 cases are rising again, including in the Northeast and Washington, D.C., but the concern among experts and clinicians is more subdued than during previous coronavirus surges because of vaccines, booster doses and antiviral treatments. Administration health officials are encouraging more people to get vaccinated and boosted and to make appropriate decisions about precautions based on their risks of infection and illness amid high transmissible variants, including BA.2 (The Hill). New York state is home to four of the top five metropolitan areas with rising new COVID-19 infections: Syracuse, Ithaca, Utica and Binghamton. Ann Arbor, Mich., is also on the list (The Hill). Philadelphia reinstated an indoor mask mandate for businesses and schools beginning on April 18 because of a surge in confirmed cases (NBC10 Philadelphia). Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who announced last week that she tested positive for COVID-19 without symptoms, announced on Monday that she tested negative and will exit her isolation period today in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University: 985,826. Current average U.S. COVID-19 daily deaths are 500, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ****** POLITICS: What will Mitt Romney do? It's a commonplace question many around the Senate ask on high-profile votes that come to the floor. However, it's also one that's starting to be asked elsewhere, as the Utah Republican has not made a decision amid questions about whether he would be politically viable on the same ticket as former President Trump in 2024. As The Hill's Alexander Bolton writes, the possibility of Romney, 75, deciding against seeking a second term has cropped up following his vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and twice voting to convict Trump on impeachment charges. Notably, Romney was a top recruit of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2018, but whether he can win a second term is in question. The possibility of him being on the same ticket as Trump could bring on a clash this era of the GOP has yet to see, particularly in a red state such as Utah. In addition, while McConnell has almost always supported incumbents, he is also known for wanting the nominee with least amount of drama to emerge, especially in contested races in open primaries. The possibility of Romney being on the same ticket as Trump has drama written all over it. Politico: Wild House GOP primary in West Virginia hinges on roads-and-bridges dollars. ➤ Abortion politics: Republicans are planning for a post-Roe v. Wade universe as they put together a messaging strategy around the upcoming decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, with more legal battles set to play out across the country as well. If the landmark 1973 ruling is overturned, the lion's share of the legal action will surely take place at the state level. However, as The Hill's Emily Brooks points out, a lot of the messaging will fall to congressional Republicans, as the president of the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List told GOP House members at a Republican Study Committee (RSC) lunch last week. According to a messaging memo, the RSC advised members that Roe was "based on outdated science," charged that "the Left disregards the health and safety of women," and emphasized allowing access to home and faith-based childcare. One thing both sides will have to contend with on the messaging front is the potential support levels for the 15-week abortion ban that Mississippi passed in 2018. According to a March poll conducted by The Wall Street Journal, 48 percent of respondents backed the 15-week law, with exemptions to protect the health of the mother. 43 percent opposed it. On the GOP side, 75 percent said that they would support it compared to only 21 percent of Democrats. The Hill: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) warned his party against trying to impeach Biden for "political purposes." The Hill: Abby Finkenauer to challenge ruling keeping her off Democratic primary ballot in Iowa. |
© Associated Press / Patrick Semansky | Supreme Court. |
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The backlash over Trump's Dr. Oz endorsement shows his hold on the GOP Is slipping, by Matt K. Lewis, columnist, Daily Beast. https://bit.ly/3Of47Wv Why American teens are so sad, by Derek Thompson, staff writer, The Atlantic. https://bit.ly/3LWAffn |
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The House meets for a pro forma session on Thursday at 1 p.m. Votes are not scheduled until after the House recess April 26. The Senate convenes for a pro forma session on Thursday at 11 a.m. Senators are in recess for two weeks and return to the Capitol on April 25. The president will receive the President's Daily Brief at 10 a.m. Biden will travel to Menlo, Iowa, to discuss inflation and his administration's policies as they relate to rural communities. Vice President Harris will fly this morning to Philadelphia. She will speak at 5 p.m. at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 training center about the administration's support for unions, accompanied by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. She returns to Washington this evening. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports at 8:30 a.m. on the consumer price index in March. 📺 Hill.TV's "Rising" program features news and interviews at http://thehill.com/hilltv, on YouTube and on Facebook at 10:30 a.m. ET. Also, check out the "Rising" podcast here. |
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➤ FITFAM: Google has announced that the Food and Drug Administration has cleared the Fitbit to use a new feature that will identify atrial fibrillation (AFib). The company said in a statement on Monday that Fitbit's new PPG AFib algorithm feature will assess users' heart rhythms while they're sleeping. It will also include a new feature to alert users if they are suffering from AFib. About 33.5 million people suffer from AFib, and those with the condition are five times more likely to suffer a stroke (The Hill). ➤ BASEBALL: A change could be coming to the top of the Washington Nationals' hierarchy, as the Lerner family is exploring a sale of the team. Mark Lerner, the club's managing principal owner, said in a statement Monday that the family has hired an investment bank to look into potential buyers or investors for the team, calling it an "exploratory process." The family, led by real estate magnate Ted Lerner, 96, has owned the team since 2006 (The Washington Post). |
© Associated Press / John Bazemore | Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner in 2017. |
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And finally … After a Connecticut barn was emptied in 2017 of various canvases and sculptures in preparation to be sold, a mechanic found hundreds of the discarded art pieces in a dumpster — treasure potentially worth millions of dollars and now headed for sale. Artist Francis Hines, who died at age 96 and had used the barn for storage, proved to be a lucky discovery for auto mechanic Jared Whipple, who will reap the windfall. Hines, an abstract expressionist who died in 2016, was known for large pieces shown in New York and elsewhere that featured cloth wrapped around objects. His work has been compared to that of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who became famous for wrapping installations around Europe, including the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. "I pulled it out of this dumpster and I fell in love with it," Whipple said. "I made a connection with it. My purpose is to get Hines into the history books" (The Associated Press and the New Haven Register). |
© Associated Press / Suzanne Vlamis | Washington Square arch covered in fabric, 1980. |
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