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MORNING REPORT

Monday, July 31

by Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch

Two faces of Trump's sway

Former President Trump's aides and former advisers have described their time in his orbit as either the best of times, or the worst.

Facing serious criminal charges, those differing perspectives are in stark relief.

As The New York Times reports, Trump has a reputation for plucking subordinates from estimable careers, trouble or obscurity and offering the benefits of influence, advancement or power — and, by extension, a sense of obligation to him. He measures relationships in terms of leverage and stews over those who are loyal, or not. Those opportunities and obligations sometimes come with a cost, as Trump's personal valet, Walt Nauta, as well as a Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira discovered as they face Justice Department charges in the ongoing classified documents case.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accuses the government of election interference amid his bid to return to the White House in 2025. De Oliveira, who faces four charges, is scheduled to be arraigned today in Miami (The Washington Post).

The former president's current political team is creating a legal defense fund to take on some of the bills faced by accused co-conspirators and others, to be paid out of the Save America PAC that supports Trump's campaign, according to the Times.

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who went to prison for actions he took to help his former boss, advised Nauta and De Oliveira, both of whom are now in Justice's crosshairs with Trump, to "run" (The Hill).

He's not going to pay for the attorney," Cohen said last week during a CNN interview. "You may have just seen that with the settlement that I just was engaged in. He's not going to pay for it unless you stay on message. And if you stay on message, you will end up behind bars. There's no doubt about it."

NBC News reached out to 44 of the dozens of people who served in Trump's Cabinet over his four years in office to gauge their outlook on the 2024 GOP White House race. Most declined to comment or ignored the requests for comment. A total of four have said publicly they support Trump's bid for reelection. One is Mark Meadows, a former North Carolina congressman who was Trump's final White House chief of staff. Several have been coy about where they stand, stopping short of endorsing the former president and others actively oppose his bid for the GOP nomination (one example is former Attorney General William Barr) or are adamant that they don't want him back in power.

The pending criminal charges against Trump put a spotlight on the government's efforts to present evidence of "consciousness of guilt," according to legal experts who suggest such evidence could influence a jury about Trump's state of mind (The Hill). The government alleges that Trump was personally involved in directing deletion of Mar-a-Lago security footage one day after prosecutors flagged plans to subpoena security camera video on the estate tied to White House records taken to Florida.

On the flip side of Trump's legal entanglements is the political influence Republicans believe the former president adds to Senate primaries using the reach of his megaphone (The Hill and The Associated Press). The former president on Saturday publicly pressed House Republicans to help punish his political foes, including President Biden (The Associated Press).

2024 roundup: A high-profile Alabama redistricting case is headed back to court. Voting rights advocates on Friday accused state Republicans of flouting a judicial mandate to create a second majority-Black district and enacting a map that continues to discriminate against Black voters in the state (The Associated Press). …The White House has taken direct and unabashed aim at House Republicans and the GOP as Biden leans into his reelection narrative (The Hill). … In the GOP presidential primary, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is emerging as a breakout star. Where will the contest take him? (The Hill). … Republican Gov. Doug Burgum defended his presidential campaign's gift-card giveaway fundraising technique during a Fox News Sunday interview. The strategy attracted media attention and helped the candidate secure a spot in the upcoming first GOP debate (Politico). … High-school boys have been trending more conservative than liberal in their views (The Hill).

CNN: GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie on Sunday: "By the time we get on the debate stage on Aug. 23, the frontrunner will be out on bail in four different jurisdictions, Florida, Washington, Georgia, and New York."
The Associated Press: Florida judge throws out Trump's defamation suit against CNN.
The Hill and The Associated Press: Here are the Republicans who have met requirements for the first GOP debate on Aug. 23.
The Washington Post: Trump dominates in the Sunshine State.
The Hill: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis faces backlash from Black conservatives

Leading the Day

➤ CONGRESS

The House and Senate are in recess until September, leaving a stack of unfinished government funding bills for members to return to in the fall.

The House, wrestling with GOP discord about spending levels for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, will have 12 legislative days in September to approve the remaining 11 appropriations measures after the House last week passed funding for military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Senate is going in a different direction than the House with higher federal spending levels, which puts GOP appropriators in a bind.

Going into the recess, the House Republicans who craft the conference's government funding bills are showing signs of frustration as hard-line conservatives pressure leadership for further cuts to spending that some worry could be too aggressive. The Hill's Aris Folley and Mychael Schnell write that some of the 12 Appropriations subcommittee chairs — the so-called cardinals — told reporters that they are struggling to see where those additional cuts could come from, as September's shutdown deadline looms.

"We've done a lot of cuts, a lot of cuts," House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-Texas) told The Hill this week. "And so if it's cuts just for cuts' sake, I don't agree with it. But if it's something that we can do without, that's fine."

One of the biggest hurdles facing lawmakers will be the appropriations bills to fund the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which are tied up in the House amid disagreements over abortion and spending levels. As The Hill's Nathaniel Weixel reports, GOP leaders scuttled a vote planned for Friday on legislation funding the FDA and the Department of Agriculture after moderate Republicans objected to a provision that would reverse the FDA's decision to allow the abortion pill mifepristone drug to be dispensed through the mail and in retail pharmacies.

Both FDA and HHS funding bills face a major fight in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where the Appropriations Committee has already passed its own version by near unanimous margins, owing to an agreement by Democratic and Republican leaders not to insert "poison pill" amendments.

Roll Call: Recess arrives with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) touting contrast with the House.
The Washington Post: An "institution guy" in the House, Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) is fed up.
The New York Times: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), hoodie and all, is adjusting to life in the Senate.

Senate GOP leaders didn't want it to get to this point. They tried and tried to get Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) to lift the holds he's placed on hundreds of military promotions over the Pentagon's abortion policy — which have opened Republicans up to attacks from the Biden administration. But their efforts have failed, and they are now in a situation where the earliest a resolution might be found is September, when lawmakers will also be busy trying to avoid a government shutdown. As The Hill's Al Weaver reports, one Senate Republican said finding an offramp agreeable to both Tuberville and those opposed to the holds has become a "recurring discussion" in the Senate GOP conference, and that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been personally involved in that quest.

"There's not a lunch that goes by that we don't talk about it," the senator said, but added there's "no chance of a resolution" any time soon.

Meanwhile, two high-profile incidents in quick succession involving McConnell and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) have put the issue of aging politicians front and center, The Hill's Niall Stanage writes in The Memo, but the questions raised around mental capacity and fitness for office have no easy answers. Proposals that might begin to address the issue, such as term limits or cognitive tests beyond a certain age, confront an instant Catch-22. In order to be enacted, they need the support of politicians who might be negatively impacted by them.

"I think some of what drives these people to stay on forever is a personal power thing that they can't let go of," progressive strategist Jonathan Tasini said. "The second thing that drives this, though, is the staff. I think what really gets ignored is how the staff cover for people who clearly can't function, because they themselves don't want to lose their power."

The Hill: McConnell's health scare puts a focus on the shadow race to replace him.
CNN: McConnell's office says he will serve through 2024 as GOP leader.
The Hill: Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) questions if McConnell will lead the Senate GOP conference after the current Congress.

🛸 A bipartisan group of House Oversight Committee lawmakers say a high-profile hearing on UFOs last week is just the start of their push for answers, and they are threatening to use heavier handed tactics if the Pentagon and intelligence agencies stand in their way. As The Hill's Ellen Mitchell reports, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) want more information on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) — commonly referred to as UFOs — beginning with the creation of a select committee. The lawmakers said they are willing to use subpoena power if needed to get the answers they're seeking from the federal government.

➤ ADMINISTRATION

The IRS is getting ready to go after what it calls "large, complex partnerships" as part of its push to pursue wealthy tax cheats with tens of billions of dollars in additional funding. The agency plans to double audit coverage for partnerships with $10 million or more in assets by fiscal year 2025 over fiscal 2021 levels. But as The Hill's Tobias Burns reports, new research from the government's internal watchdog finds that the specific types of legal and commercial structures the IRS is targeting need to be more clearly defined in order to recoup the uncollected funds.

"IRS has not defined or developed guidance on what a large, complex partnership is or developed measures to ensure additional audits focus on such partnerships," the Government Accountability Office (GAO) wrote in a report released Thursday.

NPR: The IRS will no longer knock on doors unannounced.
CNBC: House lawmakers scrutinize pandemic-era small business tax break expert calls "fraught with fraud."

Following the deaths of multiple wild horses during public land roundups in Nevada this summer, activists are pressing for urgent change in the ways the federal government controls the West's sprawling equine population, The Hill's Sharon Udasin reports. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducts these "gathers" to both protect horse health and prevent "unnecessary degradation of public lands," using helicopters to wrangle the animals into a corral and then onto a trailer.

Activists have been fighting the gather and removal process for years, arguing that the practice is harmful to animal welfare and that the noise from the choppers terrifies the horses. From July 9-24 alone, Laura Leigh, founder of the Nevada-based nonprofit organization Wild Horse Education, and her team counted at least 19 wild horses that died during roundups in the eastern Nevada Antelope Complex-South and Antelope Complex-North gathers. By Thursday, they said the death toll was up to 21. "This is probably the worst roundup I've seen in a very, very, very long time," Leigh told The Hill.

In Focus / Sharp Takes

➤ INTERNATIONAL

Russia has entered a dangerous new phase of its war against Ukraine since it exited the Black Sea grain deal earlier this month, weaponizing global food exports, stepping up attacks on Ukrainian ports and cities and increasing the risk of spillover into NATO countries. But as The Hill's Laura Kelly reports, the escalation is unlikely to deter the U.S. and allies from following through on delivering F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles to Ukraine in the coming months, which Moscow has repeatedly warned against. Since pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal July 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin has targeted attacks on Ukraine's southern city of Odesa, damaging the seaport and grain storage facilities and hitting residential and historical buildings, including an Orthodox cathedral.

The grain deal, negotiated by the United Nations and Turkey, allowed for the export of Ukrainian grain through a Russian blockade on the Black Sea. Like many of the farmers who live near Odesa, Tetiana Lazarova told the Washington Post she is convinced that Moscow's attacks on the port and its agriculture sector are aimed at extracting maximum pain following Putin's decision to terminate the grain deal.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday he expects Russia to resume its attacks on his country's energy system once cold weather returns later this year, and he vowed to do everything possible to protect the power grid. Nearly 40 percent of the Ukrainian energy system was damaged in Russian missile and drone strikes over the past winter (Reuters). Kyiv brought the war into the heart of Russia again Sunday with drone attacks that Russian authorities said damaged two office buildings a few miles from the Kremlin and a pig breeding complex on the countries' border (The Associated Press and BBC). Russian missiles slammed into the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih today, killing at least one person and likely trapping others beneath rubble (The Associated Press).

The Associated Press: African leaders leave Russia summit without a grain deal or a path to end the war in Ukraine.
Reuters: Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a voice message that his Wagner group is not currently recruiting fighters but may do so in the future.
Politico EU: No cease-fire while Ukraine is on the offensive, Putin declares.
The Wall Street Journal: America's military trails Russia and China in the race for the melting Arctic. The U.S. is competing with a partnership between the two countries, but has fewer icebreakers and ports and less experience.

West African countries have imposed sanctions on Niger's new military leaders, threatening to use force if they fail to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum within a week, after the latest coup in the Sahel region raised alarm on the continent. In the third coup in as many years to topple a leader in the region, Niger's elected president Bazoum — a Western ally — has been held by the military since Wednesday. The military junta that seized power last week said today that the toppled government had authorized France to carry out strikes at the presidency to try to free Bazoum. (Al Jazeera and Reuters). Meanwhile thousands of supporters of the junta marched through the capital, Niamey, on Sunday waving Russian flags and denouncing former colonial power France. Russian mercenary group Wagner is already operating in neighboring Mali, and Putin would like to expand his country's influence in the region, but it is unclear yet whether the new leaders are going to move toward Moscow or stick with Niger's Western partners (NPR).

France and the European Union cut off financial support to Niger over the weekend. In a statement, France called for the "immediate return to the Nigerien constitutional order" adding to the mounting international pressure on the coup plotters (CNN). The United States is also poised to cut off assistance to Niger if Bazoum is not restored to office, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday, warning that the military ouster could have painful ramifications for its citizens. The declaration was the clearest sign yet the United States was readying to pull back contacts with a nation the Biden administration had held up as a hopeful example of democratic transition (The Washington Post).

The New York Times: A climate warning from the cradle of civilization.
The Washington Post: Turkey's earthquakes turned this town into "nothing." Can it be saved?
NBC News: Suspected suicide bombing in Pakistan kills at least 55, injures 135 more at a political rally.

Opinion

Hunter Biden, FARA and unequal justice, by The Wall Street Journal editorial board.
What Jack Smith knows, by Gary J. Bass, guest essayist, The New York Times.
Russia's warmongers are turning against Putin, by Maksym Skrypchenko, opinion contributor, The Hill.

Where and When

The House will convene at 3 p.m. on Tuesday for a pro forma session. Lawmakers return to Washington on Sept. 11. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hear testimony behind closed doors today from Devon Archer, a former Hunter Biden associate who will discuss business dealings years ago in Ukraine (ABC News).

The Senate is out until Sept. 5 and will hold a pro forma session on Tuesday at 12:15 p.m.

The president has no public schedule and is spending the week on vacation at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Vice President Harris's recent interview from Iowa with ABC News airs today.

Elsewhere

➤ HEALTH & WELLBEING

The first 10 drugs selected for Medicare price negotiation, to be announced by Sep. 1, will set the stage for unprecedented government action regulating drug costs, with billions of dollars at stake and scores of patients standing to benefit. Once the initial batch of drugs chosen for negotiations are announced, the years-long negotiation process — currently being challenged in courts — will kick off. The manufacturers of the drugs picked by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will have one month to send in their agreements saying they will engage in the negotiation process.

Those who don't agree to negotiate, and the spate of lawsuits makes it clear that many don't, will have to contend with ending their lucrative relationships with Medicare or facing heavy excise taxes. CMS has given no indication as to what drugs will make the first round, but The Hill's Joseph Choi reports on those who have already speculated which will make the list.

The Associated Press: Paperwork problems drive surge in people losing Medicaid health coverage.
CNN: Most states received a D or F grade on maternal mental health. It could get worse.
The Hill: Why is hazing so hard to eliminate?

The Closer

And finally … 🪱 Ancient worms, revived from permafrost to wriggle and reproduce. Akin to science fiction, right?

The New York Times reports that buried deep in Siberia's cold 46,000 years ago, a minuscule pair of roundworms got the Big Chill. Millennia later, thawed out of the ice, the worms were their old selves, demonstrating to scientists that bygone critters (late Pleistocene era, to be precise) could be dormant and then reawakened in water. Along with the rest of a warming planet, Siberia's ice has been melting for years. The roundworm discovery was published last week in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Genetics.

Nematode DNA is cut out for the cryptobiotic state, and while there are no current practical applications of the discovery, scientists say they are patient.

"The major take-home message or summary of this discovery is that it is, in principle, possible to stop life for more or less an indefinite time and then restart it," said Teymuras Kurzchalia, a professor emeritus at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Germany.