Post Politics Now: Biden Heading To Puerto Rico To Survey Storm Damage Will Visit Fla. On Wednesday
Post Politics Now: Biden Heading To Puerto Rico To Survey Storm Damage, Will Visit Fla. On Wednesday https://digitalarkansasnews.com/post-politics-now-biden-heading-to-puerto-rico-to-survey-storm-damage-will-visit-fla-on-wednesday/
Today, President Biden is heading to Puerto Rico on his first of two trips scheduled this week to hurricane-damaged communities. On Wednesday, he plans to visit Florida. While in Puerto Rico, Biden will announce more than $60 million in federal funding to shore up levees, strengthen flood walls and create a new flood warning system to help the island better prepare for storms. Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18, knocking out power across the U.S. territory.
Congress is in recess until after the November midterm elections. The Supreme Court is starting a new term. And opening arguments are scheduled in the trial of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and other members of the extremist group who face seditious conspiracy and other charges in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
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10:10 a.m. Eastern time: Biden departs the White House en route to Puerto Rico. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters on board Air Force One. Listen live here.
2:30 p.m. Eastern: Biden receives a briefing and delivers remarks in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Watch live here.
3:30 p.m. Eastern: Biden visits a school in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Got a question about politics? Submit it here. After 3 p.m. Eastern weekdays, return to this space and we’ll address what’s on the mind of readers.
Noted: Larry Summers has Biden’s ear — but not always his support
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President Biden spent more than an hour in the Oval Office in late August with former treasury secretary Larry Summers, prompting some aides to marvel that he had granted such a lengthy audience to a combative economist who had assailed the economic management by Biden and the Federal Reserve as the “least responsible” in four decades.
The Post’s Jeff Stein and Tyler Pager report that the meeting set off fresh speculation inside the White House about the influence of what some aides jokingly call Biden’s “shadow” director of the National Economic Council — a position actually held by Brian Deese — and the uncertain stature of Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen, who has sometimes struggled to get Biden to back her recommendations.
Analysis: House GOP whip race heats up in weeks before midterms
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Congress has left Washington to campaign ahead of the midterm elections and while the main focus is on winning as many seats as possible, the behind-the-scenes race for leadership positions is also in full gear.
Writing in The Early 202, The Post’s Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theodoric Meyer say that on the Republican side, the top two positions are probably set, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) running unopposed for speaker if Republicans regain the House and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the minority whip, running unopposed for majority leader.
On our radar: Biden to announce $60 million in storm preparedness funding in Puerto Rico
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President Biden, during a trip Monday to see hurricane damage in Puerto Rico, plans to announce more than $60 million in federal funding to shore up levees, strengthen flood walls and create a new flood warning system to help the island better prepare for storms.
The Post’s Matt Viser reports that the funding will come from money allocated through the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that Congress approved last year, according to a White House official. Per Matt:
The president and first lady Jill Biden will meet with families and community leaders affected by Hurricane Fiona. They will also participate in a community service project to help pack bags with food and other essential items — a portion of the visit that could evoke contrasting images with President Donald Trump’s trip in 2017, when he tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd in San Juan after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria.
Biden will also receive a briefing on recovery efforts during the trip, and he will be joined by Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
You can read Matt’s full story here.
On our radar: As TV doctor, Mehmet Oz provided platform for questionable products and views
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As a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is putting his medical background and his popular TV show at the center of his campaign pitch.
The Post’s Colby Itkowitz and Lenny Bernstein report that at a recent town hall in a Philadelphia suburb, he said his approach to medicine and politics is similar: “If you teach people on television or whatever forum you use, they actually begin to use the information and they begin to change what they do in their lives. I want to do the same thing as your senator. Empower you.”
Analysis: What happens if Republicans take the House, Senate (or both) in 2023?
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This November, voters will determine which party controls Congress for the last half of President Biden’s first term. Democrats control the House of Representatives and Senate now. What was once widely expected to be a wipeout for their party has turned into a competitive battle.
The Post’s Amber Phillips writes that it’s possible that Republicans pick up one or both chambers of Congress — or neither. Per Amber:
What happens in these elections will drastically reshape the next two years before Biden potentially runs for reelection — and potentially runs against Donald Trump again.
With Congress under Democratic control, he could have another chance to pass major liberal priorities. Under split or all Republican control, his administration could spend the next two years defending itself from investigations — and maybe even impeachment.
You can read Amber’s full analysis, in which she details the three likeliest scenarios for who will win Congress, here.
Noted: Democrats embrace a dark midterm message
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With a tough midterm election about six weeks away, many Democrats have largely settled on a campaign message, and it’s not one that simply emphasizes their accomplishments.
Instead, it amounts to a stark warning: If Republicans take power, they will establish a dystopia that cripples democracy and eviscerates abortion rights and other freedoms, The Post’s Yasmeen Abutaleb reports.
Yasmeen’s piece opens with these examples:
Democrat Max Frost, running for U.S. Congress in Florida, has said Republicans like Gov. Ron DeSantis are trying to build “right-wing fascist power.” Rep. Pat Ryan, a New York Democrat, says America faces “a coordinated domestic attempt to undermine our Constitution.”
And Rep. Chris Pappas, a New Hampshire Democrat seeking reelection in a swing district, paints an Orwellian America if his Republican opponent gets her way on abortion: “It wouldn’t be a woman’s choice — it would be the government’s choice.”
You can read Yasmeen’s full story here.
Take a look: On the Sunday shows, officials talk about lessons learned from Ian
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On the Sunday talk shows, officials — including Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, both Republicans from Florida — spoke about lessons learned from Hurricane Ian. The Post’s JM Rieger pulled together the highlights.
Noted: Trump escalates attacks on McConnell with ‘DEATH WISH’ post
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Former president Donald Trump is facing blowback for an online message attacking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that many viewed as a threat.
“He has a DEATH WISH,” Trump posted late Friday on his Truth Social platform, criticizing McConnell for agreeing to a deal to fund the government through mid-December.
The Post’s Isaac Arnsdorf reports that Trump also disparaged McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, in racist terms, calling her “his China loving wife, Coco Chow!” Chao, who served as Trump’s transportation secretary, was born in Taiwan.
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