It’s Tuesday. And what a beautiful day it is in Washington, D.C., and another busy day on Capitol Hill. Here’s what’s happening:
The likelihood of TikTok being banned is seeming more and more realistic. The House is voting on the bill tomorrow, so the video app’s CEO is on Capitol Hill today, and lawmakers are receiving a classified intelligence briefing on the app ahead of the vote. Capitol Hill offices are being flooded with calls from TikTok supporters. One office told The New York Times it has received more than 1,000 calls (!)
Special counsel Robert Hur is testifying on his controversial report where he referred to President Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory.” The hearing has already gotten pretty heated.
Georgia, Mississippi and Washington are holding their primaries today. Former President Trump and Biden could formally clinch their nominations tonight.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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No, YOU’RE an elderly man with poor memory: |
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House lawmakers are grilling special counsel Robert Hur on his controversial report about President Biden’s handling of classified documents.
Yes, that report: Hur’s February report concluded that Biden is “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” While Hur did not recommend charges against Biden, it gave campaign fodder to Republicans and damaged Biden politically The tricky dynamic for Republicans: Republicans want to emphasize the importance of the investigation but have also slammed similar investigations against their party’s leader, former President Trump. The tricky dynamic for Democrats: Democrats want to dismiss Hur’s report as politically motivated but also stress that the Trump investigations are valid. 💻 Live blog of hearing updates
🖥️ Hearing livestream |
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➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM THE HEARING: |
📸 The swarms of photographers surrounding Hur
This is a distinction Democrats will focus on: House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) used his opening statement to focus on the fact that Hur’s report was a “complete and total exoneration of President Biden.”
And this is a key point for Republicans: House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) focused on Hur’s description of Biden. “Joe Biden broke the law. But because he’s a forgetful old man who would appear sympathetic to a jury, Mr. Hur decided not to bring charges,” Jordan said. 📸 Hur takes the stand in the hearing room
There’s a transcript of Biden’s interview: The Hill obtained a transcript of Hur’s two-day interview with Biden. Key takeaways from the transcripts |
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TikTok’s on the clock and the party could stop: |
The House is plowing ahead with a vote Wednesday to ban the popular social media app TikTok. The bill has bipartisan support and could easily pass the lower chamber.
If it passes the House, then what?: The bill would move to the Senate, where its path is a little more unclear. But if it does pass the Senate, President Biden says he would sign the ban into law. To give you a sense of the bill’s support: The TikTok ban passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee with a rare *unanimous* 50-0 vote last week. I’m saying ‘ban’ for simplicity’s sake, but it’s more complicated than that: The bill would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to divest from the app. If the app doesn’t, it would then be banned. The bill would also spell out a process for banning other apps controlled by a U.S. adversary. ^ Basically: Sell the app or we’ll ban it.
Why lawmakers are concerned about TikTok: Lawmakers are worried about two things: - China can feed content to influence Americans’ opinions and potentially destabilize democracy.
- China can collect Americans’ data.
☎️ Lawmakers’ offices are being inundated with phone calls: Some Capitol Hill offices are being flooded with phone calls from people opposing the ban, reports The New York Times. One office said they received roughly 100 calls. Another office said they had received more than a thousand (!)
Happening today before tomorrow’s House vote: |
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➤ AN INTERESTING POLITICAL DYNAMIC: |
Trump led the charge against TikTok, but is now vocally opposed to the bill to ban the xHe said he still believes there are national security threats to the social media app, but those threats exist with American tech companies.
More on Trump’s role in the bill, via The Hill’s Rebecca Klar |
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➤ MORE READS TO UNDERSTAND THE TIKTOK SAGA: |
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| Leslie Jones, get excited! It’s a Steve Kornacki day!:
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^ (Remember when former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Leslie Jones fangirled over MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki during the 2020 presidential election. This clip has me laughing out loud again.)
President Biden and former President Trump could both formally clinch their party’s nominations today.
Happening today: Georgia, Mississippi and Washington are holding their presidential primaries today. Plus, Hawaii is holding its GOP caucuses and the U.S. territory of Northern Mariana Islands is holding its Democratic contest. Trump’s delegate count: Trump has 1,074 pledged delegates, according to Decision Desk HQ. He needs 141 more delegates to secure the nomination. 161 Republican delegates are also up for grabs today. Biden’s delegate count: Biden has 1,855 pledged delegates. He needs 113 more delegates to win the nomination. 241 Democratic delegates are up for grabs today.
Keep in mind about Biden’s races: Some Democrats are casting their ballots “uncommitted” instead of voting for Biden, as a protest to his administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Watch how much this affects Biden’s numbers in Georgia and Washington.
Five things to watch today, from The Hill’s Caroline Vakil |
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🍭 Celebrate: Today is National Milky Way Day!
📣 This is an interesting comparison: The Washington Post’s Dave Jorgenson reposted a TikTok user’s video on X, formerly known as Twitter, comparing Sen. Katie Britt’s (R-Ala.) day-to-day speech versus her State of the Union response. 💻 Watch the video on X
⚾️ Oh no, I will never be able to unsee this: The New York Times writes that “a redesign of M.L.B.’s uniforms has put Fanatics and Nike at the center of a debate about performance versus quality in sportswear.” ‘See-Through Baseball Pants Have Fans, and Brands, Pointing Fingers’
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The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in Washington, D.C., and Vice President Harris is in California and Colorado today. (all times Eastern) |
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Noon: Biden meets with Teamsters members at the Washington, D.C., headquarters.
- 1:25 p.m.: Harris leaves San Francisco and flies to Denver.
- 1:30 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and national security adviser Jake Sullivan brief reporters. 💻 Livestream
- 1:30 p.m.: First House votes. Last House votes are expected around 5 p.m. 🗓️
Today’s agenda
- 2:15 p.m.: Two Senate confirmation votes. Two more are expected around 5:30 p.m. 🗓️ Today’s agenda
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4 p.m.: Biden meets with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
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5:45 p.m.: Harris speaks at a campaign event in Denver.
- 10:45 p.m.: Harris returns to Washington, D.C.
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