10 Things in Politics: McCarthy tries to torpedo Capitol riot commission
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Here’s what we’re talking about:
- Trump Organization is facing criminal investigation from New York’s attorney general
- Kevin McCarthy is trying to kill the Capitol riot commission
- Federal cops aren’t uniformly being checked for extremist online posts
One thing to look out for today: The House is expected to vote on a proposal to set up a 9/11-style commission for the deadly Capitol riot.
With Jordan Erb
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
1. TODAY ON THE HILL: The Capitol riot continues to be a litmus test for lawmakers whose workplace was the target of an insurrection. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy continues to distance himself from his initial response of outrage, the latest example coming Tuesday when he privately urged Republicans to reject a bipartisan 9/11-style commission after deputizing a GOP leadership member to push for a deal on exactly that.
- Former President Donald Trump also trashed the commission: He issued a late-night statement calling it a “Democrat trap.”
The House is still expected to pass legislation creating the commission later today: McCarthy and Trump’s opposition may drive down the number of Republicans who support it, but dozens are still considering a vote in favor, Politico reports. A key bipartisan group, the Problem Solvers Caucus, also backs the commission bill.
- McCarthy says the same issues remain: He and some other Republicans have complained about a panel that would focus only on the riot and not on broader political violence such as the unrest last summer in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
What happens next is unclear: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remained noncommittal on whether he would support a limited-scope panel. Democrats need at least 10 Republicans to break the filibuster threshold if they want the commission to become law.
2. The Trump Organization is under criminal investigation by the New York AG: The New York attorney general’s office says its investigation of the former president’s business is “no longer purely civil in nature,” CNN first reported. The Manhattan district attorney’s office had already been conducting a criminal inquiry. The announcement signals the increasing seriousness of the investigation.
- Their investigation has received some major breaks of late: Investigators have won access to Trump’s tax returns, secured the cooperation of an ex-daughter-in-law of a key Trump Organization official, and interviewed Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime fixer, more than once.
President Joe Biden with Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Debbie Dingell at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Michigan on Tuesday.Evan Vucci/AP
3. Biden confronted by House Democrat over his handling of Israeli-Palestinian fighting: Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan confronted President Joe Biden as he visited her state, reportedly telling the president that he needed to stop Israel from committing crimes against Palestinians, The New York Times reports. Democratic lawmakers are increasingly criticizing the White House for its level of support for Israel.
- The latest on the ground: Israeli airstrikes killed at least six people on Wednesday across the Gaza Strip and destroyed a large family home, the Associated Press reports. Israel said it had widened its strikes as militants continued to lob rockets at it.
Palestinians are facing severe water and electricity shortages as the deadly conflict continues.
4. Federal cops aren’t uniformly being checked for extremist online posts: The Biden administration has no uniform national strategy for how federal law-enforcement agencies monitor their employees’ social-media accounts to actively root out any extremists with ties to white supremacist groups. Only five of the 34 federal law-enforcement agencies that answered Insider’s questions said they had the ability to check on their personnel’s social-media accounts during initial or recurring background checks.
More from the biggest finding of my colleague’s investigation.
5. Prosecutor finds police were justified in their shooting of Andrew Brown Jr.: District Attorney Andrew Womble said no officers would be criminally charged in the fatal shooting of Brown because he used his car as a “deadly weapon” while trying to flee officers who trying to serve an arrest warrant. Attorneys for Brown’s family condemned the announcement, calling it a “slap in the face.” More on what lays ahead for the case.
6. Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner prevails in primary contest: Krasner easily defeated his fellow Democrat Carlos Vega in the closely watched race, which was seen as a referendum on progressive prosecutors and whether they would be blamed for increasing violence. “That mandate has rejected, definitively, a politics of fear that is built on falsehoods,” Kranser said in his victory speech, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
7. Gov. Greg Abbott bars Texas school districts and cities from imposing mask mandates: State-supported living centers, publicly funded hospitals, prisons, and jails are exempt from the new order. Abbott said public-school students, parents, teachers, and staff members were required to wear masks until June 4, and then the requirement would be prohibited. The order doesn’t apply to private businesses.
8. Redditors look to be winning again as GameStop and AMC rally: GameStop and AMC short-sellers have lost $930 million on their positions over the past five days of trading, according to the data provider ORTEX, as both stocks trend higher. Monday alone, AMC shorts lost $210 million and GameStop shorts lost $227 million. Adam Aron, CEO of AMC — the world’s largest cinema-chain operator — thanked Reddit and Robinhood traders on an earnings call earlier this month for boosting the stock.
The Insider reporter Tina Sfondeles opening the door to the White House briefing room as signs warned of the need to wear a mask.Nicole Gaudiano/Insider
9. This is what it’s like covering the White House during the pandemic: Whatever you think you know about White House media accommodations from “The West Wing” or some movie, forget it. “The reality of the White House is it’s a two-century-old building that is overflowing with people,” said George Condon, a White House correspondent for National Journal. Such conditions are terrible during a pandemic. Journalists have had to adjust their approach this past year, but fewer restrictions may be on the way.
Insider reporters were inside the day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new mask guidance came out. Here’s what it was like.
10. “This sucker is quick”: Biden, a self-proclaimed “car guy,” took Ford’s new electric F-150 Lightning truck for a spin a day before its official unveiling. He was visiting the Ford plant in a Detroit suburb to tout federal investment in electric vehicles — and gave a sneak peek of what is said to be the most powerful F-150 yet. Watch him test-drive the truck.
- “I’m only teasing”: Biden jokingly threatened to run over a reporter who requested to ask questions about Israel.
Today’s trivia question: Speaking of presidents driving, what car did LBJ use to terrify passengers on his Texas ranch? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at [email protected].
- Yesterday’s answer: Justice Samuel Alito once joked about how he would use his springer spaniel, Zeus, to help make decisions about a difficult case.
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