10 Things in Politics: Get ready for July 4th BBQs
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Send your tips and thoughts to bgriffiths@insider.com or tweet me @BrentGriffiths.
Here's what you need to know:
- Biden wants a return to normalcy by the Fourth of July.
- Trump has found a loophole in his Twitter ban.
- Democrats want contrition from GOP lawmakers who pushed Trump's "big lie."
1. WHAT MAY COME: President Biden told the American people that after a "dark" pandemic-filled year, relief is coming. He wants states to make sure every adult is eligible for a vaccine by May 1. And if the nation stays the course, "we begin to mark our independence from this virus" by July 4 with small family barbeques.
- The White House want Americans to get the vaccine when it's their turn: The Biden administration will double the number of federally-run mass vaccination centers, including mobile operations and pop-up clinics, senior White House officials said. There will also be a new website to find vaccination locations. (Until now, many Americans have been left to ad hoc means to secure a shot.)
WATCH: Highlights of Biden's first prime-time address.
Biden also touted the $1.9 trillion relief plan he signed into law on Thursday: He said he, Vice President Harris, and their spouses will soon embark on a nationwide PR campaign to tout the historically large law. Cabinet members are to join.
Read our exclusive report on how Democrats are using this to shape their midterm message.
- Key quote: "This is a huge deal for the American people, and at every step of the way we're going to communicate how this will make their lives better," deputy chief of staff Jen O'Malley Dillon wrote in a Wednesday memo to senior White House staff, obtained by Insider.
Dems were too humble after passing Obama's stimulus plan, Biden says: The White House is laser-focused on not repeating what they believe were mistakes made in 2009. The first was passing too small a bill. Now, it's to leave no doubt that Democrats are responsible for whatever benefits flow - after all, not a single Republican voted for it.
- On the road: Biden will be in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. (Philadelphia's suburban counties, of which Delco is one, helped Biden flip the state in 2020.) The victory tour is to continue with a Biden-Harris event in Atlanta on March 19.
2. New York Democrats launch an impeachment investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said he authorized a probe after multiple women accused the governor of sexual harassment. (Here's how impeachment would work.) Meanwhile, a majority of state lawmakers have now called for Cuomo's resignation, per the Associated Press. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City, a longtime rival, echoed those calls saying Cuomo "can no longer serve."
3. The next items on Biden's to-do list face trouble: The White House hasn't been clear on what's next, but it's generally believed that infrastructure and immigration are near the top of the list, per The Washington Post. But there are challenges. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia doesn't want his fellow Senate Democrats to fast-track an infrastructure plan without any GOP support. Meanwhile, Biden's immigration overhaul has received a muted response on the Hill.
- What this means: Infrastructure is considered an area ripe for bipartisan agreement. But Democrats face questions over how much spending their own members can stomach. They'll also have to weed through potential options to pay for some of it.
4. Trump's return to Twitter - well, sort of: If he writes it, someone will tweet it. The former president remains barred from Twitter, but he has found a way back by riding on people's approval or outrage via small statements released by his new office. Some are even shorter than 280 characters. Read our exclusive report on this tweet-by-email operation.
5. Dems want contrition from Republicans who pushed Trump's "big lie": "The pressure campaign ranges from shooting icy stares in the US Capitol's marble hallways and blasting conspiracy theorists in fiery floor speeches, to reconsidering past alliances that have helped shepherd personal interests," Insider's Warren Rojas reports. More on the post-Capitol riot fallout.
6. Washington moves of the week: Biden's administration continues to staff up. Here are some of the biggest moves this week.
Faisal Amin, who worked on Biden's transition, joined the White House as deputy director at the Office of Management and Administration and the Office of Administration. Maju Varghese, a Biden campaign vet, has been named director of the White House Military Office. Jeff Nussbaum, a former Al Gore staffer, joins as senior presidential speechwriter.
On Capitol Hill, Allen Lee Lonsberry is jumping from the media world to be communications director for Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah.
Read the rest of our exclusive list of DC hirings.
7. The top things for your calendar, all times Eastern:
- 8:30 a.m.: Biden and Harris meet their counterparts in the "Quad," the prime ministers of India, Australia, and Japan.
- 12:00 p.m.: Jen Psaki holds the White House daily news briefing with national security advisor Jake Sullivan.
8. The Pentagon "smites" Tucker Carlson: Pentagon spokesman John Kirby lit into the Fox News host after Carlson complained that the US military is less masculine than China's, citing the service of pregnant women in the military and other efforts to help women in the armed forces. Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a veteran, tweeted: "F--- Tucker Carlson."
- Top generals also respond: Carlson's opinion is "based off actually of zero days in the armed services," Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant Scott Stalker of the US Space Command said in a video.
9. Only six jurors selected for Derek Chauvin's trial after three days: Of the five men and one woman selected, three are white, one is multi-racial, one is Hispanic, and one is Black. Prosecutors want 12 jurors and two alternates to hear the case against Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd. Here's what we know about the jury so far.
10. The home team played in his home: Tom Garvey, 78, claims he lived in a secret apartment in Philadelphia's now-demolished Veterans Stadium in the 1970s while the Eagles and Phillies held games. The Vietnam vet, who helped run parking lots for the stadium, says his abode was an empty 60-by-30-foot concession. His carpet was leftover AstroTurf, and players attended his secret parties, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. More on the surreal story.
One last thing.
Today's trivia question: Today is the 88th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first national radio address. But FDR didn't come up with the famous "fireside chat" nickname. Where did the person who coined that term work? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.
- Yesterday's answer: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush gifted a Florida quarter that was used to help balance NASA's New Horizon probe on its historic mission to Pluto.