Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics. Sign up here to receive this newsletter. Send tips to bgriffiths@insider.com or tweet me at @BrentGriffiths.
Here's what we're talking about:
- Exclusive documents show which Pence aides are still getting government paychecks
- LA County is reimposing an indoor mask mandate
- Matt Gaetz campaign paid $25K to a lawyer who represented Jeffrey Epstein
1. LIFE AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE: Mike Pence's staffers have continued to earn federal salaries after leaving the White House. My colleagues obtained documents detailing how taxpayer money is supporting the former vice president after he left office.
They illustrate how Pence's team is using the allowed $520,000 in federal cash for everything from silver Sharpies to supporting as many as 11 staffers.
What else they found:
- Who's in Pence's inner circle ahead of a possible 2024 run: Two of the officials, his former chief of staff Marc Short and former director of strategic initiatives Paul Teller, have also joined Pence's new political advocacy group. Teller appears to have been the top-paid Pence transition aide, with an annual salary of $120,000 a year. (The funds will dry up July 21.)
- It's a much leaner operation than Trump's: The former president has access to $2.1 million in federal funds. Trump aides have been getting paid more, too. Trump's office expenditures included items like an almost-$35,000 stationery package for both Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
Read more about how Pence is spending the taxpayer money here.
2. Los Angeles County brings in an indoor mask mandate: The nation's most populous county will reimpose its mandate just weeks after it and the rest of California celebrated reopening. The move follows a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to the Delta variant. The decision puts the county at odds with state and federal health officials.
3. Rep. Matt Gaetz's campaign paid $25K to a lawyer who represented Jeffrey Epstein: Gaetz's latest filing shows that he paid the sum to attorney Marc Fernich. Among "notable clients" he highlights are the accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, and convicted crime family boss John "Junior" Gotti. See what else the embattled Florida congressman is spending money on.
- These are the 9 people to watch in Gaetz's legal drama: Florida political circles are buzzing about the scandal, and "Matt is viewed like a swamp monster now," said one source who knows Gaetz.
4. More than 100 dead as flood waters surge in Europe: Severe flooding has swept Germany and Belgium as recent storms pushed rivers and reservoirs past their breaking points.
As of 5 a.m. ET, there were 90 confirmed deaths in Germany (per Deutsche Welle) and 12 in Belgium (per Belgian public broadcaster VRT). The toll is likely to increase given the many people still missing.
5. Top Senate Democrat plays infrastructure hardball: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has set a procedural vote next week for a $579 billion bipartisan infrastructure deal that is not even currently written, Politico reports. Adding further headaches, there are still disagreements over how to pay for it. GOP lawmakers continue to trash a proposal to beef up the IRS by $40 billion. Here's where things stand.
6. Leaked docs reportedly show Putin wanted to sow chaos by backing Trump: Leaked documents said to come from the Kremlin suggest that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a concerted effort to sow chaos in the US. The Guardian obtained the documents, which it said describe a plan to "facilitate" Trump winning the presidency in 2016. The leaked documents describe Trump as "impulsive, mentally unstable and unbalanced individual."
7. Capitol Police arrested a Democratic lawmaker during a voting-rights protest: Officers arrested Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, for demonstrating in a prohibited area of the Capitol. Beatty's arrest comes as Texas Democrats continue to camp out in D.C. to thwart state voting restrictions and to pressure lawmakers to pass new federal protections.
- A key Democrat said he had a productive meeting with the Texans: Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said the two sides are in agreement on a pared-down voting rights bill, CNN reports. More on that here.
8. Biden says US and Germany are launching climate and energy partnership: Biden made the announcement following his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, her last visit to the White House while in power after working with three other presidents. More on their meeting here.
9. An 18-year-old is set to be the youngest-ever person in space: Blue Origin announced that Oliver Daemen will fly on its New Shepard spacecraft alongside Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, and 82-year-old aviator Wally Funk when it blasts off next week. The company said Daemen will its first paying customer, though he is not the person who bid $28 million for the seat at an auction last month.
10. The new Coke redux: Fans of Coke Zero are definitely worried about the future of their favorite beverage. Coca-Cola said that it will change its Coke Zero recipe, which led more than a few drinkers to pop off. The change is also giving flashbacks to the infamous "New Coke" blunder of the '80s.
Today's trivia question: Who was the first woman to serve as state Senate majority leader? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.
- Yesterday's answer: The bird in Twitter's logo is known as Larry Bird after the NBA legend. (See Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's unusual life of luxury.)
That's all for now! Have a great weekend.