| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by The American Petroleum Institute (API) | With an assist from Nicholas Wu VOTING RIGHTS, REVISITED — Democrats are plotting another attempt at voting rights legislation, despite many signals that it could result in a major letdown. Yes, it is recess. But when the House returns to Washington later this month, it'll vote on reworked legislation to restore key provisions of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court struck down in 2013. On the Senate side, there's a new voting package being put together to court moderates like Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who were not on board with Democrats' sweeping elections and voting rights legislation earlier this year. Intense negotiations have continued behind the scenes since that package tanked in the Senate in June, in the hopes of preparing a package of voting reforms that could survive the filibuster. Most Democratic lawmakers and aides are skeptical anything will get done this Congress on voting rights and elections, write Heather, Marianne and Sarah. Sinema and Manchin appear to be unpersuadable when it comes to changing Senate rules. But in an interview Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he remains hopeful Congress can act on voting rights. "If I didn't think the door was open, I wouldn't pursue it — just rip the Band-Aid off," Schumer said. "You have to keep pursuing it because it's so damn important." More on what's next for voting rights action from Heather, Marianne and Sarah: https://politi.co/3yGNvP4 RESPECT MY BOUNDARIES — After much anticipation, the Census Bureau is set to release redistricting data Thursday from the beleaguered 2020 count. The new numbers are going to feed a frenzy of new state political maps in the weeks and months to come, starting with the handful of states pressed against early fall deadlines to enact new district boundaries. The new maps, once compiled, could shift control of Congress for the coming decade. But that won't be clear for months, as the new boundaries will trickle out one by one at first and then pick up steam at the end of the year and into 2022. Redistricting decisions could be the largest determining factor in whether Democrats can hang on to to their razor-thin House majority. Key things this data might reveal: whether people of color were under-counted in certain regions and if individual states need to add additional opportunity districts for Black Americans and Latinos, as required by the Voting Rights Act. Not-so-fun fact about today's data drop? The info comes in a format that can't be read by mapping software, so days or weeks will be spent simply converting the data. "It's like Ikea furniture instead of Pottery Barn," said Kelly Ward Burton, the president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. "When you buy from Pottery Barn, it all comes assembled. It's like, 'Here's your desk.' But when you get it from Ikea, it's like, 'Build it yourself.'" What states are moving fast, which are moving slowly and lots more on what to expect from today's census data drop from Ally Mutnick and Zach Montellaro: https://politi.co/3jLibZf | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Aug. 12, when it's hot as Hell, but at least it's recess. WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Senate sets new mark for longest recorded vote thanks to vote-a-rama 2021, from March 2021. DEMOCRATS IN ARRAY — "The Senate majority leader is not known for putting a hard whip on his members, yet Schumer's willingness to dish tough truths to the likes of Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin — not to mention Bernie Sanders — amounts to his recipe for delivery on President Joe Biden's domestic agenda," write Burgess and Marianne. Read more from their Wednesday interview with Schumer: https://politi.co/2XnrPty BUT THEIR EMAILS — During Donald Trump's final weeks as president, top Justice Department officials wrangled over how the FBI should handle a particularly wacky voter fraud allegation promoted by the then-president and his allies, write Betsy Woodruff Swan and Nicholas Wu. Unreleased emails obtained by POLITICO show just how tense the episode got: https://politi.co/3AzuBds
RAND REPORT — It's a big week for Sen. Rand Paul. First, YouTube took action against the Kentucky Republican on Tuesday, removing a video from his page and blocking his ability to publish more content for a week. Paul, who has been a committed and passionate anti-masker during the whole pandemic, had posted a clip challenging the efficacy of mask-wearing to slow the spread of Covid. Paul has frequently clashed with Dr. Anthony Fauci and has said he will not be getting vaccinated. More on Rand's ban from Nick Niedzwiadek: https://politi.co/3iCCU24
Next, Paul submitted a belated report revealing that his wife bought stock in Gilead Sciences on Feb. 26, 2020. The purchase was between $1,000 and $15,000 of stock in Gilead, which makes the antiviral drug known as remdesivir. Senators have a 45-day period in which to report stock purchases and sales, but this disclosure came 16 months after the transaction. The investment, but especially the delayed reporting of it, raised questions about whether Paul's family had aimed to profit from the looming health emergency and plans by the U.S. government to combat it. More on trade and what it means from The Washington Post: https://wapo.st/3sbQKvn SMALL BUSINESS SHOWDOWN — Accusations of Islamophobia and anti-Israel bias are bogging down the confirmation of an under-the-radar Biden administration nominee: Dilawar Syed, who'd be its highest-ranking Muslim if confirmed. The Senate Small Business Committee has been unable to advance Syed's nomination as Republicans criticize what they say is the veteran businessman's association with an "anti-Israel" Muslim American group. Religious advocacy groups, including major Jewish organizations, reject the charge. Particularly alarming to some Syed supporters is a June email circulated among Republican committee staff by an aide to Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO. The email notes Syed's Pakistani roots and his membership on the board of EmgageUSA, a Muslim American nonprofit that "has taken very partisan positions" against actions by the Israeli government. Read the full story from Nick: https://politi.co/3iDkQ7N | | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): The American Petroleum Institute (API) released a new analysis of the natural gas and oil industry's impact on the U.S. economy and highlighted its importance to the nation's post-pandemic recovery. The industry is a driver of every sector of the U.S. economy, supporting 11.3 million total American jobs in 2019 across all 50 states. The industry's total impact on U.S. GDP was nearly $1.7 trillion , accounting for nearly 8% of the national total in 2019. | | | DEBT LIMIT DOUBT — President Joe Biden was ready Wednesday to suggest that Senate Republicans are bluffing on the debt ceiling. When asked if he was worried about the debt limit, he told reporters "no." "They're not gonna let the U.S. default," Biden said of Republicans. But earlier this week, 46 Republican senators issued a warning that they would not vote for increasing the debt ceiling. They are challenging Democrats to act alone under reconciliation to increase the country's borrowing cap. Without a move forward to raise the debt limit, there's increased risk of the U.S. Treasury defaulting on its obligations as soon as next month. PORTER'S PREPARATION POWER — Rep. Katie Porter has gone viral over and over for her tough questioning of witnesses, complete with a now-famous whiteboard. Fast Company goes deep on how the strategy emerged, how she prepares for hearings and why her staff need to interrupt her more: https://bit.ly/3iFXFdb WHAT'S THE HOLDUP? — Congress put $46.5 billion toward pandemic rental assistance in December 2020, but through June only 15 states and the District of Columbia had spent 10 percent or more of their Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds. There are about 40 states, counties and cities where not even a dime from the fund was dispersed to tenants or landlords, according to an analysis of Treasury Department data by HuffPost. Amanda Terkel, Arthur Delaney, and Tara Golshan from HuffPost did the legwork, tracking down and contacting every area that hadn't handed out any ERAP money through June. They lay out the challenges in getting the money out the door, failures in recent months and what the federal government is doing to step up the pressure to get that money in the pockets of those eligible: https://bit.ly/3jOaKQX Related: Covid-19 Rent-Relief Program Marred by Delays, Confusion, Burdensome Paperwork, from the Wall Street Journal COMING AROUND TO CLIMATE CHANGE? — A good read from The Boston Globe's Jess Bidgood: With infrastructure bill vote, some Republicans acknowledge climate change dangers. Will they act to stop them? | | | |   | | | TRANSITIONS
Katherine Thomas is now a legislative assistant with Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), covering agriculture and trade. She previously worked for Rep. Tracey Mann (R-Kan.).
Charles Truxal is now legislative director for Rep. Scott Franklin (R-Fla.). He was most recently legislative assistant for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Rebecca Drago is now deputy comms director for Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). She previously was comms director for Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and is a Joe Cunningham alum. TODAY IN CONGRESS: The House is not in session. The Senate is not in session. | | | | Be a Policy Pro. POLITICO Pro has a free policy resource center filled with our best practices on building relationships with state and federal representatives, demonstrating ROI, and influencing policy through digital storytelling. Read our free guides today . | | | | | AROUND THE HILL Nothing yet. TRIVIA WEDNESDAY'S WINNER: Janice Sessing correctly answered former senator and current NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The Florida Democrat was originally scheduled for the crew of the ill-fated Challenger but instead was a crew member of the earlier shuttle Columbia. Christa McAuliffe took his place on the Challenger. TODAY'S QUESTION from Janice: NOAA Satellite and Information Service leads the U.S. component of an international satellite-assisted search and rescue program that has saved 51,512 people worldwide. What tragic event occurred in Alaska in 1972 that caused this system to speed into operations? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to ktm@politico.com GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Katherine on Twitter @ktullymcmanus.
| | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): The American Petroleum Institute's recently released PwC study shows how the natural gas and oil industry is essential to economic recovery in other sectors, like manufacturing, agriculture, industrial and more, as well as opportunities for job creation. As economic activity, travel patterns and consumption continue to grow during the post-pandemic recovery, the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects global oil and liquid fuels consumption to surpass 2019 levels in 2022. In addition to accounting for nearly 8% of the U.S. GDP in 2019, the natural gas and oil industry generated an additional 3.5 jobs elsewhere in the U.S. economy for each direct job in the U.S. natural gas and oil industry. Learn how the industry is powering each state's economy by using the interactive map linked here. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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