🤫Warren crowds Biden

Plus: Scoop - "Anti-woke" Chamber | Monday, May 09, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Facebook   Axios Sneak Peek By the Axios Politics team · May 09, 2022 Welcome back to Sneak. 📅 Join Axios' Russell Contreras and Erica Pandey tomorrow at 12:30pm ET for a virtual event exploring initiatives to resolve financial barriers in higher education. Guests include Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Christopher J. Nellum, executive director of The Education Trust-West. Register here. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,057 words ... 4 minutes. Edited by Glen Johnson.     1 big thing: Warren crowds Biden Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images   Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is eclipsing President Biden with endorsements and, at times, as the Democrats' leading voice on major issues, including abortion and canceling student debt, write Axios' Alexi McCammond and Sophia Cai. Why it matters: The progressive's prominence is pressuring the incumbent president and White House to move left. It's also raising questions about her ambitions, especially as the Democratic Party faces electoral apocalypse this fall and questions about whose voice — and issues — are best to rebound. While Warren has ruled out another campaign for president in 2024, her high profile would buttress any bid should Biden himself not run for a second term. Another high-profile liberal Democrat, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), hasn't ruled out another presidential campaign — so long as Biden doesn't run for re-election, according to a leaked memo from his former campaign manager Faiz Shakir. Driving the news: Warren took to the steps of the Supreme Court twice last week to stand with abortion rights activists and give an impassioned speech that's now gone viral. "I am here because I am angry, and I am here because the United States Congress can change all of this," Warren said, surrounded by advocates of abortion rights cheering at her every line. She called the court "extremist." That moment, supporters say, captured Warren's greatest strengths: her ability to mobilize quickly, validate concerns by lending her voice to the activists and tie the issue back to the economy. Since then, she's been all over the airwaves, appearing on "The View" and cable news programs to share her outrage. Keep reading.     2. Scoop: The new "anti-woke" Chamber Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios   A new business lobby backed by Republican heavyweights is looking to build clout with GOP leaders amid high-profile splits between the party's policymakers and key segments of corporate America, Axios' Lachlan Markay has learned. Why it matters: The American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce is positioning itself as an alternative to groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The new group's backers complain the Chamber has lurched left from its onetime post at the vanguard of a Republican-aligned political apparatus. The chairman of the AmFree chamber, as it's known internally, is Terry Branstad — the former Republican governor of Iowa and President Trump's ambassador to China. Its CEO is Gentry Collins, a former political director of the Republican National Committee. The AmFree Chamber will provide an avenue for American businesses looking to influence Republicans, who appear poised to retake congressional majorities next year. What's happening: The new chamber's formation comes as corporate America grapples with increasing pressure to engage on issues such as voting rights, racial justice and abortion — and the potential political fallout from doing so. "I hope to make the case to our policymakers at all levels that we must move away from the trend towards socialism and back to a pro-business, pro-growth posture," Branstad told business leaders during a conference call last Thursday, which Axios also attended. In a memo pitching the group to potential members, a copy of which was obtained by Axios, the AmFree Chamber offers "tools for American businesses to maintain access to the marketplace in the face of 'woke capital' and 'cancel-culture' threats," among other benefits. What they're saying: "[W]e warmly welcome anyone who joins our agenda, advocating for businesses and their workers. We need the pro-business voices to be heard loud and clear," a U.S. Chamber spokesperson told Axios. Keep reading.     3. By the numbers: Endorsement count Data: Axios Research; Chart: Thomas Oide/Axios The president has made fewer endorsements during the 2022 campaign cycle than virtually any major political figure in either party, according to an analysis by Axios' Andrew Solender and Alexi. Why it matters: Biden's restraint is traditional for most presidents but sharply contrasts with his predecessor, Donald Trump. He's sought to remake the GOP in his image and purge critics from its ranks by supporting and opposing a multitude of candidates. Trump has endorsed candidates for Congress, governor, attorney general, state legislature, state party chair, county judge and even foreign heads of state. Biden has made just four endorsements since taking office: Reps. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) and Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), as well as former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who lost a bid to regain his old job last fall. What they're saying: A Biden adviser told Axios the president is being "strategic" with his endorsements and has a "longstanding position" not to tip the scales in open primaries. "You can expect to see some endorsements from the president moving forward," the adviser said. The adviser added that the endorsements will go to "incumbents who have been with him on votes and supporting his agenda, which is helping the American people." Keep reading.     A message from Facebook We build tools that give you control and help keep you safe     Real connection can only happen on safe platforms. So we build tools to protect our communities. Privacy Checkup, where you can manage your privacy settings and control who sees what you share. Industry-leading AI that detects and reacts to harmful content faster than ever. Learn about our efforts.     4. Worthy of your time Vice President Kamala Harris swears in Nick Perry as U.S. ambassador to Jamaica. Photo: Chris Kleponis/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images   🇺🇦 Congressional leaders struck a deal tonight to send $39.8 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine that could be taken up by the House as soon as tomorrow, Axios' Alayna Treene reported. 🗳️ Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is campaigning against a Trump-backed challenger by dispelling falsehoods about the 2020 election, telling Axios Atlanta's Emma Hurt, "I don't duck questions; I answer everyone's questions. I just give them facts." 🛡️ Senators unanimously passed legislation to allow the Supreme Court Police to provide security details to the families of justices, amid protests outside some of their houses over a leaked draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade, The Hill reported earlier today. 🗣️ White House press secretary Jen Psaki alluded to the protests in a tweet, stating, "Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety." ❌ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell ruled out nuking the legislative filibuster to pass abortion restrictions if Republicans take the majority, telling Politico, "I will never support smashing the legislative filibuster on this issue." 🦠 Susan Rice, the White House's domestic policy adviser, said she tested positive for COVID-19 in the morning. She added, "I last saw the president in person on Wednesday — masked — and under CDC guidance he is not considered a close contact."     5. Pic du jour Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images   President Biden spoke with reporters before signing the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 in the Oval Office. It will expedite military aid and other resources to Ukraine. Joining the president were, from left, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), the first Ukrainian-born member of Congress.     A message from Facebook Privacy Checkup helps you stay informed and empowered on Facebook     We want privacy to be as easy as possible for you. That's why we built the Privacy Checkup, so you can: Strengthen your account security. Learn about your privacy settings and how your information is used. Control who sees what you post. Learn more about our safety efforts.   📬 Thanks for reading tonight! Please tell your family, friends and colleagues they can subscribe to Sneak or any of Axios' other free local and national newsletters through this link. Like this email style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. 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