🤫 Weaponizing Roe

Plus: Biden eyes new hire | Wednesday, May 04, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By American Bankers Association   Axios Sneak Peek By the Axios Politics team · May 04, 2022 Welcome back to Sneak. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,131 words ... 4.5 minutes. Edited by Glen Johnson.     1 big thing: Weaponizing Roe Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios   Abortion politics have begun to reshape the Democrats' campaign messaging and tactics only 48 hours after the epic leak previewing the end of Roe v. Wade, report Axios' Alexi McCammond, Sophia Cai and Alayna Treene. Why it matters: Arguments around protecting women's freedoms, privacy, health and safety are being weaponized — not just against Republicans for the midterm elections but against some fellow Democrats in primary fights. Details: In South Texas, progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros — who's hoping to unseat the more conservative Rep. Henry Cuellar in a Democratic primary runoff this month — posted a video today asking party leaders to withdraw their support for Cuellar. Cisneros called the incumbent "the last anti-choice Democrat in Congress," Axios' Astrid Galván reports. With the majority on the line, Cisneros argued, Cuellar could become "the deciding vote on the future of reproductive rights in this country, and we just cannot afford that risk." ¡Adiós Sinema! reads the send line in an email today from advocacy group Voto Latino. It said Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) "has doomed our hopes of federal legislation" to save abortion rights because she's "choosing the Senate filibuster over the 36 million U.S. women who could soon lose abortion access, including 1.5 million women in her home state of Arizona." The email urges its members to "rush a donation to help us make sure Sinema never holds office again." (The senator isn't up for re-election until 2024.) Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also reiterated Tuesday that Sinema should face a primary following the news of her rejection of gutting the filibuster. In California, Democratic Rep. Josh Harder told supporters in an email today that "my race could determine the fate of reproductive rights in America. ... I'm one of just five Democrats protecting the House majority from a Republican takeover." A takeover, Harder said, would lead to "a total ban on abortion in America." Keep reading.     2. Scoop: Biden eyes Anthony Foxx for top White House role Anthony Foxx. Photo: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images   President Biden is considering former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to replace Cedric Richmond as the head of the White House Office of Public Engagement, people familiar with the matter tell Axios' Hans Nichols. Why it matters: In Foxx, the Black former mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, Biden would be ensuring he has someone from a vital minority group — and with a seasoned political antenna — in his inner circle ahead of this fall's midterms. Biden relied on Richmond, a former congressman from Louisiana and member of the Congressional Black Caucus, to look around political corners, engage with the Black community and help manage the interest groups making up the broader Democratic coalition. Foxx served as President Obama's second Transportation secretary and post-administration, got to know Biden better as a member of the Biden Institute Policy Advisory Board. He later joined Lyft, the ride-sharing company, as its chief policy officer. He stepped down in October, Politico reported. A final decision hasn't been made, according to a White House official. Richmond is planning to leave this month, according to the New York Times. Foxx declined comment. The big picture: As the White House shifts into campaign mode ahead of the midterms, the president and his team know they need every element of his 2020 coalition engaged if they hope to keep control of Congress. The potential repeal of Roe v. Wade could mobilize groups, like young people and women, whose support for the president has waned over his first 16 months in office. Democrats also will need strong support from Black voters if their Senate candidates are to prevail in Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin. With Republicans focusing on crime, immigration and inflation, there are signs Hispanic voters are moving away from the Democratic Party. Keep reading.     3. Pentagon celebrates Ukraine's military success Ukrainian forces rapel from a Russian-made helicopter while training with U.S. and NATO forces in 2018. Photo: Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images   U.S. military officials overseeing the training of Ukrainian troops say the evolution of their mission since 2015 helps explain "to a significant degree" why Ukraine has had so much success against Russian forces on the battlefield. Why it matters: The willingness of top Pentagon brass to speak — on the record — about training the Ukrainian military is the latest evidence of the sea change in how the U.S. views and discusses its role in the war, writes Axios' Zachary Basu. As recently as late March, the Pentagon walked back the president's claims the U.S. was "helping train the Ukrainian troops that are in Poland," insisting no physical drills were taking place. The shift to openly training troops in Germany, and publicizing the mission, came soon after Biden's watershed decision last month to begin providing Ukraine with artillery and other heavy weapons Kyiv had long requested. Driving the news: Brigadier Gen. Joseph Hilbert told reporters today the decision to withdraw the 150 U.S. troops at a facility inside Ukraine during the Russian military buildup in February was the "lowest point" of the mission. "But probably one of the high points was the absolute excitement when we knew we were going to put them back to work training Ukrainians" at a U.S. base in Grafenwoehr, Germany, he said. More than 200 Ukrainian troops have since been trained on U.S. howitzer artillery systems now being used in combat operations in the Donbas, a senior U.S. Defense official confirmed. "Incrementally, over time, all of that investment in their capabilities and their forces — I think you can see just how it's paid off," Hilbert said. Keep reading.     A message from American Bankers Association Americans like their bank     A strong majority of U.S. consumers are happy with their bank, think the financial services industry is highly competitive and believe their bank is transparent about disclosing fees. Check out ABA's recent Morning Consult survey results to see Americans' views on banks.     4. Worthy of your time Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell addresses reporters as the Fed raised the benchmark lending rate by a half percentage point. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images   🦠 Secretary of State Antony Blinken tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, Axios' Andrew Solender reports in tonight's Sneak roundup. ❌ The president, on the other hand, has still managed to avoid contracting the virus even after attending the dinner, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She told reporters Biden tested negative again on Tuesday. 🌾 Cary Fowler is being named the nation's global food envoy as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to disrupt global grain supplies, Axios' Sarah Mucha scooped moments ago. 🗳️ New York is joining an increasingly crowded field of states vying to hold early presidential primaries in 2024, according to the New York Times. Its bid brings the total number of states planning to apply to 11. 📊 A YouGov poll found that 65% of Republicans believe the draft Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked by a Democrat, while 26% of Democrats believe it was a Democrat and 21% believe it was a Republican. ✅ Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan endorsed Trump-backed venture capitalist J.D. Vance after losing to him in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate. The anti-Trump Republican said in a statement that while he and Vance have their differences, they "share a love for our country."     5. Pics du jour Photos: Patrick Smith/Getty Images for USOPC   President Biden greeted the competitors who made up the teams for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.     A message from American Bankers Association Americans like their bank     A strong majority of U.S. consumers are happy with their bank, think the financial services industry is highly competitive and believe their bank is transparent about disclosing fees. Check out ABA's recent Morning Consult survey results to see Americans' views on banks.   🐫 Another week, another Hump Day. Congrats for making it! 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®. 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