😤 McConnell's renegades

Plus: Looming rail catastrophe | Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Better Medicare Alliance   Axios Sneak Peek By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Zachary Basu · Sep 14, 2022 Welcome back to Sneak. Smart Brevity™ count: 974 words ... 3.5 minutes. ⚡️ Situational awareness: The Jan. 6 committee has received "thousands of exhibits" from Secret Service agents in response to its July subpoena, according to Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).     1 big thing: McConnell's renegades Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios   Two of the highest-profile Republicans in the Senate are publicly defying Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on high-stakes issues vital to the GOP's chances of retaking the majority next year, Axios' Alayna Treene and Andrew Solender report. Driving the news: In interviews with Axios, GOP senators and party strategists declined to blame McConnell for the antics of Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). What's happening: Scott, the influential chair of Senate Republicans' campaign arm, irked McConnell this spring by independently releasing a 12-point plan for how the GOP would govern in the majority — undercutting the leader's midterm strategy of keeping the focus on Democratic failures. Scott's "Rescue America" proposal contained several controversial provisions on Social Security and taxes that Democrats instantly seized on for attack ads — including President Biden, who continued to troll Scott over the plan as recently as yesterday. McConnell and Scott, who is responsible for recruiting as chair of the National Senatorial Campaign Committee, have also feuded over fundraising and strategies for reclaiming the Senate — with McConnell recently acknowledging "candidate quality" could cost Republicans the majority. Graham, meanwhile, took GOP leadership by surprise yesterday by releasing a bill that would ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks — drawing new attention to a debate that has energized Democrats and closed the polling gap in key races. The headline-grabbing release came the same day inflation data showed consumer prices remained stubbornly high in August, causing the stock market to plummet. Graham admitted to Axios that he did not get permission from McConnell to release the proposal. McConnell, like many GOP senators, has said the abortion question should be left to the states. Between the lines: New awareness of the importance of personal branding, the 24/7 cable news cycle, and internet fundraising has incentivized rogue operators — many of whom have ambitions beyond the Senate. "Rick Scott's plan and Graham's announcement yesterday have sent candidates running for cover and distancing themselves from these proposals," a Senate GOP leadership aide told Axios. "Exactly the opposite of what we want right now." What they're saying: "This is an institutional problem. A senator is getting elected in their own states and they are not beholden to anybody," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Axios. "The Senate's made up of 99 people who want to be president — and me," Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said. "It's hard to know whether a guy like Bob Dole could have been able to keep everyone in line today," Cramer added, referring to the late majority leader famous for holding his GOP conference in line. What to watch: If Trump-backed "MAGA" nominees are successful in November, McConnell will find himself dealing with an even higher number of leadership-defying free agents in his conference. Share this story.     2. 🚂 Looming catastrophe Via Twitter President Biden's beloved Amtrak suspended all long-distance routes today in anticipation of a freight rail worker strike set to go into effect Friday at 12:01am ET, barring a last-minute breakthrough in negotiations. Why it matters: The impacts of a prolonged rail strike would be devastating and stretch across a wide range of industries — injecting new uncertainty into an economy still battling high inflation eight weeks out from the midterms. The Association of American Railroads estimates that a nationwide shutdown could idle more than 7,000 trains and cost the economy more than $2 billion a day. Biden and his economic team, including Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, have been personally involved in pushing rail leaders and unions to strike a deal to end the dispute over pay and working conditions. Between the lines: "Biden, a longtime champion of labor leaders and union employees, is caught between his long-running push to reduce the pandemic-era supply chain snarls that have helped fuel inflation and his efforts to continue to win the enthusiastic support of labor unions," the N.Y. Times writes. The latest: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) blocked a Republican request to force the unions to accept a deal recommended by a Biden-formed labor board, demanding better sick leave for workers and attacking the rail industry for its "huge profits." Dinner was delivered at the Department of Labor as negotiations continued late into the evening, an administration official told Axios' Hans Nichols.     3. ⚖️ Biden's blistering pace Data: U.S. Courts. Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios The Senate today confirmed Rhode Island Public Defender Lara Montecalvo to the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals — making her President Biden's sixth confirmed circuit judge with a public defense background and 82nd judicial appointment overall. That means Biden has appointed more new federal judges than former President Trump had at the same point in his term, Axios' Sam Baker writes. Why it matters: One of Trump's defining legacies was reshaping the federal judiciary, including with three Supreme Court appointments that likely cemented a conservative majority for decades. Since its earliest days, the Biden administration has been determined to maximize its own stamp on the courts. That effort has taken on new urgency in the final weeks before the midterms, which could see Democrats lose control of the Senate. Share this graphic.     A message from Better Medicare Alliance Medicare Advantage helps lower health care costs for seniors     Seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans spend nearly $2,000 less on out-of-pocket costs and premiums each year than those enrolled in fee-for-service plans. Lower costs are just another advantage of Medicare Advantage. Learn more.     4. 📱 FBI's Verizon store Mike Lindell at a Trump rally in Ohio in June. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images   MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell yesterday became at least the seventh pro-Trump figure to have his phone seized by federal agents in relation to one or more investigations into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Others include: Attorney John Eastman Former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn Trump adviser Mike Roman Nevada GOP chair Michael McDonald     5. 🚗 Pics du jour Photo: Paul Sancya/AP President Biden, touring the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, announced the approval of an initial $900 million in infrastructure spending to build electric-vehicle charging stations across 53,000 miles of the national highway system. Biden checks out a Corvette with GM CEO Mary Barra. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP "The great American road trip is going to be fully electrified, whether you're driving coast to coast along I-10 or on I-75 here in Michigan," the self-described "car guy" pledged. "Charging stations will be up and as easy to find as gas stations are now."     A message from Better Medicare Alliance See why 29 million seniors choose Medicare Advantage     Seniors in Medicare Advantage spend nearly 36% less on health care costs and have a 43% lower rate of avoidable hospitalizations. No wonder 94% of seniors are satisfied with their Medicare Advantage health care coverage. Learn more about the advantages of Medicare Advantage.   📬 Thanks for reading tonight. This newsletter was edited by Zachary Basu and copy edited by Sheryl Miller. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: