| | | | |  | | By Calder McHugh | |  U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry (sixth from left) speaks to President Joe Biden and Britain's King Charles III during a climate meeting at Windsor Castle today. | Pool Photo by Kevin Lamarque via AP | THE MONARCH AND THE COLONIAL — On the way to a NATO summit in Lithuania, President Joe Biden today made a quick stopover in England for tea with King Charles III — and an unusual discussion of policy. Biden’s first bilateral reception with Charles since he ascended the throne last September was devoted to a dialogue on environmental issues that included a joint briefing from Britain’s Energy Secretary Grant Shapps and U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry on trans-Atlantic attempts to “accelerate the deployment of literally trillions of dollars” of climate change investment, according to Kerry. Historically, visits between U.S. presidents and English monarchy have been more ceremonial than policy-oriented; they’re more likely to produce incidents like tittering from etiquette experts when former President Barack Obama gave Queen Elizabeth II an iPod as an official gift (though word is she loved it). And Biden’s Irish-American roots suggest that his bond with Charles is not a natural one. In his autobiography Promises to Keep, Biden wrote, “When I told my mother I was going to have an audience with the Queen of England, the first thing she said was, ‘Don’t you bow down to her.’” His decision not to attend Charles’ May coronation roiled some pro-monarchy English politicians. Still, the two have found common ground. In 2021, Biden told then-Prince Charles that “we need you badly” to help with climate targets at COP26. And on Sunday, before their meeting, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that Biden has long considered Charles a “clarion voice” on climate issues. To some degree, it is a marriage of convenience. While the official website for the British monarchy says that “The Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role,” Charles isn’t about to pause his lifelong work of advocating for sustainability just because he’s finally on the throne. Meeting with the American president on the issue burnishes his credentials on a matter he cares deeply about. For Biden, the meeting offered an opportunity to showcase his commitment to climate issues just as his reelection campaign starts cranking — and his team has decided that investment in green technology is a winning issue. The two were determined enough to establish a new kind of relationship that they broke protocol in other ways as well. When Biden met Charles at Windsor Castle earlier today, he patted the king on the back — a gesture that violates royal norms, though one that’s commonplace for the often physically affectionate Biden. It’s a way of ever-so-lightly stripping down the veneer of cold formality. Responding to the contact, a source inside Buckingham Palace said, “His Majesty the King is entirely comfortable with that kind of contact — and what a wonderful symbol of warmth and affection it was between both the individuals and their nations.” The meeting with Charles wasn’t the only thing on Biden’s agenda today. He also met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, working on a relationship that the White House and 10 Downing Street are hoping to rebuild after the turbulent tenures of former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. (Biden and Sunak’s meeting was reportedly focused on Ukraine). It’s too early to tell if the meeting will lead to any progress on climate or significant diplomatic promises to one another. Symbolism remains at the heart of Biden and Charles’ meeting today. But the two are using centuries of tradition to try to tell a new story: about the priorities of the throne and the intentions of a president in a close race for reelection. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at cmchugh@politico.com or on Twitter at @calder_mchugh.
| | | | JOIN 7/11 FOR A TALK ON THE FAA’S FUTURE: Congress is making moves to pass the FAA Reauthorization Act, laying the groundwork for the FAA’s long-term agenda to modernize the aviation sector to meet the challenges of today and innovate for tomorrow. Join POLITICO on July 11 to discuss what will make it into the final reauthorization bill and examine how reauthorization will reshape FAA’s priorities and authorities. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | — Senate GOP lands a top recruit in Nevada: Sam Brown, a decorated Army veteran who lost the GOP primary for a Nevada Senate seat last year, is launching another run for Senate — this time with the support of Republican leadership. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the chair of the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, endorsed Brown as he announced a bid today to oust Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen. It’s the latest example of Daines’ willingness to wade into primaries after a disappointing midterm cycle where his party failed to reclaim the majority. — Top Marine general steps down with no Senate-confirmed successor in place: Alabama GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s seven-month hold on all senior military promotions ran head-on into the long military history of smooth leadership handovers during a pomp-filled ceremony today at the Marine Corps Barracks in Washington. Commandant Gen. David Berger, whose four-year tour as the Marines’ top officer came to an end, was supposed to hand the reins over to Gen. Eric Smith, who has been nominated for the job. Instead, Smith will run the Corps on a temporary basis while he waits for Senate confirmation, thanks to the hold. Because he’s not confirmed, Smith will have to hold off on making any strategic decisions for the service. — Democratic Texas state senator launches bid for Ted Cruz’s Senate seat: Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez announced today he will run for U.S. Senate against Ted Cruz, making him the second prominent Democrat to challenge the incumbent Republican. Gutierrez, whose district includes San Antonio and the town of Uvalde, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school last year, criticized Cruz and other Republicans for having “abandoned” rural Texas communities in a new campaign video.
| | | | TRUMP RIPS ANOTHER GOP GOV — Former President Donald Trump publicly let loose against Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in a social media post today, following a New York Times report that detailed the Republican governor’s close relationship with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, POLITICO reports. “I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to events! DeSanctus down 45 points!” Reynolds has said she won’t formally endorse any of the candidates in the Republican primary, keeping in practice with past governors of her state, which holds the first-in-the-nation caucuses. However, the governor has appeared with DeSantis at each of the three events he has hosted in the state, including his first in-person campaign event, where she described her fellow governor as “a candidate who has shown us that he can, and all you have to do is look at his record.” DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION — There are a number of spots on the campus of Dartmouth College that would serve as bucolic backgrounds for a presidential candidate trying to win over the student body that gets to vote in the New Hampshire primary. The Alpha Delta house would not seem, on the surface, to be one of them. Located a stone’s throw from the college green in Hanover, the fraternity — known colloquially on campus as AD and culturally as the inspiration for the film Animal House — is neither imposing nor inviting. It is not a particularly inspiring place, even if there are those who love it. And yet, Alpha Delta has a semi-rich history of hosting those aspiring to be elected to the White House. Over the weekend, POLITICO reports, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and current candidate for president Nikki Haley became the latest to make the pilgrimage to the land of Bluto, Pinto and Flounder. TESTOSTERONE PRIMARY — Francis Suarez is bragging about placing sixth in an Independence Day 5K in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Vivek Ramaswamy, a former nationally ranked junior tennis player, is flexing his weekly pickup victories over former collegiate athletes at a Life Time Fitness outside Des Moines. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the muscle-bound, 69-year-old longshot Democratic presidential hopeful, went viral for doing pull-ups shirtless at a Gold’s Gym. More than a month before the election cycle’s first debates, the 2024 presidential contest has careened into a kind of testosterone primary, POLITICO reports, a frenetic fit boy summer sidequest in which candidates are drawing fewer contrasts on policy and proving more keen on comparing feats of strength.
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President Joe Biden speaks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a meeting at the G20 summit in Indonesia last year. | Made Nagi/AFP via Getty Images | OPEN FOR BUSINESS — President Joe Biden is planning to hold two high-profile bilateral meetings during the NATO summit this week, finding time to sit down one-on-one with Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, write Jonathan Lemire and Alexander Ward. The sessions, described to POLITICO by two people familiar with the planning, will come on the sidelines of the two-gathering of transatlantic allies this week. On Tuesday, Biden will sit down with Erdoğan to convince the autocrat that he should accept Sweden as NATO’s 32nd member. Erdoğan has blocked the move for more than a year, claiming that Stockholm was too cozy with Kurds that Ankara considers to be terrorists. The last few weeks have featured a flurry of diplomatic activity to break the deadlock, and Biden will likely aim to secure a pathway forward in his face-to-face chat. The meeting with Zelenskyy, which is planned for Wednesday but not finalized, would be equally as testy. Kyiv hopes NATO would provide Ukraine with a speedy path into the alliance, even though Biden and other member nations oppose the idea of doing that soon. One reason is that making Ukraine an ally now would essentially put NATO at war with Russia, which continues its nine-year invasion. Biden will look to convince Zelenskyy that removing a series of bureaucratic hurdles and reforms, in addition to a large security commitment by the U.S. and some NATO allies, was the most Kyiv could get in Vilnius this year. Ukraine has not confirmed any plans for Zelenskyy to attend the summit.
| | | | UNLEASH THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE WITH POLITICO, A 7/20 INTERACTIVE EVENT: Imagine a future where rare genetic diseases are not only treatable, but potentially curable. Where our approach to chronic illness takes a monumental leap forward. That future is already taking shape in the form of next-generation health care treatments such as gene therapy. Join POLITICO on Thursday, July 20 and delve into the burgeoning field of gene therapies, which hold the power to redefine our health care landscape. Are you ready to explore this new frontier in health care? Don't miss this chance to be part of the conversation. REGISTER NOW. | | | | | | | | | | $3.6 million The amount of money that Win it Back, a new group with ties to the anti-tax organization Club for Growth, is spending on an ad campaign in key early primary states to stop Donald Trump from steamrolling to the Republican nomination. The ad blitz will run through the end of the month. | | | | RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE — Do you think you could run for 24 hours straight? And on top of that, do you think you could do it on a monotonous track in suburban Pennsylvania, without any changing scenery to distract you? It takes a very particular kind of person to complete the ultramarathon “Dawn to Dusk to Dawn” — nicknamed D3 — where the goal, above all else, is to just keep moving. For Slate, Stephen Lurie visited the marathon and took a long look into the psyche of the people competing: why they do it, what it means to them to complete it and the community that surrounds the event.
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On this date in 1976: Queen Elizabeth II tours Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home, accompanied by historian Frederick Nichols (left) and curator of the Jefferson Museum James Bear (right). | AP Photo | Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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