NewsNation Chief Washington Correspondent and The Hill on NewsNation moderator Blake Burman shares his political reporting and campaign viewpoints leading into the 2024 election. Subscribe here.
I’ll make a quick admission right off the top here: I was writing this newsletter intro about Donald Trump saying he wants to debate President Biden, and how the president responded with somewhat of a taunt, adding that Trump should want to debate because “he’s got nothing else to do.”
And then, I glanced over to a news alert that came across my screen: D.C. Court of Appeals rules that Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America, is not immune from federal prosecution. “For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant. But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution,” the court ruled. Next up, most likely, is some sort of action from the Supreme Court.
By the way, before we dive in, if you have any questions about this, other political news, or anything you saw on “The Hill on NewsNation,” you can email us here. We’ll try to start reading some of these during the show and having the panel respond.
South Carolina Signs?
President Biden easily dominated the South Carolina primary — winning by a landslide against democratic challengers Marianne Williamson and Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips. African-Americans, an important Democratic voting bloc, played a key role once again for the President in the Palmetto state. Here’s a look at how African Americans have voted for Democrats vs Republicans over the last handful of decades:
However, there are potential warning signs for President Biden. NewsNation Political Editor Chris Stirewalt breaks it down. You can watch here:
Question to consider: Is the South Carolina primary an indicator of what to expect in the general election for the incumbent, or do you think the trend on the bottom right of the graphic above continues for the Republican nominee?
Border, Biden and Trump
The bipartisan Senate border deal is here after four months of negotiations. The $118 billion deal addresses aid to Ukraine, Israel, and the border crises. The dynamic here has 2024 all over it. For example, here’s what Senator Roger Marshall, R- Kan., told me when I asked him why he’s close to being a “hell no” on the bill: “I certainly don’t want to make anything worse for President Trump when he gets elected.” You can watch the full interview here:
Even some Democrats are accusing President Biden of playing politics. “If these changes were being considered under Trump, Demorcrats would be in outrage, but because we want to win an election Latinos and immigrants now find themselves on the altar of sarfairce,” Senator Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said.
Question to consider: Is this bill just the starting point for negotiations, or do you think there won’t be any further movement and it’s in do-or-die territory?
Powell’s Plea
In a rare and candid interview, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that “in the long run, the U.S. is on an unsustainable fiscal path” and said he worries about what it means for future generations. “It’s time for us to get back to putting a priority on fiscal sustainability,” Powell added. We spoke with Anthony Pompliano, entrepreneur, investor, and partner at Pomp investments about what he made of those comments, and why he thought Powell decided to go on “60 Minutes” and make that plea. You can watch in full here:
Trump is already talking about Powell, insinuating that Powell would drop rates to potentially help President Biden’s reelection chances. Powell vehemently denied that politics play any sort of role in the Fed’s decision-making process.
Question to consider: If Powell drops interest rates later this summer, do you think he becomes one of the unintended stars of the election?
Happening on The Hill
Nikki Haley made a surprise cameo over the weekend on “Saturday Night Live.” The presidential hopeful didn’t hold back on throwing shots at her opponents — Biden and Trump. And, she addressed that infamous civil rights comment. Haley’s late night debut begs the question was it just a comedy skit or a political strategy?
The panel weighs in:
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Jenae Addison and Alex Arbaiza contributed to this newsletter.
Tune into “The Hill on NewsNation” weeknights at 6/5C on NewsNation. Find your channel here.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.
