Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.
In today’s edition, senior national politics correspondent Jonathan Allen explains why Joe Biden’s latest move on Israel is not making anyone happy. Plus, senior national politics reporters Henry J. Gomez and Matt Dixon report on a potential domino effect that could hurt the prospects of two potential Donald Trump candidates. And we recap Day 14 of Trump’s criminal trial in New York.
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Biden is in a no-win situation on Israel
By Jonathan Allen
President Joe Biden is trying to inject a needle into Israel’s war against Hamas, but his the threat of stopping the shipment of certain weapons Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has some in Washington wondering whether he has lost the issue.
Biden: “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a result of these bombs and other routes they follow through population centers.” He said in an interview with CNN Wednesday. “I’ve made it clear that if they go to Rafah — they haven’t gone to Rafah yet — if they go to Rafah, I’m not going to provide the weapons that have historically been used to deal with Rafah, the cities — that deals with that problem.”
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In fact, Israel has been conducting limited military operations in the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have gathered since the war began following a terrorist attack by Hamas on the Jewish state on October 7. Biden said that Israel has not yet crossed the “red line” by entering population centers.
But at the same time the Biden administration is delaying official certification that US weapons are not being used to undermine humanitarian efforts to protect civilians, the president is drawing a new rhetorical line in the sand.
Some in his own party see it as counterproductive to Biden’s policies and political goals. He wants the war to end as quickly as possible with the release of Israeli and American hostages held by Hamas, and for Palestinian supporters to stop bashing him at home for seeking re-election.
“The problem is that the message they’re sending is that they’re failing to do both,” said one Democratic lawmaker who spoke on condition of anonymity in an outspoken criticism of Biden’s position. “Because now if you want Hamas to release the hostages and they see that the US is backing off, that reduces the pressure on Hamas.”
The lawmaker said the numbers would prolong the war rather than draw a conclusion, which in turn threatens to prolong Biden’s domestic political predicament.
“If the hostages are not released, then the war will continue with or without US missiles,” the deputy said.
Republicans were quick to condemn Biden’s position. House Speaker Mike Johnson recently worked with the Biden White House to pass an aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. told Politico he said he hoped Biden’s remarks were a “big moment.” Former President Donald Trump said in an interview with North Carolina’s Spectrum News 1 that he “wouldn’t do what Biden did.”
“He just left Israel,” Trump said.
But progressives welcomed what they saw as a turn in the right direction.
Biden’s campaign co-chairman, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, said, “Biden took the same position that 37 Democrats did in voting against assault weapons that could be used to attack Gaza.” “This is now a key Democratic position, and the final vote on assault weapons on Israel will look the same as the Iraq war.”
Last month, Democrats voted 173-37 for a single measure that would have provided aid to Israel, including assault weapons, before being included in a larger foreign military aid package that Biden signed into law. If Biden takes a progressive view, he does so at the potential cost of going up against roughly 20% of his party’s House contingent and the vast majority of Republican officials inside and outside Congress.
The question for Biden, as he tries to manage Israel’s war from afar, is whether he can win more support at home by reaching out to pro-Palestinian progressives who have aligned with him since the war began.
Trump trial, Day 14: Stormy Daniels spars with the former president’s lawyer during testimony
By Adam Reiss, Jillian Frankel, Gary Grumbach and Dareh Gregorian
Adult movie star Stormy Daniels is back in the stands Trump’s criminal trial Thursdayhe pushed back during cross-examination about his defense attorney’s attempts to discredit him in sometimes strange and uncomfortable exchanges.
Trump’s lawyer Susan Necheles spoke about the $130,000 non-disclosure agreement Trump signed with then-lawyer Michael Cohen near the end of the 2016 election and tried to poke holes in his now-sworn testimony about having sex with Trump. denies it.
Necheles asked him about the number of porn films he had written and directed and said, “You have a lot of experience making fictional stories about sex.”
“Wow! Wow. I wouldn’t have put it that way,” Daniels responded. “The sex in the movies is very real, just like what happened to me in that room” with Trump. She added, “If this story was false, I would have written it better.”
Later in the day, Trump’s former White House executive assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, was called as a witness.
Read more about Trump’s trial here →
💲The million dollar question: Will Trump take a stand? He previously said he would “absolutely” testify, but has since softened those comments. More →
A potential roadblock for two of Trump’s VP nominees
By Henry J. Gomez and Matt Dixon
Trump’s two promising running mates It comes with serious political implications: Republican governors who will choose their own successors.
If Trump goes Senator Marco Rubio Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would be in line to pick his replacement — perhaps if Rubio quits and moves elsewhere to avoid the constitutional requirement that both candidates live in the same state. If Senator JD Vance Ohio’s vice president, Governor Mike DeWine, will pick a new senator.
There are both governors the end, mixed dates With Trump, doubts have grown about whether their appointees will meet the MAGA movement’s often hard-right standards. While the succession dynamic doesn’t necessarily hurt Rubio’s or Vance’s chances of being elected, it’s the subject of speculative talk in both states.
DeSantis and Trump are heading into a fierce battle for the GOP presidential nomination. While there are signs of détente, enough trust issues remain that the idea of giving DeSantis the power to make a Senate appointment is one the Trump world is approaching with caution.
In Ohio, Trump actively campaigned DeWine’s endorsement against state Sen. Matt Dolan in the recent GOP Senate primary branded DeWine a biased establishment avatar and RINO. Many believe Dolan, who lost the primary to Trump-endorsed Bernie Moreno, will be on DeWine’s short list after Vance.
Read more about the Trump veepstakes here →
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- 🏟️ Like father, like son: Barron Trump, the youngest son of the former president, is stepping into the political arena this summer, acting as one of the delegates to the Republican National Convention in Florida. More →
- ❗ Surprise, surprise: Robert Kennedy Jr. said he would not put any restrictions on a woman’s right to have an abortion, even at the end of pregnancy – which caused a surprising reaction from his fellow candidate. More →
- ⌚ Timing is everything: Ahead of next week’s Maryland Democratic Senate primary, the influential group EMILY’s List has launched a new ad campaign on behalf of Angela Alsobrooks as she takes on self-funder David Trone. Too late or just in time? More →
- 🗓️ What is Haley doing? The Wall Street Journal reports that Nikki Haley plans to meet with top donors to the presidential campaign next week, but she has no “immediate plans” to support Trump. More →
- 🎬 Behind the scenes: Charlie Spies was ousted as the Republican National Committee’s top lawyer after persistent lobbying by MAGA influencers. More →
- 🗳️ Voting battle: Ohio lawmakers are divided over efforts to get Biden on the state ballot this fall, raising the prospect of legal action to address the issue. More →
For now, here they are from The Politics Desk. If you have feedback – like it or not – email us politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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