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, White House Correspondent Mike Memoli examines the subdued tone the Biden family has taken since Hunter’s conviction. Plus, senior political analyst Chuck Todd examines what recently released secret memos reveal about Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
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What comes next for the Bidens after Hunter’s verdict
By Mike Memoli
After he was convicted three felony weapons charges, Hunter Biden vowed to keep “moving forward.” President Joe Biden was still processing the legal setback hours later praised gun safety advocates for turning their “pain” into a “goal”. First lady Jill Biden, who cleared her schedule considerably to be with Hunter during the trial, is now preparing to launch a sweeping five-state campaign.
The personal and political outcome of Hunter Biden’s legal battles may not be immediately clear, but the tone he and his parents are trying to set after the trial is clear. As the president likes to quote his father, “When you fall, you gotta get up.”
It’s a stance that people close to the family say is both deliberate and familiar to them after experiencing bigger setbacks in the past.
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Biden’s own campaign was quick to say Wednesday that Hunter’s conviction would not prevent him from attacking former President Donald Trump. on it. It was mentioned in the news that Biden was visiting Italy The G7 Summit and his campaign was holding events around the country, nothing on Trump’s public schedule.
Jill Biden joined her husband for parts of his trip to France last week, traveling back and forth twice to Delaware to attend Hunter’s trial. The Biden campaign had kept his schedule during the trial, but by Tuesday afternoon his advisers had shut down plans for one of the busiest campaign swings to date. He will make at least five stops over three days in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada and Arizona, while also raising money in California.
Perhaps the biggest test of how the Bidens will fare in court will come in two weeks the first presidential debate. The campaign aims to personalize the June 27 showdown, hoping to undermine Biden by invoking Trump’s son. But advisers note that this tactic backfired four years ago when Trump tried to boost Hunter Biden’s business relationship.
Read more about the Bidens’ challenge →
Again, as we reported today: The road forward for the Bidens can only get more difficult — personally, politically and legally.
Aides to the president are already eagerly awaiting Hunter Biden’s September trial in California on tax evasion charges. While the gun impeachment trial has exposed harrowing, private family dynamics and history, a second trial could expose without evidence potentially controversial information about Hunter Biden’s business dealings, which Republicans have long sought to pin on his father.
Read more about the Bidens’ next challenges →
John Roberts, America’s swing voter in chief?
By Chuck Todd
It’s rare these days for people in power to put their country before themselves, so when it happens, we have to think about the moment.
The secret notes of Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts, who spoke to a progressive activist who identified as a religious conservative at a Supreme Court Historical Society event, provide a stark contrast in how each sees their role on the court. While many focus on Alito, not enough attention is paid to the chief justice’s comments.
Whatever you think of Alito as fair or conservative, he’s more comfortable expressing his ideology (in this case, agreeing with his secret questioner) and using his position to push his point. He claimed possession during his 2006 confirmation hearing.
The true test of character in any position of authority is whether you are the same person when the traffic lights are on and when the traffic lights are off. Roberts has shown us that he takes his job and the responsibilities that come with them very seriously, regardless of the potentially trying times. He meets at that moment.
You don’t have to agree with every opinion Roberts authors or signs, but it’s nice to know he’s self-aware of his role and committed to doing what he’s truly called for: protecting and interpreting the Constitution to the best of his abilities.
What I’ll be interested to watch over the next few days and weeks is how liberals and conservatives react to Roberts’ comments, not Alito’s. Is there universal respect for how Roberts sees the role of the Supreme Court, or are activists frustrated by Roberts’ refusal to virtue signal left or right?
Ultimately, we learned little new about Alito in these remarks, but we did learn something about Roberts. The transcript should be a reassurance that the person who runs the country’s third branch of government has long visions for the republic, and that the founders hoped the people would embrace it once they realized the weight of their responsibilities.
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- 🎶 Changing song: Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Points USA, once advocated a “secular worldview.” Now, he has become “one of the nation’s most prominent voices urging Christians to consider conservative political activism central to Jesus’ call on their lives,” NBC News’ Mike Hixenbaugh and Allan Smith write. More →
- 🤚 Of course: The GOP-led House of Representatives voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for failing to turn over the audio of special counsel Robert Huron’s interview with President Biden during the classified documents investigation. More →
- 👀 With him: George Latimer has endorsed New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman in Hillary Clinton’s hotly contested House primary. More →
- 🗳️ About last night: In Tuesday’s primary, Trump defeated GOP Rep. Nancy Mayes, who defeated a challenger backed by his favored candidates, including former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. William Timmons, another South Carolina Republican, narrowly defeated his hard-right opponent. And Rep. Kelly Armstrong won Republican gubernatorial election in North Dakota In place of Trump’s vice president, Doug Burgum. More →
- 🧾 Tips include: Army veteran Sam Brown In Nevada, the Republican won the Senate primary , setting up a primary race for control of the Senate. He said he planned to unveil his tax repeal proposal during the general election before Trump punched him. More →
- 📖 Old story: North Dakota voters approved a state constitutional amendment imposing age limits on congressional candidates, but it is expected to be challenged in court. More →
- 👋 Friends in high places: The New York Times investigates the personal friendship between Trump and Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who kept the former Housing and Urban Development secretary as his vice president. More →
For now, that’s it from The Politics Desk. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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