PULTE TAKES THE HELM: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte is slated to begin his role as acting director of national intelligence today, as Tulsi Gabbard officially steps down from the post.
His ascension to the position — even on a temporary basis — has been the source of significant consternation on Capitol Hill, where members of both parties have raised questions about Pulte’s qualifications and record of using his position at FHFA to elevate claims of mortgage fraud against Trump’s perceived political foes.
In response to pushback of Pulte serving as the acting director of national intelligence, the president last week nominated federal prosecutor Jay Clayton, whose confirmation process senators had hoped to fast-track this week.
But hours before Clayton’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday, the president announced he was pausing the confirmation process for Clayton until Congress passes a voter ID law and reauthorizes the nation’s warrantless surveillance law that allows intelligence agencies to spy on foreign threats.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called Trump’s decision to delay Clayton’s nomination “regrettable.”
▪ The Hill: Jon Ossoff says Pulte as DNI raises terror attack risk.
▪ The Hill: GOP senator says DNI delay endangers Americans.
DSA TAKES THE DISTRICT: Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George is all but guaranteed to become the next mayor of Washington, D.C., after her primary opponent, Kenyan McDuffie, a fellow D.C. councilmember conceded the race yesterday.
Decision Desk HQ called the race as Lewis George had a projected 53 percent of the vote, enough to avoid a second round of counting in the race to replace D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in the heavily Democratic city.
Lewis George campaigned on a pledge to defend the city from Trump and federal overreach, and she repeatedly criticized the presence of federal agents and National Guard members in the city.
Trump last week threatened to “take back” D.C. if Lewis George, the more progressive candidate, won the race.
"We are not going to get ICE off our streets fearing the president, and we are not going to stand up for our autonomy and fight for D.C. statehood ultimately by just complying in advance,” Lewis George told WUSA9 yesterday, doubling down on her position.
▪ Washington Examiner: DC risks Trump’s heavy hand with election.
▪ The Hill: Elissa Slotkin proposes limiting federal troops at polls.
SCOTUS SIDES WITH POT SMOKER: The Supreme Court unanimously ruled yesterday that the government cannot prosecute a man for gun possession just because he regularly smokes marijuana.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that it violates the smoker’s right to bear arms under the conservative justices’ expanded Second Amendment test, which requires gun control measures to be consistent with the country’s historical tradition of regulating firearms.
“To square that expansive theory with the Second Amendment, the government invites us to draw an analogy between its present regulation and historical laws addressing habitual drunkards,” Gorsuch wrote.
“Those laws, the government contends, demonstrate a tradition of firearm regulation consistent with its effort to disarm any regular user of any controlled substance without any further showing,” he continued. “But the government’s analogy fails under every measure it asks us to consider.”
The decision raises the bar for future prosecutions, but it does not preclude the government from prosecuting an individual for possessing a firearm while using illegal drugs.
▪ The Hill: Judge limits challenges to Trump mail-in order.
OBAMA CENTER DEBUTS: Former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama finally unveiled the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago yesterday after more than a decade of planning.
They were joined by an array of A-list guests for the concert and celebration, including three other presidents — former Presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — and celebrities including Christina Aguilera, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder.
Obama said his goal is for exhibits at the presidential center to focus not just on policies but on the country’s shared values “that make democracy possible.” He then took a veiled swipe at Trump, as he praised the presidents in attendance.
“Every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold values that John McCain and Mitt Romney believed in, no less than I did,” Obama said.
Trump was not invited to the center’s opening, The New York Times reported, after recently comparing the center to a trash heap.
▪ People: Malia and Sasha make rare appearance.
▪ ABC News: Comparing Trump and Obama’s Iran deals
