The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Jan. 6 panel dives into election pressures for state officials

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

THIS MORNING 

It’s a shame there wasn’t, like, a documentary being filmed in the runup to Jan. 6:  

There was! The Jan. 6 committee has subpoenaed documentary filmmaker Alex Holder, who had been following the Trump campaign for months. 

Who Holder had interviewed for the documentary: Former President Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence — plus Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr. andEric Trump.
 

Reaction from the filmmaker: “As a British filmmaker, I had no agenda coming into this. We simply wanted to better understand who the Trumps were and what motivated them to hold onto power to desperately. We have dutifully handed over all the materials the Committee has asked for and we are fully cooperating.” Read the full statement 

➤ TIDBIT WITH SOME CONTEXT: 
CBS’s Robert Costa tweeted, “Per a person familiar with the project, ALEX HOLDER has made a 3-part series on Trump. Spent Sept. 2020-Jan. 2021 with the Trump family and campaign, filming. Was on [the U.S. Capitol] grounds, not [at the White House] day of Jan. 6. He had full editorial control, was not paid. Paid for crew, hotels, etc.”  

IT’S THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER! 🍉 HAPPY TUESDAY. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.

📈 The latest with inflation 

Stay very still. Don’t move a muscle: 

Via The Wall Street Journal’s Caitlin McCabe, “U.S. stocks climbed, offering investors a reprieve from a recent stretch of whipsaw trading that had sent stocks and cryptocurrencies falling.”  

The numbers: “The S&P 500 gained 1.6% Tuesday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.4%, or 410 points. The Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 1.7%.” What this could mean for the economy 

➤ THE CHANCES OF A RECESSION ARE STILL VERY HIGH: 
The Hill’s Niall Stanage writes that “the likelihood of a recession is spiking, and it could spell political doom for President Biden.” 

Where Biden stands: “Biden’s approval ratings have taken a battering as inflation has soared to its highest level since the early 1980s and the national average gas price has reached $5 per gallon.” 

The trickiest of balances: “But the most direct cure for soaring inflation — a hike in interest rates by the Federal Reserve — brings its own kind of pain unless it is weighted perfectly.” 

➤ WHAT IS A GAS TAX HOLIDAY?: 
“Simply put, a federal gas tax holiday would temporarily suspend the 18.4-cent gas tax. It doesn’t, however, mean you’ll pay 18.4 cents less per gallon of gas at the pump.” How the gas tax holiday works, via Nexstar’s Addy Bink 

➤ ‘WHY GAS IS SO EXPENSIVE IN SOME U.S. STATES BUT NOT OTHERS’: 
Here’s an explainer from The Washington Post’s Aaron Gregg, Laris Karklis and Adrian Blanco 

Here’s an op-ed on what Congress could do to lower inflation

🔥 Jan. 6 

The gist of Republicans during the hearings: 

Senate Republicans are brushing off the Jan. 6 hearings, despite the new footage and attention to investigate the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

Why Republicans don’t seem worried: “[They] generally feel confident the damaging revelations won’t have much impact on the midterm elections, citing economic factors such as inflation as far more significant in moving voters.” 

But there is an element they are on edge about: What it means for former President Trump’s viability in 2024. “There are signs that Trump’s popularity among Republican voters is dipping, but GOP lawmakers are reluctant to dismiss his chances of winning in 2024 given how he defied predictions in 2016.” 

^ That doesn’t apply with Trump’s base, though: “Many Senate Republicans are skeptical the hearings will dent Trump’s popularity with the base, which is a big reason why they’re steering clear of commenting on what Trump knew and did before and during the attack.” 

How these hearings could play out for Republicans, via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton

Follow The Hill’s live coverage

➤HAPPENING AT 1 P.M. EDT: 
The House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol is holding its next hearing today. 

The theme of today’s testimony: Former President Trump’s efforts to pressure state officials to overturn the election results. 

A key witness today: Wandrea ‘Shaye’ Moss, a former Georgia elections worker 

Why Moss?: “She received death threats after being accused of counting ballots for then-candidate Joe Biden multiple times in addition to counting fraudulent ballots, becoming a target of Trump and his allies.” More on Shaye Moss ahead of her testimony

Watch today’s hearing: Here’s the C-SPAN livestream

🏛 In the Supreme Court 

The gist: Religious schools aren’t exempt: 

“The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a Maine education policy that made K-12 schools with religious instruction ineligible for taxpayer-backed tuition aid.”  

Back story: “Maine law gives school-age children the right to free public education. But because many rural districts lack a public high school, a workaround was devised that allows these students to attend nearby qualifying private schools with public assistance.” 

^ Yes, but: Religious schools were considered ineligible. The court said that is unconstitutional.  

The decision: 6-3 along ideological lines. More on what this means 

➤ ‘GINNI THOMAS’S CLOSE TIES WITH HUSBAND’S LAW CLERKS HIGHLIGHTED IN NEW BOOK’:
Via The Hill’s John Kruzel 

➤ ‘INSIDE THE DEMOCRATIC STRATEGY SESSIONS PLANNING THE POST-ROE CAMPAIGN’:
Via Politico’s Elena Schneider 

🗳 On the campaign trail 

Alabama, Georgia, Virginia and Washington, D.C. — you’re up!: 

Here are seven races to watch today, via The Hill’s Max Greenwood

🦠 Latest with COVID 

Get out those well-earned lollipops and stickers!: 

Via CNN’s Jacqueline Howard, “Covid-19 vaccinations for children younger than 5 are beginning Tuesday across the United States, marking a milestone in the nation’s fight against the disease.”  

How many kiddos under the age of 5 are now eligible: About 17 million!

Are these vaccines different from the adult ones?: Yes. The doses are smaller. 

What to expect in the rollout 

➤ ‘PEDIATRIC COVID VACCINES COULD CHANGE HOW WE DEAL WITH THE PANDEMIC’: 
Via The Washington Post’s Alyssa Rosenberg 

➤ BY THE NUMBERS 

Cases to date: 85.9 million 

Death toll: 1,008,196 

Current hospitalizations: 24,569 

Shots administered: 592 million 

Fully vaccinated: 66.8 percent of Americans 

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets 

Talk of the weekend — Biden fell off his bike and it was caught on video: 

The Daily Mail’s Nikki Schwab posted video of President Biden on his bike in Rehoboth, Del. this weekend. As he stopped in front of the press, he got his foot caught and fell over. Watch 

The White House said in a statement after that Biden is “fine” and that “no medical attention is needed.”

  

⏱On tap 

The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. 

• 10:30 a.m.: Biden and Harris received the President’s Daily Brief. 
• 12:45 p.m.: Biden and Harris have lunch together. 
• 2:30 p.m.: Biden and first lady Jill Biden visit a local COVID-19 vaccination clinic in D.C. 
• 3 p.m.: The Senate meets. 
• 5:30 p.m.: Senate votes. Today’s Senate agenda 
• 6:30 p.m.: First and last votes in the House. Today’s House agenda 

All times Eastern.

📺What to watch 

• 1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing. Livestream 
• 3:45 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks on COVID-19 vaccinations and the availability to young children. Livestream

🥤 In lighter news 

Today is National Smoothie Day! 

This made me laugh: 

The Washington Post posted a TikTok with veteran reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. It’s pretty funny. Watch 

And because you read this far, here are two puppies enjoying a bath.