Putin says Russia escaped ‘civil war’

Putin says ‘civil war’ was averted:

Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country’s military and law enforcement officers prevented a “civil war” after fighters from the Wagner Group agreed to halt their brief armed rebellion this weekend.

Putin told Russian soldiers and law enforcement officers at the Kremlin on Tuesday that the Russian people at large did not support the mercenary organization’s turn against Russia. Fighters from the Wagner Group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, have played a major role in Russia’s war against Ukraine, but Prigozhin complained about mismanagement and the mistreatment of his soldiers.

Russia has been largely unable to make gains in Ukraine, and the Kremlin’s key victories were both delivered by the Wagner Group.

Prigozhin said that Wagner launched the rebellion primarily to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from his post.

But Putin slammed the force’s advance toward Moscow in a public address earlier this week, calling those who took part in the armed rebellion traitors and arguing that their turn threatened Russia’s attempt to seize Ukraine.

He didn’t specifically name Prigozhin, who has reportedly been exiled to Russian ally Belarus. Prigozhin hasn’t been seen publicly since announcing the end of the rebellion on Saturday.

At the height of the dispute, Prigozhin went so far as to openly dispute Russia’s justification for the war on Ukraine, accusing Russian leaders of lying about the threat from the neighboring country. (The Hill)

RELATED:

Russia drops charges against Wagner chief, other rebels:

Russia has dropped charges against Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led an attempted coup against the Kremlin over the weekend. Charges against his fighters also have been waved.

The Russian Federal Security Service made the call after it found that people involved in the rebellion “ceased activities directed at committing the crime.” (More from The Hill)

It’s Tuesday, June 27. I’m Elizabeth Crisp, filling in for Cate, with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. Send me your tips: ecrisp@digital-stage.thehill.com and follow me on Twitter @elizabethcrisp.

Breaking news

Supreme Court deals a blow to North Carolina GOP over election laws

In a crucial ruling heading into the 2024 election cycle, the Supreme Court has ruled against an effort to give state legislatures sweeping authority in drawing state congressional districts and regulating federal elections.

The North Carolina GOP had pushed what’s been deemed the “independent state legislature” theory all the way to the high court, but the argument failed on a 6-3 vote.

The majority decision, which the court’s three liberals along with Chief Justice John Roberts and two conservative justices all endorsed, preserves the ability for state courts to review partisan gerrymandering lawsuits and other federal election guidelines that state lawmakers attempt to implement.

The North Carolina Republicans had argued the U.S. Constitution hands the regulation of federal elections exclusively to state legislatures and that the North Carolina Supreme Court had no power to block the legislature-approved congressional map. Republicans hold majority control of the North Carolina General Assembly’s House and Senate.

“The Elections Clause does not insulate state legislatures from the ordinary exercise of state judicial review,” Roberts wrote for the majority.

Roberts’s opinion was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

The Biden administration had warned adopting the GOP’s theory would “wreak havoc in the administration of elections across the nation.”

“Although we conclude that the Elections Clause does not exempt state legislatures from the ordinary constraints imposed by state law, state courts do not have free rein,” Roberts wrote.

In a dissenting opinion, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should have tossed the case and that the majority opinion is “plainly advisory.” His dissent was joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch and in part by Justice Samuel Alito.

North Carolina Republican lawmakers had urged the Supreme Court to still reach a ruling on the merits of the theory, even after the matter appeared settled on the state level.

More from The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld here.

In Congress

Tim Sheehy kicks off GOP Senate bid in Montana:

Former Navy SEAL officer Tim Sheehy has launched a Senate bid in Montana on Tuesday, setting up a potential campaign battle with Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

“I’ve proudly fought for our country to defend our freedoms, and I’m once again answering the call to serve,” Sheehy, a Republican, said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “I will fight to bring real leadership to Washington to save our country and protect our Montana way of life.”

Fellow Montanan and head of the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, Sen. Steve Daines has already endorsed Sheehy. (The Hill)

Why it matters: Senate Democrats are trying to hold onto control of the upper chamber, as 33 of the 100 seats will be on the ballot next year during the presidential election cycle. There’s a narrow path to control on both sides of the aisle. All three of the seats that the Cook Political Report has ranked as toss-ups were last won by Democrats.

🛣️ In the White House

Tolls coming to Manhattan, after Biden administration OKs plan:

The Biden administration has signed off on a new tolling program aimed at decreasing congestion in New York City.

The Federal Highway Administration, which works within the Department of Transportation, allowed the first-of-its-kind project to advance as part of a new program that gives transportation agencies more options to “manage congestion through tolling and other pricing mechanisms,” according to a spokesperson.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the New York State Department of Transportation and the New York City Department of Transportation submitted the toll proposal to the federal government for review.

The goal is to reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise money for the New York City public transit system. New Jersey officials had opposed the effort because of the impact on commuters.

The project is expected to be completed in spring 2024 and could include tolls of as much as $23 per day to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, according to an Associated Press report. London, Singapore and Stockholm have similar programs in highly congested areas.

🏃 2024

New recording has Trump discussing ‘secret’ documents that weren’t declassified: report:

Former President Trump openly bragged about holding onto classified documents after he left office and seemingly showed them to people who didn’t have security clearance, as revealed in a new audio recording first reported by CNN.

The recording, which was reportedly made in a 2021 meeting at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., offers new context for a conversation that was outlined in the recent indictment against Trump. He’s been accused of mishandling classified documents and attempting to keep them hidden from the government after he lost the 2020 election.

Trump is running for reelection and has been making the rounds on the campaign trail.

According to the indictment, the conversation took place during an interview on July 21, 2021, with an unnamed writer and publisher working on a book.

The two-minute recording suggests that Trump has been withholding classified information about the Pentagon’s plans to attack Iran.

While authorities searched for and found classified documents in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, they didn’t search the New Jersey club. (More here)

RELATED: Trump claims new documents recording exonerates him (The Hill)

🌪️ In other news

Insurers pull back as US climate disasters intensify:

Major insurance firms are rolling back their offerings in states that are becoming increasingly vulnerable to disasters driven by the climate crisis.

California, Florida and Louisiana are among the states that have seen the biggest impact.

Eric Andersen, CEO of consulting firm Aon PLC, told the Senate Budget Committee in March that the firms that help insurers pay out costs, have also pulled back from high-risk areas.

“Just as the U.S. economy was overexposed to mortgage risk in 2008, the economy today is overexposed to climate risk,” he said.

The Hill’s Zack Budryk has more details here.

🐥 Notable tweets

LSU wins College World Series:

The LSU Tigers won the school’s seventh College World Series title Monday evening – defeating the Florida Gators 18-4. Watch the win and celebration in this team tweet

Harris takes in NYC Pride:

Vice President Harris was in New York City for campaign events on Monday, but she celebrated Pride Month with Bravo’s Andy Cohen at the historic Stonewall Inn before heading back to Washington, D.C. Harris tweeted photos from the meet-up.

⏱ On tap

The House and Senate are out this week. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in D.C., but Biden will travel to Maryland for a couple of events this evening.

• 10 a.m.: President Biden received the Presidential Daily Briefing.       
• 1 p.m.: Principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton will brief reporters.
• 4:10 p.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to Chevy Chase, Md.
• 5:15 p.m.: and 6:45 p.m.: Biden will appear at back-to-back campaign receptions.
• 7:30 p.m.: Biden will leave Chevy Chase to head back to the White House.

All times Eastern.

📺 What to watch

• 1 p.m.: Principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton will brief reporters. (Watch here)
• 
  Tune in: NewsNation hosts a town hall with Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. (Link)

🎂 In lighter news

Today is National Ice Cream Cake Day! Just in time for summer and this scorching weather, here’s the perfect treat. You can find it at many ice cream shops, but it’s also super easy to make your own. The Food Network’s Cooking School has your guide, breaking it all down.

And because you made it this far, check out this (slightly altered) video celebrating Maxine the Fluffy Corgi hitting 1million followers on Instagram.