The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Protests target conservative justices

by Cate Martel - 05/09/22 12:48 PM ET

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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.

TALK OF THE MORNING

Protests have made it to Kavanaugh and Roberts’ houses:

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the homes of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh over the weekend following the leaked draft abortion opinion.

From one protester, according to WUSA9: “You don’t get to take away my bodily autonomy and get enjoy your Saturday at home. You can do one or the other.”

What’s next?: Protests are reportedly planned in front of Justice Samuel Alito’s house this week. More on the protests

Footage of the protests outside the justices’ homes: Via WUSA9’s Rafael Sánchez-Cruz.

➤ THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS GO FOR IT, BUT *DO NOT* BE VIOLENT:

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this morning: “[Biden] strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism … Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.”

➤ DEMOCRATS WANT TO ADD MORE JUSTICES TO THE SUPREME COURT:
There is some growing chatter among Democrats to reform the Supreme Court, including expanding the court. What we know from The Hill’s Alexander Bolton

➤ TIDBIT ON WHO THE LEAKER MAY BE:
In an interview on ABC’s “This week,” NPR’s legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg said the “leading theory” is that a clerk for a conservative justice leaked the draft opinion. Totenberg’s reasoning

It’s a beautiful Monday in DC. 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.

In Congress

What’s on the docket this week?:

Abortion: Senate Democrats are forcing a vote this week to codify federal abortion rights. That vote will not pass, but it’s symbolic.
House staff could unionize: The House will vote this week to recognize its staffers’ ability to unionize. “In addition to announcing a vote, [Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)] revealed that she was setting a $45,000 minimum pay floor for congressional staff.”
Ukraine assistance: Senate Democrats are considering combining Ukraine aid and COVID-19 aid into one package.

Context and details for each from The Hill’s Jordain Carney

➤ TIDBIT — JUST A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TEXAS):
Overheard District tweeted, “Ted Cruz finishing up a phone call outside Russell Senate Office Building: Guy scootering past *flips the bird*: ‘F*** you, Senator!’ Ted Cruz: ‘Your mom must be so proud.’ Another guy immediately following exchange: ‘Senator, can I get a photo?’ *takes selfie*”

In the White House

Jill is making the rounds:

First lady Jill Biden made a surprise trip to Ukraine yesterday, meeting with first lady Olena Zelenska on Mother’s Day.

The Associated Press’s Darlene Superville pointed out: This is Zelenska’s first public appearance since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Here’s a photo of Biden and Zelenska’s meeting: From The New York Times’s Katie Rogers.

Then Biden stopped in Slovakia: She met with Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova earlier today in Bratislava. https://bit.ly/3882byR

Photo of Biden’s meeting with the president of Slovakia: Via CNN’s Kate Bennett.

📍In Ukraine

What is different about the Russia-Ukraine conflict:

The Washington Post’s Reem Akkad tweeted, “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is one of the most documented wars ever. From the moment that Russian troops entered the country, ordinary citizens, soldiers, and officials picked up their phones to record what was happening around them.”

Akkad added: “As videos flooded social media, [The Washington Post’s] Visual Forensics team got to work. The social videos became an integral part of our reporting and we had to ensure what we were publishing for our readers to see was verified as authentic and true.”

Here’s the footage verified by the Post

➤ PUTIN MADE A SPEECH EARLIER TODAY:
Via CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt, “President Vladimir Putin on Monday tried to defend Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in his annual ‘Victory Day’ speech, urging his forces on to victory while evoking Russia’s triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II.”

In Washington, D.C.

*Immediately searches ‘full body suits’ on Amazon*:

Via The Washington Post’s Kevin Ambrose, “The tick that makes people allergic to red meat is in D.C.: One bite from a lone star tick could cause an allergy to red meat for life.” Details and photo of the tick

Omg: “Keith Tremel from Edgewater, Md., is a competitive barbecue cook who can’t eat or taste his smoked beef and pork dishes. He needs to wear rubber gloves when handling red meat, or he’ll break out in a rash.”

🦠 Latest on COVID

Not the most surprising news:

A number of White House correspondents’ dinner attendees have tested positive for COVID-19.

There’s no exact count of cases, but here are a few of the cases: ABC reporter Jonathan Karl, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and reporters from The Washington Post, Voice of America, etc. Some reactions to the positive cases

➤ BY THE NUMBERS

Cases to date: 81.6 million

Death toll: 995,023

Current hospitalizations: 12,380

Shots administered: 579 million

Fully vaccinated: 66.3 percent of Americans

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets

I love things like this:

The Hill’s Alex Gangitano tweeted a tidbit from pool reporter Tyler Pager of the Washington Post: “The first lady’s office heard the base in Romania was running low on ketchup so they brought roughly five gallons on the plane to leave at the base.” https://bit.ly/3KRWodN

⏱On tap

The gist: The Senate is in. The House is out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.

9:50 a.m. EDT: Biden returns to the White House from Delaware.
11:15 a.m. EDT: Biden and Harris received the President’s Daily Brief.
2:45 p.m. EDT: Biden signs the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 into law.
3 p.m. EDT: The Senate meets. The Senate’s full agenda
3:20 p.m. EDT: Harris ceremonially swears in N. Nickolas Perry as United States Ambassador to Jamaica.
5:30 p.m. EDT: A Senate cloture vote on a nomination.
6 p.m. EDT: Biden participates in a Democratic National Committee fundraising reception.

📺What to watch

1:30 p.m. EDT: President Biden and Vice President Harris deliver remarks on access to high-speed internet. Livestream
3 p.m. EDT: White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing. Livestream

🍤 In lighter news

Today is National Shrimp Day!

And to make you smile, watch Tigger make a new best friend: https://bit.ly/3yoWzec