The Hill’s 12:30 Report — De Blasio finds opening to Washington

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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.

NEWS THE MORNING 

Mayor Bill wants to be Congressman Bill: 

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced this morning that he is running for Congress.

De Blasio announced his candidacy on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’: “The polls show people are hurting. They need help. They need help fast, and they need leaders who can actually get them help now and know how to do it. I do know how to do it from years of serving the people of this city,” he said. Watch his announcement 

➤ BY THE WAY — THIS IS A RARE OPEN SEAT: 
Districts were shuffled around due to redistricting, so there is no incumbent in this seat. Politico’s Erin Durkin and Sally Goldenberg explain the backstory. 

HAPPY FRIDAY, FRIENDS! 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.

💿Getting traction 

What I’ve been listening to all morning:

Singer Harry Styles just released a new album, titled, “Harry’s House.” It has been the talk of social media this morning. 

Listen to the album: From Billboard 

➤ HARRY, MAKING THE ROUNDS: 

Styles appeared on NPR’s “Morning Edition” to discuss the new album: Listen to his interview.

📍In South Korea 

Might as well save on the shipping and bring home a few Samsung TVs on Air Force One: 

President Biden toured a Samsung factory this morning during his stop in South Korea.  

Samsung’s plan for more semiconductors: “Biden cheered Samsung’s plans to build a new $17 billion semiconductor facility in Tyler, Texas, saying it would create 3,000 new jobs in Texas.” 

Watch Biden’s remarks. 

➤TIDBIT FROM BIDEN’S ASISA TRIP — TWO SECRET SERVICE EMPLOYEES WERE SENT HOME: 
Two Secret Service employees are being sent back to the U.S. and placed on administrative leave, the Secret Service said in a statement Friday, after the employees allegedly got into a confrontation with a taxi driver in South Korea while they were apparently intoxicated, via The Hill’s Lexi Lonas.

More from the AP: “An agent and an armed physical security specialist were involved in the alcohol-fueled incident that included a heated argument with a taxi driver and led to local law enforcement filing a police report, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly.”

🧥In the White House  

The new flak jacket is bright yellow: 

Via The New York Times’s Michael M. Grynbaum, “By longstanding, bipartisan tradition, decades of White House press secretaries have handed down a cheeky symbol of their job fielding rat-a-tat inquiries from feisty reporters: a flak jacket.”  

The jacket went missing. So, Jen Psaki found a replacement before leaving the job: “[Psaki] found herself trawling a Macy’s looking for a replacement jacket. She found one, with a modern twist. The new ‘flak jacket,’ which now hangs in a West Wing office, is a women’s Tommy Hilfiger blazer, size 16, in Hi-Liter yellow, with contrasting jetted pockets and elbow patches.”  

Psaki told the Times: “It’s a women’s jacket. But it’s large enough for any size man.”  

Read the full story behind the flak jacket. 

Photo of the new jacket 

The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman tweeted: “Wait. It went missing?”

In Congress 

You have a resounding ‘yes’ from the Senate: 

Senators approved a $40 billion Ukraine aid package yesterday. 

What the bill will do: “[It] would replenish U.S. stockpiles of weapons transferred to Ukraine and provide billions of dollars to help the Ukrainian government continue operating and for humanitarian assistance.”  

What happens next?: President Biden is expected to sign the bill quickly.  

The vote: 86-11.

The 11 Republicans who voted against the Ukraine aid

A HOUSE BILL PASSED FOR SYMBOLIC REASONS: 
House Democrats passed a bill yesterday to combat “price-gouging” on gasoline. https://bit.ly/3MxqxAY 

The vote: 217-207. No Republicans voted “yes” and four Democrats voted with Republicans. 

Why it’s symbolic: This bill is very unlikely to pass in the Senate.

🍑 On the campaign trail 

The next big primary to follow — Georgia:  

“The stakes are growing higher by the day for former President Trump in advance of Georgia’s GOP primaries on Tuesday.” 

Timing: “The elections come on the heels of key contests this week, particularly in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, where Trump-backed candidates met mixed fates.” 

Quick primer on the race: “Trump has railed against incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R) again and again, backing his main opponent, former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.). Kemp’s main sin, in Trump’s eyes, is his refusal to back Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.”  

Where the race stands, via The Hill’s Niall Stanage

🦠 Latest with COVID 

➤ BY THE NUMBERS 

Cases to date: 82.8 million 

Death toll: 998,512 

Current hospitalizations: 19,207 

Shots administered: 583 million 

Fully vaccinated: 66.5 percent of Americans 

CDC data here.

⛈ In other news 

Colorado is going through it: 

Via CNN’s Jennifer Gray, “In less than 24 hours, Denver could go from having 90-degree weather to a potentially historic and dangerous snowstorm.” 

Yikes: “Snowfall amounts could be as high as two to three feet in the higher elevations, and up to eight inches in the city of Denver, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Boulder.” What to expect

🐥Notable tweets 

Lol, Congress be Congress: 

Politico’s Burgess Everett tweeted, “The Senate just adjourned for 10 seconds, came back and called it a new day. ‘Good morning,’ says Sen. Stabenow. The Senate is weird.”  

I can’t argue with this ingenuity: 

@Ygrene tweeted, “[guy taking a bite of corn and then immediately taking a bite of hotdog] there has to be a better way.” This tweet has more than 100,000 likes. 

What a nickname!: 

@jessohackberry tweeted a screenshot of the Washington, D.C., primary ballot. The third candidate for mayor is listed as “Trayon ‘Washington DC’ White.” Screenshot 

Here’s the full sample ballot.

⏱On tap 

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in South Korea. Vice President Harris is in Washington, D.C., and attends an event in Virginia. 

• 7:20 a.m.: Biden left Pyeongtaek, South Korea, and traveled to Seoul. 
• 1:45 p.m.: Harris and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan travel to a school in Falls Church, Va. 
• 4:05 p.m.: Harris returns to Washington, D.C. 
• 6:15 p.m.: Harrisspeaks at AAPI Victory Power Fund’s first-ever AAPI Victory Celebration. 

All times Eastern.

📺What to watch 

• 6:15 a.m.: President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered remarks. Livestream 
• 3:40 p.m.: Vice President Harris delivers remarks on the bipartisan infrastructure law. Livestream

🥧 In lighter news 

Today is National Quiche Lorraine Day. 

Tidbit — what a cool graduation speaker:

Via The New York Daily News’ Peter Sblendorio, “Taylor Swift received an honorary degree from New York University on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, and assured the Class of 2022 in an aspirational commencement speech that it’s OK to make mistakes.” Photos of Swift at the ceremony — in her cap and gown 

And to get your weekend off to a good start, here’s a dog with a new crush.