The Hill’s 12:30 Report — New pre-Jan. 6 footage released

by Cate Martel - 06/15/22 12:40 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.

NEWS THIS MORNING

Let’s go to the tapes:

“The House committee investigating the attack on Jan. 6 has released footage tied to a tour Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) gave the day before, showing a man taking photos of hallways in the Capitol complex before ultimately attended the rally itself.”

What Loudermilk says about the tour: “Loudermilk has acknowledged showing a small group of constituents around House office buildings the day before the attack, but claimed those participants ‘immediately turned back’ once they saw the ‘chaos’ developing at the rally.”

What today’s video shows: “[V]ideo shared by the committee claims one of the men was at the riot, showing clips of the unnamed man marching toward the Capitol the morning of Jan. 6.” Context to the footage, via The Hill’sRebecca Beitsch

Watch the footage:

Hyperlink https://bit.ly/3mRp11m

IT’S 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.

🗻News this morning

The Fed is going for a big hike on a steep mountain:

The Federal Reserve is planning the biggest interest rate increase in nearly 30 years following May’s inflation report.

The interest rate hike Fed watchers are expecting: 75 basis points

Why it may be necessary: “Consumers and businesses have become increasingly concerned about the state of the economy and expect inflation to keep rising above current levels, which can serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy without quick Fed action.”

What this could mean for the economy, via The Hill’s Sylvan Lane

➤ HAPPENING AT 2:30 P.M.:
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a news conference. C-SPAN livestream

➤ ‘MARKETS AND HOUSEHOLDS LOSE FAITH THAT FED CAN HANDLE INFLATION’:

Via The Washington Post’s Rachel Siegel, “The Fed missed the biggest run-up in 40 years, in part because the lessons learned from the last recession weren’t a match for the covid crisis.”

➤ BIDEN’S APPROVAL RATING DROPS EVEN MORE:
President Biden’s approval has declined for the third week in a row, according to a new Reuters-Ipsos poll.

The numbers: 39 percent of Americans approval of Biden’s performance. 56 percent disapprove. More from the poll

🔥 Jan. 6

Interesting comparison — Trump aides’ public statements differed from their testimony:

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, many of former President Trump’s senior aides did not publicly break with him.

But we’re learning in their testimony: Some aides privately warned Trump about pushing the baseless claims of a stolen election.

Like, who?: Former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, former Attorney General William Barr and Trump’s own son-in-law Jared Kushner. I.e.: Big names

For example, Barr stayed pretty tame in his actions and resignation after the election — But…: “Barr told the panel he believed Trump’s claims about election fraud were ‘bullshit,’ ‘nonsense’ and ‘idiotic.’ Monday’s hearing featured video of Barr saying he worried Trump had become ‘detached from reality’ as he raised the false premise that voting machines were designed to rig the election.”

What about Jared Kushner?: “Kushner, a former senior White House adviser, remained out of the public eye in the weeks between Election Day and the Jan. 6 riot. He told the committee he had privately advised Trump that listening to lawyer Rudy Giuliani about election fraud was ‘not the approach I would take if I was you.’”

More examples of what Trump aides told the committee vs. what they said publicly after the election, via The Hill’s Brett Samuels

➤ STEVE BANNON WAS ~NOT~ THRILLED WITH BARR’S TESTIMONY:
“Conservative podcast host and former adviser to President Trump Stephen Bannon this week blasted former Attorney General William Barr for testifying against Trump to the House Jan. 6 select committee, calling the former Trump official an ‘establishment scumbag’ and a ‘liar.’”

Bannon said on his podcast, ‘Bannon’s War Room’: “We take this very seriously because 13 or 14 generations of this country have sacrificed to hand us the Republican we have, and we’re not going to be blown off by someone like Bill Barr. Bill Barr, we’re coming for you, bro.” More from Bannon

➤ WHERE DOES THE COMMITTEE STAND ON PURSUING CRIMINAL REFERRALS OF TRUMP?:
The committee is still undecided, but a growing number of Democrats watching the hearings think the committee should issue criminal referrals. More from The Hill’s Mike Lillis

🗳 On the campaign trail

‘Far-Right Republicans Press Closer to Power Over Future Elections’:

Via The New York Times’s Reid J. Epstein and Nick Corasaniti, “As the halfway point nears of a midterm year that is vastly friendlier to Republicans, the party’s voters have nominated dozens of candidates for offices with power over the administration and certification of elections who have spread falsehoods about the 2020 presidential contest and sowed distrust in American democracy.” The full story

➤ FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM YESTERDAY’S PRIMARIES:

1. “Trump’s endorsement record takes another hit.”

2. “But his political influence was on display elsewhere.”

3. “Alarm bells sound for Democrats in Texas.”

4. “Another disappointing night for progressives.”

5. “A ‘blue wave’ Dem gets one step closer in longshot bid.”

Context and details for each, from The Hill’s Julia Manchester

➤ ‘REPUBLICANS GO SCORCHED-EARTH IN ARIZONA SENATE PRIMARY’:
“As the race to nominate Sen. Mark Kelly’s (D-Ariz.) GOP opponent hurtles toward its Aug. 2 conclusion, businessman Jim Lamon, former tech executive Blake Masters and state Attorney General Mark Brnovich are throwing elbows and millions of dollars around in a race that polls show remains fluid.” Where that race stands, from The Hill’s Tal Axelrod

🦠 Latest with COVID

➤ BY THE NUMBERS

Cases to date: 85.5 million

Death toll: 1,006,890

Current hospitalizations: 22,491

Shots administered: 591 million

Fully vaccinated: 66.8 percent of Americans

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets

Getting traction — Amber Heard’s interview with Savannah Guthrie:

Actress Amber Heard sat down for an exclusive interview on NBC’s “Today” to discuss the trial with her ex-husband Johnny Depp.

Watch the full interview

Heard’s response to her pledge to donate $7 million: Watch

Heard on why she wrote the Washington Post op-ed: Watch

⏱On tap

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

9:30 a.m.: Biden received the President’s Daily Brief.
11:45 a.m.: Two Senate votes. Today’s Senate agenda
12:15 p.m.: Biden and Harris have lunch together.
2 p.m.: Harris holds a roundtable of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients for the tenth anniversary of the program.
2:15 p.m.: First and last votes in the House. Today’s House agenda
5:15 p.m.: Two more Senate votes.

All times Eastern.

📺What to watch

This morning: The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the impact of gun violence on children. Livestream
3 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing. Livestream
4 p.m.: Biden and first lady Jill Biden host a Pride Month reception. Harris, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg attend. Livestream