The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Biden’s approval rises as inflation eases 

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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.

GETTING TRACTION 

*Immediately starts belting out, ‘We went to the moon in 1969. That’s when we made a landing that was lunaaaar!’*:

^If you’re unfamiliar with that reference or haven’t seen this clip since the early 2000s, here’s that song. 

NASA is sending its first mission to the moon in 50 years on Monday (!) 

When?: Monday, Aug. 29 between 8:33 a.m. EDT and 10:33 a.m. EDT.  

^ Well, unless the weather interferes. NASA has backup launch dates if that happens. But according to CBS News, forecasters estimate a 70 percent chance of good weather. Backup dates are Sept. 2, Sept. 5 or into October. 

Where?: From NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida 

Will there be a crew on the spacecraft?: No, this is an unmanned mission. 

The plan for this mission — and beyyyyond: “The Orion spacecraft will enter a distant retrograde orbit of the moon and travel 40,000 miles beyond it, going further than any spacecraft intended to carry humans. Crews will ride aboard Artemis II on a similar trajectory in 2024, and the first woman and the next man to land on the moon are slated to arrive at the lunar south pole in late 2025 on the Artemis III mission.” More on the launch from CNN 

This project’s goal is to eventually travel to Mars: Space.com explains “why NASA sees the moon as a stepping stone to Mars.” Read it here 

THIS MORNING — NASA HELD A PRE-LAUNCH PRESS BRIEFING:

Ahead of Monday’s launch. Watch 

Happy Friday! Today is National Dog Day. If you happen to have photos of the furry friends in your lives and want to … you know … send them to your favorite newsletter author, I wouldn’t complain. 😉 

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. 

PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Hill’s 12:30 Report will not publish next week. We will return on September 6. Enjoy your last week of August!

🔓 Breaking

The Mar-a-Lago affidavit has been unsealed: 

A judge has ordered the unsealing of the affidavit for the search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.  

Politico’s Kyle Cheney has been live tweeting updates of the unsealed affidavit. Follow along 

Check out this excerpt: From CNN’s Jeremy Herb

📉 News this morning 

I’ll take more news this like, please: 

“Consumer prices fell in July and wages rose even when adjusting for inflation, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.”  

The numbers: “The PCE index was up 6.3 percent in July from the same month one year ago, down sharply from the 6.8 percent annual inflation rate in June. Annual inflation without food and energy prices, also known as core inflation, fell from 4.8 percent in June to 4.6 percent in July.” 

Keep in mind: “Much of the July dip in inflation came from a steep decline in gasoline prices, reversing a staggering June spike in oil prices that pushed the average cost of a gallon of gasoline above $5 in the previous month.” 

What this means for inflation, via The Hill’s Sylvan Lane 

MEANWHILE — BIDEN’S APPROVAL IS THE HIGHEST IT’S BEEN IN A YEAR: 
According to a new Gallup poll, President Biden’s approval rose to 44 percent in August.

For context: Biden’s approval was 38 percent in the same poll in July.

⛔️ In Congress 

It wouldn’t be almost fall if we weren’t already talking about a possible shutdown: 

Via The Hill’s Rachel Frazin, “Liberal lawmakers are pressing Democratic leaders in the House to not include a side deal undercutting environmental reviews worked out with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in a short-term measure funding the government.”

“House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is circulating a letter asking leadership to separate the Manchin deal out from a continuing resolution that would temporarily avert a government shutdown.” 

Why this matters: “The issue is expected to come to a head in September, when lawmakers return from recess, as Democrats try to secure funding for the government and prevent a shutdown.” The full story

💸 The White House 

Lots of social media posts about the canceled student debt: 

News of the Biden administration forgiving up to $10,000 in federal student loans and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients triggered a lot of reactions, both good and bad. 

One critic is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.): “For our government just to say, you know, ‘Ok, well your debt is completely forgiven,’ … it’s completely unfair,” Greene said on Newsmax on Wednesday. “[Taxpayers] shouldn’t have to pay off the great big student loan debt for some college student that piled up massive debt going to some Ivy league school … That’s not fair.” Watch Greene’s full response to student loan cancellation 

The White House tweeted in response: “Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had $183,504 in PPP loans forgiven.” The PPP loans are referring to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that were given to small businesses during COVID-19 closures. ProPublica data show Greene’s company was forgiven of its roughly $183,000 loan.

The full back and forth

🦠 Latest with COVID 

 The ‘there’s no “I” in team’ phase is over: 

“Moderna said Friday it is suing Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, alleging patent infringement over the COVID-19 vaccine. The move sets up a showdown between two major vaccine makers that together have helped blunt the impacts of the pandemic in the United States and other countries.”  

Why now?: “The move also marks that Moderna views the pandemic as being in a different phase. The company said that it previously pledged not to enforce it patents while the pandemic continued. But, it said, ‘in March 2022, when the collective fight against COVID-19 entered a new phase and vaccine supply was no longer a barrier to access in many parts of the world, Moderna updated its pledge.’”  

What to expect, via The Hill’s Peter Sullivan 

Nothing more political than a pandemic: 

“Anthony Fauci is preparing to leave the public stage — but health experts are worried the toxic atmosphere that tailed him will hang around for years to come.” 

Keep in mind — Fauci is not particularly controversial among most experts: “Opinions of Fauci among the general public cleave along partisan lines, but most experts think he did about as good a job as anyone could in managing a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. They worry that the unremitting personal attacks he faced are emblematic of a broader, sneering tone toward scientific expertise and advice.”  

What the partisan lines of the pandemic could mean for public health, via The Hill’s Niall Stanage

➤ THE COVID-19 NUMBERS 

Cases to date: 93.7 million 

Death toll: 1,037,381 

Current hospitalizations: 31,752 

Shots administered: 608 million 

Fully vaccinated: 67.4 percent of Americans 

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets 

A holiday we should absolutely celebrate: 

In honor of National Dog Day, NBC’s “Today” tweeted a threat of puppies. Photos of the pups

This one may be my favorite

⏱On tap 

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Washington, D.C., and is leaving for Delaware this afternoon. Vice President Harris has no public events scheduled. 

• Today: Women’s Equality Day. What to know about the 102nd anniversary of women winning the right to vote 

• 9:30 a.m.: Biden received the President’s Daily Brief. 
• 11 a.m.: Biden dropped by a meeting with state and elected officials on Women’s Equality Day to discuss reproductive health care. 
• 1:55 p.m.: Biden leaves for Delaware. 

All times Eastern.

📺What to watch 

• This morning: NASA held a briefing ahead of Monday’s moon launch. Video 
• 12:45 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing. Livestream 
• 2 p.m.: The White House Monkeypox Response Team holds a press briefing. Livestream Op-ed 

🍒 In lighter news 

Today is National Cherry Popsicle Day.  

I would love for every dog to experience Krispy Kreme:

In honor of National Dog Day, Krispy Kreme is selling doggie “doughnuts” on Friday. Details and photos of the pupper doughnut

And to leave you in a summery mood for the last weekend of August, here’s a pup’s first time eating ice cream.