The Hill’s Morning Report — Nadler beats Maloney; more help on the way for Ukraine

by Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver - 08/24/22 6:30 AM ET

This morning, victorious primary candidates in New York and Florida race ahead to Election Day while Ukrainians in the midst of war nervously celebrate their independence day.

Before we dive into U.S. political contests, a look at a threatened ally:

The United States today will publicly stand with Ukraine as it marks its sixth month of war with Russia.

The administration is expected to commit another $3 billion in assistance to train and equip Ukrainian forces for years to come, according to U.S. officials (The Associated Press). The funding under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative will support contracts for drones, weapons and other equipment that may not see the battlefront for a year or two, officials told the news wire.

The Hill’s Laura Kelly, reporting from Kyiv, describes Ukrainians as determined to keep fighting even as the war’s horrors and uncertainties are never out of mind.

The State Department and U.S. Embassy in Kyiv warned Americans to leave Ukraine immediately ahead of today’s independence day celebrations, describing Russia as stepping up efforts to launch attacks on civilian infrastructure and government facilities timed to events this week, which commemorate 31 years since Ukraine broke its ties with the Soviet Union (CNN).

Half a year of war has cost countless lives, upended families, turned parts of cities and homes into rubble, and transformed some small Ukrainian communities into graveyards. Russia initially believed Ukraine would fall within days (The Associated Press). The war, now at a standstill, has no end in sight. Russia, an international pariah because of its February invasion, appears to be weathering tough global sanctions that in turn are painful for European nations because of resulting energy shortages and rising costs.

“The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to depart Ukraine now using privately available ground transportation options if it is safe to do so,” the embassy said on its website, citing unspecified advance “information.”

“The security situation throughout Ukraine is highly volatile and conditions may deteriorate without warning,” it added.

In Kyiv, there’s a ban on all big gatherings through Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who today said his country has been “reborn” six months into war (The New York Times),is among those warning that Moscow may carry out intense attacks, including missile strikes, today or this week (The Associated Press).

“We are fighting against the most terrible threat to our statehood and also at a time when we have achieved the greatest level of national unity,” Zelensky said during a Tuesday evening address (Reuters).

Zelensky and international officials, including the secretary general of the United Nations, continue to warn that a catastrophe could result from the Russian military’s seizure and occupation for months of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. All that stands between the world and nuclear disaster are dedicated Ukrainian operators working at gunpoint. (The New York Times).

U.S. teacher Marc Fogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian penal colony in June after his arrest last year for possession of half an ounce of medical marijuana prescribed for pain in the U.S., once taught international history to children of U.S. diplomats (The Washington Post). His family wants him included in the potential prisoner swap being negotiated by the Biden administration to free WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan, both currently serving long sentences in Russia. On Tuesday, nine senators urged the State Department to designate Fogel as “wrongfully detained” and also seek his release as part of diplomatic efforts (CNN).

“The United States cannot stand by as Mr. Fogel wastes away in a Russian hard labor camp,” wrote Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

Related Articles

▪ The New York Times: Images chronicle the war’s toll (photographers’ slideshow from Ukraine since February). Also HERE.

▪ Ukraine Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov, guest commentary, The Atlantic Council: “A strong Ukraine is the best solution to Europe’s Russia problem.”

▪ Reuters: Pope Francis today warned of potential “nuclear disaster” in Ukraine and called for “concrete steps” to safeguard its Zaporizhzhia plant.

▪ Newsweek: Zelensky at a Crimea Platform summit in Kyiv vowed on Tuesday that Ukraine’s forces will retake Russian-occupied Crimea. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were among world leaders who addressed the virtual gathering in support of Ukraine.

LEADING THE DAY

➤ POLITICS

In a battle of two New York congressional stalwarts, it was a rout on Tuesday night as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) defeated House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) in one of the most anticipated primaries of the year.

As of this morning Nadler raked in 55.4 percent to only 24.4 percent for Maloney, a 15-term member. The two lawmakers were squeezed into the same Manhattan-based district after an unanticipated redistricting ruling earlier this summer threw the Empire State’s maps into chaos, leading to a game of political musical chairs. The 2020 Census also played a role as New York lost a congressional seat after the decennial count.

“It might have been so much easier to move away from this community and represent a different part of the city,” Nadler, 75, said at a victory party on the Upper West Side. “I have lived here for my entire adult life, I love the people of this community and what they represent. Why would I want to be any place else?”

Nadler, who twice played key roles in impeaching former President Trump, thanked Maloney for her “decades of service to our city.” The congresswoman rose to prominence in the fight to win health care benefits for Sept. 11 first responders (The Hill).

▪ The New York Times: Nadler defeated Maloney in one of several bitter primaries being decided in New York.

▪ The Hill: Democrat Pat Ryan wins bellwether special election for New York House seat previously occupied by New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado (D).

▪ The Hill: Former impeachment counsel Dan Goldman wins the crowded Democratic primary in New York’s 10th Congressional District.

▪ The Washington Post: Democrats nominate established candidates; gain new traction on abortion.

▪ Axios: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) fends off progressive challenger.

▪ The Hill: New York’s state Republican Party chairman Nick Langworthy defeats GOP’s Carl Paladino in the 23rd Congressional District.

In Florida, Rep. Charlie Crist (D), the state’s former GOP governor, defeated state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried for the Democratic nod to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in November.

Crist, who lost a Senate bid as an independent in 2010 and a gubernatorial campaign four years later as a Democrat, won 60 percent of the vote. Fried, the lone Democratic statewide office holder who has been considered an up-and-coming candidate, was backed by only 35 percent of Sunshine State Democrats.

Celebrating his win, Crist on Tuesday night took a swipe at DeSantis’ widely assumed 2024 hopes.

“Our fundamental freedoms are literally on the ballot my friends. A woman’s right to choose: on the ballot. Democracy: on the ballot. Your rights as minorities are on this ballot. That’s what’s at stake in this election,” he said. “Make no mistake about it because this guy wants to be president of the United States of America and everybody knows it. However when we defeat him on Nov. 8 that show is over” (The Hill).

▪ The Hill: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) staves off a challenge in the Florida House primary.

▪ The Hill: Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) clinches the Democratic nomination to face Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in November.

▪ The Hill: In Florida, 25-year-old Maxwell Alejandro Frost wins Democratic nomination to succeed Demings.

▪ Max Greenwood, The Hill: Five takeaways from primary night in New York, Florida.

▪ The Hill: In Oklahoma, Rep. Markwayne Mullin won the state’s Republican Senate runoff, advancing to November’s general election.

Elsewhere on the political scene, the National Archives on Tuesday said that the FBI seized at least 700 pages of classified materials when the agency first searched former Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in January (The Hill).

Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall made the revelation in a letter to Trump’s attorneys in May, indicating that Trump’s team sought to invoke executive privilege over the documents. That claim was denied by the Archives after consulting with the Justice Department.

“As the Department of Justice’s National Security Division explained to you on April 29, 2022: ‘There are important national security interests in the FBI and others in the Intelligence Community getting access to these materials. According to NARA, among the materials in the boxes are over 100 documents with classification markings, comprising more than 700 pages. Some include the highest levels of classification, including Special Access Program (SAP) materials,’” Steidel Wall wrote.

Twenty more boxes of items were seized from Mar-a-Lago in the search this month. Included in that batch were four sets of top-secret documents and seven other sets that are deemed classified (The Washington Post).

As The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch writes, Trump’s intransigence and refusal to turn over documents to the authorities could bolster the Justice Department’s case against the ex-president. In addition, it also raises the question once again of whether the delay in handing over the documents was harmful to national security.

▪ The New York Times: Trump, without the presidency’s protections, struggles for a strategy.

▪ The Hill: Judge gives Trump until Friday to clarify his request for a special master on records seized by the FBI.

▪ The Hill: Karl Rove: Trump legal problems dampening Republican “enthusiasm” ahead of midterms.

▪ Axios: Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-Fla.) ill-timed Italian vacation.

Two men were convicted Tuesday of a conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), marking a big win for the Justice Department in a second trial for the pair of criminals. Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., were also found guilty of attempting to obtain a weapon of mass destruction.

That weapon was a bomb intended to blow up a bridge in the event the kidnapping would have happened at Whitmer’s vacation home in an attempt to thwart police. Croft, 46, was also convicted of a separate explosives charge. In April, a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, prompting the subsequent trial.

“You can’t just strap on an AR-15 and body armor and go snatch the governor,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler told jurors (The Associated Press).

Politico: FBI Director Christopher Wray was hired to be boring. Now, he’s guiding the agency through threats and MAGA hate.

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

➤ ADMINISTRATION

President Biden today is expected to announce his decision about student loan forgiveness, a judgment that will spark divisions within his party, invite harsh criticism from Republicans and put the White House on defensive hours before the president and first lady Jill Biden, an educator, launch an election-season drive at a Maryland high school on Thursday to gin up grassroots support for Democratic candidates.

Biden has mulled for more than a year what is becoming a no-win announcement. In the end, sources say he has opted for a targeted plan of up to $10,000 in debt relief for borrowers whose incomes fall below a certain threshold, likely $125,000 per year, according to reporting by The Hill, CNN and other national news outlets. He will package that with another temporary extension of the current moratorium on student loan debt repayments, which expires in a week and was put in place by his predecessor at the outset of the pandemic.

Taken together, the student debt relief will be a far cry from the $50,000 per borrower sought for years by progressives, a figure Biden said flatly during a town hall event last year was excessive and would not happen on his watch (USA Today).

“My point is: I understand the impact of debt, and it can be debilitating,” Biden told his audience a month into his term. “I am prepared to write off the $10,000 debt but not $50 [thousand], because I don’t think I have the authority to do it,” he added.

The issue does not cut cleanly along party lines with voters because many former middle- and lower-income students and their families signed loan documents for college and scrimped for years to pay off the debts. They say they would get no benefit retroactively if they have fulfilled those loans, no matter how much economic hardship they shouldered.

Economists argue over student debt forgiveness policies, believing that some beneficiaries choose expensive private schools, might not need the relief or could wind up seizing a windfall and spending it, which they argue could be inflationary. The Federal Reserve has reported that Americans owe about $1.75 trillion in student loan debt.

▪ The Washington Post: After delay, Biden readies student loan help for millions.

▪ The Hill: Biden student loan plans caught in inflation debate crosshairs.

▪ The Hill: Biden’s job approval rating is 41 percent in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll (not great but a slight summer improvement. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 points).

The Hill: More than halfway through his term, Biden is still relying on a handful of Trump appointees in critical government posts. Some in his party have complained about long-running vacancies in key jobs.

The Hill: As Biden and Democratic candidates continue to argue that gasoline prices have dropped for 70 consecutive days and that the U.S. economy and the labor market remain strong despite high inflation, many in both parties will be listening Friday at 10 a.m. ET as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a prominent economic forum in Wyoming. Will September’s rate hike by the central bank be as aggressive as its last two 75-basis-point decisions? Inquiring candidates, the president, economists, investors and business leaders are trying to figure out where monetary policy heads next.

Bloomberg News: Powell has a chance to reset market expectations at Jackson Hole.

OPINION

■ Why I won’t be masking my kids this school year, by Leana S. Wen, contributing columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/3dSMn5p

■ The era of economic whiplash is just beginning, by Eduardo Porter, columnist, Bloomberg Opinion. https://bloom.bg/3PH7a9b

WHERE AND WHEN

The House will meet at 10 a.m. for a pro forma session on Friday. It will reconvene on Sept. 13.

The Senate convenes on Friday at 10 a.m. for a pro forma session during its summer recess, which ends Sept. 6.

The president returns to the White House from Rehoboth Beach, Del., at 10:55 a.m.

Vice President Harris has no public events scheduled.

The White House daily press briefing is scheduled at 3 p.m.

🖥 Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://digital-stage.thehill.com/hilltv, on YouTube and on Facebook at 10:30 a.m. ET. Also, check out the “Rising” podcast here.

ELSEWHERE

➤ PANDEMIC, POX & HEALTH

The administration plans to offer the new tailor-made booster jabs, which scientists believe are effective against the highly transmissible BA.5 offshoot of omicron, to people 12 and older soon after Labor Day (The New York Times).

Heading into another potential winter wave of COVID-19 infections and persistently low vaccination rates, the government will try again to encourage Americans to roll up their sleeves. Only about two-thirds of eligible Americans have been inoculated with the primary series of two shots, and far fewer have received booster doses. Deaths per day have averaged close to 400 people this summer. Existing vaccines continue to provide strong protection against serious illness and death from infections with the coronavirus’s BA.5 version, according to public health officials, and many other Americans have contracted COVID-19, recovered and gained some immunity along the way.

Moderna on Tuesday said it asked the Food and Drug Administration for authorization of its reformulated COVID-19 booster shot for adults 18 and older, which targets the BA.5 omicron subvariant. Moderna followed a similar request filed by Pfizer on Monday. The jab would be for individuals age 18 and older (NBC News).

The Washington Post: The Cayman Islands allows unvaccinated travelers to return.

Overall life expectancy in the U.S. dropped by 1.8 years from 2019 to 2020, according to a new National Vital Statistics report. The decline affected all 50 states and Washington, D.C., ranging from 0.2 years in some states to as many as 3 years in New York. The dip is attributed to COVID-19 and an uptick in drug overdose deaths, marking the largest year-to-year change in more than 75 years. Following New York’s 3-year decrease is Washington D.C., which saw life expectancy fall by 2.7 years (The Hill).

The Hill: Here are the states with the largest declines in life expectancy.

A new, fatal case of Ebola was confirmed in the Congolese city of Beni, the nation’s ministry of health announced Monday, linking it to a previous outbreak. Congo’s dense tropical forests are a natural reservoir for the deadly virus, which causes fever, body aches and diarrhea. The country has recorded 14 outbreaks since 1976. The 2018-2020 spread involved nearly 3,500 total cases, and the virus killed 66 percent of those infected. Since then, vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatments have proved effective against the virus where populations have access, according to the World Health Organization (The Associated Press).

Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported as of this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (trackers all vary slightly): 1,041,491. Current average U.S. COVID-19 daily deaths are 387, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

➤ TECH

In an explosive whistleblower complaint filed last monthwith the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission and obtained by The Washington Post, former Twitter security chief Peiter “Mudge” Zatko alleges the company misled regulators about lax security that opened the platform to embarrassing hacks, including the commandeering of accounts held by such high-profile users as Elon Musk, former President Obama and Trump.

The complaint has potential implications for Twitter’s legal battle with Musk, who is trying to get out of a $44 billion contract to buy the social media platform. The deal includes a pledge by Twitter that its shareholder filings are accurate.

Zatko also alleged the company prioritized user growth over reducing spam. Executives stood to win individual bonuses of as much as $10 million tied to increases in daily users, the complaint asserts, and nothing explicitly for cutting spam.

Twitter denied the allegations, saying Zatko was fired 15 months ago “for poor performance and leadership.” The Post said it obtained a copy of the disclosure from a senior Democratic aide on Capitol Hill after a redacted version of the 84-page filing went to congressional committees.

The Hill: Twitter whistleblower adds fuel to Musk’s allegations.

Amazon is in the news because of heightened consumer privacy concerns tied to its expansion plans. The company announced it will spend billions of dollars in two gigantic acquisitions, one in health care and one in iRobot (maker of the Roomba vacuum), which if approved would expand its data collection and intimate impact on the lives of consumers (The Associated Press). For example, the newest Roombas include sensors that map and remember the floor plans of residences.

THE CLOSER

And finally … 🇺🇦 ⚽On Tuesday, the Ukrainian soccer league started its new season in an empty, 65,500-seat Olympic stadium in Kyiv after a poignant ceremony paying tribute to those fighting in the war with Russia. Ahead of Independence Day today, large crowds are banned and the country is under martial law.

In a defiant gesture of Ukraine’s search for regular life, two teams from the war-torn east, Shaktar Donetsk and Metalist 1925, competed to a draw without the cheers and revelry of spectators. It was the first top-level soccer match played in the country since Russia’s invasion (The Associated Press).

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