Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics. Sign up here to receive this newsletter. Send tips to bgriffiths@insider.com or tweet me at @BrentGriffiths.
Here's what we're talking about:
- The 4 Trump Organization figures who could guide prosecutors through the company's finances
- Jamie Dimon says JPMorgan is sitting on $500 billion in cash in anticipation of higher inflation
- The 5 most popular places to move to all have good weather, lower taxes, and conservative politics
One thing to watch for: FBI Director Chris Wray is set to testify before House lawmakers about the deadly Capitol riot.
With Jordan Erb
Daniel J. Barry/WireImage/Getty Images
1. ALL OF TRUMP'S MEN: A key figure in former President Donald Trump's inner circle is said to have tried for years to shield the financial secrets of the president's business. The Trump Organization's CFO, Allen Weisselberg, took measures as far back as 2018 to keep documents out of the hands of prosecutors, Jennifer Weisselberg, his former daughter-in-law, told Insider.
- The details: Weisselberg made an unusual housing arrangement for his daughter-in-law as she divorced his son Barry. The deal allowed Allen Weisselberg to act as a guarantor on an Upper West Side apartment without showing any proof of income. "It's because he didn't want to share financials during the SDNY investigation," Jennifer Weisselberg said of an earlier investigation. "He doesn't want them out there."
Allen Weisselberg is far from the only official who knows the Trump Organization's business: A trio of longtime aides handled the company's financial strategies along with Weisselberg. One of them has already reportedly been hauled in front of the special grand jury as the Manhattan District Attorney's Office investigates the Trump Organization.
- Weisselberg's second-in-command has already testified, per ABC News: But Jeff McConney, the Trump Organization's controller, is viewed as perhaps being unwilling to cooperate given his longtime ties to Trump and his company. McConney's son Justin is credited with teaching Trump how to use Twitter.
Our explainer on how the grand-jury process will work.
2. McConnell pegs the chances of an infrastructure deal at "maybe 50-50": Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that both sides still wanted a deal. McConnell also reiterated repurposing pandemic relief aid to help pay for the proposal, an idea the White House previously rejected. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would not compromise on having robust climate measures in a final bill.
- Could this be it?: Republicans are saying that if a deal comes to fruition, it may be the only infrastructure legislation to pass, Politico reports. Democrats have mused about strong-arming through any proposals left out of a deal, but the GOP doubts they will have the unanimous support among Democrats necessary for such a move.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
3. AOC among more than 100 lawmakers demanding raises for Hill staffers: More than 100 House Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Adam Schiff of California, are demanding a raise for their workforce. Their advocacy comes two weeks after Insider's reported on the struggles of Capitol Hill staffers working long hours for paltry pay. Despite months of urging and debate, however, no decision has been made on how to increase staff salaries.
- ICYMI, here is our original report: 32 years old and making $31,000: Capitol Hill staffers vent about unlivable pay and how they survive in one of the nation's most expensive cities
4. NATO turns up the heat on China: NATO leaders agreed to a more confrontational posture toward Beijing during their summit, a landmark shift for the alliance that comes as President Joe Biden pushed allies to join his fight against the world's autocracies, The Washington Post reports. While leaders signed off on Biden's push, disagreements remain as many of America's allies have economic ties to China - not to mention that NATO has historically focused on Russia.
- Biden tore into the GOP: He portrayed the Republican Party's leadership as "fractured," its size as "vastly diminished," and its overall direction as largely beholden to Trump in response to a question about how world leaders viewed the US after the Capitol riot. Biden's comments call into question the traditional deference to avoiding domestic political criticism while abroad, a norm that Trump often ignored and one that has faced questions about its modern usefulness after other violations.
5. Jamie Dimon says JPMorgan anticipates inflation will last longer than expected: He says the investment bank is sitting on $500 billion in cash in anticipation of higher inflation. Dimon suggested the risk of higher, more persistent inflation was growing.
6. Attorney General Merrick Garland vows to strengthen policies for obtaining lawmakers' communications: Garland said the Justice Department would tighten its policies on obtaining information from members of Congress and reporters amid a growing outcry over the Trump administration's efforts. Garland also met with top media executives whose reporters were targeted by secret subpoenas and not told until recently that their data had been obtained. More on the meeting here.
7. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she now knows more about the Holocaust: Greene apologized for her recent comments comparing vaccine documentation and mask mandates to the Holocaust after touring the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. But she also refused to directly recant a previous statement comparing Democrats to Hitler's National Socialist party. "It didn't sound like it was from the heart," Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, told CNN of Greene's comments.
- From the reporter Ben Jacobs:
Ben Jacobs/Twitter
8. McConnell strongly hinted that he would block a Biden Supreme Court pick in 2024: He said it's "highly unlikely" he would fill a seat on the high court if Republicans retook the Senate and a vacancy occurred again during an election year. Democrats still fume over his virtually unprecedented decision to not even hold a confirmation hearing for President Barack Obama's nominee in 2016, having argued that the American people should decide whom should be appointed. McConnell told Hewitt that leaving the seat open was "the single most consequential thing I've done in my time as majority leader of the Senate."
US District Court for the District of Columbia
Biden Supreme Court contender was confirmed to a lower court: The Senate confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace Garland on the influential federal appeals court in Washington, per The Post.
9. The 5 most popular places to move to all have good weather, lower taxes, and conservative politics: The Villages, Florida; St. George, Utah; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Austin, Texas; and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, are the US metropolitan areas that gained the most residents in 2020. Insider asked locals why the spots, from a retiree Disney World to a booming tech hub, were so enticing.
10. "This burrito is tiny": Chipotle customers are airing some grievances on Twitter - and demanding answers - about what one person called "the smallest burrito ever."
Nationwide, many brands are shrinking products and raising prices to deal with rising costs. And while Chipotle said it was not experiencing shortages or supply-chain problems, the company did just raise menu prices by about 4% - making menu items about 30 to 40 cents more than a few months ago. See the burritos that have struck a nerve with Chipotle consumers.
Today's trivia question: Who coined the phrase "We must stop politics at the water's edge," in a push for bipartisan US foreign policy? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.
- Yesterday's answer: The "Man in Black" himself Johnny Cash spoke with House lawmakers on June 14, 1977, about the bicentennial of the US flag.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/2SrQ7R9
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