“Tell the truth, work hard, and come to dinner on time.“
- Gerald R. Ford
FRENEMIES: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are set to stump together later today in NH in an attempt to unite the Democratic party just two weeks ahead of Philly. The joint appearance comes just days after Sanders and his lieutenants secured several progressive wins on the convention platform: climate change, health care and a minimum wage increase, as well as a major loss on getting the party to oppose the TPIP given the president’s support of the pact. Everyone will be all smiles on the podium as Sanders is set to finally throw his weight behind Clinton after weeks of high level overtures and concessions, but the jury is still out on how enthusiastic Sanders will be on the hustings this fall.
FISCAL YEAR FUNDING FIASCO: If you believed there was any chance of Congress agreeing on its annual spending bills this year, forget it – it’s time to focus on avoiding a government shutdown. As we mentioned numerous times throughout the past few months, the process of moving individual appropriations bills was limping along with some progress in each chamber, but with Congress about to call it quits for the summer, almost all hope has been lost. Republicans have now shifted their attention to a timeline for a stopgap spending bill they would need to move before the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
HOOSIER PICK?: Indiana hasn’t gotten this much attention since Rudy got playing time - former Democratic Senator Evan Bayh is now launching a comeback bid in what’s now expected to be a hotly contested Senate race, upending the landscape for a seat Republicans expected to hold easily this fall. Bayh has been hard-pressed to run since he left the Senate in 2010 and currently holds a rock-solid war chest of $10 million. The state may still run red, but don’t expect it turn overnight – it’s now a main focus for Republicans. Speaking of decisions...Donald Trump is also set to return to the state that put him over the top back in May - though this time it will be arm-in-arm with Governor Mike Pence who is at the top of Trump’s veep shortlist.
SPEAKER ENGAGEMENT: Speaker Paul Ryan has finally agreed to speak at the convention, becoming the most notable stumper on a somewhat atypical lineup. Ryan’s speech is expected to be penned by Ryan himself and will focus on the House Republican agenda and the sharp contrast between Republican ideals and another term of progressive Democratic policies. Expect Ryan’s speech to be more of a pitch for the party than a pitch for the nominee.
CONVENTION COUP?: With less than a week to go until the convention, anti-Trump forces are scrambling faster than ever to dethrone the presumptive nominee. Removing Donald Trump may be their main objective, but another option is being weighed – attempting to select his veep akin to an arranged marriage. The nominee's running mate is still technically decided by an independent delegate vote and delegates have no obligation to support the nominee's choice. The Rules Committee is set to meet later this week to decide convention rules and the party platform, and we doubt any coup will succeed, but this could get interesting depending on Trump’s highly anticipated pick reportedly coming at the end of this week.
RETRANS CONSENT FIGHT FOCUSED ON INTERIM CARRIAGE MANDATE: Our Telecommunications-Media Policy Analyst Paul Glenchur shared his insight on the uphill battle the cable operators are facing in their fight for interim carriage mandates in the retrans disputes. You can read his piece here.
BREXIT: WHO’S PARTYING: Our geopolitical analyst Dan Christman shared his insight on the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union and who the real winners are. You can read his piece here.