| Welcome to The Daily 202 newsletter! Tell your friends to sign up here. On this day in 1971, President Richard Nixon announces on television that he has accepted an invitation to visit China in 1972. "I have taken this action because of my profound conviction that all nations will gain from a reduction of tensions and a better relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China," Nixon says. President Biden traveled yesterday to his professional home for decades, the Senate, to pitch lawmakers face-to-face on a $3.5 trillion budget proposal that may be the largest effort to retool American government since the New Deal. Congress and the news media have started to go through what's in the colossal project — it turns out $3.5 trillion buys quite a lot of projects and priorities, as long as you can keep your party unified, with a zero-vote margin of error in the Senate. The road to passage is torturous, but the Democratic proposal packs a presidency's worth of policy (with a corresponding price tag), and might be the Democrats' best shot at enacting Biden's agenda before midterm elections in which they could very well lose control of Congress.  President Biden speaks briefly to reporters after having lunch with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) | My colleagues Jeff Stein and Tony Romm reported: "Senate Democrats on Wednesday offered fresh details about their sweeping $3.5 trillion budget proposal, promising that it would augment Medicare coverage, lower prescription drug costs, invest heavily in new programs to combat climate change and tackle long-standing policy priorities on immigration. … The budget package would pave the way for hundreds of billions of dollars in areas including elder care, home care, child care, prekindergarten, and paid family and medical leave, its sponsors said. On health care, it would open the door for millions of seniors to obtain vision, dental and hearing coverage on Medicare and allow more low-income families to enroll in Medicaid. And it would aid parents by extending the recently expanded child tax credit, the full benefits of which will start to be paid out this week." Jeff and Tony note Democrats "plan to fund much of the proposal with new taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations," which is as much a policy goal for the party as what that money pays for. My colleagues Seung Min Kim, Tony Romm, Mike DeBonis, and Marianna Sotomayor have a detailed look at Biden's field trip and note this: "[A] long process lies ahead: Many of the party's most ambitious spending ideas have yet to be translated into actual policies. On thorny issues like health care, immigration, climate change and taxes, the debate easily could take months and antagonize existing political fissures within the Democratic caucus, souring the current mood." They also give a sense of the scale of the work ahead: "[I]t includes plans to enact a pathway to permanent residency for immigrants who lack legal status, although how that program would be shaped is to be determined." There's quite a bit of spending to fight the climate crisis — something progressives are likely to cheer even as pivotal centrist swing voter Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) has declared those provisions make him "very, very disturbed." That's not great for Democrats, who need all 50 of their senators to stick together to pass the proposal in the evenly divided Senate using a tactic called reconciliation that requires zero GOP support. At the New York Times, Lisa Friedman reports: "Democrats have agreed to include a tax on imports from nations that lack aggressive climate change policies as part of a sweeping $3.5 trillion budget plan stocked with other provisions aimed at ratcheting down fossil fuel pollution in the United States. The move to tax imports was made public Wednesday, the same day that the European Union outlined its own proposal for a similar carbon border tax, a novel tool that is designed to protect domestic manufacturing while simultaneously pressuring other countries to reduce the emissions that are warming the planet. The two actions in concert suggest that government leaders are turning toward trade policy as a way to attack climate change." Lisa notes the plan "also includes a number of significant Democratic priorities on climate change, including a mechanism known as a clean electricity standard that would require power companies to gradually ratchet up the amount of electricity they generate from wind, solar and other sources until they're no longer emitting carbon dioxide. There are also new tax breaks for wind, solar and other renewable energy, as well as electric vehicles, a 'methane reduction fee' and funding for a civilian climate corps, modeled after New Deal-era programs, to create jobs in addressing climate change and conservation, according to lawmakers. The plan does not specify how much money will be allocated to the various programs." While Manchin, as the senator from a coal state, might be "very, very disturbed," climate activists seem quite pleased, according to Matthew Daly of the Associated Press, who reported environmental groups are predicting "it would make 'transformational investments' in clean energy and jobs and put the nation on a path to cut greenhouse emissions by at least 50% by 2030. The plan also would move the country toward a carbon-free electric grid by 2035, with 100% of U.S. electricity powered by solar, wind, nuclear and other clean energy sources." Matthew notes Manchin "signaled he will oppose plans to curb subsidies for fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Both fuels are crucial to his rural state's economy. … Eliminating fossil fuels, which are major contributors to global warming, 'won't happen,' Manchin told reporters Wednesday. 'It can't happen and it doesn't do a darn thing but makes the world worse.'" To start your day with a full political briefing, sign up for our Power Up newsletter. | | | Lunchtime reads from The Post - "Head of Haitian presidential guard in custody as hunt for masterminds behind assassination continues," by Wildlore Merancourt and Rachel Pannett: "The head of security at the presidential palace here has been taken into custody as part of an investigation into the mysterious assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, who was killed last week in his home in the hills above the capital. ... Haitian police on Wednesday evening announced the arrest of two new suspects, including a former top police officer, as their investigation continues. Four high-ranking members of the president's security detail are also being held in isolation as authorities continue to track down other fugitives."
- "Cuba's Internet comes back on — and reveals scenes of a crackdown," by Samantha Schmidt: "An Internet blackout enacted by the government after the historic protests on Sunday left much of the island disconnected, making it difficult for activists to track or publicize the extent of the security crackdown. As access began to return on Wednesday, images and videos circulated on social media that purported to show police officers breaking into Cubans' homes and arresting suspected protesters."
- "Alabama military base is first in the U.S. to require vaccination proof amid rising covid-19 rates," by Max Hauptman: "The new guidance at Fort Rucker comes as the new delta variant of the virus continues to drive infection rates and now accounts for a majority of cases in the United States. The base is among facilities, including Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, Fort Sill in Oklahoma and Fort Jackson in South Carolina, where less than half of the surrounding populations have been vaccinated."
| | | … and beyond - "Britney Spears granted right to hire own lawyer, accuses father of 'conservatorship abuse,' " by NBC News's Alicia Victoria Lozano and Doha Madani: "Britney Spears was granted a request to hire her own attorney Wednesday, a development that could mark a major shift in how her 13-year conservatorship case has been handled ... Britney Spears broke down in tears during Wednesday's hearing, explaining to the judge that she was 'extremely scared' of her father, James "Jamie" Spears, and that she is not willing to be evaluated in order to remove him. ... Later she added that she wanted him investigated and that 'this conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life.' "
- "Former Kamala Harris national finance chair to launch firm to advise corporations, execs on political issues," by CNBC's Brian Schwartz: "Jon Henes, a longtime corporate restructuring attorney at the prominent law firm Kirkland & Ellis, plans to launch his new New York-based firm around Labor Day, according to people briefed on the matter. ... The advisory firm will have a multipronged approach, including a corporate strategic advisory arm that would do the traditional counseling on hiring practices such as union inclusion."
- "Members of Congress want to control high drug prices by fiddling with an IP law. But could the change hamper agricultural innovation?" by the Counter's Lela Nargi: "Never heard of the Bayh-Dole Act? Joseph P. Allen might find that hard to believe. For years, Allen has worked to advance partnerships in which private industries commercialize products manifested by the tinkering of public researchers — the Honeycrisp cultivated apple is his example of choice. These types of public-private partnerships were facilitated by the enactment of Bayh-Dole, a 1980 law ... Allen is now executive director of the Bayh-Dole Coalition, which seeks to protect the law — lately, from some advocates for lower drug prices, who want to change Bayh-Dole to accomplish this."
| | | The Biden agenda The IRS began sending monthly checks to millions of American parents in a crucial test for the Biden agenda. - "The Biden administration on Thursday is launching the biggest anti-poverty program undertaken by the federal government in more than a half-century, delivering monthly payments to the overwhelming majority of American parents for the first time," Jeff Stein reports. "The Department of Treasury said it has sent checks to households representing approximately 60 million children under a provision in the stimulus package passed by Democrats in March."
- "The benefit, expected to cost roughly $120 billion per year, provides $300 per child under age 6, as well as $250 per child 6 or older. The administration previously said that roughly 88 percent of all U.S. children nationwide would receive the aid."
- "The program is a major political and economic test for President Biden and his administration. Already, the IRS has come under fire for producing a beneficiary website that critics say is difficult to navigate. Some experts think the White House is overstating the program's anti-poverty impact. The payments are going out amid concerns that the U.S. economy is running too hot … And the White House's attempt to extend the program beyond December is tangled up in broader congressional negotiations, leaving its long-term fate uncertain."
- "But White House officials say these criticisms risk obscuring the potentially transformational impact of the new child benefit. If successful, they say, the program could lift millions of American children out of poverty — which could translate into major improvements in child nutrition, educational outcomes and mental health for an enormous number of people."
- "The administration has said the March stimulus plan will result in child poverty falling by as much as 50 percent, citing estimates of the child tax benefit from researchers at Columbia University and others. But concerns have mounted that this number is dramatically inflated. ... Millions of other families, often the very poorest, have never filed income taxes — which means the IRS will have trouble finding them to give them the payments."
- Here's what you need to know if you're eligible for the child tax credit payments.
| | | Quote of the day "That's nothing. That's not even enough for diapers and formula," said June Morris, a single mother who said she earns roughly $55,000 per year, about the monthly child benefit. Morris's day-care monthly bill is $1,100, about half her total monthly income. "If they funded these day cares, to decrease the cost every month, that would help. I'm not looking for a Band-Aid. I'm looking for something long-term. I know other countries do better." Biden will meet Germany's Angela Merkel today during her farewell visit to the U.S. - Merkel and Biden will discuss a "host of outstanding economic and foreign policy issues, with little likelihood that any of them will be settled," Karen DeYoung and David Lynch report. "Instead, what is characterized as a 'working' trip will be an opportunity to reaffirm close bilateral ties and to underline what a senior German official called 'the continuity and importance of the relationship' as Merkel prepares to step down following September elections after 16 years in office."
- Merkel has worked with four U.S. presidents. Loveday Morris collected some of their most memorable moments, including the time in 2018 when Merkel's official Instagram account posted a photo of her bearing down over a table with Trump on the other side with his arms folded over his chest.
The Biden administration proposed sweeping protections for Alaska's Tongass National Forest. - "The changes would mark a major shift for a region that has relied on felling massive trees for more than a century. The changes would also reverse one of Trump's biggest public land decisions and halt a significant source of future carbon emissions in the decade to come," Juliet Eilperin reports.
- "Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the proposal would provide $25 million for community development, and allow Alaska Natives and small-scale operators to continue to harvest some old-growth trees. But Vilsack — who proposed a much more gradual transition away from old-growth logging when he was secretary under President Barack Obama — said it's time to focus on other economic activities, including fishing, recreation and tourism."
The White House is preparing to fight back in the coronavirus vaccine disinformation war. - "Biden himself could soon take on some of the corrosive messages emanating from the right, officials said, as the administration's vaccination efforts hit a wall just as the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus rips across the country," CNN reports. "And this week, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy will make a rare appearance in the White House press briefing room to talk about how the level of misinformation is now an urgent public health issue, according to a source familiar with the plan."
- "Officials are wary of taking steps that could alienate Republicans further and generate more skepticism of vaccines that health experts uniformly say is safe. And Biden has acknowledged openly that neither he nor his administration is the best positioned to convince Republicans to get the shot, pointing instead to local physicians, pharmacists or clergy members as more trusted messengers."
Biden's nominee to run ICE will appear for a Senate confirmation hearing today. - "Harris County, Tex., Sheriff Ed Gonzalez will testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Gonzalez runs the third-largest sheriff's department in the United States, based in Houston, where immigrants make up nearly 30 percent of the population," Maria Sacchetti reports. "If confirmed, he would be the first Senate-approved ICE director since the Obama administration."
Justice Stephen Beyer said he hasn't decided his retirement plans yet. - Breyer told CNN he is "especially gratified with his new role as the senior liberal on the bench."
- "Breyer, a 27-year veteran of the high court, said Wednesday that two factors will be overriding in his decision. 'Primarily, of course, health,' said Breyer, who will turn 83 in August. 'Second, the court.' "
| | | The future of the GOP The executive director of the Michigan GOP who said Trump "blew it" resigned from his post. - "Jason Roe, a veteran strategist who was brought on in February, stepped down from the post but declined to expand on why he resigned less than six months later," Eugene Scott reports. "Roe drew criticism in November for being one of the few GOP leaders publicly to accept the results of the 2020 election despite the majority of Republicans supporting the former president's false assertion that the election was stolen from him."
The House Oversight and Reform Committee launched an investigation into the GOP-commissioned election review in Arizona. - "Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the committee, and Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) sent a letter Wednesday to Douglas Logan, CEO of Cyber Ninjas, seeking correspondences, documents and other information about his Florida-based company's review of nearly 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County," Scott reports. "In their letter to Logan, Maloney and Raskin said the committee 'is deeply troubled by Cyber Ninjas's lack of election audit experience; its reported mismanagement of the audit in Maricopa County, which may have compromised ballots and election equipment; your own bias and history of embracing conspiracy theories related to the election.' "
Trump allies crossed him in Ohio's special election. - "Trump last month announced his support for Mike Carey, a former energy lobbyist running for a vacant Columbus-area congressional seat. But Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is bolstering former state Rep. Ron Hood in the Republican primary, while Debbie Meadows, a prominent conservative activist and the wife of former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, is promoting church leader Ruth Edmonds," Politico's Alex Isenstadt reports. "Their intervention has rankled some senior Trump advisers, who regard it as act of disloyalty — and one that could lead to an embarrassing defeat for the former president, who has put his name on the line by getting involved."
| | | Hot on the left Trump has complained that he should've ordered the White House flag flown at half-staff for Ashli Babbitt, the Capitol rioter who was fatally shot while participating in the attack. "As recently as in the past two weeks, Trump had mentioned that one reason Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, deserved such an honor was because of her nearly decade-and-a-half service in the military," the Daily Beast's Asawin Suebsaeng and Will Sommer report. "Trump's private comments mark the latest of his attempts to rewrite the history of Jan. 6, casting Babbitt in the role of a martyr unjustly slain by a rogue police officer." Trump's supporters are calling to reveal the name of the officer who shot Babbitt. "The thing is, they think they already know. They have a specific individual in mind, a Capitol police officer that they believe to be the culprit in the killing. He happens to be a black man," Josh Kovensky writes in Talking Points Memo. "It's a detail that, once known, places the calls for the officer to be exposed and punished in a new light. The ensuing witch hunt takes on a racial tinge." | | | Hot on the right "The Republican Party's motivated reasoning," by the Bulwark's Chris Deaton: "Professionals in political communication often talk about having 'credible messengers' to speak to and persuade an audience. An advocate for some belief or position could have the most logical and compelling argument in all of Athens — but unless that person has the audience's trust, his message is unlikely to land. ... And sometimes, people will trust someone simply because the messenger is saying what they want to hear. Psychologists call this 'motivated reasoning.' "Keep all this in mind as you consider Ed McBroom, a Republican state senator in Michigan ... McBroom chairs the Michigan senate's oversight committee, a position that empowered him to investigate allegations of voter fraud during the 2020 general election. ... By the old rules of political communication, no one is more qualified to be a 'credible messenger' to the right-of-center voters of the U.P. than Ed McBroom. But by now, you know where this story is going." | | | Internet and TV providers bill, visualized Many Internet service providers make it very hard to even figure out what you're paying for. Here's how to spot their tricks. | | | Today in Washington Biden and Harris will deliver remarks to mark the first round of child tax credit relief payments today at 11:45 a.m. At 2 p.m., Biden will meet with Merkel, and at 2:25 p.m. they will participate in an expanded bilateral meeting. They will hold a joint news conference at 4:15 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., Biden, Harris, the first lady and the second gentleman will host Merkel and her husband, Joachim Sauer, for dinner at the State Dining Room. | | | In closing | Biden threw a couple of thumbs-ups in the Oval Office while promoting vaccination with pop star Olivia Rodrigo: |  | | | | And Seth Meyers said Texas should keep voting drive-thrus, saying there's nothing more American than them:  | | | | | | |
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