NewsNation Chief Washington Correspondent and The Hill on NewsNation moderator Blake Burman shares his political reporting and campaign viewpoints leading into the 2024 election. Subscribe here.
Well, that happened fast. Again.
After Donald Trump implored Republicans to kill the roughly $108 billion deal for aid for the southern border, Israel and Ukraine, Republicans in the Senate did just that. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who Trump once called “MAGA Mike Johnson,” supported the move.
Now, the Senate has passed the $95 billion version, which does not include border money. Speaker Johnson is now suggesting he won’t even let the House vote on the measure. It comes as Trump has called on the senators not to support the aid package unless it is in the form of a loan. Our partners at The Hill report that Republican Senators spoke to Trump on Monday about his vision. “There was a group of us, and we were discussing on kind getting an understanding what he’s what he was thinking, and if he was serious about this, because if he is, then let’s figure out how to actually work this,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) told The Hill. Have a question about this or anything else in politics? Email us, and we will try to have the panelists answer it during The Hill on NewsNation.
Today’s Election: What We’re Watching
Today’s special election in New York’s third congressional district is to replace the ousted George Santos. Former Democratic Representative Tom Suozzi is going head-to-head against Republican Mazi Pilip, a local legislator who also served in the Israeli Defense Forces. NewsNation Political Editor Chris Stirewalt explains why political observers are watching this race so closely. Click to watch Chris’ explanation:
This district, which covers parts of Long Island and Queens, used to be a safe Democratic stronghold but has seen a shift towards the Republican party in recent years. “Midway through the 2022 election, a special master took over the congressional districts for New York … they changed the character, the shape of that district to bring in more of the southern part,” said Stirewalt.
Question to consider: What do you think the narrative will be from both parties if their candidate wins tonight? And what do you think it will be if their side suffers defeat?
Round Two for Mayorkas
One of the reasons that the House race is so important is because every vote matters for both sides. We saw this on full display earlier this month, when the vote to impeach the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas House was initially tied (and thus, failed). Tonight, Republicans will try again, as Rep. Steve Scalise, the number two House Republican leader, is now back in D.C. after successfully battling cancer.
Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) is one of the three Republicans who voted against impeachment. He told us Monday he is standing firm and will vote against impeaching Mayorkas (and vote against his party) again. You can watch the full interview here:
“It dumbs down the standard for impeachment and assurance is going to become a constant fixture in our national life whenever the White House is held by one party and in the Congress by the other,” said McClintock.
Question to consider: Even if Mayorkas is impeached tonight, is the damage (an embarrassing first defeat) already done for Republicans on this one?
Biden on TikTok
It’s actually a new question, not an age-old question: should presidential candidates join TikTok? The Biden campaign joined TikTok and launched its first video with the President on Super Bowl Sunday. The White House yesterday deflected on whether this was appropriate, given that the Biden Administration has warned about TikTok security concerns.
Brilyn Hollyhand and Victor Shi, Republican and Democratic Gen Z activists, joined us on The Hill to share their perspectives. You may be surprised in a time of partisanship, but both agree that Biden getting TikTok is a great way to reach young people https://digital-staging.newsnationnow.com/video/will-young-voter-support-for-biden-grow-after-campaign-joins-tiktok-the-hill/9424986/
“I think it’s necessary. It is where young voters consume their information. And for a growing part of the electorate,” said Shi.
Question to consider: If you were running a presidential campaign, would you have your candidate join TikTok? Reaching younger audiences is clearly a benefit, but does it come off as hypocritical given the national security concerns?
We’ll see you at 6p ET for The Hill on NewsNation!
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Jenae Addison, Kevin Bohn and Alex Arbaiza contributed to this newsletter.
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The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.