Happening this Thursday: President Biden departs for foreign trip to India and Vietnam… Biden’s re-election campaign launches TV ad highlighting visit to Ukraine… Mike Pence knocks Trump and populism, per NBC’s Sarah Dean… Former congressional staffer Celeste Maloy wins GOP special primary in UT-2… Andspecial counsel intends to seek indictment of Hunter Biden by later this month.
But FIRST... Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday vowed to remain in his leadership position and serve the remainder of his term that lasts through Jan. 2027, despite his recent freeze-ups.
And some Republican lawmakers admit that McConnell staying put complicates their attacks on President Biden and his age, NBC’s Scott Wong, Liz Brown-Kaiser and Sahil Kapur report.
“Because he’s having health problems, it makes it more difficult to attack Biden,” a Republican senator said, referring to McConnell. “And yet I think it’s pretty apparent President Biden has significant health problems. There’s probably a double standard.”
“Both sides have problems with aging leaders,” the senator said.
Added Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.: “I mean, if you’re concerned about the president’s ability to do his job — and I am, and a lot of Republicans say they are — then you’ve got to be concerned when it’s somebody from your own party, right?” he said. “It can’t be sauce for the goose but not for the gander.”
Still, most Senate Republicans are standing behind McConnell, Wong, Brown-Kaiser and Kapur write.
“He has my full support, and he’ll have the support of the conference,” said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the Senate GOP’s No. 2 leader.
Just like most Democrats are standing behind Biden.
Quote of the day: One House GOP “no” on a Biden impeachment inquiry
“I don’t see any reason to start an impeachment inquiry at this point in time.”
Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., on “Meet the Press Now” on Wednesday.
The number of the day is … 15.7%
That’s the weekly increase in Covid hospitalizations in America in the week ending Aug. 26, the latest week with available data, as Covid cases appear to be rising.
But doctors tell NBC News’ Erika Edwards that even among hospitalized people, severe complications are less common than they used to be.
The rise in cases and hospitalizations comes as the Food and Drug Administration could sign off on new Covid boosters as early as Friday, NBC News’ Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Monica Alba report, which could set the stage for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a final approval as soon as Tuesday.
Other numbers to know
At least 17: The number of people who were killed by a Russian missile attack on a Ukrainian market Wednesday.
39%: President Joe Biden’s job-approval rating, per a new CNN/SSRS poll.
220%: The increase in the number of abortions in New Mexico, comparing the first six months in 2020 with the first six months in 2023. New Mexico is the state with the largest increase in the procedure and researchers attribute the increase to travelers from nearby states with abortion bans, like Texas.
At least 12: The number of small towns that have dissolved police departments as many localities in America are struggling to hire police officers.
7: The number of oil and gas leases former President Donald Trump’s administration issued in Alaska in the last days of his administration, which the Biden administration said it would cancel on Wednesday.
2.9%: The decrease in total mortgage application volume week over week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index, its lowest in decades.
$1 billion: How much money Elon Musk borrowed in a loan from SpaceX the same month he bought the social media company that was known as Twitter at the time, according to a new story from the Wall Street Journal.
50: The number of years since a military coup kicked off in Chile, led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet.
6: The number of people who have died in Georgia’s Fulton County jail in six weeks.
Eyes on 2024: 14th Amendment debate continues
Last month, we wrote about an effort gaining ground in multiple states to bar Trump from the ballot next year under a 14th Amendment clause that states that no one shall hold elected office who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the [United States].”
Well on Wednesday in Colorado, several voters filed a lawsuit seeking to actually remove Trump from the ballot under this doctrine.
On behalf of voters, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and several law firms are seeking for the court to declare it “improper” and “a breach or neglect of duty” for the Secretary of State to leave Trump’s name on the ballot following his actions on and around Jan. 6, 2021.
Meanwhile, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who famously denied Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, penned a piece in the Wall Street Journal laying out his argument against pleas to use the 14th Amendment to keep Trump off the ballot.
“For a secretary of state to remove a candidate would only reinforce the grievances of those who see the system as rigged and corrupt. Denying voters the opportunity to choose is fundamentally un-American,” Raffensperger writes.
He adds, “The American people will make their own decisions … Most of the time they will get it right. Trust the voters.”
In other campaign news…
What I meant was: NBC News’ Allan Smith reports that while Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign claimed he “literally can’t travel to China,” he has not been barred from entering the country and instead was just advised not to travel there because he criticized the regime.
Still prefer the other guy: NBC News’ Emma Barnett and Katherine Koretski document a growing trend among supporters who attend Ramaswamy’s campaign events: they still plan to vote for former President Donald Trump.
Asa hits the road: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is traveling to North Carolina, Georgia and Texas as he looks to gain traction in the polls and make the second debate stage.
Charges incoming: The special counsel overseeing the investigation into Hunter Biden said Wednesday he will be seeking a grand jury indictment of Biden soon, NBC News’ Tom Winter, Daniel Barnes, Rebecca Shabad and Dareh Gregorian report.
Liable: A federal judge in New York found Trump had already been proven liable for defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll, so a new civil claim will only focus on damages, NBC News’ Dareh Gregorian and Adam Reiss report.
Friends like these: Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized both his former running mate and his “imitators” in a Wednesday speech in New Hampshire, criticizing Republicans who he says wants the party to be centered on “personal grievances and performative outrage.”
A reunion: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will appear next week at the White House for a public event, pending first lady Jill Biden’s recovery from Covid, NBC News’ Carol E. Lee and Monica Alba report.
A winner in Utah: Former congressional staffer Celeste Maloy won the Republican special election primary for Congress in Utah’s 2nd District, winning 38% of the vote. In the heavily Republican district, she’s favored to win the November general election, too.
ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world:
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul shared doubts that the Capitol doctor provided a “valid medical diagnosis” of fellow Kentucky GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell after he froze in public last week.
A Georgia judge is “skeptical” of the Fulton County District Attorney’s plan to place former President Donald Trump and 19 others on trial at the same time later this year.
