THE LIGHTBULB

President Donald Trump speaks during a rally Wednesday evening in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

On Wednesday evening, an evidently gleeful President Trump gave a campaign-style speech in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in which he attacked some of his favorite objects of ire in front of diehard fans, including Democrats, the Russia investigation and the news media. 

Feisty following a Republican winning the fifth special election for a House seat in a heavily contested Georgia seat, Trump reiterated promises to cut taxes, rebuild infrastructure and repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. (Read more from by colleagues John Wagner and Jenna Johnson here.)

But in his meandering speech, Trump, perhaps tellingly, also focused ridicule at wind energy in Iowa, a state where the renewable energy industry makes up a significant portion of the energy portfolio. Only days earlier, Trump’s energy secretary, Rick Perry, delivered a strikingly different message to Congress, telling lawmakers the United States will pursue an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy production.

In his Iowa speech, Trump also made unrealistic claims about putting solar panels on his long-promised border wall with Mexico and outright misleading claims about the recently exited Paris climate accord.

It fits a pattern of misstatement about energy production that was also on display in Trump’s Rose Garden speech announcing U.S. withdrawal from the Paris deal. 

As The Energy 202 did then, let’s break down the claims:

CLAIM #1: “I don’t want to just hope the wind blows to light up your house and your factory as the birds fall to the ground,” Trump said in Iowa in a remark in line with his past comments about wind energy. Before becoming president (or even running for office), Trump disparaged wind turbines as “ugly” and claimed wind power “kills all the birds.”

THE PROBLEM: There are at least two. As he did occasionally on the campaign trail, Trump is overstating the impact wind turbines have on bird populations. According to the National Audubon Society, wind turbines cause about 234,000 bird deaths a year, or less than 0.1 percent of all human-related bird deaths. Tall buildings and automobiles cause significantly more fatalities.

Second, Iowa got more than a third of its net energy generation from wind production last year, a higher percentage than any other state, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Only Texas produced more wind energy outright.

Wind turbines — and the federal tax credits that support them — are also politically popular in the state. “If he wants to do away with it,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in August of then-GOP nominee Trump and federal wind-energy tax credits, which Grassley helped write, “he’ll have to get a bill through Congress, and he’ll do it over my dead body.”

Trump may have been reminded of the many wind turbines dotting Iowa prairies with a stop at a community college with a 240-foot-tall wind turbine on campus:

Later in the speech, the president dialed back his critique of wind energy and stayed on message with his administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy: « We use electric. We use wind. We use solar. We use coal. We use natural gas. We will use nuclear if the right opportunity presents itself.”

CLAIM #2: “They all say it’s non-binding,” Trump claimed of the Paris climate accord, riling the crowd about his decision to withdraw the United States from the international agreement. “Like hell it’s non-binding.

THE PROBLEM: The Paris accord is non-binding.

Under the agreement, countries voluntarily set their own greenhouse-gas emissions targets. That’s its key virtue, the reason Trump’s predecessor, President Obama, was able to convince nearly every other nation on Earth to sign onto it. Previous international efforts to reduce climate-warming emissions, most notably the Kyoto Protocol, were not able to generate that level of consensus in the international community, and get 195 nations to sign on in 2015, precisely because those treaties were legally binding.

CLAIM #3: “We’re thinking about building the wall as a solar wall, so it creates energy, and pays for itself,” Trump said in Iowa. “And this way Mexico will have to pay much less money, and that’s good.”

The president later asked: “Pretty good imagination, right? Good? My idea.”

THE PROBLEM: It was not his idea.

At the very least, Thomas Gleason had the idea before President Trump. Gleason, a business owner in North Las Vegas, Nev., submitted a bid back in April to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency with designs for a border wall covered with solar panels, according to the Las-Vegas Journal Review.

More significantly, experts who have taken the solar-paneled border wall proposal seriously say such a structure would have significant issues. Vertically fixed panels could lead to an efficiency loss of around 50 percent, according to an analysis by the Financial Times.

And that’s just the beginning. As Sophie Yeo reported for The Post earlier this month:

In addition, solar panels degrade over time. The requirements dictated by the security aspects of the border wall — bricks and spray paint, for example — could further reduce efficiency.

Then there is the question of finding a market for any electricity that would be generated by a solar wall in a remote section of the country.

With less than 2 percent of the U.S. population living within 40 miles of the Mexico border, the electricity generated by the wall would mostly be useless — unless costly transmission lines were built to take the electricity to other areas of the country.

President Trump shakes hands with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt after speaking about the U.S. role in the Paris climate change accord in the Rose Garden of the White House. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

— Three heavyweight researchers who study various aspects of the science and politics of climate change — Benjamin Santer, an atmospheric scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Kerry Emanuel, a professor of atmospheric science at MIT; and Naomi Oreskes, a professor of the history of science at Harvard — wrote a searing critique of an idea espoused by New York University professor Steven Koonin and embraced by EPA  Administrator Scott Pruitt to conduct a “Red Team/Blue Team” process for climate science.

They write in an op-ed in The Post:

The basic premise of these “Red Team/Blue Team” requests is that climate science is broken and needs to be fixed. The implicit message in the requests is that scientists belong to tribes, and key findings of climate science — such as the existence of a large human-caused warming signal — have not undergone adequate review by all tribes. This tribalism could be addressed, Koonin believes, by emulating Red Team/Blue Team assessment strategies in “intelligence assessments, spacecraft design, and major industrial operations.”

In Koonin’s view, “traditional” peer-review processes are flawed and lack transparency, and international scientific assessments do not accurately represent “the vibrant and developing science.” He implicitly accuses the climate science community of “advisory malpractice” by ignoring major sources of uncertainty. To use present-day vernacular, both Koonin and Pruitt are essentially claiming that peer-review systems are rigged, and that climate scientists are not providing sound scientific information to policymakers.

We do not consider ourselves to be members of any team or tribe. Our goal is not to “win” against “the other side.” Our prime motivation is to understand the natural world, and to use that knowledge and understanding to inform sensible decisions on important public policy questions. Whether we succeed in doing so is what we are ultimately judged on.

The peer-review system criticized by Koonin and Pruitt is imperfect, but it is the best system we have, and has served science well for several centuries.

In this file photo, miles of pipe ready to become part of the Keystone Pipeline are stacked in a field near Ripley, Okla.(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

— Oil will continue to flow through the Dakota Access pipeline pending a new review of its environmental impact. A federal judge said Wednesday that he will decide later this year whether to shut the pipeline down in the meantime. In court Wednesday, an attorney for the Army Corps of Engineers Matthew Marinelli said he « cannot give you a time frame » for how long the additional review would take. « The corps is just starting to grapple with the issues the court identified, » according to EE News. A federal judge ruled last week that the Army Corps of Engineers did not consider how oil spills may impact the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, and ordered a redo of its environmental review, the Associated Press reported. 

— With the strong rebound in the U.S. shale-il drilling and production, crude oil prices have tumbled more than 20 percent over the last 10 months, The Post’s Steven Mufson reports. U.S. consumers benefit as a result: Gasoline prices are hitting lows at the start of the summer driving season, a time when increased demand typically bumps up the cost of gas. And the low oil prices will help keep a lid on inflation and, because the United States is a major oil importer, will reduce the trade deficit.

This is happening despite Saudi Arabian efforts to cut output by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and to coordinate with Moscow to trim Russian supplies. In May, OPEC and non-OPEC members led by Russia extended supply cuts through the first quarter of 2018 in a bid to drain plentiful global inventories.

Natural gas is flared off at a plant outside of the town of Cuero, Texas. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

— What states are releasing the most carbon into the air? Bloomberg took a look at a report from Ceres, Bank of America, Exelon Corp., and the Natural Resources Defense Council among others that analyzed power plant emissions by state. 

Texas was found to have the highest level of emissions, more than twice any other state, followed by Florida. Bloomberg’s Mark Chediak reported that « despite a surge in wind power there, Texas still depends on fossil fuel-burning generators to serve a large and growing population. » 

When focused on emission rates, or carbon dioxide released per megawatt-hour of electricity, Texas drops to 20th and Florida to 27th place. Instead, Wyoming, Kentucky and West Virginia take the top rankings for a high use of coal. And California ranks near the bottom of the list for emission rates, using minimal amounts of coal-fired power generation, and accessing electricity from renewables, Bloomberg reported. 

— State regulators say that an ambitious « clean coal » power plant in Mississippi run by Southern Co. should switch to burning natural gas. The Wall Street Journal’s Russell Gold reports: « Mississippi regulators said they wanted the Kemper power plant, which has already taken $7.5 billion and seven years to finish, to run using natural gas henceforth, and don’t want to pass on additional costs to electricity customers. The plant has primarily been running on natural gas, not coal, because the company has struggled to make the clean coal technology consistently work. »

Last July, that plant was subject to a thorough New York Times investigation that found the project « has been plagued by problems that managers tried to conceal. » 

Fish swim over a patch of bleached coral in Hawaii’s Kaneohe Bay off the island of Oahu. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File)

— Turning to the ocean, there’s some good news and bad news from government scientists:

Good news: An ongoing global coral bleaching event, one that’s affected more than 70 percent of tropical reefs worldwide, may finally be coming to a close. A new forecast from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggests that the high ocean temperatures that lead to bleaching are no longer widespread in the Indian Ocean, potentially signaling the end of what’s been a worldwide event for the past three years, Chelsea Harvey reports for The Post.

Bad news: An oxygen-poor “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, which can prompt harmful algae blooms and threaten marine life, could approach the size of New Jersey this summer, federal scientists say, making it the third-largest the Gulf has seen. A new forecast, again from NOAA, predicts that the annual dead zone will reach an area of nearly 8,200 square miles in July, more than 50 percent larger than its average size, Chelsea Harvey reports.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

— A meteorological research group is firing off on Energy Secretary Perry for his claim that carbon dioxide is not a main driver of climate change, suggesting he does not have a « fundamental understanding » of science. 

In a Wednesday letter, the executive director of the American Meteorological Society wrote to Perry that « it is critically important that that you understand that emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are the primary cause. This ia a conclusion based on the comprehensive assessment of scientific evidence. » 

The letter added that « skepticism and debate are always welcome and are critically important to the advancement of science, » but that « skepticism that fails to account for evidence is no virtue. » 

Capital Weather Gang’s Angela Fritz tweeted the full letter: 

And Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) seemed to share in AMS’s message: 

The letter follows after the energy secretary’s remark about carbon dioxide on national television.

When asked on CNBC if CO2 was « primary control knob for the temperature of the Earth and for climate, » Perry said: « No, most likely the primary control knob is ocean waters and the environment that we live in. » 

 Los Angeles Fire Dept. firefighter paramedics practice caring for mock earthquake victims during the Great Southern California ShakeOut, simulating a mass casualty earthquake. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

— Fake earthquake: A staff member at the California Institute of Technology erroneously sent out an alert for a large magnitude 6.8 earthquake on Wednesday afternoon for a quake that happened off the Santa Barbara coast in 1925. When the staffer tried to correct data on the location of the 92-year-old quake, a new report went out instead, the Los Angeles Times reported.

There was not a 6.8 earthquake in Isla Vista. The USGS just alerted a quake that happened in 1925. Story to come.

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 21, 2017

The alert went out at 4:51 p.m. PDT, the Los Angeles Times reported. And some on Twitter began to wonder why they hadn’t felt such a large magnitude quake: 

Shortly after, U.S. Geological Survey tweeted about the mistake, saying that the notification was « caused by a revision of the historic 1925 M6 Santa Barbara earthquake and was misinterpreted by software as a current event »: 

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke listens to a question during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Today

• Zinke will also testify about the department’s budget during a hearing before the House Committee on Natural Resources.
• Perry will testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on the department’s budget.
• The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard will hold a hearing on marine debris.
• The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials will hold a hearing on rail infrastructure. 

President Trump talks about his proposed border wall at last night’s rally in Iowa: 

Watch how a bizarre experiment studies pumas reacting to political talk shows:

Stephen Colbert says Republicans want a vote, not a debate, on health care: 

THE PROGNOSIS

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his GOP leadership team. They’re presenting a health-care discussion draft to rank-and-file this morning. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate GOP leaders are poised to release an Obamacare overhaul that clearly tries to woo the moderate members of their party while also keeping spending in check and giving conservatives a few goodies, too.

Yesterday afternoon, The Health 202 scooped the major details of the draft health-care legislation that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wants to bring up for a vote next week. Like the the House bill passed in May, the Senate version would put big dents in the Affordable Care Act, repealing just about all of its taxes, pulling back on Medicaid expansion and ditching the individual mandate to buy coverage and the employer mandate to offer it.

But the Senate bill contains three elements McConnell is betting will win over a half dozen or so moderates who remain skeptical but whose votes are crucial to overall passage (remember: the majority leader needs only 50 votes since arcane budget rules are being applied to the measure, meaning he can lose just two Republicans). McConnell’s draft, hashed out behind closed doors, basically retains Obamacare’s insurance subsidy structure — with just a few tweaks — takes a gentler approach than the House bill in the short-term to Medicaid expansion, and wouldn’t allow states to opt out of key protections for patients with preexisting conditions.

The idea, aides and lobbyists say, is to provide a softer landing for people at lower ends of the income spectrum than under the House bill. That measure based the subsidies only on age and didn’t peg them to actual premiums, resulting in estimates of dramatic cost spikes for some Americans and prompting a heavy onslaught of public criticism that spooked many House moderates.

The Senate bill tries to fix that problem — sort of. Its subsidies closely mirror Obamacare subsidies, which are currently available to Americans earning between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level. Starting in 2020, under the Senate bill, this assistance would be capped for those earning up to 350 percent — but anyone below that line could get the subsidies if they’re not eligible for Medicaid. As under the ACA, the subsidies would be pegged to a benchmark insurance plan each year, ensuring that the assistance grows enough over time to keep coverage affordable for customers.

McConnell is also offering moderates an approach to Medicaid he hopes will be more politically palatable to them. It’s true the draft proposes even deeper cuts to Medicaid than the House version by tying federal spending to a slower growth index. But that wouldn’t kick in for another seven years, well past moderate senators’ next reelection battles. And it doesn’t fully end the ACA’s Medicaid expansion until five years from now, gradually easing down the extra federal payments over three years starting in 2021.

The Senate bill also retains the ACA’s protections for patients with preexisting conditions. It eliminates the House bill’s pathway for states to lift a ban on insurers from charging people with serious medical conditions higher premiums, which would have been another political hotbed for moderates. It does expand the use of certain « 1332 waivers » to give states more flexibility — a provision that conservatives like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) wanted — but those waivers don’t open the door to ducking the preexisting protections.

The Senate bill would also provide funding in 2018 and 2019 for extra Obamacare subsidies to insurers to cover the cost-sharing discounts they’re required to give the lowest-income patients. Insurers have been deeply concerned over whether the subsidies will continue, as the Trump administration has refused to say whether it will keep funding them in the long run.

With this approach that sticks a little closer to existing law, McConnell is hoping to win over Republicans in states that embraced parts of the ACA, like Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Dean Heller of Nevada. Their votes are absolutely crucial to the whole effort to repeal and replace parts of Obamacare, the promise Republicans made time and time again over the past seven years and which McConnell is determined to fulfill. He will present the draft to his wary members at a 9:30 meeting this morning in a pivotal gathering.

Even yesterday, many members expressed deep skepticism toward elements in the draft as it took shape. “Up to this point, I don’t have any new news — tomorrow we will see it definitively — that would cause me to change that sentiment,” Capito told my colleagues Sean Sullivan, Kelsey Snell and Juliet Eilperin yesterday.

Many moderates are still likely to be displeased that the Senate draft will almost certainly result in significantly more uninsured people than under the ACA, although it could look a little better than the House version on that measure, which is estimated to cost 23 million people their coverage in a decade. All of this won’t be known for sure until the Congressional Budget Office score is released, likely on Monday. Furthermore, the measure retains a provision to strip Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood clinics for one year, potentially alienating Murkowski, who supports abortion rights.

So what do conservatives get out of this bill? Big cuts to Medicaid further down the road and a repeal of nearly all of Obamacare’s taxes. Under the Senate draft, federal Medicaid spending would remain constant for three years. In 2021, it would be transformed from an open-ended entitlement to a system based on per-capita enrollment. Starting in 2025, the measure would tie federal spending on the program to an even slower growth index, which in turn could prompt states to reduce the size of their Medicaid programs.

Conservatives, and the health-care industry at large, will also be pleased that the draft proposes repealing all of Obamacare’s taxes except for its so-called “Cadillac tax” on high-cost health plans in language similar to the House version. Senators previously toyed with the idea of keeping some of the ACA’s taxes.

But there’s a strong chance the Senate bill could spark a revolt on the right. Conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Prosperity wanted to erase Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion right away, and they’re also likely to view the Senate GOP’s approach to subsidies as another big, bad government entitlement. Antiabortion groups may oppose the measure too since it could remove the House bill language restricting federally subsidized health plans from covering abortions, which may have run afoul of complex budget rules.

Aides stress the GOP plan is likely to undergo more changes to garner the votes Republicans need. It’s in discussion draft form, meaning elements could be added or stripped out over the next week as Republican leaders try to propel it toward a vote before the end of next week. And there are ongoing conversations with the Senate parliamentarian over which provisions can even be included under rules governing what can go in a budget reconciliation bill.

And don’t forget that even if this bill passes the Senate, there’s another steep hurdle. It would have to pass muster with the more conservative House before heading to President Trump’s desk for a signature. And the House already had a difficult time passing its own version, meaning none of this is assured to become law.

Stay tuned…

To help you follow along, The Fix’s Amber Phillips and the Post’s graphic team will keep tabs on who supports and who opposes the Senate bill in the runup to the expected vote next week with a Whip Count. And the Post will write about developments as the draft gets released this morning here and here with our health-care liveblog.

Some observers noted the similarities between the Senate bill and the ACA. From the senior VP of the Kaiser Family Foundation:

Reports of the Senate health bill look like Obamacare-lite for private insurance. The Medicaid changes are a horse of a different color.

— Larry Levitt (@larry_levitt) June 21, 2017

If the Senate health bill cuts off premium subsidies at 350% of poverty, the effect will be greatest for older people in high premium areas.

— Larry Levitt (@larry_levitt) June 21, 2017

The associate director of the Kaiser foundation noted the effect the measure would have on people who don’t qualify for subsidies:

More observations:

Sen. Ron Johnson just called their health care bill a « modification » of the House bill. So at least they’re admitting that now.

— Tierney Sneed (@Tierney_Megan) June 21, 2017

Trump in Iowa says he wants health care « with heart. »
“I’ve been talking about a plan with heart. I’ve said, ‘Add some money to it.’ »

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) June 22, 2017

From a veteran Democratic operative and Hillary Clinton deputy press spokesman:

Looks like Trump still opposes Senate GOP’s health care repeal

Leaked Senate details are clear it has no more heart than House (maybe less) https://t.co/oIlnSdSjrU

— Jesse Ferguson (@JesseFFerguson) June 22, 2017

A former Obama aide called those who drafted the Senate bill « monsters: »

From Bernie:

You’re not improving health care when you defund Planned Parenthood and deny millions of women their provider of health care.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 21, 2017

Democrats continued to attack the secret process:

As did Paul:

The HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

OOF: Insurance giant Anthem has announced it will leave the Obamacare marketplaces in Indiana and Wisconsin in 2018, my colleague Carolyn Johnson reports. The company said in a statement that the business of selling health coverage on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces has become « difficult due to a shrinking and deteriorating individual market, as well as continual changes and uncertainty in federal operations, rules and guidance, including cost sharing reduction subsidies and the restoration of taxes on fully insured coverage. »

Anthem’s announcement came yesterday, the deadline for insurers to tell federal regulators whether they plan to keep selling marketplace plans next and if so, how much they would like to charge. The deadline applied to all 39 states whose marketplaces are run by the federal government. An evolving map by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that 44 counties in four states, where about 30,000 people buy insurance through the marketplaces, are at risk for having no insurance options next year.

The day was something of a moment of truth for the marketplaces, whose health depends on how many insurers participate, Carolyn writes.

« So far, states are seeing mixed results: One major insurer has made a big pullout, while a different one announced it would expand into new states, » Carolyn reports. « Oscar Health, a start-up company that was co-founded by Ivanka Trump’s brother-in-law, announced it would expand in Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, Tennessee, California and New York. »

In Indiana, MDwise Marketplace announced it would leave that state’s marketplace, putting four counties at possible risk of having no insurer next year, although a different Centene has announced it is expanding in the state. A spokeswoman for Centene said the company was still working through the filing process and would not share information until it was complete, Carolyn reports.

As the marketplace situation becomes more clear over the next few days, it will influence the urgency with which Republicans pass a bill replacing big parts of the ACA and puts more pressure on the Trump administration to respond to insurers asking for more certainty.

« To date, there has not been a county with zero insurers selling policies on its marketplaces, and it’s not totally clear what will happen if a county is left without any plans. It’s possible, however, that without a functional exchange, would-be participants would have to shoulder the full costs of their health insurance — or go without, » Carolyn writes.

AHH:  President Trump is still calling for a final health-care plan “with heart.” As Senate Republicans prepared to released their discussion draft this morning, and details of the draft were starting to emerge, the president expressed his desires for the bill to an audience at a rally in Iowa last night.

“I can’t guarantee anything, but I hope we’re going to surprise you with a really good plan,” Trump said in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

« We basically can’t lose anybody, » he added.

His comments follow reports that he had privately called the House version of the bill “mean.” This was after Trump had celebrated the passage of the bill with members of the House in the Rose Garden.

Democrats, including Rep. Al Franken (D-Minn), jumped on the opportunity to use the presidents words against him. 

What do you call a bill that would reinstate annual and lifetime caps? MEAN.

— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) June 21, 2017

What do you call a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood, which provides critical health services for millions of women? MEAN.

— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) June 21, 2017

What do you call a bill that will cause 23 million more people to be uninsured? MEAN.

— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) June 21, 2017

What about a bill that guts Medicaid (which covers 1 in 5 adult women pays for 1/2 of all births) to give tax breaks to richest few? MEAN.

— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) June 21, 2017

OUCH: According to a Politico/Morning Consult poll, the Republican health-care bill has become less popular than when the House advanced its version last month. Just 35 percent of voters support the House version of the bill, and 49 percent disapprove of it. That’s down from 38 percent approval and 44 percent disapproval immediately after the bill passed in May.

Dr. Wei Shin sequences DNA as part of an investigation for a Zika vaccine candidate on the campus of National Institutes of Health in  Maryland. (Photo by Jared Soares for The Washington Post)

Today

• The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies holds a hearing on the budget request for the National Institutes of Health on Thursday.

Coming Up

• The American Enterprise Institute is holding a discussion on the government’s role in medical innovation and funding on June 29.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan on health care: « This law is collapsing »

See Trump blame Democrats for the health-care deadlock:

With Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve

THE BIG IDEA: With all the ballots counted, Republican Karen Handel won the most expensive House race in U.S. history by 3.8 percentage points. That’s a larger margin of victory than the 1.5 points that Donald Trump carried Georgia’s 6th Congressional District by last November.

Handel even wound up winning by a greater margin than the GOP candidate in an unexpectedly close special election to replace OMB Director Mick Mulvaney in South Carolina that had not been on the national radar.

The suburban district north of Atlanta is ruby red and has been in GOP hands since Newt Gingrich won it in 1979, but that does not make Jon Ossoff’s defeat any less devastating for Democrats struggling to find their way in the Trump era.

Dem member of Congress eyeing results texts to ask Q on many Dem minds: « Lots of ‘moral victories.’ But when do we get actual victories??? »

— Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) June 21, 2017

— Last night was a wake-up call for Democrats that they still need to home in on an effective anti-Trump message. Seth Moulton, the Democratic congressman from Massachusetts who has been flirting with a longshot 2020 presidential bid, seized on the results:

We need a genuinely new message, a serious jobs plan that reaches all Americans, and a bigger tent not a smaller one. Focus on the future.

— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) June 21, 2017

— The results are already prompting Democratic recriminations, as the Bernie Sanders wing of the party pushes the establishment to get behind more liberal candidates. Initially, Ossoff’s mantra was “Make Trump Furious.” But he rarely talked about the president toward the end of the contest because he needed to win over moderate Republicans and didn’t want to motivate low-propensity Trump voters to turn out against him. He modulated his rhetoric, calling for fiscal conservatism in his ads and focusing on jobs. He avoided hot-button issues and called for civility.

Liberal activists and their allied outside groups are grumbling that Ossoff moderated too much, and they’ve been complaining for weeks that the national party apparatus invested more to help him than outspokenly liberal candidates in Montana and Kansas special elections. “The best way for Democrats to maximize gains in 2018 — especially in purple and red districts — is to harness the power of the resistance and field candidates who proudly challenge power,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

From the executive director of the National Nurses union and a prominent Bernie supporter:

— “Ossoff chose the high priest route instead of the fierce warrior. It was civil disobedience rather than civil unrest. And he still lost,” Paul Kane writes in a dispatch from Sandy Springs, Ga. “Privately, Democratic strategists said even before the votes were counted Tuesday that Ossoff’s civility campaign would be mirrored only in more Republican-leaning districts, and that a more aggressive anti-Trump campaign would be waged by candidates in longtime swing districts.”

— The outcome demonstrated that two political fundamentals remain true: Attack ads work, and candidates matter.

Democrats pinned their hopes on a 30-year-old who had never run for office before and didn’t even live in the district. Ossoff became more dynamic on the stump as the race dragged on, but his lack of a record made it easy to caricature him. He was a vessel through which Democrats channeled their hopes, but he lacked charisma. As a former CNN reporter who now runs Snapchat’s news division memorably put it:

Jon Ossoff. There hasn’t been this much grassroots excitement for an unexciting candidate since Ned Lamont was marching around Connecticut

— Peter Hamby (@PeterHamby) April 18, 2017

Handel, 55, has been a fixture of local politics for 15 years. She chaired the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, served as Georgia secretary of state and narrowly lost GOP primaries to become governor in 2010 and then senator in 2014. She had the baggage that comes with being a career politician, but her deep roots and relationships certainly helped far more than they hurt. She was a known commodity who came into the race with high name identification.

In conceding, Ossoff stressed that winning was always against the odds:

We showed the world that in places no one even thought it was possible to fight, we can fight. And we will fight.

— Jon Ossoff (@ossoff) June 21, 2017

Total spending in the race topped $50 million. National Republican groups poured resources into the race to offset Ossoff’s impressive online fundraising. In the end, from the April primary through yesterday’s election, both sides were equally matched on the airwaves. Republicans spent $12 million and Democrats spent $12.2 million, according to sources tracking the air war.

Nancy Pelosi was a huge drag on Ossoff. The most prominent and effective hit on the Democratic candidate was to tie him to the congresswoman from San Francisco.

Republican operatives say that 98 percent of voters in the 6th District already had an impression of Pelosi when they conducted their first internal poll, and she was 35 points underwater. When presented with the choice of whether they wanted a representative who would work with Paul Ryan or Pelosi, six in 10 picked the Speaker and three in 10 picked the minority leader.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned closely with Ryan, spent more than $7 million in Georgia. “CLF tied Ossoff to Pelosi and her liberal agenda early and often, echoing the message on television, digital and radio advertising, as well as campaign literature and direct mail,” Corry Bliss, executive director of the group, writes in an after-action report that will be widely distributed later today. Other outside groups and Handel also focused on this theme.

Dave Weigel obtained the mailers that the group sent into the district, and Pelosi is dominant in each. Here are three examples of how they used her:

Some Democrats expressed concern last night that Pelosi will be a drag on their hopes of winning the House next year. One liberal writer for Vox suggested last night that it is time for her to go:

Her four years as Speaker were a heroic triumph, but after tonight I think House Democrats need to think hard about the Pelosi Question.

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) June 21, 2017

Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff fired back:

Republican operatives, including the executive director of the NRSC, trolled Hammill by saying that they want Pelosi to stay on as leader forever:

Pelosi’s job is secure, but insiders say to expect a raucous House Democratic caucus meeting today when the results are discussed. 

Karen Handel makes a heart sign with her fingers as she thanks supporters during his victory speech last night. (Bita Honarvar/Reuters)

— The results will embolden Trump and may convince him that he doesn’t need to course correct. A CBS News poll published yesterday showed that the president’s national job approval rating has slipped to 36 percent. Even among Republicans, his approval rating is 72 percent — down 11 points since April. Yet as far as Trump’s concerned, he keeps winning – even when the polls and the pundits forecast doom. The GOP base clearly rallied behind Handel, and she closed strong in the final days of the campaign. Rightly or wrongly, the president perceives her victory as a mandate.

Trump stayed up late watching the returns come in and began live-tweeting as soon as it became clear that Handel would prevail:

Things are looking great for Karen H!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2017

Congratulations to Karen Handel on her big win in Georgia 6th. Fantastic job, we are all very proud of you!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2017

Well, the Special Elections are over and those that want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN are 5 and O! All the Fake News, all the money spent = 0

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2017

A West Wing that has grown accustomed to losing news cycles was in a celebratory mood:

WH senior official, in a text just now: « They haven’t figured out how to beat Trump »

— Robert Costa (@costareports) June 21, 2017

A counselor to the president:

A deputy assistant to the president, on the National Security Council staff, took a screenshot of CNN hosts looking unhappy, suggesting that it was because of the results:

The First Sons joined in:

Media headlines this week should be: Democrats go 0-4 in special elections… voters reject socialism.

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 21, 2017

— GOP leaders on Capitol Hill are relieved that Handel’s win will avert a collective freak-out of the rank-and-file. The results “may embolden Republicans in Washington to press ahead on an ambitious policy agenda that has yielded few legislative victories since Trump’s inauguration in January,” Robert Costa, Paul Kane and Elise Viebeck report. “Most immediately, the election result could bring momentum to Senate Republicans’ efforts this week to craft their version of a major revision to the Affordable Care Act. ‘We need to finish the drill on health care,’ Handel said during her victory speech” in Brookhaven, Ga.

“By any measure, the victory proves the Republican political machine is alive and working well,” GOP super lobbyist Ed Rogers argues on the PostPartisan blog. “This race proves Republicans have no reason to be defensive as a result of Obamacare’s demise, it shows Republicans have nothing to hide from in the age of Trump and it signifies that nothing about the current faux-scandal-ridden environment has produced a downdraft for Republicans.”

Republican lawmakers who have tough reelection races in 2018 will see Handel’s victory as proof that they can thread the needle when it comes to Trump. Handel hardly mentioned him, yet she was still able to win over his supporters. We saw the same dynamic at play in several 2016 contests, as well. As a political reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer notes:

In moderate PA burbs, Rs like Toomey, Meehan, Costello ran ahead of Trump in Nov. Same tonight. Voters distinguish typical Rs from POTUS

— Jonathan Tamari (@JonathanTamari) June 21, 2017

And they’ve been working to create more distinctions. Dems pushing back on that, but they are trying to create some distance

— Jonathan Tamari (@JonathanTamari) June 21, 2017

The political editor at National Journal makes another important observation:

President Trump celebrates the House passing a health-care bill with House Speaker Paul Ryan last month. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

— Bigger picture: Perhaps the GOP House majority isn’t as vulnerable as some people have been saying. But veteran Republican operatives also warn against overreading the lessons of one special election. There are many districts that will be a lot tougher for Republicans to hold than Georgia’s Sixth next November.

Ken Spain recalls the 2010 cycle, when he was the communications director of the NRCC: 

Warning signs for both parties coming out of this race. Plenty of time to address over the next 17 months. Political enviro likely to change

— Ken Spain (@Ken_Spain) June 21, 2017

A Los Angeles Times reporter puts it more starkly:

From the conservative editor of Commentary Magazine:

Two things can be true:1) ’18 will be a Dem year; 2) Ds are having trouble winning in ’17 which may mean ’18 won’t be as Dem as it could be

— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) June 21, 2017

NBC’s senior political editor is looking to this November:

Don’t forget — 2017 isn’t over. Nov features 2 GOV races, with the most impt one being VA.

Dems losing in GA-6 puts more pressure on VA

— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) June 21, 2017

Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick speaks to students at the Indian Institute of Technology last year. (Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING:

— Facing a shareholder revolt after a litany of recent scandals, Travis Kalanick resigned as the chief executive of Uber. Elizabeth Dwoskin reports: “Kalanick, who helped founded Uber in 2009 and led it to become one of Silicon Valley’s highest flying start-ups, will stay on Uber’s board of directors. … He was asked to resign in a letter from five major shareholders. … The exit also comes amid the company’s search for a chief operating officer, a second in command who could take the reins from Kalanick. The COO role is one of many executive positions that remain unfilled, leaving questions about who will run Uber in Kalanick’s absence.”

— Saudi Arabian King Salman named his son as the new crown prince, demoting his nephew in a move that could spark deep ramifications for the oil-rich nation and its Middle Eastern neighbors. Sudarsan Raghavan reports: “In a series of royal decrees, published in the Saudi state news agency, the monarch stripped Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef from his position … Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the new crown prince, will also become the kingdom’s deputy prime minister while retaining his control of the Defense Ministry and other portfolios. The decree all but confirms him as the next ruler of this key American ally and the Arab world’s largest economy. The surprise announcement arrives at a critical time for the Sunni Muslim kingdom as it grapples with the economic fallout from declining oil prices and a costly military campaign it leads against Shiite rebels in neighboring Yemen.”

Protesters clash with law enforcement on Interstate 94 in Minnesota after a jury found a police officer not guilty of second-degree manslaughter in the death of Philando Castile. (Adam Bettcher/Reuters)

GET SMART FAST:​​

1. Ramsey County released dash cam footage of the traffic stop that ended in Philando Castile’s death. The video revealed that police officer Jeronimo Yanez began firing into Castile’s car seconds after learning he was armed. (Mark Berman and Wesley Lowery have the story and video)
2. In just a single year, nearly 1.3 million Americans were treated at the hospital for opioid-related issues, according to new government data, reflecting a staggering 64 percent increase in inpatient care and a 99 percent jump in emergency-room treatment since 2005. (Joel Achenbach and Dan Keating)
3. New CDC research shows a significant increase in the number of U.S. counties with mosquitoes capable of spreading Zika. Thirty-eight additional counties, mostly in Texas but as far north as Illinois, documented the presence of Zika’s most-common spreaders. (Lena H. Sun)
4. Belgian soldiers shot and “neutralized” a man at a Brussels train station who they believe set off a small explosion. While no one was hurt, security forces believe they may have foiled a larger terrorist attack. (Michael Birnbaum and Annabell Van den Berghe)
5. Suspected Taliban gunmen ambushed and killed eight Afghan guards as they headed to work at the U.S.-run Bagram air base, the latest in a recent spike of brazen militant attacks in the country. The assault comes as the United States completes plans to send several thousand more troops to Afghanistan. (Sayed Salahuddin)
6. Trump’s net worth has dropped slightly from $3 billion last year to $2.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index. (Bloomberg) 
7. A Pennsylvania radio host quit his job after he was directed by his station manager not to criticize Trump on air, or else his show would be canceled. (Amy B Wang)
8. Interpol has recovered one of the largest, most disturbing set of Nazi artifacts buried deep in the secret passageway of an Argentinian collector’s home. Objects discovered included a device used to measure heads — which Nazis believed could help distinguish a Jew from someone of “Aryan” race — as well as swastika-studded instruments and photos of Hitler holding the items. (Max Bearak)
9. A European court struck down Russia’s ban on “gay propaganda,” ruling that the 2013 law is discriminatory and violates the European Convention on Human Rights. The ruling comes just weeks after numerous reports surfaced about the abduction and torture of Chechen citizens suspected of being gay. (Andrew Roth)
10. As the Southwest experiences its worst heat wave in decades, temperatures in Arizona have climbed to a record 118 degrees, prompting complaints from seasoned desert-dwellers and even grounding dozens of flights. (Amy B Wang)
11. Mattel announced it’s creating a new line of diverse “Ken” dolls — allowing children to choose from a host of stylish new designs, which include three body types, seven skin tones, and nine hairstyles — including the so-called “man bun.” (ABC News)
12. Daniel Day-Lewis said he is retiring from acting. His announcement came as a shock to many, who have long revered the veteran performer and Oscar winner as one of the greatest of all time. He the only person to ever win the “Best Actor” title three times. (AP)
13. A Canadian bar is furious after a sticky-fingered patron made off with the signature ingredient in its most famous drink — a human toe. (Under longtime tradition, brave drinkers must touch lips with, but not swallow, the gnarled human digit.) “We are furious,” the bar’s designated “toe manager” said. “Toes are very hard to come by.” They’re planning to slap the thief with a hefty fine — but thankfully, employees said, they’ve also got a few backups. (CBC)

Michael Flynn (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

THERE’S A BEAR IN THE WOODS:

— Even though top U.S. officials were convinced in January that incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn was vulnerable to blackmail and was an “urgent problem,” he continued to receive briefings from CIA Director Mike Pompeo for three weeks, where he was read in on some of the nation’s most sensitive intelligence on a near-daily basis. The New York Times’ Matthew Rosenberg and Adam Goldman report: “Concerns across the government about Mr. Flynn were so great after Mr. Trump took office that six days after the inauguration … [former deputy attorney general Sally] Yates, warned the White House that Mr. Flynn had been ‘compromised.’ Mr. Trump waited 18 days from that warning before firing Mr. Flynn, a period in which Mr. Pompeo continued to brief Mr. Flynn and the president. A warning from Mr. Pompeo, may have persuaded the White House to take Ms. Yates’s concerns more seriously. Mr. Pompeo was sworn in three days before Ms. Yates went to the White House, [and] testified last month that he did not know what was said in that meeting. By that time, C.I.A. officials had attended meetings with F.B.I. agents about Mr. Flynn and reviewed the transcripts of his conversations with the Russian ambassador … Separately, intelligence agencies were aware that Russian operatives had discussed ways to use their relationship with Mr. Flynn to influence Mr. Trump. [And] Mr. Pompeo, who briefs the president nearly every day, had frequent opportunities to raise the issue with Mr. Trump.”

• Last month, Pompeo sidestepped Senate lawmakers who asked whether he knew about the CIA’s concerns about Flynn, telling lawmakers “I can’t answer yes or no.” 

— Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of possible financial ties between Russia and Trump associates may include probing a real-estate development firm called the Bayrock Group. Bloomberg’s Timothy L. O’Brien writes: “Bayrock partnered with the future president and his two eldest children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, on a series of real-estate deals between 2002 and about 2011, the most prominent being the troubled Trump Soho hotel and condominium in Manhattan. During the years that Bayrock and Trump did deals together, the company was also a bridge between murky European funding and a number of projects in the U.S. to which the president once leant his name in exchange for handsome fees. Icelandic banks that dealt with Bayrock, for example, were easy marks for money launderers and foreign influence.”

— The attorney general is now lawyering up: Jeff Sessions has hired D.C. litigator and longtime friend Charles Cooper as his personal attorney. The move comes after several other White House officials, including Mike Pence, have sought outside counsel to protect their personal interests in Mueller’s probe. Sari Horwitz reports: “Cooper was seen sitting behind Sessions when he testified last week before the Senate Intelligence Committee about [Trump] and Russia. ‘I do represent the Attorney General, but, as with all clients, do not comment on confidential client matters,’ Cooper [said in an email]. Cooper, a partner with his own firm, Cooper Kirk, would not say when he was retained by Sessions or whether he is representing Sessions in the special counsel’s investigation into Trump and Russia …”

—  Meanwhile, Sean Spicer said during a White House press briefing Tuesday that he did “not know” whether Trump believes Russia interfered in the 2016 elections, despite the conclusion of 16 U.S. intelligence agencies that it did. Philip Rucker reports: “Spicer was asked a yes-or-no question near the end of a [briefing]: Does Trump believe the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election? ‘I have not sat down and talked to him about that specific thing,’ Spicer said. [After he was reminded] that 16 U.S. intelligence agencies had concluded that Russia did engage in cyber attacks to influence the election, Spicer said, ‘I understand. I’ve seen the reports.’” But when reporters pressed him on whether the president shares in that conclusion, Spicer said, “I have not sat down and asked him about his specific reaction to them.”

— Both the Senate and House Intelligence Committees will hold public hearings today focused on the effects of Russian election interference at the state-level. The Wall Street Journal’s Rebecca Ballhaus and Erica Orden report: “The hearings represent the most robust effort to date to elicit public testimony from state election officials concerning what federal officials have described as an aggressive and sustained effort by Russia to interfere with the 2016 election. Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.), the vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, on Tuesday sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly pressing him to publicly disclose ‘which states were targeted, to ensure that they are fully aware of the threat, and to make certain that their cyber defenses are able to neutralize this danger.’”

— Mueller met with House Intelligence Committee leaders K. Michael Conaway (R-Tex.) and Adam B. Schiff  (D-Calif.) on Tuesday evening, the lawmakers confirmed in a statement. The meeting comes as the two parties work to ensure Mueller’s work does not conflict with their probe. He is slated to meet today with leading members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). (ABC News)

— A CBS News poll found that a full 56 percent of voters believe Mueller’s investigation, which Trump has decried as a “witch hunt,” will be impartial, while more than 80 percent said Trump should not attempt to stop the special counsel’s investigation. Meanwhile, a third of voters now say Trump’s approach to the Russia issue has made their opinion of him worse — contributing to the president’s sky-high 57 percent disapproval rate.

… MEANWHILE, ON CAPITOL HILL:

–A bill extending financial sanctions on Russia, which overwhelmingly passed the Senate last week in a 98 to 2 vote, has hit a major procedural snag in the House. Mike DeBonis and Karoun Demirjian report: “[This] week, House staff flagged the bill for violating the constitutional provision that only the House can originate bills raising revenue for the government — creating what is known on Capitol Hill as a ‘blue slip’ violation. Fixing the issue might not be a simple matter, with unanimous consent required to expedite any Senate legislation and Republicans preparing to bring complex health-care legislation to the Senate floor.” Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the bill’s sponsor, said Tuesday that he had not been informed of the issue: “You’re sharing something with me I’m not aware of,” he said. “We felt like we had adequately dealt with the blue-slip issue … I look forward to seeing what the complaint might be.”

“But the holdup comes amid a push by the Trump administration to delay or water down [sanctions] … and senators fear that the White House sees the House as a bottleneck where it can block the broader sanctions bill.”

DAMN THE TORPEDOES:

— Senate Republicans expect to release a “discussion draft” of their health-care bill on Thursday and hold a vote next week, but the intense secrecy surrounding the negotiations has angered colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Sean Sullivan, Juliet Eilperin and Kelsey Snell report: “McConnell’s desire to wrap up before the Fourth of July recess reflects the sense of urgency among Republicans, including President Trump, to show progress on health care after years of vowing to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act … But even among Republicans … competing ideological goals have complicated Senate negotiations. Among the challenges in a messy drafting process: how to lower insurance premium costs and eliminate what some view as burdensome coverage mandates without increasing the number of uninsured Americans … Senate leaders hope to start debate by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week … yet it remains unclear whether McConnell has the 50 votes he needs … to pass the bill.”

• Republican Sen. Mike Lee even took to Facebook to vent his frustration over the lack of transparency. He said in a video: “Even though we thought we were going to be in charge of writing a bill within this working group, it’s not being written by us. It’s apparently being written by a small handful of staffers for members of the Republican leadership in the Senate. So if you’re frustrated by the lack of transparency in this process, I share your frustration. I share it wholeheartedly.”

— The clandestine nature of the health-care talks, as well as the shortened timeline between the bill’s introduction and the vote, are key parts of McConnell’s strategy after watching the House struggle to pass its version of the AHCA. Amber Phillips writes: “Republicans might not be able to defend keeping their health-care bill secret until the last minute, but they have a reason for doing it: They’re calculating that the blowback for keeping it secret is a lesser evil than the blowback for negotiating it in public … [And] opposition probably won’t have time to coalesce … There will be about a week between the bill’s introduction and a vote.”

— The contents of the bill remain unclear, but the legislation will likely include deeper cuts to Medicaid than the House bill and a more gradual phaseout of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, my colleague Paige Winfield Cunningham reported in the The Health 202: “The bill’s 50-vote pathway to passage is most likely to circumvent Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.).”

• If McConnell lost Collins and Paul, he would need every other Republican senator and the vice president’s tiebreaking vote to get the bill passed. But the Medicaid cuts may also cost him the votes of West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, according to Axios’s Cailtin Owens.
• Top insurance groups have also stated opposition to the Senate’s possible Medicaid cuts. In a letter to McConnell and Sen. Charles E. Schumer, 10 health-care chief executives wrote: “This year’s discussion began with a focus on the ACA’s individual insurance market, but current health care proposals go further and do not enact meaningful, needed repairs to the ACA … There are no hidden efficiencies that states can use to address gaps of this magnitude without harming beneficiaries or imposing undue burden to our health care system and all U.S. taxpayers.”

— The Medicaid expansion also included substance abuse treatment, which could be gutted just as states face an opioid drug crisis. Senators like Portman and Capito have proposed a $45 billion fund to fill the gap, but conservatives oppose that as well, the New York Times’ Robert Pear and Jennifer Steinhauer report. 

— Another Republican who may be on the fence: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. She has voted against her party on occasion since Trump took office, and she has voiced concern over the cutting Medicaid and Planned Parenthood funding, the Wall Street Journal’s Kristina Peterson and Stephanie Armour report.

— Even if Senate Republicans can pass a bill, the White House has indicated they won’t necessarily receive much cover from the president. Asked about a report that Trump said the Senate bill needed “more heart,” Sean Spicer replied: “The president clearly wants a bill that has heart in it … He believes health care is something that is near and dear to so many families and individuals. He made it clear from the beginning that it was one of his priorities.”

• The Fix’s Aaron Blake writes: “If you are a Republican who is thinking about sticking your neck out for this bill, that has to make you think twice … What if the bill they are working on does wind up causing major problems? What if it doesn’t even pass, and most all of them put themselves on the record voting for something that can still be used in a pretty brutal attack ad using those CBO numbers? There is basically nothing to suggest that Trump is going to allow himself to go down with this ship.”

PALACE INTRIGUE:

— The search is on for Sean Spicer’s replacement as White House press secretary, but there may be few takers. The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush report: “Most Republicans in Washington said it would be among the hardest jobs to fill in the Trump administration … Among the candidates: Laura Ingraham, the conservative radio host, about whom Trump advisers remain ‘iffy’; Kimberly Guilfoyle, the Fox News commentator who said publicly that Mr. Trump had called her in recent weeks (she said she didn’t want the job); and David Martosko, an editor for The Daily Mail who was briefly considered for the role during the transition and has been talked about for other roles now … Filling the role of communications director, open for the last few weeks, has not gone much more smoothly.”

• The communications transition comes as Trump reconsiders the role of the daily press briefing, which he has previously threatened to cancel. The Atlantic’s Rosie Gray reports: “But instead of canceling them entirely, the White House has appeared to embrace a different strategy: simply downgrading them bit by bit, from ‘briefings’ to ‘gaggles,’ and from on-camera to off-camera. Guidance for the briefings has begun to include a note that audio from them cannot be used. Additionally, though Trump has held short press conferences when foreign leaders visit, he has not held a full press conference since February.”
• Spicer defended the president’s press appearances, saying yesterday: “We’ve looked at a lot of data that suggests that, when you look at the number of availibilities and interviews that the president has given … it’s pretty significant compared to past administrations.” Philip Bump writes that, at least in terms of Trump’s presidential news conferences compared to past administrations, that is not true. 

Patrick Shanahan addresses a press conference during the 48th international Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport. (Pierre Verdy/Getty)

PERSONNEL IS POLICY:

— Trump’s nominee for deputy Defense secretary Patrick Shanahan, a Boeing vice president, faced a rocky confirmation hearing on Tuesday, with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) threatening to block his nomination from a vote, and others questioning Shanahan’s lack of Defense Department experience. Dan Lamothe reports: Shanahan “faced questions about how he will manage day-to-day operations in the Pentagon while recusing himself from all decisions with a tie to Boeing. [And] McCain needled Shanahan … about his prepared answer to a question about the U.S. potentially supplying weapons to Ukraine to face Russian-backed separatists.” Shanahan wrote that he would have to look at the issue. (In person, he amended his answer to say he supported the idea.)

• “That’s not good enough, Mr. Shanahan,” McCain said. “I’m glad to hear you changed your opinion from what was submitted, but it’s still disturbing to me. Have you not been aware of the issue? Have you not been aware of the actions of the Senate Armed Services Committee? Have you not been aware of the thousands of people that have been killed by [Russian President Vladimir Putin]?” If confirmed, Shanahan will replace Robert Work, a retired Marine colonel and Obama-era holdover. 

— The EPA has given notice to dozens of scientists who advise the agency that they will not be renewed in their roles. Chris Mooney and Juliet Eilperin report: “Members of the EPA’s Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) whose terms end in August will not see them renewed, according to an email sent to members and obtained by The Washington Post, though they can reapply for their posts. Moreover, five meetings of subcommittees of the board, planned for the late summer and the fall, will now be canceled because of lack of membership. They will be held once the board is reconstituted, according to EPA officials. ‘It effectively wipes out the BOSC and leaves it free for a complete reappointment,’ said Deborah Swackhamer, the current chair of the board’s executive committee.”

• One of the EPA’s attorneys also this week told the agency’s union leaders that they planned to make buyout offers to as many as 1,228 employees, or 8 percent of the entire EPA workforce, Brady Dennis reports. 

Jeff Sessions addresses the National Summit on Crime Reduction and Public Safety on Tuesday. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

THE TRUMP AGENDA:

— Attorney General Sessions announced yesterday that 12 cities would be receiving increased federal manpower to combat crime in their communities. Sari Horwitz reports: “The first round of cities chosen for the new initiative, the National Public Safety Partnership, are Baton Rouge; Birmingham, Ala.; Buffalo; Cincinnati; Houston; Indianapolis; Jackson, Tenn.; Kansas City, Mo.; Lansing, Mich.; Memphis; Springfield, Ill.; and Toledo. ‘Our nation’s violent-crime rate is rising,’ Sessions said. ‘In many of our urban areas, this increase is staggering’ … The 12 chosen cities will not receive more money from the Justice Department. But the department will send agency employees and experts to work with them to develop strategies and tactics to best fight violent crime, Sessions said.”

• Sessions’s promise to crack down on crime, particularly drug-related crime, has already impacted the marijuana industry. Nicole Lewis reports: “One of the nation’s leading marijuana legalization groups says PNC Bank has notified it that it will close the organization’s 22-year-old accounts, a sign of growing concerns in the financial industry that the Trump administration will crack down on the marijuana business in states that have legalized it.”

— Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Tuesday defended the $1.6 billion in funding cuts that President Trump has proposed for his department, telling a Senate hearing that ‘this is what a balanced budget looks like,' » Darryl Fears reports. « But Democrats on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources took issue with the $400 million that the national parks would lose in fiscal 2018 … Republicans, on the other hand, applauded the Trump administration’s proposals to invest in energy exploration on public lands … One of the most pointed exchanges came as several senators singled out the reductions proposed for Indian Affairs … ‘Those of us who serve on an Indian Affairs committee just know how woefully underfunded the tribes are,’ said Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.). ‘How do these cuts support sovereignty?’ Zinke repeated himself: ‘This is what a balanced budget looks like.’”

— During a private moment at Monday’s White House tech summit, Apple chief executive Tim Cook told Trump that tech employees are “nervous” about his administration’s approach to immigration. CNBC’s Eamon Javers reports: After Trump reportedly said the health-care bill needs more “heart,” “Cook replied that the immigration approach by the administration also ‘needs more heart.’ Cook cited the [DACA or DREAMers] program, which is under review by the Trump administration. He also said people in tech and their co-workers were nervous about their status, and added that it ‘would be great’ if the president could ‘send them a signal.’ According to the source, Trump replied that he wants to see comprehensive immigration reform and urged the CEOs to call their senators and congressmen to push for it.”

Donald Trump greets guests in the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami, Florida last week. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

— As much of Trump’s key agenda, including health care and a tax overhaul, has stalled, he has returned to friendlier territory (literally): rallies in states that he won in November. John Wagner and Ashley Parker report: “The latest example will come Wednesday, when Trump’s campaign committee plans to stage an old-fashioned political rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where the president is likely to get the kind of public adulation that he isn’t experiencing much of the time in Washington … The president’s travels throughout the country often garner more generous — and positive — headlines in the local press. ‘Trump talks health care, technical jobs in local visit,’ was the next-day headline on the front page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — far more favorable than the cascading Russia-related stories that dominated national news reports.”

The valet entrance to the Trump International Hotel is shown. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

DRAINING THE SWAMP?:

— A controversial anti-sharia group is capitalizing on the Trump business brand to publicize an upcoming Washington conference. Amy Brittain and Abigail Hauslohner report: “For $10,000, sponsors of the ACT for America gathering can enjoy ‘pre-conference cocktails’ and a ‘private tour of the historic Trump International Hotel’ alongside the group’s founder, Brigitte Gabriel, among other benefits … The promotion represents a new twist in the story line of Trump’s luxury hotel, which has sparked several lawsuits and criticism from ethics experts alleging that the president is improperly profiting from foreign governments and other interest groups holding events at the property … The October event offers ACT, which has drawn headlines this month for its ‘March Against Sharia’ rallies across the country, a chance to associate itself with a president who campaigned on banning many Muslims from entering the United States.”

— “[Trump’s] budget calls for sharply reducing funding for programs that shelter the poor and combat homelessness — with a notable exception: It leaves intact a type of federal housing subsidy that is paid directly to private landlords.” Shawn Boburg reports: “One of those landlords is Trump himself, who earns millions of dollars each year as a part-owner of Starrett City, the nation’s largest subsidized housing complex. Trump’s 4 percent stake in the Brooklyn complex earned him at least $5 million between January of last year and April 15 … The federal government has paid the partnership that owns Starrett City more than $490 million in rent subsidies since May 2013, according to figures provided by a [HUD spokesman] … Nearly $38 million of that has come since Trump took office in January. While there is no indication that Trump himself was involved in the decision, it is nonetheless a stark illustration of how his financial interests can directly rise or fall on the policies of his administration.”

DANGEROUS:

— A Russian fighter jet on Monday came within several feet of an Air Force reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea. Dan Lamothe reports: “The incident comes amid increased tensions between Russia and the United States following the shoot-down Sunday of a Syrian fighter jet by a U.S. Navy Super Hornet after the Syrians bombed U.S.-backed fighters in northern Syria. Russia, which is aligned with the Syrian government and is carrying out military operations in Syria alongside it, condemned the incident and said Monday that it would track U.S. aircraft over Syria.”

— The U.S. destroyed another Iranian-made drone over Syria, marking the third time the U.S. military has downed a pro-regime aircraft this month. Thomas Gibbons-Neff reports: “[A U.S. defense] official … said the drone was in the area where a U.S. plane shot down the same type of unmanned aircraft — an Iranian Shahed 129 — this month. The drone, roughly the size of a U.S. Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, was armed and within range of striking U.S.-led coalition troops and their Syrian allies, according to the official, who said the strike was in ‘self-defense.’”

— The Trump administration is ramping up efforts to free two Iranian Americans being held in an Iranian prison. Josh Rogin reports: “Siamak Namazi, an Iranian American businessman, was arrested in Tehran in October 2015 and charged with espionage and collusion with an enemy country — the United States. When Secretary of State John Kerry negotiated for the release of five American hostages to coincide with the announcement of the Iran nuclear deal, Namazi was not among them. The following month the Iranians arrested his father Baquer Namazi, a former longtime United Nations official who is 81 years old and in poor health. Both have been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Now, as the Trump administration conducts a comprehensive review of its Iran policy, the White House is considering new action to bring them home.”

— The State Department issued an unusual public warning to Saudi Arabia and the UAE over a diplomatic rift with Qatar, suggesting that the Saudis may have drawn the U.S. into the dispute under false pretenses. Anne Gearan and Karen DeYoung report: “Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the administration was ‘mystified’ that — two weeks after announcing a diplomatic and economic embargo against Qatar over its alleged support for terrorism — Saudi Arabia and the UAE have not publicly detailed their complaints. ‘The more that time goes by, the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE,’ Nauert said. ‘At this point, we are left with one simple question: Were the actions really about their concerns about Qatar’s alleged support for terrorism, or were they about the long-simmering grievances between and among the GCC countries?’ The diplomatic crisis has been a test of the new U.S. administration’s pull with Arab allies, and has pitted [Trump’s] public support for the Saudi-led action against [Tillerson’s] preference for quiet, backroom diplomacy. Tillerson has had more than 20 calls and meetings devoted to helping resolve the crisis, Nauert said, but now sees little further room for U.S. mediation.” 

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump walk to the Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

CHINA RISING:

— Ford said Tuesday that it will move production of its next-generation Ford Focus to China rather than Mexico, the New York Times reports. The shift will occur in 2019, after production ends at its current location in Michigan, and appears to bet on stable long-term U.S.-China relations. “The company was building a $1.6 billion assembly plant for the next Focus model in Mexico, but it ran into stiff opposition from [Trump] and then canceled the project … »

— Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have been invited to visit China later this year – a trip that could help prepare for a future visit from President Trump. Bloomberg News reports: “Details of the possible trip by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, both of whom have official jobs in the White House, were still under discussion, according to a U.S. official and a Chinese official … Kushner and Ivanka Trump hosted the U.S.’s newly sworn-in ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, for an introductory dinner Sunday at the Trump Hotel in Washington, [according to the U.S. official]. At the same time, Kushner’s family business, the Kushner Cos., has been criticized over its use of a visa program to woo wealthy Chinese with green cards in exchange for investing in U.S. projects. The real estate company has seen talks for three major projects quashed, including negotiations with China’s Anbang Insurance Group Co. to refinance the family’s marquee Manhattan office tower[.] » 

— The president also tweeted this message to China yesterday:

While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2017

— But Trump has also suggested decreasing confidence in China’s ability to pressure North Korea following the death of Otto Warmbier, who was detained by North Korea for 17 months. David Nakamura and Carol Morello report: “[Trump’s] spokesman said the White House is ‘moving further away’ from direct engagement with Pyongyang, throwing into question the administration’s strategy to contain the rogue nation’s growing nuclear threat. The death of American college student Otto Warmbier … has injected new political complications into Trump’s bid to persuade dictator Kim Jong Un to curb his regime’s behavior. Trump called the treatment of Warmbier, who reportedly was in a coma for most of his captivity, ‘a total disgrace’ and suggested that he has given up hope that Beijing could exert meaningful leverage on Kim.”

— Politico Magazine, “Why the White House Is Reading Greek History,” by Michael Crowley: “Last month, a Harvard academic slipped into the White House complex for an unusual meeting … The subject was America’s rivalry with China, cast through the lens of ancient Greece. The 77-year-old [Graham] Allison is the author of a recent book based on the writings of Thucydides, the ancient historian famous for his epic chronicle of the Peloponnesian War between the Greek states of Athens and Sparta. Allison cites the Greek scholar’s summation of why the two powers fought: ‘What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta.’ He warns that the same dynamic could drive this century’s rising empire, China, and the United States into a war neither wants.”

WAPO HIGHLIGHTS:

— “Two horrific acts of violence and a debate: What is a hate crime?” by Cleve R. Wootson, Jr.: “An abaya-wearing Muslim teenager on her way home from a mosque was beaten to death with a metal bat before her body was found dumped in a pond. Her Sunday morning killing is being investigated as an extreme case of road rage —  but not as a hate crime. A day earlier, three teenagers in Boston were accused of beating a street musician who dressed in a bear costume and played a keytar. They removed the black man’s mask, slammed his face into the ground while yelling racial slurs, then ran off with his money. After the boys were arrested, the district attorney’s office said it is investigating whether they should face hate crime charges. The legal system’s differing reactions to the attacks on Nabra Hassanen and the unidentified performer near Faneuil Hall spotlight the sometimes fuzzy line between what is a hate crime and what is not.”

— “What happened to Otto Warmbier? When the unthinkable is unknowable,” by Susan Svrluga: “Several neurologists agreed that there is no way to know for certain what caused Warmbier’s coma — it could have been anything from an allergic reaction to a drug overdose to strangulation or some other kind of torture. And they agreed that if that trigger could have been avoided, minimized or treated properly at the time, or if he could have been evacuated to the U.S. immediately after it happened, the outcome might have been very different.”

SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ:

The DNC sent out an email yesterday that highlighted Republican lawmakers who criticized the 2010 ACA negotiations for being too secretive and have now flip-flopped:

More then and now:

With Democrats discussing health care in secret, they’re sacrificing the trust of the American people.

— Tom Price (@RepTomPrice) January 14, 2010

The people have a right to know what is happening behind closed doors with secret HC negotiations

— JohnCornyn (@JohnCornyn) January 7, 2010

Sen. Ted Cruz argued yesterday there wasn’t much merit in publicly debating the health care bill:

Cruz: If we were debating ACA repeal publicly, ppl would be « grandstanding for the cameras, drawing lines in the sand » attacking ea. other

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) June 20, 2017

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) responded to Trump’s request that the Senate health-care bill have more « heart »:

John McCain went to the Senate floor to explain the significance of Russia’s alleged election interference:

Twitter went nuts over the Steve Bannon saying that press briefings were being cut back as Sean Spicer got « fatter: »

From the former first daughter:

A reporter from Breitbart, Bannon’s former workplace, found the remark simply humorous:

But Clinton doubled down:

And a request:

I will venmo any WH reporter $45 if they ask spicer about bannon saying he got fatter

— Mдтт Иegяiи 🔮 (@MattNegrin) June 20, 2017

During last night’s U2 concert near the nation’s capital, Bono offered his wishes for Rep. Steve Scalise’s speedy recovery:

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ivanka Trump shared a « failed hug: »

GOOD READS FROM ELSEWHERE:

— Buzzfeed News, “Secret Government Report: Chelsea Manning Leaks Caused No Real Harm,” by Jason Leopold: “Prosecutors said WikiLeaks’ disclosures about Iraq and Afghanistan posed a major threat to US national security. But it turns out the classified document they cited … said almost the exact opposite.”

— Politico Magazine, “Jill Stein Isn’t Sorry,” by Ben Schreckinger: “Had a few thousand votes in key Midwestern states gone to [Clinton] instead of Jill Stein, many on the left believe, America might be having a very different conversation today. So does Stein, with the benefit of hindsight, have any regrets? ‘I don’t think so,’ [she tells me], projecting a Trump-worthy level of defiance. … [Still] some Democrats would like to see Stein hauled in front of Congress to explain mysteries like what, exactly, she was doing at [the same] 2015 Moscow gala [that got] Michael Flynn in such trouble. Stein didn’t just attend the gala—dressed in a shimmering silver shawl, she sat at the same table as [Putin] … And she recorded a video from Moscow’s famous Red Square, in which she talked about the need [to] replace ‘a U.S. policy based on domination’—words that sounded like they were ripped from Putin’s talking points. Stein isn’t sorry about any of it …”

HOT ON THE LEFT:

“Eric Holder joins the anti-Trump resistance — and mulls a presidential campaign of his own,” from Yahoo News: “More than two years after leaving the Obama administration, former Attorney General Eric Holder is reentering the political fray. His goal: to lead the legal resistance to Donald Trump’s agenda — and perhaps even run against the president in 2020. Seized by a sense of urgency to oppose Trump and restore what he regards as America’s best self, Holder is mulling a White House bid of his own, according to three sources who have spoken to him and are familiar with his thinking. ‘Up to now, I have been more behind-the-scenes,’ Holder told Yahoo News in an exclusive interview about his plans. ‘But that’s about to change.’”

HOT ON THE RIGHT:

“CMT Won’t Be Helping Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing Get Back Up Again After All,” from Vulture: “Looks like Tim Allen’s ABC sitcom Last Man Standing is taking what might be a permanent seat. The show, which featured the Home Improvement star as a conservative patriarch grappling with liberal modern culture, was cancelled in May around the network’s upfronts after six seasons on the air. ABC’s decision inspired a boycott of the network by viewers who took the move as a slap to the face for conservative viewers and the show’s star. ‘Stunned and blindsided by the network I called home for the last six years,’ Allen tweeted at the time. Now CMT’s rumored interest in reviving the sitcom has also fizzed due to the show’s prohibitively high budget. According to Deadline, the Last Man Standing cast would have had to agree to a reduced salary to bring down costs, a stipulation that stymied the show’s pickup …”

DAYBOOK:

President Trump will receive a cybersecurity briefing in the morning before flying to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a speech on agriculture and a rally.

The vice president will remain in D.C., speaking at the DOJ’s National Summit on Crime Reduction and Public Safety and speaking by phone with the president of Northern Cyprus.

The Congressional Women’s Softball Game takes place tonight. 

NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.:

— Temperatures could reach almost 90 in D.C today, and there’s a chance of an afternoon shower, the Capital Weather Gang forecasts: “The humidity increases just a bit compared with yesterday. But it’s still fairly comfortable out there, with partly sunny skies and the chance of a passing afternoon shower or thundershower. Highs should reach the upper 80s to near 90.”

— Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III will announce today that he is running for governor, Arelis R. Hernández reports. If elected, he would be Maryland’s first African-American governor.

— D.C. police forced out the homeless residents a tent city in NoMa yesterday. Ian Shapira reports: “The homeless men and women living in tents beneath a rail bridge by the NoMa-Gallaudet University Metro station — in the heart of gentrifying Washington, D.C. — slept under the shade. They didn’t worry about the rain. And they could live in relative privacy. On Tuesday, though, their time was up.”

— Two D.C. jail inmates separately found dead in their cells last month died of opioid overdoses, Keith L. Alexander reports.

— Note-passing bank robbers attempted three robberies this week, two of which succeeded, Martin Weil reports.

— The Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 12-3, Chelsea Janes reports. 

VIDEOS OF THE DAY:

Upon learning that several members of Trump’s HIV/AIDS advisory council had resigned, James Corden sent 297 copies of the movie “Philadelphia” to Mar-a-Lago:

Stephen Colbert lamented reports that Sean Spicer is stepping away from the podium:

Arnold Schwarzenegger reignited his feud with the president, this time over the Paris climate deal:

Trump met with the president of Ukraine:

Paul Ryan promised in a speech to the National Association of Manufacturers that tax reform would get done this year:

He also gave a very positive update on Rep. Steve Scalise’s condition:

The dashcam footage of Philando Castile’s traffic stop was released:

The Alexandria ballpark where last week’s shooting occurred reopened: 

The Post gathered some of the highlights from 2017’s best commencement speeches: