Principals

1. Biden talk on the Hill
2. Biden campaigns
3. A ‘blitz primary’ plan
4. NATO summit
5. France leans left
6. Boeing pleads guilty
7. BPI adds tax group

PDB: Trump distances himself from Heritage’s Project 2025

Hurricane Beryl makes landfall … What’s really going on with the Biden age debate … Putin hosts Modi

Anxious Dems contemplate Biden

Welcome to Joe Biden’s hell week. While the president certainly has his supporters cheering him on (Rep. Bennie Thompson texted “Still in the fight!” immediately after Friday’s ABC interview), Hill sources tell Semafor a flood of less enthusiastic members will likely go public this week asking to swap out the top guy on the Democratic ticket (particularly Frontliners facing tough reelection battles). There are already signs of more defectors: At least four senior House Democrats said in a private call that Biden should step aside yesterday (though notably they all said they would defer to leadership) while five others have issued public pleas.

The House and Senate return today, having had a week to listen to constituents and contemplate what is for most a deeply personal issue influenced by donors, district perspectives and political realities. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., called off a tentative meeting today that was meant to discuss Biden’s standing. Some members think Vice President Kamala Harris, who’s now polling better than Biden against Donald Trump, is the least complicated replacement for Biden this late in the game — if he decides to step aside. The fact that Harris would inherit Biden’s war chest is a major advantage. Some strong media hits and interviews — like an interview on Saturday at the Essence Festival in New Orleans — have caught the attention of members as well.

— Kadia Goba

Biden campaigns to quell worries

President Biden hit the trail in Pennsylvania Sunday as his campaign tried to blunt talk of his fitness for another term. He visited an ice cream social in Harrisburg and a Black church in Philadelphia, where the bishop introduced him by dismissing concerns about his age: “Don’t let anybody talk about your age. You’re a young whippersnapper,” he quipped. One church attendee similarly shrugged off his debate performance, telling the Pennsylvania Capital-Star: “That was just a little freak of nature, Joe is fine.” Prominent Democrats joined Biden, including Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who is in a competitive reelection battle. At a surprise stop at a Philadelphia campaign office, one supporter told Biden: “We need dark Brandon back.” The campaign sprint continues after the NATO summit later this week, with an appearance in Michigan on Friday, as Democrats urge him to do more.

Well-connected Dems circulate plan for ‘blitz primary’

Two well-connected Democrats are circulating an idealistic, if unlikely, proposal to Democratic donors and others that would involve President Biden stepping down as the nominee and the party announcing a “blitz primary” process ahead of the August convention, Semafor’s Morgan Chalfant reports. The plan, laid out in a memo, goes something like this: After Biden withdraws in mid-July potential candidates would have a few days to throw their hats in the ring. The nominee — selected from a narrower group of the six most popular — would be chosen by party delegates using ranked choice voting, after candidates participate in weekly forums moderated by the likes of Taylor Swift and Michelle Obama. Some are, well, skeptical of the effort. “Fantasy Politics played by people who binge too much West Wing,” Steve Schale, who leads the pro-Biden Unite the Country PAC, wrote on X.

NATO descends on Washington

The annual NATO summit kicks off this week in Washington, meaning those of us in DC can expect strong traffic snarls. The event, kicking off Tuesday, will focus substantially on the alliance’s support for Ukraine, with a senior Biden administration official saying the alliance will offer Kyiv a “bridge to membership.” It’s still unclear if members will include language about that path being “irreversible” in the final communique — or if the Ukrainians will be disappointed by the final result. The alliance is also expected to criticize China for its support for Russia. The summit will double as an opportunity for President Biden to demonstrate stamina and command on the job, with events planned for after 8 p.m., bilateral meetings, and his solo news conference on Thursday. Biden will also meet with new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Left-wing coalition wins in France

France staved off a rightward lurch. The left-wing New Popular Front is projected to win the most seats in France’s snap national elections, while President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance is finishing in second and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in third. No single party will have a majority in the National Assembly, meaning the country is headed into political uncertainty as it prepares to host the Olympics. Macron’s alliance doesn’t have much in common with the New Popular Front — their economic priorities, for instance, are at odds, with Macron favoring a business-friendly agenda and tax cuts — beyond keeping the far-right from power. “The president must bow down and admit this defeat without trying to circumvent it in any way,” Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who leads the largest party in the New Popular Front, said in a speech.

Boeing pleads guilty to felony in 737 Max crashes

Boeing agreed to plead guilty to defrauding the government over fatal 737 Max crashes in a deal with the Justice Department. The company — which has been embroiled in controversy as of late over a more recent incident involving a door plug tearing off mid-flight — also agreed to pay a maximum $487.2 million fine over the 2018 and 2019 plane crashes, and to invest a similar amount in safety and compliance. Boeing’s board will also meet with families of crash victims under the agreement. The DOJ earlier this year accused Boeing of violating a deferred-prosecution agreement from 2021, following recent incidents like the one involving the door plug that triggered more scrutiny of Boeing’s safety practices. The deal means Boeing will avoid prosecution.

Bully Pulpit International is launching a tax policy group

The communications firm Bully Pulpit International is launching a tax policy practice group to help clients navigate a heated tax policy debate next year, according to an announcement shared with Semafor. The new group will be headed by partner Scott Mulhauser and Adam Hodge, who previously served as a spokesman at the National Security Council and US Trade Representative under the Biden administration. The group will help clients weighed into next year’s debate over renewing the Trump-era tax cuts, as well as the post-Chevron ruling tax regulatory environment. “BPI is excited to help brands, coalitions, philanthropies and more ensure their voices break through the din as they work through the impact on their business and stakeholders and aim to limit partisan crossfire,” Mulhauser said.

— Morgan Chalfant

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: On the call yesterday, Democrats including Reps. Jim Himes, Jamie Raskin, and Don Beyer expressed “strong doubts” about President Biden’s ability to win the election but stopped short of saying he should step aside.

Playbook: Some Democrats view this coming Friday as a “soft deadline” for Biden to show that he is up to the task of continuing on the ticket. The Biden campaign sent a memo to Hill offices highlighting his upcoming campaign schedule and recent Bloomberg-Morning Consult polling showing him making gains against Donald Trump.

WaPo: Biden plans to phone more Hill lawmakers this week “to reassure Democrats that their concerns are being heard by him,” after speaking to 20 last week.

Axios: It’s not just lawmakers: Several Hollywood moguls are calling on Biden to withdraw from the ticket following his debate performance.

White House

• The White House helped draft the questions President Biden was asked in post-debate interviews with Black-owned radio stations last week. One of the outlets, WURD Radio, later parted ways with the host. — Axios
• Biden will give a major speech on democracy and civil rights at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, on July 15, the same day as the beginning of the Republican National Convention. He’s also traveling to Las Vegas the same week to speak at the NAACP National Convention and the UnidosUS Annual Conference, the White House announced.
• Second gentleman Doug Emhoff has COVID-19.

Congress

• House Speaker Mike Johnson is meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, according to his office, while he’s in town for the NATO summit. He’ll also meet the new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer jointly with Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.
• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is hosting a bipartisan meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, according to his office. He’ll also lead a bipartisan meeting Wednesday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the leaders of Finland, Sweden, Germany, and the UK, as well as one with Zelenskyy.
• House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer asked for a transcribed interview with President Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor.

Outside the Beltway

A secretive local media group with ties to high-profile Democratic operatives wants to convince regulators in Arizona that it’s not a political entity and subject to campaign finance disclosures despite the political tilt of its stories, Semafor’s Max Trani writes.

Courts

• US District Judge Aileen Cannon on Saturday granted Donald Trump’s request for briefing on the issue of presidential immunity in the classified documents case against the former president and pushed back certain deadlines.
• Boeing will plead guilty to misleading air-safety regulators in the run-up to two deadly 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Polls

• Donald Trump leads President Biden in a Bloomberg/Morning Consult tracking poll of battleground states, 47% to 45%, the smallest gap in the poll since it began in October. According to the poll, Biden is within its statistical margin of error in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, and the furthest behind in Pennsylvania.
• Trump distanced himself from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 effort, Semafor’s Shelby Talcott writes. On Truth Social, the former president denounced statements from the policy as “ridiculous and abysmal,” and a Trump campaign spokesman warned they are prepared to discard the group’s attempt to build a database of conservatives to staff a possible second administration.

On the Trail

• The Trump campaign is aiming to announce a running mate by the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 15, with discussions narrowing in on Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. — WaPo
• First lady Jill Biden is hitting the campaign trail in a big way today, making stops in Wilmington, N.C.; Tampa, Fla.; and Columbus, Ga.

National Security

There is a major effort in NATO to manage a potential transfer of power in the US, six months before the next president takes office. With President Biden’s recent poor debate performance, many allies expect they will be dealing next year with a second Trump administration. — Politico

Foreign Policy

• Thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on Sunday in a sign of increasing discontent with his management of the war in Gaza and failure to secure the release of hostages held by Gaza as the war marked its ninth month.
• Meanwhile, foreign reporters saw the widespread destruction in the Gaza town of Rafah, two months after the Israeli military launched a ground offensive there, Semafor’s J.D. Capelouto writes. The city was described as a “flattened wasteland,” a “maze of rubble,” and “unrecognizable.” It was the first time international media had been allowed into Rafah since Israel began what it called a “limited” operation.
• The family of imprisoned Russian pro-democracy activist Vladimir Kara-Murza said he was moved to a prison hospital and his attorneys said they have been denied access to him. Kara-Murza, who has family who live in the US, was arrested in 2022 after he criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine. He has been nearly fatally poisoned twice.

Technology

The US and China are in a high-tech race to develop energy’s Holy Grail: fusion. — WSJ

Media

• Paramount Global’s board on Sunday approved a deal to merge with Skydance Media.
• Punchbowl News is hiring Melanie Zanona from CNN.

Big Read

Sen. Robert Mendendez’s then-attorney in September met with federal prosecutors and used a PowerPoint presentation to explain certain financial payments that were under government scrutiny, according to The New York Times. Abbe Lowell’s efforts failed, and the New Jersey Democrat was indicted less than two weeks later. The government later added counts of obstructing justice, which included that Menendez “caused” his lawyer to meet with prosecutors and to make false and misleading statements to help cover up the alleged corruption. Prosecutors said Lowell, who represented Menendez during the investigation, did not engage in wrongdoing. “Lowell may have believed he knew all the facts,” a leading criminal defense attorney not involved in the Menendez case said. “But clearly, if the government is right, Menendez misled him.”

Blindspot

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: President Biden’s official doctor, Kevin O’Connor, met with top Washington, DC neurologist Kevin Cannard at the White House earlier this year.

What the Right isn’t reading: A federal appeals court in New Orleans will review its order that required a Texas county to keep eight books on public library shelves that deal with subjects including sex, gender identity, and racism.

Principals Team

Editors: Benjy Sarlin, Jordan Weissmann, Morgan Chalfant

Reporters: Kadia Goba, Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel

Chuck Grassley is a Republican senator from Iowa.

• Keir Starmer’s Labour aims for foreign policy reset.
• A ‘scared’ Biden aide sounds an alarm.
• The AI Industry starts to focus on a potential Trump presidency.