| | | | |  | | By Nicholas Wu | With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team | 
Reps. Cori Bush (center) and Rashida Tlaib (center right) stand alongside George Washington University students during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on May 8, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | ASKING FOR A HAND In the aftermath of Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s June primary loss in New York, top progressives went to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to see if he’d help Missouri Rep. Cori Bush amid her own tough primary race. “We talked to Leader Jeffries to make sure that he could help us get additional funds for her wherever possible, which he committed to,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), a co-chair of the Progressive Caucus’ political arm. Their other ask, she said, was “trying to see if one of the leadership could go to her district, which of course is tough. Everyone wants him to go there. But we suggested either him or Katherine Clark, so that we can try to make sure that she's getting the backing that she needs, because AIPAC just put more money into that race.” Time is running short: Bush’s primary against county prosecutor Wesley Bell is Tuesday. Jeffries hasn’t yet gone to St. Louis, and in a brief interview last week, he said he wasn’t scheduled to go. It’s not clear whether Clark, the minority whip, will travel, either. Top Congressional Black Caucus leaders such as Reps. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) and Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.) also signaled they didn’t have any plans to campaign for Bush. She’s had a frosty-at-times relationship with senior CBC members for unseating a beloved member of their bloc, Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.), four years ago. And Missouri’s only other congressional Democrat, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), who’d been close with Clay, said he was staying neutral in the race: “I decided early on to stay out of it. And then I was going to get involved and then I was advised to keep my promise and stay out of it. So I haven't done anything on either side.” Still, Bush said in a phone interview last week that Democratic leaders “have been helpful and we’re working on some things currently.” That support, however, might be mainly financial as only a handful of progressives, including Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Ma.) and Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), have come to St. Louis to rally on Bush’s behalf. Bowman, who lost his primary to a challenger who ran a similar playbook to Bell, said he believed Bush could still win. “The districts are different. Cori has represented her district in an exemplary way. She has to just communicate what she's delivered for the district and continue to do that. It's very challenging because of the money coming in,” he said. Unlike in Bowman’s primary, no sitting members of Congress have endorsed Bell. (Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) endorsed Bowman a day before the June 25 primary.) Progressives have blanched at the massive spending in both races by pro-Israel outside groups, who have targeted Bowman and Bush over their strident criticism of the Israeli government. AIPAC’s super PAC has spent about $7 million in Bush’s race, helping turn it into one of the most expensive House primaries in history. Bell decried the outside spending in an interview with POLITICO last weekend: “I think Citizens United, other than the Dobbs decision, is probably one of the worst decisions the Supreme Court's ever made. I believe there's too much money in campaigns.” Bush said the outside spending was an “issue in my race” but still felt confident about winning. “The people will see straight through it,” she said. “We will make sure that people understand St. Louis is not for sale.” — Nicholas Wu
| | | | Live briefings, policy trackers, and procedural, industry, and people intelligence from POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy this election cycle. Secure your seat. | | | | | GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Aug. 1, where if Big Parmesan also wants to sponsor a congressional newsletter, LMK. HILL REACTS TO RUSSIAN PRISONER SWAP Senators on Thursday hailed the release of more than a dozen political prisoners from Russia, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and security contractor Paul Whelan, but several expressed wariness about incentivizing further prisoner-taking by Russia. “We've got to break this cycle,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “One way to break it is — the next time this happens — just pound the hell out of the Russian economy. You’re just reinforcing bad behavior, but I'm glad these people are coming home.” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hailed the bipartisan support for the release in Congress. “It’s great news, and I was proud to work and stand with Leader McConnell in a bipartisan show of unity. We spent many, many hours working hard … to get Evan’s return. I commend President Biden for getting them all home,” he said on the floor. Even as they hailed the release of Gershkovich and Whelan, some lawmakers called for additional prisoners to be released. A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers demanded Marc Fogel, a teacher imprisoned after bringing a small amount of medical marijuana into Russia, be included. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) implored the Biden administration to continue pushing for the release of Austin Tice, kidnapped while reporting in Syria, and Mark Swidan, imprisoned in China. Meanwhile, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), who counts Whelan as a constituent, praised the release as a “another Biden administration win.” "I think we should all be really proud of what's happened here. And we should all acknowledge the foreign policy expertise of President Biden, Jake Sullivan, and a team of people who worked not just so hard, but expertly, to achieve this moment," she said. "The role that I have played in the House is continuing to support the families as best I can. And advocating for Paul. I have been in international meetings. I've been in community meetings. There's not a holiday that doesn't go by where I don't think of him. It has been heartbreaking." Lawmakers briefed: The Gang of Eight — the group of congressional leaders charged with reviewing the most sensitive intelligence information — were briefed on the swap days ago, multiple sources familiar told POLITICO. — Anthony Adragna, Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | FIRST IN INSIDE CONGRESS: DEMS OPPOSE BIDEN ASYLUM PLAN A group of House Democrats are calling on President Joe Biden’s administration to rescind a rule clamping down on asylum claims at the border. “This [interim final rule] does not comply with existing U.S. law or international treaty obligations, contravenes Congressional intent, and imposes cruel and inhumane barriers to individuals seeking protection,” wrote 19 lawmakers in a letter led by Reps. Chuy García (D-Ill.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.). (Those four lawmakers also submitted similar comment in the Federal Register opposing the rule.) Biden rolled out the rule, which would restrict asylum during periods of high border crossings, at the beginning of June as his administration sought to shore up a political liability heading into election season. It was immediately panned by many Hispanic Caucus members and progressives, who wanted Biden to pair the restrictive rule with relief for undocumented migrants (a step Biden took weeks later). Illegal crossings are down 55 percent since the new policy was enacted in June, the lowest figures seen since the end of Trump’s administration. — Nicholas Wu and Myah Ward FIRST IN INSIDE CONGRESS: A DEAD HEAT IN PA-07 A new GOP poll shows former President Donald Trump running neck-and-neck against Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, according to an executive summary of the survey shared with POLITICO. Trump slightly favored: Trump holds a small lead over Harris, with 48 percent choosing Trump compared to 46 percent for Harris in the critical battleground seat, according to polling co-commissioned by the National Republican Campaign Committee and GOP candidate Ryan Mackenzie. Biden won this seat by just under a point in 2020, which could indicate some early trouble for Democrats. Mackenzie is taking on Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), who has thrice won one of the nation’s most competitive seats. The same poll finds that Wild narrowly outperforms Mackenzie in a head-to-head, with 47 percent for Wild, 45 percent for Mackenzie and 8 percent undecided. “The results from the survey indicate there is still room for Mackenzie to grow his support among those voting for Donald Trump at the top of the ticket,” the pollster, the Tarrance Group, wrote in the polling summary. Another reason it matters: It’s one of the first House polls made public since Biden stepped aside. (The Tarrance Group poll was fielded July 21 to 24 among 404 likely voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.) — Sarah Ferris
| | Elissa Slotkin had some thoughts on hot dogs. Johnny Cash has been everywhere, man. To Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota … and now the U.S. Capitol. Spotted: Sen. Ed Markey running a hyper-efficient photo line on the sweltering hot Senate steps, ensuring each and every intern leaves with a professional shot with the senator. QUICK LINKS WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich Is Free, from Drew Hinshaw, Joe Parkinson and Aruna Viswanatha at the Wall Street Journal Kamala Harris remembers Sheila Jackson Lee as a fierce champion for justice in Houston eulogy, from Jeremy Wallace at the Houston Chronicle Inside the Freedom Caucus’ worsening identity crisis, from Olivia and Jordain This prosecutor could deliver the ‘Squad’ its second primary loss this year, from Nick TRANSITIONS The Federation of American Hospitals is adding Hannah Hurley as VP of comms and Geoff Werth as VP of government relations. Hurley most recently was deputy chief of staff for comms for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). Werth most recently was a principal at k10 Government Relations. Chris Maneval is joining the public affairs firm Porterfield, Fettig and Sears. He was previously deputy chief of staff in House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office. TOMORROW IN CONGRESS The House is in for a pro forma session at 11 a.m. The Senate is out. FRIDAY AROUND THE HILL Crickets.
| | THURSDAY’S ANSWER: Mark Silverman was the first to correctly guess that President Grover Cleveland’s secret surgery to remove a tumor from the roof of his mouth took place on the Oneida (a yacht owned by financier Commodore Benedict) off the coast of New York. TODAY’S QUESTION, from Mike Dunn: When was the last time (excluding 2024’s potential ticket) where no candidate (president or VP) on a major party ticket had ever served in the House of Representatives? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening. | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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