Closing Summary
It is slightly past 4pm in Washington DC. Here is a wrap up of the day’s key events:
The supreme court has rejected Texas and Louisiana’s challenge to Biden deportation policy prioritizing groups of unauthorized immigrants, including suspected terrorists, convicts and those caught at the border for deportation. The states wanted the authority to fight the policy in court. The court holds that the states do not have legal standing to challenge the policy, another win for the Biden administration, especially since conservative justice Samuel Alito was the only dissent.
Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday to protect access to contraception, one day before the anniversary of the supreme court decision that struck down the federal right to an abortion. In a statement, the president highlighted reproductive health as a top priority of his administration in the wake of the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling from the conservative-led court that reversed the Roe v Wade abortion protections in place for half a century.
Two Russian intelligence officers who attempted to interfere in a local election as part of Moscow’s “global malign influence operations” were sanctioned Friday by the US government. Yegor Sergeyevich Popov and Aleksei Borisovich Sukhodolov, both members of Russia’s federal security service, worked to undermine democratic processes in the US and other countries through a network of co-conspirators, the treasury department said in a statement, reported by Reuters.
Special counsel Jack Smith has offered limited immunity to at least two Republican fake electors in return for their testimonies to a grand jury over Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to a new CNN report. Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that in instances where prosecutors granted immunity to witnesses, “the special counsel’s office arrived at the courthouse in Washington ready to compel their testimony after the witnesses indicated they would decline to answer questions under the fifth amendment.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reaffirmed the Biden-Harris administration’s support for reproductive healthcare rights. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Jean-Pierre said: “President Biden and Vice-President Harris stand with the majority of Americans who believe the right to choose is fundamental. As the president has made clear, the only way to ensure women in every state have access to abortion is for Congress to pass a law, restoring the protections of Roe.”
Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has rolled out a list of 15 endorsements from South Carolina lawmakers on Thursday. According to the Associated Press which reviewed the list, the endorsement includes 11 state House members and four state senators.
Several reproductive rights organizations have announced their endorsement of the Biden-Harris administration in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The organizations include Planned Parenthood, NARAL (National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws) Pro-Choice America , and EMILYs List, a political action committee dedicated to electing Democratic pro-choice women into office.
That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as we wrap up the blog for today. Thank you for following along.
Updated
Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has rolled out a list of 15 endorsements from South Carolina lawmakers on Thursday.
According to the Associated Press which reviewed the list, the endorsement includes 11 state House members and four state senators.
“Governor DeSantis’ leadership has made Florida a refuge for those seeking freedom in a nation where it is under attack,” said state senator Josh Kimbrell, one of DeSantis’s endorsers, the Hill reports.
“No Republican in the country has beaten the radical left more than governor DeSantis, and he is the only candidate in this race who can defeat Joe Biden, put energy back in the executive, and deliver on a bold conservative agenda that Republicans across South Carolina are looking for,” he added.
On Thursday, DeSantis campaigned in North Augusta, South Carolina, drawing a crowd of supporters whom he told, “You run this process, you compete and you respect the outcome of the process… I think I’m going to be the nominee no matter what happens I’m going to work to beat Joe Biden, that’s what you have to do.”
GOP presidential hopeful Chris Christie got booed on stage as he delivered his address at the Freedom and Faith Coalition in Washington DC.
In his address, the former New Jersey governor criticized Donald Trump, saying:
“I’m running because he has let us down. He has let us down because he’s unwilling to take any responsibility of the mistakes that were made, any of the faults that he has and any of the things he has done. And that is not leadership, everybody. That is a failure of leadership.”
In response, the crowd quickly booed Christie.
“You can boo all you want. But here’s the thing: Our faith teaches us that people have to take responsibility for what they do,” Christie continued.
Chris Christie battles boos as he goes after Donald Trump at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference:
— The Recount (@therecount) June 23, 2023
“I’m running because he has let us down … You can boo all you want. But here’s the thing: Our faith teaches us that people have to take responsibility for what they do.” pic.twitter.com/Ak5YomhKAA
He addressed the boos in a later interview with CNN, saying:
“I knew that’s what was going to happen when I accepted the invitation but I’m not changing my message and pandering to anybody. The truth matters and I’m telling the truth about Donald Trump…” Christie told host Dana Bash.
2024 presidential candidate Chris Christie (R) on getting booed for criticizing Trump at today's Faith & Freedom Coalition conference:
— The Recount (@therecount) June 23, 2023
“I knew that's what was going to happen when I accepted the invitation ... The truth matters and I'm telling the truth about Donald Trump.” pic.twitter.com/SMJIPkbY41
This is the third executive order that Biden has passed to protect abortion access since the rollback of Roe v Wade last June.
Read more on his first and second executive order here:
Several reproductive rights organizations have announced their endorsement of the Biden-Harris administration in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
The organizations include Planned Parenthood, NARAL (National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws) Pro-Choice America , and EMILYs List, a political action committee dedicated to electing Democratic pro-choice women into office.
“President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been committed to fighting back against the onslaught of attacks against our reproductive freedom. And we need them to continue this critical work.
Abortion is health care… We need leaders who are committed to protecting our freedoms, not taking them away. That is why we must re-elect President Biden and Vice President Harris: people we can trust to keep rebuilding a path forward, because we know the journey to rebuilding our rights will be met with challenges,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
NARAL-Pro Choice America echoed similar sentiments, with its president Mini Timmaraju saying:
“President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are the strongest advocates for reproductive freedom ever to occupy the White House, and NARAL Pro-Choice America proudly endorses their reelection. It’s as simple as this: Abortion matters to Americans. In elections since the Supreme Court took away our right to abortion, voters have mobilized in massive numbers to elect Democrats who will fight to restore it...”
EMILYs List president Laphonza Butler released the following statement:
“When the Dobbs decision ended a constitutional right for the first time in this country’s history, we were grateful to have leaders in the White House like President Biden and Vice President Harris, who have been vocal advocates for abortion rights across the government and across the country… For her work as a groundbreaker, tireless advocate for reproductive freedom, and inspiring change-maker, EMILYs List is thrilled to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for reelection.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pushed back against claims that president Joe Biden’s latest executive action on expanding contraception access is “largely symbolic”, saying:
“It builds on the progress that we believe that we have made already and expanding contraception access for women. If you think about the Affordable Care Act, it helped millions of women save billions of dollars on birth control that they need and want. And so we understand that there are gaps still as it relates to that snd so that’s what this executive order does today.
It does a couple of things. It’s strengthening access to affordable high quality contraception and family planning services, and increased contraception options. It lowers out-of-pocket costs. It maximizes contraception access through the following ways: insurance coverage for those covered under the Affordable Care Act … Medicaid, Medicare, federal funded healthcare programs, including community health centers …
So we don’t believe this is symbolic. We believe that this is another step to really deal with this gap that we’re seeing across the country and to do everything that we can to continue to fight for fundamental rights.”
Updated
In response to a question from a reporter on whether president Joe Biden calling China’s president Xi Jinping a “dictator” is the “official position” of the White House, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said:
“The president spoke for himself. I’m just not going to go beyond what he said… The president is going to speak candidly. That will never change.”
Updated
White House says Congress must pass law to restore protections of Roe
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reaffirmed the Biden-Harris administration’s support for reproductive healthcare rights.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Jean-Pierre said:
“President Biden and vice president Harris stand with the majority of Americans who believe the right to choose is fundamental. As the president has made clear, the only way to ensure women in every state have access to abortion is for Congress to pass a law, restoring the protections of Roe.”
Jean-Pierre also spoke of Biden’s new executive order on furthering contraception access, saying:
“Access to contraception has become more important than ever following the Supreme court’s decision and ensuing crisis for women’s health. And today’s action helps ensure that women can make decisions about their own health lives and also their families.”
Updated
Attorney general Merrick Garland has responded to concerns from Republicans over the justice department’s integrity, saying, “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
In a press briefing on Friday, a reporter asked Garland:
“Republicans in Congress have flirted with the idea with holding the FBI director in contempt, it’s become a talking point on the campaign trail, the alleged corruption in the FBI and federal law enforcement agencies. Do the American people have cause to be concerned about the integrity of components of this justice department and…how they’re acting?”
In response, Garland said:
“I certainly understand that some have chose to attack the integrity of the justice department as components and its employees by claiming that we do not treat like cases alike. This constitutes an attack on an institution that is essential to American democracy... Nothing could be further from the truth…
We make our cases based on the facts and the law. These are not just words. These are what we live by…”
Garland: "Some have chose to attack the integrity of the Justice Department by claiming that we do not treat cases alike. This constitutes an attack on an institution that is essential to American democracy... Nothing could be further from the truth." pic.twitter.com/fHkHPUiNyn
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 23, 2023
Mike Pence pledged to end gender-affirming services amongst minors during his Faith and Freedom Coalition address today in Washington DC.
“When I am President, American families will have a champion in the White House!
We will give every parent the right to choose where their child goes to school, we will end the gender ideology that is running rampant in our schools and we will ban chemical and surgical gender transition treatment for kids under the age of 18!” he said.
When I am President, American families will have a champion in the White House! We will give every parent the right to choose where their child goes to school, we will end the gender ideology that is running rampant in our schools and we will ban chemical and surgical gender… pic.twitter.com/DzgcsAFRF8
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) June 23, 2023
Pence’s comments come amid multiple Republicans’ pledges to end ‘wokeism,’ should they become president, including presidential candidate and Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
Special counsel offered limited immunity in return for fake electors testimony - report
Special counsel Jack Smith has offered limited immunity to at least two Republican fake electors in return for their testimonies to a grand jury over Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to a new CNN report.
Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that in instances where prosecutors granted immunity to witnesses, “The special counsel’s office arrived at the courthouse in Washington ready to compel their testimony after the witnesses indicated they would decline to answer questions under the Fifth Amendment.”
Within the last two weeks, at least one other witness spoke with federal investigators outside of the federal grand jury with an agreement that the witness be granted limited immunity from prosecution, CNN reports.
The testimonies in recent days have largely surrounded fake electors’ schemes that were designed by attorneys affiliated with the Trump campaign three years ago.
According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN, “The numbers, profile of the witnesses and prosecutor tactics suggest a probe picking up its pace.”
Updated
An Arizona Republican election official has filed a lawsuit against unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate and staunch Donald Trump supporter Kari Lake who claims that she lost the 2022 race due to fraud.
In an op-ed published in the Arizona Republic, Maricopa county recorder Stephen Richer said that as a result of Lake’s false claims, he has faced “violent vitriol and other dire consequences.”
“Rather than accept political defeat, rather than get a new job, she has sought to undermine confidence in our elections and has mobilized millions of her followers against me,” Richer wrote.
“She has gone far outside of the bounds of protected free speech as guaranteed under the First Amendment and the Arizona Constitution.
That’s why I’m suing Kari Lake, her campaign and her political action committee for engaging in a concerted campaign to defame, threaten and isolate me,” he added.
The lawsuit, filed in Maricopa county, Arizona on Thursday, names Lake, her political campaign, as well as her fundraising roup as defendants.
According to the lawsuit, Richer is seeking unspecified monetary damages, as well as the removal of all false claims from Lake’s social media.
The American Civil Liberties Union has issued a statement in response to the supreme court’s rejection of Texas and Louisiana’s challenge to the Biden administration’s deportation policy.
“This decision soundly rejects the misguided attempt by Texas and Louisiana to force the government to implement the most draconian immigration enforcement policy,” said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project.
In the case which ACLU filed an amicus brief, the supreme court ruled that the states lacked the standing to “order the Executive Branch to alter its arrest policy so as to make more arrests.”
Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence appeared undeterred from his staunch anti-abortion stance, according to a new interview with Politico.
The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports from Washington:
Speaking one year since the US supreme court removed the federal right to abortion, Mike Pence said candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination should stand firm on the electorally unpopular issue and take a hard line on bringing in national limits.
“For me, for our campaign, we’re going to stand where we’ve always stood, and that is without apology for the right to life,” the former congressman, Indiana governor and vice-president to Donald Trump told Politico.
Later, addressing the Faith & Freedom conference in Washington, Pence said every Republican candidate “should support a ban on abortions before 15 weeks, as a minimum nationwide standard”.
Claiming this was a “reasonable and mainstream standard”, Pence said:
“American abortion policy has more in common with China and North Korea than it does with the nations of Europe – and it is time for that to change.”
For the full story, click here:
An Indiana chapter of the right-wing nonprofit Moms for Liberty has apologized for using an Adolf Hitler quote in its newsletter.
Earlier this week, the Hamilton county chapter of the far-right group, which the the watchdog Southern Poverty Law Center designated as “extremist,” published a newsletter which featured the quote, “He alone, who OWNS the youth, GAINS the future” and cited Hitler.
Following swift backlash online, the group which advocated for increased parental rights apologized and attempted to clarify its actions.
“We condemn Adolf Hitler’s actions and his dark place in human history,” chapter chair Paige Miller said in a statement on a revised version of the newsletter.
“We should not have quoted him in our newsletter and express our deepest apology,” she added.
This Hitler quote from Moms for Liberty was on the top of the front page. Good lord. https://t.co/asSQaaHCLQ pic.twitter.com/VrZLlFnyvK
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) June 22, 2023
Updated
The newest Republican candidate Will Hurd said that he will not sign a Republican National Committee loyalty pledge towards the GOP presidential nominee.
Hurd, a former Texas congressman and harsh critic of Donald Trump, told CNN in a new interview that he will not pledge his allegiance to whoever the GOP nominee is for the 2024 presidential race.
“I won’t be signing any kind of pledges, and I don’t think that parties should be trying to rig who should be on a debate stage,” Hurd said.
“I am not in the business of lying to the American people in order to get a microphone, and I’m not going to support Donald Trump,” he added.
“And so I can’t honestly say I’m going to sign something even if he may or may not be the nominee,” Hurd continued.
Hurd’s comments follows RNC chair Ronna McDaniel’s calls for a loyalty pledge.
McDaniel told Fox News this week, “It’s the Republican Party nomination and the pledge is staying,” the Hill reports.
Updated
US sanctions Russians over election interference
Two Russian intelligence officers who attempted to interfere in a local election as part of Moscow’s “global malign influence operations” were sanctioned Friday by the US government.
Yegor Sergeyevich Popov and Aleksei Borisovich Sukhodolov, both members of Russia’s federal security service, worked to undermine democratic processes in the US and other countries through a network of co-conspirators, the treasury department said in a statement, reported by Reuters.
They are alleged to worked with Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, a Russian charged last year by the justice department with conducting a multi-year effort to use political groups in Florida, Georgia and California to interfere in elections.
Treasury department official Brian Nelson said in the statement:
The US will not tolerate threats to our democracy, and today’s action builds on the whole of government approach to protect our system of representative government.
The department did not specify which election the two Russians are accused of attempting to influence.
The supreme court has not yet issued its widely anticipated decision on race-based affirmative action in college admissions, or several other significant cases. But even with the panel still in session, Republican presidential hopefuls are weighing in on its future and their hopes for the court.
Speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference in Washington DC this morning, entrepreneur and 2024 candidate Vivek Ramaswamy praised America as a meritocratic nation.
Entrepreneur and 2024 candidate Vivek Ramaswamy gets some audience members on their feet as he speaks at the Road to Majority conference in DC. pic.twitter.com/ZSk5rJbmhd
— Joan Greve (@joanegreve) June 23, 2023
“You do get ahead in this country based not on the color of your skin, but on the content of your character and your contributions,” Ramaswamy said.
“That’s why I expect the supreme court in the coming days to end affirmative action in college.”
The line was met with applause from the conservative crowd.
Biden signs executive order to protect contraception
Joe Biden was signing an executive order Friday to protect access to contraception, one day before the anniversary of the supreme court decision that struck down the federal right to an abortion.
In a statement, the president highlighted reproductive health as a top priority of his administration in the wake of the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling from the conservative-led court that reversed the Roe v Wade abortion protections in place for half a century:
Contraception is an essential component of reproductive health care that has only become more important in the wake of Dobbs and the ensuing crisis in women’s access to healthcare.
Biden is seeking to enhance strengthen access to “affordable, high quality contraception and family planning services,” the statement says. It’s his third executive order on reproductive health care access since the Dobbs ruling.
The measures include expanding access and services through Medicaid, improving coverage of contraception through Medicare and seeking ways to compel private health insurance companies to provide contraception and family planning services as needed.
Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris are set to speak at reproductive rights event at the Mayflower hotel in Washington DC, scheduled for 4pm.
It’s Brett Kavanaugh again with the day’s third ruling, writing the 5-4 majority opinion in the case of Coinbase v Bielski, a case about cryptocurrency. And the final ruling this morning is the case of Samia v US, another non-biggie, so to speak.
We’ll have some more details of those coming up, but essentially the court has whiffed again on dropping its rulings on any of the most-watched, most significant cases of the current session.
The next decision day is next Tuesday. There are 11 cases still to be decided, including civil rights, LBGTQ+ rights, affirmative action in colleges and universities, and perhaps most significant of all, the fate of Joe Biden’s program for student debt relief.
Updated
Supreme court rejects Texas and Louisiana challenge to Biden deportation policy
Justice Brett Kavanaugh has written the second ruling of the day, an 8-1 majority in the case of US v Texas.
The state was joined by Louisiana in challenging a Biden administration policy prioritizing groups of unauthorized immigrants, including suspected terrorists, convicts, and those caught at the border for deportation. The states wanted the authority to fight the policy in court.
The court holds that the states do not have legal standing to challenge the policy, another win for the Biden administration, especially since conservative justice Samuel Alito was the only dissent.
Kavanaugh calls it an “extraordinarily unusual lawsuit”.
Although Texas and Louisiana do not have a right to sue here, he says, “we do not suggest that federal courts may never entertain cases involving the executive branch’s alleged failure to make more arrests or bring more prosecutions,” he wrote, according to Scotusblog.
Updated
Supreme court immigration ruling backs Biden administration
The first supreme court decision of the day is in. It’s the case of United States v Hansen, a 7-2 ruling that concerns a man who ran an allegdly illegal adoption scheme to gain citizenship for foreign nationals.
It’s not one of the “big” cases. But it is being seen as win for the Biden administration in its defense of a law that criminalizes the solicitation or encouragement of improper immigration. More details to come, but here’s the ruling in full.
We’re thinking that we are likely to see one or more of the “big” supreme court decisions coming down this morning, after yesterday’s batch – while still significant – weren’t among the most talked about.
The highlight of Thursday’s opinions was a ruling against the Navajo nation on water rights, and the court soon closed up shop for the day after delivering only four of the 18 cases still outstanding at that stage.
Here’s an excellent guide to the 14 left to come from veteran supreme court analyst Amy Howe. Two of them relate to affirmative action, and how race plays a role in the college admissions process.
And while we’re waiting for this morning’s developments, have a read of some more high court news from my colleague Stephanie Kirchgaessner about mounting pressure on conservative justice Clarence Thomas over ethics controversies:
Good morning US politics blog readers, and welcome to our Friday edition rounding out an eventful week in Washington DC and elsewhere.
This morning we’re expecting to see a batch more decisions coming down from the supreme court as the clock ticks towards the end of its current session next week.
By our reckoning, there are 14 cases that the justices still have to release opinions on. They include “blockbusters” covering civil rights, LBGTQ+ rights, affirmative action in colleges and universities, and perhaps most significant of all, the fate of Joe Biden’s program for student debt relief.
The court opens for business at 10am ET, and we’ll be here to bring you decisions as they’re announced.
Here’s what else were watching:
It’s day three of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s state visit, after he was pressed on his human rights record on Thursday. Later this morning, Modi and Biden will meet leaders of US and Indian businesses as one of the final acts of his trip.
Mike Pence is reportedly gearing up for an appearance alongside other Republican presidential hopefuls at the conservative Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference in Washington DC. The former vice-president is expected to call for even tighter abortion restrictions nationwide, Politico reports.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy is feeling the heat from moderates after Republican House extremists pushed through measures this week to censure California Democrat Adam Schiff for investigating Donald Trump, and sent dead-on-arrival impeachment articles for Biden, introduced by Colorado rightwinger Lauren Boebert, for committee debate.
