Democratic reckoning ahead

Plus: the latest Jan. 6 hearing and record-high inflation

View this email online July 16, 2022 This week, we looked the latest Jan. 6 hearing, the Secret Service's texts and a new leader at ATF. Plus: a glimpse at cosmic cliffs. The Big Picture: Democratic reckoning ahead Drew Angerer/Getty Images No one likes high gas prices or paying more for things. But right now, Americans are and they’re blaming President Biden. That includes an increasing share of Democrats. In this age of intense polarization, any slippage among a president‘s base is going to equal a recipe for political disaster. Biden‘s average approval rating is at about 39%, the worst of any president at this point in his presidency since World War II. Biden is getting it from both ends — independents are registering approval ratings in the 20s and he is suffering from a lack of intensity with progressives as well, according to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist polls. If progressives rallied around Biden — the way conservatives seem to rally around their presidents — Biden’s numbers would seem less dire. But the left is upset with the direction of the country, doesn’t think Biden is fighting hard enough for them (rightly or wrongly), and, remember, progressives were never in love with Biden. They held their nose to vote for him because they loathed Trump. Even with all this bad news for Biden, though, in the latest New York Times/Siena College poll, the one that found two-thirds of Democrats wish that somebody else would be their nominee in 2024, Biden still beats Trump by 3 points. More immediately, Democrats see a ray of sunshine in the fact that Democratic Senate candidates are outperforming Biden‘s job approval numbers. If that holds, and with some marginal improvement in gas prices (which we are seeing) and inflation (which we are not), Democrats have a path to retaining narrow control of the Senate. But that’s the most optimistic outlook for Democrats as the party heads toward a reckoning with itself. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent Newsletter continues after sponsor message ICYMI: Top Stories Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images Latest Jan. 6 hearing: An explosive Trump White House meeting on Dec. 18, 2020, was the turning point that set the Jan. 6 insurrection in motion. Here are the big takeaways from Tuesday's House Jan. 6 committee hearing. Manchin deals a blow to the budget -- again: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin informed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that he won't support the party's spending bill that includes climate or tax provisions. The move, which comes after Manchin sunk Democrats’ initial budget proposal last year, marks another blow for President Biden’s domestic policy agenda.  Secret Service and Jan. 6: The U.S. Secret Service erased text messages from the two-day period spanning the January 6 Capitol insurrection, according to the top internal watchdog at the Department of Homeland Security. The discovery was made as part of the watchdog's investigation into the attack last year and will likely play into the House select committee’s investigation. Record-high inflation: Inflation soared to 9.1% in the month of June, a new four-decade high, the Labor Department announced this week. Prices rose 1.3% between May and June alone, with energy costs accounting for nearly half the monthly increase. New ATF leader: For the first time in seven years, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has a Senate-confirmed leader. Former U.S. attorney Steven Dettelbach was confirmed to lead the agency this week and will oversee the nation's gun laws at a moment when those policies are under intense public scrutiny. — Brandon Carter, NPR Politics social media producer Become a NPR Politics+ Subscriber Hey y'all. Want to show your support for our podcast and even listen to sponsor-free episodes? Try subscribing to The NPR Politics Podcast+ and get your political insights, news and analysis without the distraction. Learn more at plus.npr.org/politics or at the link below. Subscribe Today The Shot: Cosmic cliffs NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI It looks like mountains and valleys on a moonlit evening, but really, what you're seeing in this stunning image is the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region in faraway Carina Nebula, captured by the Near-Infrared Camera on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. "The blistering, ultraviolet radiation from the young stars is sculpting the nebula's wall by slowly eroding it away," NASA said. "Dramatic pillars tower above the glowing wall of gas, resisting this radiation. The 'steam' that appears to rise from the celestial 'mountains' is actually hot, ionized gas and hot dust streaming away from the nebula due to the relentless radiation." The image is one of batch captured by the telescope that NASA released this week. See it -- in all its cosmic glory -- and others here.  — Heidi Glenn, NPR Politics digital editor Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WMFE (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprpolitics@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! 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