POLITICO

The fact that Joe Biden’s debate performance was so shocking was largely the result of how effectively his top aides have kept him in a protective cocoon — far away from cameras, questions and more intense public scrutiny — in an effort to manage public perceptions of the oldest person to ever hold the office. But inside the White House, the 81-year-old president’s growing limitations were becoming apparent long before last week’s on-camera disaster. And some staffers and other Democrats are blaming the small group of senior longtime aides who have the president’s ear and trust. “It’s the same people — he has not changed those people for 40 years,” said one Dem operative and close adviser to several members of Congress. “The number of people who have access to the president has gotten smaller and smaller and smaller,” another Dem strategist in a battleground state said. “They’ve been digging deeper into the bunker for months now.” And “the more you get into the bunker, the less you listen to anyone.” Full story at the link below. 📷 AP Photo/Gerald Herbert https://lnkd.in/eWJBNr23

The Supreme Court’s decision on Trump’s claim to be immune from prosecution may go down as one of the most brazenly political decisions in the court’s history, says our senior writer Ankush Khadori in his latest column, Rules of Law. The opinion will have far-reaching consequences for the presidency. But more immediately, it exponentially shrinks the odds of a trial before November on Trump’s effort to remain in power after losing in 2020. Just call it Bush v. Gore 2.0: a stunning intervention that could plausibly swing the presidential election to Trump. The decision is also nothing short of a mess for prosecutors and the judge, and perhaps by design. How should they proceed? Ankush answers at the link below. 📷 Francis Chung/POLITICO https://lnkd.in/eMJaDNBJ

Extreme heat waves have cost Californians at least $7.7 billion over the last decade and killed nearly 460 people, according to a report by California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.

Donald Trump has immunity from criminal prosecution over some actions he took as president while fighting to subvert the 2020 election, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, further complicating efforts to put Trump on trial in Washington on criminal charges that he engaged in fraud to try to cling to power. The decision, which divided the court along ideological lines, immediately knocked out some of the central allegations that special counsel Jack Smith leveled against Trump, including claims that he attempted to weaponize his Justice Department to concoct or amplify false claims of voter fraud. However, the opinion also leaves much unresolved, sending the case back to the trial court for further proceedings. There, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan must now sift through the allegations to separate Trump’s official acts — those he took in his capacity as president — from private ones, when he was acting as a presidential candidate. That process could further stall the case by months and is likely to push any trial past Election Day. The opinion from Chief Justice John Roberts declared that former presidents have “absolute” immunity from criminal prosecution over actions that fall within their “core constitutional powers.” “There is no immunity,” Roberts wrote, for “unofficial acts.” More soon at the link below. AP Photo/Susan Walsh https://lnkd.in/eu8Sp67Z

The Supreme Court will decide today whether Donald Trump has immunity from the most serious criminal charges against him: the federal indictment for trying to subvert the 2020 election. A range of pathways the court can take👇

The Supreme Court just ruled that the SEC can’t rely on in-house courts to resolve certain enforcement disputes, a potential blow to a critical power of corporate watchdogs across the federal government. More: https://lnkd.in/gpASpPih

Idaho hospitals are once again required to provide live-saving abortions despite the state’s near-total ban after the Supreme Court punted the case to lower courts for further consideration. More: https://lnkd.in/g8MSyVi2

Sen. J.D. Vance — a top contender to be Donald Trump’s running mate — is gearing up to enter Capitol Hill’s #cryptocurrency scramble, circulating draft legislation that would revamp how the U.S. regulates digital assets. Read more: https://lnkd.in/enU47PTr

The Supreme Court just shot down a lawsuit against the Biden admin over its efforts to urge social media companies to take down misinformation. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g3uMS4ZA

The heat just cranked up on Canada PM Justin Trudeau after a surprising defeat to his party’s candidate in a supposedly-safe seat they’ve held since 1993. The staggering loss comes amid Canada’s affordability crisis and desire for political change. This race was widely viewed as a test of Trudeau’s leadership, and now his agony places him in the company of a long list of sinking incumbent governments around the world who left the pandemic with one foot in the political grave. Link below for more details on the Canadian special election and what it reveals about Trudeau’s future. 📸 Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP https://lnkd.in/eYFhxiW7