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Man, 91, shocks tiny firehouse with $500K gift: ‘Nobody knew how much I’d saved’

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Welcome to The Daily 202! Tell your friends to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/the-daily-202/?utm_campaign=wp_the_daily_202&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;wpisrc=nl_daily202&amp;method=SURL&amp;location=ENL">sign up here</a>. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake has the reins today, and Olivier will be back next week.&nbsp;

On this day in 1789, George Washington signed a measure establishing the Department of Foreign Affairs, precursor to the Department of State.

The GOP’s lengthy impeachment and censure lists

Haiyun Jiang

Five GOP senators who served during Donald Trump’s presidency have since been censured by their state party for not toeing the party line.

Republicans have censured so many of their GOP colleagues that they have done it to both Rep. Tony Gonzales (Tex.) and Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio). They’ve also now made a Democratic colleague, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the first member in modern history to be censured by the House on a purely party-line vote.

The party during President Biden’s two-plus years in office has invoked impeachment so often that it has cited at least five different justifications for mounting an effort against him, while threatening separate impeachments against a quarter of his Cabinet. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/25/mccarthy-biden-impeach-hunter/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5">leaning into the idea more than ever</a>, floating impeachment inquiries for both Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland in the past month alone.

Welcome to a new era of politics, in which the Republican Party has wielded impeachment, censure and other tools of sanction with <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/06/21/biden-impeachment-censure-schiff">a startling degree of regularity</a>. Democrats increased their use during a Trump administration that was besieged by scandals, but Republicans have ratcheted things up even more — and in some historic ways.

So far this year, Republicans have introduced impeachment articles 13 times and censure resolutions — formal reprimands — six times, according to data from Quorum, which tracks legislative action.&nbsp;

That combined total of 19 is more than any party has introduced in any year since at least the 1980s, and the year is just half over.

The previous highs for each party came in 2021, when Democrats impeached Trump for the second time and sought to censure eight House Republicans after the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/january-6-capitol-riot/" target="_blank" class="contextual_link">Jan. 6</a>, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.&nbsp;

Even that year, though, the total numbers for Democrats (14) and Republicans (13) were similar, with Republicans filing 11 attempts to impeach the newly elected Biden and members of his Cabinet.

These numbers are bills filed, rather than efforts that came to votes. Democrats actually did impeach Trump, something we have yet to see from Republicans in the case of Biden.

But the true measure of the GOP’s embrace of the impeachment threat is that these measures have been lodged against eight different top administration officials, including Biden. During Trump’s presidency, he was the only subject of any official Democratic impeachment efforts.

Nor do they tell the full story of such punitive threats, including censure, which the GOP has used extensively outside the halls of Congress — mostly against fellow Republicans who did not show loyalty to the party in general or Trump in particular.&nbsp;

Since 2021, those being censured by state parties or the Republican National Committee have included five current or former GOP senators, a sitting GOP governor, five GOP House members and a smattering of state legislators.

But the thrust of the efforts is largely the same: increasingly using for political leverage tools that are supposed to be reserved for the most serious circumstances.

With these tactics increasing in regularity, we thought it worth recapping all the times the GOP has censured a lawmaker or threatened impeachment since 2021. The lists are long — and likely to get longer.

Administration officials are listed alongside the alleged reasons for impeachment and, in parenthesis, some of the lawmakers pressing for it.

President Biden: Afghanistan withdrawal (Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, others)

Biden: border security (Greene, Reps. Bob Gibbs, Bill Posey and Andrew Ogles)

Biden: Hunter Biden’s business dealings (Greene, Ogles, Reps. Jim Banks, Claudia Tenney, others)

Biden: covid-19 eviction moratorium (Greene, Gibbs)

Biden: selling oil from strategic reserve to foreign nations (Greene)

Vice President Harris: Afghanistan (Boebert, Rep. Ralph Norman)

Garland: supposed politicization of the Justice Department (Greene)

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray: supposed politicization of the FBI (Greene)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken: Afghanistan (Norman and Rep. Andy Harris)

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: border security (Greene, Reps. Clay Higgins, Andy Biggs and Pat Fallon)

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio (Reps. Warren Davidson and Mike Collins)

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin: Afghanistan (Rep. Cory Mills)

Lawmakers are listed alongside their alleged offenses and, in parenthesis, the body censuring them. Censures by various county parties are not included.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.): Trump criticisms (state party)

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.): gun rights, LGBT rights, immigration (state party)

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.): vote to convict Trump at impeachment (state party)

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.): vote to convict Trump at impeachment (state party)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): vote to convict Trump at impeachment, confirmation vote, abortion rights support (state party)

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R): pandemic emergency orders (state party)

Rep. Liz Cheney (R- Wyo.): Trump criticisms, vote to impeach (RNC, state party)

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.): Trump criticisms, vote to impeach (RNC)

Gonzales (R-Tex.): guns, same-sex marriage (state party)

Gonzalez (R-Ohio): vote to impeach Trump (state party)

Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.): vote to impeach Trump (state party)

Arizona state House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R): Jan. 6 committee testimony (state party)

22 Ohio state House members: voting with Democrats to elect an alternative GOP speaker (state party)

Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers: speaking at a white-nationalist conference, violent language and political threats (state party)

Schiff: allegedly overstating evidence to impeach Trump (Congress)

Oklahoma state Rep. Mauree Turner (D): temporarily blocking questioning of a suspect in their office (state legislature)

You can read Aaron’s full analysis <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/27/gops-lengthy-impeachment-censure-lists/">here.</a>

<a href="https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Smm7Nw2gak-pq0Zr4EsdtBIeXD2yuJJHgcyVAssYlnVUREI1TlJIUEY2SkJDWklPOTNTV01FUE5KUi4u" target="_blank">See an important political story that doesn’t quite fit traditional politics coverage? Flag it for us here.</a>

U.S. economy grew by annual rate of 2.4 percent in second quarter

“The U.S. economy expanded by an annual rate of 2.4 percent between April and June, powered by brisk consumer and government spending, marking an acceleration of growth from the first three months of the year," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/07/27/gdp-q2-2023-economy/">Abha Bhattarai reports</a>.

“The new gross domestic product figures, released Thursday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, showed the economy expanded for the fourth straight quarter in a row, casting doubt on predictions of a recession this year.”

Trump lawyers meeting with special counsel’s office as grand jury convenes

“The meeting, confirmed by a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it, is another sign that Smith could be close to seeking an indictment of Trump in the Justice Department’s long-running elections probe,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/27/trump-grand-jury-indictment/">Josh Dawsey, Spencer S. Hsu, Devlin Barrett and Perry Stein report</a>.

Niger army backs coup to prevent ‘bloodbath,’ isolating deposed president

“Deposed Nigerien president Mohamed Bazoum <a href="https://twitter.com/mohamedbazoum/status/1684423395423784965">told</a> his nation via social media Thursday after being <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/26/niger-president-ousted-coup/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2">incarcerated in his palace</a> by rebellious soldiers that ‘hard-won gains’ made in the country under his rule would be ‘protected’ by democracy-loving patriots,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/27/niger-coup-president-mohamed-bazoum/">Adela Suliman reports</a>.

“However in a blow for his calls to resist the coup, the nation’s army said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmeesNiger/status/1684505902563332096">statement</a> that it would support the coup leaders to prevent bloodshed in the West African nation and preserve unity.”

States siphoned away $750 million in infrastructure law climate funds

“With $14 billion in new federal funding, the infrastructure law was supposed to jolt efforts to protect the U.S. highway network from a changing climate and curb carbon emissions that are warming the planet. New records show the effort is off to an unsteady start as hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent elsewhere,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/07/27/infrastructure-law-climate-change-money/">Ian Duncan reports.</a>

“Last year, 38 states made use of a provision in the law to shift about $755 million to general-purpose highway construction accounts, according to Federal Highway Administration records. The sum is more than one-quarter of the total annual amount made available to states in two new climate-related programs.”

Trump needed $225 million. A little-known bank came to the rescue.

“Axos Bank, formerly known as Bank of Internet USA, had grown from one of the first digital banks into a profitable, publicly traded company in part by specializing in loans to borrowers other banks had shied away from — all while navigating federal regulator scrutiny over its internal operations and a congressional hearing that cited its involvement in high interest rates on some loans,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/27/trump-loans-axos-bank-gregory-garrabrants/">Michael Kranish reports</a>.

“One day after the warning by Trump’s accounting firm became public, Axos’s blunt-spoken president and CEO — a Republican donor named Gregory Garrabrants — signed off on a $100 million loan for Trump Tower, the 58-story Manhattan skyscraper that had long been Trump’s home and base of operations, according to the bank.”

Maternal deaths are expected to rise under abortion bans, but the increase may be hard to measure

Annie Mulligan

“As the United States enters its second post-Roe year, advocates say it’s important to gather data on the impact abortion bans are having on the health of pregnant people to help both policy makers and voters understand the life-or-death consequences of the restrictions. Without such accounting, they say, the public may remain ignorant of the toll. Maternal mortality rates would be a crucial gauge of impact," <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/tracking-maternal-deaths-under-abortion-bans">ProPublica’s Kavitha Surana reports.</a>

“Despite the stakes, experts say, at least in the short term, it may be difficult or impossible to track the number of lives lost due to limits on abortion access.”

Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

“About a decade ago, Tesla rigged the dashboard readouts in its electric cars to provide ‘rosy’ projections of how far owners can drive before needing to recharge, a source told Reuters. The automaker last year became so inundated with driving-range complaints that it created a special team to cancel owners’ service appointments,” <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-batteries-range/">Reuters’s Steve Stecklow and Norihiko Shirouzu report</a>.

Biden to welcome Italy’s Meloni despite her far-right leanings

“The two leaders <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/26/giorgia-meloni-white-house-far-right/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5">are … set to meet Thursday</a>, further solidifying an unexpected relationship that has emerged between Biden, who has stressed an agenda of democracy and tolerance, and [Prime Minister Giorgia] Meloni, Italy’s first far-right leader since the end of World War II,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/27/biden-meloni-white-house-meeting/">Meryl Kornfield reports</a>.

Biden to announce steps to help communities deal with extreme heat

“White House officials said the new measures would include funding to improve weather prediction, grants to help ensure clean drinking water across the West and protections for workers who are most vulnerable to heat deaths,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/27/us/politics/biden-heat-climate-change.html">the New York Times’s Erica L. Green and Lisa Friedman report.</a>

Biden orders U.S. to share evidence of Russian war crimes with Hague court

“President Biden has quietly ordered the U.S. government to begin sharing evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine with the International Criminal Court in The Hague, according to officials familiar with the matter, signaling a major shift in American policy,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/26/us/politics/biden-russia-war-crimes-hague.html">the NYT’s Charlie Savage reports</a>.

“The decision, made by Mr. Biden in recent days, overrides months of resistance by the Pentagon, which had argued that it could pave the way for the court to prosecute American troops, according to the officials.”

The Fed’s interest rates over the years, visualized

“The Federal Reserve pressed on with its fight against inflation Wednesday, raising interest rates to their highest level in 22 years. But it’s still not clear how much harder officials will push to slow price increases,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/07/26/fed-july-interest-rate-hike/">Rachel Siegel reports</a>.

Jabin Botsford

“Sen. Sherrod Brown is trying to pull off a political magic trick: Winning reelection in a red state while clinching bipartisan deals with some of the very same people dedicated to defeating him … Several of the bills which Brown advocates align well with the working-man’s liberal brand that he’s cultivated during 30 years in Congress: He wants to crack down on fentanyl traffickers, boost rail safety standards over the protests of corporations and claw back money from disgraced executives," <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/27/sherrod-brown-bipartisan-deals-reelection-00108225">Politico’s Burgess Everett reports</a>.

McCarthy, House GOP tiptoe toward Biden impeachment inquiry

“For the first six months of the Republican House majority, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has worked to keep his far-right flank satisfied in their desire to target Biden by greenlighting investigations into the president, his son Hunter Biden and members of the administration, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. But McCarthy’s comments earlier this week that indicated he is open to impeachment proceedings represent a shift in both rhetoric and tactics,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/26/biden-impeachment-house-mccarthy/">Leigh Ann Caldwell, Theodoric Meyer and Marianna Sotomayor report.</a>

At 3 p.m., Biden will meet in the Oval Office with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Biden will leave the White House for the National Archives at 7:05, where he will speak at the Truman Civil Rights Symposium. He’s scheduled to be back at the White House at 8:20 p.m.

Congress asks: Are aliens real? Many Americans respond: Meh.

“UFOs have long captured the human imagination. Yet hours of testimony on Capitol Hill from former intelligence and military personnel about alleged close encounters with unidentified phenomena — <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/26/congress-ufo-hearing/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2">and more extreme allusions to government coverup of alien lifeforms</a>— were just a blip on the radar,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/07/27/ufo-aliens-congress-hearing-reaction/">Annabelle Timsit reports</a>.

Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

University of Minnesota

Aaron Blake is senior political reporter, writing for The Fix. A Minnesota native, he has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and The Hill newspaper.

Aaron Blake

Indiana University, BA in journalism

Caroline Anders is a researcher for The Daily 202 and The 5-Minute Fix.

Caroline Anders

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Hill Coverage of July 26, 2023

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