Monday morning news: July 1, 2024

Democrats defend Biden » President Biden and his political allies are working to contain something of a campaign crisis in the wake of his debate performance last week.

Democratic Sen. Rafael Warnock told NBC’s Meet the Press:

WARNOCK:  I'm with Joe Biden, and it's our assignment, uh, to make sure that he gets over the finish line come November, not for his sake, but for the country's sake.

Some party officials and donors have reportedly been in a panic since the Thursday night debate in which the 81-year-old president appeared to show cognitive decline.

But Senator Chris Coons told ABC’s This Week:

COONS: Joe Biden has an incredible record and he knows as the American people do that when you get knocked down, you get back up and you fight harder, but that's what he's planning to do.

The senator there echoing President Biden’s own remarks in campaign appearances over the weekend. The president acknowledged a poor performance and vowed to bounce back.

Republicans respond » But Republicans say it was more than just a poor performance. Sen. John Barrasso said it was a public display of something the White House and Democratic leaders have been hiding for quite some time.

BARRASSO:  Democrats have been for years, months saying, “Hey, this guy is doing great. He's fit as a fiddle, sharp as a tack.” He is not. The American people and the world saw that the other night. 

And North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who is believed to be on Donald Trump’s short list to be his running mate said the White House can no longer brush off concerns about Biden’s age and health.

BURGUM:  People can't unsee what they saw. Two weeks ago, the White House was attacking journalists, saying that no, you can't say these stories about that Joe Biden isn't capable of serving right now. And then all of America saw it.

Push to replace Biden » Meantime, pressure is mounting for President Biden to release his delegates and allow the Democratic party to pick a different nominee.

Publications and media outlets like The New York Times, Newsweek, and Politico have called for Biden to step aside.

But Larry Sabato with the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics says …

SABATO: He doesn’t want to leave. He is fighting those who suggest that he needs to step down. He will continue to do so.

And publicly, the president has said he can do the job and has no intention of bowing out.

To change Biden’s mind, Sabato says it would take a coalition of current leaders and figureheads like Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama …

SABATO: They would have to go to the White House and try to convince him, and he would be tough to convince. And they’ll also have to try to convince Jill Biden. And that may be even tougher.

What’s more, Sabato says to convince Biden top Democrats might have to go very public with the concerns they’ve reportedly expressed privately.

Israel/Mideast peace » Talks for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas have stalled. But diplomats from the West and some Middle Eastern countries are pushing for a truce that could calm attacks by Hezbollah and other Iran-backed terror groups.

But the Biden administration is getting some pushback in Washington including from Democratic Senator John Fetterman:

FETTERMAN: I can’t possibly support any kind of a deal for peace as long as Hamas can be in power on any of that. Hamas needs to be effectively neutralized before there’s any kind of peace.

Escalating cross border strikes between Israel and Hezbollah, along Israel’s northern border appear to have at least leveled off of late.

But American and European diplomats are cautioning Hezbollah against taking on the military might of Israel. They say the group shouldn't rely on them to hold off Israeli leaders if they choose to carry out an offensive into Lebanon.

Hurricane » Hurricane Beryl is expected to slam islands in the eastern Caribbean today with Category-4 winds in excess of 130 miles per hour and potentially deadly floodwaters. National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan:

BRENNAN: Storm surge levels of 6-9 ft above normal tide levels with potentially catastrophic, dangerous breaking waves on top of that.

The storm is tracking west through the Caribbean, and at this point, it is not expected to impact the United States.

France elections » Voters in France could soon elect the country’s most conservative government in recent history.

Polls suggest the right-leaning National Rally party has a good chance of winning a majority in the lower house of parliament for the first time.

In the first round of voting yesterday, the National Rally arrived ahead with an estimated one-third of the votes. The decisive and final vote, however takes place next Sunday.

SOUND: [Inside Out 2]

Box office » At the weekend box office Inside Out 2 continued its reign in top spot.

SOUND: Hello. Ah! I’m Anxiety. Where can I put my stuff? A new emotion, wow!

It earned another $58 million dollars. The animated feature from Disney’s Pixar has been the surprise smash hit of the summer.

The film steered away from injecting LGBT and other progressive messaging and avoided the controversy that surrounded many of the company’s recent box office flops.

A Quiet Place: Day One finished in second place. The monster movie opened with a better-than-expected $53 million-dollar debut.

I’m Kent Covington.

Coming up, The Supreme Court reins in the power of federal agencies. That’s ahead on Legal Docket.

Plus, the Monday Moneybeat.

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