Democrats

Axios reports: After weeks of speculation, the agenda for President Biden’s mid-July Middle East trip is set, and it includes a visit to Saudi Arabia during which he expects to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a senior administration official told reporters. Biden on the campaign trail vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over the kingdom’s human rights record …

The New York Daily News reports: New York is going further to protect abortion seekers and providers as a potential Supreme Court ruling is expected that could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Gov. Hochul on Monday signed a package of new measures into law meant to bolster legal protections for abortion service providers against extradition, arrest and legal …

The Hill reports: Vice President Harris criticized Republican-led states that have passed dozens of laws targeting LGBTQ youth during a speech at a Capital Pride Festival in D.C. on Sunday. “No one should fear going to a nightclub for fear that a terrorist might try to take them down,” Harris said on Sunday. “No one should fear loving who they …

The New York Post reports: Protestors, including LGBTQ advocates and several Democratic New York politicians, railed against Chelsea Piers over its “dangerous” decision to host a conference featuring Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday. Dozens of demonstrators, including veteran LGBTQ rights activist Allen Roskoff, chanted “Shame!” and “Boycott Chelsea Piers” while hoisting signs that read “Say Gay” and “Not during …

CNN reports: A New York judge Friday rejected an attempt by the National Rifle Association to end an investigation of the organization by the state’s top attorney. State Supreme Court Judge Joel Cohen dismissed the NRA’s counterclaims against New York Attorney General Letitia James as not viable. The NRA had argued that James’ investigation was “unconstitutionally retaliatory or selective.” In …

The Hill reports: “Can’t you issue an executive order?” Jimmy Kimmel asked the president during Biden’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “Trump passed those out like Halloween candy,” Kimmel added. “I have issued executive orders within the power of the presidency to be able to deal with everything having to do with guns, gun ownership, whether or not you have …

NBC News reports: The House voted Wednesday to raise the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, as part of a package of gun bills in response to a horrific spate of mass shootings across the country. The vote was 228-199, mostly along party lines, with nearly all Democrats voting “yes” and all but a small group …

The New York Daily News reports: Gov. Hochul signed a bill Tuesday that paves the way for underutilized hotels in the city to be converted into apartments, giving a boost to Mayor Adams who has characterized the legislation as a critical tool for tackling New York’s housing crisis. The bill — which Adams pushed state lawmakers to pass for weeks …

Politico reports: Some Democrats think the party should boycott Fox News. Not John Fetterman, though. The Pennsylvania Senate Democratic nominee is airing one of his first two general election TV ads on the conservative network in an appeal to blue-collar voters. The commercial, which was shared exclusively with POLITICO, portrays Fetterman as a political outsider who has pushed for policies …

Roll Call reports: ​Democrats face big obstacles and a deadline measured in weeks as they attempt to salvage a scaled-down tax, climate and health care package that could give them a boost ahead of the November elections. Conversations have been underway between Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer to negotiate a budget reconciliation bill — …

New York City’s ABC News affiliate reports: New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday signed gun reform bills passed by Democratic lawmakers last week banning anyone under age 21 from buying or possessing a semi-automatic rifle, along with a series of other changes. “This is a moral moment for the people of New York but also the rest of the …

In the middle of their deep dive into Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s decades in office and her legacy, New York Magazine drops this observation: Feinstein, who turns 89 in June, is older than any other sitting member of Congress. Her declining cognitive health has been the subject of recent reporting in both her hometown San Francisco Chronicle and the New York …

The New York Daily News reports: Mayor Adams promised Friday to not take a “heavy-handed” approach toward those who sell marijuana illicitly in the city and gave New Yorkers his blessing to smoke more pot. While New York legalized recreational weed use last year, the licensing system that’s supposed to regulate cannabis sales isn’t expected to kick off until late …

ABC News reports: Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor and Democratic U.S. Senate nominee John Fetterman released a statement from himself and his doctor three weeks after he suffered a stroke acknowledging he has cardiomyopathy. Fetterman, who spent several days in the hospital, has not been seen in public since being discharged and has only appeared in social media videos. In the letter …

The New York Times reports: Democratic lawmakers in Albany plunged into the national debate on Thursday, wielding supermajorities to enact protections denied elsewhere in the wake of recent mass shootings and a conservative shift in other states and on the Supreme Court. The State Legislature passed a broad package of gun bills that will raise the minimum age to buy …

The New York Times reports: President Biden, who as a candidate vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” in response to the assassination of a prominent dissident, has decided to travel to Riyadh this month to rebuild relations with the oil-rich kingdom at a time when he is seeking to lower gas prices at home and isolate Russia abroad. While …

NBC New York reports: After months of speculation whether former Gov. Andrew Cuomo would make another run for his old job — less than a year after resigning in disgrace when faced with allegations of sexual harassment and wrongdoing — the deadline came and went with no paperwork filed by Cuomo. The first deadline to get the Cuomo name back …

The New York Daily News reports: Daniel Goldman, the lead counsel in former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, plans to announce Tuesday he’s running for the open congressional seat that former Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rep. Mondaire Jones, Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou and former Rep. Liz Holtzman are all vying to win. Goldman, 46, who’s lived within the recently redrawn 10th …

From the Democratic National Convention: Today marks the start of Pride month. This month, we celebrate love, self-expression, and the freedom to be one’s authentic self. The LGBTQ+ movement is full of remarkable, everyday people who had the courage to assert their freedom. From the first brick at Stonewall to marriage equality, the DNC honors the tremendous progress made to …

The Hill reports:  The Ohio Senate race between Republican J.D. Vance and Rep. Tim Ryan (D) is in a virtual deadlock, according to a new poll. The USA Today Network Ohio/Suffolk University survey released Wednesday found that Vance leads Ryan by just more than 2 percentage points among likely Ohio voters, well within the margin of error. Vance received the …