Good Tuesday evening. In this edition: Trump slams justices for rejecting mail-in ballot restrictions; and Senate fails to advance landmark crypto bill.
Plus, Kennedy Center, impeachments, Fetterman and McCarthy.
Mail Ballots
President Trump lashed out at the Supreme Court after justices rejected his bid to restrict mail ballots ahead of the midterm elections, portraying their decision as a personal betrayal.
"They are merely a shell of their original selves, a Court that is costing the United States Trillions of Dollars with shockingly bad rulings that are of such magnitude that it won't be easily possible for our Country to recover or heal."
The Supreme Court on Monday night left in place a lower-court injunction that blocked the administration's executive order creating new mail-in voting requirements ahead of the November midterms.
The decision allows states to continue sending out mail ballots under the same processes they've used for years, now accounting for nearly a third of all votes cast in elections.
President Trump, who has long claimed mail-in voting is rife with fraud despite voting by mail himself in recent elections, accused the justices of being "bullied and cajoled by the Radical Left" with their decision.
"It is a big loss for Republicans, and America itself, and makes cheating by the Radical Left 'Dumocrats,' on Mail-In Ballots, a much easier thing to do — And now they have an open field to do so!" he wrote.
"The Supreme Court has really let our Country down! Certain Justices are petrified of these crazed and depraved Democrats, and are totally unable to show the courage necessary to save our America."
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the administration was disappointed with the Supreme Court but would comply with its ruling.
"Of course, we're going to comply with the Supreme Court's decision, as we always do," he told reporters at a press conference at the White House. "That doesn't mean we're not going to do everything in this administration that we can to make sure that there are free and fair elections."
The attorney general also defended the president's pointed criticism, saying he is "very frustrated" and making use of his First Amendment rights to register his displeasure.
"He has every right, and indeed he should communicate his concerns with the Supreme Court whenever he's had them. This isn't the first time that he's done it, and it won't be the last," he told reporters.
"The idea that President Trump shouldn't be allowed to communicate to the American people his frustration, I don't share that."
FBI Director Kash Patel, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, suggested he was open to sending federal agents to polling locations during the midterm elections when pressed by Democratic senators for assurances that the FBI wouldn't interfere in November.
"This is about whether the United States citizens — Republicans, Democrats, independents — are the deciders of elections," Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) said. "Do you pledge that you will not in any way interfere in the will of the American people when they go to the polls in November?"
"I have pledged unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies," Director Patel replied.
Sen. Welch then asked directly whether the FBI would send agents to polling locations.
"We have election crisis coordinators manned at all 56 field offices," Director Patel replied. "Election integrity is of paramount importance. The FBI's not going to shy away from that effort."
The Senate failed to advance a revised version of a sweeping cryptocurrency regulation bill, delivering a blow to a crypto industry that had worked to shape the Clarity Act for months on Capitol Hill.
The procedural vote was 49–50, falling well short of the 60 needed to advance, with GOP Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Josh Hawley (MO) and Jerry Moran (KS) joining all Democrats in opposition.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who led ethics changes to the bill, switched his vote to "no" so he can call another vote at a later time.
The landmark legislation would create a comprehensive market structure framework for the crypto industry by revising Wall Street regulations to accommodate crypto trading.
It would also split oversight of digital assets between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A vote on the measure, which passed the House last year, had been delayed for months in the Senate amid efforts to assuage Democratic concerns that it doesn't do enough to prevent public officials from profiting from crypto ventures, particularly President Trump, who reported more than $1.4 billion in earnings from crypto businesses last year.
Democratic lawmakers sent a counterproposal to Republicans late Monday night laying out the changes they want, but the two sides remain at odds, leading to the bill stalling on the floor.
"This is not the end for the Clarity Act," Sen. Tillis said on social media. "We've made substantial bipartisan progress in large part because of the White House. This procedural motion allows us to continue working towards a positive outcome."
After the failed vote, Republican leaders teed up a procedural vote on a bipartisan college sports bill that seeks to put guardrails around spending in college sports and establish national standards for how college athletes are compensated.
The Senate advanced the measure, sponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), in a 74–24 vote.
The Kennedy Center's board voted to immediately close the iconic performing arts center on the same day a U.S. District Court again blocked President Trump's name from being added to the living memorial to the nation's 35th president. The board cited the building's deteriorating condition and financial problems in voting to close. President Trump said the building needed urgent repairs but that he would only allow the renovations to move forward if his name was added. "The closing will take place immediately, however, the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board's approved name," he wrote on social media. "If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place."
The Housevoted232–147 to table — or kill — Rep. Al Green's (D-TX) resolution to impeach President Trump over the "unjustified" killings of civilians during the federal immigration crackdown. Eighteen Democrats voted with nearly all Republicans to table the resolution, while 46 Democrats, including the party's top three leaders, joined Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) in voting "present." Rep. Green, who will be leaving Congress next year after losing his primary in a district reshaped by Republicans, has repeatedly defied his party's leaders by trying to impeach President Trump. All of his attempts, including two last year, were defeated in bipartisan procedural votes.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for waging the war against Iran without congressional approval. "Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law," he said on the House floor. The impeachment effort from Rep. Massie, who lost his primary election to a Trump-backed challenger in May, faces long odds in the Republican-controlled House. Since the resolution is "privileged," the chamber will need to act on it within two legislative days. Republican leaders, who were reportedly blindsided by the move, will likely seek to table the resolution. Both chambers of Congress previously approved a nonbinding war powers resolution calling for the administration to end the fighting, which began in late February.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said he would not be joining the Republican Party, expressing frustration over repeated questions about his party affiliation following his surprise appearance at the GOP midterm convention. "I'm not going to be a Republican! Why can't you guys just wait until the midterm?" he shot back at reporters while waiting for an elevator on Capitol Hill. "My name is not on the ballot. Like, chill and wait for the midterm here. I've always been a Democrat. It's like, no matter how many times I say that, I'm still getting asked just getting into the elevator." The Pennsylvanian has become increasingly estranged from his party since his 2022 election to the Senate, doubling down on his support for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and becoming a regular guest on Fox News. The senator fueled further speculation he might leave the party after appearing in a video at last week's GOP midterm convention to introduce fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick (R).
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) official portrait was unveiled during a ceremony in the Capitol's Statuary Hall. Mr. McCarthy, who represented California in the House from 2007 to 2023, became Republican leader in 2019 after former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) retired. He won the speaker's gavel following a marathon vote to start the 118th Congress that lasted 15 ballots amid protracted negotiations with GOP holdouts. In October 2023, after nine months on the job, he became the first House speaker in history to be ousted from office by a vote of his peers, with then-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) leading the charge to take him down. His tenure as speaker was the third shortest in history, and he was eventually succeeded as speaker by Mike Johnson (R-LA). He resigned from Congress at the end of 2023.
For your radar…
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh holds a news conference Wednesday following the Federal Open Market Committee's two-day monetary policy meeting. Markets are pricing in a quarter-point interest rate hike, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN3 at 2:30pm ET.
C-SPAN is on YouTube. Subscribe today for live coverage, consequential moments, memorable exchanges and the political events everyone will be talking about.
