PRESENTED BY YOU, THE READER
WWoN AM
By Mark Halperin ·Jun 21, 2021
Happy Monday! Smart Brevity™ count: 500 words ... < 2 minutes. Edited by no one.
Situational awareness: This is Mark Halperin, straining to find a clever format on a Monday morning, engaged in homage to the Axios genre.
1. 1 big thing: Biden’s decision
We wait to see what President Biden will do about the bipartisan infrastructure plans in Congress. He will almost certainly have to weigh in this week. In the meantime read:
The Washington Post’s profile of Joe Manchin.
Why it matters: Manchin is at the center of the debates on infrastructure and voting rights+ that come to a head soon.
Want to subscribe to Wide World of News?
2. Team Biden must see the same polling on crime we do
This event on the White House week-ahead schedule catches the eye:
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
The President will deliver remarks on his Administration’s crime prevention strategy and meet with stakeholders to discuss ways the Biden-Harris Administration is acting to keep our cities and neighborhoods safe.
Why it matters: Republican strategists see crime as a sleeper issue for their candidates in 2022.
Between the lines: Look at what Drudge has going:
3. Sullivan says more sanctions against Russia coming
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that the Biden administration is preparing another round of sanctions against Russia over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Why it matters: The news of a potential new sanctions package comes days after President Biden warned Vladimir Putin during their summit in Geneva that if Navalny died in prison the consequences for Russia would be "devastating."
Watch it: LINK
4. Mayoral race in city that never sleeps…sleeps…
A day before determinative Democratic primary, New York Post turns attention elsewhere:
5. Liz Cheney gets the Mark Leibovich treatment
Come for the lede:
Representative Liz Cheney was holed up in a secure undisclosed location of the Dick Cheney Federal Building, recounting how she got an alarmed phone call from her father on Jan. 6.
Stay for the kicker:
Friends say that at a certain point, events — namely Jan. 6 — came to transcend any parochial political concerns for Ms. Cheney. “Maybe I’m being Pollyanna a little bit here, but I do think Liz is playing the long game,” said Matt Micheli, a Cheyenne lawyer and former chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party. Ms. Cheney has confirmed as much.
“This is something that determines the nature of this Republic going forward,” she said. “So I really don’t know how long that takes.”
Savor all of Leibo’s greatness here.
6. 1 press thing
Tout le Chevy Chase is talking about this Ben Smith column about Tucker Carlson allegedly being a huge secret source for Dominant Media reporters.
Have Mark Halperin speak to your group, company, or meeting in person or virtually on politics, media, government, metaphors, or whatever else you would like.
Send an email to markhalperintalk@gmail.com to set up an event.
Please become a voluntary paying subscriber to support the independent journalism of Wide World of News today.
Or you can become a voluntary contributor to support that same independent journalism by emailing me at markhalperintalk@gmail.com and arranging to give any amount of your choice.
****
If you would like to participate in a focus group I will conduct by Zoom on an upcoming Thursday at 5pm ET, please send an email to mhfg@walkingduck.com and let us know of your interest.
****
For all the latest news all the time, check out our 24/7 website the Walking Duck.