Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Torn Between Stoking Fired-Up Base And Protecting Red-State Candidates, Dems To Focus On Abortion, Health Law In High Court Battle
The Associated Press: Dems Want To Focus High Court Fight On Abortion, Health Care
In the budding battle royale over the Supreme Court vacancy, what's the Democratic sweet spot between satisfying liberal activists' demands for an all-out fight against President Donald Trump's pick and protecting senators facing tight re-election races in deeply red states? So far, the party's formula is to cast itself as defending the right to abortion and the 2010 health care law against a president itching to use the court to snatch both away. Democrats want to make it as excruciating as possible for a pair of moderate, pivotal Republican senators to back the selection because without a GOP defection, it's game over. (Fram, 7/6)
Politico: Schumer’s Biggest Challenge Yet: Dem Unity On SCOTUS
The last time Senate Democrats stuck together through an all-consuming fight, the issue was Obamacare repeal — and they started off remarkably united against it. Now Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is aiming to replicate that performance in the imminent battle over Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, but his troops face a high risk of division right out of the gate. Under particular pressure to side with the president are the three red-state Democrats who voted for Justice Neil Gorsuch last year and face difficult reelection campaigns: Sens. Joe Manchin, Heidi Heitkamp, and Joe Donnelly. (Schor, 7/6)
Politico: McCaskill Braces For SCOTUS Onslaught
Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill is likely to oppose President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee for being too conservative. And her Republican opponent for reelection, a constitutional lawyer who once clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts, is itching to make her pay. “She’s been wrong on every single court nominee since she has been running for the Senate or in the Senate. So I’m not surprised in the least,” Josh Hawley, Missouri’s attorney general, said in an interview, sitting in a pickup truck with the AC blasting after marching in a July 4 parade. (Everett, 7/6)
The Washington Post: Trump Narrows List For Supreme Court Pick, With Focus On Kavanaugh And Kethledge
President Trump’s deliberations over a Supreme Court nominee now center on three candidates culled from his shortlist: federal judges Brett M. Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett, according to White House officials and Trump advisers involved in the discussions. But Trump’s final decision on a replacement for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy remained fluid as he traveled Thursday to a political rally in Montana before heading to his golf course in New Jersey for the weekend, with the president pinballing between associates as he sought feedback and suggestions. (Costa and Kim, 7/5)
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Has Finalists For Supreme Court Pick
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One en route to Montana for a campaign appearance for a Senate candidate, Mr. Trump didn’t name the finalists. “I’ll say on the record that I am interviewing some extraordinarily talented and brilliant people and I’m very, very happy with them and we will pick somebody who will be outstanding, hopefully for many years to come,” he said. Mr. Trump is searching for a successor to Justice Anthony Kennedy, a swing vote on the court who announced last month he would be stepping down. The vacancy is the second Mr. Trump has had to fill since taking office, giving him a chance to nudge to the right a high court that has been split between conservative and liberal factions for years. (Nicholas, 7/5)
The New York Times: Brett Kavanaugh, Supreme Court Front-Runner, Once Argued Broad Grounds For Impeachment
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, the front-runner to replace Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on the Supreme Court, once argued that President Bill Clinton could be impeached for lying to his staff and misleading the public, a broad definition of obstruction of justice that would be damaging if applied to President Trump in the Russia investigation. Judge Kavanaugh’s arguments — expressed in the report of the independent counsel, Kenneth W. Starr, which he co-wrote nearly 20 years ago — have been cited in recent days by Republicans with reservations about him and have raised concerns among some people close to Mr. Trump. But Judge Kavanaugh has reconsidered some of his views since then, and there is no evidence that they have derailed his candidacy. (Landler and Apuzzo, 7/5)
Politico: Kethledge Gets 11th Hour Push As Potential Consensus Pick For Supreme Court
As Donald Trump moves to finalize his Supreme Court pick, Judge Raymond Kethledge is getting a behind-the-scenes push portraying him as the consensus choice of conservatives. Former aides and supporters of Kethledge, a Michigan resident who moves outside Washington circles and is considered the least known of the leading contenders, are quietly circulating positive information about the judge’s personal life, political profile and reassuring record on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. (Cadelago, Johnson and Gerstein, 7/5)
