The Show Notes: Inflation Surges (Again), Dems In Revolt, & The Biden Investigation
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NEW: Inflation rose 5.4% in March. - CNBC
Clip(s) of the day: 😳 😳
Democrats in Revolt
Democrats are in full revolt against the Biden administration after the latest NBC poll listed the President’s approval rating at 40%. Here are three quotes from the Axios article:
"People are extremely discouraged, there's no doubt," said Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), a moderate and leading member of the New Democrat Coalition.
Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), a swing-district member, told Axios's Andrew Solender the poll gives credence to her distancing herself from Biden: "It’s always a concern when the president's numbers are bad and you're in the same party."
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), a prominent progressive, told Axios: "A substantial explanation for the president's relatively low approval is that Democrats are dissatisfied with the lack of progress we've made on certain issues."
The bad news doesn’t end there for Democrats:
Republicans are now targeting 72 Democratic-controlled House districts. - RollCall
‘We’ve got to stop fooling ourselves’: Enthusiasm gap keeps getting worse for Dems. - Politico
A Democrat Super PAC’s ad buy shows a widening battle for control of the House. - NYT
The abortion vote that could haunt Democrats in November. - National Review
The investigation into Hunter Biden is heading up. - CBS
“The federal investigation into Hunter Biden's business practices is broader than previously known, with multiple sources telling CBS News the probe is exploring whether the younger Biden and his associates violated tax, money laundering and foreign lobbying laws.”
Putin May Turn Off Gas To Europe Tomorrow
Putin is threatening to invalidate energy contracts with European countries unless they pay their bills in roubles, the Russian currency. This is a big deal because the rouble has plummeted in value since the invasion of Ukraine. More from The Guardian:
“To buy Russian gas, they need to open rouble accounts in Russian banks,” Putin said in a televised appearance.
“It is from those accounts that gas will be paid for, starting 1 April. If such payments aren’t made, we will consider this a failure by the client to comply with its obligations.”
According to an order signed by Putin, gas buyers should open accounts with the state-controlled Gazprombank to facilitate currency exchange on purchases.
The G7 group of advance economies – the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada – has so far refused to countenance meeting his demand for rouble payments.
Chaos At The Border
Border agents are facing a flood of migrants not seen in over 22 years. Agents have made at least 7,000 arrests per day in the month of March. This could not come at a worse time for Democrats. Here’s more from The Hill:
Complicating the picture, the controversial Trump-era measure used to bar migrants on public health grounds is about to be abandoned. Multiple media reports on Wednesday said the policy, known as Title 42, would come to an end in late May.
The Biden administration’s use of the regulation has come under fire from the left, immigration advocates and even mainstream members of the Democratic Party not known for breaking with the White House, such as Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).