10 Things in Politics: Biden says Cuomo could end up prosecuted
Patrick Semansky/Associated Press
Good morning! Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox each day. Send your tips and suggestions to bgriffiths@insider.com or tweet me @BrentGriffiths.
- Thank you to Oma Seddiq and Jordan Erb for filling in for me yesterday while I was under the weather.
Here's what you need to know:
- A suspect is in custody after 8 people were killed in shootings at massage parlors in metro Atlanta.
- Being Joe Biden's speechwriter is no longer the toughest job in Washington.
- The blunt truth: Congress doesn't appear anywhere near ready for marijuana legalization.
With Jordan Erb
1. BIDEN GIVES TOUGH COMMENTS ON CUOMO: President Joe Biden said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should resign if the sexual-misconduct allegations against him are found to be true, in the toughest comments yet from the president.
- Biden also said that if the investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James finds the allegations to be credible, "I think he'll probably end up being prosecuted, too."
- He made the comments to ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview that aired in full this morning.
Before Biden spoke, Dems said Vice President Harris was in a tough spot: "It's not just on this. They just defer to him on everything," a former Senate staffer told Insider of how team Harris was deferring to Biden on the Cuomo allegations.
- Harris' past criticism of former Sen. Al Franken and Justice Brett Kavanaugh resurfaced: "I'm sure a lot of her detractors will point to her remarks during Kavanaugh," a Democrat close to Harris said. But this person said that one key difference was that Democrats thought the Kavanaugh confirmation was rushed, and there is no comparable rush for the Cuomo investigation.
- Read more in our exclusive report.
Meanwhile, Cuomo faces more questions: The New York Times reports that Cuomo himself was involved in an effort to discredit Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to publicly accuse him of sexual harassment, days after she came forward.
- The goal was to compile a letter signed by former Cuomo aides, especially women, attacking Boylan by including personnel complaints filed against her and trying to tie her to Trump supporters. The letter was never released.
2. 8 dead after spa shootings in Atlanta: A suspect is in custody after a string of three deadly shootings at spas in the Atlanta metro area. The Washington Post reports that six women - who all appear to be of Asian descent - died in the attacks. Authorities don't yet know if the killings were racially motivated.
- Reaction from Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus: She, other top lawmakers, and Biden have previously denounced the surge in attacks on Asian Americans.
3. No malarkey, Biden's sticking to the script: Democrats used to joke that being Biden's speechwriter was the toughest job in Washington, writing for a then-VP who often veered into long anecdotes while uttering a gaffe or two along the way. But Biden's message on COVID-19 relief has been a marked departure from Trump and his own past. Our exclusive report has more on the lessons a former Obama aide says Biden's team has learned.
- Biden is set to hold his first news conference next Thursday, per White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
4. Biden comes out for changes to the filibuster: He threw himself behind changes to the Senate's 60-vote procedural hurdle for the first time. Biden supports requiring a talking filibuster (made famous by "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington") where senators opposing legislation are required to stand up and continue to speak.
- Not so fast, says Mitch McConnell: The top Senate Republican vowed a "scorched-earth" chamber if Democrats destroyed the filibuster - a move some Democratic senators support, but Biden opposes. While in the minority, Republicans still have the ability to make things painful for their colleagues.
- Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin demonstrated this when he forced Senate clerks to read the entire 628-page relief bill aloud for nearly 11 hours.
5. Putin sought to hurt Biden's candidacy, intel report says: Russia was at it again during the 2020 election, a declassified intelligence community report concluded. It said the Russian president himself authorized a variety of operations aimed at weakening Biden, supporting Trump, and undermining confidence in the election.
Top intelligence agencies also found Iran carried out a covert plan to undercut Trump, including creating fake emails posing as the Proud Boys. Read the report here.
- Beijing sat it out: China considered interfering in the election, but according to the report, it ultimately decided that neither candidate was worth the risk of being caught. China, the intelligence community assesses, believes there is a bipartisan consensus against it.
Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
6. The cannabis industry is counting on Democrats for legalization: But Insider's interviews with several senators on Capitol Hill "show Democrats aren't united on the issue, and the prospect of decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level this Congress isn't as high as the industry envisions." More in our exclusive report on where lawmakers stand.
- Key quote: "I personally am not somebody that thinks it should be legalized," Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana said. "But in the end, the states are usually ahead of us on issues and this is probably one they are ahead of us on."
7. The top things for your calendar, all times Eastern:
- Today: Biden hosts the Irish Prime Minister for a St. Patrick's Day meeting.
- Today: Biden's interview airs on ABC's "Good Morning America."
- 10 a.m.: House Financial Services Committee hearing on GameStop.
- 2 p.m.: Federal Open Market Committee decision on interest rates.
8. International health agencies defend AstraZeneca's vaccine: The European Medicines Agency, the World Health Organization, and AstraZeneca insist there is no evidence of a connection between the shot and blood clots. Despite their assurances, at least 16 countries have suspended some or all of their use of the vaccine.
9. An extra on YouTube star David Dobrik's channel says she was raped by a Vlog Squad member in 2018: The woman says she was too intoxicated to consent to sex with Dominykas Zeglaitis, aka Durte Dom, on the night they were filming. Dobrik's Vlog Squad is one of the most beloved friend groups on YouTube. More on Insider's exclusive investigation.
10. Michelle Obama weighs in on Meghan Markle's Oprah interview: The former first lady told NBC's "Today" show it "wasn't a complete surprise" to learn of Markle's negative experiences as a biracial woman in the royal family. She also said it was "heartbreaking" to hear Markle felt that her own family thought differently of her. Watch Obama's full interview here.
One last thing.
Today's trivia question: Who was the first president to receive a shamrock from an Irish official on St. Patrick's Day? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.
- Yesterday's answer: Freedom of Information Day commemorates President James Madison's birthday.
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